Did He Buy Fake Medicine?

When Chen Shi'an entered the room, a thick, foul stench filled the air.

Zhao Ling was still unconscious. Her face was flushed, and she was already showing signs of a fever.

Qin E'na sat beside the bed, holding Zhao Ling's hand tightly, her face haggard.

When she saw Chen Shi'an enter, she hurriedly rose and stepped aside.

Chen Shi'an walked to the bedside, his brows knitting as his gaze fell on Zhao Ling's wound.

The wound across Zhao Ling's chest and abdomen was over half a foot long. The flesh had festered throughout, leaving a horrifying, gruesome sight.

No wonder Su Qingrou had felt dizzy and sick at the sight of it.

The traffickers at the Slave Market truly had no humanity. Despite an injury this severe, they had given her no treatment.

"M... Master, please, you must save her." Qin E'na's voice was soft and sweet.

This was the first time she had spoken since meeting Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an nodded. "I'll do my best."

He sat beside the bed and handed Qin E'na a piece of blue cloth. "I need to wash the pus and blood out of her wound first. Put this cloth beneath her."

Qin E'na hurried forward, carefully shifting Zhao Ling's body to spread the blue cloth beneath her.

Chen Shi'an brought over the wine jar and gently broke its clay seal.

"Wine?" Qin E'na looked puzzled.

Chen Shi'an nodded. "Wine isn't just for drinking. It can also be used to clean wounds."

Although the wine's alcohol content was low, nowhere near the strength of medical alcohol, it would still help a little.

Qin E'na frowned slightly, hesitating to speak.

Chen Shi'an moved closer and reached to lift Zhao Ling's clothes.

"Let me."

Qin E'na quickly bent down and carefully rolled up Zhao Ling's clothes, keeping her chest firmly covered the entire time.

Chen Shi'an naturally understood what Qin E'na was thinking. He sat quietly to one side, feeling a little disappointed.

Still, although her chest remained tightly covered, plenty of skin was exposed. Apart from the wound, it was all fair and smooth, drawing the eye.

"Done." Qin E'na finished rolling up the clothes and stepped aside.

Chen Shi'an took out a small bamboo spoon, scooped up some wine, and slowly poured it over Zhao Ling's wound to wash away the pus and blood.

The moment the wine touched her wound, the unconscious Zhao Ling gave a faint moan, her delicate brows drawing tightly together.

Qin E'na grew tense as well, clasping her hands together.

"Cleaning a wound with wine hurts a little. It's a good sign that she's reacting." Chen Shi'an spoke quietly, his hands never pausing.

As the thick pus washed away, an even heavier stench rose from the wound, almost suffocating. Even Qin E'na, standing to one side, could not help pinching her nose.

Chen Shi'an's expression remained unchanged as he continued cleaning the wound at a steady, unhurried pace.

Qin E'na's gaze settled on Chen Shi'an's broad shoulders and back, something flickering in her eyes.

Only after the time it took two incense sticks to burn did Chen Shi'an set the bamboo spoon back in the wine jar.

Most of the pus had been washed from Zhao Ling's wound.

But a small amount had worked deep into the flesh and could not be rinsed away with wine alone.

Chen Shi'an took a small cloth bundle from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it, revealing a little pair of tweezers and a Crescent Blade of the sort physicians used for surgery.

He had paid a considerable price to obtain these two things on such short notice.

He heated the tweezers and the Crescent Blade over an oil lamp until they glowed red, then rinsed them with wine.

Working with both hands, Chen Shi'an held the tweezers in one and the Crescent Blade in the other. Cutting and gripping with practiced movements, he separated the pus clinging to the flesh and scraped away the dead tissue.

Qin E'na could not bear to watch and turned her head aside.

A full two hours passed before Chen Shi'an finally let out a long breath, set down the tweezers and the Crescent Blade, and gave the wound one last rinse.

Once the pus and blood had been washed away, fresh crimson blood seeped from the wound.

Chen Shi'an took out the Wound Salve mixed with green mold and covered the wound with it.

At that point, he tactfully stood and left the bandaging to Qin E'na. "Remember to change the dressing once a day. This is all I can do. Hopefully, she'll pull through."

After tidying up a little, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and headed straight for the door.

"Thank you," Qin E'na said softly.

Chen Shi'an nodded and strode out of the room.

When Chen Tiantian returned from school, she immediately noticed the new people in the house. Upon learning who Qin E'na and Zhao Ling were, she was delighted and could hardly wait to visit their room.

Within moments, cheerful laughter drifted from inside.

Standing beneath the willow tree practicing Sword-Draw, Chen Shi'an kept shaking his head, inwardly protesting the unfairness.

