Murim Recurve

"Well," Re'Kha laughed awkwardly as she scratched her cheeks, "I'm not supposed to state his identity. Sorry."

"Oh, it's fine, I didn't mean to impose." Ki'Nha waved her hands, gazing outside for a while before she began to talk about the Withered Courtyard. Re'Kha truthfully relayed everything she had experienced there, giving her conjectures about it.

"If what you say is true, then it is a terrifying place." Ki'Nha sighed, "All I can do is relay the information you've given me to my Clan and hope they can deal with it."

"Still," She cupped her fists, "It was fate that made us meet. You've given me a lot of information about something that I was desperate to know about. So, thank you once again."

"The pleasure's mine," Re'Kha smiled, extending her Wind Qi perception beyond the carriage as she noticed the buildings become taller and larger. As they were moving through one of the main roads of the city, the buildings on the sides of the road were massive establishments where a large portion of the city congregated for entertainment and other reasons.

The grey sand existed as a blotched painting for less than a breath before vanishing. Thanks to the rain, Re'Kha couldn't see beyond the carriage. It was a bit frightening, to say the least. She was moving in a vehicle while unaware of her surroundings.

It was noon by the time they reached the central district. Re'Kha didn't know if they had reached their destination, but her back hurt a lot. The cold winds number her body, worsening her situation. It was only because she was sitting did Re'Kha was alright. She wouldn't have been able to walk properly in her condition.

"Western District Hospital, here we are." Ki'Nha smiled, opening the carriage door when the cycle rickshaw alighted. There was a wide-open space before the hospital's entrance, fully roofed for people to enter the hospital without getting drenched.

It wasn't walled, so the entire breadth of the hospital acted as an entrance for the rickshaws to come and go from the road. It also helped with the traffic that flowed in the area. It was one of the most crowded places within the city, only below the market.

There were four public hospitals in Burfuna City, with each situated on the district borders. The one they visited bordered the Western and Central District. There also existed private hospitals for each Elemental Clan, situated right next to their respective Clan.

But all hospitals, whether public or private were under the control of the Royal Clan. And, the ones in charge and those who manned the hospitals belonged to Mu Clan. Unlike the Elemental Clans that identified themselves with their city, the Mu Clan was one of the Four Great Clans of their country.

They were the Clans personally established by their Celestial Emperor in service to the country. They were the Mu Clan, the Ul Clan, Er Clan, and the In Clan. They were Healers, Scouts, Transporters, and Messengers respectively.

They too existed in every city and played vital importance in its functioning. But, unlike the Elemental Clans, they didn't wield any authority. They only retained authority concerning their respective domains. And, in every city they resided, they were under the authority of the respective Royal Clan.

Ki'Nha alighted from the carriage and helped Re'Kha get down. She then looked at the drivers, "We'll take time here. So, you can return. Thank the inn owner on my behalf."

"As you command, my lady." The two drivers bowed and drove the cycle rickshaw away.

"Let's enter," Ki'Nha said, acting familiar with the place. As it was under the control of her Clan, she had probably visited it numerous times before, both for treatment and inspection to see if everything functioned in place without problems.

"Yes," Re'Kha replied, scaling the more than ten steps to reach the hospital's ground floor. There was also a long slope on the side for people on stretchers to be brought in.

In every cycle rickshaw stand, there existed at least 3-4 rickshaws exclusive to the hospitals. They were the ones to travel to a person's home upon summons, pick up the patients, and drop them at the hospital.

There were two drivers per cycle rickshaw, and they operated free of charge. They were given monthly wages by their respective hospital, which was higher than what most cycle rickshaw drivers made. Moreover, if someone tried to fool their services to skimp out from paying a regular cycle rickshaw, they would be put in prison.

Such cycle rickshaws arrived at the hospital one after another as the nurses stationed at the scene arrived to their rescue, bringing them into the hospital on their stretchers. Re'Kha entered the hospital, heading towards the counter at the front.

It was a wide-open space, allowing for more than a thousand people to sit freely. Tiny rooms—numbering more than 20—existed on both sides where patients headed in one after another for a preliminary check-up.

To the back was a series of mechanical lifts that moved up the floors continuously. Behind the lifts were a series of control rooms, with each control room dedicated to a lift. As she extended her perception into a control room, she saw the figures of sweaty men grunting as they spun a massive wheel, counting the revolutions aloud to ensure the lift stopped at the right floor.

The counter had more than twenty people operating behind it. It was to ensure a queue wouldn't form. Everyone among them was a doctor and acted as the first line of inspection. They prevented healthy people from wasting the time of the doctors just because of their paranoia.

The moment Re'Kha walked in, she made eye contact with a doctor that motioned for her to walk towards him. When she stood before the counter, he observed her, nodding as he scribbled something on a piece of paper, "Your condition doesn't look serious, so I am giving you a general token."

He signed on the token to prevent any issues and handed it to Re'Kha, "Please be seated in the waiting area. When your token number is called, you can head to the visiting ward where the doctor will check up on your condition."

"Thank you," Re'Kha nodded and looked at the paper, unable to read it, for it looked blank in her perception, "…"