Chapter 13: He Is Injured

Upon witnessing Liu Mingyi’s injury, Wei Lan instinctively rushed to his side, her voice trembling slightly.
“Mingyi! Are you okay? Where are you hurt?”

Despite his pale complexion, Liu Mingyi forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m fine, just my right arm…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Wei Lan’s gaze had already locked onto his arm. His left hand was pressing tightly against the wound on his right arm, but his clothes were already soaked in blood, which continued to gush out like a spring.

She asked gently but urgently, “Besides this, are you injured anywhere else? Is it life-threatening?”

Liu Mingyi shook his head. The pain caused beads of cold sweat to form on his forehead, but he showed no sign of distress. He had expected Wei Lan to panic at the sight of so much blood, but instead, she remained exceptionally calm, without a trace of fear in her eyes.

Carefully, Wei Lan moved his left hand away from the wound. Blood immediately spurted out, splattering onto her face. Yet, she didn’t even blink. She quickly assessed the situation and recognized it as arterial bleeding. Given the location of the injury—on the inner forearm—she determined that the ulnar artery had been severed.

Using her thumb and index finger, she precisely located the ulnar artery and applied firm pressure to the rupture. The bleeding instantly slowed, then gradually stopped. Without hesitation, she removed an elastic hairband from her own hair, wrapped it around his upper arm, near the heart, and pulled it tight to reduce blood flow to the injured arm.

This was a method of compression bandaging to stop bleeding from the brachial artery.

“This is only a temporary measure,” Wei Lan said with urgency. “We must return immediately. I need to examine the extent of the vascular rupture. Surgery may be necessary.”

Liu Mingyi looked at her. Though the pain made it difficult for him to focus, he could sense her determination and composure. He nodded weakly, his voice barely audible but full of trust.
“Alright.”

At that moment, Dan and Jiabao arrived in a hurry.

Dan’s expression was filled with concern as he crouched down to examine Liu Mingyi’s wound. Seeing that Wei Lan had already performed emergency treatment, his furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He then stood up and walked toward a nearby wild boar carcass, pulling out the arrow embedded in its body.

Jiabao, on the other hand, rushed toward Liu Mingyi, gently licking his face, as if trying to comfort him. Its movements were tender and considerate, clearly sensing his pain. Then, Jiabao turned to Wei Lan and nudged the pouch where she kept dried meat.

A warm feeling surged through Wei Lan’s heart. Moved, she embraced Jiabao and patted its head affectionately. She reached into her bag and took out the last piece of dried meat, offering it as a reward for its bravery.

“Thank you, Brother Dan,” she said sincerely, her voice filled with gratitude. She knew that without Dan and Jiabao’s timely arrival, their situation could have been dire.

Dan patted Jiabao’s head and said, “It was this little guy who led me here.”

Dan had grown worried when the siblings had not returned by nightfall. Trusting Jiabao’s keen sense of smell, he had let it track them through the treacherous Misty Forest. Although experienced hunters warned against entering the forest—where even hunting dogs often lost their way—Jiabao had navigated it effortlessly.

Dan’s voice was low and serious. “We need to leave now.” He helped Liu Mingyi to his feet, then effortlessly hoisted the wild boar onto his shoulders.

Wei Lan couldn’t help but marvel at Dan’s incredible strength. A fully grown wild boar, yet he carried it with ease.

Thus, Dan, Wei Lan, Liu Mingyi, and their loyal companion Jiabao began their journey home. Their footsteps carried an unspoken tension, each person remaining highly alert.

Dan kept his hand close to his bow and arrows, ready for any danger. The forest whispered with rustling leaves, as if murmuring secrets of unseen threats.

They walked in silence until they finally emerged from the Misty Forest and onto a familiar path. The tension in their bodies eased slightly.

Dan took a deep breath and spoke in a hoarse yet sincere voice. “The Misty Forest is a perilous place. Even the most precise compass fails there, not to mention the frequent presence of fierce beasts.”

“You were lucky to have only encountered a wild boar. While searching for you, I saw tracks of wolves, leopards, and tigers. Especially the wolves—they hunt in packs and can easily take down a boar.”

He paused before continuing, “I sincerely advise you never to venture into the Misty Forest again.”

Liu Mingyi lowered his head in thought before saying, “Thank you, Brother Dan. We won’t make the same mistake again.”

They continued onward and soon reached Dan’s home.

Noticing how far Dan had carried the heavy wild boar, Wei Lan kindly suggested, “Brother Dan, you’ve had a hard journey. Leave the boar at your place.”

Dan shook his head firmly. “Mingyi hunted this boar. It belongs to him.”

Wei Lan reasoned, “Brother Dan, we owe you our lives today, so this boar is also rightfully yours. Besides, we don’t know how to properly butcher it. You should keep it. We only need a little meat and some organs to help Mingyi recover.”

Dan, convinced by her words, finally agreed. He left the boar at his home and continued escorting them.

When they arrived at Liu Mingyi’s house, his father was anxiously pacing under the porch. He had returned home earlier, only to find his son still missing. Now, seeing his son covered in blood, his heart sank.

“What happened?” Liu Father’s voice was urgent and filled with worry.

Liu Mingyi, trying to stay calm, replied lightly, “I was gathering herbs in the mountains and accidentally fell, injuring a blood vessel.”

But his father wasn’t so easily fooled. He knew such a serious wound couldn’t have come from a simple fall. His sharp eyes turned to Dan, seeking the real answer.

“Dan, tell me the truth—what really happened?”

Dan was an honest man but felt conflicted. Not wanting to interfere in the Liu family’s matters, he simply said, “Uncle Liu, I’m not entirely sure myself.” Then, he quickly took his leave.

Liu Father turned his gaze toward Wei Lan, sensing her involvement in the matter. However, now was not the time for questioning—Mingyi’s wound needed immediate attention. He helped his son onto the bed.

Though he had not practiced medicine in years, his knowledge had not faded. He decided to apply hemostatic powder first to stop the bleeding and then use moxibustion to promote circulation.

However, Wei Lan spoke up confidently. “Uncle Liu, we can’t leave the tourniquet on for too long, or his entire hand will lose blood supply. We need to perform vascular suturing immediately.”

She explained, “The ruptured artery must be carefully stitched together to restore normal blood flow.”

Liu Father frowned deeply. As a traditional doctor, he had never heard of such a method. He trusted experience over untested techniques, making it hard to accept Wei Lan’s proposal.

“It’s too risky,” he objected. “We can’t gamble with Mingyi’s life.”

At that moment, Liu Mingyi’s weak voice interrupted. “Father, it was Wei Lan’s precise actions that stopped the bleeding. I trust her. Please give her a chance.”

Liu Father hesitated, torn between doubt and necessity. He said nothing but stood by, ready to intervene if needed.

Wei Lan, understanding his reluctance, focused on preparing for surgery. But as she gathered tools, she realized one major problem—there was no anesthesia.

She turned to Liu Mingyi urgently. “Do you have anything for full-body anesthesia? Something to make a person sleep and feel no pain?”

Liu Mingyi nodded. “There is an ancient formula called ‘Sleeping Sage Powder’ from the Song Dynasty, but we don’t have the ingredients. However, we do have a topical anesthetic made from Sichuan pepper and wasp nest paper. It numbs the skin.”

Wei Lan took the anesthetic and thought, “It’s better than nothing.”

She turned to Liu Mingyi with a determined gaze. “If you feel any discomfort during the procedure, tell me immediately.”

Liu Father, still skeptical, watched in silence. But seeing Wei Lan’s meticulous preparations, a faint sense of trust began to form.