The women sharing a room with the wet nurse at the Circuit Judge’s mansion were awakened by groaning sounds.

When they lit the lamp, they found that the wet nurse had already fallen unconscious. Touching her forehead, it was so hot it was frightening. They immediately got up and had someone call for a doctor. After all the commotion of getting a doctor, dawn was nearly breaking.

The doctor they called was the same one from before. He took her pulse, examined her tongue coating, and his expression was grim. When he lifted the thin blanket and had a servant woman roll up her pants, they saw the lower leg was completely red and swollen, with blisters forming – it was quite terrifying.

Everyone in the room stepped back two paces in fright.

“Doctor, what’s wrong with my mother?” The wet nurse’s son also worked in the mansion and asked frantically.

How could she have been fine yesterday, but after sleeping half the night, she was clearly dying?

The doctor sighed.

“This is a critical condition of toxic sores – one in ten will encounter this,” he said. “I didn’t expect your mother to become that one in ten…”

It sounded quite rare?

Everyone spat in dismay – who wanted such rarity!

“Doctor, please save her quickly,” the wet nurse’s son pleaded urgently, almost wanting to kneel down.

“I’ll prescribe a Clear Plague and Defeat Poison Decoction for her to take. If the fever can break by noon, there’s still a thread of hope. If not, make preparations early,” the doctor said while picking up his brush to write the prescription.

How could it be… time to prepare for the funeral? Everyone in the room was stunned.

Soon everyone in the mansion knew. This kind of sick person was inauspicious, so naturally the Circuit Judge’s wife wouldn’t come to see her. She just ordered that her usual Dr. Zhang be called to examine her. Dr. Zhang looked and said the same thing.

The wet nurse’s family despaired and cried pitifully. The Circuit Judge’s wife was kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see life and death, so she also shed tears and ordered extra money to be given for a proper funeral.

“However…” Dr. Zhang couldn’t help but stop as he packed his medicine box to leave. “At Qianjin Hall, they might be able to try to save her.”

Qianjin Hall?

The Circuit Judge’s wife was stunned.

“How is that possible? Dr. Zhang, you said she can’t be saved,” she shook her head.

Dr. Zhang smiled.

“Each doctor has their specialty. I dare not say who’s higher or lower. Qianjin Hall does have some unusual techniques and remedies – perhaps they can solve conditions that ordinary people cannot,” he said humbly.

The Circuit Judge’s wife said nothing.

The wet nurse’s family looked at her with some pleading.

“Better to make preparations early, so she can find peace sooner,” the Circuit Judge’s wife finally said.

Even if the doctor said Qianjin Hall could try, how could she offend the Marquis Dingxi mansion for the sake of a servant?

The wet nurse’s family naturally understood. They cried as they carried the wet nurse out.

Before dark, they returned to their home in the back alley of the Circuit Judge’s mansion. The family sat crying and dazed, watching the wet nurse whose breathing was becoming intermittent.

“I don’t care anymore,” the wet nurse’s son suddenly stood up. “I’m taking Mother to Qianjin Hall!”

His wife looked at him in surprise.

“But didn’t Madam say not to associate with Qianjin Hall…” she stammered.

The wet nurse’s son raised his hand and slapped his wife.

“You poisonous woman, that’s my mother! I only have one mother! My father died early, and my mother suffered so much for me! You would actually watch my mother die just because of one word from Madam!” he shouted angrily.

His wife didn’t mean that at all and immediately cried while explaining.

“Stop arguing. If you’re going, hurry up and go,” the neighbors who came to help advised.

At Qianjin Hall, they were getting ready to close up. Everyone’s mood was somewhat low because of Qi Yue being refused treatment.

“Old Physician An in Shanning Prefecture has always wanted to invite you over. How about…” Liu Pucheng suggested.

Before he could finish, Qi Yue interrupted him.

