The Mystery of the Injury

As the sun had just climbed over the roof edge, Wei Lan and Ming Yi hurriedly rushed in. Ming Yi untied the cloth strip that was wrapped around Shun Xing’s leg, and with a “click,” the wooden board fell to the ground. The room immediately filled with gasps of shock.

Shun Xing’s lower leg had bent into a strange curve, resembling a broken tree branch.

Hong Hua, upon seeing this, exclaimed, “Ah, this leg is probably broken!” Jiu An was also so shocked that she covered her eyes.

“How high did you fall from?” Ming Yi asked, his finger barely touching the skin when Shun Xing immediately tensed up.

“Three… three zhang…” Shun Xing turned his head, his gaze falling on the hole in the window paper. He knew his explanation was flimsy, but he had to come up with a reason to cover the truth.

Ming Yi frowned as he gently pressed on Shun Xing’s calf. Each press made Shun Xing wince in pain.

Wei Lan hurriedly squeezed to the edge of the bed, anxiously asking, “Does it hurt badly?”

Shun Xing suddenly relaxed, his whole body tilting toward Wei Lan, his voice tinged with a bit of grievance, “It hurt a lot when you pressed just now…” His voice was low and trembled.

Wei Lan immediately placed her palm on his hand, gripping it tightly. Shun Xing’s curled fingers slipped between her fingers, gripping her hand tightly. The young man lowered his eyelids, staring at their intertwined hands. A complicated emotion flashed in his eyes. In the angle where Wei Lan couldn’t see, his tongue quickly licked his dry lips.

Ming Yi continued to press along the leg bone, inch by inch, and when he reached the broken end, he felt many shattered bone fragments. “The bones are shattered. We need to align the break first.” His fingers were at the swollen, purple spot. After a slight pause, he couldn’t help but mutter, “But, falling from a tree, can it cause this kind of injury?”

After examining the injury, Ming Yi’s face turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, “This injury is serious. We need to realign the bone quickly. Let’s do it together.”

The atmosphere in the room immediately grew heavy, and the four of them pressed firmly on Shun Xing’s leg. Shun Xing bit down on his clothes, the veins on his neck bulging, and sweat streamed down his temples, but he didn’t make a sound, only staring at the ceiling, seemingly using all his strength to suppress the pain.

“One, two, three, apply force.” As soon as Ming Yi finished this sentence, excruciating pain overwhelmed Shun Xing, and everything went black. He almost lost consciousness. When he regained his senses, the leg was already secured with a wooden board, and Wei Lan was placing soft cloth under his knee.

Wei Lan felt the small bone fragments under his skin, her voice trembling, “Da Shun, we can only realign the bone manually, but as you know, we can’t see the exact condition of the bone, so… you might limp when walking in the future.” Her voice carried a hint of sobbing.

Shun Xing suddenly gripped the bed sheet tightly. “Can’t you cut open the skin and piece the broken bones together?” The pain of a broken leg wasn’t as unbearable as it was now. It seemed his master wanted to ruin his acrobatic skills.

Wei Lan held his trembling hand down. “Surgery needs a sterile environment, and the conditions right now aren’t suitable.” She understood Shun Xing’s reluctance but couldn’t avoid the harsh reality.

“But last time, when we helped Li Chunniang deliver her baby by cutting her open, it worked?” Shun Xing asked, puzzled. “Bones are cleaner than intestines, right?”

Wei Lan sighed and patiently explained, “That time was a life-or-death situation. Without surgery, both mother and child would die.” She tied the bandage with a surgical knot and softly said, “If we don’t operate, the worst case is a limp. But if we do, the whole leg could rot and might need to be amputated.” She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Shun Xing lost his leg, but she just hoped he understood that some choices had to be made.

Shun Xing stared at his right leg, now wrapped up like a wooden post. His eyes gradually dimmed. Four years of hard training in lightness kung fu had been destroyed by this shattered bone. He suddenly laughed, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. “Limping is actually fine…”

Ming Yi thought for a moment and suddenly said, “There’s one more method. Doctor Lin from the Siguo Cliff specializes in treating falls and injuries. He has a secret recipe that’s very effective for fractures, but his conditions for treatment are very strict.”

Wei Lan’s eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, “What conditions?”

“First, the broken bone cannot have any open wounds. Second, the injury must have occurred within twelve hours.” Ming Yi continued to examine Shun Xing’s calf. “These two conditions are met right now.”

Wei Lan couldn’t help but feel speechless and muttered, “This doctor actually chooses his patients?”

Liu Ming Yi smiled faintly. “Doctor Lin has a quirky personality, but his medical skills are indeed superb. If we can find him, we might be able to save Shun Xing’s leg.”

Wei Lan immediately asked, “How far is he?”

“Two hours by carriage,” Ming Yi answered.

Wei Lan wasted no time and said, “Then why wait? Let’s go now!” Jiu An immediately stood up to prepare the carriage.

Ming Yi crouched down, just about to carry Shun Xing when a small cloth bag embroidered with golden thread slipped out of Shun Xing’s clothes and fell to the ground with a “thud.” Wei Lan’s sharp eyes immediately reached for it.

“Don’t touch it!” Shun Xing’s voice suddenly rang out. He instinctively reached for it, but his movement caused his injured leg to hurt, and he gasped in pain.

