Chapter 219: Unexpected

Qi Min was too thin, her bones jutting out, her skin a sickly pale, with blue veins clearly visible. She was enduring immense pain, her face contorting uncontrollably, and her injured right hand trembled.

Su Wan held down her hand, noticing something writhing within her veins, crawling from her shoulder to her arm, moving toward the wound.

The female doctor was beside herself with excitement, her fingers gripping the bowl tightly, her knuckles turning white as she kept her eyes fixed on the poisonous gu.

“It’s out! It’s coming out any second!”

Su Wan released her grip on Qi Min’s wrist, and a small creature emerged from the wound, falling into the bowl.

The female doctor, upon seeing the poisonous gu, turned pale with fear, her hands trembling as she seemed to forget Su Wan’s earlier instructions.

Su Wan quickly used another bowl to cover the first one, holding the two bowls together and setting them aside, worried that the doctor might drop them in her fright.

She quickly pressed down on Qi Min’s hand, tending to the wound on her wrist.

“You, come here and lend a hand.” Su Wan’s face was solemn as she called the pale-faced female doctor over.

The female doctor snapped out of her daze, still shaky. She steadied herself and helped Su Wan lift Qi Min out of the bath and clean her up.

Su Wan then looked at Ji Xuan. With the mother gu damaged, the child gu was in turmoil. He was sweating profusely from the pain, his clothes soaked, veins bulging prominently on his forehead, neck, and arms.

She noticed Ji Xuan’s face suddenly turn pale blue and realized the situation was dire. She immediately went over to retrieve her needle pouch, preparing to administer acupuncture.

Just then, the female doctor, rushing over with clothes in hand, collided into Su Wan’s back. The impact made the doctor stumble a step backward, and her lower back hitting the table.

“Ah—”

Crash—

The bowl containing the mother gu shattered on the ground.

The sharp sound of breaking glass echoed like a clap of thunder to those waiting outside.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” The female doctor’s panicked, tearful voice came through. “What do we do… Young Lady Su, you… mmph…”

“What happened? Wanwan, are you all right?” The Empress rushed to the partition door, pressing against it anxiously, trying to see what was happening inside. “Answer me, please.”

The room fell silent for a moment before Su Wan’s voice came through, “It’s fine. Don’t speak and distract me.”

The Empress, however, keenly noticed the unsteadiness in Su Wan’s breath. Earlier, it seemed the female doctor had been about to say something but had her mouth covered. A sense of unease crept into her heart as she anxiously waited.

Master Mingjue sat nearby, meditating and chanting scriptures.

The Empress wanted to go inside but feared disturbing Su Wan and causing an error.

She could only press her ear to the door, straining to catch any sounds from within.

Su Wan’s muffled, low voice giving instructions, mixed with the female doctor’s sobs, drifted out, leaving the Empress feeling as if her heart was being fried in oil—a torment too intense to bear.

As time slowly passed and the sky grew darker, the room remained silent. The Empress, her face paling, was preparing to disregard everything and go inside to check the situation.

“Mother.” Wei Liuyin stood at the doorway, her dark, bright eyes looking toward the Empress, who was anxiously pacing in front of the partition door. “Where is Elder Sister?”

“What are you doing here?” The Empress walked to the entrance and pulled Wei Liuyin inside. The ten-year-old girl reached up to her chest, her cheeks plump with a hint of baby fat, making her look especially adorable. “Did you finish the studies assigned by the Grand Tutor?”

“The Ancestor said, ‘One who stays near vermilion becomes red,’ so she wants me to spend more time with Elder Sister,” Wei Liuyin said, curiously eyeing the tightly shut partition door. She asked, puzzled, “Mother, is Elder Sister very skilled?”

“Very skilled.”

Wei Liuyin didn’t look troubled at all; instead, she broke into a smile. “Aunt is stronger than Mother, so it’s normal that I’m not as strong as Elder Sister.”

The Empress: “…”

With a creak, the tightly shut partition door opened.