Chapter 1437

Hu Xiaotian said, "I can't take the responsibility, so I can just stand by and watch. If I don't act, the Empress Dowager will surely die; if I act, she still has a slim chance of survival. What to do is up to you." He glanced at the few people and said, "Before the craniotomy, you must gather the royal family and senior officials to vouch for me. No matter what happens to the Empress Dowager during the treatment, you must not blame me; otherwise, please seek someone more capable."

The few people were shocked by Hu Xiaotian's words. Su Yujin and Zhou Desheng went to Hu Buwei's side, the three gathered and discussed briefly, quickly reaching a decision. Hu Xiaotian made sense; looking at the Empress Dowager's current state, if he didn't act, she would surely perish. In fact, they also had their own calculations: first agree to Hu Xiaotian; if he cures the Empress Dowager, everyone would be happy; if she dies under his hand, even if they don't pursue blame, the subjects of Tianxiang Kingdom would not let him off.

Thus agreeing to Hu Xiaotian's demand was merely a temporary measure; Zhou Desheng went out to prepare the documents Hu Xiaotian needed.

In the meantime, Hu Xiaotian had already readied his tools and had Su Yujin help seal Long Xuanjiao's acupoints. The reason he chose Su Yujin to assist was not only because her martial arts were strong and her point‑selection accurate, but she also possessed a skill of chilling with ice, which could help cool the Empress Dowager's head at a critical moment, and it also amounted to having a backup. If anything unexpected occurred during the surgery, Su Yujin would not escape responsibility either. However, judging from the present situation, Hu Xiaotian still had confidence in Long Xuanjiao's condition; although there were risks, taking them was worthwhile compared to the future outcome of this matter, and if successful, the postoperative benefits would be extremely rich.

Using a razor, he scraped away the black hair on Long Xuanjiao's crown in three strokes five spots, located the possible bleeding site, and with a hand‑cranked cranial drill opened a hole in her skull to perform intracranial decompression.

Seeing the accumulated blood flow out from the skull opening, Hu Xiaotian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Yujin, though highly skilled in martial arts and accustomed to bloodshed, also felt a secret alarm upon seeing Hu Xiaotian's surgical procedure; a hole had been drilled in the skull and blood kept oozing out, making it seem that Long Xuanjiao's fate was more likely grim than fortunate. At this moment she realized that Hu Xiaotian had dragged her into a quagmire; if the Empress Dowager died, would she not also have to bear responsibility?

Looking again, Hu Xiaotian remained calm, using the tools to fix Long Xuanjiao's skull, then sat in a chair and began the cranial exploration, opening the skull to expose the brain. He quickly located the lesion: Long Xuanjiao's head bore a tumor the size of a cherry. Unknown what caused it, the tumor ruptured, causing secondary bleeding that rapidly raised intracranial pressure, which explained her recent symptoms. Judging by the tumor's color, shape, and relation to surrounding tissue, it appeared benign; lacking pathological examination, he could only make a rough judgment by eye.

Su Yujin stood aside, watching Hu Xiaotian's every move. Seeing him skillfully remove the intracranial tumor with practiced knife work and then staunch the bleeding, she thought to herself that, despite her broad experience, she had never seen such medical skill from him. This boy was certainly no ordinary person. Today she finally had the chance to observe Hu Xiaotian closely; the thieves who had sneaked into Qingxuan Temple should have a completely different build from him, yet while a person's physique and appearance can change, some things cannot. If Murong Feiyan had not recognized him as Hu Xiaotian, she would not have risked her life to save him, and later, when he fell off the cliff and instinctively protected Murong Feiyan, Su Yujin saw that as well. She inwardly mused that a woman's intuition is most accurate; Feiyan would surely not mistake him.

While Hu Xiaotian was performing surgery on Long Xuanjiao, Yang Longjing in the adjacent chamber finally woke up; he felt severe chest pain, his mouth dry and tongue parched, he opened his eyes, only to see a man he did not recognize beside him, thinking he was still imprisoned, he cried out in panic: "Someone… save the emperor!"

The man smiled and said: "Your Majesty need not panic; I am Zhan Peng, ordered by Master Hu to guard Your Majesty."

Only then did Yang Longjing realize he was in the palace, his heart somewhat settling: "Where is the Empress Dowager? I wish to see the Empress Dowager..."

Upon hearing that the king had awakened, Zhou Desheng hurried to the bedside, seeing Yang Longjing indeed awake, he was overjoyed to tears, sighing incessantly: "The king has awakened, wonderful, wonderful, Heaven blesses our king, Heaven blesses our king!"

Yang Longjing weakly said: "Where is the Empress Dowager? Why don't I see her?"

Zhou Desheng dared not tell him the truth: "Your Majesty has been missing for two days; the Empress Dowager has not eaten a grain for two days and nights, not closing her eyes for a moment; I finally managed to persuade the Empress Dowager to rest."

Yang Longjing let out a breath and said: "Then… let the Empress Dowager rest well… don't disturb her…" After saying that, he felt utterly exhausted, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Desheng wiped away his tears, went out and told the joyful news to the officials waiting outside, letting them feel at ease; hearing that the king was unharmed, those officials all shouted "Long live!" and also set their minds at ease. As long as the king is safe, the Tianxiang State will not suffer major upheaval; as for the Empress Dowager's illness, Zhou Desheng did not reveal it to outsiders, so aside from a few people, no one else knew that the Empress Dowager was also ill.

