Li Yan already had severe injuries.
Having been beaten by Wang Gou'er until his head bled and the flesh on his back was mangled, he lay in a pool of blood, having long lost consciousness, his life or death uncertain.
After driving away Wang Gou'er and his gang.
Yang An hurriedly carried Li Yan back into the house. As soon as he settled him on the bed, Yang Ning shoved the family's last remaining silver into Yang An's shirt. Prepared to die alongside her husband, she urged him anxiously, "Brother, leave quickly!"
"Wang Gou'er is incredibly ruthless."
"The year before last, someone accidentally bumped into him in a tavern and spilled wine on his clothes. He broke both of the man's legs, and that man is still paralyzed in bed today."
"You blinded one of his eyes; he will definitely come back for revenge!"
"Take this silver and flee!"
"Don't worry about things here; I will take care of your brother-in-law!"
Having already made up his mind to kill Wang Gou'er and his entire gang, Yang An comforted his sister, "Don't worry, Sis. Wang Gou'er won't come back for revenge. Saving Brother-in-law is the priority right now."
"But..."
Just as the two were talking.
Old Doctor He trotted over, panting heavily, carrying his medicine box. "Quickly, let this old man take a look at Buliangshuai Li!"
Earlier, when Wang Gou'er was committing violence at the Li house.
Old Doctor He had been standing among the crowd of onlookers, wanting to step forward to help. However, Wang Gou'er's fierce reputation in Yunzhou was too great. With one foot already in the grave, the old man truly didn't dare to provoke him, afraid of drawing the fire onto himself.
He could only hide in the crowd, burning with anxiety.
It wasn't until he saw Yang An beat Wang Gou'er into fleeing with his tail between his legs that he hurriedly brought a few precious herbs he had hoarded at home and rushed over.
For Old Doctor He to show such benevolence and righteousness.
The Yang siblings repeatedly expressed their gratitude and quickly made room for him.
Without another word, Yang An ran outside to fetch the Black Jade Lotus.
Earlier, completely consumed by the desire to kill Wang Gou'er, he had dropped the black eagle meat and the Black Jade Lotus outside the courtyard.
While he went to get the medicine.
Inside the house, Old Doctor He sat by the bed and finished examining Li Yan. He sighed heavily, "Sigh! Buliangshuai Li already had injuries, and now injuries have been piled upon injuries. His body is far too broken, like a flickering candle in the wind! Although this old man has saved a few twenty-to-thirty-year-old ginseng and fleeceflower roots, the efficacy of these medicines can only help sustain Buliangshuai Li's life for a few more days. If you want to save his life..."
"Sigh!"
"Madam Li, please take care of your own health and try not to grieve too much."
Although she had anticipated this.
Hearing these words still nearly made Yang Ning faint. With eyes full of tears, she asked, "Old Sir, is there truly no chance for my husband to survive?"
"There is a way."
Old Doctor He smiled bitterly. "But it would require a century-old Black Jade Lotus."
Hearing that Li Yan could be saved.
Yang Ning hurriedly asked, "Mr. He, where can we buy a Black Jade Lotus? We'll buy it even if we have to smash our pots and sell iron!"
Old Doctor He shook his head.
"The Black Jade Lotus grows on sheer cliffs."
"And it is guarded by ferocious eagles. It is extremely difficult to harvest. Even if the most experienced hunters in Yunzhou City worked together, it would take them months to pick just one."
"Normally, a decade-old Black Jade Lotus sells for hundreds of taels of silver, and one over a hundred years old is priceless and has no market. This old man hasn't seen one in Yunzhou City for at least six or seven years."
"How could it possibly be bought with silver?"
"Then my husband..." Yang Ning's lips trembled, unable to speak, as teardrops slid down her cheeks like rain.
Old Doctor He couldn't bear to watch.
He sliced the ginseng he had brought with him and fed it into Li Yan's mouth to help sustain his life.
Having done everything he could.
Just as he was about to advise Yang Ning and Yang An to prepare themselves mentally.
