Coffin Boy withdrew his gaze from the hourglass and continued to focus intently on Qi Yue’s hands, those nimble hands dancing within the human body.
It was at this moment that Old Physician An stopped outside Qianjin Hall.
The commotion almost overturned the entire courtyard.
Young Physician An, hearing the angry curses and wailing from behind, was so frightened his face turned pale.
“Father, Qianjin Hall has definitely gotten into trouble. We shouldn’t go in,” he said hurriedly.
Old Physician An was anxious as fire.
“Quickly push me in!” he struck with his cane.
Young Physician An had no choice but to push him in. This time, no one paid them any attention, and no one laid out door planks for them. All the disciples had rushed to the back courtyard, leaving the front hall completely empty.
People from the street outside, hearing the commotion, also ran in, completely blocking the back hall door. Young Physician An struggled to push his father through the crowd.
The courtyard was like a pot of boiling dumplings.
The disciples were scattered about, in groups of two, three, four, or five, each grappling with a strong man, either hugging legs or waists. No matter how the strong men swung their big fists wildly, they held on tightly and refused to let go.
One strong man let out a frenzied roar, shaking off the four disciples clinging to him, and his whole body crashed toward the door.
Young Physician An turned his head away.
“What’s happening?” Old Physician An asked loudly, his expression anxious.
“They’re saying it’s murder…” said some onlooking crowd members.
This time the door was broken open by half. The man shouted as he tried to rush in, but the disciples on the ground desperately threw themselves forward, clinging tightly to the man’s legs and feet.
The man roared and kicked, but couldn’t shake them off.
Just then the door opened.
“What’s all this shouting about? Get out of the way, the surgery is finished!” Liu Pucheng shouted.
This was the first time Liu Pucheng had spoken so loudly. The noisy courtyard immediately quieted down, and all those struggling and fighting looked over.
What?
“The surgery is finished. Now it’s intensive care. No one is allowed to enter,” Liu Pucheng said.
He finished speaking and turned around to look inside.
“Xiao Qi, should we keep him here or move him to the adjacent ward…” he said.
Qi Yue was walking over, her eyes red from sweat irritation looking over.
“Move him… the contamination here is too severe… Teacher…” she said wearily. Before she could finish, she cried out in alarm and rushed forward to grab Liu Pucheng and pull him aside.
“Give me back my brother’s life!” The big man, taking advantage of everyone’s stunned state, finally broke free from his restraints. He took a step forward, his big fist swinging hard.
Amid everyone’s screams, Qi Yue, who had pulled Liu Pucheng aside, met it head-on. Without even a chance to cry out, she fell backward, tumbling into the arms of Coffin Boy who was right behind her with a cry of alarm, and fainted.
When night fell heavily, the prison became even more gloomy.
The groans and wails of prisoners continuously echoed, and the bloody stench in the air made the place even more unbearable.
Two guards hurriedly ran, trying to catch up with the rapidly walking youth ahead.
Huang Ziqiao kicked open the door. Inside, four men were chained and suspended from posts. Without saying a word, Huang Ziqiao grabbed a whip from the side and began beating them mercilessly.
The four men let out restrained cries of pain, but not one begged for mercy.
Huang Ziqiao, being young after all, soon tired from beating and stopped, panting heavily. The men before him were already covered in wounds.
“If Miss Qi…” Huang Ziqiao panted and drank, but when the words reached his lips, he still couldn’t say that word. He grabbed the whip again and lashed out viciously. “You just wait to be flayed and have your bones ground to dust!”
The wounded man let out a cold laugh.
“We lowly people, our lives aren’t worth much, but we’ve never thrown away our lives for nothing…” he said in a hoarse voice. “A life for a life, a debt for a debt…”
Before he could finish, Huang Ziqiao raised the whip and lashed out again.
“You cheap lives, cheap lives, you deserve to die, to die! Even if you died a thousand times, ten thousand times, you wouldn’t be worth one Miss Qi…” he shouted, lashing down viciously. “Go die, you go die, go die!”
Night passed and dawn broke dimly. Someone was running in small steps down the street, stopping outside Qianjin Hall.
The door of Qianjin Hall was open. Chang Chunlan, with tear-blurred eyes, supported herself against the door, caught her breath for a moment, then rushed in.
In the ward, two beds each had someone lying on them, with disciples checking on them.
“…the temperature is high… Physician An, this person’s temperature is high…” A’Ru turned from the bedside with a choked voice.
At the other bed, Old Physician An in his wheelchair heard and turned his head.
“Let him die!” Hu San said viciously from the side. “We shouldn’t have kept him, should have thrown him out…”
Old Physician An looked at him.
“Then wouldn’t Master’s efforts have been wasted?” he said.
Saying this, he looked toward the bed where Qi Yue lay quietly. If not for the two wooden boards fixed to her head and the ice pack on her forehead, anyone would think she was just sleeping.
Old Physician An couldn’t help but recall this woman’s bright smile, aggressive but not annoying. His eyes couldn’t help but sting, and he touched his own leg. As physicians, was this kind of fate destined…
He remembered what his old wife had said: “You doctors saving lives, that’s opposing the King of Hell. How could the King of Hell spare you…”
He sighed softly and turned his wheelchair around.
“Let me take a look,” he said, moving toward the other bed.
Chang Chunlan supported herself against the door, crying as she collapsed to the ground, looking through tear-blurred eyes at Qi Yue on the bed.
The early spring weather in the capital still carried a chill. After a patch of dark clouds, mixed rain and snow fell. Chang Yuncheng, wrapped in a large cloak, stepped into the military camp, his shoulders already covered with ice crystals.
“Departing on the first day of the fourth month,” he said to the military officers seated around the room. “The Ministry of War has set the date.”
“Excellent! I’ve been feeling stifled for so long,” a red-clothed military officer laughed.
Chang Yuncheng also smiled slightly, though the smile never reached his eyes.
“My Lord!” came an urgent call from outside. “A carrier pigeon has arrived from home.”
Carrier pigeon. Chang Yuncheng froze, then suddenly lifted the curtain and went out.
Taking the message tube from the kneeling guard and removing the small rolled paper, Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
No news was good news, so then…
He took a deep breath and opened it, immediately turning deathly pale.