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Because mastering the strike to the point of losing all resistance without injuring them required the guards to exert themselves, the fight was prolonged.

It was mainly because they rarely participated in such matters; they were confident things would go much smoother next time.

The once aggressively posturing hunter's families lay or sat on the ground, groaning but daring not to utter a single curse.

“Don’t hit them, don’t hit them, let’s talk things through properly…” Liu Pucheng, waking from unconsciousness, cried out as his first words upon seeing the utter mess in the hall.

“Teacher, don’t move,” Qi Yue quickly held him down.

Only then did Liu Pucheng see that Qi Yue had arrived, and then he saw the hall filled with guards holding cudgels, and those lying on the floor were not his disciples, but the hunters who had caused the commotion.

“You, you, how did you get here?” He immediately guessed what had happened and, in his anxiety, tried to get up, “Who told you? This is reckless, utterly reckless! How could you come!” Liu Pucheng’s serious injury was to his arm; it was broken.

Fortunately, he had slightly turned his head at the moment of impact, otherwise, he might never have woken up.

Qi Yue looked at the old man’s face, contorted in pain, his usually immaculate beard and hair now disheveled and wretched, and felt a sudden pang of emotion.

She thought of her father… She recalled how her father was dragged by his hair down the corridor by agitated family members after a failed brain surgery left the patient paralyzed… She had grabbed the mop from the utility closet, ready to charge out, but was firmly held back by a group of doctors.

The bigger picture is paramount; stability is paramount.

Don’t escalate the conflict between doctors and patients… That memory had become her nightmare.

In that moment, she wished she hadn't been wearing those clothes; she wasn't a doctor, she was just a daughter.

Even if he were the enemy of all the world, even if one day he truly committed heinous crimes and deserved retribution, he would still be her father.

Without any composure, without any hesitation, all she needed to do was rush forward to stand in front of him and prevent anyone from harming him.

“You must leave now, immediately.

They don’t know who you are; there’s still time…” Liu Pucheng pushed her with his uninjured hand, saying urgently, “Don’t worry.

This is nothing.

Concern clouds judgment; they are worried about their families.

The pain of loss can naturally lead to confusion, causing some rash actions; this is only human nature.

We physicians can explain things clearly to them, and it will all be settled…” Qi Yue took a deep breath and stood up.

“Good, I will explain to them.

I will make everything perfectly clear,” she said, turning to walk toward the people sprawled on the ground.

Liu Pucheng, thinking she had heeded his words and was leaving, was surprised to hear her say she was going to speak to them.

He reached out anxiously to stop her, but to no avail.

As she approached, the burly men showed resentment, but seeing the guards standing ready with clubs all around, they dared not utter any curses.

“What couldn't be said properly? Why resort to violence?” Qi Yue asked, her face grave.

The hunters lying on the ground were close to tears.

Good.

Well said.

What couldn't be said properly? And they resorted to violence the moment they entered the door? “Speak up, why the violence!” Qi Yue shouted again, grabbing another club and slamming it hard onto the floor.

The large men on the ground instinctively flinched and covered their heads.

“This is outrageous! They not only killed someone through treatment but are now beating people to death!” The women let out a wail, rolling on the ground, attempting to dash their heads against the wall, “Are you satisfied now that everyone is dead!” A guard was quick and agile, blocking her and roughly shoving her back to the center of the hall, watching her intently.

“Officers of the law, opening up! Those inside, open the door quickly!” A chaotic shouting suddenly erupted from outside the door, accompanied by frantic pounding on the door panels.

The government? The guards looked toward Qi Yue.

Just as Qi Yue was about to signal them to open the door, a loud shout came from outside.

“The hunters’ people have been beaten to death by them!” Which bastard is spreading such a lie?! Qi Yue frowned.

Accompanying this shout, a tidal wave of noise rose outside, and countless people slammed against the wooden doors, which burst open, letting seven or eight people tumble in.

The constables held the chaotic crowd back outside, straightened their uniforms, and looked into the hall; they were also startled by the scene inside.

Shattered tables and benches, people rolling on the ground, and others holding clubs.

It was indeed a brawl… “Officer, save us…” The burly men shouted loudly.

Before their cries could finish, Qi Yue stepped forward, placing herself directly in front of the constables.

“You’ve arrived just in time; they were the ones who assaulted people!” She pointed to the crowd of hunters on the ground and shouted.

The constables looked at the seven or eight bruised and battered men howling, and the crying women on the floor… These were the assailants? “They hit people! They were the ones who hit people!” The men from the hunters’ side were near tears, shouting hoarsely.

At this moment, Zhang Tong and the junior disciples helped the struggling Liu Pucheng to his feet.

“Officer,” Liu Pucheng managed a slight bow before speaking.

The constables were not fools; seeing the situation, they understood what had happened.

“Officer, they killed someone through treatment, and they beat people too! Officer, save us…” The hunters cried, leaning out the door to shout at the people gathered outside, “Villagers! Come save us…” The crowd outside surged even more fiercely, hurling curses at the quack doctors.

Seeing this scene, the hunters felt reassured, and the women cried even harder, frequently trying to bang their heads against the wall again.

The Qianjin Hall descended into complete chaos.

“Stop all the noise,” the constables, overwhelmed, shouted, “Everyone come with me to the yamen.” Liu Pucheng sighed, about to agree.

“Why should we go to the yamen?” Qi Yue stepped in front of him and asked.