Yang An ran quickly back from the courtyard carrying a bundle on his back. He handed the small cloth bundle in his hand to Old Doctor He. "Old Sir, I've picked the Black Jade Lotus. Please see if this is it."
Hearing this, Old Doctor He froze completely.
Yang Ning's sobbing also abruptly caught in her throat.
It was as if the two hadn't heard clearly what Yang An had said.
They snapped their necks around and stared straight at him.
As Yang An opened the cloth bundle in his hand, a crisp, cold, medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire room!
Smelling that scent, Old Doctor He was immediately shocked!
With trembling, aged hands, he very carefully took the Black Jade Lotus from Yang An's grasp and took another careful sniff.
Then, he was so shocked his old lips began to stutter.
"It's... it's... it really is a Black Jade Lotus!"
"Erlang, how did you manage to pick this!"
Yang An asked anxiously, "Old Sir, this medicine can cure my brother-in-law, right?"
Now was not the time to celebrate.
To cure Li Yan's injuries, an ordinary Black Jade Lotus wouldn't do.
It had to be at least a hundred years old.
Old Doctor He hurriedly checked the age of this Black Jade Lotus. He saw that the Black Jade Lotus in his hand had ten leaves, and on the seedpod in the center of the lotus, there were fifteen lotus rings.
Having just calmed his shock, he cried out in an even more uncharacteristic display of astonishment!
"A Black Jade Lotus only grows one lotus ring every ten years! This stalk actually has fifteen lotus rings!"
"This is a hundred-and-fifty-year-old spiritual medicine!"
"It's worth at least a thousand taels of silver!"
"Heavens! Erlang, where on earth did you get such a grand medicine?!"
Old Doctor He's wrinkled face flushed entirely red with shock.
Yang Ning also forgot to cry, looking at her younger brother foolishly.
When the sun rose tomorrow.
He was going to die by the hands of that dog of a woman, Qin Guo'er.
In order not to let his sister worry.
Yang An didn't tell the truth, choosing to weave a lie. "It was actually a stroke of good luck. While I was in the mountains looking for medicine for Brother-in-law, I happened to run into a group of noblemen hunting a black eagle, but they ran into trouble."
"I stepped in to help the noblemen kill the black eagle."
"The noblemen were there just for the hunt and didn't care for this Black Jade Lotus, so they gave the medicine to me, and also shared a lot of the black eagle meat with me. Before leaving, they even gave me an indestructible dagger."
As he spoke, Yang An drew the dagger from his waist.
It was the very one Qin Guo'er had discarded in the snow. Right in front of Old Doctor He and his sister Yang Ning, he held the dagger and lightly drew it across the corner of the table.
He clearly didn't use much force.
Yet as the blade passed through, the corner of the table was cleanly severed.
It fell to the floor.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror!
Such a sharp dagger—even if Yang Ning and Old Doctor He knew nothing about weaponry, they knew it was worth a fortune.
Then, afraid they still wouldn't believe him.
Yang An opened the bundle on his back, revealing the bloody flesh he had carved from the black eagle.
Old Doctor He approached.
He used his fingertip to dab a tiny bit of blood and tasted it, his dim, aged eyes lighting up: "It doesn't have the foul, gamey smell of ordinary livestock. It truly is the flesh and blood of a fierce eagle!"
With everything laid out before their eyes.
No matter how shocked or incredulous Yang Ning and Old Doctor He were, they now completely believed Yang An's words.
Old Doctor He stroked his white beard and laughed, "Erlang, your luck is truly extraordinary!"
Yang Ning, however, couldn't smile at all.
Looking at the three bloody scars on Yang An's back.
And his leather armor, which was more than half destroyed.
She wasn't stupid; she knew the process definitely wasn't as simple as Yang An made it sound. Hugging Yang An tightly, tears burst from her eyes and soaked Yang An's collar. "When did you become so bold?! If something terrible had happened to you, what would I have done!!"
"How would you expect your sister to live!"
Yang An gently patted Yang Ning's back and comforted her, "Sis, aren't I perfectly fine right now? Besides, I've made connections with noblemen now, and she said she would look after our family."
