When the night grew deep, groans could be heard from the ward.

Hu San entered without good humor.

“What’s all this shouting! Where does it hurt you to death!” he scolded in a low voice.

The injured man on the bed stopped his cries of pain, his eyes slightly confused as he looked at him.

“What are you shouting about? How could it not hurt?” A’Ru lifted the patient’s bedsheet and carefully wiped the wound with white cloth soaked in disinfectant medicine.

This was naturally very painful, but the patient endured it forcefully.

Hu San sat angrily by the other bed, looking at Qi Yue who was still unconscious, his eyes reddening again.

A’Ru seriously completed the disinfection and looked up to see Hu San sitting there wiping away tears.

“Miss,” the patient called out weakly.

A’Ru looked at him.

“Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?” she asked softly.

“What exactly happened to me?” the patient asked in a low voice. He couldn’t speak loudly – any exertion would cause pain that could make him faint. “I remember I died…”

“You did die! Someone traded their life for yours!” Hu San couldn’t help but sob and shout.

“You go out,” A’Ru scolded.

Hu San’s mouth trembled, but he finally wiped his tears and went out.

“Miss, what exactly happened?” the injured man murmured, turning his head to look at the woman lying on the bed over there. “Where is this?”

A’Ru sighed and didn’t answer him. Instead, she checked his drainage tube, looked again uncertainly, then pulled out a pile of papers from the table beside her, carefully examining them for a moment before checking again.

The man couldn’t help but let out groans of pain.

“Blood pressure is dropping…” A’Ru’s face showed some panic as she looked at the blood pressure gauge with a trembling voice. She looked toward Qi Yue on the bed beside her, and tears finally couldn’t help but flow down. “Qi…”

She rushed over and grabbed Qi Yue’s arm.

“Qi Yue, Qi Yue,” she called out repeatedly. “Wake up quickly. The blood pressure is dropping, what should we do?”

Liu Pucheng pushed Old Physician An in, and seeing this scene, his eyes felt slightly dry.

“Miss A’Ru, don’t shake Master now,” Old Physician An said.

A’Ru immediately let go and leaned against the bed crying. After crying for a moment, she wiped her tears.

“Over there. The blood pressure dropped…” she pointed at the injured man.

Old Physician An nodded, and Liu Pucheng pushed him over. Old Physician An carefully checked the pulse and examined the patient.

“Use some pain-relieving medicine,” he said.

Liu Pucheng responded yes.

Old Physician An carefully questioned the injured man about how it hurt and where it hurt.

“…Here…” the injured man said breathlessly, pointing to his chest. “It hurts so much, when I breathe, it hurts, hurts to death… it’s like the bones are moving…”

“A rib was removed,” Liu Pucheng said quietly. “The sternum is fixed with wire, could it be… loose?”

What?

The injured man was stunned hearing this. What?

Old Physician An checked the pulse again.

“Get bandages, secure his chest area more firmly, tie him to the bed,” he said. “I’ll prescribe two more doses of medicine, but if it’s really loose… then we really have no solution, we can only wait…”

He turned his head to look at Qi Yue.

Wake up, your treatment isn’t finished yet. How can we manage if you abandon this situation…

Liu Pucheng sighed, then pushed him to Qi Yue’s bedside.

Old Physician An checked her pulse and examined her mouth and nose.

“Use modified Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction,” he said. “Add modified Tongqiao Huoxue Decoction.”

Liu Pucheng nodded.

“Thank goodness you’re here, otherwise…” he said quietly, his voice still hoarse.

Old Physician An said nothing but patted his hand.

The two went out.

In the room, Wang Tongye was waiting anxiously. Seeing them come over, he stood up and without asking, knew the answer from their expressions, so he sat back down.

The room fell into silence.

“Where are the people? Why won’t you let me in? Move aside, I want to see my daughter-in-law, why shouldn’t I be allowed…”

Commotion came from outside, along with Marquis Dingxi’s loud voice.