“Teacher, you don’t need to say anything. I have this strange temperament – I can’t stand people provoking me. If this hadn’t happened, I might really have gone to Old Physician An’s place. I originally wanted to learn from him,” Qi Yue said, tapping the table. “But now that this has happened, I definitely won’t leave. I’ll stay here. I don’t believe they can do anything to me.”

This girl was just this stubborn…

“Is it really worth opposing them…” Liu Pucheng shook his head.

“Of course it’s worth it,” Qi Yue snorted.

As they were talking, urgent calls came from outside.

“Doctor, save a life!” Although the wet nurse’s son didn’t recognize which one was Lady Qi, he knew Qianjin Hall only had one female doctor, so he knelt down upon seeing a woman.

“Don’t panic, speak slowly,” A’Ru quickly helped him up. “How old is the patient and what are the symptoms?”

The wet nurse’s son hurriedly explained, and Qi Yue also came out.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

A’Ru quickly and concisely described the patient’s condition.

Qi Yue walked over in a few steps, put on gloves, and saw that the woman was already dressed in burial clothes.

Only then did the wet nurse’s son realize this was Lady Qi, and he knelt down again to kowtow.

“The lesion is on the leg?” she asked while taking scissors and cutting open the pants in a few snips, revealing the already red and swollen lower leg.

This was bad. Qi Yue’s expression darkened slightly. If doctors weren’t supposed to show emotions, she would have cried out.

But this expression was enough to make everyone’s hearts sink.

After a series of examinations, Qi Yue had basically confirmed it.

“Sepsis!” she said, frowning. “This is caused by external wound infection…”

She used her gloved hand to examine the red swelling on the woman’s leg.

“Cut with a knife?” she murmured. “Didn’t do proper disinfection, so bacterial infection caused purulent sepsis…”

“Cut with a knife?” The wet nurse’s son immediately jumped up. “It was that damned doctor who cut my mother’s sore… I’ll make him pay with his life!”

Qi Yue quickly called him back.

“He meant well and didn’t do it intentionally. What are you looking for him for?” she scolded.

The wet nurse’s son immediately knelt down again.

“Lady Qi, save her life,” he cried and kowtowed.

“This condition comes on fiercely, and broad-spectrum antibiotics…” Qi Yue reached up to touch her neck, her expression worried and urgent. “I’ll try my best.”

Other doctors wouldn’t even try, but this Lady Qi was willing to try – they had definitely come to the right place.

The family quickly kowtowed.

“Take the family to handle admission,” Qi Yue said. “Transfer to bed, physical cooling, anti-shock treatment, prepare for debridement and drainage surgery.”

The disciples in the hall responded in unison.

Watching the woman being efficiently fitted with a gown, then lifted by four people shouting “one, two, three” and placed on a bed, which was then pushed toward the back – the entire process was simple, efficient, and smooth, actually quite pleasing to watch…

The wet nurse’s son spat – what was he thinking? His mother was dying and he found it pleasing to watch!

“How should I address you?” A disciple stood before him and asked.

The wet nurse’s son was startled. Finally, finally they were going to ask who he was…

“I, I…” he stammered, not daring to speak.

He knew about Lady Qi being driven out by the Circuit Judge’s wife that morning. If he said he was from the Circuit Judge’s mansion…

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here to handle your mother’s admission procedures. Admission means that because the patient’s condition is critical, she needs to stay here for the doctor to observe and administer medicine at any time,” the disciple explained seriously.

The wet nurse’s son wasn’t concerned about that – he was just afraid they would drive him out once they learned he was from the Circuit Judge’s mansion. He nodded and followed the disciple to handle the admission.

As night fell, the surgical room at Qianjin Hall was brightly lit. The reflective copper mirrors designed for the surgical table finally came in handy. After several adjustments, they were aimed at the woman’s lower leg to help Qi Yue see the wound clearly.

“Local anesthesia complete,” Liu Pucheng said, stepping back.

Compared to the bloody surgery last time, this one was much simpler. Qi Yue completed the debridement and drainage by herself without assistance.

