"Divine Doctor Xuan, my Third Senior Brother has woken up. Please go to his tent."
Xuan Little Three was leading his Little Junior Sisters and Junior Brothers towards the main tent when Su Li rushed over, looking anxious.
Su Yue observed the man closely. He was eight feet tall, with rugged features, and appeared to be around forty years old, but his muscular physique suggested he had been practicing martial arts for many years.
Upon seeing Xuan Little Three with the two, he only paused briefly.
"Very well, I'll go now," Xuan Little Three replied solemnly. "Little Five, come with me."
"Mm."
Though Su Li led the way, he overheard Divine Doctor Xuan's words about having this Little boy come along.
As they walked, they encountered several patrols of soldiers. Aside from saluting Xuan Little Three, they paid no attention to the outsiders like Su Yue, a testament to the strict discipline in the army. Su Yue felt a newfound respect for her unseen grandfather.
Soon, they arrived at a tent towards the back of the camp. Su Li lifted the tent flap, ushering them inside. "Father, the Divine Doctor Xuan has arrived."
"Divine Doctor Xuan, please come and look at our third brother," Su Huan said, as if seeing a savior, quickly making room for Xuan Little Three.
Xuan Little Three didn't hesitate and went straight to the patient.
Su Yue then observed the people in the tent, especially the white-haired old man around sixty years old—her grandfather. Though she hadn't seen him in thirteen years and he likely didn't know of her existence, Su Yue felt a warmth upon seeing him for the first time, even more profound than when she saw her cousins and uncles.
As a veteran commander who had fought on battlefields for decades, one wouldn't expect him to exude gentleness beneath his iron exterior. Yet, Su Yue could sense a softness within this old man.
"Little Five, take a look," Xuan Little Three's voice pulled Su Yue back to the present, and she stepped forward. The others finally noticed the two unfamiliar young boys in the tent.
Xuan Little Four, usually lively, merely bowed respectfully before retreating to the side. Su Yue only nodded slightly before approaching.
The others realized the "Little Five" referred to by Divine Doctor Xuan was just a young boy around ten years old.
Su Huan narrowed his eyes but remained silent, and the others followed suit.
Su Huan: The Divine Doctor Xuan just said, "There might be hope" before leaving. Could this boy called Little Five be the one who can save my third son? He looks smart and quick-witted, but he's too young.
Su Yue examined the middle-aged man lying on the bed with a broken arrow in his chest. The wound was blackened, indicating poison. His face was purple, lips white, and he kept mumbling, "Father, I want to remove the arrow... Three Cheng, I want to try... I don't want to be a cripple..."
Su Huan immediately responded, "Don't rush, don't talk. Let... let the Little Doctor take a good look."
Su Li and Su Yu stood by anxiously, eying the ten-year-old boy, doubting his capabilities, but at this point, they were willing to try anything, even if there was the slightest chance.
Su Yue calmly checked the man's pulse, quickly understanding the severity of the situation. No wonder her Third Senior Brother's condition was so precarious.
The broken arrow was poisoned, with a barbed tail, and dangerously close to the heart. The poison could be treated, but removing the arrow posed risks.
Carelessly extracting the arrow could damage the heart or cause uncontrolled bleeding leading to death.
Fortunately, she had arrived. As a modern soul proficient in surgery, especially with the aid of the Spirit Spring's life-giving powers, the problem wasn't insurmountable.
As the others grew impatient, Su Yue released her grip, tucked Su Yi's arm back into the blanket, and tidied him up.
Xuan Little Three's lips twitched, wondering when his Little Junior Sister had become so meticulous. Startled, he asked, "Little Five, how is it?"
"Mm, quite serious. I'll need to perform surgery," Su Yue replied calmly.
"You're going to remove the arrow?" Su Yu exclaimed.
Su Yue glanced at him—likely another cousin—and responded with a simple, "Mm."
The others were shocked.
Before anyone could interject, Xuan Little Three asked, "Are you confident?"
"Sixty percent." In truth, barring any mishaps, she was ninety percent confident, but she didn't want to sound too absolute.
"Really?" Xuan Little Three said excitedly.
Su Yue gave him a look, ignoring the others' reactions. She retrieved her medicine box from her Spatial Bag and began preparing her herbs. She would also need to retrieve more Spirit Spring water, along with century-old ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, snow lotus, and other ingredients.
As the others wondered what to say, Xuan Little Three recovered and explained to Su Huan, "Please forgive my Little... Brother's lack of manners, General. He has spent years with our master on the mountain and is unaware of etiquette."
"No matter, no matter. But is what the young man said true?" Su Huan asked eagerly.
"Yes, if he says he's sixty percent confident, then he is. Don't let his age fool you, General. He received our master's true teachings and has more talent than me. I'm just called the Divine Doctor by others. Compared to my Little Junior Brother, I still fall short," Xuan Little Three said sheepishly, though with a hint of pride.
Xuan Little Four rolled his eyes, recalling how often Xuan Little Three had sparred with their Little Junior Sister on the mountain.
With her back to the others, Su Yue took out a few small bottles of Spirit Spring water from her Spatial Bag. She handed two over, instructing, "Drink one now, and dilute the other with two basins of water to clean the wound."
"Oh, got it," Su Li responded, immediately asking a junior medic to fetch water. He took the other bottle of Spirit Spring water, ready to feed it to his brother.
Xuan Little Three snatched the bottle from his hand, sniffing it—no scent? Water? He instantly realized his Little Junior Sister had taken out her treasured Spirit Spring. Over the years, the master and disciples had used it often, though no one spoke of it openly, respecting each other's secrets. Su Yue didn't want to reveal hers, so they pretended not to know.
Upon confirming it was Spirit Spring water, he handed the bottle back. "Mm, good stuff. Go ahead and feed it to him."
Su Yue smiled and offered another bottle of pills. "Also, give him two of these." Xuan Little Three tried to grab it, but she handed it directly to Su Li instead.
Not understanding, Su Li simply took out two pills and fed them to his brother before capping the bottle. Instantly, the bottle vanished.
Xuan Little Three opened the bottle, sniffed it, then sniffed again, beaming as he pocketed it. "Freshly made? Why didn't you share such a good thing with our Third Senior Brother? So stingy!" He rummaged through Su Yue's medicine box, finding a few more bottles and stuffing them into his pocket, feeling satisfied.
"Divine Doctor Xuan, won't my father need that medicine? What if you take it all?" Su Yu asked urgently.
"Your father only needs two pills. Little Five is here, it'll be fine," Xuan Little Three replied casually.
"But this..." Before Su Yu could finish, Su Yue handed him another bottle, saying gently, "Indeed, he won't need much today. Two pills will suffice. Take this bottle. Your elders can have it too—it's good for their health." She glanced at the old General Su Huan.
