Chapter 253: Eye Injury
"Admiral He, are you all right?"
Mu Tangfeng walked over, his expression worried.
It was common knowledge that the blood of the Insect Clan was corrosive. However, the higher a Beastman’s spiritual power, the stronger their natural defenses. The blood hadn’t inflicted severe damage on He Hanshi, given his 3S Spiritual Power, but it still left a winding red mark where it had trickled down his face. Against his pale skin, it looked alarmingly severe.
He Hanshi blinked. His right eye, which had been splashed with blood, was now completely bloodshot. He shook his head. "I’m fine."
Ye Ming glanced at the minced remains of the Insect Clan corpse on the ground, then looked at him in confusion. "He Hanshi, why were you so close to the insect?"
This proximity was different from when Yan Huoshui had torn an insect apart earlier. When he killed that insect, he had deliberately tossed the corpse aside, preventing the blood from splashing directly onto himself.
At least, he had only ended up with a small scorch mark on his tail, which was unnoticeable after some simple treatment.
But He Hanshi was a seasoned veteran. It made no sense for him not to dodge when he knew an insect was about to explode.
He Hanshi frowned, his uninjured blue eye filled with confusion. "I’m not sure either. This insect’s attack power wasn’t high, so I used a firearm designed specifically for the Insect Clan. Logically, it should have died instantly from the shot instead of exploding."
As he spoke, he showed the gun to Ye Ming. Yan Huoshui also came over to inspect it closely, and confirmed it was as he said.
This model of gun was specifically designed for the Insect Clan, intended to leave parts of the corpse intact. It shouldn’t have been able to cause such a powerful explosion.
But right now, the most important thing was for He Hanshi to get his injuries treated.
"You should go to a Treatment Pod first. Your eye injury looks very serious."
He Hanshi nodded. Although the vision in one eye was almost completely red, his expression remained calm and composed. He said to Ye Ming, "Eldest Prince, I’ll have to trouble you to report the situation here to the Monarch."
"Also, regarding that matter with the Bai Family, I suggest we wait for more accurate information before saying anything."
Ye Ming grunted in affirmation. "I know. You should head back."
"Right, and there’s Lanlan. In your current condition..."
He Hanshi could feel the pain on his face. He looked at Mu Tangfeng and asked for a mirror. He then stared at the reflection, at the ugly red marks streaking across his face. They looked like the mottled, messy pink flesh of new scars, and were rather unsightly.
’I don’t want Shi Lan to see me like this.’ She had said she loved his face, and he had told her this face was one of her assets.
He had failed to protect it, so he had no right to see her looking like this.
Even though tonight was the night they had drawn to spend together, He Hanshi still said, "Eldest Prince, I’ll go to your place for treatment before heading back."
’An injury like this should heal in just over an hour.’
"Alright."
Ye Ming had no objections.
The group temporarily split up. Ye Ming took He Hanshi home to treat his injuries. While He Hanshi was undergoing treatment, Ye Ming took the opportunity to go to the palace to report the battle situation to his father, explaining that He Hanshi was slightly injured and couldn’t be there.
The Monarch asked with concern, "Is Han Shi alright?"
Ye Ming replied, "Admiral He is fine. He just got splashed with some Insect Clan blood and needs treatment."
"That’s good to hear. That boy is just too earnest, always charging to the front lines."
Ye Ming’s lips moved slightly. He had wanted to mention the strange insect, but then he considered that it might have been a coincidence. Besides, while many insects from the Insect Clan looked identical, there could be partial differences in their internal structure.
Perhaps He Hanshi had just happened to hit a critical spot, or maybe the insect had already been wounded by other soldiers and was fleeing when it ran into him, causing the explosion.
He didn’t say anything more. After he briefly reported on the events, the Monarch, upon learning the Insect Clan had retreated, told him to go back and rest early. They would investigate why the Insect Clan had come to the Capital Star again later.
Ye Ming nodded and left the main hall. He hurried back to his own wing of the palace. He Hanshi was in his treatment room.
When Shi Lan couldn’t reach He Hanshi, she sent a message to Ye Ming instead. [Ye Ming, are you guys okay? What’s the situation with the Insect Clan?]
Ye Ming immediately replied, [The Insect Clan has retreated. The battlefield has been cleaned up.]
Shi Lan breathed a sigh of relief. [That’s good. None of you are hurt, right? How are your spiritual power levels?]
Seeing her message, Ye Ming quickly checked his own status. [I’m fine. I just checked, and I’m at 20%. That’s a 2% increase since last time.]
[As for the others, they should be fine too. I didn’t see anything unusual, and they could all revert to their human forms.]
Shi Lan: [Okay, what about He Hanshi? His spiritual power situation was pretty serious before. I helped him with Basic Healing recently, but it was still in the thirties. I wonder how much it’ll increase this time.]
Ye Ming reassured her, [Don’t overthink it. We killed about the same number of insects. Since mine increased by 2%, his should be around the same. He’s safe for now, not in the high-risk zone.]
Shi Lan tried to reassure herself, but she couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. [By the way, when is He Hanshi coming back? I sent him a message, but he hasn’t replied.]
Ye Ming knew He Hanshi didn’t want Shi Lan to know he was injured. But he couldn’t bring himself to lie to his wife. So, he explained, [He Hanshi is fine. He sustained a minor injury and is getting treated at my place for now. He should be back in about an hour.]
Worried, Shi Lan immediately started a video call. "Ye Ming, is He Hanshi hurt? Let me see him."
Seeing the person he loved showing so much concern for another male right in front of him, Ye Ming couldn’t suppress the sour feeling of jealousy and discomfort welling up inside him. His gaze darkened, and even the beauty mark by the corner of his eye seemed to lose some of its luster.
But when facing Shi Lan, his tone remained gentle as he patiently soothed her. "Lanlan, don’t worry. When I said Admiral He’s injury was minor, I meant it. He was just splashed by a bit of Insect Clan blood, which left a few red marks. The Treatment Pod will heal it quickly."
"He’s in the treatment room upstairs right now. I’ll take you to see him."
"Okay."
Shi Lan trusted Ye Ming’s words. She let out a sigh of relief and, for once, chattered on as she followed him. "I don’t know why the Insect Clan came to the Capital Star again. I’m just glad you’re all okay."
"Even though your spiritual power levels are all relatively stable now, I’m still not completely at ease. When the time comes, I’ll just use Deep Healing to fix you all up at once."
"Speaking of which, I even saw the Insect Mother tonight. It stopped at He Hanshi’s doorstep for a moment and then left. It seemed really angry."
Ye Ming listened to her intently. Unconsciously, the sour feeling in his heart was soothed and calmed by her words. A faint smile touched his lips as he casually shared his own discovery. "Maybe. The Insect Clan was mainly targeting the Bai Family tonight. Perhaps the Bai Family has the kind of energy the Insect Mother has been after."
"Energy? You mean the same kind from Yaoxing?"
Ye Ming hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but judging from He Hanshi’s reaction, that was probably it.
He nodded. Seeing this, realization dawned on Shi Lan.