But Wei Lan was too quick and had already grabbed the money pouch. She raised her head, and her worried expression instantly turned to one of utter disappointment. Holding the pouch, she took two steps back and her voice trembled. “You climbed the tree… to steal money?”

The room fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing. Shun Xing turned his head, staring at the corner of the wall, silent, with a complicated glint in his eyes.

Wei Lan looked down at the pouch and saw the unique hidden pattern of the Ji Wang Fu embroidered on it. Her fingers suddenly trembled, and her voice was filled with panic. “I’ll return this silver right away!”

She was about to rush out when Hong Hua, quick on her feet, grabbed her arm and whispered urgently, “Are you crazy? This is stolen from the royal family. If they catch us, they’ll chop off our heads! The people from Ji Wang Fu often plunder the common folk. Just think of it as…”

“But this is breaking the law!” Wei Lan’s eyes turned red, and her fingers clenched the pouch tightly, almost crushing it.

“Shun Xing’s leg is broken. If we report it to the authorities, does he still have a life?” Hong Hua gripped Wei Lan’s wrist tightly, her tone pleading. “Let’s get his leg treated first. Afterward, we can discuss what to do, okay?”

Wei Lan’s gaze fell on Shun Xing, whose face was pale, his breath weak, and his eyes filled with pain. The golden thread on the pouch pricked her palm, and her heart clenched with it.

Outside, the horses suddenly neighed, as if reminding them of the urgency of time. Wei Lan snapped back to her senses, shoved the pouch into Hong Hua’s hands, and said with a hint of determination, “Keep it for now. We’ll deal with it when we come back.”

Ming Yi drove the carriage, the wheels creaking as they rolled over the uneven road. The carriage swayed with each bump. Shun Xing leaned against the corner of the carriage, his right leg fixed with a wooden board. Wei Lan kneeled beside him, her hands pressed firmly on the splint above his knee, trying to prevent the fractured bone from shifting.

“Mm…” The carriage jolted again, and Shun Xing groaned, curling up slightly with his forehead against the wall. He deliberately leaned his leg toward Wei Lan, his voice tinged with grievance. “It hurts…”

Wei Lan increased the pressure on the splint. “Don’t move. A real man should be able to bear this little pain.”

“But it really hurts…” The young man’s voice trailed off softly, and he leaned his shoulder against hers, whispering, “Could you blow on it for me? Sister.”

“Blowing on broken bones will ease the pain?” Wei Lan pressed her knee against his outer thigh. “Sit up straight. If you move around, the splint will shift, and it’ll hurt even more.” Her damp hair fluttered with the movement, sticking to the dust that drifted in through the window.

Shun Xing’s eyes flicked to the side, and his right hand quietly reached out, his fingers like little insects crawling, lightly poking the back of Wei Lan’s hand. “Sister, what if I really end up a cripple? What will I do if I can’t marry a wife?”

Wei Lan paused for a moment, her emotions mixed. She sighed and spoke softly, “You won’t.”

The carriage fell silent for a while, with only the sound of the wheels rolling over the stones. Finally, Wei Lan couldn’t hold back anymore, her voice hesitant. “That money pouch… where did it come from?”

Shun Xing withdrew his hand, staring at his calf, his voice suddenly hoarse. “I told you, I didn’t steal it. Do you believe me?”

Wei Lan nodded gently, her tone serious yet kind. “I want to believe you, but you need to explain everything. Where did the silver come from? How did your leg get broken? Don’t lie to me about falling from a tree.”

Seeing her firm attitude, Shun Xing knew he couldn’t hide the truth. He briefly explained what had happened. After hearing it, Wei Lan’s heart ached, and her voice softened. “You’re saying your master broke your leg? Why?”

“It was my former master,” Shun Xing replied hoarsely, a trace of grievance in his voice. “He wanted me to continue being a thief, but I refused. Four years ago, when he saved me, he said this skill of mine should only be used to rob the rich and help the poor.”

The carriage suddenly turned sharply, and Wei Lan was thrown onto Shun Xing. The young man quickly embraced her waist, his nose buried in her hair, which smelled faintly of medicine. “He said being a doctor is useless…”

“That’s nonsense!” Wei Lan pushed against his chest, trying to sit up, but he held her tighter. Just as she was about to snap at him, she suddenly felt a warmth on her neck. Shun Xing’s tears were falling heavily.

“The money… he shoved it into my hands,” Shun Xing said, his voice muffled by his sniffles. He felt Wei Lan relax, and took the opportunity to lean his face against her neck. “That silver… it could help the pharmacy, right?”

Wei Lan pulled away from him, her voice serious. “We can’t accept tainted money. Besides, Pharmacy No. 2 has already raised enough funds. You don’t need to take someone else’s.”

Shun Xing sighed in relief and smiled, looking much lighter. “That’s good. I thought Pharmacy No. 2 was going to close down. I won’t do it again next time.”

“No next time.” Wei Lan shot him a glare, but her tone was less stern.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you, sister.” Shun Xing leaned his head on her shoulder, and this time, Wei Lan didn’t pull away. He gazed down at their intertwined clothes, his lips curling into an almost imperceptible smile. It seemed that playing the pitiful card always worked.