My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Chapter 677 - 661: She Truly Deserves the Phrase ’High Mountains to Look Up To

Du Mian rented a small courtyard in Shouxi Square, a serene haven amidst the hustle and bustle, a two-entry residential compound.

Qin Liuxi was led to the bedroom by his close servant Wa Song, where Du Mian, half-reclining on the bed, propped himself up and said, "Du has been impolite, unable to welcome the Junior Temple Master in person."

"Monks do not fuss over such formality." Seeing the room somewhat stuffy, Qin Liuxi had Wa Song open the windows and said, "Your body is all external injuries, there’s no need to behave as if you are in confinement like a new mother, with the windows so tightly sealed that no breeze can enter. Not only is it stuffy, but you’re also dressed so warmly, in such heat—do you wish for your wounds to breed maggots for an added meal?"

Du Mian: "..."

He hadn’t thought much of it, but upon her saying so, he felt the already painful and festering wounds starting to itch.

Qin Liuxi said to Wa Song, "Go and prepare more hot water, some clean and breathable cotton cloth, some strong liquor, and have the kitchen stew a clear soup with some lean pork, no need for any medicinal herbs..."

She listed everything she needed one by one.

Wa Song took note and summoned someone at the door to pass on the orders.

Qin Liuxi then took Du Mian’s hand to feel his pulse, while Teng Zhao arranged the prepared tools on a small table.

Du Mian looked over and saw a row of tools—knives, scissors, hooks—shimmering with cold light, his body tensing up, muscles tightening.

"Scared?" Qin Liuxi looked up, her gaze teasing and mocking, "You’re a tough man who has endured more than thirty blade and sword wounds and yet, you’re still afraid of these small tools?"

Du Mian forced a smile: "It’s the thought of them reopening these gory wounds that makes me palpitate at the direct confrontation."

"Don’t worry, you won’t have to face it directly." Qin Liuxi finished feeling his pulse and wrote a prescription, saying, "Go to the small couch by the window, strip off your upper garments. I shall first perform acupuncture on you to unblock your meridians and ensure the smooth flow of Qi."

Everyone performed their duties.

As he lay on the couch with his upper body bare, wearing only a pair of short underpants, Du Mian’s hideous and horrifying wounds were fully exposed, causing one to gasp in shock.

To survive such severe wounds would take immense willpower and a strong desire to live.

Qin Liuxi pinched a silver needle between her fingers, located the acupoints, and quickly inserted the needles. In just a moment, several key acupoints on Du Mian’s body had been needled.

She then had Teng Zhao light a stick of incense nearby.

The incense, made of some unknown substance and unlike ordinary fragrances, smelled calming and soothing, bringing a sense of peace and freedom from worry.

Du Mian felt a warm current roaming through his body, a comfort he hadn’t felt since his injury.

"You must live near the water, given the heavy cold Qi in your body, which is detrimental to the healing of your wounds." Qin Liuxi looked at Du Mian and said, "My acupuncture will help to clear the blocked Qi mechanism and remove some of the cold Qi, but to completely expel the cold, we will need to perform acupuncture several more times after today."

"Thank you for your troubles." Du Mian felt drowsy.

Wa Song was thrilled beyond words; the Junior Temple Master was truly amazing, even able to discern that.

After retaining the needles for a quarter of an hour, Qin Liuxi removed them and looked at Teng Zhao, "Give him the Sleeping Saint Powder to drink."

Teng Zhao nodded, took out a vial from the medicine box, poured a little into a cup, dissolved it with water, and brought it to Du Mian’s lips.

"What is this?"

"Something good, drink up."

Du Mian, following his lead, drank the bitter and astringent water; God, what a "good thing" it was.

Thump.

His eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Wa Song was startled: "Junior Temple Master, this..."

"No worries, it’s good to sleep through the work." Qin Liuxi’s expression remained unchanged: "He will thank me for it."

She moved aside and meticulously washed her hands, while Teng Zhao soaked the knives and other tools in strong liquor for sterilization, then dried each one with cotton cloth. The golden sore medicine had also been prepared early.

Qin Liuxi covered half of her face with a triangular cloth, first attending to the severe abdominal wound that featured rolled edges and rotten flesh, looking even more ferocious due to the applied medication, with pus and blood causing a shocking sight.

She took a sharp small knife, gently slicing through the connected piece of the wound.

Pfft.

The pus and blood were cut, a few droplets splattered on her cloth mask, blurring it, while two droplets landed on her forehead.

Wa Song instinctively looked towards his unconscious master. He was like a dead man, completely unresponsive.

He quickly glanced at his chest, seeing the slight rise and fall, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Still alive.

Wa Song wiped the sweat from his forehead, then turned his attention back to Qin Liuxi’s actions. Cutting the wound open, scraping off the necrotic tissue, if the scalpel couldn’t scrape it off, she used scissors to snip and hooks to pry open the wound, meticulously cleaning the rotten flesh, digging down the path of the wound as if carving out a bloody hole.

Wa Song shivered all over.

His master really should be grateful to her. Just watching this, let alone feeling the pain, the sight itself was enough to bear immense psychological pressure.

Qin Liuxi was undistracted and focused on her task, without saying a word, just asking for clean cotton pads and medication.

This removal of necrotic tissue was not done at random; one must be careful not to cut too deep to avoid blood vessels, or severing one could cause major bleeding and spell disaster, so one must not be negligent.

The pus and blood were cleaned little by little, the rotten flesh that had ulcerated was scraped away, falling into a small porcelain bowl, and blood-soaked cotton pads were thrown one after another into a basin.

Cleaning, irrigation, medication application, suturing the wound, a series of actions were performed methodically.

After one wound was treated, Qin Liuxi’s forehead was covered with a layer of sweat; Teng Zhao was responsible for using a clean cotton cloth to wipe it off.

Wa Song acted as the assistant on the side, watching the harmonious coordination between master and apprentice; then, looking at his master who pretended to be dead out of unawareness, he sighed softly in his heart.

You are the most at ease!

Du Mian had numerous wounds. Counting those that needed to be reopened and dealt with, there were six, with the most serious being at the left shoulder, which also took the longest to deal with because the tendons had been severed.

And the suturing at this site was far more meticulous and cautious than others.

Wa Song really wanted to ask, can tendons that have been cut be reattached, and will they heal afterward?

But Teng Zhao looked over, raised his index finger to his lips, and shushed him.

Wa Song closed his mouth, not daring to disturb them.

The prolonged treatment of wounds, coupled with suturing, was extremely draining of spirit and strength, causing Qin Liuxi’s complexion to turn pale, with only her hand holding the needle steady and unyielding as a mountain.

Teng Zhao pursed his lips, his eyes full of admiration.

Wa Song felt the same, his eyes brimming with respect and awe.

Admiration for noble virtues.

Master Buqiu was worthy of his title.

Qin Liuxi finished dealing with the last wound, stood up straight, her steps slightly unsteady, and was supported by Teng Zhao.

"It’s okay, let’s wrap it up." Qin Liuxi gave him a slight smile.

Teng Zhao followed her instructions to clean the blood and apply the final dose of medication, then wrapped it up with gauze.

Qin Liuxi personally applied medicine to promote tendon growth and bone healing at the left shoulder wound, stabilized it with two thin splints, then retook the needle, pierced a few acupuncture points to facilitate the circulation of blood and energy.

"Done." She stood up straight, looking at Du Mian, who had turned colorless due to excessive blood loss, and let out a long breath.

This job was so taxing on one’s vitality and spirit that it would warrant a donation of half the Medicine King Hall.