Chapter 10 Junior Brother Huang, please move and have a chat_1

Having made his decision, Huang An rose to his feet, easing the stiffness in his numb back. He turned to the two senior sisters watching him closely, hesitated and spent a moment finding the right words.

Giving a sidelong glance at Pang Han, who had re-entered the room unannounced, he resolved to share his plan.

He didn't beat around the bush or heighten the suspense purposely. Instead he relayed his plan all at once.

"The Master's injuries have drastically worsened and it's extremely difficult to clear the pus. If left untreated, not even divine intervention could save him. I fear he won't make it through the night. However, although I can't cure him entirely at the moment, I can indeed alleviate some of his suffering."

Fortunately, his proficiency in the Daming language helped him express himself. Otherwise, he would've been at a loss for words.

Upon hearing the first part of what Huang An had to say, the listeners had lost all hope. If not for the fact that they were still in the sick room, they would've already been wailing out in despair.

But the latter half of Huang An's words reignited a faint glimmer of hope in them.

The significance of Master Zhao to the three was enormous. He was their father and their master. Naturally, they hoped he could recover.

But Doctor Xue's words from yesterday had been a death sentence for Master Zhao.

After Doctor Xue's visit yesterday, Master Zhao's condition had worsened overnight and he had fallen into a deep coma. Despite the siblings' cries and pleads, Master Zhao showed no response.

Early in the morning, before dawn, the two sisters had sought Doctor Xue again, only for him to rush off after a cursory examination of Master Zhao's pupils.

When they made a second attempt to find him, Doctor Xue didn't pay any attention to them.

At this point, the two sisters knew that their father was beyond saving.

Doctor Xue had not said anything directly, leaving a glimmer of hope for the two sisters, one they really didn't want to believe.

Now, Huang An too had pronounced a death sentence on their father but also claimed that he had a method to provide some relief.

Although the two sisters were still somewhat distrustful, they didn't dare to challenge Huang An directly.

Because this could be their only chance they didn't want to cross Huang An or let this faint hope slip through their fingers.

Zhao Le, being young and impulsive with little scheming, begged him immediately:

"Junior Brother, please speak quickly. I'll jot down the prescription so that we can prepare the medicines."

After saying this, Zhao Le looked at her elder sister, ready to urge her to make a decision. But upon seeing the serious expression on her sister's face, she fell silent, anxiety gripping her as she unwillingly held onto her sister's forearm.

Huang An turned his attention to Zhao Yan. Despite having known her for less than a day, Huang An could tell that Zhao Yan was the one who ran the Zhao Family Martial Arts School.

Even Pang Han, the oldest disciple in the martial arts school, didn't have the authority to make decisions.

Zhao Yan wrung her hands nervously. Her face was a picture of indecision. She was in deep thought, unsure of what to do.

She didn't dare to gamble, yet she couldn't afford not to either.

If she bet on Huang An and his plan, their father might live. If she didn't …

Gradually, Zhao Yan's eyes cleared. She realized there was no other option, and she and her sister had no way out.

Besides, she had a hunch. Junior Brother Huang, although he had awakened only today, seemed very confident.

Zhao Yan ran the martial arts school for several years, which had honed her powers of observation and sharp judgement.

Huang An had a mysterious background. Even though he was gravely ill and on the verge of death, upon observing his dress and the condition of his skin, she concluded that he wasn't a fraudster.

After all, a scammer who roamed from one place to another couldn't possibly possess the healthy skin that Huang An had.

Moreover, when Huang An was rescued, he had silver and gold with him. Although not a large sum, it wasn't a trivial amount either.

He could comfortably support a family of four for twelve or thirteen years in any place other than the capital during the Daming Dynasty.

His behavior, both before and after he fell into a coma, although slightly comical, was well controlled and polite.

Huang An's rapidly swinging emotions today revealed his exceptional emotional control. Surely, he was not someone who would treat this situation as a joke.

Having made up her mind, Zhao Yan got up, stepped forward, and formally requested:

"Junior Brother Huang, I request your help. No matter the outcome, the Zhao Family Martial Arts School will not hold you accountable."

Upon hearing these words, relief seemed to spread across Huang An's face. However, inside, he was surprised. Zhao Yan wasn't easy to predict.

Most people in her situation would say things like, "We will reward you handsomely if you save him." But Zhao Yan was different. She showed her bottom line. Whether or not Huang An could cure her father, she promised not to seek revenge.

Admiring Zhao Yan's wisdom and grit greatly, Huang An didn't notice that soon after she finished speaking, Pang Han, who had been ready to intervene, had been silenced by one look from her.

Zhao Yan was tender-hearted and understood people well.

She knew of Pang Han's distrust and hatred towards Huang An. If she hadn't stopped Pang Han just now, he would have spoiled everything. If that led to their father's condition worsening, he wouldn't be able to escape the guilt.

Huang An's gaze swept over the three of them. Seeing that even Pang Han didn't object, he breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Be patient first, listen to my instructions."

"Firstly… then… Lastly… Understood?"

After much explanation, the three of them finally grasped Huang An's intentions without much hesitation. They agreed to his arrangement.

This surprised Huang An greatly. Only after Zhao Yan explained did he understand how the three of them could so easily accept his plan.

As it turned out, Doctor Xue had conducted a similar operation yesterday, just without Huang An's complications.

Having seen Doctor Xue perform the procedure, it wasn't much of a leap for them to trust Huang An. They started preparing what was required according to Huang An's instructions without his prompting.

Huang An decided that today he would clean as much pus as possible from Master Zhao's wound.

After all, if the pus was allowed to spread further, Master Zhao would probably die today.

