Yu Ying had been uncomfortable since waking that morning, one hand continuously pressed against her pale face.

She appeared to be in considerable pain, yet still persevered through preparing breakfast.

She had even cleaned the entire place, both inside and out, but had no appetite for the morning meal.

Su Bai noticed her discomfort and asked, "What’s wrong? Xiao Yu, do you feel sick?"

"My tooth aches. I feel like this entire side of my face is swollen." Yu Ying cupped her left cheek with one hand.

"Let me see." Su Bai gently moved her hand away. "Hmmm, it does seem swollen. Which tooth is aching?"

"It’s the one right at the back. I can’t see what’s happening inside at all." Yu Ying opened her mouth.

Su Bai furrowed his brow and peered inside, discovering an inflamed wisdom tooth. It was distinctly red and swollen.

"Shaman, I brush my teeth every morning and evening. I don’t understand why my tooth would still hurt?" Yu Ying said pitifully.

Yu Ying had heard Su Bai explain that failing to brush and maintain oral hygiene could easily lead to tooth decay and severe toothache. Yet Yu Ying remembered brushing her teeth faithfully every morning and evening, spending considerable time doing so. She simply could not understand why this pain had occurred.

"This is a wisdom tooth inflammation. The tooth needs to be taken out, otherwise you’ll continue suffering this pain," Su Bai explained.

This was extremely common in the modern world. In fact, nearly everyone experienced wisdom tooth troubles at some point.

"Take out the tooth? Won’t that be very painful, Shaman?" Yu Ying looked rather frightened.

She had witnessed numerous Ferocious Beast slaughters and had seen Warriors and others extract teeth from these creatures. Simply watching seemed agonising, let alone experiencing it herself.

"If we have anaesthetic, it might not be so painful, but we lack that right now." Su Bai explained.

As he finished speaking, he reached out and placed his hand on Yu Ying’s face, then mentally casted his Skill.

Green light emanated from his palm, gradually enveloping Yu Ying’s face.

"How does that feel? Do you feel the pain lessen?"

After more than ten seconds, Su Bai withdrew his hand and enquired about her condition.

Yu Ying was hesitant to open her mouth, merely probing her face with exploratory touches.

Only after confirming the absence of pain did she dare to slowly open her mouth.

From an initial small opening, she gradually widened it further and further, discovering she could open it to its full extent. Yu Ying released a relieved breath.

When her wisdom tooth had flared up that morning, the pain had been so severe she could not open her mouth at all.

At most, she could manage a small gap to sip water. The wider she opened, the deeper the pain had become.

"Shaman, I feel much better. The pain has gone. But do I still need to have it removed?" Yu Ying asked curiously.

Yu Ying reasoned that since they lacked the necessary resources, perhaps they did not need to take it out. After all, it did not hurt now. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"You’re not in pain right now because I used a Shaman Technique to heal you, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt again in future. Wisdom teeth repeatedly get inflamed. It’ll just continue to torment you." Su Bai explained, withdrawing his hand. "Moreover, you’d need to eat only very bland foods from now on. Can you accept that?"

"I cannot… I enjoy food with seasoning too much." Yu Ying shook her head emphatically.

Indeed, Yu Ying had grown accustomed to seasoned food. Returning to the heavily gamey, unseasoned food of before would be completely unacceptable.

As the saying goes, transitioning from frugality to luxury was easy, but from luxury to frugality was difficult. This was a truth that applied to everyone.

"Precisely. So the tooth must still be taken out." Su Bai confirmed.

He had already consulted the System regarding the wisdom tooth problem.

The System’s response indicated it could heal the wisdom tooth but could not reposition it correctly.

Furthermore, it could not prevent the wisdom tooth’s growth. Judging by Yu Ying’s inability to open her mouth from the pain, Su Bai suspected she had an impacted wisdom tooth. Meaning, the tooth had grown crooked, pressing against adjacent teeth.

"Shaman, what exactly is a wisdom tooth? Isn’t it just part of one’s teeth? Why must it be extracted? And why does it cause pain?" Yu Ying instinctively placed her hand on the affected side of her face, not fully comprehending the concept.

"Wisdom teeth, also called third molars, are humanity’s final molars. Due to genetics, wisdom teeth emerge between the ages of sixteen and thirty-five." Su Bai’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "They’re the last teeth to emerge in one’s lifetime, positioned closest to the throat. This timing coincides with mental maturity, hence the name."

"So that’s the origin of the name. But Shaman, if they’re proof of mental maturity, why take them out?" Yu Ying didn’t understand this point.

"If wisdom teeth grow in proper alignment, they aren’t a problem. But, many people’s wisdom teeth grow irregularly and cause numerous problems." Su Bai took a sip of tea. "Also, if your wisdom tooth decays, it’s very difficult to treat. Beyond that, it will hit against the adjacent teeth. That’s why you’re experiencing pain."

Yu Ying listened with only partial comprehension, resembling an adorable primary school student just beginning their education.

"Beyond these two points, there’s a crucial third issue. They’re extremely difficult to clean. That might cause bacteria to flourish there, that’s the tiny harmful creatures we discussed previously." Su Bai sat upright. "Also, there might not be enough space for the growth of the wisdom tooth. Some might grow and others might not. This will cause issues with one’s bite. Severe cases would even need one to undergo surgery."

He recalled a friend from before who, due to improper bite alignment, had to undergo maxillofacial surgery.

Maxillofacial causes facial pain when opening one’s mouth to eat or speak, which was why wisdom tooth extraction was necessary in the modern era.

"If my tooth has so many problems, then what should I do, Shaman? Didn’t you say we can’t remove it?" Yu Ying asked curiously.

"Let me think. This does need to be resolved. It will also affect others in future, not just you." Su Bai furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

The Curing Skill was certainly valuable here, but certain conditions could not be fundamentally treated. Wisdom teeth being one example.

Similarly, congenital conditions like shortsightedness or deafness and muteness could not be cured either.

At least not with the current level of the Curing Skill. Whether treatment would become possible after the Skill evolved remained to be seen.

"I believe you’ll find a solution, Shaman." Yu Ying swished her pink fox tail.

"Let’s work on it together." Su Bai smiled warmly.