The injured Qi Yue still kept her eyes closed; her recent murmurs seemed like a trick of the ear.
“I really heard it!” A Ru cried, as if trying to convince the others, or perhaps herself. “My Lord, you heard it too, didn't you? The Young Madam was calling your name…”
Chang Yuncheng remained kneeling by the bedside, gripping Qi Yue’s hand tightly. He was beyond speech, only able to stare fixedly at the woman still lost in slumber.
She was calling his name, his name—he couldn't have misheard.
His mind could only repeat that one sentence.
At this moment, she was calling his name…
If only he hadn't left, how could this have happened today…
But in this world, there is no 'if.'
He had promised that when others bullied her, he would be the first to stand up for her…
But he had never done it; all he ever did was say it.
He could do nothing, offer her nothing.
Chang Yuncheng buried his head beside Qi Yue’s face again, his body shaking uncontrollably.
“The Master is stable for now,” Old Doctor An finally announced after completing his examination.
Hearing these words, even the man in the adjacent sickbed felt a weight lift from his chest, although his heart was still lodged in his throat—a lingering reaction from learning his own chest had been cleaved open and a rib removed.
The others in the room let out suppressed cheers of immense relief.
A Ru and A Hao wept as they embraced.
“Then why hasn’t she woken up?” Liu Pucheng, being a physician, managed to ask calmly.
Stable for now, but what about later?
Liu Pucheng’s question instantly sobered the overjoyed people, who turned to look at Old Doctor An.
A Ru and A Hao clung to each other, tears streaming, afraid to even move.
“Administer the medicine first,” Old Doctor An finally said.
The gooseneck kettle was brought, and Liu Pucheng personally forced the dose. Whether it was the discomfort of being force-fed or the sheer bitterness of the medicine, the unconscious Qi Yue frowned, shaking her head gently.
“She reacted! She really reacted!” Hu San, standing close by, let out a sharp cry, pointing at the injured Qi Yue, before dissolving into loud sobs.
“Master, I am sorry, I am useless!” He struck his own face repeatedly. “I, Hu San, was never worthy to begin with. I shamelessly begged you to take me as your apprentice, I knew I didn't deserve it, yet you truly treated me like a disciple—closer than a blood brother, closer than a son…”
These words sounded ludicrous, but at that moment, no one laughed.
“…The money you offered, you just gave it to me, as much as I asked for. Those blueprints, blueprints that even the artisans marveled at—Master, even a biological son isn't loved this much! I am useless, I can't do anything, I only cause trouble and create more chaos. I am truly irredeemable! I fainted during surgery, I fainted when you were attacked—what good am I, still breathing! What is the use of me living!” Hu San pounded his chest and stamped his feet, nearly driven mad.
Liu Pucheng shook his head and signaled his two disciples to escort him out.
Old Doctor An mentioned the patient needed quiet rest, and the others reluctantly withdrew from the room.
Chang Yuncheng had remained kneeling by the bedside the entire time, motionless.
“My Lord, perhaps you should rest a while. You must be exhausted from traveling these past few days…” A Ru hesitated before speaking.
Chang Yuncheng paid her no mind.
A Hao, wiping her tears, brought a cup of water.
“My Lord, please drink some water…” she choked out. “If you continue like this, the Young Madam will surely feel uneasy when she wakes.”
Uneasy for her…
He could give her nothing, hadn't even spoken a single kind word. It was always she who yielded to him, who comforted him…
Making her uneasy—is Chang Yuncheng even human?
Chang Yuncheng raised his head and took the teacup, draining it in one gulp.
“Food,” his parched throat finally managed to form the word.
A Ru nodded quickly.
“Go quickly,” she urged.
A Hao hurried off and returned shortly with food. Chang Yuncheng devoured everything in ravenous gulps.
A Ru and A Hao began to weep again watching him.
Had he starved for days? From the capital until here, had he stopped for nothing, eating, drinking, or sleeping not at all?
After eating, Chang Yuncheng seemed slightly more composed.
“You two go rest. I will watch over her,” Chang Yuncheng said.
A Ru and A Hao shook their heads.
“Go. Only when you are rested can you better watch over and protect her. She can only rely on you,” Chang Yuncheng said hoarsely. “Only you two can truly care for her.”
A Ru lowered her head to dry her tears and agreed. She then went to check on the other patient, measured his temperature and checked his heart and lung function with the stethoscope, as required.
The patient looked at A Ru, and the burly man couldn't help the redness welling in his eyes.
“Little lady, you are a hero,” he said.
A Ru was momentarily stunned by his words.
“I have wronged you all, yet you still care for me so devotedly… Your Madam is in such critical condition, yet you still remember to do this…” the patient rasped, pointing to the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope in A Ru’s hands.
A Ru glanced down at the instruments.
“I am not the hero. My Madam is the hero,” she replied, then turned away from the injured man, walking back toward Chang Yuncheng.
Chang Yuncheng seemed oblivious to their exchange, quietly gazing at Qi Yue, one hand gently stroking her face, the other gripping her hand tightly.
“Then we leave you to your watch, My Lord,” A Ru murmured, pulling the reluctant A Hao out of the room.
Outside, several lamps were gradually extinguished, plunging the room into shadow.