Hu Buwei felt somewhat relieved; tonight might be one of the most difficult nights of his life. Although Yang Longjing had already awakened, Long Xuanjiao's life or death remained uncertain, and to him, the latter was more important. He hoped Hu Xiaotian's surgery would go smoothly; otherwise, the situation he had painstakingly built in the Tianxiang State would likely be ruined in an instant. He had thought he already controlled the situation, but he never expected Hu Xiaotian's appearance to disrupt his layout, forcing him to admit that this son indeed possessed extraordinary ability—it was he who helped him retrieve the Skull, and now the two lives concerning his future and prospects were again in Hu Xiaotian's hands. Hu Buwei suddenly had the thought that Hu Xiaotian might be the one pulling the strings. He had originally intended to applaud him lightly, but instead found himself under his control—indeed, world affairs are unpredictable.

After finishing Long Xuanjiao's surgery, outside it was already broad daylight; morning had arrived. Hu Xiaotian left the room, and under the gaze of everyone present, he stretched his arms, narrowed his eyes to look at the rising sun in the eastern sky, a lazy smile playing on his face.

Zhou Desheng approached Hu Xiaotian respectfully and said: "Master Hu, the Empress Dowager..."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Go see her; the surgery was very successful, the danger has passed, and if all goes well, she might wake up today."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Desheng was overjoyed, he bowed deeply to Hu Xiaotian, then told a young eunuch beside him: "Xiao Zhongzi, quickly take Master Hu to have breakfast."

Hu Xiaotian said: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot, Lord Zhou; have someone prepare hot water for me—I want to take a good bath."

Zhou Desheng nodded repeatedly.

Hu Xiaotian never once glanced toward the distant Hu Buwei the whole time, following the little eunuch to the room prepared for him.

After bathing and changing, having finished breakfast, Zhan Peng came over to inform him that Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao had awakened; although this was within Hu Xiaotian's expectation, he hadn't expected her recovery to be so swift, suggesting there should be no serious issues.

Hu Xiaotian first went to Long Xuanjiao's room, but saw Zhou Desheng and Su Yujin still guarding there; upon seeing Hu Xiaotian return, Zhou Desheng hurried forward and whispered: "The Empress Dowager has awakened, but she seems to have encountered some problems."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Is it that the Empress Dowager's memory is a bit off?"

Zhou Desheng sighed: "Master Hu truly is a divine physician; the Empress Dowager has forgotten some things."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; post-operative brain trauma can easily cause some damage, and partial memory loss is a normal occurrence. However, what surprised Hu Xiaotian was that Long Xuanjiao had actually forgotten Hu Buwei; when Hu Buwei had just come in to visit, she wore a blank expression, as if she had never seen this person before, leaving Hu Buwei quite embarrassed—he hadn't spoken more than a few sentences before Long Xuanjiao drove him out.

To Hu Xiaotian, this lifesaver, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao had not forgotten; she gazed at Hu Xiaotian, the corner of her mouth revealing a hint of a smile: "Young Master Hu, I am unable to rise to express my thanks; I can only repay the favor after I recover."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Empress Dowager, there's no need for such courtesy; as long as you are safe, that is already the greatest comfort to me." He thought, I saved you and your son's two lives; now it seems time to fulfill the promise. Didn't you say whoever saves Yang Longjing becomes the prince consort of the Tianxiang State? And you also mentioned repaying the favor later? Could it be that Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao has forgotten such an important matter? But Hu Xiaotian also knows now is not the moment to bring up conditions; this prince consort should already be a sure thing for him, no need to rush.

Women are naturally beautiful; Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao, though she was forty, still cared greatly about her appearance. She had Zhou Desheng bring over a mirror, looked at herself in it, and saw that all her black hair had been completely shaved off, her head wrapped in white gauze. She sighed somewhat dejectedly; she had always cherished her hair, never expecting to become a bald woman.

Zhou Desheng, who had followed her for many years, naturally understood her feelings and softly comforted: "Empress Dowager, even if your hair is gone, it can grow back; once it regrows, it will surely be even darker and shinier."

Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao said indifferently: "No need to comfort me; I understand—compared to life, what is hair?" She then said to Hu Xiaotian: "Young Master Hu, I heard you took something from my brain."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "It's a tumor. I just asked Old Master Zhou—Empress Dowager, you used to have frequent headaches; this tumor must be the cause." He brought the tumor placed in the copper basin nearby over to Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao's face for her to see.

Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao furrowed her brows; although it was something taken from her own brain, looking at it still made her feel bloody and nauseous, but this nausea was psychological, completely different from the previous nausea and vomiting. Hu Xiaotian handed the copper basin to Zhou Desheng to take away. Rising, he said to Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao: "Empress Dowager, please rest well; I will go check on the king's recovery."

Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao said: "Go quickly!"

Thanks to Rainy Mountain Wind, Handsome Guy Smelly Feet, Qingsir, Whocool, Meiyan Gongpiaohong for the rewards; limited space prevents listing them all, thanks to all brothers and sisters supporting Zhangyu! (To be continued~^~)