Back at the manor, Feng Jin ordered the East Courtyard to be completely surrounded, allowing no one to enter.
"Lu Shi, spread the word that the Young General was ambushed upon returning to the manor and is in critical condition, barely clinging to life."
"Your subordinate obeys."
Feng Jin's intention in doing so was to make the enemy believe that Ling Mohan was already severely injured, thereby lowering their guard.
"Cai Qing, go fetch some hot water."
Although the antidote was administered to Ling Mohan in time, the wound on his back was too deep, and the poison had already spread. The dead flesh had to be removed first to save his life.
Feng Jin placed her hand on the man's pulse. It was short and weak; the poison was spreading quite rapidly.
Unbuttoning the man's clothes, Feng Jin had no choice but to use silver needles to seal his heart meridian and control the poison.
"Young Madam, the hot water is here." Cai Qing placed a basin of boiling hot water on the table. "Is there anything else you need, maidservant will fetch it."
"Everything is here. Cai Qing, it's getting late, you should go rest."
"Young Madam, please let me stay and help care for the General. You've also been busy all day."
She hadn't rested well last night and had been busy all day. The Young General's condition was serious, and he couldn't be left alone for a moment. Could the Young Madam's body withstand it?
"I'm fine. You won't be much help if you stay. Go back and rest. You can attend to him after Ling Mohan's condition stabilizes."
She was about to clean out the necrotic flesh from Ling Mohan's back. Cai Qing wouldn't be of much help and wouldn't be able to stand the sight of blood, which would only cause trouble if she got scared.
Cai Qing hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Then I'll be going back. Young Madam, if you need anything, be sure to call me."
After Cai Qing left, Feng Jin used scissors to cut away the clothes stuck to the flesh on his back.
The black flesh was a blurry mess. Feng Jin gently wiped it with a hot towel.
The intense pain caused the man to twitch violently, pulling at the wound on his back, and black blood flowed out.
"Ling Mohan, I will clean your wound. The flesh on your back is deeply poisoned. It needs to be dug out with a knife. If I use anesthetic, I fear the wound will fester and worsen. You'll have to bear with it."
"I can endure it. Proceed," the man's deep, hoarse voice replied.
Feng Jin scalded the surgical knife with boiling water, then held the knife in one hand and a cotton ball in the other, cleaning away the blood.
This was her first time performing surgery without anesthesia, and Feng Jin's heart was flustered. Her hand holding the surgical knife trembled slightly as she gripped it tightly.
The sharp blade cut through the skin, and blood flowed out bit by bit. Feng Jin quickly wiped it clean with a cotton ball.
Repeating the same steps, she removed all the blackened, necrotic flesh.
She sprinkled a specially made medicinal powder on the wound and carefully bandaged it.
By the time she finished, Feng Jin's forehead was covered in sweat.
Ling Mohan tightly clutched the bedsheet beneath him, a large patch of it soaked with sweat.
"Alright, take your medicine, and I'll continue to help you expel the poison." Feng Jin fed Ling Mohan the decocted medicinal soup.
The next part was the most difficult. She had to use the Thirteen Needles technique to force out all the residual toxins from his body. During this process, the patient would experience piercing pain all over their body, and after the needles were removed, they would be paralyzed for an hour.
Feng Jin held a silver needle between her fingers, "You'll have to bear with it. I will insert the needles very quickly to minimize your pain."
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Jin's needling technique was extremely peculiar, with each needle penetrating the flesh by seven-tenths.
With every needle inserted, Ling Mohan felt a pain like his bones were being shattered, the needles piercing into his bones.
After Feng Jin completed the thirteen needles, she used a small knife to make an incision on the man's middle finger, and black, poisoned blood gushed out.
She then massaged points like Baihui and Neiguan to promote the outflow of toxins from the blood.
Only when black blood flowed out did Feng Jin remove the silver needles from the man's body.
"The poison has been expelled. You should rest now." Feng Jin helped the man lie down.
Although the toxins in his body had been completely cleared, Ling Mohan was not yet out of danger. The most dangerous complication after surgery was post-operative infection.
Even with advanced modern medicine, post-operative infections were the most troublesome complications, let alone in ancient times with rudimentary medical conditions and poor hygiene.
Feng Jin dared not slacken for a moment all night, checking Ling Mohan's condition every half hour.
In the latter half of the night, Ling Mohan began to have a high fever, muttering incoherently, completely unconscious, and unable to even swallow medicine.
Feng Jin had no choice but to resort to the most basic physical treatment, repeatedly wiping the man's feverish body with a wet towel.
As dawn broke, his high temperature finally began to subside.
Feng Jin finally let out a sigh of relief. Having taken care of the man all night, even an iron man couldn't withstand such exertion.
Unable to hold on any longer, Feng Jin slumped down by the bedside and fell into a deep sleep.
...
"Master, all the people we sent are dead..."
The man, hidden in the darkness, clenched his fist. "Useless trash. What is the situation at the Ling Manor?"
"Those sent to gather information report that Ling Mohan is severely injured and not recovering well. The entire Ling Manor is surrounded by soldiers, and no one is allowed to visit."
The man's brows furrowed. Ling Mohan was severely injured and not recovering... If the situation was true, it was indeed a good opportunity.
As long as Ling Mohan was eliminated, the Ling family would lose power, and there would be no one in the court to stop him from ascending the throne.
"Go to the Ling Manor and see." The man said in a deep voice, lifting the curtain behind him and walking forward gracefully.
Chu Yanxi's face was filled with the joy of a successful scheme. Ling Mohan had always opposed him from the shadows, secretly supporting Chu Chenyi. Even the "Ice Curse" on the battlefield had failed to claim his life.
He wanted to see if Ling Mohan could still be so lucky this time.
With Chu Chenyi crippled and Ling Mohan dead, there would be no one left in the court to stop him from ascending the throne.
...
As dawn broke, the glaring sunlight streamed through the windows. The room was silent. The two figures sleeping on the bed appeared exceptionally harmonious and beautiful.
Feng Jin rubbed her eyes, irritated by the sunlight. The first thing she saw was the man's enlarged, handsome face. She hadn't fallen asleep on the bed last night; how had she ended up in the bed now?
Startled, Feng Jin quickly got up from the bed. Her movements were too abrupt, and she directly woke the sleeping man.
A hint of awkwardness flashed across Feng Jin's face. "I fell asleep here yesterday. I don't know how I ended up in the bed."
She didn't have a habit of sleepwalking. What had happened yesterday?
"Oh..." the man replied in a low voice, his lowered eyes concealing his discomfort. In fact, he had carried Feng Jin to the bed last night. Since no one knew, he wouldn't say anything.
"I'll change your medicine for you."
To prevent the wound from becoming infected, it had to be cleaned and redressed every few hours.
Ling Mohan endured the pain of the wound and laboriously sat up, unfastening his clothes and revealing his back.