Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Hostility

Lu Xiao maintained her smile as she looked at him. “You can think it over and give me an answer after we finish today’s treatment. How has your sleep been lately? Can you fall asleep with medication? Do you have nightmares? If you wake up, can you get back to sleep? Please answer in that order.”

Kels struggled to compose himself, his emotions a mixture of shock and complexity. He gathered his thoughts and said, “To be honest, ever since I became S-Class, it’s been very difficult to sleep. The medication still has some effect on me, for now. I dream, but I don’t really remember the details. I wake up easily, and once I do, it’s hard to fall back asleep.”

Lu Xiao noted everything down. “Has anything made you feel happy recently?”

“…” Kels fell silent. His expression was no longer as relaxed as it had been moments ago.

“Is that a difficult question to answer?”

“No, it’s just… the happiest I’ve felt recently is right now.” He was hesitant to say it, worried his words might offend the young female before him.

But Lu Xiao just laughed. “Thank you. I’m very happy to hear that. It means that, at least here with me, you’re relaxed. That’s great.”

“It is great. Really great. You don’t find it offensive?”

“Isn’t it a recognition of my work? That’s about enough. Let’s begin the Spiritual Soothing. I think a good sleep will help you relax even more.”

Kels’s eyes widened at her words. “You… you’re going to perform Spiritual Soothing on me?”

“Of course. Why else would you be here? Now, just feel it and relax.” Lu Xiao didn’t give Kels much time to think, reaching out and placing her hand on his forehead.

The moment her purification power entered Kels’s Spirit Sea, she sensed that his condition was much better than Claude’s, but significantly worse than Ares’s.

But she was no longer surprised by the Dark Matter and tangled spirit silk within the males’ Spirit Seas.

She methodically began to untangle and purify it. When the thirty-minute treatment was over, Kels had fallen into a deep sleep.

After noting the time he fell asleep, Lu Xiao walked over to the instrument and drank some water.

She realized that treating an Early Stage S-Class male like Kels consumed much less of her purification power than treating Claude. If all her patients were at this level, she could probably treat five or six a day without any issue.

As she mulled this over, Kels groggily awoke twenty-five minutes later. The newly awakened man had a dazed expression, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“Awake? How are you feeling?”

Lu Xiao’s voice broke him out of his reverie.

Kels shook his head to clear it, his voice full of disbelief. “Did I… Did I just fall asleep?”

“Yes. For about twenty-five minutes. It was a deep sleep.”

“I actually fell asleep… I can’t remember the last time that happened. Thank you. I feel great. My whole body feels light, especially my Spirit Sea. It hasn’t been this calm in so long.”

“That sounds like wonderful news. Congratulations. Are you starting to feel hopeful about life again? In that case, how about you accept my deal? All you have to do is think of one interesting thing that’s happened in the S-Class Shelter between now and our next meeting. Tell it to me then, and if you do, you’ll have fulfilled our agreement and will get a reward. Want to make a deal with me?”

“Okay, Doctor Lu. I will. I mean, I’m willing to make this deal with you.”

“Excellent. Kels, your treatment is over for today. I’ll see you next week. I hope you’ll request my clinic yourself.”

“I definitely will. I won’t forget.” Kels’s eyes welled up, and for a moment, the burly man looked strangely vulnerable.

Lu Xiao gave him a reassuring smile, then opened the door to call in the escort officers.

The session had lasted nearly fifty minutes, which wasn’t a short amount of time.

The moment the door opened, the escort officers found themselves curious about what Lu Xiao had been doing.

But no matter how curious they were, they didn’t dare to ask.

Lu Xiao filed Kels’s information, then glanced at the time. She could treat one more patient before lunch.

“Send the next one in.”

Hearing that she intended to start another session immediately, an escort officer asked instinctively, “Don’t you need to take a break?”

“No need. Let him in. And don’t put a helmet on him.” As she spoke, just as Kels was about to leave the clinic, she called out his name with a smile. “Kels, goodbye.”

Kels, who had already reached the doorway, froze. It wasn’t just him; the two officers beside him, as well as the next patient, all looked at her in surprise.

This young female had actually called Kels by name.

And had even said goodbye to him.

Kels tried to calm his surging emotions, but a slight catch in his voice betrayed him. “Goodbye.”

After Kels left, the last patient of the day took a seat. He looked much thinner and younger than Kels, but carried a gloomy, somber air about him.

Once the escort officers had gone, Lu Xiao turned to him. “Don’t be nervous. Let’s just chat for a bit. What’s your name? Can you introduce yourself?”

“Were those the words you used to bewitch Kels just now?”

Lu Xiao was taken aback for a moment. She could feel the aggression in his words, but she wasn’t particularly surprised. In fact, she was pleasantly so. ’Looks like not all males are so naively indulgent toward females.’

With that, Lu Xiao let out a little laugh. It was like a flower blooming in the sun—bright, brilliant, and utterly dazzling. The Beastman who unintentionally caught sight of it felt his heart clench. He instinctively averted his gaze, but a suspicious blush crept onto his cheeks.

“You seem hostile toward me. But it’s probably not directed at me personally, is it? After all, this is the first time we’ve met. Do you just dislike females in general, or is it females who are therapists?”

“What’s the difference? I’ve never hidden my dislike for females. You can report me. I don’t mind.”

“You have a lot of courage. I think you’re quite special. But I don’t even know who you are. Isn’t that a shame?”

“I’ve seen plenty of females like you—acting all gentle and understanding on the outside, but full of evil and hypocrisy on the inside. No matter how you try to flaunt yourself, it’s useless on me. So give up!”

As he spoke, Lu Xiao kept her eyes on the instrument readings. The numbers indicating the stability of his Spirit Sea were fluctuating wildly, which told her he had a very sensitive personality.

“Were you hurt in the past? Is that why you don’t trust any females?”

Lu Xiao’s nonchalant reaction made the Beastman’s furious expression freeze for a moment.

’This was the wrong reaction. She shouldn’t be so calm. The moment I said something disrespectful, she should have called the escort officers in to restrain me, not act so nonchalant, as if it were nothing!’

“Why so quiet all of a sudden? Did I guess right?”

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