“Someone has accused the Qianjin Hall’s doctor of malpractice leading to death, and the County Magistrate has issued a summons,” the constable replied with a degree of respect, noticing the woman’s exceptional attire and the menacing guards nearby, realizing this was a family not to be trifled with.

“What nonsense about a quack doctor killing someone? That’s not true! We are not going,” Qi Yue flatly refused.

Indeed, a family not to be trifled with.

Seeing such arrogance, the constables smiled ingratiatingly.

“It is not the young mistress being summoned, but Doctor Liu of the Qianjin Hall,” he clarified.

“No one from the Qianjin Hall is going, especially not to stand trial when we have done nothing wrong,” Qi Yue insisted.

“They’re killing people and are still this arrogant!” An incensed member of the crowd outside couldn't stand it any longer and shouted loudly.

“Who said we killed anyone?” Qi Yue demanded.

The people outside paused in confusion.

Could it be...

no one died? The County Yamen waited and waited.

Growing impatient, several runners finally returned.

The people who had been shivering with cold suddenly regained their energy, craning their necks to look, but neither the accuser nor the accused were present.

“Your Honor, they claim no one has died and that the patient is still under treatment, so this is a false accusation…” The leading constable reported.

Ah? No one died? The County Magistrate immediately grew agitated, slamming the gavel down.

“Wu Shan, how dare you file a false accusation!” he roared.

Wu Shan hadn't expected the Qianjin Hall to dare refuse to appear.

He surmised that the Dingxi Marquis’s residence must be backing them.

“Your Honor, no one has died yet, but they are close to death,” he shouted loudly.

“Since they are not dead at this moment, you cannot accuse them of malpractice leading to death!” The County Magistrate was furious, slamming the gavel down again, “Come back and accuse them when the person actually dies!” With that, he angrily shouted for the court to be adjourned and stalked out, his sleeves flying.

This County Magistrate was clearly seizing an opportunity to sidestep the issue, settling matters publicly while ensuring that when the backing power finally intervened, he would certainly cease to care.

Wu Shan shouted, wanting to say more, but the constables hustled him out.

If this jurisdiction refused to handle it, there were other ways.

His sole objective was to ruin the reputation of the Qianjin Hall.

Hearing that the patient wasn't dead and the authorities wouldn't intervene, the crowd’s emotions subsided, replaced by murmurs of discussion, with some starting to wonder if they had misunderstood the Qianjin Hall.

“If the government won’t act, then we physicians will act ourselves,” Wu Shan declared loudly.

“I will invite doctors from several other medical halls to conduct a joint consultation at the Qianjin Hall.

That way, the Qianjin Hall will have no defense left!” A joint consultation with other doctors would make the patient's condition absolutely clear—it wouldn't be a matter of just one party's assertion.

The crowd became agitated once more.

Seeing Wu Shan dare to take such action, they believed there must be something seriously wrong with the Qianjin Hall.

“Since the government won’t intervene, the pitiable family of the hunter has no one to rely on.

I ask all you fellow villagers to bear witness, so that the hunter’s family’s grievance may be resolved and the perpetrator punished!” Wu Shan raised his hand, shouting emotionally, and then bowed deeply to the crowd.

They were their reliance for justice to be served, their reliance for righteousness to prevail, their reliance for evil to be punished...

With a resounding cry, the crowd’s spirits soared, surging toward the Qianjin Hall like a tide.

Qi Yue stood up, her expression grave.

“How is it?” Zhang Tong asked first, his face etched with tension.

Qi Yue didn't know what to say.

The illness was fierce, but unlike the complications after the exploratory surgery for her internal injuries, this was less terrifying because the cause was simple.

Acute wound infection.

One of the injured men suddenly cried out, flailed his hands wildly a couple of times, and then let them drop weakly.

The family members standing nearby burst into tears.

“Was the debridement and disinfection properly carried out?” Qi Yue asked.

Liu Pucheng nodded.

“It was all done exactly as you, Madam Qi, instructed…” he said, then stopped abruptly, “No, I did it myself.

I thought I had done everything correctly…” Qi Yue glanced at him.

“That means that relying solely on salt water and strong liquor for disinfection and anti-inflammatory effects was insufficient,” she said, letting out a heavy sigh.

Penicillin...

She needed just one simple box of penicillin… But this was something utterly impossible to find here.

Why hadn't she brought more with her? “Is there still any hope?” A family member couldn't hold back and cried out, “Stop torturing us; give us a straight answer—is he living or dying!” Qi Yue frowned and remained silent because clamor rose again from outside the door, punctuated by the thudding sound of something smashing against the wood.

“Master, Master, it’s bad! Doctor Qian and the others are here,” a disciple rushed in, panicked.

“They want a joint consultation!” A joint consultation? That sounded like a good idea.

More hands meant more power; perhaps working together, they could find a better way to manage the inflammation.

Qi Yue smiled happily, but she saw Liu Pucheng’s expression dim, and the other disciples looked utterly dejected.

“What’s wrong? Isn’t a joint consultation a good thing?” Qi Yue asked, confused.

“What’s good about a consultation? They are here to be witnesses, to prove whether Master is a quack doctor who caused a death,” Zhang Tong said, his voice already choked with emotion.

A joint consultation among medical hall doctors was a blatant humiliation for a single physician.

It meant that the medical community was moving to condemn him for incompetence.

Once such a verdict was passed, that doctor’s career in medicine would be over.

This… this was supposed to be a consultation? Qi Yue was stunned.

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