Near noon, the snow stopped. Qi Yue walked out of the house with A’Ru following behind, carrying a medicine box.

“Why hasn’t Jiang Hai come?” Hu San looked toward the gate from the courtyard, somewhat puzzled.

“Brother-in-law, do you need him for something?” A’Hao, still wearing an apron with flour on her hands, asked in confusion.

“Nothing, I’m just not used to it,” Hu San laughed.

This remark made everyone else laugh.

“Alright, don’t laugh at him. If it weren’t for him, Hu San, we might not even know each other now,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

Hu San blushed and laughed.

“Let’s not mention the past, look forward, look forward,” he said hurriedly. This was his way of showing loyalty to A’Ru.

The events back then had truly been heading toward enmity. Fortunately, his ancestors’ graves had produced green smoke—Hu San felt terrified just thinking about it.

A’Ru curled her lips and ignored him.

“Let’s go. He’s also very busy. Today there are two wounded soldiers who need secondary wound cleaning. Let’s hurry,” Qi Yue said, stepping forward first.

A’Ru and Xiao Qu followed.

However, compared to the previous times when they had unobstructed passage, this time they were stopped outside the barracks.

“Why aren’t we allowed in?” Qi Yue asked.

The guards at the gate couldn’t even be bothered to look at her.

“Not allowed means not allowed. There’s no ‘why,'” they answered indifferently.

“But they invited me to treat illnesses,” Qi Yue said, pointing inside.

“The camp has its own military physicians. Unrelated persons are not permitted inside,” the guard said.

“But…” A’Ru was about to speak when Qi Yue pulled her back in time.

Qi Yue shook her head at her.

A’Ru had to swallow her words.

Qi Yue looked toward the barracks. Compared to the previous days when the wounded soldiers had eagerly come out to greet them, it was now as quiet as if no one was there.

At this moment, all the wounded soldiers were inside the building, looking at the row of fully armed guards blocking the door, their eyes filled with rage.

“Must you watch us die when we could be cured before you’re satisfied?” one wounded soldier shouted hoarsely, clenching his fists. “You’re also soldiers, you’ll also go to battle. Can you guarantee you’ll never have a day like ours?”

These words moved some of the guards.

Someone snorted coldly.

“What if that day comes? Don’t forget those brothers who died,” he said coldly.

This was a military officer, now looking sternly at these wounded soldiers with a cold expression.

Under his gaze, the agitated wounded soldiers also felt some fear.

“From the day you became soldiers, you knew this day would come. Afraid of death? If you’re afraid of death, strip off those uniforms and get lost!” he scolded. “You’re wounded? Making a fuss about living or dying? What about those who died? Didn’t they know charging forward meant death? Why did they still charge forward? Why didn’t they make a fuss?”

He looked at the people before him.

The room became quiet.

“If you want to die, I won’t stop you. If you want to live, I won’t make it difficult for you. But the military camp has its rules. Anyone who dares to disrupt my rules, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Whether you’re dead or alive, I only recognize rules!” the big man shouted coldly again. “Anyone who dares bring women into the barracks again—whether the one who brings them or any physician—I’ll deal with them all according to military law and beat them to death with clubs.”

When Dachun got the news and rushed over, the wounded soldiers’ quarters had returned to deathly silence.

“Military law is military law, but they can’t be so heartless!” Dachun said angrily, turning to leave. “I’ll go argue with them! These masters, where do they care about our lives!”

Dachun rushed out but didn’t find those masters. With his status, he could only take a beating and be driven away.

Dachun walked dejected down the street, too ashamed to face his brothers and unwilling to go home. He wandered aimlessly and, looking up, found himself at Lady Qi’s door again.

Lady Qi had probably received a warning today too.

As a physician, if not allowed to treat, then don’t treat—there were never enough patients in the world anyway.

Dachun didn’t know how long he stood there when he heard the gate creak open. A man and woman came out, the woman holding a stack of papers, the man carrying a vertical plaque.

“Ah, you’re that…” the woman said with bright eyes upon seeing Dachun.

The man also looked over.

“Dachun, you came at the right time,” Xiao Qu waved to him while hanging the plaque by the door.

Dachun hesitantly walked over and saw characters written on the plaque, but he couldn’t read.

“Since we can’t conveniently enter the military camp, my lady has decided to open the clinic at home. This way, if you need medical treatment, just come to us,” Xiao Qu said, brushing over those characters.

What?

Dachun was stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing from Xiao Qu.

This lady wasn’t afraid and was going to continue treating them?

“These are promotional flyers. Take them back and distribute them to those who need them,” A’Hao handed him the papers.

Dachun rubbed his hands and respectfully took them.

“I… I can’t read,” he said haltingly.

“Oh, we thought of that, so we drew pictures,” A’Hao said with a smile.

Dachun looked down and saw drawings of little figures with various injuries—some fallen and bleeding, others with arrows in their bodies. In the center was drawn a woman making an inviting gesture, with a line of text beside her hand.

These characters were the same as on the hanging plaque. Dachun counted them in his mind.

“What does this say?” he couldn’t help asking.

“This says,” A’Hao pointed and read to him, “Yongqing Qianjin Hall Gansu Town Branch.”

Yongqing Qianjin Hall Gansu Town Branch?

Dachun silently repeated it.

“This is our lady’s clinic name,” A’Hao said with some pride.

A group of horsemen passed through the street, drawing countless stares. The men on horseback all carried plum blossom branches on their shoulders, looking particularly ridiculous.

