Never mind the women chattering excitedly together at the gate. Qi Yue followed A’Hao into a narrow alley.

Compared to the courtyards of Marquis Dingxi’s mansion they had walked through, this place was cramped, low, and dark. After walking a long stretch of road, they stopped in front of a simple, low courtyard gate that stood wide open.

“Yuan Bao, Yuan Bao.”

A’Ru’s crying voice came from inside.

Qi Yue and A’Hao went in and saw four or five people standing in the courtyard, men and women, all wearing hemp cloth shirts and looking poor and disheveled.

In the middle of the courtyard, a young man lay on a door panel—more precisely, a half-grown child of fourteen or fifteen. Half his clothing was dyed red with blood. His right arm was wrapped in several layers of torn cloth but still bleeding, and he was making rapid, pained gasps and agonized wails. A’Ru lay crying over him, inconsolable.

Just as Qi Yue was about to step forward, someone entered behind her.

“Make way, make way, the doctor is here,” shouted a man in azure clothing, walking over with his hands tucked in his sleeves, his eyelids drooping as he didn’t watch where he was going. He elbowed Qi Yue and A’Hao aside.

Hearing that a doctor had arrived, the crowd hurriedly made way, looking at the newcomer with hope.

This was a young man in his twenties, thin and weak, wearing a long azure cloth robe that was better than these people’s hemp shirts, though it was stained with oil or something else, looking grimy all over. His whole person seemed slouched, unable to straighten his back properly. He carried a worn medicine box on his shoulder, swaying leisurely as he walked over. He didn’t even squat down but just poked his head forward to look, seeming somewhat afraid.

“No good, no good. Lost so much blood, can’t stop it. No saving him. Prepare for the funeral,” he said, waving his hand.

Hearing him say this, A’Ru wailed and fainted. Two women immediately cried while pressing her philtrum and calling her name. The injured child also struggled to call for his sister.

“How… how is there no saving him?” Qi Yue had originally wanted to see how ancient doctors worked their miraculous healing skills, but didn’t expect this person to deliver such a verdict directly without even looking, listening, asking, or feeling the pulse. Moreover, he spoke so boldly he could almost frighten patients and family members to death. If this were in her hospital, the director would give him a thorough scolding. Could this person’s medical skills be so divine that he could understand everything with just a distant glance?

Hearing a woman’s voice questioning him, the doctor turned to look. His eyes lit up at the sight.

“This lady…” His slouched body straightened up as he coughed to clear his throat. “This person has a blade or axe wound causing unstoppable bleeding. You see, golden wound medicine has been applied, but it simply can’t stop the bleeding. Since it can’t be stopped, think about it—if a person bleeds dry, won’t they die…”

Qi Yue stared at him, somewhat dumbfounded.

This expression fell in the doctor’s eyes as him thinking this beautiful young lady was frightened. As they say, doctors have the heart of parents. Though the facts were cruel, one should speak more gently so as not to frighten people. So he cleared his throat, preparing to say a few more words.

Before he could open his mouth, he heard the young lady snort.

“What nonsense,” Qi Yue muttered, walking over in a few steps and pushing the doctor aside with her medical kit. “Make way, make way.”

Only then did the people in the courtyard notice two young women had appeared. Not recognizing who they were, they stared blankly.

Qi Yue had already walked over and crouched down, rolling up her sleeves. A’Ru’s younger brother looked at this woman who had suddenly appeared and shouldn’t appear in their environment. Whether from fright or excessive blood loss, his already pale face became even paler. When Qi Yue untied the clothes and cloth binding his arm and touched the wound, he was in such pain his whole body curled up.

After examining the wound and his whole body, Qi Yue’s expression relaxed as she reached out to press A’Ru’s brother’s arm.

“Right elbow lateral wound, approximately 5cm long, grazed the periosteum, partial muscle and joint capsule rupture, no fracture. Looks like that person was also a first-time attacker. Good, good,” she said to herself.

She remembered that time during clinical internship when they received a gang fight victim. One person’s slash wounds required doctors from every department in the hospital, even obstetrics and gynecology, because there was a pregnant gang girl…

And A’Ru’s brother’s wound just needed cleaning, suturing, and a tetanus shot…

Tetanus?!

Qi Yue frowned. She didn’t have that… she’d have to use antibiotics instead.

This was considered good? Everyone around was dumbfounded by her words.

“Go prepare some water. A’Hao, bring my kit over. I’ll clean and suture his wound,” Qi Yue said, looking up.

After she spoke, not one person around moved. They all stared at her.

