Chapter 616: Celestial Mountain Sword Sect gets involved (2/2)
“She’s quite skilled, then,” she mocked instead.
Long Feiye simply pulled her over and remarked, “We can just stay here. Once the snow melts, I’ll take you to Celestial Mountain, how’s that?” His expression and words were caught in a rare moment of sincerity as he gazed at her. There was a magnetic charm to Long Feiye’s eyes whenever he grew serious, one that Han Yunxi found impossible to refuse. No matter what he said then, she couldn’t reject him, and now he was talking about going to the mountain she’d been hoping to visit.
“Alright,” she replied loudly.
It was currently the first month of the lunar year. For the snows to melt, they’d have to wait for at least two more months. We can definitely heal Gu Beiyue’s injury and send him back to Pill Fiend Pharmacy before then, Han Yunxi thought. And leave Ning Cheng to deal with that annoyance Duanmu Yao on his own.
If she remembered correctly, Northern Li’s battle horses had recovered their stock quite well this winter. Once summer rolled around and the grass was full again, they’d be able to replenish their forces. Ning Cheng wouldn’t have time to be idle then. After all the chaos in the western regions, Northern Li wouldn’t hesitate to jump at this golden opportunity to threaten Ning Cheng! Although things had changed from Long Feiye’s initial plans and he had lost part of the reins, he still ended up with the last laugh and the most gains. In the coming months, they would sit in Yaoshui and watch storms rise up between Western Zhou, Northern Li, and Tianning. Even Long Tianmo and his Tianan would be swept up in the mess.
Idiots used betrayal to get their gains, while geniuses seized opportunities to succeed. The unmoving, silent man before Han Yunxi right now was simply an instigator who called upon rains and winds with a turn of his hand. I can dedicate the coming days to curing Gu Beiyue, Han Yunxi decided. She wasn’t going to forgive the Chu Clan either. Once Duanmu Yao finished her business, she didn’t mind throw a stone after them in the well!
—
Two more days passed. There was still no news from Gu Qishao, while Third Elder Shen arrived on the final day with a Divine Doctor Luo, who specialized in orthopedics. After Third Elder Shen took a pulse, he and Divine Doctor Luo began a long, serious discussion on Gu Beiyue’s injuries. But all they did was shake their heads when everything was over. As a doctor herself, Han Yunxi knew what that meant. She only sat with a taut expression, grave enough to frighten a man.
“Elder Shen, don’t just shake your head. What’s the status?” Tang Li blurted out.
Third Elder Shen didn’t seem to have heard. When he didn’t reply, Tang Li tried asking again, but was silenced by a glare from Han Yunxi. She was anxious too, but she knew doctors shouldn’t be disturbed while determining their diagnosis. Both Third Elder Shen and Divine Doctor Luo asked Gu Beiyue questions while they examined the wounds. It took an entire hour before the elder re-bandaged Gu Beiyue’s injuries and said in a heavy tone, “Beiyue, you…probably know the conclusion already.”
Han Yunxi knit her brows. She stared at Gu Beiyue’s bandaged knee and subconsciously bit her lip. Lil Thing sat on her shoulder, clasping its claws tightly.
“Mm,” Gu Beiyue smiled mildly. “I know.” Despite his expression, the mood in the room only sank further at the words. Tang Li and Chu Xifeng exchanged glances, while Long Feiye stood with hooded eyes, his face cast in shadows.
Third Elder Shen looked at Gu Beiyue’s unsullied smile and really felt contrite. He had interacted with Director Gu in the past and watched Gu Beiyue grow up as a child. How could such a good, kindhearted boy ended up with such aplight? Can Director Gu rest easy in the Nine Springs after knowing this? He gave a long sigh and rose to bow towards Han Yunxi with clasped hands.
“Esteemed wangfei, Doctor Gu’s leg…is a loss!”
“A loss? How can this be?”
“Third Elder Shen, it’s really incurable? Does no one else have a way?”
Tang Li and Chu Xifeng were both astonished. Even Long Feiye creased his brows slightly. All of them knew that Gu Beiyue’s injuries were severe, but they never expected it to be beyond hope. They all assumed that Third Elder Shen would fix the man once he arrived.
Third Elder Shen somberly shook his head while Divine Doctor Luo spoke up. “Doctor Gu injured his tendon and incurred serious tears to his leg muscle. Although nothing’s been torn completely, the ripping is serious enough to affect his mobility and ability to stand. It’s impossible to cure something like this. All we can do is give him medicine to treat the wound long-term and prevent it from getting worse. Once it does, the tendon might tear completely.”
“Can’t the tendon be reattached?” Han Yunxi finally spoke up. She wanted to see if Third Elder Shen had the skills, which was why she invited him in the first place. If that was the case, even a completely torn tendon could be fixed! Although she knew Cloud Realm Continent’s medical technology was limited and possessed no knowledge of surgery techniques herself, she still held out a trace of hope.
“Broken bones can be reattached, but torn tendons…” Third Elder Shen could only shake his head again.
“Bones can be reconnected, while tendons can be restitched!” Han Yunxi said. Broken bones were fixed that way, with the marrow reparing itself until it was as good as whole past 100 days. The same reasoning applied to cut tendons as well. A single stitch along a seam could incite the same healing in the same amount of time. This was a simple fix in modern days, so why was it so hard for the past?