When Conrad reached the far end of Iron Mountain Village, he split off from Hudson and headed home.Meanwhile, Hudson walked back with Lena.The sight of the two of them immediately attracted attention.Lena's sleeves were torn. One leg of her pants had been ripped during the struggle, and she was wearing Hudson's oversized shirt over her damaged clothes.Hudson, meanwhile, was walking beside her shirtless.To anyone who didn't know what had happened, the scene looked suspicious.The villagers exchanged strange looks.Before long, rumors spread throughout Iron Mountain Village.According to the gossip, Hudson and Lena had gone into the hills together and gotten involved in something inappropriate. Some people even claimed things had become so intense that Lena's clothes and pants had been torn apart.As the story traveled from one person to another, it became more outrageous.Soon, villagers began gathering outside Lena's house.Some whispered among themselves while others openly crit

The crowd gathered at Lena's gate quickly parted.Loron pushed his way through the villagers and hurried toward Hudson, his face filled with anxiety."Master, please come quickly and help us!"The moment those words left his mouth, everyone around him froze.The villagers stared at one another in disbelief.No one had expected Loron, one of the village elders and the only doctor in the area, to address Hudson, a young outsider, as "Master.""Dr. Miller, what happened?""Why are you in such a hurry?""Did somebody get hurt?"Questions flew from every direction as the villagers crowded closer, eager to find out what was going on.Loron wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained anxiously."This is bad. Finn suddenly got sick.""He came looking for me earlier, and before I could even finish examining him, he grabbed his stomach and started screaming in pain."His voice trembled."Now he's unconscious, and his condition looks critical."A person's life was on the line.After speaking

Did he really know medicine? As the seconds passed, the curiosity in the villagers' eyes gradually turned into confusion.Hudson was clearly trying to save someone, but from their perspective, he wasn't doing anything useful.Every so often, he would simply tap or press a few points on Finn's body with his fingers.To everyone watching, it hardly looked like medical treatment at all.It looked more like he was wasting time.Froi, who had been struggling moments earlier, stopped resisting after seeing this.A sneer spread across his face.Deep down, he was convinced Hudson was putting on a show.After all, who had ever heard of saving a dying man by poking him with a finger?Loron, meanwhile, stood nearby with a deep frown.The nervous hope he'd been holding onto was beginning to fade.Several times, he wanted to step forward and ask Hudson directly whether Finn could actually be saved.At this point, he suspected Hudson might have been mistaken earlier.Maybe Finn really was dead.May

Without realizing it, Hudson had become the person the villagers trusted the most.Everyone looked at him with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, waiting to hear what he would say.Hudson swept his gaze across the crowd before speaking calmly. "Lately, there have been a lot of rumors about Lena and me. I want to make one thing clear, Lena is the woman who saved my life. There has never been anything inappropriate between us. I hope everyone will stop spreading gossip and look at the truth instead."He paused, then continued in a firmer tone."If I hear anyone spreading those rumors again, don't expect me to treat you or anyone in your family. On the other hand, anyone who comes forward to report people spreading false stories will be given priority if they ever need medical treatment."It wasn't the approach Hudson preferred, but he knew it was the fastest way to put an end to the gossip.The villagers immediately changed their attitudes."You're right! We misunderstood.""Don't wor

Lena had married young and given birth to Nini when she was only nineteen. Now, at twenty-six, she had grown into the quiet confidence and natural beauty of a mature woman.Life had never been easy for her. Years of hard work and too many days without proper meals had left her slender rather than frail. Countless hours spent tending crops had toned her body naturally, giving her graceful curves unlike many of the other women in the farming community who had gained weight after marriage and childbirth.She didn't have the sculpted figure of women who spent hours in city gyms, but everything about her was balanced and naturally attractive.Even so, Lena had always dressed in loose, plain clothes. She avoided anything that might draw attention, knowing how quickly people in a small town could start talking. The less notice she attracted, the fewer rumors she had to endure.Unfortunately, Paulo had an experienced eye.Known around town by the nickname Mountain Dragon, Paulo only needed on