Wang Tongye felt his anger instantly ignite.

“Chang Rong!” he stepped out and shouted. “Who told you to come? Get out!”

Marquis Dingxi was stunned by the scolding, looked at Wang Tongye, then his face flushed red.

“You old thing, what are you doing here? You’re the one who should get out!” he shouted, remembering that when his daughter-in-law left home, this old man was the first to come pick her up!

“What business is it of yours!” he cursed angrily and spat.

Wang Tongye stood under the eaves, glaring at him angrily.

“You still have the face to come! If not for you, would she be like this?” he shouted, his body trembling with anger.

These words pleased Marquis Dingxi, and his eyes couldn’t help but brighten.

Right, right, if not for this woman not listening to him, how could there be today’s sudden disaster?

See, see, this was all this woman’s fault!

He, Marquis Dingxi, was affectionate and righteous, a big person who didn’t hold grudges against small people…

Seeing Marquis Dingxi’s expression, Wang Tongye could easily guess his thoughts and became even more angry.

“Get out, get out,” he shouted. “Beat him out, beat him out.”

Marquis Dingxi was startled.

“You dare!” he glared and shouted.

Indeed someone dared – Hu San was the first to grab a bench and charge over.

Marquis Dingxi stumbled out of Qianjin Hall in some embarrassment.

“You, you!” he jumped with anger, looking at the pointing and whispering people on the street. “I’m being magnanimous, coming to see her, giving her a chance to return, what are you making a fuss about!”

Wang Tongye followed out and looked at him with a cold smile.

“Chang Rong, I tell you, you no longer have this chance. As soon as Miss Qi wakes up, I’ll arrange her engagement as my eldest grandson’s wife!” he said loudly.

At these words, the onlookers were stunned, and Marquis Dingxi was even more astonished.

So this old thing had this plan all along…

No wonder he protected Yueniang so much back then…

So it wasn’t for his sake, but he had harbored evil intentions from the beginning!

This old thing…

Stealing another man’s wife and daughter! Irreconcilable!

“You shameless old man, I’ll report you!” Marquis Dingxi cursed angrily, pointing at Wang Tongye.

“Report me? You still have the face to report me!” Wang Tongye spat. “You should first think about how to explain to the Emperor! Go back and read the memorial properly! Wake up! Fool!”

Outside the door, the servants of both sides finally pulled the two old men apart, avoiding the embarrassment of a street scene. Both sides left angrily, and quiet finally returned to the front of Qianjin Hall.

The people of Qianjin Hall paid no attention to all the commotion outside. Though their expressions were heavy, they all quietly did what they needed to do.

When dawn broke faintly, a horse galloped on the main road outside the city gate. With a neigh, the horse collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth and unable to rise again.

Chang Yuncheng leaped from the horse almost simultaneously, his steps not stopping as he charged straight toward the city gate, his urgent footsteps breaking through the misty morning fog on the street.

“Who goes there?” The door of Qianjin Hall was kicked open, and an early-rising disciple cried out in alarm. Before he could see clearly, a figure ran past him.

A’Ru had just stepped out of the room when she was startled by the person who rushed before her.

“My Lord?” she called out in disbelief, looking at the man before her.

The man’s hair was disheveled, his face unshaven and gaunt. If not for being too familiar, she would hardly recognize him.

Chang Yuncheng ignored her and was about to charge into the room.

A’Ru reached out and hugged his arm, firmly holding him back.

“My Lord, disinfect first,” she shouted.

Chang Yuncheng, who had already stepped into the room with A’Ru, stopped and came back out. He looked at A’Ru and opened his mouth, but found he could no longer make a sound.

A’Ru’s tears had already poured out. She turned and led the way to the disinfection room.

When Old Physician An and Liu Pucheng entered the ward again, they saw Chang Yuncheng sitting by Qi Yue’s bedside. Having been instructed not to move her, he was just tightly gripping Qi Yue’s hand that hung at her side.

