Chapter Twelve (12 Points) A bonus chapter for 20 Pink contributions.

Thank you to Siyue Weiyu, bilumm, Xijiang Jin, n Su Xiaole, Fenghong Yuncai, Qingcai Shuchongzi, Shanhaitu, Shui Er, rn, HALALA, Jin Qin, and the book friends whose subscription names I cannot see today for their tips.

If I were to abandon my specialty in Traditional Chinese Medicine and focus on Western medicine as the central feature, this book would undoubtedly invite endless criticism.

However, I want to write it, and I will do my utmost to write it well so that your money is not wasted.

By the time the suturing was finished, it was completely dark.

“You say that using this means there won't be any pus?” Liu Pucheng held the small medicine bottle, scrutinizing it under the lamp, his eyes narrowed in intense curiosity.

“Yes, this is an antibiotic,” Qi Yue said, injecting the medicine from the syringe into the wine bottle.

“Miss… Madam, these…” A'ru asked for instructions.

She had already boiled and put away the needles, scissors, and forceps, but the used gloves, cotton cloths, swabs, and surgical drapes were piled up.

“Dig a pit, burn them, and bury them deep,” Qi Yue instructed.

“Are they all to be burned? These could still be used…” A'ru felt a pang of reluctance.

In her eyes, even though they were stained with blood, they could be washed clean, especially the gloves—they looked perfectly fine.

The first-aid kit, which had been fully packed upon arrival, was now more than half empty.

The bandages and non-woven fabrics were a minor issue; the critical thing was that the medicines were completely depleted.

“Keep the gloves.

Soak them in alcohol, then steam them over a high fire in a pot; they might still be useful.

As for the rest, burn them,” Qi Yue said.

A'ru nodded and turned to carry out the order.

“I’ll help you, I’ll help you,” Hu San quickly offered.

“Don’t move around carelessly, you don’t know how,” A'ru sharply stopped him in a low voice, without looking up, “Lest you cause an infection and make things worse.” Hu San rubbed his head sheepishly.

“I’ll help you boil water,” he added, hurrying ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Liu Pucheng put down the medicine bottle and returned to inspect the bandaging of the injured man.

Qi Yue had used all the disinfectant cotton for external wounds, but the laceration was too large, and she still felt a tremor of anxiety.

“All of these prevent pus formation?” Liu Pucheng asked.

Qi Yue nodded.

Liu Pucheng then rested a sleeve on his arm and bent over to take the patient’s pulse.

A look of surprise, mixed with confusion, crossed his face, but he said nothing.

“I have been watching beside you the whole time.

You used this tube to transfer another person’s blood into his body?” he asked, straightening up.

Qi Yue explained it to him simply, but due to the difficulty in exchanging vocabulary, both speaker and listener became increasingly bewildered.

“So, you mean that not just anyone’s blood can be arbitrarily transfused to anyone else?” Liu Pucheng inquired.

Qi Yue nodded.

She absolutely had to emphasize this point, lest someone like Hu San casually pick up a needle to suture a wound for someone else.

“Under whom did the Madam study medicine?” Liu Pucheng asked.

This question made Qi Yue pause; she shouldn't answer it.

“Well, I had many teachers—no, they weren't exactly called teachers…” she began, then abruptly remembered the person sitting in the room, someone who knew more about medicine than she did herself.

Her tongue twisted, “…Don’t laugh at me, Doctor Liu, I was originally an orphan beggar…” Liu Pucheng responded with an 'Oh,' but there was no disdain in his expression; instead, a measure of respect surfaced.

“So, along the way, I met many people.

This person taught me a bit, that person taught me a bit—I learned how to treat a dog bite, learned medicine after being beaten.

Diarrhea, headaches—it was all just haphazardly pieced together, never systematic…” Qi Yue continued, smiling slightly.

“Also, my grandmother knew even more; I learned everything from her.

These things she left to me as well…” As she spoke, she gestured toward the already packed medicine chest.

Qi Yue Niang’s grandmother had died before Qi Yue Niang was brought into the Dingxi Hou Mansion.

As an old female beggar who was a displaced refugee, she was less significant than a speck of dust; no one remembered anything about her.

The only person in the Hou Mansion who had seen her was the Old Marquis, and the Old Marquis was gone now too.

With no one left to confirm or deny, Qi Yue could attribute anything unexplainable to her.

Liu Pucheng showed no sign of doubt and nodded.

“The mortal world holds many strange skills,” he remarked, stroking his beard with a hint of reminiscence.

“My ancestors in the Liu family were originally carpenters.

They gave a steamed bun to a beggar who came to the door, and that beggar left behind a remedy for ‘Snake Coiling Waist.’ Using this formula, my ancestor first gained renown and embarked on this path.

That’s why, to this day, the rule passed down by our ancestors is that descendants must never treat a beggar at the door with indifference, and we must organize a free gruel distribution for orphans once a year…” What a marvelous lineage.

Qi Yue found the story fascinating.

Indeed, there were many folk remedies in the common world that science could not explain.

And this 'Snake Coiling Waist' affliction… “Do you treat Herpes Zoster? Is that formula truly effective? Usually, we use Acyclovir tablets, and there’s no really good resolution…” Qi Yue asked with some curiosity.

“Herpes? A-qi wei?” Liu Pucheng listened, completely baffled, and asked in confusion.

Qi Yue rubbed her hands and smiled sheepishly.

“Madam, it’s getting late…” A’ru walked out from behind and whispered, interrupting their conversation.

The night had deepened, and the day’s clamor was long gone from the streets.

“Then this injured person…” Qi Yue hesitated.

“Madam, rest assured.

I will personally watch over him.

Madam can come back during the day,” Liu Pucheng assured her.

