Chapter 44: Sleeping Beauty

  He Lao Daifu brought two apprentices and had been waiting outside the temple. When Rui Xuan called out from inside, Mei Xiang hastily invited He Lao Daifu into the temple.

  Rui Xuan rushed straight up, came to the front of He Lao Shen Yi, and knelt down on the bluestone with a loud thud. He Lao Shen Yi hurriedly supported her, "Madam Lu, please get up quickly, don't kill me!"

  Rui Xuan said with tears streaming down her face: "He Lao, the divine doctor, my sister and my daughter-in-law were brutally ravaged by the devils. They are still unable to close their eyes in death. I have already performed an autopsy on them and washed away the shame. I heard that you have a miraculous medicine passed down from your ancestors, please grant me the prescription and restore their pure bodies. Even if it means the Ru and Mei families go bankrupt, it would be worth it!"

  He Lao Shen Yi helped Rui Xuan up and said in a loud and clear voice: "Madam Lu, you're being too serious! I, He Qiu Tang, have been practicing medicine in Leijiang for 40 years. The people of Leijiang are my parents who raise me. 'Renhe Hall' can develop to this day, all thanks to the support of the people of Leijiang.

  "Mrs. Mei and her daughter, just two weak women, to save the people, they are willing to sacrifice themselves, this is my model! Let me do something for Mrs. Mei and her daughter, it's because the people of Lei Jiang look up to me. If 'Ren He Tang' still mentions money at this time, what's the difference between me, He Ge, and those who forget righteousness for profit?! Today, all the medicine needed, 'Ren He Tang' will not take a single penny!"

  Rui Xuan was speechless and choked with emotion, her eyes brimming with hot tears as she nodded repeatedly.

  Rui Xuan accompanied He Lao Shen Yi to the hall, where she gently opened the white silk, allowing He Lao Shen Yi to carefully examine the severely damaged bodies of Mei's mother and daughter. He Lao Shen Yi was shocked by the tragic sight, and he couldn't help but clench his fists and stamp his feet, looking up at the sky with a long sigh: "I have been practicing medicine for over 50 years, and I have treated countless injured and disabled patients. But such a tragic scene, I have never seen before. To be able to brutally torture weak women like this, I have never heard of it before. Is it that the land of Dongying only breeds beasts? Are the children of Fusang completely devoid of human morality and education?! This kind of brutal violence is something that both humans and gods abhor, and heaven and earth cannot tolerate!"

  After sighing, Old Master He called his apprentice: "Go to the pharmacy and get 2 catties of top-grade pearls, 2 catties of top-grade amber, 8 taels of menthol, 6 taels of camphor, 4 taels of sandalwood, and 10 catties of bamboo charcoal. Grind them all into fine powder and bring them over."

  After ordering, the old doctor He called another apprentice: "You go get 1 catty of safflower, 1 catty of angelica, 1 catty of Szechuan lovage, 1 catty of mustard seed, 1 catty of cloves, 8 taels of cassia bark, 8 taels of fennel seeds, 8 taels of myristica fragrans, 4 taels of fresh ginger, 4 taels of mouse tail grass, 2 taels of schisandra chinensis, 2 taels of panax pseudo-ginseng, 2 taels of dried tangerine peel, and 1 tael of musk. Boil them into two barrels of medicinal broth and bring it over while it's still scalding hot."

  Taking advantage of the apprentices fetching medicine, Old Master He carefully examined Rui Xuan in front of him. Rui Xuan's face was pale, her eyes were filled with bloodshot, and her lips had no color, looking haggard and exhausted. So he comforted: "Madam, a dead person cannot be brought back to life; but the living must mourn in moderation, take care of their bodies!"

  Rui Xuan smiled bleakly: "He Lao, the great doctor, with the rivers and mountains shattered and wolves roaming everywhere, you and I are just sheep waiting to be slaughtered. What's the point of taking care of our bodies? You've spent your whole life saving lives and healing wounds, but how can that compare to the wanton slaughter of those little devils? In times of war, as a woman, it's even more unbearable... To be honest with you, just now when I was washing Rui Hua and her mother's bodies, I saw all sorts of horrific scars on them. Several times, I had already put the scissors to my own throat, wanting to follow them in death..."

