As the morning light streamed into the room, Qi Yue and the doctors were taking turns eating their meals.

"Are you being foolish? Why are you staying here guarding this place?" Qi Yue asked Chang Yuncheng, who was sitting opposite her, while she quickly shoveled food into her mouth.

Food particles scattered from her mouth as she spoke.

Chang Yuncheng put down his chopsticks and frowned as he looked at her.

"What state are you in! Swallow it down before you speak." he admonished in a low voice.

Qi Yue pursed her lips and swallowed.

"Don't be a nuisance here. Go find a place to rest, or go keep your grandmother company," she instructed.

Chang Yuncheng passed her a bowl of soup, seemingly not having heard a word she said.

Qi Yue suddenly felt a touch of self-consciousness reaching for it.

"I'm done eating," she declared, setting down her chopsticks.

"How can you eat so fast?" Chang Yuncheng knitted his brows.

The instant noodles he ate when work was frantic used to be under-soaked—that was fast eating.

Qi Yue just smiled and said it was fine, then quickly left the room. She paused at the doorway before stepping out completely.

"Don't stay here," she repeated one more time.

Chang Yuncheng turned his head to look at her.

"Are you concerned about me?" he asked.

"Of course I am," Qi Yue replied instantly, adding a slight huff, "I'm counting on you to haul me out of here if I fail to cure her and her grandmother's family descends upon me."

With that, she flipped back the curtain and hurried away.

"This wretched woman..." Chang Yuncheng muttered softly, but this time his face wasn't dark; instead, a smile surfaced. At first, the corners of his mouth barely curved, but he found he couldn't rein in the grin. The smile seemed to bubble up from the depths of his heart, overflowing uncontrollably. Eventually, he could only take large gulps of food to prevent himself from grinning openly.

The other doctors only managed a few quick bites before joining the center of activity.

Some were lost in deep thought, others were already penning prescriptions, but most simply stood near Qi Yue.

"For this kind of ailment, the most crucial steps are staunching the bleeding, reducing intracranial pressure, and preventing edema," Qi Yue explained, turning over the records compiled over the last day and night. "I can only point you in this direction—the specific application of the medicine is up to you."

It was strange that they recognized the symptoms but didn't know how to medicate, yet now was not the time to ponder that. The doctors nodded and resumed their consultation and study of remedies.

"Young Madam, Young Madam," a familiar female voice called from outside the door.

Qi Yue's face instantly lit up with joy.

"A’ru," she called out eagerly.

"Young Madam, I'll go disinfect and change first," A'ru said from outside the door, her footsteps receding as she moved aside.

Thank goodness, a helper has finally arrived. Qi Yue let out a breath and clenched her fist.

As darkness fell once more, the torches in the courtyard crackled to life, and the people inside the room remained busy.

"Thirty-six point three..." A'ru reported the temperature again, recording it diligently.

"Heart rate steady, no murmurs..." Qi Yue put away her stethoscope and leaned over the infant again to administer artificial respiration.

After checking all the data, Qi Yue provided the on-site doctors with a progress report and discussion. Following her analysis, the physicians proceeded with their traditional methods—observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking—before adjusting the prescriptions once more.

"Increase Tian Ma Gou Teng and Di Huang slightly, reduce Sheng Di Huang..." one of the doctors suggested, looking at the others. "Do you all agree this is viable?"

After a moment of contemplation, the majority nodded in assent.

"Good, prepare the decoction," the doctor said, picking up his brush to write the prescription.

Madam Xie had finally been persuaded, albeit with much coaxing, to enter the room—but this room, not her own quarters.

"There's a girl? Came to deliver a medicine chest?" she inquired.

Zhao Ge nodded eagerly.

"That is her... assistant," Chang Yuncheng explained.

Assistant? What did that mean?

The people in the room exchanged puzzled glances.

"She's already taking on apprentices," the Eldest Master, clearly more worldly than the rest, finally explained, nodding slightly. "To be taking disciples at such a young age, she must indeed be formidable."

"Whether she's formidable or not will only be clear once the patient is cured," the Second Master remarked, casting an ingratiating glance toward Madam Xie.

Madam Xie shot him a sharp look.

"Just the fact that she dared to accept the case so openly shows her mettle," she stated slowly.

The Second Master had certainly praised her in the wrong place, coughing awkwardly and stepping aside.

"She has always been bold," Chang Yuncheng said with a slight smile.

Everyone in the room turned to look at him. These were all sharp people; if they couldn't see Chang Yuncheng's deep satisfaction with his wife, they might as well be fools.

It was truly strange; wasn't he supposed to despise this beggar wife?

Madam Xie naturally understood as well. She glanced at Chang Yuncheng, her expression complicated, but ultimately said nothing.

"Is your mother still staying at the An residence?" she turned and asked Zhao Ge.

Zhao Ge nodded.

"We invited her, but Mother refuses to return," he said, sounding helpless yet moved. "Doctor An assured us it's best for her peace of mind to stay there; they will take good care of her."

Madam Xie nodded and lapsed into silence.

Quiet returned to the room, and everyone's gaze inevitably drifted toward the outside, their ears pricked, hoping to hear the good news that seemed beyond reach.

The night seemed to vanish in a blink.

The torches that had burned all night looked dim against the returning dawn.

A maid dozing while leaning against a corridor pillar accidentally bumped her head.

"Mistress, don't hit me, I won't do it again," she mumbled instinctively, clutching her head with her eyes shut.

When she opened her eyes, she realized no one was there.

The little maid felt a flash of joy at having escaped punishment, grinning as she rubbed her nose and stood up straight.

