Hu San entered with palpable irritation.
“What’s all the shouting about! As if you’re in that much pain!” he hissed, keeping his voice low.
The injured man in the bed quieted his cries, looking at Hu San with a slightly dazed expression.
“Why wouldn't I shout? How could it not hurt?” Ah Ru pulled back the patient’s sheet, carefully dabbing the wound with a white cloth soaked in sterilized decoction.
It was agonizing, yet the patient grit his teeth and endured it.
Hu San sat sullenly by another bed, looking at Qi Yue, still unconscious, his own eyes reddening again.
Ah Ru finished the sterilization process diligently, then looked up at Hu San sitting there, wiping his tears.
“Little miss,” the patient called out, his voice weak.
Ah Ru looked at him.
“Are you feeling discomfort anywhere?” she asked softly.
“What exactly happened to me?” the patient whispered. He couldn't speak loudly; any exertion sent jolts of pain through him that threatened to make him pass out. “I remember dying…”
“You did die! Someone traded their life for yours!” Hu San finally burst out, unable to hold back his sob.
“You, out,” Ah Ru commanded.
Hu San’s mouth trembled, but he finally swiped at his tears and left.
“Little miss, what is truly going on?” the injured man murmured, turning his head to look toward the bed where Qi Yue lay. “Where are we?”
Ah Ru sighed, not answering immediately. Instead, she checked his drainage tube, then, unsatisfied, flipped through a pile of papers on the side table. After reviewing them intently, she looked back at him.
The man could no longer hold back, letting out a series of sharp moans.
“Blood pressure is dropping…” Ah Ru’s face grew frantic as she looked at the sphygmomanometer, her voice trembling. She glanced over at Qi Yue on the nearby cot, and tears finally streamed down her face. “Qi…”
She rushed over and grasped Qi Yue’s arm.
“Qi Yue, Qi Yue,” she called repeatedly. “Wake up quickly! The blood pressure is dropping, what are we going to do?”
Liu Pucheng entered, pushing Old Doctor An. Seeing the scene, his eyes stung slightly.
“Miss Ah Ru, do not jostle the Master right now,” Old Doctor An instructed.
Ah Ru immediately released her hold and leaned against the bedside, weeping. After a moment, she wiped her tears.
“Over there, the blood pressure is dropping…” she said, pointing a finger at the injured man.
Old Doctor An nodded. Liu Pucheng pushed him over, and the old doctor carefully checked the pulse and examined the patient.
“Give him some pain relief medication,” he stated.
Liu Pucheng acknowledged this immediately.
Old Doctor An then questioned the patient thoroughly about the pain—where it hurt and how.
“…Here…” the patient gasped, pointing to his chest. “It hurts so much, when I breathe, it’s agony… like the bones are shifting…”
“A rib was removed,” Liu Pucheng murmured. “The sternum was fixed with wire—could it have come loose?”
What?
The patient stared, stunned. What did he say?
Old Doctor An reached out again to feel the pulse.
“Fetch the strapping. Secure his chest further, tie him to the cot,” he directed. “I’ll write prescriptions for two more doses of medicine, but if it has truly come loose… then we are truly helpless. We can only wait…”
He turned his head toward Qi Yue’s bed.
Wake up, your treatment isn't finished yet. How can you leave all this behind…
Liu Pucheng sighed and then wheeled him over to Qi Yue’s bedside.
Old Doctor An checked her pulse again and glanced at her mouth and nose.
“Use a variation of Tiao Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang,” he said. “And add a variation of Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang.”
Liu Pucheng nodded.
“Thank the heavens you are here, otherwise…” he whispered, his voice still raspy.
Old Doctor An said nothing, just patted his hand.
The two men exited.
In the inner room, Wang Tongye waited anxiously. Seeing them approach, he stood up, and from their expressions alone, he knew the answer; he sank back into his seat.
Silence settled in the room.
“Where is he? Why won't they let me in? You all get out! By what right do you stop me from seeing my daughter-in-law?!”
A clamor rose from outside, punctuated by the booming voice of Marquis Dingxi.