Most of the men probably felt very embarrassed, deliberately using the plum branches to cover their faces. Only one was completely unconcerned, not only holding his head high but smiling more brilliantly than the plum blossoms.

“Little Jiang! Little Jiang!”

Many women from the street-side shops waved and called out.

“What are you doing with so many plum branches?”

“Is some master going to appreciate plums at home?”

Jiang Hai seemed not to hear and rode away in a flash, leaving behind a trail of discussion and speculation.

Finally reaching their quarters, the men all breathed sighs of relief.

“I say, Little Jiang, doing this kind of embarrassing thing once is enough!”

“Right! You could give anything—gold, silver, jewelry, hairpins, clothes. Women love all those things. What’s the point of getting these useless flowers?”

“Yeah, have you gotten stupid from chasing too many women?”

The men criticized him one after another.

Jiang Hai paid them no mind, happily directing soldiers to put the branches in large jars, then began slowly and carefully cutting them down branch by branch until they formed a bouquet.

“Go, go,” Jiang Hai finally waved at the men who were still chattering and laughing. “What do you know? A bunch of bachelors who only dream of hugging quilts as wives—what would you know about what women like!”

“You talk as if you have a wife!” Everyone was displeased and shouted.

Hearing this, Jiang Hai turned back and grinned at them.

“I’m going to marry a wife soon,” he said.

Jiang Hai patiently waited until it was slightly dark. For a border town with no nightlife, there were already few people on the streets. Only then did he happily rush out with the plum blossoms, preparing to give Lady Qi a surprise. But unexpectedly, just reaching the alley entrance, he heard commotion. Looking closer, he saw many people going in and out of the door—all soldiers like himself.

Jiang Hai’s head immediately exploded with a bang. How could anyone come to Lady Qi’s house now? This was infuriating—Lady Qi was his!

When night fell, the people in the courtyard dispersed.

“Everyone needn’t worry. I open for consultations daily, but I was rushed today and don’t have enough medicine. Please be patient,” Qi Yue said.

Everyone nodded and thanked her repeatedly before helping each other limp away.

Qi Yue watched the direction they left and sighed softly.

“My lady, you’ve been tired all day. Please wash up and let’s eat,” A’Hao ran out from the house.

As soon as she finished speaking, they heard someone outside calling for Lady Qi.

A’Hao’s face immediately fell.

She thought this boy had changed his nature! But he still came right at mealtime!

Qi Yue also looked over, but the first thing that caught her eye wasn’t Jiang Hai’s smiling face, but brilliant red plum blossoms, shining brightly under the reflection of the courtyard’s snow and lanterns.

“Wow,” Qi Yue couldn’t help exclaiming, her face full of smiles.

There really weren’t many women who didn’t love flowers. Even A’Hao, who disliked this guy who always came to mooch meals, looked on with bright eyes.

Jiang Hai poked his head out from behind the plum blossoms, grinned, and showed his white teeth.

“Lady Qi, I invite you to appreciate plum blossoms,” he said.

Since hanging out the sign and having Dachun inform those wounded soldiers, Qi Yue’s door became lively, and she and the others became busy. Because the medicine they brought was quickly used up, they had to make medicine temporarily. Fortunately, these trauma cases were simple—anesthetics and anti-inflammatory drugs were sufficient. But within two days, this liveliness was interrupted again.

“Why won’t you let me practice medicine? I didn’t enter the barracks this time. Can’t I even do it in my own home?” Qi Yue looked at the official document handed over by several soldiers and asked with a frown.

“There’s no ‘why.’ Border towns have strict security. To prevent spies, we don’t allow people of unknown origins like you to associate with soldiers,” the soldier leader said coldly.

“What unknown origins? Didn’t I tell you I’m from Yongqing Prefecture?” Qi Yue frowned.

But her words were interrupted.

“Stop the nonsense. If we see you practicing medicine again, we’ll expel you from Gansu Town,” the soldier leader said coldly.

Qi Yue frowned at him.

“Hey, do you know who we are?” Xiao Qu couldn’t help shouting.

“I know,” the soldier leader smiled disdainfully. “Divine physicians.”

Xiao Qu was about to step forward when Qi Yue stopped him. Her gaze swept over the surrounding onlookers when she suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure.

The man was carrying a wine jug, apparently just passing by. He turned to look over with an indifferent expression, then withdrew his gaze and continued forward.

It was that military physician!

Could it be them?

“I’m not a child. Don’t use these fake, empty, trumped-up charges on me. The truth is, because I cured wounds your military physicians couldn’t heal and made them lose face, that’s why you want to drive me away, right?” Qi Yue said.

This woman was quite clever, but only superficially so. Even now she didn’t know whom she had offended. Face? In this Gansu Town, whose face had she contradicted—didn’t she know in her heart?

The soldiers sneered coldly and were about to speak when someone else spoke first.

“I’ve seen many people like you.”

Qiao Minghua slowly walked over, pushing through the blocking crowd. As he spoke, he came to the front, looking at Qi Yue with the same indifferent expression.

“I’ve seen many physicians like you,” he said again. “You can treat two or three diseases others can’t, so people start calling you a divine physician. You act modest with your mouth, but actually consider yourself a divine physician in your heart. You talk about healing the world and saving all beings, but in reality, you’re just someone seeking fame and profit. Face? Someone like you who has no face—whose face could you possibly ruin?”