“Yue Niang,” Chang Yuncheng called softly. “Did you hear? A Ru called me hard-worked.”
He let out a small, broken laugh.
“Me, hard-worked? If I suffer, it is what I deserve, it is my honor…” he whispered, burying his head against the sheets again. “Yue Niang, I dare not think…”
The patient beside them fervently wished for pain, for unconsciousness to take him away. He was filled with grief, sorrow, and shame, wishing for death, yet unable to achieve it.
He finally couldn't hold back and began to sob softly.
“Sir, I am the one who harmed your wife. My life is worthless; my death is meaningless…” he cried.
Chang Yuncheng sprang up instantly, striding over in a few steps. His imposing presence enveloped the man lying on the sickbed like a mountain.
The man had seen countless brawls and knife fights, but before this imposing figure, he felt an instantaneous suffocation.
“Your life was worthless before. But from this moment on, your life belongs to her, so it is worth a great deal!” Chang Yuncheng stated hoarsely. “If you dare to die on me, Guan Qingniu, all one hundred and thirty-six souls of your Yan Yun stockade will be buried with you.”
The man’s face instantly turned ashen.
“You… how do you know about my…” he stammered.
“I, Chang Yuncheng, have never kept my promises to this woman; I have been faithless in her presence,” Chang Yuncheng did not answer his question, but continued, pointing toward Qi Yue. “But to others, I believe I have always meant what I said; my word is my bond, my actions follow my words!”
Guan Qingniu fell silent, only watching Chang Yuncheng.
“So, you will live for me. If you die, none of your people will survive,” Chang Yuncheng repeated. Then he turned away, his legs stiff from kneeling so long. He slowly shuffled back to Qi Yue’s side and resumed his half-kneeling posture, clutching her hand tighter.
“Yue Niang,” he leaned close to her face, tentatively brushing it with his lips. “Yue Niang.”
But in the end, he said nothing more, only repeating her name, over and over.
Guan Qingniu could not help but shed tears, feeling that the name this man uttered was the most heartbreaking sound he had ever heard. It reminded him of a distant time, watching his own woman and their unborn child perish beneath the hooves of bandits—that feeling of absolute despair, of the world being empty, of grasping for something solid but finding nothing…
As dawn faintly broke, Old Doctor An returned to perform acupuncture. This time, the session was brief, and it was noticeable that Qi Yue’s breathing had become much steadier.
“My Lord, you can rest assured now,” Old Doctor An said after checking her pulse and carefully examining Qi Yue’s eyes.
At these words, Chang Yuncheng swayed slightly, steadying himself by gripping the edge of the bed with his free hand.
“When will Madam Qi wake up?” Liu Pucheng inquired.
He was a physician, yet he asked a question befitting a panicked family member, proving the adage that doctors cannot heal themselves.
Old Doctor An instructed for the gooseneck kettle to be brought for the next dose.
A Ru personally fed the medicine to Qi Yue.
“I estimate tonight should be the time,” Old Doctor An finally stated.
Tonight…
Chang Yuncheng looked at the peaceful face of the sleeping woman, feeling his heartbeat threaten to choke him.
She would see him…
Let her see him…
What face did he have to let her see him?
Upon hearing the news, everyone rushed over. Seeing Chang Yuncheng, Madam Chang Chunlan and the Second Madam were both startled.
“Why are you back?” they exclaimed.
The Second Madam, frail from worry and grief, looked utterly diminished. Unable to walk, she was carried on a soft sedan chair, from which she sat bolt upright in shock.
Chang Yuncheng offered no reply.
“Please, do not tell her,” he implored, bowing to the two women. “Do not tell anyone.”
Chang Chunlan looked confused, while the Second Madam let out a sigh of relief, slowly leaning back onto her chair.
“To be able to do this, it shows you truly care for Yue Niang,” she murmured slowly.
Night finally arrived, accompanied by everyone’s frantic wish to hasten the moon across the sky. Following Old Doctor An’s second round of needling, Qi Yue stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering.
She was waking up—everyone couldn’t help but press forward. Just then, Chang Yuncheng, who had been holding Qi Yue’s hand tightly, let go and slowly retreated backward.
The moment his hand released hers, Qi Yue’s hand moved, as if trying to grasp something just out of reach. Then, her eyes opened.
“Wife!” A Ru couldn't hold back and rushed forward, kneeling by the bedside in tears.
“Yue Niang!” The Second Madam stood up without aid, walking over and calling out with a trembling voice.
Qi Yue’s gaze swept around, dimly taking in the faces crowding around her.
“…What… happened to me?” she managed to whisper.
The room erupted in a mixture of sobs and laughter.
Chang Yuncheng had already positioned himself outside the door, hidden by the shadows of the window frame, watching the interior. A crowd now obscured his view of the woman, but he stared fixedly nonetheless.
“My Lord, we cannot delay further. To remain absent after being ordered back is treason,” the attendant behind him whispered urgently.
Chang Yuncheng squeezed his eyes shut, spun around sharply.
“The four of you remain here,” he commanded, then strode away, his steps plunging one by one into the darkness of the night.
Don’t spend too much on me, please! Your daily new subscriptions already fill me with unending gratitude. Thank you, thank you. As I always say, the only reason I can write more is because you want to read it; otherwise, I simply couldn't write or produce anything.