Wang Tongye felt a surge of pure rage.
“Chang Rong!” he strode out and roared, “Who let you come here? Get out!”
Marquis Dingxi was momentarily stunned by the shout, then his face flushed crimson.
“You old fool! What are you doing here? You’re the one who should get out!” he bellowed, remembering vividly how this old man was the very first to arrive when his daughter-in-law left home!
“What business is it of yours!” he cursed resentfully, spitting on the ground.
Wang Tongye stood under the eaves, glaring at him.
“You have the nerve to show your face here! If it weren't for you, how could she be like this?” he shouted, trembling with fury.
Marquis Dingxi liked hearing those words, and his eyes lit up.
Yes, yes, if this woman hadn't defied me, how could this sudden disaster have struck?
See? See? It's all her fault!
He, Marquis Dingxi, is magnanimous and forgets the petty faults of others…
Seeing the Marquis’s expression, Wang Tongye instantly understood his thoughts, which only fueled his anger further.
“Go, go,” he yelled. “Throw him out! Throw him out!”
Marquis Dingxi flinched in alarm.
“You dare!” he roared, eyes wide.
Indeed, someone dared. Hu San was the first, grabbing a stool and charging forward.
Marquis Dingxi stumbled out of Qianjintang in disarray.
“You! You!” He stamped his foot in fury, looking at the onlookers pointing on the street. “I am generous and forget the faults of petty men! I came to see her, to give her a chance to repent! What nonsense are you playing at!”
Wang Tongye followed him out and sneered.
“Chang Rong, let me tell you, you’ve lost that chance! As soon as Lady Qi wakes up, I will formally propose marriage for her to be my eldest grandson’s wife!” he announced loudly.
This declaration stunned the crowd, and Marquis Dingxi looked utterly bewildered.
So, this old fool had this idea brewing all along…
No wonder he defended Yue Niang so fiercely back then…
It wasn't out of respect for him, but because he had harbored wicked intentions long ago!
This old wretch… Stealing a woman! Unforgivable!
“You shameless old man, I’ll sue you!” Marquis Dingxi cursed in his rage, pointing a finger at Wang Tongye.
“Sue me? You still have the nerve to sue me!” Wang Tongye spat. “First, think about how you’re going to explain yourself to the Emperor! Go back and read your memorials! Wake up! You idiot!”
Finally, servants from both sides pulled the two elders apart before the shame could spill completely onto the street, and they departed angrily. Quiet finally returned to Qianjintang.
The people inside paid no mind to the farce outside. Though their expressions were grave, everyone quietly attended to their necessary tasks.
As dawn began to break, a horse galloped down the main road outside the city gates. With a final neigh, the animal collapsed to its knees, froth bubbling from its mouth, unable to rise again.
Chang Yuncheng leaped from the saddle almost simultaneously. Without pausing his stride, he sprinted toward the gate, his hurried footsteps shattering the misty morning quiet of the street.
“Who is that?” The door to Qianjintang was kicked open, and an early-rising disciple gasped in alarm. Before they could see clearly, a figure flashed past them.
Ah Ru, who had just stepped out of the room, started in shock at the man rushing toward her.
“Your Highness?” she cried out in disbelief, looking at the man before her.
His hair was dishevelled, his face covered in stubble, and deeply lined; were it not for intense familiarity, he would have been unrecognizable.
Chang Yuncheng ignored her and tried to rush into the room.
Ah Ru reached out and grasped his arm, holding him fast.
“Your Highness, disinfect first,” she urged.
Chang Yuncheng, who had already taken one step into the room with Ah Ru, stopped, turned back, and looked at her. He opened his mouth, but no sound would come out.
Ah Ru’s tears had long since been flowing. She turned and led the way toward the sterilization room.
When Old Doctor An and Liu Pucheng re-entered the ward, they saw Chang Yuncheng sitting beside Qi Yue’s bed. Having been warned not to move, he was only tightly gripping the hand Qi Yue let dangle at her side.
