Chapter 0063

The first thing Tempest noticed when she entered the small shack was the smell. The scent of blood, sweat, tears, vomit, urine and feces lingered in the air, clinging to the dirty walls and messy floor.

 

“This is not a good place to give birth. Even the alley way we came from is better than this.” Tempest thought to herself as she tried not to vomit. Luckily, her stomach was empty. There was nothing to come out.

 

On the shabby little bed is a young woman, probably no older than 13 Earth years, panting heavily.

 

Tempest rushed over to the exhausted mother while telling Ventus to tell Mizu to stop the blood and locate the source of the bleeding.

 

Tempest once heard a doctor said blood is 70% water, 30% plasma. Tempest figured Mizu can do something right now.

 

We all hear you when you speak to us. No need for me to relay your message.

 

“Okay. Mizu, please stop the bleeding.”

 

We can locate the wound through the blood flow, but we can’t do anything about it without an external energy source.

 

“Huh?”

 

We need you to guide the energy through the mother’s body because we can’t do it ourselves.

 

“Okay, what do I do?”

 

It’s like casting a spell, but instead of gathering the energy into the spell circle like you usually do, you gather the energy into your body first, then channel the energy into the girl.

 

“Go get some hot water.” Tempest ordered the plain girl standing next to the door. The plain girl immediately rushed out.

 

Tempest didn’t want a judgemental audience looking over her shoulder while she tried to save the mother and child. She’d make more mistakes when under the scrutiny of another than working by herself in a dirty room.

 

Once she was sure the plain girl was doing what she was told, Tempest turned her attention back to the young mother. She gathered the ambient mana from her surroundings and circulated it through her body before channelling it into the young mother’s body.

 

When her energy touched the young mother, Tempest could see inside the young mother’s body. It was as if her energy acts like a MRI machine, ah no, it is more accurate to say she gained Superman’s X-ray vision. She could see the different layers of the human body.

 

The young mother was bleeding internally in three different areas: the stomach, intestine and at the cervix.

 

Tempest channeled her power to heal the wounds one by one. The stomach was riddled with tiny perforations, slowly leaking hydrochloric acid into the abdominal cavity, creating the wound on the intestine. Tempest slowly closed each wound then channelled her power to heal the intestine.

 

Once the stomach and intestinal wounds were dealt with, Tempest channeled her power to heal the cervix.

 

The healing process took no longer than a minute, yet it was draining on Tempest’s reserves.

 

Tempest began to assess the child mother for symptoms of shock: cool, clammy, pale or ashen skin, rapid pulse or breathing, enlarged pupils, nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, dizziness or fainting. Tempest definitely wanted the machine that monitors patients blood pressure because a steady or sudden drop in blood pressure is the best indicator for hypovolemic shock, a medical term for excessive bleeding.

 

She did learn something staying in a medical facility.

 

The young mother’s skin was cool, but had a hint of warmth. The rapid breathing might be due to birthing the child. It looks like an antiquated version of Lamaze. The who who who heeee sounds just like it although her unconscious state doesn’t lend credence to Tempest’s theory.

 

Tempest was worried about the state of the mother. During the assessment and healing process, the young mother never once woke up. Tempest checked the young mother once again to make sure she didn’t miss anything the first time around.

 

After she was sure the young mother would have lived long and her unconscious state was not a life threatening condition, Tempest began to analyze the chemicals in the young mother’s blood stream.

 

The perforations in the stomach wouldn’t coincidentally appear as someone was giving birth and Tempest was sure the strain of giving birth didn’t cause those wounds either. Therefore, the wound has to be caused by poison.

 

Tempest knew nothing of poisons of this world, so she had her spirits interpret the result she got from analyzing the young mother’s blood.

 

Sage Grass, a common herb used in cooking.

 

Linen Wheat, a common herb used in cooking.

 

Five Line Spice, a common herb used in cooking.

 

Blood Bane, an herb used to stimulate the blood in the body. The herb is generally used for a blood replenishment.  It is especially good to consume after a cultivator suffers from a serious wound.

