“Head high position,” Qi Yue instructed, watching A’Ru adjust her posture.

A’Ru placed the cushion correctly, then took notes.

“The saline is here,” A’Hao rushed in holding a Gaiwan cup, a patch of rain darkening her shoulder.

Qi Yue opened her mouth with a slight smile, letting A’Ru perform the oral care.

Just as they finished, a moan echoed from Guan Qingniu’s sickbed nearby.

“Check on him,” Qi Yue urged immediately.

A’Ru hurried over, inquiring in a low voice.

“It still hurts,” she reported.

“Big brother, thoracotomy is the most painful of all surgical procedures,” Qi Yue explained, glancing over. “Try to use diaphragmatic breathing…” She paused, looking at A’Ru, “Do you remember what Ziqiao used before….”

A’Ru nodded, flipping through her notebook.

“…how is the post-operative coughing and expectoration?” Qi Yue continued to ask.

Hearing them chatter about her condition, Guan Qingniu turned his head.

“Were you injured by my men?” Guan Qingniu asked again.

Talking more seemed to alleviate the pain. He figured that while the people from Qianjin Hall hadn't abandoned him, beyond basic nursing, no one wanted to deal with him, so no one talked to him. Regarding how he ended up here, receiving this treatment, or what the doctor did to injure him, his memory was vague.

Qi Yue smiled.

“You can’t entirely blame your men,” she said, taking a deep breath. “These things are quite unbelievable, after all. It’s normal for people to be frightened. Furthermore, this kind of treatment is rarely seen; their ignorance is not a fault. Consider it my bad luck.”

Guan Qingniu looked at her.

“Did you really cut open my chest?” he asked, eyes wide.

“Yes,” Qi Yue confirmed, extending a hand. “Do some limb exercises with me…”

Guan Qingniu stared at her but dared not reach out.

“Movement is essential; it promotes respiration while preventing atelectasis, joint stiffness, or arm contracture, among other things,” Qi Yue explained, demonstrating the movement again.

Elder Doctor An entered at that moment, startled.

“Master, you shouldn't talk or move much right now,” he said.

Qi Yue stuck out her tongue and quickly lowered her hand.

Elder Doctor An examined both patients. Medicine arrived from the dispensary, and both Guan Qingniu and Qi Yue drank theirs.

“The drainage tube has been functioning normally, right?” Qi Yue asked after setting down her medicine bowl.

A’Ru brought over the nursing records from the past few days for her review.

“Doctor An, thank you. This patient hasn't developed any post-operative complications. How did you manage that?” Qi Yue couldn't help but ask.

She had passed out immediately after the surgery, failing to conduct crucial post-operative observation or even mention the necessary instructions. She never expected Guan Qingniu to survive the critical period under such rudimentary surgery.

Pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, blood loss…

She herself found it hard to believe.

Elder Doctor An was taken aback by her question.

“Well, how should I put it?” he mused, stroking his beard. “Initially, there was accumulated heat in the Lung Meridian, causing high fever, chest tightness, labored breathing, shortness of breath, and poor appetite…”

Qi Yue flipped through the records; A’Ru had documented everything meticulously.

“That’s right, it’s a pulmonary infection,” she stated. “Without IV drips or antibiotics, how did you cure it?”

Elder Doctor An smiled.

“It wasn't much. Although I don't know exactly how Master managed it, this patient's lung injury caused Qi stagnation and blood stasis, blocking the interior functions. To ensure proper ventilation, descent, fluid regulation, it was necessary to clear heat, resolve toxicity, vitalize blood, and move stagnation. So, I used Houpo and Zhishi to regulate Qi, dispel fullness and distension, further supplemented by Chaihu and Chenpi to soothe the liver and regulate the middle Jiao, along with Danggui…” he spoke slowly.

Qi Yue understood almost none of what he said, but she listened intently, not missing a single word.

On the seventh day, Qi Yue could get out of bed. After carefully assessing Guan Qingniu’s condition, she prepared to remove the tubes.