Just then, a cry rang out from inside the room.

"Young Madam, the temperature is rising! The temperature is rising!"

A'ru shouted the words, tears close to spilling over.

"Really? Let me see." Qi Yue rushed over from the other side, taking the thermometer from A'ru's trembling hand.

The three doctors on duty shook their heads. One of them reached out to touch the infant's body himself.

Couldn't they discern... that temperature just by touch? What was this delicate object for? What kind of crystal or jewel was it made from?

As they carefully felt the infant's gradually warming skin, the doctors couldn't help but exhale, their own heartbeats accelerating. Could it be... could they really have done it?

Was it truly possible? Could they actually cure an illness that the elder Doctor An had deemed incurable?

The doctors who had been resting in the outer rooms hadn't actually slept soundly. Hearing the news, they all flooded in.

"Shh, shh," the on-duty physician waved at them urgently. "Keep the... air flowing... don't crowd..."

Having spent two days working together, they could now effortlessly use the unfamiliar terminology this woman employed.

"The situation has improved significantly," Qi Yue said, removing her stethoscope and finally looking up at the expectant faces of the doctors, her gaze fixed on the numbers on the blood pressure monitor.

Even though the woman seemed to have done nothing extraordinary, somehow, only when she spoke did everyone feel the statement carried the ultimate confirmation.

It was a truly strange sensation...

As her words echoed, some doctors couldn't help but clench their fists, their faces beaming with delight. Those who maintained their composure didn't make overt movements, but the excitement in their eyes was undeniable.

Madam Xie was sitting in the An family's drawing-room, leaning against a cushion with a blanket over her legs, propping her head up with her hand, only to wake with a sudden start. She stretched slightly, causing the maid beside her to nearly weep with relief.

"Madam, let's go back. If you wear yourself out completely, what will we do?" the two maids pleaded, clutching her legs.

Madam Xie sat upright.

"I am not going back," she stated firmly. "I have waited this long; I refuse to believe..."

As she finished her sentence, a trembling voice called from outside the door.

"...Madam... Madam... there is news... from home..." A young servant tumbled in, half-crawling.

Madam Xie shot to her feet instantly.

Home... news...

Had Hao Ge'er... passed away?

Madam Xie gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. The strain of the past day and night was too much, and she suddenly couldn't draw a proper breath.

The servant hadn't finished his sentence before the mistress slumped over in her chair, immediately letting out a wail.

Thankfully, staying at the An residence had its advantages; Madam Xie was quickly tended to and revived.

"My Hao Ge ah..." she cried out in a long, gasping sob before even opening her eyes.

Doctor An the Younger sighed, wishing he could have foreseen this moment.

"Madam, please accept my condolences," he said solemnly.

Before his words had completely faded, the servant, who had nearly caused a disaster and was still kneeling on the ground, hastily blurted out.

"No, no—Madam, the Young Master is fine..." he shouted loudly. "The Young Master has woken up..."

The mournful tone Madam Xie had just adopted warped instantly, and she nearly lost her breath again.

"You... you what did you say?" she demanded, sitting bolt upright and staring at the servant.

Doctor An the Younger also froze, staring blankly at the servant.

"The Young Master is fine, the Young Master is awake! The Old Mistress asked the Madam to hurry..." The servant raised his voice again, but before he could finish the word 'back,' he saw his Madam already on her feet, pushing herself up without needing assistance from the maids, and striding out the door.

"...return..." the servant managed to finish the last word. Seeing that the maids had all followed, he quickly got up, adjusted his hat, and hurried out after them.

In the blink of an eye, the entire group had departed.

Doctor An the Younger remained frozen in the posture he'd taken while examining the child. He stared blankly out the door.

The Young Master... was awake?

Had he misheard?

He snapped back to reality and rushed out, only to see Madam Xie's carriage already pulling away outside.

"Are you saying your young master is awake or dead?" Doctor An the Younger shouted after them.

"Hmph, as if our Young Master would be dead!" a servant spat back without turning around. "Our Young Master is perfectly well!"

With that, he watched the carriage speed away and then quickly broke into a run to chase after it.

Doctor An the Younger stood rooted to the spot.

This was impossible... how could this be!

"Father," he turned and ran toward the inner quarters, his excitement causing him to lose his composure and call out loudly.

"What?" The elder Doctor An, who had been reading at his desk, also showed utter astonishment. "He lived?"

"Yes, that's what the Xie family servant said..." Fine beads of sweat reappeared on Doctor An the Younger's brow.

The elder Doctor An set down the book he was holding.

"Did you see him personally?" he asked.

"No, I... I... I'll go right now," Doctor An the Younger replied hastily.

He turned and rushed out the door.

Silence returned to the room.

"Cured? How is that possible!" the elder Doctor An muttered, his hand grasping a sheet of paper on the desk, clenching it into a tight ball. His expression was complex. "Absolutely impossible! This disease is beyond saving! Beyond saving!"

The more agitated he became, the more distorted his expression grew. He swept the inkstone, papers, brush, and books off the desk with one arm.

The crash startled the servants outside, but not a single one entered; it seemed they had grown accustomed to such outbursts.

The elder Doctor An swept away everything on the table, then shoved the table itself, grabbing porcelain objects from a nearby cabinet and smashing them until the floor was a wreckage. Only then did he slowly begin to calm down.

"Someone come," he commanded.

Two servants immediately entered with heads bowed, called out "Master," and moved to steady his chair, pushing it forward. As the chair rolled, the long robe floated around him, revealing the empty space where his legs should have been.