Chapter 26: The Harvest (Part II)

"Zhenhua, the doctor is here."

Hearing the voice, Gu Zhenhua struggled to lift his head and looked toward the doorway. Beside He Zhonghou stood a young girl in a pale blue gown. She was slender, her neck bowed, and her dark hair was swept up in a high bun, secured by a simple green jade hairpin, giving her an elegant and tranquil appearance.

As she entered the room, the girl happened to lift her head slightly. Perhaps due to the terror of the journey, her face lacked color, yet her delicate, fair skin possessed the texture of fine white jade. Her eyes, in particular, remained clear and bright, making her all the more captivating.

Gu Zhenhua was momentarily stunned. He Zhonghou, mistaking his gaze for a lack of trust in the girl's medical skills, hurriedly explained, "Zhenhua, there are simply no doctors to be found in this village. I just asked this young lady, and she knows a great deal about medical texts."

Gu Zhenhua collected himself and said with a smile, "In that case, I will have to trouble this lady doctor."

He Zhonghou turned and retreated, leaving only the girl and Gu Zhenhua in the room—one lying on the *kang* bed, the other standing frozen in the doorway. They remained in silence for a full half-minute.

Gu Zhenhua broke the silence first: "Miss, since you are well-versed in medicine, and I am your patient, shouldn't you take my pulse and tend to my wounds?"

"Ah!"

The girl snapped back to reality. Lowering her head, she took a few steps and approached Gu Zhenhua. Not daring to look up, she cast a fleeting glance with her peripheral vision. Biting her lip, she steeled herself and grasped the man's wrist.

Her cool, jade-like hand touched his skin for the first time. Though it was only his wrist, it felt massive compared to her own arm, with muscles and veins coiled beneath the surface, pulsating with immense power. A spark seemed to travel between them, leaving the girl in a state of agitation.

Her neck flushed a faint red, and she hurriedly steadied her mind, reciting the passages from medical texts: "From the fish-border to the high bone, measure one inch—this is called the 'inch opening.' From the inch to the cubit is the 'cubit's reach.' Hence the terms 'inch' and 'cubit.' Between the inch and the cubit lies the 'gate.' Yang exits and Yin enters, with the gate as the boundary..."

This was the location of the *cun-guan-chi* pulse points. Just as she gently pressed three fingers down, carefully feeling for the pulse, she heard a soft chuckle that startled her into pulling her hand away. She looked up abruptly to find Gu Zhenhua staring at her with a smile.

"Did... did I do something wrong? The medical book says it is exactly like this."

"Miss, I haven't read medical books, but I do know the rule of 'men on the left, women on the right.' It seems you got the direction wrong."

Upon hearing this, the girl's face turned crimson. The redness spread down her neck, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"I-I'm so sorry, I, I..."

"You’ve only read the books, but have never actually treated a patient, have you?"

"N-no, that's not it. I've treated a sick cat."

The words slipped out in her panic. Seeing her shy, embarrassed face, Gu Zhenhua burst into laughter. The exertion immediately tugged at his wounds, and he winced in pain.

Seeing this, the girl grew anxious and urged, "It's all my fault. You should find a real doctor."

"Forget it. Where would I find one? Miss, I will tell you what to do, and you just follow my instructions."

"I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what? Just pretend I'm that sick cat!"

Gu Zhenhua spoke with an authoritative tone that allowed no room for argument, and the girl could only nod.

"I have two arrow wounds, one on my shoulder and one on my lower abdomen. Those are the most severe; treat them first. Use the scissors to cut away the clothing, then use the pliers to extract the arrowheads."

The girl followed his instructions, cutting a cross-shaped opening in the shoulder of his garment. Blood had already congealed around the wound; even the slightest movement caused Gu Zhenhua's muscles to spasm. After wiping away the surface blood, a refined iron arrowhead was revealed, embedded deep in his shoulder socket.

"Grip it with the pliers. You must use both hands and pull it out in one go!"

The girl gritted her teeth, clamped the pliers onto the arrowhead, and pulled with all her might. A gush of blood followed the iron as it came free, and Gu Zhenhua couldn't help but groan. The arrow had pierced more than an inch into his flesh. Had it not been for his armor, the wound alone might have cost him his life.

"Ah, you're bleeding again! Where is the styptic medicine?"

"Don't rush," Gu Zhenhua said through gritted teeth. "First, clean the wound with saltwater. Who knows if the arrowhead was tainted."

The girl complied, using gauze dipped in saltwater to meticulously clean the wound. Gradually, she grew accustomed to the task, cleaning with extreme care. Afterward, she applied medicine to staunch the bleeding and promote healing, then wrapped it in clean gauze.

After the shoulder, she turned to the arrow wound on his lower abdomen. As she cut away the fabric, his strong waist was exposed to her—eight well-defined abdominal muscles and a dusting of hair, rugged and athletic. The girl was stunned; she had never seen a man's body like this before.

Was it ugly? Or handsome? She couldn't tell, yet she couldn't help but sneak a few glances; it seemed strangely magnetic. She shook her head, chiding herself for being shameless. This was no time for such wayward thoughts!

She hurriedly treated the second wound and bandaged it. Aside from the two arrow wounds, there were several other lacerations on his ribs, shoulders, and chest, but they were merely superficial and easier to manage.

The process took an hour. The girl’s forehead was beaded