Elder Doctor An was deeply regretful for missing the surgery itself and was determined not to miss the tube removal.

A circle of people stood by the bedside.

After this period of unconsciousness, Qi Yue profoundly felt the importance of transmitting knowledge. Therefore, she decided every diagnosis and treatment would be a teaching session, requiring all her disciples to observe.

The sheet covering Guan Qingniu was pulled back. A’Ru and Hu San were primarily responsible for his care, dressing changes, and disinfection, so most disciples were seeing the wound for the first time. One apprentice visibly swayed and turned away.

“Watch properly!” Qi Yue shouted sternly.

The apprentice flinched and quickly turned back.

“What’s there to be afraid of? This is just like being on the battlefield. If you don't even dare face the enemy, how can you talk about winning the battle!” Qi Yue challenged, her eyebrows raised.

This was the first time Qi Yue had spoken so fiercely. The disciples straightened up immediately, watching the site with rapt attention, not daring to look away.

Only then did Qi Yue pick up the stethoscope and listen carefully.

“A’Ru, you listen next, and tell me what you hear,” she instructed.

A’Ru nodded, took the instrument, and listened intently.

“Breath sounds… the breath sounds are very clear,” she reported.

Qi Yue nodded, signaling the next disciple.

After four or five disciples had listened, Qi Yue explained the reactions of various symptoms to them.

“Brave man, I am going to remove your tubes now,” she said, turning to Guan Qingniu.

Guan Qingniu was indeed a brave man, but being surrounded by so many people, and knowing the tubes inserted into his chest were about to be pulled out, the tension and fear were uncontrollable.

“Take a deep breath, and then hold it,” Qi Yue instructed. “Don't be afraid.”

At her words, everyone present involuntarily took a deep breath and held it.

“Don’t be nervous, wait until I tell you to breathe deeply before you do,” Qi Yue said with a smile, reaching out to start removing the dressing on the wound. The wound was now more exposed. Seeing the tubes piercing through the flesh, one disciple finally couldn't bear it and gagged.

Soon, the drainage tubes were pulled out.

“Disinfect,” Qi Yue called out.

A’Ru quickly presented the tray.

“Doctor, Doctor, my heart feels like it's going to jump out…” Guan Qingniu stammered. This man, who hadn't blinked facing the blade of an enemy, now felt like crying.

It was… too terrifying….

“It’s alright; it’s just the pressure, now that it’s removed,” Qi Yue reassured him, disinfecting the area swiftly, applying a dressing, and bandaging the chest tightly with supportive wraps.

“There, rest a while. You can get up and move around this afternoon,” she concluded.

The doors to the prison cells slammed open. The four men lying on the floor didn't move. They hadn't expected to leave here alive since arriving; the opening and closing of doors meant nothing to them—just another beating, perhaps.

“Hey, get up,” the jailer shouted, kicking one of the men.

The man remained still. The jailer said nothing more, simply gesturing. A few others arrived, each taking one man by the arm and dragging them out.

The four men remained expressionless, but they noticed they weren't being taken toward the usual torture chamber; instead, the path they were on grew brighter.

They were going to be executed, then…

Although they had anticipated this day, the reality brought fear, and the youngest one began to tremble.

“What if they kill us? It was worth it for big brother’s revenge!” the leading man shouted loudly.

Before the words fully left his mouth, he was thrown out with a thud.

When the four recovered, the main gate of the government prison was already shut.

What did this mean?

The four sat stunned on the ground.

Outside Qianjin Hall, life was as usual: people queuing for herbs and consultations. The difference was a paper notice posted at the entrance, with writing and simple drawings—a basic introduction to surgery. A crowd was gathered, pointing and discussing, with some disciples explaining things to the astonished onlookers.

“Brother, what do we do?” one man asked.

“What do we do? We must retrieve Big Brother’s body! Even if we go back to prison, even if they drag us to the chopping block…” the leader said through gritted teeth, glaring.