He had spent the entire day running around for Qin E'na and Zhao Ling, his feet barely touching the ground.

Qin E'na had said no more than six sentences to him in total and guarded against him as though he were a thief.

Yet Chen Tiantian had only just returned, and Qin E'na was already welcoming her with a smile.

Such different treatment was nothing short of naked discrimination.

At dinner, Qin E'na did not dare sit at the table, but Su Qingrou practically dragged her over.

"E'na, as you've seen, we're not some wealthy household. We brought you here because we need help with our chili sauce business.

"We've all had hard lives. We won't treat you as a servant or a slave, so don't be so reserved. From now on, think of this place as your own home.

"As long as we have a bite to eat, you won't go hungry.

"I'll take the liberty of asking you to call me your older sister from now on.

"Look how thin you are. Those traffickers were truly heartless. Go on, eat."

"Thank you, Sister Qingrou."

Only then did Qin E'na sit at the table and pick up her bowl of white rice. Without even taking any of the other dishes, she began shoveling it into her mouth.

Ever since being captured and taken to Windrise Stronghold, she had not eaten a single full meal. In the last few months especially, sometimes all she got for an entire day was one hard steamed bun, or even half of one.

"E'na, slow down. Don't just eat rice. Have some of the dishes with it." Su Qingrou's eyes were full of sympathy.

Chen Tiantian chimed in as well. "Aunt Qin, don't eat so fast. You'll choke."

Qin E'na slowed down a little, but she was still wolfing down her food.

Soon, she emptied her bowl of white rice. Setting it down, she looked toward Su Qingrou, clearly embarrassed.

"Tiantian, hurry and get your Aunt Qin another bowl," Su Qingrou said at once.

Before Chen Tiantian could answer, Qin E'na said, "Sister Qingrou, I'll get it myself."

With that, she started to rise.

But Chen Shi'an suddenly spoke. "Don't get any more rice. Just have a few more bites of the other dishes."

Qin E'na froze, her pretty face turning scarlet as she sat at a loss.

"Younger Uncle, what are you doing? Aunt Qin is hungry." Chen Tiantian's little brows shot up.

Su Qingrou spoke up too. "Younger Brother, E'na is part of our family now."

Chen Shi'an said quietly, "She's been starving for too long. She can't eat too much or stuff herself, or her stomach won't be able to take it."

Only then did Su Qingrou realize she had misunderstood Chen Shi'an. She smiled apologetically. "Look at me, so busy I've lost my head. I'm not nearly as thoughtful as you, Younger Brother.

"E'na, he's right. You really shouldn't eat too much tonight."

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As she spoke, she served Qin E'na half a bowl of easily digested greens.

Qin E'na glanced at Chen Shi'an, an unreadable look in her eyes.

After dinner, Qin E'na helped clean up the kitchen and was about to return to her room.

Chen Shi'an handed her a teacup and said evenly, "This is Tangerine Water made by crushing oranges. Feed it to Zhao Ling, but don't give her too much at once."

"Thank you, Master." Qin E'na bowed in gratitude.

Su Qingrou added, "E'na, didn't I tell you? We don't think of you as a servant.

"Don't call him Master anymore. He's a little older than you, so you can call him Brother, or just use his name."

Chen Shi'an had been about to say something, but when he saw Su Qingrou staring straight at him, he could only give up.

Once Qin E'na had left, Su Qingrou pulled Chen Shi'an beneath the oil lamp. "Younger Brother, why are you so cold toward her? You're clearly concerned, yet you insist on sounding so stiff."

Chen Shi'an smiled wryly. "Sister-in-law, you can't be this biased. I'm not the cold one-she is, all right?

"I spent all day working hard for them, but she wouldn't even give me a smile, let alone talk to me.

"And when I kindly treated Zhao Ling's wound, she guarded against me like I was a thief."

Su Qingrou smiled faintly. "I can tell that Qin E'na and Zhao Ling are both respectable girls. Men and women should keep their distance, so it's perfectly normal for her to be wary of you.

"Besides, after everything they've suffered, they're naturally more guarded around people."

Chen Shi'an shook his head. "That might not be the main reason. Sister-in-law, haven't you noticed? Their backgrounds aren't simple. They may not be ordinary women."

Su Qingrou nodded. "E'na carries herself properly, and her hands are fair and smooth. One glance tells you she was raised in comfort.

"She said she came from the Sacred Martial Dynasty, and the Qin family is a distinguished clan there.

"Perhaps, like me, she was exiled to the Desolate Ruins because her relatives were convicted of a crime.

"A woman of good birth is bound to have some pride.

"She'll get better with time."

