NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 9
Brother Huo had adjusted to the darkness, when a sudden flash of light stabbed his eyes. He reflexively raised his hand to block it, and heard a thud as Qi Amah knelt on the ground, "My Queen, I did not recognize your kind heart. I wrongly accused you. Please save Brother Huo."
"Help me up!" Yuan Qingling said hoarsely as she slowly lowered her hand.
Qi Amah quickly put down the lantern and went to help Yuan Qingling up. Seeing the pool of blood behind Yuan Qingling, she knew it was from a caning injury. She hesitated for a moment, still quite disgusted by this woman in her heart, but perhaps Brother Huo was right after all?
"My Queen, can you stand?"
"Bring me my medicine kit!" Yuan Qingling knew Qi Amah hated her deeply, yet she was willing to kneel and plead. Brother Huo's condition must be very serious then. She had to put aside her worries about her medicine kit being discovered.
"Yes, yes!" Qi Amah went to fetch the medicine kit and came back to support her.
With every step, Yuan Qingling felt excruciating pain in her buttocks and legs. By the time she made it out the door, she was drenched in sweat, the agony making her teeth chatter.
"My Queen..."
"No more nonsense, let's go!" Yuan Qingling said through gritted teeth, enduring the pain.
To her, saving someone was pure and simple. But saving Brother Huo this time, she had an additional motive - to win back people's hearts. Only then could she survive.
"He won't die."
Suddenly, she heard someone speaking.
Yuan Qingling instinctively looked at Qi Amah. One of Qi Amah's hands held the lantern, the other supported her. She hadn't spoken. Seeing Yuan Qingling look at her, wrinkles furrowed her brow. She quickly asked, "My Queen, is the pain too much to walk?"
The voice was different.
Qi Amah's voice was aged, but the one she just heard sounded young and childlike.
Yuan Qingling slowly shook her head. More voices drifted into her ears. This time she couldn't make out what was said, only the direction - a big tree in the yard.
Two birds fluttered up from the tree, spreading their wings high and flying away.
Were those bird calls? Ah, her mind was playing tricks on her, making her think they were human voices.
By the time they reached the low building, Yuan Qingling had exhausted all her strength. Her legs trembled as she walked, but she couldn't even sit to rest.
"Go wait outside first!" Yuan Qingling told Qi Amah and Lv Ya.
Qi Amah hesitated. She still didn't quite trust Yuan Qingling.
"I'll stay and help."
Yuan Qingling's face darkened. "Or do you want to treat him instead?" Seeing Brother Huo delirious with fever, Qi Amah thought she had nothing to lose with this final gamble. "Alright. I and Lv Ya will stand guard outside. My Queen, call if you need anything."
But she thought to herself that if anything happened to Brother Huo, she would fight Yuan Qingling to the death.
Lv Ya wanted to speak, but Qi Amah had already pulled her outside.
Yuan Qingling said, "Close the door. No peeking, or I won't be responsible for what happens."
"I wouldn't dare peek," Qi Amah said as she shut the door.
Yuan Qingling breathed a sigh of relief and slowly dragged the medicine kit over.
She felt Brother Huo's forehead. It was at least 40 degrees Celsius.
Yuan Qingling first gave him a fever reducer, then injected him.
She unwrapped the wound dressings. The wound was inflamed and had some sticky yellowish stuff that looked like medicinal powder. She scraped some off and rolled it between her fingers - it was San Qi powder.
The infected wound was festering, yet they had externally applied San Qi powder. No wonder it continued worsening.
Yuan Qingling couldn't help getting angry. Incompetent doctors harm people.
She cleaned Brother Huo's wound again, scraping away the San Qi powder mixed with blood and pus, before rebandaging it.