The old man, struggling for breath, showed a slight flicker in his eyes, agitated by the sound of her voice.

"I am a physician," Qi Yue introduced herself. A quick glance confirmed her suspicion: the elder was confused, his lips tinged with cyanosis—clear signs of severe respiratory distress. She extended her hand; A Ru was already opening the medicine chest, donning gloves, and producing a stethoscope.

"Let me examine you now," Qi Yue stated.

The maidservants froze in astonishment, but Qi Yue moved too swiftly. Given the number of doctors who had already been attending to the master, and noting this woman arrived from outside while the other physicians were still deliberating, they speculated she might be a newly summoned female physician from the palace.

"Help me support the Elder into a semi-reclined position," Qi Yue instructed.

The two maids hesitantly assisted A Ru in positioning Elder Li.

"Note: Physical examination, clear percussion note over both lungs..." Qi Yue narrated as she began her assessment.

A Ru opened a notebook to record.

"...No shift noted in the liver-lung border on percussion, breath sounds are coarse..."

"...Breath sounds markedly diminished in the right lower lobe, with a few scattered dry and moist rales audible..."

"...Heart rate 78 beats/min, regular rhythm, no murmurs audible over any valve area..."

"...Abdomen non-distended, soft, liver and spleen not palpable..."

Qi Yue placed her hands on Elder Li's abdomen.

"Elder, does this hurt?" she asked, applying gentle pressure.

Elder Li remained unresponsive.

"...No tenderness, no guarding, shifting dullness negative..." Qi Yue continued.

She moved her hands lower.

"...Bowel sounds diminished, no lower extremity edema..."

Having completed the examination, Qi Yue turned her attention to the spittoon, bedpan, and urine pot beside the bed.

"Yellow, viscous sputum," she observed gravely.

Everyone in the room watched her, further solidifying the belief that she was a court physician; only they would show such dispassion regarding soiled necessities.

Having finished everything, Qi Yue turned back.

"He choked on an egg, resulting in temporary cardiac arrest due to asphyxiation?" she asked one of the maids.

The maid nodded.

"Yes," she confirmed.

Qi Yue nodded thoughtfully.

"Mistress, what is the prognosis?" A Ru inquired.

"Simple enough; I have encountered this condition before," Qi Yue replied, extending her hand. "Pneumoperitoneum secondary to a pulmonary event. Bring me the aspiration needle kit."

A Ru responded promptly, fetching the required instruments.

The onlookers stared, unblinking, at the strange tools in the woman's hands.

Following a bout of coughing, Elder Li's breathing had worsened significantly, and he was lapsing into unconsciousness. Amidst his stupor, he dimly registered a female voice speaking near his ear.

"Elder, I am about to perform an abdominal puncture. Do not be afraid; there is anesthetic—it will not hurt."

Immediately following the words, a chilling coldness pricked his abdomen.

It felt like an eternity, yet also merely a blink, when he heard sharp shrieks from the women nearby. Though terrifying, accompanying these screams, Elder Li felt the crushing weight on his chest lift. In an instant, air, long denied, flooded his lungs. It was like a struggling fish suddenly tossed back into a pond, splashing momentarily before swimming freely in blissful ease. The euphoria was so fierce, so sudden, that he could not bear it, and he promptly fainted.

The physicians waiting outside finally rushed in. They saw the terrified, trembling maids and the woman standing by the bedside, rising from Elder Li’s side, holding the peculiar instrument.

"Madam Qi, what—what are you doing?" Dong Lin could no longer pretend not to know her, demanding.

The other imperial physicians exchanged glances, looking from the woman to Dong Lin.

"Isn't this Elder Li's concubine?" one physician couldn't help but ask.

Dong Lin immediately felt a surge of frustration. He had deliberately kept Qi Yue waiting, calculating that the woman’s fiery temper would erupt if the imperial doctors ignored her. He never anticipated she would slip into the inner chamber, nor that these esteemed physicians would mistake Qi Yue for a concubine and disregard her presence. It was all the fault of Elder Li having too many women!

"I am a physician," Qi Yue turned, flashing a smile at the physician, while A Ru efficiently wiped down and covered the needle with a sterile cloth.

"Apply some pressure then secure it," she remembered to instruct.

A Ru assented.

"A physician?" Lord Gong grew agitated, striding forward. Seeing Elder Li unconscious, he erupted in fury. "Who let you in? Where do you claim to be a doctor from?"

Excellent. Though late, this attitude was even more provocative.

Dong Lin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward.

"My Lord, my Lord, this is my junior martial niece..." he stammered, mixing apology with unease. "It is my fault entirely; she is young and inexperienced. I neglected to instruct her earlier..."

"You..." Lord Gong began to retort.

Qi Yue smoothly interjected.

"Oh, I am the physician invited by Young Master Li Tong," she stated, her composure utterly undisturbed.

What on earth was going on? Lord Gong was incandescent with rage. He barked at the Li family staff to summon someone, then immediately began attending to Elder Li. The physicians crowded around in a chaotic flurry.

"He's fine; he'll wake up shortly. Now, prepare some anti-inflammatory medicine for him..." Qi Yue remarked casually from the sidelines.

"Ah, Madam, perhaps you should remain silent for a moment. This is Grand Supervisor Gong of the Imperial Medical Academy," Dong Lin interrupted quickly, a hint of worry in his voice. He thought, Judging by her temperament, she certainly wouldn't hold her tongue.

Qi Yue uttered a soft "Oh," and fell silent.

Dong Lin paused, momentarily stunned.

