Chapter 79

"Such a poor child, he must have been kidnapped by that group of scoundrels. They just threw him by the roadside when he fell ill. Even if they could grow up safely, they would end up as scoundrels."

"You shouldn't have brought him back. This child is beyond saving, and it will offend those scoundrels." An old woman muttered, then glanced at Jiang Junming, a bit embarrassed, and continued, "I'm not blaming you; they wouldn't dare to cause trouble at the temple. I'm just afraid they might harass you when you enter or leave the temple. You are a future priest, even a bishop, and it's not worth it to make enemies with those ruffians."

Jiang Junming smiled and said nothing, asking the old women to prepare a quiet room for him. The child was very weak, and he needed to examine him first before making a judgment and then treating him.

The old women quickly prepared a room, even bringing in hot water and towels. It seemed they thought the child was beyond saving and were preparing to clean his body after he died, so he could leave this world cleanly.

The child in his arms was very hot, with a body temperature of around 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. His pulse was weak and rapid, and his lips were cyanotic. Jiang Junming had a preliminary understanding of the child's condition. He then undressed the child, put his ear to the child's chest, and listened to the breathing and heart sounds.

Both lungs were filled with dense moist rales, clearly indicating severe pneumonia, likely lobar pneumonia. This was related to his weak constitution and low immunity since childhood. Jiang Junming grew up in an orphanage, and many orphans around him died from common pneumonia, influenza, and other diseases due to low immunity.

It was a bit tricky. If it were an external injury, Jiang Junming could try. But such severe lobar pneumonia required antibiotics to reduce inflammation, fluid replacement, and tests to determine the extent of internal environmental disorders. However, he was powerless in this world, where such precise methods were impossible.

Jiang Junming felt a bit regretful, but then suddenly remembered the miraculous change in Links after taking the stimulant potion on the way here. He scolded himself for always thinking in terms of his past medical experience at the hospital. Although there were no antibiotics here, there were potions with divine power that had similar or even better effects.

Let's give it a try, what if it works? Jiang Junming thought, taking out the stimulant potion he had left.

The old women stood in the room, looking at Jiang Junming's strange actions, unsure what he was doing. If he were a priest, he should pray and use divine magic to heal the critically ill child. In their view, if Priestess Ilene were here, there might be a chance. But Jiang Junming was just a believer, a student at the church academy, and wouldn't have the strong divine power to save the child's life.

But what was he doing? Instead of praying, he undressed the child and put his ear to the child's chest, listening to something. Was this some ritual of the Church of Compassion? It didn't seem like it. Although the Church of Compassion had never appeared in Dusk City before, other church priests wouldn't use such strange actions to save someone.

Confused, they watched as Jiang Junming lifted the child, held him in his arms, and opened the potion bottle. Seeing Jiang Junming's awkward movements, one of the old women stepped forward, took the potion bottle, and helped Jiang Junming feed the stimulant potion to the child.

As she did so, the old woman said with a pained heart, "The stimulant potion won't work. Giving it to him would just waste a bottle of potion."

Jiang Junming knew the old woman wasn't unkind, but life in the slums was hard. Even a bottle of stimulant potion, which wasn't worth much, was precious to them. It might save a life in a critical moment, not be wasted on someone who was about to die. Jiang Junming smiled gently, and the old woman carefully fed the stimulant potion to the child, making sure he didn't choke and not wasting a single drop.

Let's give it a try, I don't know if it will work, but I have high hopes. Jiang Junming thought.

The old woman finished feeding the stimulant potion to the child in Jiang Junming's arms, sighed, and just as she stood up, she froze.

The child in Jiang Junming's arms, after drinking the stimulant potion, opened his eyes in just a few seconds.

He looked timid and fearful, but his eyes had a glimmer of life, not the dull, lifeless eyes of a critically ill person.

"He, he..." The old woman had lived in the slums for years, seen many critically ill people, and even sent off her own loved ones. She had even felt the approach of death herself. The child in Jiang Junming's arms would have been lucky to live half a day, but after drinking the stimulant potion, he opened his eyes, with a look of a child who had just arrived in a strange place, timid and afraid. Where were the signs of a critically ill, dying person?

Could it be the effect of that bottle of stimulant potion? The old woman wondered. But that couldn't be it. The stimulant potion was a common potion, almost useless. A few copper coins could buy a bottle, how could it cure such a severe illness?

Was it an illusion? Or did Priestess Ilene return without her noticing, and it was Priestess Ilene who used divine magic to heal him? The old woman looked around, but there was no sign of Priestess Ilene. In the room, besides Jiang Junming and the child in his arms, there were only a few familiar people. The others were also staring at the little boy in shock, unsure what power had pulled the boy back from the brink of death so thoroughly, as if he had never been sick.

The little boy in Jiang Junming's arms had black curly hair, like withered grass, and a pair of large, dark eyes that flickered with curiosity and more fear as he looked around. Since he had memory, he had lived in dark places, never had a full meal, and if he wasn't obedient, he would face insults and even punishment. No one had ever held him in their arms before. The warmth of the embrace made him feel safe, but what was this place? Who were these kind-looking strangers?

Seeing the boy's fearful and timid eyes, the old woman felt a surge of affection and said gently, "Child, this is not a den of thieves. This is the temple of the Goddess of Compassion. You are safe now."

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I have something to do at noon and might update later in the afternoon.

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