  Mei Xiang was shocked and pale, kneeling at Rui Xuan's feet, tightly hugging Rui Xuan's legs: "Madam, you can't die! The second madam and the young lady still need you to send them off! There are dozens of people in the Mei family who still need your orders! If something happens to you, what will we do?" The little maid said, tears streaming down her face.

  Rui Xuan gently stroked Mei Xiang's hair, her eyes filled with maternal love and tenderness. This was the companion who had been by Mei Xia's side since childhood, and from Mei Xiang, Rui Xuan seemed to see again the pure and beautiful figure of Mei Xia. "Child, get up! I've come to my senses, I won't take my own life. The Lu family has continued in Lei Jiang for nearly a hundred years, with a reputation for kindness and righteousness, and a rich family tradition; from generation to generation, master and servant have never had a case of self-destruction. For thousands of years, Lei Jiang has also experienced many wars and hardships, but each time it has been reborn from the ashes. I will live on, I want to see with my own eyes the day when those little devils are completely driven out of China, and see with my own eyes the punishment of those beasts who harmed Rui Hua and her daughter!"

  He Lao smiled and nodded. He opened the medicine box he carried with him, took out a small box, and handed her a wax pill: "Madam, from your facial features, I can see that you are prone to extreme emotions, liver yang transforming into fire, and qi stagnation in the heart meridian. If you don't regulate your breath, you will definitely fall ill. This is a 'Protect Heart Restore Soul Pill', take it for now, and it will help you get through this critical moment. Later, I'll come back to slowly treat you!"

  Rui Xuan eagerly took the wax pill, peeled off the beeswax, and a strong ginseng and musk fragrance wafted up to her nose. After taking it, she felt a coolness spreading from her dantian to her five organs and six viscera, and suddenly felt refreshed and invigorated.

  Soon, the Chinese medicine powder was prepared and sent over. Under the guidance of He Lao, a skilled doctor, Rui Xuan first wrapped the medicine powder in white silk, gently stuffing it into the mouths of Rui Hua and her mother. Then, Rui Xuan personally applied the medicine powder to the open wounds of Rui Xuan and Mei Xia, layer by layer, very gently, as if she was afraid they would feel pain. After everything was applied, Rui Xuan pulled out a large sewing needle, and Mei Xiang hurriedly said, "Madam, I'll go get some thread."

  Rui Xuan grasped Mei Xiang's hand, raised it, pulled out the jade hairpin, and opened her bun. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Rui Xuan combed her hair with her hands, picked out the longest and brightest strand, and suddenly plucked it out. She threaded the hair onto a needle, silently muttering to herself: "Sisters, Xia Er, I won't be able to accompany you on the road to the Yellow Springs, so let my hair accompany you mother and daughter for a lifetime!"

  One strand of hair connected to another, Rui Xuan was sewing while plucking.

  Rui Xuan finished sewing up the mother and daughter's wounds with her hair, and two large buckets of steaming hot medicinal broth were also sent into the Mei family ancestral hall. Rui Xuan put a clean white silk handkerchief into the broth, which was very hot, but she didn't feel any pain. Mei Xiang wanted to help, but she refused to let her, personally using the broth to gently wipe their wounds and clean their bodies, just like carefully making up a bride-to-be.

  He Lao's reputation as a divine doctor is not in vain! After soaking and washing with these medicinal soups, the gruesome wounds on Rui Hua and her daughter have obviously shrunk, and the dark purple scars have faded away. Their skin has slowly regained its whiteness and luster. A hint of redness has also appeared between their lips, and the stench of death that originally clung to their bodies has vanished, replaced by a faint, delicate fragrance like plum blossoms. Under Rui Xuan's gentle comfort, the eyes of both mother and daughter slowly closed, peaceful and serene, as if they were two sleeping beauties carved from jade.