Wang Qingchun, now a Medical Doctor, had dismounted and stood with those who came to greet him. There was quite a feeling of hometown folks meeting with tearful eyes, a wanderer returning home to see loved ones with tears of joy.

The others were perhaps infected by his demeanor, each becoming quite emotional. The scene looked very heartwarming. But someone had to break this warmth.

Hu San led the disciples in whistling a few times.

This drew the attention of those who were clasping hands in joy. Seeing them, Wang Qingchun’s expression changed slightly.

“Wang Qingchun,” Qi Yue called out with a smile, “you’ve finally come back to fulfill your wager!”

Liu Pucheng tried to restrain them from both sides, but while he could stop the disciples, he couldn’t stop Qi Yue. After she spoke these words, he simply gave up restraining them—it was useless anyway.

The scene fell silent for a moment. Those surrounding Wang Qingchun dared not look at his face, cursing this woman bloody in their hearts.

How could you speak like that?

Even if you really think this way, and that’s fine—we think the same—you can’t say it out loud!

If you want to say it, that’s nothing, but you have to consider the occasion!

Without considering the occasion, you should at least look at the official robes Wang Qingchun is wearing now!

Of course, you didn’t need to look at official robes before, with the great mountain of Marquis Dingxi’s manor protecting you. You were the biggest in Yongqing Prefecture.

But now? Now is not like before!

Although you treated the magistrate’s son, you’re still not his son after all.

It seems this woman is still arrogant, not knowing her current status.

But this is also good. People who don’t know their limits always need to learn some lessons.

This woman learning a lesson would be something everyone would enjoy seeing.

Wang Qingchun looked at this woman, and Qi Yue also looked back at him with a smile, completely unyielding. That provocative expression was enough to make one spit blood.

“Fine,” Wang Qingchun suddenly said, lifting his official robe.

Everyone was stunned, then scrambled to stop and support him.

“Sir, what are you doing?”

“Sir, you mustn’t act rashly.”

“Sir, wearing official robes, you kneel to Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teachers—how can you kneel for no reason!”

Amid the commotion, city officials also arrived. Not knowing what was happening, they hurried to dissuade him. When they learned the situation, they looked even more embarrassed.

Looking at Qi Yue and her group still standing calmly watching the excitement, the officials found themselves in a difficult position. If it were people from any other clinic, they would have ordered them beaten away with sticks long ago, but they couldn’t touch this person.

“Lady Qi, Lady Qi,” a clerk from the magistrate’s side ran over and said quietly, “Please don’t cause trouble.”

Qi Yue chuckled. Liu Pucheng was also desperately whispering words of dissuasion.

“I’m not causing trouble. I didn’t tell him to kneel,” Qi Yue smiled, looking at Wang Qingchun who was still struggling to kneel, and curled her lip. “Look at that pathetic act—does he even look like a man?”

She waved her hand after speaking.

“Let’s go.”

“Does he even look like a man!” Hu San didn’t forget to shout after her, then copied Qi Yue’s gesture of waving. “Let’s go!”

The commotion at the city gate was left behind.

But back at Qianjin Hall, Qi Yue could clearly see the unease and anxiety on the disciples’ faces.

“What does this Medical Doctor do?” Qi Yue frowned and asked. “Can he decide whether our Qianjin Hall’s business is good or bad?”

Liu Pucheng shook his head.

“Little Qi, the issue now isn’t what this Medical Doctor does, but that he’s back,” he said.

Qi Yue smiled and nodded.

“That’s right, he’s back,” she said, leaning against a table and surveying Qianjin Hall’s main hall. “And he’s back in glory. So this can only mean one thing.”

She looked at everyone and pointed upward.

“He has people above him,” she said.

She laughed heartily at her own words.

But no one else was laughing.

Wang Qingchun having people above him was certainly not good news for them.

“So why did you have to provoke him at the city gate?” Liu Pucheng shook his head. “And in front of so many people, making him lose face.”

Qi Yue smiled.

“Teacher, whether I provoke him or go up to flatter him, it’s all the same to him. My very existence already makes him lose face,” she said. “So since the result is the same, why should I flatter him?”

