Zi Lingling, while speaking to divert attention, quickly dressed and tied her belt.
There was still no response. Zi Lingling, fully alert, slowly walked out from behind the screen.
Skilled and daring.
Although Zi Lingling couldn't cultivate the spiritual energy of this world yet, in her previous life, she was the young mistress of the ancient martial arts Zi family, hailed as a martial arts genius.
Coupled with her exceptional medical skills, her mastery of acupuncture with golden needles was impeccable. Saying she was skilled was no exaggeration.
Under the dim candlelight, she saw a person lying on the ground. A man.
The man was motionless. His black night-traveling attire accentuated his lean frame.
Though his face was covered by a black cloth, obscuring his features, there was an undeniable aura of handsomeness about him.
Beneath the man lay a large pool of crimson blood, gleaming strangely in the dim candlelight. The clothes around the wound were soaked, clearly saturated with blood.
Zi Lingling frowned slightly. As a physician, one who could even wrestle souls from Yama, she could tell the man was severely injured.
However, she had always treated people according to her whim – saving them if she pleased, and not if she didn't. This was the origin of her title, "Ghost Hand Poison Doctor."
Yet, for some reason, facing the man on the ground, a voice in her heart urged her to save him!
She shook her head, stepped forward, and knelt down to examine the man.
The man had a wound on his chest, caused by a sharp weapon, about five inches long and three inches deep. Fortunately, it was not a through-and-through injury.
He had also been poisoned by a very strange toxin. She seemed to have seen the symptoms of this poison somewhere before, but couldn't recall its name. Even her universally effective antidote pill couldn't cure it.
Although the man's condition was dire, he was still breathing. The most crucial thing now was to stop the bleeding. However, such a large wound required sutures. Where could she find needles and thread for sewing?
Zi Lingling looked around, trying to find any tools that could substitute for medical equipment.
Her eyes lit up when she spotted a sewing basket on a low table.
"It seems your fate is not yet sealed!"
Zi Lingling murmured to herself, then rose to fetch the basket and the candlelight, focusing on treating the man's wound.
She carefully used scissors to cut away the clothes near the man's chest, then found some clean cotton cloth to clean up the surrounding bloodstains.
Next, she found several embroidery needles in the basket, sterilized them with candlelight, and quickly inserted them into nearby acupoints. The bleeding immediately slowed.
Afterward, she picked up an embroidery needle, sterilized it again over the candlelight, threaded it, and began to suture.
As her slender hands moved nimbly over the man's wound, it was quickly stitched closed.
Perhaps due to the instinctual reaction to pain, the man's brows furrowed. With each stitch she made, the man let out a muffled groan, his body twitching slightly.
Half an hour later, Zi Lingling skillfully tied a knot on the thread, took her scissors, and cut it.
She wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, stood up, and stretched her stiff neck and wrists, saying, "Finally, I've saved you. I'm exhausted!"
"I didn't expect you had such skills!"
Du Lao's surprised voice echoed in Zi Lingling's mind.
It turned out that while Zi Lingling was completely focused on treating the man, the Nine Spirits Ring's connection with the outside world had been restored.
Du Lao could now see the situation outside. However, because Zi Lingling was so engrossed, he didn't want to disturb her, as saving a life was paramount, and he understood the priority.
At the same time, his impression of Zi Lingling as his master had improved. It seemed this girl wasn't entirely useless.
Putting aside her medical skills, her handling of Zi Jinling that afternoon was also quite to his liking. Striking back sharply and never suffering a loss – that was true spirit.
After all, in this world where spirit reigned supreme and human lives were cheap, those who were too naive and kind simply wouldn't survive.
Zi Lingling, while returning behind the screen to wash the blood off her hands, calmly replied, "This is how I used to make a living!"
A hint of surprise flashed across Du Lao's face. "Oh? Then, girl, can you heal soul injuries?"
Zi Lingling slowly dried her hands, removed the embroidery needles from the man's acupoints, and then said indifferently, "I haven't encountered it before, but I should be able to. What, are you injured in your soul?"
Du Lao did not answer. He fell into thought.
Not wanting Zi Lingling to see his current state, he automatically severed the connection with the Nine Spirits Ring, and the room fell silent once more.
Zi Lingling shook her head, carefully removed the blood-soaked clothes from the man, found one of her own clothes, and put it on him before moving him to the bed.
After finishing these tasks, she let out a sigh and said, "You're lucky you met me. If it were anyone else, they would have sent you to have tea with Yama in minutes!"
"However, I've treated your wound, but I can't cure the poison in your body without the right herbs for now."
After all this commotion, Zi Lingling was covered in blood and sweat. She had to ask Xue Ying to fetch more hot water and bathe and change again.
Of course, she did not let Xue Ying enter the room during the entire process.
She disliked trouble. A living person, especially a man, appearing out of nowhere in a woman's private room was not something that could be explained in a few words. She didn't want to be nagged by Xue Ying, the "old mother hen."
However, looking at the man lying on the bed, Zi Lingling began to worry. Given the man's injuries, he wouldn't wake up for at least two hours.
So, the problem arose: where would she sleep?
The bed the man was on was one of the only two beds in Luoyu Pavilion.
Sleep on the floor? Firstly, she was tired after a long day and didn't want to sleep on the ground. Secondly, even if she wanted to sleep on the floor, there were no extra bedding.
Besides, her body had just detoxified, and it couldn't withstand the cold of a long night.
What to do?
Forget it! She was a modern person, what were all these rules?
Zi Lingling made up her mind, went to the bedside, moved the man further into the bed, and a large space became available on the outside.
She lay down, pulled the single quilt over herself and the man, and closed her eyes.
The man's peculiar scent wafted into Zi Lingling's nose, making her heart flutter.
Soon, her face began to feel hot, and her mind started to wander.
"Are we sharing a bed now? Will he think I took advantage of him? Bah! If anyone is taking advantage, it's him taking advantage of me."
She rubbed her flushed cheeks. "Zi Lingling, Zi Lingling, what are you thinking about!"
"Speaking of which, he's quite well-built. His chest muscles, hmm... felt good! I wonder what he actually looks like!"