Liu Pucheng reached out to close the patient’s eyes.

“But he was clearly going to live—how did he suddenly fail again?” Imperial Physician Zhou asked in confusion, still examining the deceased by circling around him.

During Qi Yue’s surgery, he had been earnestly and excitedly observing the patient’s reactions, pulse, and heartbeat, so he was very clear and certain about the deceased’s condition.

He had clearly escaped from death’s door—how did he suddenly… and so quickly too? He didn’t even have time to attempt rescue, though of course he wouldn’t have known how to rescue anyway.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation… today many situations were his first time encountering them.

He had thought there were no more cases in the world that could surprise or interest him, but it turned out… indeed the saying “learning has no limits” was reasonable.

“Is this what you meant by blood can’t be transfused carelessly? That carelessly transfusing blood not only fails to save people but can kill them?” Liu Pucheng asked.

Here, Qi Yue nodded, her face pale, showing signs of exhaustion. A’Ru carefully supported her.

“Don’t be sad—we did our best,” Liu Pucheng said.

Qi Yue said nothing, obviously in a bad mood.

“Sad about what?” Imperial Physician Zhou heard this and frowned. “He was going to die from the start. That he lived until now is truly incredible.”

Although he said this, the atmosphere in the courtyard was still somewhat dejected.

Since having Qi Yue, they had become accustomed to bringing people back from the dead, seeming to forget that illnesses were unpredictable and life and death uncertain.

Qi Yue raised her head and regained her composure.

“Alright, alright, this one is already like this. Let’s focus on the other person. Send the post-surgery patient back to Qianjin Hall for intensive care,” she said, taking a deep breath.

Liu Pucheng nodded.

“I’ll go notify the deceased’s family,” Qi Yue said again.

Hearing this, disciples hurried forward.

“Master, let us handle these matters…” they said.

Liu Pucheng stopped them, shaking his head.

“One must overcome their own obstacles themselves,” he said in a low voice.

Imperial Physician Zhou had finished examining the corpse and was somewhat disappointed.

“Why are you all acting like this? This person was already beyond saving—it’s not like you killed him,” he said with a frown. “Why do you all look like this?”

“We’re not doing this for the patient. We all know about fate determining life and death, and doing our human best while leaving the rest to heaven. It’s just…” Liu Pucheng said, turning to look at Imperial Physician Zhou, then suddenly pausing. “Eh? You… you’re Senior Zhou?”

Imperial Physician Zhou also paused.

The scene had been tense earlier, with everyone busy with their own tasks, so no one had paid attention to who was present.

“You’re Little Liu,” he said in surprise.

Liu Pucheng hurriedly bowed to him. Though they were similar in age, seniority mattered.

“So you’re here. I thought you had gone traveling the world,” Imperial Physician Zhou said with a smile, reaching out to pat him.

However, this wasn’t the time for reminiscing. Imperial Physician Zhou pressed on about what “it’s just” meant.

“It’s just that Qi Niang-zi probably isn’t used to it,” Liu Pucheng said. Though he didn’t know about before, in the time he had known her, Qi Yue had never failed.

“Not used to it? Not used to birth, aging, sickness, and death? Then what kind of doctor is she! Does she think she’s a deity?” Imperial Physician Zhou said with a disbelieving frown.

Though with such skills, she wasn’t far from being a deity…

Qi Yue had already walked outside. Beside her, in addition to A’Ru, Chang Yuncheng had also come over.

Seeing her come out, the crowd gathered outside immediately surrounded her.

“How is it?” Old Madam Xie was the first to rush over and ask.

“The surgery was very successful. The dates stuck in her throat have been removed,” Qi Yue told her. “As long as she gets through the post-operative danger period, she should be fine.”

Old Madam Xie let out a wail and collapsed into the arms of her maids and servants.

If everyone hadn’t clearly heard Qi Yue’s words, they would have thought it was bad news.

“Then, what about my father?” The young girl stepped forward, asking with a nervous expression and anxious demeanor.

Qi Yue looked at her and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Your father lost too much blood. I couldn’t find a suitable blood type. The final transfusion caused a hemolytic reaction, so…”

The young girl couldn’t understand these words at all.