“Your Highness has arrived,” Old Doctor An stated, his voice completely devoid of emotion, as if Chang Yuncheng had been there all along.
Chang Yuncheng paid him no mind, his gaze fixed solely on the woman's face, gripping her hand without moving.
“Your Highness, since you are here, I plan to use the long needles,” Old Doctor An announced.
Chang Yuncheng finally looked at him, but remained silent.
“Because they must all penetrate the brain, this is very dangerous. If it goes well, the Master will awaken; if it goes poorly, she will die instantly,” Old Doctor An explained.
Chang Yuncheng looked back at him, still saying nothing, only tightening his grip on Qi Yue’s hand.
“The Master is an orphan, with no family. Your Highness and she shared a bond of a hundred years; you can be considered the closest person to her. Therefore, you must make the decision,” Old Doctor An concluded.
This statement struck Chang Yuncheng. His eyes, already rimmed with red, grew even darker. He buried his head briefly next to Qi Yue’s side.
“Then treat her quickly,” he finally looked up and said, his voice hoarse. “This woman is extremely bold; why would she be afraid of death?”
Old Doctor An looked at him, then nodded.
Even though they had witnessed the horror of open-chest and open-abdomen surgery, Ah Ru turned her gaze away when she saw Old Doctor An insert the long, fine gold needles into Qi Yue’s head. Shaking, she bit her hand to keep from crying out as tears streamed down her face.
One after another, the needles were inserted into seven distinct locations. As Old Doctor An gently manipulated them, the room fell into absolute silence. Even the injured man suffering terrible pain held still, staring intently at the procedure.
After fifteen minutes, Old Doctor An finished the rotation but did not withdraw the needles.
“I will return in one hour to manipulate them again,” he said, then leaned back heavily into his wheelchair, clearly exhausted.
Liu Pucheng wheeled him out without a word.
As night fell, the room was crowded with people, and the area outside was packed as well, all looking anxiously at the motionless Qi Yue.
“If she doesn’t wake before Zishi (the midnight hour),” Old Doctor An murmured quietly, “then…”
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood the implication.
Ah Ru was the first to break down. She cried out once and rushed outside.
Liu Pucheng’s face was ashen. After remaining composed since the incident began, his body now began to tremble uncontrollably.
Chang Yuncheng’s expression remained unchanged. He only held Qi Yue’s hand tightly.
“Yue Niang, Yue Niang,” he murmured, leaning close to Qi Yue’s ear. “You stubborn woman, to be beaten to death by one punch—it’s too humiliating…”
As the night deepened, the crowd inside and outside gradually dispersed. The red lanterns of Qianjintang were being taken down one by one.
Huang Ziqiao, standing outside the entrance, saw the white lanterns being hung by the disciples and immediately panicked. He rushed forward and kicked one down.
“Who told you to hang these! Who told you!” he raged, tearing the lantern down and stamping on it fiercely underfoot.
Inside the room, Chang Yuncheng had spoken until his lips were cracked and bleeding, his voice raw and nearly inaudible, but he continued to lean close to Qi Yue, whispering things no one else could decipher.
Ah Ru and Ah Hao had already prepared clothes and knelt on the floor. The two maids were sitting numbly, tears long dried.
Only Chang Yuncheng’s murmuring filled the room, and suddenly, his voice stopped.
“Chang Yuncheng…” a faint voice sounded.
Ah Ru and Ah Hao bolted upright, looking toward the cot in disbelief.
“Chang Yuncheng…” Qi Yue’s lips moved, emitting a weak sound. Simultaneously, the hand dangling at her side slowly clenched into a fist.
Ah Ru gasped deeply, staggering to her feet, backing away step by step.
“Doctor! Doctor!” she suddenly burst out, her heart-wrenching cry slicing through the night sky. “She’s awake! She’s awake!”
The courtyard outside erupted into chaos, everyone seemingly rushing toward them. Chang Yuncheng, oblivious to the noise, held Qi Yue’s hand tightly and buried his head in her shoulder, finally letting out a sound that was half-sob, half-laugh.