The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 202: Chapter 202: A Healer’s Plight

"I’ve examined him. The tendon—what you call a sinew—is ruptured, but there’s no nerve damage or fractures at the site of the break. We just need to reduce the inflammation and use some methods to restore more mobility to the stiff joint. After that, we can perform a tendon suture."

For this kind of complete rupture caused by trauma, the ends of the tendon were usually quite clean. Direct suture was the only option; there was no possibility of conservative treatment.

Ji Huan paused. "Um, are you familiar with suturing? I mean, have you ever done anything like this before?"

Xin Ziqi stared at the homeless man’s wound. His expression was difficult to read, a mixture of compassion laced with a faint sense of repulsion and resistance.

All in all, it was incredibly complex.

After a long moment, he spoke, but not about the homeless man’s injury.

"My family’s affairs—or rather, Yide Hall’s former glory and its current decline—I’m sure you’ve heard something about it."

He said this with absolute certainty, because he was convinced.

Ji Huan might seem casual, but she was in fact prudent and logical. She wouldn’t have rashly come to him to discuss a partnership after just one encounter and a few brief meetings.

Ji Huan didn’t hide it, admitting frankly, "I’ve heard the gist of it, but I don’t know the details."

’Manning my hot and spicy soup stall, I hear all the gossip in Juyong Town.’

The Xin family’s reputation in Yeyang County was growing thanks to their mastery of treating bones and tendons, but then Mr. Xin met with a sudden calamity and died a tragic death in prison.

Not long after, the once-thriving Yide Hall closed its doors and relocated from Yeyang to Juyong Town.

And most of the rumors about Yide Hall came from Jishi Hall, as if there was some deep-seated feud between the two.

But that wasn’t what Ji Huan was concerned about.

She only needed to know that Xin Ziqi’s character made him a suitable partner; she had no interest in his family’s private affairs.

Besides, since they were private affairs, the rumors spreading around couldn’t be the truth—at least, not the whole truth.

So she just took them with a grain of salt.

She had no intention of prying, but it seemed Xin Ziqi was intent on getting things off his chest today.

"My father’s death, as it happens, has something to do with you."

The words hit her like a bolt from the blue, and Ji Huan jumped in shock.

"N-no way... I don’t even know what your father looked like..."

’Don’t tell me there’s a blood feud between me and Xin Ziqi over his father’s murder?’

’It can’t be that melodramatic, can it?’

’The original owner’s memories don’t seem to have anyone named Xin in them. And she was just a young girl...’

When Xin Ziqi saw her face change, he realized his words could be misinterpreted.

"It’s not a direct connection, just a small link."

"Wh-what link?"

"Young Master Bai."

Ji Huan was stunned for a moment, then understanding dawned on her.

’Since I made a point of learning about Xin Ziqi, it makes sense that he’d look into me too.’

’So it’s no wonder he knows about my whole mess with the Bai Family.’

"Back then, Young Master Bai ignored his servants’ objections and insisted on going hunting on Da Guan Mountain. He ended up having his leg tendon snapped by a black bear..."

In truth, it was more than just the tendon. If not for the martial masters and guards who arrived in time, he likely would have ended up in the bear’s stomach.

He was saved, but was barely clinging to life.

His left leg in particular—all the flesh was gone, revealing a section of ghastly white bone. It was a gruesome sight.

The Bai Family’s Jishi Hall was the largest medical hall in Yeyang, staffed with a wealth of talent and resident physicians for every specialty.

Yet not a single one dared to take the case.

Faced with Mr. Bai’s fury and pressure, someone recommended Xin Ruoqing.

"After my father examined him, he stated bluntly that Young Master Bai’s leg was beyond saving and there was nothing he could do. But the Bai Family is immensely powerful in Yeyang. They detained my father, forcing him to find a cure..."

Hearing this, Ji Huan could pretty much guess the rest.

’Young Master Bai’s injury wasn’t just a torn tendon. From Xin Ziqi’s description, the bones, nerves, and ligaments in his leg must have all been severed.’

’A case like this would be incredibly difficult to treat, even in the future with its advanced medical technology.’

’But the Bai Family was used to acting like tyrants. They didn’t just force a doctor to treat him; they demanded he be fully cured.’

’This wasn’t just forcing the impossible; it was a death sentence.’

"There was a doctor at Jishi Hall who was skilled in the art of regenerating flesh. He and my father worked together and managed to barely keep Young Master Bai alive.