“That doctor meant well. This sore needed to be opened for drainage, but he didn’t do proper disinfection, anti-inflammation, and antibacterial treatment, which caused this life-threatening condition. This is why I repeatedly emphasize that everyone must do pre-operative disinfection and post-operative anti-inflammation no matter what…” Qi Yue explained while working continuously, using forceps to hold disinfectant cloth to clean the opened abscess, placing drainage strips, simply suturing the wound, then disinfecting and wiping again before covering with white cloth.

Watching the patient being wheeled out of the operating room, Qi Yue took a deep breath as she emerged.

“Thank you, Doctor…” The family surrounded her, looking at the woman who seemed much better after physical cooling, extremely grateful. “Doctor, you’re truly a miraculous physician to cure her so quickly…”

Qi Yue shook her head with a bitter smile.

Cure sepsis so quickly? Then she really would be a deity.

“It’s not time to thank me yet,” she stopped the excited family members. Her eyes behind the large mask were grave. “Whether she lives or dies is still unknown.”

That night, the woman was put under intensive care. Without a thermometer, unable to accurately determine temperature, Qi Yue had to rely on her own touch to record readings again and again. Afraid that different people’s touch would vary, she couldn’t switch with anyone, so she was exhausted all night.

At dawn, Liu Pucheng requested to replace her.

“No need to replace me,” Qi Yue said with bloodshot eyes, shaking her head wearily as she looked at the woman still unconscious in the bed. “The infection is not under control.”

Liu Pucheng stepped forward to take her pulse, examine her tongue, and saw that the lower leg that had undergone debridement and drainage had swollen another circle. He sighed with a heavy expression.

This was much worse than that hunter’s case.

“To prevent the infection from spreading, there’s only one option,” Qi Yue said.

Liu Pucheng looked at her.

“Amputation,” Qi Yue said.

Liu Pucheng was shaken.

“In this condition, what are the chances of survival after amputation?” he asked.

Qi Yue took a deep breath.

“I don’t know,” she said.

Liu Pucheng fell silent again.

“Call the family,” he finally said.

The wet nurse’s son and his wife were called over, trembling with fear. Upon hearing Qi Yue’s words, they were immediately stunned.

“Lady Qi, you were driven out, but we really had no choice. We’re servants – we can’t disobey our master’s orders,” the wet nurse’s son immediately knelt before Qi Yue and cried.

His words left Qi Yue completely confused, and it took a while to figure out what he meant.

“Oh, so the patient from the Circuit Judge’s mansion was your mother,” she said, helping the wet nurse’s son up. “I’m really not doing this for that reason. If you don’t believe me, you can ask other doctors – it’s truly too critical.”

The wet nurse’s son wiped his tears and cried.

“If you’re unwilling, I respect your choice,” Qi Yue said. “Because even with amputation, I can’t guarantee we can save her life.”

The wet nurse’s son looked bewildered.

“Ban’er, don’t be ungrateful after getting a good deal,” an elderly neighbor who had come along stamped his foot. “Don’t forget your mother was already in burial clothes. Dr. Qi forcibly pulled her back from the gates of the King of Hell. What more do you want?”

These words brought the wet nurse’s son to his senses.

“Doctor, I’ll listen to you. My mother was already declared incurable. If she lives, it’s because of your miraculous skills. If she doesn’t, it’s because her fate is thin,” he said through gritted teeth, kneeling down to kowtow. “Please make the decision, Doctor.”

Qi Yue nodded and said good.

“I’ll perform this amputation surgery,” Liu Pucheng said.

Qi Yue was stunned.

“Teacher, you know how too?” she couldn’t help asking.

Liu Pucheng smiled.

“Don’t forget, I’m the one who opened this Qianjin Hall,” he said. “And following my master, I specialized in injury medicine. Amputation and severing limbs are not difficult for me.”

He said this and looked at the disciples in the room.

“Now, prepare for amputation surgery. The purpose of the surgery is to remove the source of infection,” he said, copying Qi Yue’s manner.

The disciples responded loudly in unison.