On the third day after Qi Yue awakened, the year’s first spring rain arrived.

“Elevate the head position,” Qi Yue said, then watched as A’Ru adjusted her position properly.

A’Ru helped her get comfortable, then took notes with a pen.

“The salt water is here,” A’Hao said, carrying a covered bowl as she entered with small steps, her shoulders dampened by rainwater.

Qi Yue smiled and opened her mouth, letting A’Ru perform oral care for her.

Just after finishing, they heard groaning from Guan Qingniu’s bed.

“Check how he’s doing,” Qi Yue said hurriedly.

A’Ru quickly went over and inquired quietly.

“Still in pain,” she said.

“Brother, chest surgery is the most painful of all surgical procedures,” Qi Yue said, looking over at him. “Try to use abdominal breathing…” She looked at A’Ru again. “You remember, don’t you? When Ziqiao used it…”

A’Ru nodded and pulled out her notebook to check.

“…How is the post-operative coughing up of phlegm?” Qi Yue asked again.

Hearing them chattering about his condition, Guan Qingniu turned his head over.

“Were you injured by my men?” Guan Qingniu asked again.

Talking more could also relieve pain. It seemed that during these days, although the people of Qianjin Hall hadn’t thrown him out to fend for himself, apart from normal care, probably no one was willing to talk to him. Naturally, no one accompanied him in conversation, so he only had a vague understanding of how he ended up lying here, what treatment he received, and how the doctor got injured.

Qi Yue smiled.

“We can’t blame your men entirely,” she said, taking a deep breath. “After all, these things are incredible. It’s normal for everyone to be frightened. People have seen too little of this kind of treatment. Ignorance is not a crime – consider it my bad luck.”

Guan Qingniu looked at her.

“Did you really cut open my chest?” he asked, eyes widening.

“Yes,” Qi Yue said, extending her hand. “Do some limb exercises with me…”

Guan Qingniu looked at her but didn’t dare reach out.

“You must exercise. This can both promote respiratory movement and prevent atelectasis, joint stiffness, arm contracture, and so on,” Qi Yue said, demonstrating the movements again.

Old Physician An entered at this moment and was startled.

“Master, you shouldn’t talk much or move around right now,” he said.

Qi Yue stuck out her tongue and quickly lowered her hands.

Old Physician An examined both patients separately. Medicine was also brought from the pharmacy, and both Guan Qingniu and Qi Yue took their medicine.

“The drainage tube has been normal all along, right?” Qi Yue asked after putting down the medicine bowl.

A’Ru brought over the nursing records from the past few days for her to see.

“Physician An, thank you. This patient actually didn’t develop post-operative complications. How did you do it?” Qi Yue couldn’t help asking.

She had fainted right after surgery and hadn’t had time to do the important post-operative care and observation, hadn’t even mentioned it. She was surprised that Guan Qingniu had actually passed through the dangerous period after such a crude surgery.

Pulmonary infection, cardiac arrhythmia, and blood loss…

She could hardly believe it herself.

Old Physician An was startled by her question.

“Well, how should I put it?” he stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. “Initially there was heat accumulation in the lung meridian, high fever, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, poor appetite…”

Qi Yue looked through the records while listening – A’Ru had noted everything in detail.

“That’s right. This is pulmonary infection,” she said. “Without intravenous drips and antibiotics, how did you cure it?”

Old Physician An smiled.

“It’s nothing special. Although I don’t know how Master did it, this patient had lung damage, qi stagnation and blood stasis, blocked bowel qi. We should clear heat and detoxify, activate blood and dissolve stasis, purge and attack downward to achieve dispersal and descent, regulate water passages. So I used Houpo and Zhishi to move qi, eliminate distention and fullness, then added Chaihu and Chenpi to soothe the liver and regulate qi, harmonize the middle, and Danggui…” he said slowly.

Qi Yue understood almost nothing of what he said, but she listened carefully, not missing a single word.