"But the leg tendon had been shredded like a horsetail by the black bear’s sharp teeth, and a section was missing. There was absolutely no way it could be reattached.

"In other words, even if his life was saved, that leg was crippled.

"My father reported this truthfully, but that Young Master Bai was the most favored of his generation in the Bai Family. They refused to let him die, but they also refused to let him become a cripple.

"On one hand, they ordered my father to come up with a foolproof plan. On the other, in their desperation, they’d clutch at any straw, believing the nonsense of sorcerers. They fed Young Master Bai talisman water and Immortal Elixirs all day, and even wanted to arrange a wedding to ward off the bad luck..."

The rest of the story, Ji Huan had experienced firsthand, so there was no need for him to recount it.

The public only heard that Young Master Bai was in poor health and the family had arranged a wedding to ward off misfortune, only for the bride to supposedly jinx him to death before she could even cross the threshold.

How could they know that Young Master Bai was already hanging on by a thread at that point?

When he could kick the bucket at any moment, not even a Daluo Golden Immortal marrying into the family could have saved him.

But people love a sensational tale, so in the end, all the blame was placed on the original owner for supposedly being a jinx.

’Wasn’t the original owner wronged?’

"The day you married into the Bai Mansion, Young Master Bai breathed his last, and my father was thrown into the main prison, where he was brutally tortured..."

"I heard that County Magistrate Pan has a reputation for integrity. Didn’t he investigate the truth?"

"At the time, County Magistrate Pan was in the capital to report on his duties and wasn’t at the county government. The one in charge of the arrest was County Magistrate Jiang. He took bribes from the Bai Family, so of course he pursued the case with vigor. My father couldn’t endure the humiliation, and that’s why..."

"But a man’s life was lost! When County Magistrate Pan returned, didn’t he reopen the case?"

Xin Ziqi closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, they were filled with desolation.

"The man was already dead..."

County Magistrate Jiang’s excuse was that he had intended to investigate, but hadn’t anticipated that Xin Ruoqing, consumed by terror, would commit suicide by slamming his head into a wall. If he didn’t have a guilty conscience, why would he kill himself? That was the logic.

The Bai Family members went to court and put on a display of false compassion, claiming that Mr. Bai was merely overcome with grief and had never truly suspected Xin Ruoqing. They said they were just about to withdraw the lawsuit when they heard the terrible news, which was truly lamentable.

After hearing this, Ji Huan was speechless for a long time.

’The chain of evidence was broken, and it was ruled a suicide. Even if County Magistrate Pan suspected foul play, he had no choice but to release them.’

’Somehow, it all got twisted around until the victim was made out to be the guilty one.’

’But dead men tell no tales. What could anyone do to those villains?’

Neither the original owner nor Doctor Xin had ever offended the Bai Family. It was just that their pampered and precious Young Master Bai had died, and the Bai family had a torrent of grief with nowhere to go. They couldn’t very well run to Da Guan Mountain and kill every last black bear, could they?

So their pent-up emotions were naturally vented on the original owner and Doctor Xin.

The first time, the original owner did manage to escape from the Bai Family unscathed. The second time, however, they had planned to bury her alive to be with Young Master Bai in death.

As for Doctor Xin, his fate was even more tragic.

He fulfilled his duty as a doctor, pouring all his effort into saving a life, only to forfeit his own in the end.

"When my father was in prison, I went to see him one last time. He only said nine words to me: ’It’s hard to be a doctor. Better not to be one.’"

Ji Huan could completely understand Doctor Xin’s sense of despair.

She herself had once seen a fellow surgeon, right after they had finished an operation together, get stabbed to death by a patient’s family right outside the operating room.

’If it had been one of those incompetent doctors who carelessly cost someone their life, that would be one thing. But so often, the doctors truly did everything they could. Everyone did.’

’Once you’re in the operating room, no one wants to see a life slip away in their hands.’

’That’s why, whenever they had to announce a time of death, they always treated the family’s grief-stricken outbursts with the utmost patience and understanding.’

’But there are always some people who, no matter how severe the injury, believe with all their heart that the doctor is *supposed* to save the patient.’

’Success is their duty; failure means they deserve to die...’

’Honestly, that’s when the thought of quitting first took root for me. I’d even submitted my resignation, but I collapsed on my very last shift.’

"I have already been unfilial by going against my father’s last instruction and continuing to run Yide Hall. I truly do not want to touch anything related to treating bones and tendons ever again. Therefore..." Xin Ziqi said with some difficulty, "I’m afraid I can’t help you with this."

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