“Right,” the others agreed, taking a deep breath, and then charging forward with loud yells.

The people at Qianjin Hall were startled. They watched as the four rushed toward the back courtyard entrance, only to be met head-on by incoming figures. Before the four could even get into a defensive stance, they were pinned to the ground.

“Return our Big Brother’s body, or we’ll burn down your shop…” the man yelled, his face pressed to the ground, feeling the pressure of the foot on his face increase, blood trickling from his nose.

“Linzi,” a voice called out.

The man froze, straining to lift his head, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Two disciples supported a man standing in the doorway of a room. Though gaunt and thin, it was undeniably their Big Brother.

It was… seeing a ghost….

Qi Yue also stood at the doorway. She ignored these men driven to frenzy and instead looked at the four individuals who had subdued them.

They wore the coarse clothing of Qianjin Hall laborers, but their faces were unfamiliar. As Qi Yue looked over, they lowered their heads and walked away separately. One carried a basket used for drying herbs, another held a wok, but their movements seemed somehow odd.

“A’Ru, when did we hire more people?” she asked, slightly puzzled. “They seem quite capable; their skills are good.”

A’Ru panicked slightly.

“Doctor Liu mentioned a few days ago that we were short-staffed, so we hired a few extra laborers…” she replied quietly.

Qi Yue hummed, touching her neck, and asked no more. At that moment, the four men rushed towards her, kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly. She dismissed the thought.

“Stop kowtowing. I only have one question for you,” Qi Yue stated.

“Not just one, a hundred, a thousand…” the four men shouted incoherently.

“Who told you that I was practicing techniques on living people?” Qi Yue interrupted them and asked slowly.

In the evening, Qi Yue stepped out of Qianjin Hall. It was the first time she had been outside in days. Standing at the door, she felt a wave of faintness.

“It feels like being reborn,” she chuckled.

A’Ru carefully supported her as she settled into the carriage.

“You scared me to death,” A’Ru choked out, wiping tears away.

Qi Yue smiled faintly, pausing in silence for a moment.

“A’Ru, while I was unconscious… who came to see me?” she asked tentatively.

A’Ru kept her head bowed, wiping tears.

“Old Master Wang and Old Madam Wang, Second Madam Miss Yinglan, Eldest Miss, Second Miss, Third Miss… Oh, there was someone you might not expect,” she looked up and said.

Qi Yue looked at her, her eyes lighting up. Her hands, resting on her knees, involuntarily clenched, and she held her breath.

“The Marquis also came,” A’Ru added with a smile.

Qi Yue let out a breath. “Is that so?” she said.

A’Ru nodded. “But he couldn't get in; Old Master Wang scolded him away,” A’Ru continued cheerfully.

Qi Yue laughed.

“Is that so?” she repeated.

A’Ru nodded, recounting the events, detailing how frightened everyone had been.

Qi Yue listened, a faint smile playing on her lips.

So, it must have been hallucinations brought on by her confused state of consciousness.

Really, to have hallucinations of Chang Yuncheng…

She had already forgotten what her ex-boyfriend even looked like, so it wouldn't take long to forget this one too…

This… it was nothing significant; she would forget him.

A carrier pigeon fluttered down. A guard took the message cylinder and hurried toward Chang Yuncheng.

Chang Yuncheng was about to mount his horse when he saw the guard approaching with the cylinder; his expression immediately tensed. He reached out and accepted it.

“My wife's consciousness has recovered; the doctor says she is fine.”

Chang Yuncheng closed his eyes, finally letting out a breath of relief. Only then did he notice his palms were slick with sweat.

“Young Master, let’s go,” someone called from ahead.

Chang Yuncheng secured the letter, looked up. Because he had been traveling non-stop for days, he looked nearly unrecognizable, having shed layers of skin. He gazed quietly toward the southern horizon for a moment, then swung onto his horse.