Mo Chen stopped visiting the mass graves and behaved himself, much to Lixia's relief.
One morning, Mutong and Yufu visited Lixia at the pharmacy. Mutong, now slim and confident in a pink dress, teased Lixia about the upcoming Hundred Flowers Banquet.
"I'm engaged; I should keep a low profile," Lixia said, dismissing the need for fancy clothes.
Mutong gossiped about Beiye Yinman, who had ordered expensive Cloud Brocade for the event as the future Princess Su.
The conversation turned to marriage. Yufu revealed her mother wanted her to marry her cousin. Lixia immediately warned them about the dangers of consanguineous marriage (inbreeding), explaining that children born of close relatives often had low intelligence or genetic diseases. Horrified, Yufu rushed home to dissuade her mother.
The Emergency
While Lixia was teaching Mo Chen about the importance of drawing for medical records, an emergency occurred. A group of bailiffs rushed in carrying a comrade whose arm had been nearly severed while catching a fugitive.
Dr. Hu was pessimistic, but Lixia saw hope. The arm was still attached by some skin, and the injury was fresh.
"Tian Mai, take Mo Chen to fetch the catgut sutures from my courtyard!" Lixia ordered.
Tian Mai grabbed Mo Chen and vanished using qinggong (lightness skill).
Lixia examined the patient, Liu Da. "I can save the arm, but due to blood loss, there is a risk he might not wake up. Do you want to try reattachment or just amputation?"
Liu Da, fearing disability, chose the surgery.
The Surgery
Lixia prepared the operating room, teaching Dr. Hu about sterilization and anesthesia. She administered Ma Shen Guo (anesthesia) to Liu Da.
Mo Chen returned with the sutures. The surgery began. It was a tedious process of reconnecting blood vessels, nerves, and muscles. Lixia guided Mo Chen, who performed half the surgery with impressive skill. It took two shichen (four hours).
Outside, the bailiffs waited anxiously. When Lixia emerged, she announced the surgery was successful but Liu Da needed observation. She waived the medical fee as a gesture of respect for their service in catching a criminal, further boosting the pharmacy's reputation.
The Aftermath
Lixia forced a nauseous Mo Chen to eat a pork elbow to get over his disgust of flesh after surgery. "If you can't eat, you can't be a surgeon," she lectured.
That evening, the Mo family gathered, buzzing with news of the "miracle surgery." Mo Wushang and Zhanchen were fascinated and immediately went to the pharmacy to see the patient (and support Mo Chen).
Lixia downplayed her role, giving credit to Mo Chen to build his reputation.
The Night Visitor... Again
After a bath, Lixia found Yi Junlan in her room, holding the missing A'Mu.
"I missed my fiancée," he said, drying her hair.
"A'Mu has been with you?"
"Yes. I have more ginseng."
They discussed the surgery. Yi Junlan marveled at her skill. Then, he brought up the Hundred Flowers Banquet.
"You must be with me that day," he insisted. "You belong only to me."
"But won't it be bad for your reputation?"
"I don't care."
Yi Junlan presented a gift: a Seven-Color Bodhi Root Bracelet he had personally gathered and polished over a year.
"I didn't know where you were, but I made it thinking of you," he confessed.
Lixia was touched. In this moment, she decided: This man is mine.