Chapter 282: Treating Injuries

Chapter 282: Treating the Wound

Wufeng's eyes turned sharp, like a drawn sword, as he lunged first at Horse Head, aiming his short blade at the vital points to break through.

Horse Head, a fierce fighter himself, roared and swung his blade to parry, the piercing clang of metal cutting through the air.

Cheng Ge and Jiyue followed closely behind, trying to charge out of the hatch, but the other members of the Canal Gang on the dock had already been alerted.

Shouts and footsteps surged like a tide, and the glow of torches quickly surrounded the "Carp Leap."

"Stop them! Don't let a single one escape!"

"Chop up these petty thieves!"

Chaos erupted instantly, the clang of weapons and furious shouts mingling together.

Although Wufeng was highly skilled and quickly took down two men, the enemy outnumbered them, making it difficult to break through immediately.

Cheng Ge and Jiyue stood back to back, desperately fending off attacks from all sides, taking down several more opponents.

But they couldn't stay here long; reinforcements were surely nearby.

In the chaos, an archer hidden in the shadows of a cargo pile quietly drew his bow.

Silently aiming at Cheng Ge's back, the bowstring vibrated, and an arrow shot out!

"Young Master, be careful!" Jiyue caught a glimpse of the glint of the arrowhead out of the corner of his eye and, without a second thought, shoved Cheng Ge hard to the side with all his strength.

Cheng Ge stumbled, narrowly dodging the sneak attack, but then came the muffled thud of a blade sinking into flesh.

The arrow hadn't hit Cheng Ge, but it buried itself deep into Jiyue's right shoulder blade, which he hadn't managed to fully evade.

The immense force sent him lurching forward, and searing pain instantly engulfed his body.

His face instantly turned paper-white, and warm blood gushed from the wound, soaking his dark night clothes.

"Jiyue!" Cheng Ge's eyes nearly split with fury as he turned and grabbed Jiyue.

Jiyue gritted his teeth against the pain, veins standing out on his forehead, sweat and blood mingling as they dripped down.

He swung his blade back, barely parrying a gang member who lunged at him.

Wufeng had also fought his way to the ship's railing, covered in blood. He turned and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Into the river!"

With one arm supporting the injured Jiyue, Cheng Ge joined Wufeng in breaking through the last resistance at the railing.

Amidst a hail of weapons and shouts, they leaped into the Wei River below!

"Splash! Splash! Splash!"

Several arrows followed, whistling into the water where they had landed, kicking up a mess of splashes.

The Canal Gang members rushed to the ship's side, torchlight flickering across the water as they searched.

The river water was bitingly cold. The impact of the fall made Jiyue grunt in pain, a tearing pain ripped through his wound.

Cheng Ge and Wufeng held him firmly on either side, fighting to swim and dive.

Using the darkness and the cover of the cargo ship's hull, they swam desperately toward the reeds on the far bank, downstream from the dock.

Blood continued to seep from Jiyue's shoulder wound, leaving a faint red trail in the water.

After an unknown time struggling in the icy water, utterly exhausted, the three of them finally crawled, ragged, onto the muddy, weed-choked bank.

"Huff, huff, huff—" Cheng Ge gasped for breath, quickly laying Jiyue flat and tearing away the clothes stuck to his shoulder wound.

Seeing the arrow embedded deep in bone, his heart sank.

He didn't dare act hastily and quickly tore off the relatively clean hem of his own inner shirt to press against the wound.

Wufeng had several knife wounds on his body but remained highly alert.

He quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain and said in a low voice, "Sir, we can't stay here long. The Canal Gang's probably searching along the river."

Cheng Ge and his companions hid as they moved, sticking to desolate paths and abandoned shelters.

Their movements had obviously been discovered, and the atmosphere in the city of Min had become tense.

A lot more patrols of soldiers were on the streets, and many constables were knocking on doors to search and question.

Officially, they were "hunting for the bandits who stole the official silver," but Cheng Ge knew clearly that they were actually hunting them down.

Jiyue's injury was the most urgent concern—the arrowhead was deeply embedded in flesh and bone.

Although Cheng Ge had done a simple bandage to stop the bleeding, the travel and strain had left Jiyue feverish, the wound red and swollen—a bad sign.

Wufeng risked going out to scout and returned to say that deep in Luoxia Mountain, ten li outside the city, there was an old doctor.

With no other choice, Cheng Ge decided immediately to take Jiyue up the mountain for treatment.

They traveled by night and lay low by day, avoiding the main roads, and finally found a simple thatched hut hidden deep in a bamboo grove at dawn.

Cheng Ge knocked on the wicker door; it creaked open a crack, and a small head peeked out—dark-skinned, with bright, clear eyes.

Cheng Ge stared at the face—vaguely familiar, but half a head taller than he remembered—momentarily stunned.

Before he could speak, an old man with graying hair shuffled to the door.

Cheng Ge looked at him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Old man? How'd you end up from the capital to this backwoods mountain?"

The old doctor stared at Cheng Ge for a good long while, as if finally fishing him out of some dusty corner of his memory.

He said, slowly, "Oh... it's you, lad. Half a year gone, and judging by your face, your life span looks like it's shrunk a fair bit."

Cheng Ge: "..." The corner of his mouth twitched. Couldn't the old man say something nice for once?

Cheng Ge decided not to bicker and quickly stepped aside, revealing Jiyue, pale-faced and supported by Wufeng.

"Please, save my brother—he took an arrow; the head's still in him."

Sun Buyu glanced at Jiyue and said, all business, "Get him inside, quick."

The place was simple but thick with the smell of herbs.

After gently laying Jiyue on the single bamboo bed, Sun Buyu stepped forward, examined the wound closely, then took his pulse with intense focus. His brow gradually furrowed.

After a long moment, he shook his head and let out a low sigh, "Alas... this wound... it's not gonna be easy..."

Cheng Ge's heart sank. Looking at Jiyue's pallid face, a chill crept up from his feet.

He spun around abruptly, took out a small silver ingot from inside his robe, and stuffed it into Wufeng's hand.

His voice quivered, barely perceptible, and he said hoarsely: "Wufeng... go... go to town, buy a decent burial gown, and... get some spirit money back..."

Upon hearing this, Jiyue, lying on the couch, forced his eyelids open reluctantly, his heart sinking a little.

"Master, I... I think I can still be patched up..."

Sun Buyu said in a calm, deliberate tone: "It hasn't reached the point of preparing burial gowns yet..."

Upon hearing that, Cheng Ge's eyes brightened instantly, and he snatched it back in a flash from Wufeng's hand.

Wufeng: "..."

Sun Buyu nonchalantly opened his medicine chest, taking out various bottles, jars, small knives, hooks, and needles.

While preparing, he said: "This kid is lucky; although the arrowhead is deep, it's just a hair's breadth from the heart and lungs.

But the time has been delayed, so there's some fever, and the wound has festered.

After I remove the arrowhead, clean the wound properly, apply medicine, and pair it with oral herbal medicine, after a good period of rest, it should be fine."