"This is a malignant abscess. If it had been discovered earlier, the pus drained, and treated with mildly toxic herbs, it would have been nothing serious. But because it was delayed for too long, it has become somewhat troublesome, though it won't claim a life. You can all rest assured."
Upon hearing this, the man's family finally relaxed completely, looking at Yun Xiao with tears of gratitude.
Night was drawing to a close. Yun Xiao did not wish to delay any further. As soon as dawn broke, the palace would discover their absence, likely causing an uproar. Therefore, they had to leave the city before daybreak.
"Go boil some water, quickly."
Yun Xiao asked the woman to boil water and then turned to instruct Wanwan, "Prepare the things."
The woman immediately went to fetch water. Wanwan opened the bundle, taking out silver needles, a small spirit stove, and various medicinal herbs. As she spread a white cloth on the table, she asked, "Mistress, is this all?"
"Mm," Yun Xiao nodded, taking out a silver knife from her sleeve and placing it down.
The water was soon boiled and brought over. Looking at the gleaming silver instruments before them, the woman couldn't help but tremble. They had never seen such things before and were naturally afraid.
The mother and daughter clasped their hands tightly. Under the dim lamplight, their faces appeared as pale as paper.
Yun Xiao raised her head, glanced at them, and smiled sweetly, "You two should step out for a while. It will be over soon."
The two women cast a glance at the man on the bed before slowly retreating.
"Wanwan, come, help me hold the lamp. The light in the room is too dim."
Yun Xiao instructed, already picking up a pill and giving it to the patient. This was a pill with anesthetic properties, but it was far inferior to a true anesthetic. However, it was better than nothing.
With complete trust, the patient swallowed the pill. Yun Xiao tore a piece of white cloth from the table and stuffed it into the man's mouth, speaking in a low voice.
"There might be some pain, but it's bearable. You must endure it. Think of your family. Once you get through this, everything will be alright."
Her clear voice imbued with a magical strength, a spark of hope ignited in the patient's eyes. He nodded forcefully, biting down on the white cloth.
Yun Xiao began her work.
Her movements were orderly, skilled, and elegant.
Wanwan watched in stunned silence, her hand holding the lamp trembling slightly. She had never seen anyone make an incision on a person's body with such a knife.
Flesh and blood became a mess, then a piece of white scab was removed. Afterwards, the wound was cleaned with cooled boiled water, medicine was applied, and it was stitched shut with a thread-like herb using silver needles...
In the room, aside from the one performing the surgery, who remained calm and composed, the other two were deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down their faces.
Wanwan felt her chest heave and churn, unable to find any solid ground. Her breathing became difficult. If she hadn't exerted extreme self-control, she would have fainted.
As for the man on the bed, he was drenched in sweat from the pain, his face and lips a deathly pale white. However, thinking of his family, he managed to stay conscious.
Only when Yun Xiao completed the entire surgery, applied an anti-inflammatory medicinal liquid to the sutured wound, and finally bandaged it with white cloth.
Everything had finally been seen through.
Wanwan stumbled back a couple of steps, placing the lamp on the table. Her legs felt weak, and she had to grip the edge of the chair to steady herself.
Yun Xiao glanced at her as she walked unhurriedly to the side to wash her hands and clean the tools. She knew that Wanwan had already done remarkably well, managing to hold on until the end under such circumstances.
Most ordinary people would have fainted long ago. She had let Wanwan witness it precisely to train her adaptability, as such events would occur frequently in the future, and she needed a capable assistant.
"Are you alright?"
Wanwan shook her head, taking a deep breath. She felt much better, but it was a lie to say she was completely unaffected. Cold sweat drenched her body, leaving her feeling chilled.
"Mistress, you are truly amazing."
"It's nothing, really," Yun Xiao said, having finished packing everything away. She walked to the side of the man's bed, removed the cloth from his mouth, and asked gently, "Are you doing alright?"
The man nodded. The talking in the room had alerted those outside.
The woman and the little girl rushed in. Seeing that the man's eyes were open and he was lying in bed, and that nothing had happened, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. They knelt down with a thud, "Thank you, benefactor. Thank you, benefactor."
Yun Xiao reached out to help them up and placed some pills in the woman's hand, "These are for him. Absolutely do not let him get out of bed for the next few days. Only let him walk after the wound has healed."
"Yes, yes."
After giving her instructions, Yun Xiao turned to look at Wanwan, "We should go now. It's almost dawn."
"Mm," Wanwan walked over, her steps still a little unsteady but not seriously so. She took the bundle from Yun Xiao, and the two of them walked out together.
The woman and the child watched them leave, running after them and calling out repeatedly.
"Miss, miss, what is your name? What is your name?"
From a distance, Yun Xiao let out a hearty laugh, her clear voice ringing out, "My name is Ghost Hand."
The woman behind her was stunned. Wasn't Miss a woman? Why would she call herself Ghost Hand? It seemed she was a young master named Ghost Hand. She lowered her head and looked at her daughter, "Yueyuer, do you remember? This is the benefactor who saved your father. His name is Ghost Hand. You must repay him in the future!"
"Understood, Mother."
The mother and daughter exchanged a smile and turned back into the house. The man on the bed had fallen asleep, but a rare expression of peace had settled on his brow...
The moon sank below the horizon, and the sky began to show streaks of pale blue. The air was damp and cool. Both of them, having stayed up all night, were tired, but dared not slacken their pace.
The palace would likely discover their absence soon, so they had to get out of the city as quickly as possible.
"Let's go, Wanwan, we're leaving the city."
The two of them left each other's side, taking a shortcut towards the city gates.
By this time, there were already pedestrians on the streets, and the calls of early rising vendors rose and fell in succession.
Although Yun Xiao and Wanwan were in a hurry to get going, they were weary from staying up all night, traveling for a long time by carriage, and then attending to the patient. Now, they were not only tired but also hungry.
"Let's go buy some steamed buns," seeing a stall selling buns on the street, both of them felt their stomachs rumble with hunger.
"Give us ten steamed buns," Wanwan said crisply as they approached. The vendor responded cheerfully, "Certainly!"
He deftly handed them ten steamed buns, took the money, and continued with his business. Wanwan and Yun Xiao carried the buns, eagerly devouring them as they walked onward.