This logic made sense. Liu Pucheng shook his head then nodded.

“Alright, what’s there to fear?” Qi Yue clapped her hands, addressing everyone. “No matter who he has above him, we make our living with our skills. What can he do to us?”

That was true. Everyone immediately cheered up.

“Besides, no matter who he has above him,” Qi Yue smiled again, adding fuel to the fire, “if he dares to deliberately provoke us, I made him kneel once, and I can make him kneel a second time.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Alright, let’s get to work, get to work,” Hu San called out.

“Really not afraid?” Liu Pucheng asked with a smile.

Qi Yue lifted her chin and pointed to a plaque hanging prominently in the hall.

The “Miraculous Healing Hands” plaque written personally by the magistrate was in the most conspicuous position.

“You have people too,” Liu Pucheng smiled.

Qi Yue looked up and laughed heartily.

“Teacher, it’s not that one,” she laughed, pointing elsewhere.

Besides the plaques of gratitude from patients, there were also the precepts of great physicians.

“Calm the spirit and steady the will, vow to universally relieve the suffering of all living beings. Treat all equally, as if they were beloved relatives. Devote oneself wholeheartedly to rescue, without any thought of personal gain or reputation,” Qi Yue looked up and recited, then looked at Liu Pucheng. “Teacher, I know what we’re doing. This is like having Buddha in one’s heart—no fear of ten thousand demons.”

Liu Pucheng nodded with satisfaction.

“Lady Qi, you can graduate now,” he said with a smile.

Although Qianjin Hall was very busy, Qi Yue still made time to go herb gathering with the disciples. This was also her way of integrating teaching, connecting what they learned from books with reality, accelerating her mastery of traditional medicine.

This time they came to a hilly area ten li outside the prefectural city, a perfect place where summer herbs grew abundantly.

“Lady, take a rest,” A’Hao called out, bringing over a backpack. First she took out a cushion and spread it for Qi Yue to sit on, then took out a ceramic jar and poured a bowl of tea. “Would you like some pastries?”

Qi Yue was amused by her attentiveness. A’Ru, as head nurse, couldn’t leave Qianjin Hall, but she was worried about Qi Yue going out alone, so she had A’Hao accompany her. A’Hao wasn’t as skilled in nursing as A’Ru, but she was thorough and considerate in caring for people.

The disciples also scattered to sit on the field ridges, chatting and resting.

“What are you doing?” someone shouted from far away. It was a farmer, running over with some wariness. “Are you trying to steal melons?”

Melons? Only then did Qi Yue and the others notice a melon garden nearby.

“No, we’re disciples from Qianjin Hall. We came to gather herbs,” Qi Yue quickly called out.

The farmer immediately dropped his caution. Common people had great respect for medical practitioners.

“In such hot weather, would you like to eat some melons?” the farmer offered enthusiastically.

Qi Yue was always generous with food and drink, immediately having A’Hao go buy some. The farmer had originally wanted to give them away, but unexpectedly Qi Yue insisted on paying. Both panicked and grateful, he carefully selected the best melons to bring over.

In those days there was no pollution, so everyone just wiped the melons with cloth handkerchiefs before eating.

“These are muskmelons,” Qi Yue said after eating half of one. Standing in the melon field, she casually asked about the harvest.

“Not very good. Too much rain, they all rotted,” the farmer said, picking out a few more and tossing them aside. “See, another pile spoiled.”

Rotted muskmelons were piled in the ditches, attracting swarms of mosquitoes and flies. As the wind blew, they gave off a sour, putrid smell.

“Oh my, why don’t you throw them farther away?” A’Hao quickly covered her nose and pulled Qi Yue back.

Qi Yue smiled.

“They can be composted. Everything from the earth is treasure—nothing is wasted,” she said, looking at those rotting melons. “Take these melons—that mold and rot can produce a kind of medicine.”

“What medicine?” Zhang Tong asked.

“A medicine with very, very powerful effects,” Qi Yue said, looking at those melons. “If we had this medicine, that wet nurse from last time wouldn’t have needed amputation at all. Half a day…”

She held up her hand and waved it at Zhang Tong.

