Chapter 44

No matter how lively the fight outside, Hu Xiaotian couldn't attend to it; Fangzhi Tang was badly injured, and we must first help him with emergency aid, stop the bleeding first before anything else. Hu Xiaotian had Yuan Shi Qing go to the Hall of Easy Origin to fetch strong liquor; although the Hall of Yan Yun was not lacking in alcohol, the usual alcohol content was too low to serve as a disinfectant.

Hu Xiaotian used the hemostatic forceps inside the brocade box, after a simple disinfection, he clamped the severed blood vessel. Then he cut away the hair around the wound with scissors; Yuan Shiqing had already gone to Yiyuantang to fetch the needed tools, and incidentally brought two assistants. Hu Xiaotian had all idle people leave the room, leaving only Yuan Shiqing and the victim's daughter, Fang Fang, inside.

The brocade box contained threads of varying thickness; I have to admire Li Yifeng's foresight, which was still very thorough. Hu Xiaotian hadn't expected these tools to be put to use so quickly; he selected suitable thread and first sutured the severed blood vessel. Mulberry-bark thread works very well; judging from Murong Feiyan's postoperative outcome, this thread resembles modern surgical suture and can almost perfectly replace it.

Although medical conditions were relatively inferior and certainly could not meet the requirements of aseptic surgery, the pathogenic bacteria of this era are obviously far fewer than in modern society, so the infection rate seems much lower.

Hu Xiaotian examined Fang Zhitang's wound and found it had not damaged the skull's periosteum; next, he only needed to suture the scalp wound. After disinfecting again with strong liquor, Hu Xiaotian then sutured Fang Zhitang's scalp. Yuan Shiqing stood by the whole time, rarely needing to help; although this was the second time he had seen Hu Xiaotian suture someone else's wound, seeing Hu Xiaotian's skilled technique still gave him a feeling of shock from the bottom of his heart—such medical skill is truly amazing. In the past they had never attempted to suture a person's wound, so external injuries often resulted in heavy blood loss; even if healed, the scars left behind would be large.

Yuan Shiqing's gaze fell on the blood-stained hemostatic forceps; this clamp is truly a wondrous thing—just clamp it where the blood is gushing out, and it stops the bleeding, and the tightness can be adjusted by meshing the teeth on the handle. Such an ingeniously designed tool, I really don't know how Hu Xiaotian thought of it.

After Hu Xiaotian sutured Fang Zhitang's wound, he wrapped it with white gauze; these gauzes were the leftovers from when he treated Murong Feiyan last time. Although they cannot be considered strictly sterile, they are much cleaner than ordinary gauze.

Fang Zhitang then woke up, only now feeling his head about to split open—after all, the surgery was performed without anesthesia. Fortunately he had just fainted; otherwise, when Hu Xiaotian sutured him, he would certainly not have stayed still. His first act upon waking was to look for his daughter; under Yuan Shiqing's guidance, Fang Fang came to her father's side, took his hand, and wept with joy.

Hu Xiaotian said, "You need to rest for these two days; if there's no fluctuation in your condition within two days, you should be fine. After seven days, when the stitches are removed, the injury will heal."

Although Fang Fang was blind, she was perfectly clear in her heart; she fell to her knees with a thud in the direction of Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian hurried forward and lifted her arms, trying to help her up.

Just then Murong Feiyan pushed the door open and entered; seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but snap, "Hu Xiaotian, what are you trying to do?"

Hu Xiaotian really felt wronged; it seemed this Miss Murong had a deep misunderstanding of him. He was clearly doing a good deed, yet she might have misunderstood again—could she think he would molest a blind girl at a time like this? He certainly wasn't that morally corrupt. Hu Xiaotian released Fang Fang's arm and said, "Captain Murong, you should just attend to your own duties—have you caught the troublemaking rich scion?"

Murong Feiyan replied, "What rich scion? In my eyes, princes and commoners are equally guilty when they break the law!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Tch, you keep saying that—it's outdated. Let me teach you a phrase: everyone is equal before the law!" He stepped outside; although he had some mental preparation, seeing the scene outside still startled him.

Shi Xuedong's followers were all seated on the ground, held by Hu Xiaotian's household servants. Originally, while Hu Xiaotian was busy performing surgery on Fang Zhitang, these fellows were not idle either; seeing Zhang Peng and Murong Feiyan step in to discipline Shi Xuedong's group, they also rushed over to help. Originally Zhang Peng's and Murong Feiyan's martial arts far surpassed Shi Xuedong's gang, and with the aid of these eight servants it was like adding wings to a tiger—without much effort they subdued all six of the opposition. As for Zhang Peng, he had meanwhile disappeared; no one knew when he left.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian come out, Liang Da Zhuang hurried over to report merit: "Young master, young master, we've captured all those villains!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, his eyes fixed on the green-clad young master Shi Xuedong, and walked over with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Murong Feiyan grabbed his arm and whispered, "Don't meddle—handle affairs properly; later I'll take them to the Prefecture of Jingzhao for disposition."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Just who is this bastard?"