A’ru secretly glanced at the Shizi (Heir Apparent) who had been sitting silently beside them, then reached out and tugged Qi Yue’s sleeve.

“Alright then.

Everything that needed to be done has been done.

We’ve done our best; the rest is up to fate,” Qi Yue said.

“I will be back first thing tomorrow morning.

Do not stop the intravenous drip at this hour tonight.” Intravenous drip… Liu Pucheng followed her gaze to the inverted wine bottle.

“A’ru has already told your students how to prepare what is boiled inside this,” Qi Yue added.

As soon as her words fell, she saw Liu Pucheng stand up straight with sudden solemnity.

“Which one?” he asked loudly.

“Which Madam made this… drip?” Upon inquiry, a junior apprentice immediately ran over, looking terrified and contrite.

“Kowtow,” Liu Pucheng said gravely.

The junior apprentice immediately dropped to his knees before Qi Yue and bowed his head.

“What is this for?” Qi Yue was startled and quickly tried to stop him.

“Swear to the Madam that from this day forward, you are under the Madam’s tutelage, and you will never betray your master or divulge a single secret formula…” Liu Pucheng said sternly.

The apprentice looked at Liu Pucheng, then at Qi Yue, his expression conflicted.

“Master, your humble student…” His eyes reddened.

“No, this secret formula isn’t a secret formula; it’s just salt water and sugar…” Qi Yue laughed, quickly intervening to stop Liu Pucheng’s fuss.

Ancient medicine highly valued inheritance, especially regarding medical secrets, which were tightly guarded.

While she respected the old physician greatly, she didn't want him to treat her so formally.

Before he could refuse, she quickly explained.

“It’s nothing rare; everyone knows it.

Using it can save many people.

Besides, it’s nothing miraculous; it’s not as effective as your herbs.

It’s only useful for rapid replacement of substance.

Without an IV tube, without intravenous injection, it’s useless anyway,” Qi Yue stated.

Liu Pucheng was somewhat relieved but still offered Qi Yue a respectful bow and a word of thanks.

“Madam, rest assured.

I will watch this patient closely,” he reiterated.

Qi Yue nodded and signaled to A’ru.

“Then we are leaving,” she said.

A’ru quickly grabbed the packed medicine chest and followed.

Seeing Qi Yue walk away without even looking at the Shizi sitting silently beside her, A’ru quickly reached out and pulled her sleeve again.

“Shizi Ye (Heir Apparent)…,” she called out softly.

“I’m leaving now.

You two stay here and watch Jiang Hai,” the Heir Apparent of the Dingxi Hou Mansion stood up and said to the large man and the others.

“Shizi Ye, don’t worry.” “Shizi Ye, hurry back.” “Thank you, Chang Ye (Lord Chang)….” Amidst the disorganized chorus of thanks and farewells, the Heir Apparent of the Dingxi Hou Mansion stepped out the door.

Outside, servants were already holding his waiting horse.

He did not look at Qi Yue or A’ru, vaulted onto the horse, and spurred it away, leaving A’ru startled and frightened.

“Shizi Ye…” She couldn’t help but chase a few steps, but how could she match the speed of the horse? The sounds of hooves faded on the street, and the people were long gone, even the accompanying servants running behind had disappeared into the distance.

“Miss, the Shizi Ye must be angry,” A’ru turned back, on the verge of tears.

His wife dishonoring her marital fidelity by going out publicly to treat injuries—surely no man could tolerate that, especially considering the reputation of the Dingxi Hou Mansion.

It’s over this time… Who would have thought that the reunion of this couple after three years of separation would be so dramatically framed.

Qi Yue pursed her lips and ambled along slowly.

He lacked any manly spirit, running off in the middle of the night and leaving the two of them behind.

And he was, legally speaking, her… Qi Yue Niang, oh Qi Yue Niang, what terrible luck to have landed such a man.

“Is this person the Chang Yuncheng you mentioned?” Qi Yue asked.

“Yes,” A’ru replied with a troubled expression.

He was certainly better looking than the Terracotta Warriors, but his temper was truly… Qi Yue shook her head.

“That’s utterly unacceptable.

To injure someone so casually, as if they weren't human…” she said indignantly.

“Do we servants even count as human in the Shizi Ye’s eyes?” A’ru asked with a bitter smile, shaking her head at Qi Yue instead.

What could Qi Yue say? Enlighten her on the concept of human rights? A’ru would just think she was mad.

Qi Yue decided to stop pursuing the topic.

“What shall we do?” A’ru didn’t have Qi Yue’s composure.

She was anxious and tearful the entire way.

“We’ve been out for so long, and the household needs to be accounted for…” Saying that, she raised her hand to strike herself, blaming Qi Yue for causing the trouble.

Qi Yue had no choice but to comfort her.

With A’ru still crying and talking, they reached the doorstep of their temporary lodging.

“Let’s circle around this way, closer to the service gate…” A’ru sobbed, raising her hand to wipe her tears while mentally planning her explanations.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

“Shizi Ye…” Qi Yue followed her gaze and saw several figures standing and waiting not far from the Dingxi Hou Mansion.

She narrowed her eyes and discerned the tall, upright silhouette of that man amidst the darkness.

“He still hasn’t returned by now?” Madam Xie asked with a cold expression.

“Indeed.

Perhaps you should send someone to that girl’s house to look for him…” Old Ma Su whispered.

“Look for him?” Madam Xie chuckled, then her smile instantly turned grim.

“The young master of a respectable Hou Mansion doesn't return at midnight, and she expects to keep him at her house? That is absolutely impossible…” Naturally, Old Ma Su nodded in agreement.

“And, I’ve already ordered that the service gate be bolted shut…” she whispered, a wide smile spreading across her face.

(To be continued.

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