Chen Shi'an lifted his eyelids slightly. "Qin E'na lied about one thing. She and Zhao Ling aren't cousins. They're mistress and servant."

Su Qingrou blinked. "What makes you think that?"

"Instinct," Chen Shi'an said.

Su Qingrou unwittingly gave Chen Shi'an a lovely roll of her eyes. "You make it sound so mysterious. I don't believe you."

Clearly, through his efforts over this time, Chen Shi'an had already earned Su Qingrou's trust.

That unconscious gesture had been a natural expression of her feelings, one that already bordered on intimacy.

In the candlelight, Su Qingrou's little eye roll held countless charms.

Chen Shi'an visibly froze at the sight.

But he immediately caught himself and hurriedly averted his gaze.

"Younger Brother, speaking of Zhao Ling, do you think she'll pull through?" Su Qingrou asked quietly, not noticing anything unusual about Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an shook his head. "Let's hope Heaven watches over her."

Su Qingrou sighed softly, then said, "When I have time tomorrow, I'll clear out the room where we keep the odds and ends."

Chen Shi'an looked puzzled. "Don't we already have enough room?"

Su Qingrou said quietly, "I'll have E'na and Zhao Ling sleep separately."

Chen Shi'an waved a hand. "There's no need. Sharing a room makes it easier for Qin E'na to look after Zhao Ling."

"But it makes things inconvenient for you," Su Qingrou blurted out.

"Me?"

Chen Shi'an blinked, his face full of confusion.

Having let slip the words she had been keeping to herself, Su Qingrou blushed scarlet.

Seeing that, how could Chen Shi'an fail to guess what his sister-in-law was thinking? He gave an awkward cough. "Actually, I'm really not as impatient as you think.

"Sister-in-law, it's getting late. I'm going to bed."

With that, he quickly rose and hurried out of the room.

Su Qingrou shook her head gently. "He's already an adult. There's nothing shameful about this sort of thing. Why hide it?"

Chen Shi'an checked on Zhao Ling first. Seeing that she was still unconscious, he returned to his room and continued practicing Sword-Draw.

Only after practicing until his hands ached and weakened and his body was exhausted did he fall into a deep sleep.

A burst of urgent knocking woke him from his dreams.

"Chen Shi'an, hurry! Get up!" Qin E'na's anxious voice came from outside.

Chen Shi'an hurriedly threw on his clothes, got up, and opened the door. "What's wrong?"

"Come look at Zhao Ling!" Qin E'na spoke urgently, panic written across her face.

"Keep your voice down. Don't wake Tiantian. She has to get up early tomorrow to study the Spirit Medium arts."

Chen Shi'an gestured for quiet and hurried into the next room.

In the candlelight, he saw that Zhao Ling's previously pale face was now bright red.

And it was not just her face. Her neck, her hands... every patch of exposed skin had turned red.

Chen Shi'an hurried forward and placed his hand on her forehead.

She's burning up!

Zhao Ling's forehead felt like a burning coal. Her temperature had to be at least forty-two degrees Celsius.

This sudden high fever... could my green mold have caused it?

"Chen Shi'an, think of something, quickly! If her fever keeps burning like this, she'll die." Tears were already welling in Qin E'na's eyes.

Clearly feeling guilty, Chen Shi'an coughed twice. "Give her some water first. I'll fetch some from the well."

With that, he rushed outside.

When he returned, he carried a bucket filled with well water and a towel.

"Wipe her down with the well water first. See if you can bring her temperature down." Leaving those words behind, Chen Shi'an went outside again.

He did not return to bed, however. Instead, he took out the Horizontal Saber and stayed in the courtyard, practicing Sword-Draw as he waited.

About half an hour later, Qin E'na emerged from the room and said urgently, "It's no use. She's still burning up, and now she's delirious."

Chen Shi'an hurried inside after her and saw that Zhao Ling was still red all over.

He lifted her clothes and found that the gauze over her wound had actually turned black.

Chen Shi'an was now almost certain that the problem lay with the green mold.

The toxins in the green mold had piled frost atop Zhao Ling's snow.

A deep sense of guilt welled up in Chen Shi'an's heart, and he hurriedly said, "Take the gauze off, now."

"Didn't we only apply the medicine today?" Qin E'na asked in confusion.

Chen Shi'an knitted his brows tightly and raised his voice slightly. "Stop asking so many questions. Take the gauze off."

After a moment's hesitation, Qin E'na removed the gauze as instructed.

The instant the gauze came away, a stench several times stronger than it had been during the day filled the entire room.

Both Zhao Ling's wound and the gauze were covered in a thick, pitch-black substance.

"How could this happen?"

Qin E'na went pale with shock. "Did we buy fake medicine?"

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