Murong Feiyan said, "Just like you, he's a bully's son." After a pause, she lowered her voice to Hu Xiaotian: "His father is a regular fifth-rank official!" This answered Hu Xiaotian's question while indirectly calling him a bastard as well.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't be bothered to quarrel with Miss Murong; although his chest wasn't as big as hers, his breadth of mind far surpassed hers. Not knowing Shi Xuedong's background, upon hearing he was a fifth-rank official's son, he immediately smirked, "A fifth rank, huh! Damn it, I just can't figure it out—what's so impressive about being the son of a fifth-rank official? My father is a regular third-rank official, and I wouldn't dare do such a disgraceful thing, yet you, a fifth-rank official's son, dare to flirt with respectable women in the street—aren't you just asking for death? A bully's son? Pah! Compared to me, you're just a pile of shit!"

Hu Xiaotian walked over; Shi Xuedong glared at him with vicious eyes. His acupoints were sealed—he couldn't move his hands or feet, his mute point was also struck, so he couldn't speak. But he wasn't afraid; being caught by the authorities wasn't the first time—each time his father could intervene and settle things, and the unlucky ones always ended up being the constables. Thus Shi Xuedong wore a look of arrogance, supremely overconfident as he stared at Hu Xiaotian. He didn't know Hu Xiaotian either; Shi Xuedong had been running amok in the capital for years, notorious throughout the city, while Hu Xiaotian was still at home playing the village idiot.

Hu Xiaotian said, "In broad daylight, molesting respectable women, bullying the weak—do you have any shame, you bastard?"

Shi Xuedong opened his mouth, making a tearing motion to try to scare Hu Xiaotian away. Hu Xiaotian raised his hand and slapped him twice across the face: "Your grandpa's, I'm talking to you and you can't hear? I'm hitting you to make you remember." Hu Xiaotian had just burst out with all the pent-up frustration he'd suffered at Murong Feiyan's place. Hitting is also a way to relieve pressure; in fact, just earlier while performing surgery he had also endured considerable stress. After those two slaps, he felt much lighter in heart—punishing evil and promoting good feels great!

Yuan Shiqing came out and saw the situation, also startled. Although Hu Xiaotian's background is extraordinary, Shi Xuedong is no ordinary child either; if one says their fathers both serve in the same court—one a Minister of Revenue, the other a Minister of Personnel—by rights they should know each other. So why did Hu Xiaotian strike without mercy? He looked at Murong Feiyan in puzzlement, but saw her pretty face full of satisfaction, as if she were pleased with the outcome. Yuan Shiqing grew ever more confused.

After Hu Xiaotian slapped Shi Xuedong twice and saw he still didn't utter a sound, he realized his mute point might have been sealed, and turned to Murong Feiyan: "Hey, unseal his acupoints—I want to see what he has to say."

Murong Feiyan, however, had deliberately sealed Shi Xuedong's mute point; earlier she had also given Hu Xiaotian a misdirection, telling him Shi Xuedong was merely the son of a fifth-rank official, which is why Hu Xiaotian acted so arrogantly and overbearing, rushing up to slap him. To say Murong Feiyan is also quite scheming—she is clearly trying to stir up hatred toward Hu Xiaotian.

Murong Feiyan walked over and unsealed Shi Xuedong's mute point. Shi Xuedong's cheeks were swollen high from Hu Xiaotian's two slaps, stars flashing before his eyes, and he roared, "Kid, you'd better remember this—if I don't tear you apart limb from limb, I'll take your surname!"

Hu Xiaotian sneered, "Threatening a court official—crime plus one! To have a son like you, I'd have died of anger already!" Arrogant? My father is a Minister of Revenue, and I'm not that arrogant—you really don't know how to write the word 'death'. Hu Xiaotian rushed forward and kicked Shi Xuedong in the belly. Shi Xuedong's acupoints were sealed, so he could only endure the beating; he gritted his teeth and snarled, "You wait…… you wait to be beheaded……"

Murong Feiyan watched Hu Xiaotian swagger about, and suddenly felt a twinge of guilt—had she gone too far in setting him up? On her conscience, she felt a little unable to get past it.

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