“Just tell me what happened!” she said urgently.

“He died,” Qi Yue said, raising her head to look at her. “Excessive blood loss beyond saving.”

The surroundings fell quiet, with only the sound of torches burning in the night wind.

“Dead?” the young girl murmured, looking at Qi Yue as if she couldn’t believe it. “Dead?”

Qi Yue nodded.

“Dead,” she said, bowing her head again. “I’m sorry.”

Dead! The corners of the young girl’s mouth twitched, showing a trace of a smile that looked particularly eerie.

She suddenly turned around.

“Mother, Grandmother, Father is dead,” she shouted, her voice trembling, seeming to laugh.

Over there, hearing someone lived produced wails; here, hearing someone died produced laughter.

It was truly a stark and eerie contrast.

The several people huddled together were suddenly stunned.

“Dead, dead,” the woman repeated dully, making cackling sounds in her throat. “Dead, finally dead!”

Finally?

This woman must be going mad from excessive grief.

The young girl was the first to let out a howling cry, interrupting the woman’s words. The other children and the old woman immediately started crying too, and the family rushed into the courtyard.

This time no one stopped them, and the neighbors followed them in.

The bloody smell in the courtyard, along with the strong medicinal odor and the obviously tidied scene, made everyone somewhat timid yet curious.

The man lay flat on a stretcher, covered with white cloth. The family rushed over to pull it away, seeing his body still bloody but neatly arranged.

“Where’s the bamboo pole?” everyone asked, looking around.

“The bamboo pole was removed. The thoracic surgery was successful, but due to excessive blood loss from the thigh wound, he ultimately…” Qi Yue said.

The family members had already surrounded the man, crying loudly.

“You, you, you didn’t treat my father, did you?” The girl suddenly raised her head, looking at Qi Yue and shouting loudly.

“How could I not have treated him?” Qi Yue shook her head. “I performed thoracic surgery on him, removed the bamboo pole, and sutured the damaged organs…”

“But my father still died!” the girl interrupted, screaming shrilly.

“That was because of blood loss…” Qi Yue answered.

Before she could finish, she was interrupted again.

“Then why didn’t she die?” the girl pointed at Madam Xie being lifted onto a cart and screamed shrilly.

“This is completely different—the symptoms are different,” Qi Yue said.

But the girl didn’t listen at all and stood up to rush over.

“Why didn’t she die? Why didn’t she die? Because she’s more noble than us? Because we’re lowly so we deserve to die? You didn’t treat my father! You didn’t treat my father at all!” she screamed shrilly.

However, she didn’t actually reach Qi Yue. Chang Yuncheng stepped forward, blocking her.

“Get lost!” he shouted. “Destined to die by fate—should we blame the doctor?”

He kicked away the person rushing over.

“Oh dear, you,” Qi Yue grabbed his arm urgently. “You’re escalating the conflict—stop making trouble!”

The girl fell to the ground. Looking at the mountain-like dark-faced man, she didn’t dare approach no matter what.

She sat on the ground crying loudly.

“Heavens, our lives are cheap and we deserve to die! Deserve to die!” she beat her chest and shouted.

The neighbors and townspeople in the courtyard looked at Chang Yuncheng with eyes full of fear and indignation.

Chang Yuncheng said nothing and didn’t even look at these people. He grabbed Qi Yue’s hand and turned to leave.

Qi Yue still wanted to explain, but couldn’t break free from Chang Yuncheng and was dragged away.

The disciples packed up their things, bowed to this side, and all got on the cart.

Though the neighbors looked angry, no one dared stand up to stop them.

That statement was right—their lives were cheap, and naturally cheap lives didn’t count as human! What could they do!

“Why won’t you change this temperament of yours? Would speaking nicely kill you? Not speaking nicely really can kill people!” Qi Yue said, forcefully pulling back her hand.

“Do you think if you speak nicely now they’ll listen?” Chang Yuncheng said, turning to look at her. “They now only believe what they see and what they want to believe. Whatever you say is useless.”

