Qi Yue’s breathing instantly resumed.
Her already drenched clothes were soaked again with sweat. Gasping, she wrenched the syringe out, leaving the needle tip embedded in Madam Xie’s throat, trembling with each breath, arresting everyone’s gaze. Unable to speak for a moment due to catching her breath, someone grabbed her arm.
“How did you do it? How? What is this? She’s alive again?” Imperial Physician Zhou urgently peppered her with questions.
He had completely forgotten propriety between the sexes, gripping Qi Yue’s arm and shouting with agitation. This man’s fervor registered in Qi Yue’s eyes as tension. She noticed he was the first to rush forward seeking help, and now his reaction was the most intense—could this man be… Madam Xie’s own father….
“This is cricothyrotomy. It’s used for emergency airway obstruction to help a patient resume breathing,” Qi Yue quickly explained, then immediately added, realizing they likely wouldn't know what a cricothyroid membrane was, “Her throat was blocked, so I pierced here to create an opening, allowing air to pass smoothly without going through the mouth or nose…”
Imperial Physician Zhou trembled with excitement.
“Is simply piercing it enough?” he asked, his voice wavering.
“Of course not. You have to find the correct position and depth; this isn’t random stabbing,” Qi Yue replied.
“Posi…” Imperial Physician Zhou, still grasping Qi Yue’s hand, was about to speak again when Chang Yuncheng roughly pushed him aside.
Old Madam Xie finally stood up, trembling.
“Is she, is she alive?” she asked haltingly, looking at the needle glistening coldly in the sunlight, stuck in Madam Xie’s throat.
“This is only a temporary relief,” Qi Yue stated, looking at Chang Yuncheng. “What happened?”
Behind the mask, her eyes were sharp, calm, and bright, like the most brilliant star in the night sky, instantly reassuring those lost in darkness.
Chang Yuncheng looked at her.
“The Imperial Physician says Mother choked on a foreign object lodged in her throat,” he stated concisely and swiftly. “She can only be saved by removing the object.”
Choking on a foreign body—Qi Yue understood instantly. She nodded, glancing at Madam Xie, then at Chang Yuncheng.
“You are a good family member,” she nodded, saying.
Calm, quick, and utterly devoid of unnecessary words in describing the illness; no excessive questioning, no unreasonable demands, no chaotic grief. He was always like this. Qi Yue smiled at him, gave him a thumbs-up, and turned to Madam Xie.
“Incision? Are you going to cut?”
Imperial Physician Zhou, who had been pushed to the back, rushed forward again, his eyes shining, shouting.
Who was this person?
Qi Yue finally spared him a glance, sensing his expression was less concern and more sheer excitement. The excitement of witnessing something rare...
“How long has it been stuck?” she asked.
“At least half a month. It should be something easily swollen, like a peanut, a bean, or a jujube,” Imperial Physician Zhou answered.
Qi Yue looked at him.
“This is the Imperial Physician I invited,” Chang Yuncheng introduced quietly.
Oh, an Imperial Physician? A living Imperial Physician is like this? Cough, cough, an incumbent Imperial Physician...
Qi Yue observed Imperial Physician Zhou. He was about the same age as Elder An, but his demeanor seemed a bit… unreliable...
“Hurry and cut, we can’t delay. Where do we cut? The chest?” the unreliable physician excitedly asked again, looking as if he would thrust a knife into Qi Yue’s hand if one were present.
“It’s not that simple,” Qi Yue frowned and said.
Before she could elaborate, the disciples began calling out.
“Master, what about this patient?” they urged anxiously.
Right, there was another patient.
Qi Yue quickly strode over.
Imperial Physician Zhou followed.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed, pointing at the injured person whose chest was impaled by a bamboo pole, his face shocked. “Whoa!”
He was so shocked he could only repeat himself, then rushed over like a wind-up toy train.
“Still alive, still alive! How is she still alive? What is this?” he repeatedly asked, staring at the bizarre contraption held by a disciple: a porcelain bottle attached to a pumpkin vine and a hypodermic needle tip...
However, being a doctor, he refrained from touching it.
“She is alive now, but if we don't resuscitate quickly, she won’t last long,” Qi Yue said.
“Yue Niang.” Old Madam Xie, seeing Qi Yue run off, seemed to lose her last tether of hope. She rushed forward and grabbed Qi Yue’s arm fiercely. “Save Zheng Mei! Save Zheng Mei!”
Qi Yue was yanked back again. This… this situation was truly…
The disciples were dumbfounded. Qi Yue was burning with frustration. Why did it have to be so perfectly timed! She let out a breath—two critically injured patients lay before her, both requiring emergency surgery, both hanging by a thread.
“Master, we cannot delay!” Zhang Tong shouted.
Indeed, there was no time to waste; Qi Yue knew that well.
“Save Zheng Mei first,” Old Madam Xie grabbed Qi Yue and forcefully pulled her toward her patient.
The old woman possessed surprising strength; Qi Yue staggered as she was dragged along.
“Doctor!” Suddenly, a young woman rushed out of the crowd and knelt down with a thud. “Save my father, save my father!”
Seeing this young woman, the wife of the other injured man, who had been held back by several women, seemed to find her anchor and burst into loud sobs again.
“Doctor, we lowlifes are worthless, Doctor, we lowlifes are worthless, but when one person falls, the entire family collapses! Take pity on us, we have elders above and young ones below! If Father dies, we won’t be able to live on…” the young girl cried, bowing her head repeatedly.
