The old man gave a weak laugh. "Heaven has already shown me mercy by letting me live this long. What does losing a leg matter?" He looked at Hu Xiaotian with gratitude. "You changed my fate. You let me feel my heartbeat and pulse again. I truly am still alive."
Hu Xiaotian pointed to his severed leg. "I need to change your dressing and check the wound while I'm at it." He glanced at the little girl. "You'd all better step outside."
Murong Feiyan led the little girl away.
Hu Xiaotian covered his mouth with white gauze, fetched a sterilized dressing kit, then unwound the gauze wrapped around the old man's stump. The old man had extraordinary willpower. Though the pain pierced him to the bone, he endured it without a sound.
The wound looked good, and there had not been much bleeding. Hu Xiaotian disinfected it and applied a fresh dressing. Once he finished, he pulled down the white gauze covering his mouth and nose. "It's looking fairly good."
The old man said, "My name is An Dequan! May I ask my benefactor's name?"
"My surname is Hu!" Hu Xiaotian did not tell An Dequan his given name. He had also specifically instructed the others to keep their identities secret and not carelessly reveal them in front of these two. He picked up the bowl containing the discarded dressings and prepared to leave, only to hear the old man say, "Benefactor, please wait!"
Hu Xiaotian said, "Is there something else you need, Mr. An?"
An Dequan said, "You must already know what I am." He was lying naked beneath the sheet, so he naturally knew that the other man had seen all his body's secrets. There was no concealing the fact that he was a eunuch.
Hu Xiaotian smiled.