Meanwhile, the Li family members flooded into the room. Seeing Elder Li surrounded by doctors, they assumed the worst and burst into tears.

"He hasn't passed yet!" Lord Gong called out anxiously.

The Li family members nearly suffocated from holding their breath.

"What happened?" asked the Elder Master Li urgently.

"We should be asking you what happened!" Lord Gong wheeled around and snapped. "If you invited other physicians, you ought to have informed us! If reckless treatment causes harm, who bears the responsibility?"

The Li family members stood stunned by the outburst.

"Naturally, we would inform Lord Gong. The person hadn't arrived yet; once here, we would certainly introduce her," the Elder Master Li replied quickly. Simultaneously, he was astonished—how did Lord Gong already know about the other physician? Still, with the prestige of the Duke of Deqing's household, everything could presumably be managed.

Lord Gong became even angrier upon hearing this.

"Hadn't arrived? Isn't that a person?" he spat out, pointing sharply at Qi Yue.

Only then did the Li family notice the woman standing to the side.

Qi Yue offered them a faint smile.

"I am the physician invited by your Young Master Tong... Did he mention anything to you..." she began.

That boy again! It seemed he was soliciting physicians everywhere, dragging all sorts of people into the house! The Elder Master Li furiously cut her off.

"Get out!" he commanded.

"Lord Li, please do not be angry. This is my senior martial brother's student; she is young and ignorant..." Dong Lin quickly interceded, bowing respectfully to the Elder Master Li while simultaneously gesturing for Qi Yue to leave. "Quickly, apologize to Lord Li."

Qi Yue merely smiled.

"So, you disagree with my treatment?" she inquired.

The Elder Master Li no longer had patience for her and rushed to examine his father.

"Of course, we disagree. Leave at once," said Li Tong's father, his face contorted with annoyance. He resolved then and there to send that disobedient son back to his ancestral village to guard the residence immediately!

Qi Yue nodded calmly.

"Then I truly apologize for the disturbance. I take my leave," she said.

Watching the woman vanish from the room, Dong Lin stood slack-jawed. That's it? That soft, yielding demeanor? Had he mistaken her for someone else? This was nothing like the untamable Madam Qi of Yongqing Prefecture, who would curse someone to death at the slightest disagreement! She hadn't offered a single explanation; told to step aside, she stepped aside; told to leave, she truly left? Not a single harsh word... Had she become timid after arriving in the capital? That wasn't entirely unexpected; after all, this was the capital. Dong Lin snorted through his nose, watching the doorway.

Inside, no one paid heed to the inexplicable physician who had been dismissed. Instead, they anxiously watched the still unconscious Elder Li.

"What did that woman do to Father?" the Elder Master Li worried. Then, realizing it was wrong to let her go so easily, he turned and barked, "Have that insolent boy dragged out and forced to kneel!" He had meant to order the woman sent to the Shun Tian Fu authorities, but the words caught in his throat when he remembered Dong Lin claiming she was his martial niece. For the sake of Dong Lin, he swallowed the order, though he planned to revisit the matter later if his father did not recover—surely Dong Lin couldn't protect her then.

Li Tong was inexplicably dragged from the room and forced to kneel in front of the courtyard belonging to Li Huaiqing, drawing the curious gazes of passersby.

"What have I done?" he couldn't help but ask.

The servants either genuinely did not know or simply refused to answer, stating only that they didn't know. Li Tong could only grit his teeth and kneel.

Inside the room, the arguments continued.

"Perhaps preparations for the final rites should begin," Grand Supervisor Gong finally murmured quietly.

The Elder Master Li’s eyes immediately reddened.

"Master, Master..." A maid by the bedside suddenly called out, stammering.

The people in the room were clustered together, speaking in low tones, and initially ignored her.

The maid raised her voice again.

"Master, the Old Master is awake!"

This time everyone heard, but there was little surprise; Elder Li had been in a state between waking and fainting for days. Others did not move, but the Elder Master Li and Physician Gong rushed forward.

Elder Li, who had been seemingly lifeless, slowly let out a breath.

"...Ah..." he sighed deeply, opening his eyes. "...Is this... the Bodhisattva Guanyin?"

The approaching Elder Master Li and Physician Gong stared, wide-eyed in astonishment. This was the first time Elder Li had managed to speak clearly in days. Though his voice was dry and hoarse, his articulation was perfect.

"Father," the Elder Master Li called out, kneeling by the bedside. "You are awake!"

Elder Li turned his head to look at him.

"I am awake," he confirmed, then exhaled heavily. "So comfortable..."

So comfortable? Comfortable while gravely ill? The Elder Master Li was slow to process the words.

"Elder, how do you feel?" Physician Gong asked hurriedly, reaching out to take his pulse, his expression one of disbelief.

"I feel excellent, much better," Elder Li stated. Even if he hadn't said so, Physician Gong could see it.

"This, this, how is this possible?" he stammered. "How is his breathing so smooth?"

Elder Li drew a slow breath.

"It truly was the miraculous appearance of the Bodhisattva Guanyin..." he said, gripping the Elder Master Li's hand tightly. "Just now, the Bodhisattva Guanyin treated me in my dream... and I was instantly cured..."

Punctured his abdomen? The Bodhisattva Guanyin? The Elder Master Li was momentarily lost, wondering if his father had fallen into a feverish delirium.

But Physician Gong, connecting the dots, violently threw back the blankets and robes covering Elder Li. There, on Elder Li's abdomen, a piece of cloth stained yellow and damp was suddenly revealed.

Could it be... that woman!