“My Lord has come,” Old Physician An said without any emotional fluctuation, as if he naturally belonged there.

Chang Yuncheng paid no attention, his gaze fixed on the woman’s face, gripping her hand tightly without moving.

“My Lord, it’s good you’re here. I plan to use long needles,” Old Physician An said.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng look at him, but he didn’t speak.

“Because they’ll be inserted entirely into the brain, it’s very dangerous. If it goes well, Master will wake up. If not, she’ll die immediately,” Old Physician An said.

Chang Yuncheng looked at him, still not speaking, only gripping Qi Yue’s hand tighter.

“Master is an orphan with no relatives. My Lord had a hundred-year bond with her, so you could be said to be her closest person. You should make the decision,” Old Physician An said.

Hearing these words, Chang Yuncheng’s already bloodshot eyes became even redder. He buried his head beside Qi Yue for a moment.

“Then treat her quickly,” he raised his head and said hoarsely. “This woman has such great courage, how could she fear death?”

Old Physician An looked at him and nodded.

Although they had seen the terrifying and bloody chest and abdominal surgeries, when A’Ru saw Old Physician An inserting thin, long gold needles into Qi Yue’s head one by one, she still turned away, her body trembling as she bit her hand and let tears flow freely.

One needle after another, filling seven different locations, and as Old Physician An gently twisted them, the room became completely silent. Even the injured man suffering from pain forced himself to endure and watched intently.

A quarter-hour later, Old Physician An finally finished one round of needle manipulation but didn’t remove the needles.

“After one hour, I’ll manipulate the needles again,” he said. After saying this, he leaned back in his wheelchair, clearly exhausted.

Liu Pucheng said nothing and hurriedly pushed him out.

When night fell, the room was filled with people, and the outside was also crowded. Everyone watched Qi Yue anxiously and tensely, but she remained motionless.

“If she doesn’t wake up before midnight,” Old Physician An said quietly, “then…”

He didn’t continue, but everyone understood the meaning.

A’Ru was the first to break down emotionally. She cried out loudly and ran out.

Liu Pucheng’s face was also deathly pale. Having remained calm since the incident, he finally couldn’t control his trembling body.

Chang Yuncheng’s expression didn’t change. He just gripped Qi Yue’s hand tightly.

“Yueniang, Yueniang,” he murmured, leaning close to Qi Yue’s ear. “You stinking woman, knocked unconscious by one punch, how embarrassing…”

As night deepened, the people inside and outside the room gradually dispersed. The red lanterns of Qianjin Hall were taken down one by one.

Huang Ziqiao stood outside the door and immediately became anxious when he saw the white lantern being hung by a disciple. He stepped forward and kicked it down.

“Who told you to hang that! Who told you to hang that!” he cursed, tearing the lantern down and stomping on it viciously.

In the room, Chang Yuncheng had talked until his lips cracked and bled, his throat so hoarse it couldn’t be heard, but he still leaned close to Qi Yue’s ear and kept talking, saying words that only he could understand.

A’Ru and A’Hao had prepared clothes and knelt on the ground. The two maids had no more tears left and sat there numbly.

Only Chang Yuncheng’s murmuring voice filled the room. Suddenly, Chang Yuncheng’s voice stopped.

“Chang Yuncheng…” a faint voice sounded.

A’Ru and A’Hao suddenly sat up, looking toward the bed in disbelief.

“Chang Yuncheng…” Qi Yue’s lips moved, making a weak sound, and at the same time, her hand hanging at her side slowly clenched.

A’Ru gasped heavily, staggered to her feet, and backed away.

“Doctor, doctor…” she suddenly rushed out, her heart-wrenching voice piercing the night sky. “She’s awake, she’s awake…”

The courtyard outside immediately erupted, everyone seeming to surge in this direction. Chang Yuncheng couldn’t hear the commotion. He gripped Qi Yue’s hand tightly, buried his head in her shoulder, and finally let out a sound that was half crying, half laughing.