Huang An relied on Master Zhao to impart knowledge to him. He couldn't let him die just like that.

Everyone quickly sprang into action. Several disciples rushed over to help.

They set up two large pots in the courtyard, filled them with cold water, and heated it on a high flame. Once the water boiled, they sterilized unused white cloth in it. After the cloth had dried, it was taken inside.

They also prepared a few thin, long iron rods. The ends were heated until glowing red and then flattened to make small shovels. These were cooled with water and then sterilized on the flames to be used later.

However, when Huang An explained the use of the iron rods to Zhao Le, she asked him to wait. Without waiting for Huang An's query, she rushed off directly.

Huang An and Zhao Yan looked at each other, not understanding why.

Huang An could only act as if nothing happened and directed Zhao Yan to assist him.

But less than five minutes passed when she unexpectedly returned with a wooden box in her arms.

Opening the box, Huang An was extremely surprised; the wooden box was filled with surgical instruments.

Although there were very few tools inside, only seven types, Huang An still recognized them, they were surgical instruments.

He had found a set of items very similar to these in a museum in his hometown of Ganzhou. They were artifacts unearthed from the Liao Dynasty, and one set closely resembled the tools in this box.

That set of things were ancient surgical scalpels used by Chinese medicine practitioners which resembled modern scalpel blades in shape.

Huang An was surprised and only found out after asking carefully, she had run over to borrow them from Doctor Xue's medical clinic.

At first, Huang An was surprised but he soon accepted this reality.

It seemed that the doctors of Daming, like ancient Chinese medicine practitioners, were skilled in surgery, especially in treating external injuries.

He commanded Zhao Le to go to Doctor Xue and find some anesthetic, and ordered Zhao Yan to clean up the filth around the courtyard and sprinkle it with lime.

Ancient Chinese medicine had anesthetic powder, the powder was naturally used for surgery, not for drugging girls.

Obviously, Doctor Xue also had similar drugs. When Huang An was queuing outside Doctor Xue's medical clinic in the morning, he wasn't just looking at Doctor Xue.

...

Huang An prepared the surgical tools as best he could according to his knowledge.

Time passed quickly and by the time everything was ready, it was already two in the afternoon.

Everyone had been so busy that they didn't get a bite to eat.

When it was time to start, Huang An feared that he wouldn't be able to persist, ruining everything, so he asked for some food to be prepared to appease his hunger.

Huang An had the two women, like him, rinse their mouths and put on crudely made masks and they all entered the house together.

Just cleaning the pus was enough.

Pang Han and the others were assigned to the outside, guarding the door, not allowing anyone to enter.

After all, this was just simple cleaning, not actual medical treatment.

Without even mentioning Huang An's current lack of confidence, Master Zhao's body was also not permitting it.

The two women were thoughtful and trained in martial arts, controlling their own emotions, they could be excellent assistants.

Huang An set up the tools one by one and then began his first round of cleaning.

The two women assisted him.

Huang An's speed in cleaning the wound would be seen as very unprofessional by a professional doctor, although every surface was taken into account, many actions were unnecessary.

However, in the eyes of the Zhao sisters, Huang An's actions, demeanor, and even his gaze seemed even more impressive than Doctor Xue's.

During a break, Huang An noticed the girls' admiring looks and naturally knew what they were thinking.

He had grown up in a waste treatment factory and had often been injured. Seeing so many injuries, he was naturally familiar with them and was no longer as frightened and unfamiliar as when he first saw them.

The whole pus cleaning process took almost two hours.

Huang An tried his best to clean up every place that he could reach. But for the deeper parts, without more professional tools, and with a lack of proper drugs, Huang An didn't dare to proceed.

He also tried not to touch the rotting flesh.

The symptoms of infection in Master Zhao's wound wouldn't ease a bit. With the tools Huang An now had in his hand, he couldn't simply clean it.

Huang An was naturally cautious and now was already courageously taking a risk by cleaning Master Zhao's wound.

To get the Zhao family to disregard his age and earnestly teach him martial arts, Huang An had violated his principles of dealing with people.

However, he still had some reservations, just in case a good thing might turn into a bad one.

A mere ten minutes after the whole cleaning process ended, Master Zhao, who was still unconscious, relaxed his eyebrows a lot and a hint of light appeared in his eyes.

Just by looking at his facial expression, he seemed much more relaxed.

The sisters, by observing their father's chest as he breathed, knew that his condition was very stable.

Less than half an hour after the pus was cleaned, it was already showing a positive effect and the girls' trust in Huang An rose sharply.

Huang An let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Zhao Le, who had recovered her composure, wiped the bed clean, knelt on the ground and wiped the water off the floor.

The three of them cleaned up both inside and outside of the house before leaving the courtyard.

By now, it was already getting dark.

The three of them stood still in the courtyard. Pang Han, who couldn't wait, had already run over. Hearing that his master's condition had improved, he also showed a relieved smile.

Seeing Zhao Le and Pang Han happily sharing their beautiful vision of Master Zhao's recovery, their silver bell-like laughter rang in his ears. For a moment, Huang An didn't have the heart to interrupt.

Could anyone recover that easily?

He still had a long way to go.

He remained silent, but the seriousness in his eyes was noticed by Zhao Yan.

"Junior Brother Huang, please join me for a walk."

Huang An looked at Zhao Yan and, noticing the unease in her eyes, hesitated for a moment, but he still followed her outside.

The night had already fallen, Zhao Yan walked in front, her graceful figure swaying in the moonlight. Her full-length white dress highlighted her elegant figure, with her legs appearing straight and strong.

Even a woman who practiced martial arts could be this beautiful.