“But you can’t act like this! Acting this way only makes them more convinced that you’re using power to suppress people!” Qi Yue said.

A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Chang Yuncheng’s mouth.

“So what?” he said.

Yes, so what? Qi Yue paused. Initially, this boy had also not considered Yuan Bao human, slashing his arm with a knife.

“You…” she frowned, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.

Chang Yuncheng turned his head and strode away.

Qi Yue watched his retreating figure with some anxiety, frowning.

“Master, please get on the cart,” a disciple requested from behind.

Qi Yue turned back to glance at the courtyard. The torches had been taken away by Chang Yuncheng’s guards, and the courtyard was swallowed by darkness. Crying sounds came from within, particularly chilling in the night.

Failed…

She turned and got on the cart.

Failed!

Qi Yue suddenly sat up and found herself in her own office, with dim light outside.

She immediately got out of bed and walked outside. The courtyard didn’t have the usual morning quiet. There were early-rising patients, disciples changing shifts, and patient families chatting in the courtyard. That platform that had once belonged exclusively to Qi Yue had also been taken over—it was the families’ favorite place to chat.

Because of the emergency patient Madam Xie, Qianjin Hall had to clear out a room, and naturally, it was Chang Yuncheng who handled this matter.

Those patients could have been discharged already, but they just wouldn’t leave. When had they changed from worrying about having no one to admit to worrying about people refusing to be discharged?

At this moment, those chatting families were discussing Madam Xie.

“…I saw it… inside the neck…”

“Surgery inside the neck? Can you still live after cutting open the neck?”

“…Nonsense, with Qi Niang-zi here, even if the heart were removed you could still live. What’s cutting the neck…”

Hearing this, Qi Yue smiled bitterly and sighed. Qi Niang-zi wasn’t omnipotent either…

“Master,” a disciple saw her and hurriedly bowed and called out.

Everyone in the courtyard looked over and greeted her warmly and respectfully.

Qi Yue smiled and nodded to each one, then walked into Madam Xie’s room.

A’Ru was checking the blood pressure gauge. Chang Yuncheng and Old Madam Xie were both inside. Because it was said to be intensive care, those maids and servants weren’t allowed to come. Originally, these two were also supposed to go back, but naturally that was impossible to convince them of.

“Doctor Liu went to prepare medicine,” A’Ru said. “Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”

How could she sleep…

Qi Yue smiled.

“I slept quite well and am not tired anymore,” she said, walking to Madam Xie’s bedside.

“No bleeding, temperature slightly elevated,” A’Ru hurriedly reported.

Qi Yue nodded, looking at Madam Xie who was still unconscious with her eyes closed, though this was no longer the kind of shock near death.

“You go rest. I’ll watch over her,” she said.

A’Ru nodded and left without ceremony.

Everyone had become accustomed to this shift system, no longer being overly formal about master-servant or teacher-student relationships, but following the principle that good rest enables better work.

“Yueniang, is she really… going to be alright?” Old Madam Xie asked, looking at Qi Yue.

She had asked this question many times since last night.

Qi Yue used cotton cloth to examine the incision site.

“I…” she began, hesitating slightly, “can only say I’ll do my best.”

Old Madam Xie made an “oh” sound and continued looking worried. Chang Yuncheng glanced at Qi Yue.

News of Madam Xie naturally traveled back to the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion. Imperial Physician Zhou, satisfied with the spectacle, had no place to sleep at Qianjin Hall, so he still returned to the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion to rest last night.

At this time, seeing that the people who heard the news had no particular reaction, he couldn’t help but find it very strange.

“Hey, she’s been cured! Your madam was about to die, and she cured her,” he couldn’t help but grab a servant to emphasize the significance of this event. “She was really dead at the time, no breath…”

The servant’s reaction to him was very disdainful.

“That’s natural,” the servant said. “Our young madam is a divine physician, of course she can bring people back to life. What’s strange about that?”

Imperial Physician Zhou’s face twitched from what was said.

What’s strange about that?

Your reaction is what’s strange!

Where does this certainty come from! This is treating illness! Life-and-death critical illness! Not something as simple as eating!