Chapter 576: with translation of chapter title

Zhao Lang twisted his neck, refusing to leave, coldly looked at Gu Jiu Ling and said, "I won't leave; I will watch you perform surgery on my family's Jinzhi."

"If you lot act recklessly and harm my family's Jinzhi, what shall we do?"

Zhao Lang dragged the table and chair, still refusing to leave. Gu Jiu Ling was momentarily at a loss, then looked at Jinzhi, who was already lying on the operating table, and said, "This is absurd; you handle it. Whether the surgery can be completed now depends entirely on you."

A flush brushed Jinzhi's cheeks; she had changed into loose surgical garments, yet her complexion turned slightly pale from fear.

Nevertheless, she has always been strong, enduring any situation in silence without complaint.

Jinzhi slowly leaned on the operating table to sit up, then grabbed Zhao Lang's arm, smiled at him, and gently raised her hand to gesture a few words.

All of Zhao Lang's arrogance and irritability melted into softness before this woman.

Zhao Lang inhaled, then hugged Jinzhi again and instructed, "Jinzhi, don't be afraid."

"Besides, there's me. If they aren't conscientious, I'll set her medical hall ablaze—so you can have some fun, okay?"

Gu Jiu Ling, together with Zuo Feichen and the others, rolled their eyes in unison; after all, the biggest fear in healing is a medical dispute.

Today's medical dispute is rather troublesome.

Because Jinzhi's reputation is paramount, Zhao Lang no longer dared to speak up in the operating room and hurriedly left.

Just after stepping out, Gu Jiu Ling ordered the medic slaves to slam the operating room door from inside, while Zhao Lang's anguished cries echoed from outside.

"Speak! Why are you locking the door? Are you planning to do something?"

"I warn you, don't do anything improper to my Jinzhi, or I'll make a spectacle of you all!"

"What a real fool, foolish enough!" Gu Jiu Ling couldn't help muttering a few curses under her breath.

But she couldn't scold Zhao Lang too harshly in front of Jinzhi.

Gu Jiu Ling comfortingly patted Jinzhi's arm: "Don't worry. I've already documented the injuries to your face and the vocal cords damaged by the toxic smoke, and I've drafted a thorough treatment plan. I won't treat you haphazardly."

"Relax for now; I'll let you play a round of mahjong first, then you can sleep."

Gu Jiu Ling gently patted Jinzhi's arm; she obediently nodded and lay down.

Gu Jiu Ling had Jiu Yue fit an oxygen mask onto Jinzhi, then gave her an injection at the ankle and administered some medicine.

Through a tube, Gu Jiu Ling continuously infused medication into Jinzhi's body, and soon Jinzhi fell into a deep sleep.

Zuo Feichen lifted some surgical instruments and medicines, standing beside Gu Jiu Ling.

He stared intently at Gu Jiu Ling, watching how she would cut into Jinzhi's face and how she would harvest skin from Jinzhi's thigh to graft onto her face.

Zuo Feichen had never seen such a surgery before; witnessing it firsthand felt like a dream.

Not only Jinzhi, but the other assisting medics, including Jiu Yue and the others, were dumbfounded and stayed silent.

It was as if Jinzhi were a celestial being undergoing a tribulation.

Zhao Lang paced around outside several times, repeatedly trying to push open the operating room door, only to find it firmly shut from inside; he even felt an urge to kick the door down and rush in.

In theory, this surgery shouldn't be complicated, right? It's just a facial procedure to remove a scar.

But since he brought Jinzhi to the medical hall's operating room this morning, it's now nearly noon—almost three hours have passed—and the condition still hasn't improved.

Zhao Lang suddenly stood up, walked back to the doorway, raised his hand to knock again, but his wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by someone who shoved him away.

Zhao Lang met Xiao Yin's cold eyes and was instantly at a loss for words.

Xiao Yin had just finished his morning audience and, after coordinating with Bai Xiaosheng to handle a slew of state affairs, finally found time to come to the medical hall.

After all, Jinzhi is his sworn sister, and the woman undergoing surgery inside is the one he loves most.

This time he paid particular attention to Jinzhi; if she can be cured, that would be ideal.

If she can't be cured, he knows Zhao Lang's temperament; with Zhao Lang now personally overseeing the situation, he likely won't act recklessly.

Nevertheless, Zhao Lang was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the cramped corridor outside the operating room.

Xiao Yin, irritated by his pacing, ordered someone to escort him away.

"Again with this routine!" Zhao Lang twisted his neck, still refusing to leave.

"Xiao Yin, don't get too smug…"

Xiao Yin remained unmoved, lifted the tea the medic slaves had brought, took a delicate sip, and coldly said, "You are a general who has endured countless hardships. I never expected that one day you would lose your composure like this. Isn't it shameful? If you keep shouting like that, do you believe this king will twist your tongue?"

Seeing that another half hour had passed, even Xiao Yin, who had been waiting outside, showed a slight change in complexion and slowly rose.

It's just a face; why expend so much effort?

Neither of them realized that the more microscopic the facial sculpting surgery, the more advanced—and harder to control—it becomes.

Soon, the operating room door was pushed open from inside.

Exhausted, Gu Jiu Ling slowly emerged; Xiao Yin hurried forward, grabbing Gu Jiu Ling sideways and hoisting her up.

Having stood for so long, Gu Jiu Ling's legs were numb to the point of nearly collapsing, but Xiao Yin steadied her.

"Someone! Find a room for the Princess Consort to rest."

This is Gu Jiu Ling's medical hall, her main venue.

Several medic slaves hurried ahead, guiding Xiao Yin toward the room where Gu Jiu Ling usually rests.

Gu Jiu Ling was exhausted to the limit, yet she was still alive, not a lifeless object.

Now feeling a bit awkward, she tried to struggle down.

"Prince! Prince! Put me down; there are still matters I need to explain to the patient's family."

Xiao Yin coldly replied, "Take care of yourself first; only then can you care for others."

Immediately after, Jinzhi was also pushed out from inside, and the others hurried to greet her.

Jinzhi fell into a coma, her face tightly bound, yet blood still seeped through.

Seeing Zhao Lang go frantic, Gu Jiu Ling quickly broke free from Xiao Yin's hold and stepped in front of Zhao Lang.

"You go back and calmly tend to her. After seven days, remove the gauze from her wound, then let her convalesce further."

"In another ten or so days she'll be essentially normal, but during these days you must be careful—diet is especially important."

Gu Jiu Ling clutched Xiao Yin's arm, struggling to tell Zhao Lang a few words, but she was still forcibly carried by Xiao Yin into the adjacent room to rest.

Zuo Feichen had to discuss the remaining matters with the agitated Zhao Lang in a few words.

"General Zhao, today the young lady still cannot leave; she must stay here."

"There are some matters we also need to observe a bit; by tomorrow morning we can take the young lady away."