“Hey, where are you from? Are you also a doctor? Not from this street, right? Why haven’t I seen you before?” The previous doctor came to his senses and squeezed over to ask.

Qi Yue glanced at him, having no good feelings for this doctor who issued death certificates without even examining patients.

“There are plenty of doctors you haven’t seen,” she said.

Heh, this way of speaking was really… doctor-like, so sharp, indeed a real doctor too…

“The bleeding stopped!” A woman standing nearby suddenly shouted, interrupting the two doctors’ conversation.

The young doctor was greatly shocked, looking over in disbelief.

“This… this… what medicine did you use?” he asked, stuttering.

“Just pressure hemostasis,” Qi Yue said, glancing at him while looking around again. “Hey, you all help get some water first so I can clean the wound for suturing. Only after suturing can the bleeding be completely stopped, then there’ll be no problem.”

A’Ru had already awakened and was startled to see Qi Yue. Before she could address her properly, Qi Yue turned to look at her.

“I’ll treat him. Go help me get water,” she said.

A’Ru stared intently at Qi Yue, biting her bloodless lower lip, then said nothing and crawled up to rush to one side. She stumbled as she scooped a basin of water, then knelt before Qi Yue with a thud.

Qi Yue nodded without saying more, examining the wound again. Watching her open the wound, the bloody mess made A’Hao, who had come over to watch, unable to help covering her eyes and trembling all over as she screamed and backed away.

Qi Yue washed her hands and opened the medical kit.

“…This… what is this?” the young doctor asked curiously, looking at this strange box opening to reveal a full array of instruments. “Knives? Rope? What kind of rope is this? So soft… Ouch…”

Qi Yue slapped his hand as he reached over to rummage through everything, glaring at him.

“Stand back,” she said, putting on a mask and gloves.

Seeing her dressed like this, the young doctor’s eyes widened even more, pointing at this and that, unable to speak coherently.

Qi Yue paid him no more attention, using water to clean around the wound. Blood water flowed all over the ground, and Qi Yue’s clothes, hands, and body were covered with stains. During this time, she kept talking, directing people to help spread dirt and ash to absorb the mess in the courtyard, urging A’Hao to boil water, and having A’Ru fetch more clean water. The small courtyard was busy but orderly, leaving the forgotten young doctor on the side gaping.

“What is this?” the young doctor’s voice rang out again near her ear, looking at the large syringe in Qi Yue’s hand.

Qi Yue ignored him.

“It will be very painful. You all hold him down,” she said.

The neighboring onlookers looked at each other.

“I… I’m not afraid of pain…” A’Ru’s brother said struggling.

“This pain isn’t a matter of being afraid or not,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

“Third Uncle, please…” A’Ru immediately pleaded with the people around.

Before she finished speaking, two men hurried over and held down A’Ru’s brother according to Qi Yue’s instructions.

Wound cleaning was very painful, and because of the earlier treatment using folk methods like spreading dirt, the wound was severely contaminated. Qi Yue had to pry open the wound and flush it with a syringe. A’Ru’s brother was in such pain he nearly broke free, his screams worse than when he was first injured, frightening the women on the side to tears.

“You’ve already flushed it with water several times…” The young doctor’s calves were cramping from the tension. He really couldn’t stand listening anymore and couldn’t help but press on Qi Yue’s arm to stop this cruel treatment.

“I didn’t bring saline solution. Using cooled boiled water for flushing—without flushing multiple times, I really can’t feel at ease,” Qi Yue said, seeing that everyone around, including A’Ru, was quite frightened. She briefly explained to them why the wound needed such repeated washing.

Though they didn’t understand most of Qi Yue’s words, everyone’s expressions improved considerably.

“My family has liquor,” a male neighbor suddenly interjected. He had been listening to Qi Yue muttering about not having saline solution, and watching her repeated actions at the wound, he roughly understood what she was doing. He had once seen someone pour liquor on wounds, saying it could drive away evil spirits.

“Liquor? That can’t be used. You can use liquor externally on wounds, but not for wound irrigation—it would kill normal cells and slow wound healing,” Qi Yue replied casually.

“Ce… cells?” the young doctor asked in confusion again, naturally receiving no answer.

Qi Yue had already finished cleaning the wound, confident there were no remaining infectious materials inside. She removed her gloves and washed her hands again…

“Women’s ways…” the young doctor muttered disdainfully at such behavior.

Qi Yue not only washed her hands but also took out antiseptic cotton from her medicine box to wipe them, while smiling and praising A’Ru’s brother with words like “you’re so brave” and “you’re a real man.”

