Ji Zizhao had the black-clad man guarding the door retrieve the physician's medical box from earlier.
In the dark room, she carefully examined all the tools inside. While not as complete as her own, they were sufficient for dealing with this butterfly蛊.
With everything prepared, Ji Zizhao first took out silver needles. She arranged them around the man's chest, using his heart as the focal point. Nineteen needles of varying lengths were placed in a plum blossom pattern.
In this backward era, hemostatic forceps were nonexistent. Slowing blood flow by applying pressure to acupoints was the only method.
"Your poisoning is too deep. The butterfly 蛊 has formed a nest in your Shenque acupoint. The only way is to remove the butterfly 蛊 from your body."
The man's voice was calm. "Proceed."
He then bit down on a handkerchief, his eyes scanning her silhouette in the darkness.
Her disguise and voice alteration were flawless. If not for the lingering scent of her, he might have been fooled into believing she was a young male doctor.
If memory served, Xuan Yi Ge was one of the four major medical halls in the imperial city, alongside several other clinics. He had even sent people to investigate; each of the four halls was maintained by a behind-the-scenes proprietor. However, this hidden figure was exceptionally mysterious, and even his subordinates had failed to uncover anything substantial.
He had never expected that the person he had been unable to get a handle on…
Was her.
The one least likely to be the proprietor of the four major medical halls was, in fact, secretly controlling the largest medical network in the imperial city.
In this case…
Not only had he underestimated her, but everyone in Sheng Huang City had also underestimated her.
Her cool hand gently stroked his broad chest, the firm muscles eliciting a tingling sensation.
After completing the acupuncture, Ji Zizhao moved her hand down his well-defined pectoral muscles. The skin her palm touched was firm and elastic, rising and falling with his breaths, mirroring her touch.
Ji Zizhao understood.
This man was indeed a skilled practitioner.
The man tilted his head slightly, his night-vision-trained eyes sharp as a hawk's, observing her as she meticulously worked on his wound.
The butterfly 蛊, just the name was enough to strike fear into most physicians. Even male doctors would hesitate to attempt its removal, yet she worked with composure and skill.
Deep in the night, in the pitch-black room, the only sounds were the faint sound of breathing and the sharp pain of flesh being cut and bones being scraped.
To completely remove the butterfly 蛊, the attached flesh had to be excised, and the poison clinging to the bone had to be scraped away. In an era where anesthesia was unknown, it was truly remarkable that someone could achieve this without flinching.
Commanding influence, martial arts proficiency, steadfast as a mountain, and a will forged through a hundred trials.
Such a man was powerful and, therefore, dangerous.
"Shenque is a yang acupoint on the Ren channel, and Mingmen is a yang acupoint on the Du channel. These two points are connected, yin and yang harmonizing. It can be considered a person's vital point. Although the 蛊 poison has been removed, you must not be careless. Do not use any internal energy for a month. Rest is best if possible." Sudans.com
As Ji Zizhao extracted a thumb-sized 蛊 egg from the man's body, her other hand was already threading a needle, swiftly suturing his wound. She then rummaged through the medical box for soft white cloth, unfurled it, and began wrapping it around the man's flat, firm abdomen.
The room was completely dark. Still holding the butterfly 蛊, Ji Zizhao forgot about the distance to the stone bed. As she wrapped the soft white cloth around the man's abdomen, her stomach unexpectedly struck the edge of the bed, and she tumbled towards it.
Her waist was suddenly held, and her falling body was pulled into a chest with a steady, strong heartbeat.
The man hugged Ji Zizhao, who had fallen into his arms, and with his other hand, gripped her wrist holding the butterfly 蛊. At such close proximity, he could clearly feel her heartbeat and her breath.
Ji Zizhao steadied herself and instinctively raised her eyes, only to meet a gaze that seemed to hold the vastness of stars and oceans.
In the dark room, she couldn't make out his other features, but his eyes were remarkably bright and captivating.
The man noticed her looking at him and was about to raise an eyebrow when he heard her speak, "The 蛊 poison is removed. I hope you will uphold your promise and spare the lives of everyone at Xuan Yi Ge, and that you will not trouble them again."
As expected, unfazed and composed in the face of danger.
The man helped Ji Zizhao stand, then casually took the 蛊 from her hand in his fingers before snapping his fingers towards the door.
The door creaked open, and a black-clad man stepped in, moving directly to Ji Zizhao's side. Only after Ji Zizhao had tied the black silk blindfold over her eyes again did the black-clad man escort her out.
The man, still seated on the stone bed, removed the handkerchief from his mouth. Its faint fragrance still lingered.
Watching Ji Zizhao's retreating back, the man gently clenched the handkerchief in his hand.
Qing Zhu, who had been waiting by the door, only relaxed her guard slightly when she took her young lady's hand.
The way back was noticeably shorter. By the time Ji Zizhao and Qing Zhu were sent back to Xuan Yi Ge, the physician who had been sent to treat the man had been safely returned. However, he was somewhat traumatized and had fainted upon his return. The other physicians had already been dismissed by Chen Gang.
Currently, a tall, slender figure was sitting beside the unconscious physician's bed.
The moment Ji Zizhao saw the back of that figure, her throat tightened.
The person sitting by the bedside heard footsteps and turned. Upon seeing Ji Zizhao's disguised face, he paused for a moment, then quickly stood up and gave a relaxed smile. "Eldest Sister."
Ji Zizhao nodded. "It's good that you're back."
Chen Gang glanced at the sleeping physician on the bed and quickly ushered the two out. "My lady, it would be best if you and Fourth Miss discuss matters outside. I will guard here. Please do not worry."
Ji Zizhao gave Chen Gang a slight nod before turning and walking out of the room.
Ji Zhibi followed closely behind Ji Zizhao. Seeing her elder sister's increasingly gaunt figure, her heart ached deeply. "I plan to put aside my current affairs and stay at home for a while."
Ji Zizhao took a step down the last flight of stairs before turning back. "Worried about me?"
Ji Zhibi nodded silently.
Among their sisters, no one understood their Eldest Sister as deeply as she did.
In the eyes of others, Eldest Sister was utterly useless.
The family often gossiped, and she could only imagine how difficult and arduous it was for Eldest Sister to bear the burden of the Ji family right now.
Not so long ago, she had endured the prejudiced gaze of the world and had even considered death.
It was Eldest Sister who had taken her hand and allowed her to learn medicine by her side. Although she had been busy with stocking and delivering goods for the Ji family's medical hall for these past few years, it was exhausting, but at least she was free.
Therefore, she didn't need to go home to understand how heavy and immense the burden Eldest Sister was carrying!
"Your identity is not suitable for frequent visits to the residence. You need not worry about family matters." Ji Zizhao could understand and tolerate all that society did not approve of, but others could not. She did not want her fourth sister to be treated as a monster.
No one would harm her sister.
Not even her own family.
"But Eldest Sister…"
Ji Zizhao interrupted sternly. "Little Four, you should be well aware of what it would mean for you and the entire Ji family if the secret you carry were to be revealed."