“Just one injection, and in half a day, the infection could be controlled,” she said.

Zhang Tong’s eyes widened. My goodness!

“Lady, then, then quick, let’s make this medicine too!” he said excitedly.

Qi Yue smiled bitterly, turning to look at the pile of moldy, rotting melons again.

“How could it be that easy?” she shook her head.

“But, but how is it not easy?” Zhang Tong asked, puzzled.

“It’s just not easy,” Qi Yue had no way to explain to him, so she answered vaguely and called to everyone, “Let’s go, let’s go!”

They returned at sunset, fully loaded.

At this time in the northern desert, the sky had already darkened. The large courtyard was lit with torches like daylight, filled with singing, dancing, and laughter.

A banquet was in full swing in the courtyard. Because they were entertaining a superior from the capital, the banquet was very elaborate, with not only theatrical performances and music, but also official courtesans for company.

The superior was also a man, and after drinking too much, he abandoned his restraint, holding a delicate courtesan in each arm, flirting with them.

Looking at the others, each was not to be outdone, and for a time the courtyard was filled with wine and sensual indulgence.

Among them, Chang Yuncheng sat alone, never selecting anyone, standing out conspicuously.

“How can we shortchange the Prince?” the superior noticed in his busy state and quickly called out. “Let the Prince choose first! You brats are just thinking of yourselves.”

Everyone laughed loudly. Chang Yuncheng also smiled. At this point, declining would be awkward, so he randomly pointed to one. The courtesan walked over with a smile and sat down, and everyone continued drinking.

“Prince, please,” the courtesan smiled, raising her wine cup in toast. She drank a full cup first, and whether intentionally or accidentally, more than half the wine spilled on her clothes. In the summer heat, clothing was already minimal, and the courtesans wore even more revealing attire. With the wine spilled on her, the garment clinging to her ample bosom became like nothing at all.

Chang Yuncheng felt his ears grow hot and quickly looked away.

“Prince, please drink,” the courtesan said coquettishly, her voluptuous body sliding against him like a snake.

Before she finished speaking, Chang Yuncheng raised his hand to block her and stood up himself.

The courtesan was pushed away, and the wine cup in her hand fell to the ground. The commotion made everyone quiet for a moment and look over.

“What happened? How are you serving the Prince!” someone immediately scolded.

The courtesan hurriedly apologized.

“It’s nothing, it’s not her fault. I’ve had a bit too much to drink and need to clear my head,” Chang Yuncheng said with a smile, gesturing for the courtesan to stand up.

Only then did the courtesan breathe a sigh of relief and stand up tremblingly.

“Little Chang’s alcohol tolerance has greatly decreased since he was injured,” the superior said, watching Chang Yuncheng take his leave and shaking his head with a sigh.

“No, it’s been greatly reduced ever since he learned his wife was pregnant,” said a big man nearby.

The superior glared at him.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” he said. “What wife being pregnant? The Prince has already divorced.”

Capital officials knew more than these people, and for a moment everyone was stunned.

Chang Yuncheng didn’t hear the discussion behind him, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.

He didn’t return to his own courtyard but wandered the streets. The frontier had no night markets, and the streets were completely silent.

What was that woman doing? Sleeping?

Probably not. She must be reading.

Chang Yuncheng casually kicked stones on the ground. The stones rolled with a sound, adding some liveliness to the night.

Time seemed to have passed for a long time, so long that he could barely remember what that woman looked like.

The sound of a bird fluttering came through the night. Chang Yuncheng suddenly stopped. A message?

Sure enough, a guard not far behind caught a carrier pigeon.

Ever since receiving news of that woman drinking wine with Wang Qian at night, he had stopped the pigeon correspondence, telling those guards to just protect Lady Qi’s safety and not report anything else to him.

He had said he would accompany her in sorrow and in joy, but this was truly impossible.

Suddenly having a message arrive meant…

Chang Yuncheng’s heart jumped as he turned around.

The guard had already come over with the message tube, lighting a fire stick at the same time.

Chang Yuncheng’s hands trembled slightly as he pulled out and unfolded the message. His face immediately turned deathly pale.

“Mother critically ill. Return immediately.”