Seeing her plight, the women wept harder, and the three small children, completely lost, began crying too as everyone else was crying. The old woman, already weeping, remained silent, only bowing her head toward Qi Yue.
The scene of children, elders, and women bowing and crying was exceptionally tragic; all onlookers dabbed at their eyes. Qi Yue looked over there, unable to move her feet.
“They asked for the doctor first!” someone in the crowd shouted, filled with righteous indignation.
Once one person spoke, more began to voice their opinions.
“Exactly, it was the Old Lang Tou family who called the doctor first!”
“Why should you see them first!”
Initially, there was some fear regarding the powerful and wealthy family, but as more people spoke up, the collective voice grew louder. The atmosphere suddenly became more tense. Not just two critical patients; it seemed a riot was brewing.
The disciples were nearly fainting. What in the world was happening today!
They all looked toward Qi Yue. What to do? Save whom? Saving one meant abandoning the other… Master, what should we do?
Qi Yue looked left and right: Old Madam Xie was holding on tightly, while the wife and children were banging their heads bloody against the ground. On one side, Madam Xie’s labored breathing was failing; on the other, the pierced patient’s organs were shutting down.
Heavens, you really favor me! These were conditions that would occupy an entire hospital floor even in modern times, and now they were all dumped on my head!
“Qi Yue Niang, what do you want? I will trade my life for Zheng Mei, alright? Save her! I have already watched one daughter die, I cannot watch another die! I will give you anything you want! Money, people! Him!” Old Madam Xie shouted, then nervously looked back, spotting Chang Yuncheng standing nearby. She grabbed him and shoved him in front of Qi Yue. “He’s yours, yours.”
Qi Yue felt a strange urge to laugh, but this was certainly no time for mirth. Chang Yuncheng, standing before her, looked at her.
“Qi Yue Niang,” he stated deliberately, word by word. “You know what needs to be done.”
Qi Yue looked at him. Yes, she knew what needed to be done! She nodded and raised both hands high.
“Now, there is no time to transport the injured back to Qianjin Hall, so I will perform two surgeries right here.” She turned and announced loudly to the disciples of Qianjin Hall.
Here! Two!
The disciples were stunned—in fact, they had been stunned all along, but Qi Yue’s words jolted them back to awareness.
That Imperial Physician Zhou was also stunned, but his expression was not shock—it was excitement!
“Excellent! Excellent!” he shouted loudly.
This sound, tinged with the glee of a spectator, was utterly jarring in the tense situation.
“You,” Qi Yue called out to him.
Imperial Physician Zhou looked at her, also noticing the many glares directed his way, which he ignored completely.
“You will attend to this injured person now,” Qi Yue instructed, then dismissed him, turning away. “How much antiseptic solution do we have left?”
She should have at least said ‘please,’ she thought. Since graduating, this was the first time she had been ordered around like this.
Imperial Physician Zhou pursed his lips, turned, and marched toward the man.
“Gold needles,” he demanded, holding out his hand.
The disciples had already laid the injured man back on the ground and immediately handed him the gold needles upon hearing his request. Meanwhile, as Qi Yue asked her question, some disciples immediately turned to check the first-aid kit they brought.
“Master, four bottles left!” a disciple reported.
“Find burning liquor! Find quicklime!” Qi Yue commanded.
The disciple who answered immediately complied, rushing toward the crowd and loudly repeating the items Qi Yue needed.
“I have some at home!” a man shouted.
Immediately, others chimed in.
The disciple followed them.
“Have your people return to the city to Qianjin Hall and quickly send people, medicine, and all supplies over,” Qi Yue called out to Chang Yuncheng.
“I’ll go,” he said, turning to leave.
“Don’t go!” Qi Yue instinctively called out, reaching out to grasp his arm.
Chang Yuncheng stopped immediately without asking a single question.
“Ride my horse, quickly,” he ordered a young attendant.
The attendant acknowledged the command and dashed off.
Qi Yue began directing the clearing of the area.
“We… we have to leave too?” the young woman, the patient’s daughter, asked.
“Yes, family members cannot be present during surgery, as it interferes with the procedure,” Qi Yue explained.
The young woman scanned the two injured individuals with her eyes.
“Then, if you drive us out, how will we know if you are saving my father or the other person?” she said through gritted teeth.
Yes, her words caused the villagers, who were beginning to retreat in disarray, to halt once more. Right, if everyone is driven out, isn’t she the only one making the decisions?
Besides… Everyone’s gaze shifted to Old Madam Xie and her party, who were already backing away. Dressed lavishly, they exuded an air of distinction even in this tense moment, clearly indicating they were from a wealthy and noble family. Then they looked at the man’s family over there—ragged clothes and a dilapidated shack; people who would be lucky to get a broken mat to wrap a corpse in if they died. A distinction between heaven and earth, between people and insects. It was instantly clear whose life was considered precious and whose was cheap. Naturally, in this world, a precious life held more weight, and a precious life was not to be offended. They did not believe that at this moment, facing two lives so vastly different in status, the lives deemed cheap would be treated equally!
“We are not leaving, we must watch.”
The villagers shouted their agreement.
What in the devil’s name is this! Qi Yue was furious. The more chaotic, the more chaotic! This must be what it felt like!
You guys… why… wait for my promise of an extra chapter… before voting…. Is this…. really…. okay….. (Face covered in blood) You must cherish… the very slow author…. Everyone, please RS [vote/support]!