Ten Day Ultimatum

Caught in a tough spot, Doctor Zhao looked at Qi Xia, who was equally silent.

"Can this be used?" Qi Xia asked quietly.
"It's not ideal, but it’ll work," Doctor Zhao nodded. "Surgical sutures use curved needles anyway. As long as it’s sharp, we can make do."
Qi Xia considered that for a moment, then turned to the shop assistant.
"Miss, we don’t have money. Could we trade instead?"

"Money?" The shop assistant blinked at him blankly, like the word itself was foreign. After a long pause, she said slowly,
"I don’t want money. Let’s sleep together."
"Sleep..." Qi Xia’s lips barely moved. "What do you mean?"
"We’ll eat little piglets after we sleep together!" Her face twisted with excitement, saliva trailing from the corner of her mouth.

She shuffled to the bloodstained bed and sat down with a squelch, patting the soaked spot beside her invitingly.
"Come on, come here quickly."
With disturbing ease, the woman peeled off her top. She wore nothing underneath. Her emaciated body, smeared with grime and spattered with dried blood, looked more corpse than human—like bones held together by skin and filth.

Qiao Jiajin stood frozen for a beat, then jabbed his elbow into Qi Xia’s ribs.
"Take one for the team."
"You go," Qi Xia snapped.
"She picked you, buddy." Qiao Jiajin grinned nervously. "You heard her. One round with her, and we get to eat the piglet stew. Besides... the writer needs that hook to survive. Technically, it’d be a heroic sacrifice."

Before Qi Xia could retort, the woman turned toward Qiao Jiajin, eyes wide with manic glee.
"You can come too! All four of you can join!"
"Huh?" Qiao Jiajin blinked. "Me...?"
"What the hell..." Police Officer Li finally stepped in, his voice rough with disbelief. All his years on the force hadn’t prepared him for this.
"Miss, what exactly do you think you’re doing? We just want to buy some supplies. Why are you turning this into something else?"

"I..." the woman’s eyes stretched wide—then she screamed,
"I want to eat little piglets!!"
Then, like she remembered something, she hurriedly placed the fishhook and line onto the bed, dashed to the pot, and leaned over it.
"Little piglet... don’t spoil..." she muttered.

She picked up a branch from beside the stove and gently stirred the contents with eerie tenderness.
Qi Xia moved quickly. While her back was turned, he slipped to the bed, snatched the hook and line, and handed them to Doctor Zhao.
"Go. Save him. We’ll handle the rest."
"Got it!"
Doctor Zhao grabbed the items and stepped outside. Spotting some relatively clean stones, he immediately began grinding off the rust. As he worked, he relayed what had just happened inside.

Even someone like Tian Tian, used to death and madness, couldn’t make sense of the woman’s behavior.
"Doesn’t matter," Lin Qin said firmly. "Qi Xia's right. Saving a life comes first." She took the line and crouched beside Han Yimo.
Doctor Zhao kept grinding the hook against stone, carving away the corrosion until it looked usable. Lin Qin, with practiced hands, untangled the line.

"This should work..." After checking it, Doctor Zhao turned to Han Yimo.
"I’m pulling the harpoon out now. Then I’ll stitch it."
"Okay..." Han Yimo’s voice was faint.
"But there’s no anesthetic," Doctor Zhao warned. "It’s going to hurt. A lot."

"It’s fine... if I live, that’s enough." Han Yimo smiled thinly.
"As long as we avoid infection, you’ll pull through."
"Good... then let’s do it..."

……
Inside the staff room, three men watched the shop assistant as she stirred the pot.
She was completely nude now, but the only thing any of them felt was the urge to bolt.

"Hey, swindler," Qiao Jiajin whispered, "You stole her stuff. What if she flips later?"
"I don’t know," Qi Xia murmured.
Police Officer Li kept his voice low. "Don’t we still have {Dào 道}? Maybe she’d take that instead?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Qiao Jiajin hissed. "We nearly died for those {Dào}. You really want to hand one over to this psycho?"
"We’re saving a life."
Their hushed argument ended when the woman finally turned back around.

She approached the bed with a strange calm, but her eyes scanned the mattress—and the missing items.
She paused, puzzled. "Huh?"
But then she shook her head and muttered,
"Oh, right... sleeping together. So, who goes first?"

She lifted her gaze to the three men, then tilted her head.
"Wait... weren’t there four of you? Has it always been three...? Whatever, three’s fine."
Qiao Jiajin stared at her and muttered under his breath, "Yep. She’s completely gone."
"Mm." Qi Xia’s eyes narrowed in thought, then he stepped forward.
"We don’t want to sleep with you. ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) We just want to trade."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a golden {Dào}, and placed it gently by her side.
"I don’t know how much it’s worth here... but it’s all we have."
He figured people like her—these strange “locals”—probably knew what {Dào} were. Risking your life to get one had to mean something here.
The woman looked at the orb curiously. Then, without hesitation, she picked it up—and shoved it into her mouth.

Crunch.
The bead shattered between her teeth.
She chewed it, swallowed, and licked her lips.

"Tastes bad..." she said flatly. "Little piglets are better."
"What the..."
All three of them stood frozen, unable to process what they’d just seen. An object they nearly died for—gone in a single bite.

"If you won’t sleep with me, then leave."
The woman sighed like she’d been rejected on a date. "Someone else will come eventually..."
They didn’t say a word. They just left, burning with frustration and disbelief. One {Dào}, gone—just like that.
Outside, Doctor Zhao was already pulling the harpoon from Han Yimo’s chest. Blood gushed in thick waves. Han Yimo was drenched in sweat, face contorted.

"Help!" Lin Qin shouted.
Qiao Jiajin and Officer Li rushed forward, pinning Han Yimo’s limbs as he writhed.
"Han Yimo, look at me!" Doctor Zhao barked. "Do you know who I am?!"

"Doctor Zhao..." Han Yimo hissed through gritted teeth.
"Good. Stay with me." Doctor Zhao threaded the line through the hook. Han Yimo groaned again, biting his own lip until it bled.
"Keep talking," Doctor Zhao said evenly. "Focus on something else. Talk about something you like."

"Something I like...?" Han Yimo gave a weak laugh.
"You’re a writer, aren’t you?" Zhao continued. "Tell us about your work."