No matter how Leorio had crossed that boundary, the fact remained that he was now an exceptionally capable doctor—there was no denying it. It proved that no matter how unserious or hot-tempered he usually appeared, his abilities were truly outstanding.
"I still need to work harder if I don't want to fall behind," Lu Ou said to himself.
His mind drifted back to the training methods he had devised earlier while navigating the hidden passageways. He decided he should spend more time refining them. After all, the Hunter Exam was something people could actually die in—preparation was never a bad thing.
As Lu Ou continued running through various feasible plans in his head, his eyes and ears remained alert. Even though he knew no magical beasts were likely to appear, vigilance was still necessary. Better safe than sorry.
Leorio injected the final anti-inflammatory shot into the man's arm and finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Hiss—" The man couldn't help but suck in a breath of pain. The emergency treatment was finally over.
"The immediate treatment is done, but it's best to check again later. Is there a clinic nearby?" Leorio asked as he tidied up the used supplies, carefully and methodically placing everything back into the medical case.
"There is… but it's very far from here, and there are magical beasts along the way," the man replied. He seemed much more energetic now, his voice stronger.
"If you're afraid of magical beasts, how can you take part in the Hunter Exam?" Leorio said with a confident smile.
"But my wife… my wife, she—" The man's words broke apart as grief overtook him. His body trembled, whether from pain or sorrow it was hard to tell.
"Don't worry. With Kurapika and Gon there, nothing will go wrong. They'll definitely come back safely," Leorio said solemnly.
"They'll definitely be safe."
Standing at the doorway, Lu Ou also heard the exchange between Leorio and the man. He gazed out into the pitch-black forest beyond, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. His words, however, sounded like simple reassurance.
Under the patient, repeated comfort from Leorio and Lu Ou, the man gradually calmed down.
"But where exactly is the clinic?" Leorio asked again. He felt they were still lacking certain medicines; without them, recovery would be slow. He was determined to make a trip.
Whenever it came to treating patients, Leorio became very different from his usual self—far more serious and focused. Perhaps it was because he still couldn't come to terms with the death of his friend.
"It's… it's very far away. That place…" The man hesitated, either unable to remember clearly or unsure how to explain, his words trailing off.
"Leorio, why don't you gather some herbs instead? The clinic is probably too far. There should be plenty of medicinal plants in the forest—it would be faster this way," Lu Ou suddenly interjected, cutting off the man's halting explanation.
"Hm? That could work. Then, Ou, you stay here and keep watch. I'll be back as soon as I can," Leorio said after a moment's thought, agreeing that Lu Ou's suggestion was more practical under the circumstances.
After carefully checking the man's wounds one more time and finding no issues, Leorio found a bamboo basket in the house, slung it over his back, and prepared to leave.
"Ou, I'm counting on you. I'll be back soon," Leorio said. He felt reassured leaving the patient in Lu Ou's care—after all, Lu Ou had many strange abilities and knew a great deal. He was someone who could be trusted.
"Don't worry. No problem. No matter what you encounter, be careful. Your safety comes first," Lu Ou said, patting Leorio on the arm encouragingly.
Leorio waved casually and strode out. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the darkness.
Lu Ou bent one knee and leaned against the doorframe, positioning himself so he could keep an eye on both the interior and the outside. His expression was calm, but inwardly he began counting down.
"Ten… nine… eight… seven…"
Sure enough, before long, the man inside the room began to sob quietly. His suppressed cries were filled with sorrow, more heartrending than a cuckoo's lament—it was a truly convincing performance.
"What's wrong? My companion will be back soon. He'll definitely cure you," Lu Ou said, his face filled with concern as he slowly approached the man.
"It doesn't matter… whether I'm cured or not," the man said. "I'm worried about my wife. So much time has passed already—I don't know what's happened to her."
"Don't worry. My other two companions are very strong. They'll definitely keep your wife safe," Lu Ou reassured him.
"But it's been so long… you… could you… could you go check for me? I really can't wait any longer," the man said, struggling to get up. Unfortunately, his injuries seemed too severe and he failed.
His body barely lifted before collapsing back onto the ground. After several attempts, he was drenched in sweat. The bandages binding his wounds had loosened, faint traces of blood seeping through.
"Alright, don't worry. Everything will be fine. If you insist, I'll go take a look for you. They should be back around now anyway," Lu Ou said helplessly.
"That's great. Thank you," the man said, finally relaxing.
Lu Ou stood up and walked toward the door at an unhurried pace, as if strolling through a garden. Reaching the doorway, he slowly turned around under the man's expectant gaze, a playful smile spreading across his face.
"If I go out there, I'll fall right into your trap, won't I?"
"Huh?"
The man's hopeful expression froze on his face. He hadn't reacted at all—everything had been going smoothly just moments ago. Why had things suddenly changed?
"What trap? Weren't you going to help me look for my wife?" The man's smile stiffened slightly, though he tried to maintain his composure.
"Is that so? Weren't you trying to lure me away so you could test the others?" Lu Ou said with a grin. "Guide Mr. Ferocious Fox."
"Cough—cough—cough…" Startled, the man coughed violently a few times before slowly standing up. The supposedly severe wounds on his body were completely fake. He stared at Lu Ou for a long time before asking, "How did you know?"
"When we disembarked, the captain told us that everything we encountered along the way could be part of the exam," Lu Ou replied. "So after all the trouble we went through to get here, running into a ferocious fox that had captured a guide couple—there were only two possibilities: either it was all real, or it was all fake."
"If it were real, then yes, it would just be an unfortunate coincidence—a magical beast attack. But there's a problem with that. Before entering, we lingered outside for a while. Ferocious foxes have excellent hearing; it would have been impossible for you not to notice someone approaching. That means a standoff inside the room couldn't have happened."
"After entering, I deliberately observed the surroundings. There were no signs of a struggle inside the room, and the door hadn't been damaged. In other words, no forced entry. If we assume this incident was real, the only explanation would be that the ferocious fox snuck in secretly—making it even more impossible."
"How is that impossible?" the man—now clearly the ferocious fox—asked, trying to find a flaw in Lu Ou's reasoning.