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“Today, whether you want treatment or not, you’ll get treated. If you keep stalling, I’ll slaughter this little girl right here.”
The man holding the knife spoke in a deep, gruff voice, his eyes fierce and ruthless.
Song Jinxiu could feel the murderous intent radiating from him.
This man had killed before—Song Jinxiu was genuinely afraid that if he grew impatient, he would strike her down with that blade.
She weighed her options in her mind. If it were just this one man, her skills might still allow her to fight her way out. But there were seven or eight men dressed in black inside the room, plus two guards standing at the door.
It was over. There was no way to escape.
Curiosity had truly killed the cat—why had she come here to watch the commotion?
Young Physician Li wore a mournful expression, still trying to refuse. The men in black were clearly growing impatient.
“I’ll say it again: as long as my master lives, you live. If anything happens to my master, you’ll be buried with him.”
Song Jinxiu stared at the motionless man on the bed, blood still steadily seeping out. If she didn’t act soon, his life would indeed be drawing to an end.
She glanced around at the men in black filling the room, each one looking like a fierce demon.
Suddenly, she seemed to see a large coffin slowly lowering down. As the coffin was carried into the graveyard, a row of men in black knelt fiercely, then collectively slit their own throats.
The last man to take his own life, a man with a pockmarked face, even cast one final glance at her.
Song Jinxiu shivered involuntarily.
What was going on?
She closed her eyes, quietly channeling her energy, then looked back at the man on the bed.
Sure enough, she clearly saw the life force slowly draining from his body.
Damn it, her Golden Eyes—this innate divine power—had awakened at this very moment.
What she had just seen was an unintentional glimpse of the future.
Damn, that meant this man was definitely going to die.
If he died, those men in black would choose to be buried with him.
But what about her?
Song Jinxiu didn’t dare to think further. She could only look at Young Physician Li with desperation and plead, “Young Physician Li, saving lives and healing the wounded is your duty. Although the arrow is close to the heart, if you’re careful, it should be possible.”
The key was to save him—if he survived, there might still be hope. But if not, then there was absolutely no chance.
The problem was, if he died, would they both be forced to join him in death?
Young Physician Li had a family and a home, and was rumored to be from a prestigious family in the capital. Perhaps these men still had some reservations because of that.
But she, a rootless, drifting peasant girl—if they killed her, it would be as if she barely made a splash at all.
“You don’t understand. The wound from this arrow isn’t large, but it has barbs. You have to use a small knife to carefully peel them away bit by bit. The slow scraping of the knife against flesh is the most painful—if he moves even slightly, it’s all over.”
Young Physician Li shot her a sharp glance. This young girl was clever, but why was she only making things worse now?
Song Jinxiu was even more confused. “Why not use anesthesia, like mafeisan*? If you use mafeisan, wouldn’t he just not feel the pain?”
The moment she said this, the whole room fell silent.
Suddenly, the pockmarked man grabbed Young Physician Li by the collar and hoisted him up.
With wide eyes, he snarled, “You actually have mafeisan but still hesitate like this? Are you trying to deliberately kill my master?”
Young Physician Li felt like crying but had no tears. He struggled against the pockmarked man’s grip but cursed at Song Jinxiu, saying:
*mafeisan: a traditional Chinese herbal anesthetic powder used historically during surgeries.
“Cough, cough, cough, you damn girl, are you trying to kill me? Cough, cough, cough… What is this mafeisan anyway? You just made up some name—where on earth am I supposed to get it? Cough, cough, cough…”
Song Jinxiu: …
No mafeisan? Or was this mafeisan like plaster, known by other names?
“It’s not good! Master, the master has stopped inhaling and is only exhaling now!”
The man in black kneeling by the bed suddenly cried out with a choking voice.
Everyone was startled, and the men in black quickly swarmed around the bed. Seizing the moment, Song Jinxiu took off running.
But after taking just two steps, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly cut through the air.
Song Jinxiu’s face changed drastically. She grabbed a nearby stool and raised it to block the attack.
Crack!
The bench was chopped clean in half by a willow-leaf blade.