 

There is nothing suspicious in the bloodstream. The Blood Bane might call for an investigation if it was ingested before the mother went into labor, but since the young mother was bleeding, giving her Blood Bane to make up for the blood loss is understandable. Blood Bane doesn’t treat the root cause of the blood loss but it does help. Without it, the young mother wouldn’t live long enough for Tempest to help her.

 

If the source of the problem isn’t found in the blood stream then the digestive tract is another alternative except Tempest doesn’t know if she can scan the young mother’s body using her current method.

 

Tempest can assess the bloodstream because of her affinity to water. The digestive tract doesn’t have enough water running through it.

 

Assess the condition of the child before searching for the cause of the illness.

 

At Ventus’ reminder, Tempest began to assess the child. Tempest forgot for a moment she was here to save the life of the young mother and child, not find the answer to a conspiracy.

 

Tempest sent her powers to assess the child but was repelled by a powerful force.

 

The child’s mental powers are highly developed.

 

“I thought mental powers didn't develop until later in life. How can’t the child have a strong mental power?”

 

Mental powers do develop later in life for most people. There are always exceptions to the rule and it seems this child is one of those exceptions. It also explains why someone would want to harvest the child.

 

“Please explain.” Tempest needs to find a library and spend an entire month learning the common sense of the Cardinal Realm.

 

Mental power is a type of power a cultivator harness as they strive to become an immortal. As a child grows up, they gain awareness of the world around them and during this awareness phase, the mental power of a child is nurtured but also becomes a part of the cultivator. Some children are born with more mental powers than others just as some children are born with better spirit veins than others. Unlike spirit veins, the mental powers of a child younger than seven years of age can be stolen since the power exists but remains in a blank slate form because the child has no awareness.

 

“Someone trying to kill the mother to refine the child?”

 

Yes.

 

“Damn blackhearted world!” Tempest cursed under her breath. Since the child has strong mental powers, it is safe to assume the child is healthy, therefore Tempest turned her attention back to the young mother who awakened from her coma like state.

 

Tempest didn’t notice before in her haste to save the young mother, but she can understand why the girl is pregnant at a young age. The young mother is beautiful.

 

A person can be naturally beautiful, artificially beautiful, or they can be beautiful through their charms, mannerisms or elegances. The young mother falls into the category of otherworldly beautiful. The young mother was Daji personified: sexy, exotic, enticing and lustful. Tempest would liken her to Helen of Troy but since Helen was suppose to be a virginal beauty, it doesn't apply here.

 

Green eyes so dark one might mistaken it as black framed by thick lashes, thick pouting lips, tender porcelain skin put together to make her look like an enchanting goddess come to life.

 

Looking at the enchanting face makes one want to pull the woman to the nearest bed and do unspeakable things to her. Tempest was never attracted to women but she was still tempted to jump the young mother.

 

Luckily she still had her self control. Beauty and sex never interested Tempest. Food on the other hand....

 

“Ventus! Is she casting a spell on me or something? I might turn into a lesbian at this rate!”

 

She hasn’t cast any spells or used any technique as far as I can tell. Your attraction to her is 99% her allurement.

 

“99%?”

 

Nothing is ever guaranteed in life. 99% is good enough.

 

“Still…” Still ever so gorgeous. Those eyes are bottomless. Tempest can stare into those eyes and never get tired of it. Those lips are full and Tempest wonder how they would look like after a ravaging kiss she read about in the romance novels. Tempest only knows about kissing from reading. Her true love first kiss is still her own, baby kisses on the mouth don’t count. She knows for a fact her brother kissed her on the mouth when she was younger. He told her in graphic detail how she slobbered all over him.

 

That skin… hey wait a minute! Why is she interest in sex and women and this one in particular? Sex doesn’t even interest her!

 

This woman’s pheromones are interfering with her mind.

 

“Gah!!! I don’t even like you.” Tempest meant to say she was not interest in the same sex, but it came out as such.

 

“Well, that’s good because I don’t think a woman about to go into labor is interested in you either.” a domineering voice rang out behind Tempest.

 

Damn it. She got so lost in the woman’s mojo that she didn’t notice another person sneaking up behind her!