Though her smile was hidden behind the large mask, everyone still relaxed somewhat.

“Is this thing broken? Why are you changing it again?” the young doctor asked again on the side, not missing any of Qi Yue’s movements, seeing her remove her gloves.

Qi Yue had no mood to explain this to him, and besides, she probably couldn’t explain it clearly anyway.

The young doctor had resigned himself to knowing he wouldn’t get answers, so he just fixed his gaze on Qi Yue. He watched this woman put that strange thing on her hands again, then take out a strange object and fiddle with it on another strange object for a while, then press A’Ru’s brother’s arm and tie it with a strange rope, feeling around the arm before stopping.

“This this… what is this?” he couldn’t help asking again.

He stood forward a bit more and could see a thin, nail-like shining thing pierce the injured person’s arm.

A’Ru’s brother suddenly cried out. The women around were so frightened their nerves went taut and they screamed along. The men holding the injured person nearly let go, while A’Hao standing to the side went weak in the knees and sat on the ground.

“Don’t be afraid, injecting anesthetic—the suturing won’t hurt in a moment,” Qi Yue shouted hurriedly, startled by the commotion around her and nearly losing composure. Saying this, she pulled out the tourniquet, pushed the medicine, and withdrew the needle.

A’Ru’s brother was shaking like a sieve, whether from fright or pain.

After the anesthetic injection, Qi Yue began preparing for suturing, directing everyone to move A’Ru’s brother to a clean door panel on the side and change clothes.

“Troubling Madam with such work,” A’Ru said quietly, thinking Qi Yue wanted to change because her clothes were dirty, urging A’Hao to go back and fetch clean ones.

“No need, any clean clothes will do. Mine are too dirty. I need to suture your brother’s wound and must change to clean clothes—doesn’t matter if they’re for men or women, as long as they’re clean,” Qi Yue quickly explained.

A’Ru didn’t dare give her brother’s clothes for her to wear. Finally, she begged a neighboring woman, who immediately ran to fetch some without refusing.

This was new clothing. Poor people in difficult times could rarely afford new clothes in a year. Old clothes were all mended and altered, with the big ones worn first then the small ones, patched and mended for three more years.

The woman couldn’t bear to give old clothes to this beautiful woman, so she brought her best clothes that she only wore during New Year.

Treating guests meant bringing out one’s best—this was the simplest principle of these poor people.

“Sister, I must return you a piece of clothing,” A’Ru was about to kowtow to the woman.

“Don’t be so formal,” the woman hurried to support her.

Qi Yue efficiently removed her stained clothes and put on the woman’s clean outer garment, ready for the suturing procedure.

Seeing Qi Yue pick up a small knife and cut toward the arm, the young doctor got excited again.

“What are you doing?” he shouted loudly, even disregarding propriety between men and women to grab Qi Yue’s shoulder. “Didn’t you say you’d treat him? Why are you cutting it open with a knife instead?”

Strangely, the injured person who had been in such pain from water flushing that he shook all over and nearly fainted, now when cut by the knife, showed no reaction, as if he no longer felt pain, only staring in terror.

A simple basic suturing procedure—why was it so difficult?

“This tissue is already necrotic and must be removed,” Qi Yue took a deep breath and explained to the young doctor and others. Seeing that the young doctor was about to ramble on, she raised her hand to stop him. “You shut up. If you interfere with my treatment again, get out immediately.”

“Is this your home?” the young doctor snorted.

This person really was… Qi Yue glared at him.

“This is my home,” A’Ru, who had been silent, said.

The young doctor immediately quieted down.

Qi Yue could finally continue quietly with her head down.

“This… this…” After being quiet for just a moment, the young doctor couldn’t help shouting again.

“This is suturing. I’m going to sew up this torn wound,” Qi Yue explained proactively, also seeing the suspicious looks from others around. For these people, this treatment method was indeed quite inconceivable. While speaking, she used needle holders to pick up the needle and thread it.

“How can this work? People aren’t clothes…” a woman finally couldn’t help saying fearfully, trembling.

“Of course it works. Human skin is also human clothing. When it’s torn, naturally it needs to be sewn up,” Qi Yue’s voice from behind the mask was soft and muffled, seeming to carry a smile.

Breathing seemed to stop. Everyone’s ears seemed to hear clearly the sound of needle and thread passing through skin for suturing. All stared wide-eyed, not blinking as they watched this woman use strange tools to fly the needle and thread on a person’s arm. This scene they had never seen before was like being in a dream.