Chapter 39: 039 Silver Needles

 Chapter 39: 039 Silver Needles 

Although it was daytime, two lanterns were still lit in the inner hall, illuminating the room brightly.

Chu Qianchen's attention was entirely focused on Yun Zhan, as she calmly inserted more silver needles into his body under Mo Chen's cold and stern gaze.

Each needle she used was placed quickly, before Hu Po could even get a clear view, the needle was already in place at the acupoint.

Her techniques varied with each needle. Sometimes she lifted and inserted, sometimes she twisted, sometimes she scraped with the handle, and sometimes she gently pushed along the meridians...

Chu Qianchen patiently explained to Mo Chen, "The purpose of needling is to guide the qi through the meridians. As 'Ling Shu · Nine Needles and Twelve Origins' says: 'The key to needling is to bring the qi to the point, and it will be effective.' After half an hour, the qi will seal these critical acupoints and block the wound in the blood vessels. At that time, once the needles are removed, there will be no more excessive blood loss."

She then lightly tapped one of the needle shafts, causing the needle to vibrate slightly and emit a faint buzzing sound like the hum of a mosquito.

"Alright, let him lie down now."

"Sanqi, Xiaojizi, Dajizi, Di Yu, Baimaogen..." Chu Qianchen fluently listed a series of herbal names and ordered Mo Chen naturally, "You have the strength, crush them all!"

Physician Liu quickly interjected, "Miss, let me do it!"

He felt too much pressure working with Mo Chen, the stoic figure. Finding an excuse, he hastily retreated.

Mo Chen carefully lowered Yun Zhan and stood up from the bedside. He was a head taller than Chu Qianchen, and when he looked at her this way, he naturally exuded an aura of intimidation.

Chu Qianchen seemed completely unfazed, still smiling calmly, her demeanor unhurried.

Mo Chen slowly said, "So, if the chest were opened, would this method also be able to stop the bleeding?"

Chu Qianchen's lips curved slightly higher behind her veil, clearly eager to clarify for Mo Chen, "Yes."

"But, to remove internal... fragments of the blade, the wound would inevitably be much larger, so stitches would be necessary then."

Yun Zhan's wound wasn't large, but because it damaged the neck's arteries, it caused severe blood loss. If the bleeding wasn't stopped in time, the wound would only worsen as the blood continued to pour out, and in the end, too much blood loss would lead to death.

Had she not been nearby today, Yun Zhan would have died.

Just like in her previous life.

Mo Chen gazed steadily at Chu Qianchen, his dark eyes cold and calm, as deep as an abyss.

When he first came to Jishi Hall earlier, hearing the girl mention opening the prince's chest, he had thought it was absurd. Once the chest was opened, the wound would be too large to control the bleeding. Losing around 30% of one's blood would lead to fatal consequences.

He would never risk the prince's life!

But now, his feelings had undergone a complete transformation in the past half hour.

He had witnessed her saving Yun Zhan, who would have otherwise died.

A voice inside Mo Chen told him that she might really be able to cure the prince!

His heart began to race, and the calmness in his eyes rippled slightly.

Before long, the door to the courtyard was pushed open, and Physician Liu entered, holding a tray, politely saying, "Miss, the herbs are all crushed."

"Place them over there."

Chu Qianchen gestured toward the table by the window and sat down by it, leisurely preparing the medicinal paste.

Physician Liu stood by, watching her intently, his eyes filled with admiration, almost with a kind of fervent awe.

A faint herbal scent wafted through the air, subtly spreading out.

Outside, Marquis Zhongyong waited restlessly, pacing back and forth, growing more anxious by the minute. 

The longer he waited, the more worried and irritated he became. After waiting an hour with no news, he could no longer hold back and, disregarding the shopkeeper's objections, opened the door curtain. His gaze met Mo Chen's cold, distant eyes.

Marquis Zhongyong suddenly felt guilty, standing at the door curtain, too afraid to step forward.

He focused his eyes and saw the young woman in blue extending her hand to remove the silver needle from Yun Zhan's Renying acupoint. Marquis Zhongyong almost cried out in alarm, recalling the scene from before when he had removed the needle himself...

He stared intently at Yun Zhan, who lay motionless on the bed, his eyes tightly shut. Only he knew how nervous he was. Yun Zhan absolutely could not die!

With her back to Marquis Zhongyong, Chu Qianchen swiftly removed the needles, one, two, three... until the last one.

From beginning to end, Yun Zhan lay perfectly still, and his neck wound had stopped bleeding.

At this moment, Marquis Zhongyong slightly widened his eyes and hoarsely asked, "Miss, is he alright?"

"He will live." Chu Qianchen put her needles away and smiled confidently. Her dark, phoenix-shaped eyes gleamed like the brightest stars on a summer night.

Even the bloodstained veil couldn't hide her striking beauty. She resembled a blooming crimson peony, vibrant and fiery, outshining all other flowers.

Her three words made Mo Chen exhale in relief, while Marquis Zhongyong couldn't help but wipe his cold sweat, thinking: As long as Yun Zhan doesn't die, this incident will be over. At most, he'll go back and scold Yun Hao to calm Yun Zhan down.

Chu Qianchen instructed Physician Liu, "Apply medicine to his neck, twice a day."

"When the medicine is prepared, have him take it. He must not be moved today, and he can't be exposed to the wind."

"If he develops a fever at night, use my second prescription."

"I'm leaving now. I'll check on him tomorrow." There was a hint of weariness in Chu Qianchen's eyes.

Although treating Yun Zhan seemed easy, it had been mentally exhausting, requiring her full concentration. Now, she could hardly wait to return to the Marquis's residence and get some rest.

In the end, she was still too weak and needed to build her strength.

"Miss."

At this moment, Hu Po returned, carrying a cloak that Chu Qianchen had asked her to buy from a nearby clothing shop.

Chu Qianchen draped the cloak over her shoulders, covering the bloodstains, and prepared to leave.

Marquis Zhongyong instinctively wanted to stop her, but just then, a low groan came from the bed.

Seeing his son awake, Marquis Zhongyong no longer cared about Chu Qianchen. He hurried to the bedside, shouting, "Ah Zhan!"

"Thank you!" Mo Chen solemnly bowed to Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen looked at him, her lips curving slightly behind her veil.

In that moment, her mind flashed back to the scene in her past life, where she had sat on the rooftop, drinking wine and gazing at the moon with Mo Chen.

She turned and left Jishi Hall with light steps, Hu Po following closely behind her.

As they walked along the street and reached an intersection, Chu Qianchen suddenly heard a familiar, distant cry.

This...

She paused in her steps, about to turn toward the sound, when Hu Po spoke up just then, "Miss, we're going to be a bit late returning today."

Hu Po was worried. It was already You Shi (the eighth hour), and they would surely miss the time to pay respects to the Dowager. They might even be scolded by her.

Having lived a second life, Chu Qianchen didn't care whether the Marquis's residence liked her or not. She smiled reassuringly at Hu Po, then turned her gaze back. The street on which Jishi Hall was located, Huahong Street, was empty.

It turned out it wasn't Zhe Ying.

(The end of this chapter)