Chapter 462: Five Grains Goddess

Gu Xixi looked at Doctor Bai and continued, "Because you are here, the chance of soldiers in the army dying from infected arrow wounds has greatly decreased."

"As a healer, you have boundless merit."

Doctor Bai was somewhat surprised, on guard, and asked, "Who are you?"

"Miss, you not only know these details, but can also explain the procedure clearly."

"You're not just a fellow practitioner, are you?"

Gu Xixi smiled faintly, "I don't dare call myself a colleague; I only have a slight grasp of medicinal theory and have learned a few rudimentary acupuncture techniques."

She paused, "My surname is Gu; Doctor Bai, perhaps you have heard of me."

Doctor Bai's pupils contracted; he stared at Gu Xixi, drew a sharp breath, and said somewhat surprised:

"Boss Gu! The Five Grains Goddess?!"

This time it was Gu Xixi who was puzzled, "Five Grains... Goddess?"

Doctor Bai nodded excitedly, "Exactly, who in the Northwest Army doesn't know the Five Grains Goddess?"

"They say she can turn barren land into farmland, allowing the border that never grew grain to reap two harvests a year. Even our mighty general favors Boss Gu and treats her with respect."

"Last year, after the army's grain ran short and then continuous battles, thanks to the Five Grains Goddess we didn't go hungry during the lean winter-spring period!"

"Today! I finally get to see the real person!"

The Northwest Army's camp is large, with many soldiers.

Although Gu Xixi has come and gone several times before, not everyone has seen her true appearance.

So whenever the people in the army talk about that mysterious Boss Gu, there are many versions of the rumor.

Everyone knows Boss Gu is a woman.

Some say she is of marriageable age, a widow landlady.

Some say she is past middle age, steady and imposing, with the bearing of a female general.

Still others say her background is extraordinary, her connections deep, with ties to the capital...

Of course, Gu Xixi didn't know she herself had become a legendary figure.

After Doctor Bai finished speaking, seeing Gu Xixi still bewildered, he smiled and revealed, "The Five Grains Goddess is you!"

Gu Xixi broke out in a cold sweat inwardly.

This title sounds strangely embarrassing.

So she steered the conversation back, "Doctor Bai, the pregnant woman and fetus inside are at death's door, waiting for you to save them."

Gu Xixi said this, clasped her hands, bowed, and performed a great salute.

Doctor Bai still furrowed his brow, but his expression was much more serious than before.

"It's not that I won't save them; I simply lack skill in this area."

"I've looked at the prepared medicines stored in the village; most treat common women's and children's ailments, with superb medicinal techniques and precise formulas—I feel inferior."

"I've heard these medicines are regularly sent to the Dependents Village by Boss Gu."

"Since you have experts beside you and are yourself knowledgeable, you should know that a baby's hand presenting first is a dire omen, only discovered at the critical moment of birth."

"In such a situation, even a god would find it hard to save."

Gu Xixi nodded, "I know."

"In a normal delivery, both mother and child would surely die; therefore I ask you to use your knife."

As a military doctor who has seen countless bloody wounds, Doctor Bai immediately understood Gu Xixi's meaning.

His pupils trembled, his voice tight, "You mean... a cesarean to take the child?!"

Gu Xixi said, "Open, remove the fetus, then suture it back as before."

"You extract arrowheads in the army; some penetrating wounds aren't done the same way?"

Doctor Bai's face showed difficulty, "The same..."

"Yes, the methods are somewhat similar, but extracting an arrowhead is not the same as extracting a fetus."

He wore a bitter face, troubled, "After all, the fetus is a living person, I..."

Suddenly a woman's stifled cry came from inside the room.

Then came Lin Aunt's anxious voice, "There's a bit of bleeding; if we don't deliver soon, it won't do!"

Gu Xixi's expression tightened, she said solemnly, "If I'm not mistaken, Doctor Bai must have received a message from the general, which is why you made this trip."

She stepped forward, "If I say, this Beili woman is someone the general wishes to protect."

"Protecting her benefits the Northwest Army and even the great cause."

Doctor Bai stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Gu Xixi looked up at him, "Doctor Bai, are you willing to take a gamble with me?"

Doctor Bai's expression turned completely serious, "I understand."

He clasped his hands toward Gu Xixi in salute and stepped toward the hut.

The inner room.

After that cry, Yina made no further sound.

She gritted her teeth and endured; her hair was soaked with sweat.

The women felt pity; Zao Hua said, "If it hurts, cry out; don't tough it out."

Lin Aunt also said, "We're all women; nothing is shameful."

Yina endured another wave of pain, trembling slightly as she said, "If I don't cry out, I can't exert force."

"Wait for Boss Gu... she surely has a way to save my child."

Gu Xixi led Doctor Bai straight into the inner room.

Upon seeing a man enter, Yina's wet nurse panicked and grew angry, hastily blocking Yina's bed, uttering sounds in Beili language, looking as if she were scolding.

Gu Xixi calmly said, "Yi Na, this is the military doctor of the Northwest Army."

"He can open your abdomen and take out the child."

"This is the only solution I can think of; whether you accept it is up to you."

"Inside the room, the silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop."

"The military dependents all thought they had misheard."

"Cut open the belly?"

"That adult would surely die, right?!"

"However, before Gu Xixi had even finished speaking, she heard Yi Na's firm voice:"

"I accept!"

"Everyone's expressions varied—shock, sympathy, and some couldn't bear to watch, turning their heads away."

"Yi Na's wet nurse panicked even more, she flung herself to the bedside, uttering waa waa, not knowing what she was saying, tears streaming as she spoke."

Gu Xixi asked, "Aren't you going to ask how this will affect you?"

Yi Na smiled lightly, "If I don't accept, the result will be the death of both mother and child."

"Thank you for giving me the chance to choose."

"Perhaps heaven intends for me to die in the great cause."

"Having lived these extra days, meeting you, being able to save my child's life—this already counts as good fortune for me, doesn't it?"

Gu Xixi and Yi Na gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

"You don't have to be too pessimistic; you might not die."

"Everyone was astonished; even a glimmer of light appeared in Yi Na's eyes."

"Bai the imperial physician had already opened the two large medicine chests; two rolls of plain white gauze were unfurled, and various kinds of blades gleamed coldly."

"It's just to take the child out by opening the abdomen, not to kill anyone."

He looked up at Yi Na, "As long as the child has no congenital illness, I have a seventy to eighty percent chance of saving him."

"But saving your life gives me less than a forty percent chance."

"Shall we do it?"

Yi Na hesitated not, "Do it!"

"The wooden bed was too low, so we moved a long table, scalded it with boiling water for disinfection, and made it a temporary operating table."

"Bai the imperial physician had someone bring in a small stove, and placed his tools in his dedicated ceramic jar to boil."

"Since everyone is unaccustomed to this scene, let's step out first, leaving only Boss Gu."

Gu Xixi nodded to Madam Lin and the others, "I'll assist Mr. Bai; you wait outside."

"If I need help, I'll call you again."