On the seventh day, Qi Yue could get out of bed. After carefully examining Guan Qingniu’s condition, she prepared to remove the tubes.

Having not witnessed the surgical scene with his own eyes, Old Physician An was very disappointed and refused to miss even the tube removal this time.

A circle of people stood around the bed.

After this coma, Qi Yue deeply felt the importance of imparting knowledge, so she decided that every treatment would be a teaching session, having all the disciples come to observe.

The sheet covering Guan Qingniu was lifted. The nursing, dressing changes, and disinfection had been mainly handled by A’Ru and Hu San, so most disciples were seeing the wound for the first time. Some felt dizzy and turned their heads away.

“Look properly!” Qi Yue scolded sternly.

The disciple was startled and quickly turned back.

“What’s there to fear? This is like going to battle – if you don’t dare look the enemy in the face, how can you talk about winning!” Qi Yue frowned and scolded.

This was the first time Qi Yue had spoken so harshly. The disciples all stood properly and watched seriously, not daring to look away.

Only then did Qi Yue take the stethoscope and listen carefully.

“A’Ru, you listen and tell me how it sounds,” she said.

A’Ru nodded and took it, listening carefully.

“Breathing sounds… breathing sounds are very clear,” she said.

Qi Yue nodded and signaled the next disciple to come.

After four or five disciples had listened, Qi Yue explained the reactions to various symptoms.

“Good man, I’m going to remove your tubes now,” she said to Guan Qingniu.

Guan Qingniu was indeed a good man, but being watched by so many people and thinking about the two tubes in his chest being pulled out, that nervousness and fear was uncontrollable.

“Take a deep breath, then hold it,” Qi Yue said. “Don’t be afraid.”

With these words, everyone present couldn’t help but take a deep breath and hold it too.

“Don’t be nervous. Do the deep breathing when I tell you to,” Qi Yue smiled, reaching out to unwrap the wound dressing. The wound was more exposed now, and seeing the tubes emerging from the skin, some disciples still couldn’t bear it and felt nauseous.

Soon the drainage tube was pulled out.

“Disinfect,” Qi Yue extended her hand.

A’Ru quickly held up the tray.

“Doctor, doctor, my heart is about to jump out…” Guan Qingniu said tremblingly. This man who wouldn’t blink facing an enemy’s blade was now almost ready to cry.

Too… too terrifying…

“It’s fine, just pulled out, it’s due to pressure,” Qi Yue said, quickly disinfecting and covering with medicated cloth, taping it down. She wrapped and secured the chest binding layers by layers.

“All done. Rest a bit, you can get up and move around this afternoon,” she said.

The prison door opened with a clatter. The four men lying on the ground didn’t move. Since arriving here, they hadn’t expected to leave alive. What did it matter if the door opened or closed? They’d just be dragged out for beatings.

“Hey, get up,” the jailer’s voice called, kicking one of them.

The man didn’t move. The jailer said nothing more, just waved his hand. Several people came over, each grabbing one, and dragged them outside.

The four men were dragged along expressionlessly, but noticed they weren’t heading toward the usual interrogation room – instead, the light grew brighter.

They were going to be executed…

Although they’d guessed this day would come, when it actually arrived, fear filled their hearts, and the youngest began to tremble.

“So what if we’re killed? We avenged big brother – it was worth it!” the leader shouted loudly.

Before he finished speaking, he was thrown out with a thud.

When the four men came to their senses, the prison gate was already closed.

What did this mean?

The four men sat on the ground in bewilderment.

Outside Qianjin Hall, things were as usual – people getting medicine and seeking treatment. The difference was a paper posted at the door with writing and drawings, the simplest introduction to surgical procedures. Quite a few people were gathered around pointing and commenting, with dedicated disciples explaining to amazed onlookers.

“Brother, what do we do?” one man asked.