Just as the pockmarked man swung his second strike toward her face, Song Jinxiu hurriedly pleaded, “Don’t kill me! I’m going to get the life-saving medicine to save your master’s life.”
“What did you say? My master can still be saved?” The pockmarked man’s eyes bulged with furious excitement.
“Yes, absolutely.”
Song Jinxiu spoke quickly. “My big brother broke his leg, and Old Physician Li even said it needed amputation. But after taking my life-saving medicine, the swelling went down, the bones set properly, and now it’s almost healed. Don’t believe me? You can ask young Physician Li.”
As Song Jinxiu spoke, she stepped closer to the bed.
Damn it, since she couldn’t escape, this man absolutely couldn’t die.
One of the men in black blocked her path. “Stop right there. What do you think you’re doing?”
The pockmarked man glanced at her and snarled, “Don’t try any tricks. You just said you were going out to get the life-saving medicine. Why aren’t you leaving now?”
She looked at the pockmarked man, then said to the man blocking her, “Let me protect your master’s vital heart vessel first. The medicine can be fetched by young Physician Li—it’s in my big brother’s pouch. Just bring me my brother’s pouch.”
One of the men in black eyed her suspiciously. “I don’t think she’s telling the truth. I just saw her trying to run away.”
Song Jinxiu pleaded urgently, “I can’t run anymore either. My life is in your hands now. Let me see your master first. If you delay any longer, it really will be too late to save him.”
Looking back at the man on the bed, his life force was draining even faster. Song Jinxiu could almost see his soul beginning to slip free from his body, as if it was about to sit up on its own.
The pockmarked man gave a signal with his eyes, and only then did the men in black by the bed step aside.
Another man in black said, “I’ll escort this kid to fetch the life-saving medicine. Girl, you better not be lying to me.”
With that, he grabbed the already terrified young Physician Li and walked out.
Song Jinxiu stepped forward quickly, pretending to check the man’s breathing. Then she slipped a finger into his mouth and dropped a diluted dose of spirit elixir into him.
The spirit elixir was potent. She dared not risk giving her brother a diluted dose, but this man was different.
Since he was going to die anyway, she treated it like a powerful shot of adrenaline.
Who cared if his body might rupture? She was taking a desperate chance—trying to save a dead horse by riding it alive.
Because the patient had been shot in the back, he had been lying face down the whole time. No one noticed her small movements.
After giving him the diluted spirit elixir, Song Jinxiu checked the arrow wound on his back.
Channeling her energy into her eyes, she clearly saw that the arrowhead was still two millimeters away from the heart.
Two millimeters was enough.
Without her divine ability, Song Jinxiu would never have dared to pull out the arrow.
But now, with such precise vision, she gained the courage to try.
Taking advantage of the moment when she turned the patient’s head, she administered a gaseous anesthetic.
Su Mo felt death approaching. Suddenly, a surge of intense energy flowed into his body, rapidly replenishing his fading life force.
Just as he tried to open his eyes, his head lolled to one side, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.
Song Jinxiu said, “Bring me a cup of water.”
None of the men in black moved.
Her face darkened as she repeated, “Water. I need a cup of clean water to cleanse the wound before I pull out the arrow.”
The pockmarked man gave a look, and only then was a bowl of water handed to her.
Song Jinxiu took the bowl, pulled out a piece of brown sugar from her sleeve, and dropped it in. The water quickly turned a deep reddish-purple.
She did this to mask the iodine disinfectant she was about to use from her spatial pouch.
The pockmarked man stared and asked, “What did you put in it?”
Song Jinxiu rolled her eyes. “This is an anti-inflammatory medicine. You all carry bacteria—stay away from me and don’t contaminate this healing water.”
“You…” One of the men in black reached for his blade, but the pockmarked man grabbed his hand firmly.
“Step back,” he ordered.
The man hesitated. “I don’t trust this.”
The pockmarked man dragged him behind. “Right now, she’s the only one who can save our master.”
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Although he didn’t truly believe the girl could save him, what choice did he have? Just wait for the master to die?
Even if she were just a little girl of eight or nine, he had to give it a try.