"We don't need to fear Wang Gou'er."
"And I promise, after tomorrow, you will never see him again."
Lifting her tear-filled eyes.
Yang Ning asked joyfully, "Really?"
Yang An nodded emphatically.
"Excellent, excellent!" Old Doctor He laughed heartily from the side. "This old man has another piece of good news to tell you. A hundred-and-fifty-year-old Black Jade Lotus has incredibly potent medicinal properties. If it had been picked a few decades later, it might have transformed into a Rank 3 spiritual medicine!"
"With such efficacy, not only can it help Buliangshuai Li recover from his injuries, but it might even boost his cultivation. Once Buliangshuai Li is fully healed, he might be able to use this opportunity to elevate his martial arts cultivation by an entire grade!"
"Buliangshuai Li is a good official, and Madam Yang is virtuous."
"During festivals, you've never failed to send food and drink to this old man! Good people are ultimately rewarded! Your family is finally going to live a good life!"
"Hahahaha!"
Hearing this, Yang An smiled and said, "Yes, Sister and Brother-in-law have worked hard for half their lives. It's time they lived a good life."
"It's us!"
Yang Ning held Yang An's scarred hands, her heart aching. "We will all live a good life together."
Looking at his sister, Yang An smiled and said nothing.
Although Old Doctor He was advanced in age.
His medical skills were still superb. With nimble hands, he properly processed the Black Jade Lotus and added a few precious herbs from his own collection to formulate the prescription.
Soon, a bowl of medicinal juice, as black as ink, was brewed.
He fed it to Li Yan.
Afterward, he also treated the wounds on Yang An's back and hands.
Finally, he divided the remaining medicine into fifteen packets.
Handing them carefully to Yang Ning, Old Doctor He instructed, "Madam Yang, remember this well. Brew one packet of these herbs every day, and give it to Buliangshuai Li before noon. In three days, Buliangshuai Li will be able to get out of bed and walk."
"After he finishes all of it, if Buliangshuai Li isn't fully cured, you can come and smash this old man's signboard! Hahaha!"
Old Doctor He laughed loudly and took his leave.
Yang Ning thanked him profusely.
Yang An was also immensely grateful.
Old Doctor He had truly been good to their family. Not only did he come to save Li Yan at the first opportunity, but he also contributed so many top-quality herbs without asking for a single copper coin.
How could Yang An let him come for nothing?
When Old Doctor He left, Yang An specifically cut off twenty to thirty catties of the fierce eagle meat and carried it over to the old doctor's house.
By the time he returned.
The sky had completely darkened.
Yang An accompanied Yang Ning in looking after Li Yan for a while. After eating dinner, covered in injuries, he was shooed back to his room by Yang Ning to rest.
He didn't refuse.
Yang An returned to his room and lay quietly.
As time ticked by, the night grew deeper, and the howling of the wind and snow became increasingly mournful.
Having rested for two hours, Yang An opened his eyes.
Expressionless, he sat up from the bed.
He changed into a black robe, cut a roll of white cloth, and tightly bound his wrists and palms. This would prevent his hands from dislocating when hacking at people, and also stop his weapon from slipping once it was slick with blood.
Having done this.
Yang An glanced at Li Yan's leather armor and thought to himself: I can't wear it, otherwise it might implicate Sister and Brother-in-law.
So, he merely tucked the dagger into his waist.
Then, he silently pushed open the door.
And walked into the courtyard.
The chill of the night was even more biting than during the day, and the sky full of flying snow was dyed in the silent, dark hues of the night.
In the entire small courtyard of the Li family.
Only the room where Yang Ning and Li Yan were had a faint candlelight flickering.
By the light of that swaying flame.
Through the window, Yang An took one last look at his sister and brother-in-law. Right now, his exhausted sister had fallen asleep watching over her husband. A smile lingered on the corners of her mouth; she was probably having a good dream.
"Don't worry, Sis."
"After tonight, no one will ever bully you again."
Yang An pulled down the brim of his hat.
Carrying the wind and snow with him, he melted into the pitch-black night.