“What do we do? We have to get big brother’s corpse back! Even if we go to prison again, even if we’re dragged off to be beheaded…” the leader said through gritted teeth.

“Right,” the others responded. Taking a deep breath, they charged in with war cries.

The people of Qianjin Hall were startled. Before they could react, the four men had already rushed to the back courtyard entrance, when suddenly someone attacked from the front. The four men hadn’t had time to assume fighting stances before being pinned to the ground.

“Return our big brother’s corpse, or we’ll burn down your shop…” the man shouted with his face pressed to the ground, feeling the foot on his face applying increasing pressure, blood flowing from his nose.

“Linzi,” a voice called out.

The man froze, struggling to lift his head, and immediately widened his eyes.

Two disciples were supporting a man standing in the doorway. Though thin and weak, it was unmistakably their big brother.

Seeing… seeing a ghost…

Qi Yue also stood in the doorway. She paid no attention to these men who had fallen into madness, but looked at the four men who had subdued them.

They wore Qianjin Hall laborer’s clothing, but their faces were unfamiliar. As Qi Yue looked over, they lowered their heads and walked away – one picking up a medicine-drying basket, another taking a frying pan, but they all looked somewhat strange.

“A’Ru, when did we hire more people?” she asked in confusion. “They seem quite capable, with good skills.”

A’Ru looked slightly flustered.

“A few days ago, Physician Liu said we were short-staffed, so we hired some laborers…” she said, looking down.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound, touched her neck, and didn’t ask further. At this moment, the men rushed toward her, kneeling and kowtowing with thuds, and she dismissed the thought entirely.

“Don’t kowtow. I just want to ask you one thing,” Qi Yue said.

“Not just one thing – a hundred, a thousand…” the four men shouted chaotically.

“Who told you that I use living people to practice techniques?” Qi Yue interrupted them, asking slowly.

In the evening, Qi Yue stepped out of Qianjin Hall. This was her first time going out in days. Standing at the door, she felt momentarily dazed.

“I feel like I’m reborn,” she smiled.

A’Ru carefully supported her as they got into the carriage.

“You nearly scared me to death,” she said chokingly, wiping tears.

Qi Yue smiled, then fell silent for a moment.

“A’Ru, when I was unconscious, who came to see me?” she asked hesitantly.

A’Ru lowered her head, wiping tears.

“Master Wang and Madam Wang, the Second Madam, Miss Yinglan, the eldest miss, second miss, third miss… oh, there’s someone you probably can’t guess,” she said, looking up.

Qi Yue looked at her, her eyes brightening, her hands on her knees involuntarily clenching as she held her breath.

“The Marquis also came,” A’Ru smiled.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound and slowly leaned back.

“But he couldn’t get in – Master Wang scolded him away,” A’Ru continued smiling.

Qi Yue laughed.

“Really?” she said.

A’Ru nodded, telling her about what happened then, and how everyone was frightened.

Qi Yue listened with a smile.

So it was a hallucination from unclear consciousness.

Really, to have hallucinations about Chang Yuncheng…

She’d forgotten what her previous ex-boyfriend looked like, so this ex-boyfriend could also be forgotten before long…

This… was no big deal. She would forget him.

A carrier pigeon fluttered down. A guard removed the message tube and ran quickly toward Chang Yuncheng.

Chang Yuncheng was about to mount his horse when he saw the guard approaching with the message tube. His face immediately tensed as he reached out to take it.

“Mistress’s consciousness has recovered. The doctor says she’s fine.”

Chang Yuncheng closed his eyes and finally exhaled in relief, only then realizing his palms were completely covered in sweat.

“My Lord, let’s go,” someone called from ahead.

Chang Yuncheng put away the letter and looked up. Due to the continuous travel without sleep or rest from days before, he looked like he’d shed a layer of skin and was almost unrecognizable at first glance.

He quietly looked toward the southern horizon for a moment, then mounted his horse.