Chapter 318: Chapter 273: Viscera
Ashide Tumen?
Li Ang and Qiu Feng exchanged glances, each seeing a trace of surprise in the other’s eyes.
Li Ang and Qiu Feng weren’t very familiar with Ashide Tumen, who usually hung out with Pei Jing, Dou Chi, and their group. Besides, it was so late.
Li Ang opened the door to his house, only to see a group of people standing outside.
There was Ashide Tumen, his face fraught with urgency, Ashina Que Teqin, the Turkic disciples they had seen during the day, and Ashina Galuo, lying pale-faced on a stretcher.
"What happened?"
Sui Yi, the Sword Study Instructor from the Academic Palace, approached with quick steps. She also lived near Golden City Square and was a neighbor of Li Ang’s house.
"Instructor Sui," Ashide Tumen clasped his hands hurriedly and spoke quickly, "After the arena match ended this afternoon, Galuo’s condition was still okay. But after returning to the hostel, she started feeling vaguely unwell. After lying down to rest for a while, she began to suffer from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever..."
Li Ang bent down to examine Ashina Galuo’s condition.
There were no obvious serious external injuries on her body, only some faintly discernible bruises on her abdomen. Her pulse was rapid, her abdomen distended and tense, and percussion revealed a shifting dullness.
"It’s possible her internal organs are damaged, and the situation may be quite serious."
Li Ang decisively used Telekinesis to gently lift the curled-up Ashina Galuo and quickly rushed towards the living room, shouting as he ran, "Chai Chai, go get the medical kit, sterile sheets, and surgical gown! Qiu Feng, help me prepare for surgery."
"Mhm."
Chai Chai immediately dashed to the inner room, retrieving several large medical boxes.
They contained surgical tools, disinfectants, Mind Silk, sterile sheets, surgical gowns, talismans, and so on.
Li Ang released his Telekinesis, swept the food off the dining table, joined two tables into one, spread a sterile sheet over them, and gently laid Ashina Galuo down.
"Hand me the talismans."
Li Ang took several Dust Removal Talismans from Chai Chai’s hands, activated them, and affixed them to the floor, beams, and ceiling.
The effect of the Dust Removal Talismans slowly activated, cleansing the living room of dust; the air was noticeably purer in an instant.
"Oil lamps for lighting, surgical gowns, Mind Silk."
Chai Chai retrieved oil lamps and mirrors from a cabinet, lit the lamps, closed the living room door, and placed the mirrors behind the lamps, illuminating the entire room.
Li Ang and Qiu Feng, using Telekinesis, donned surgical gowns. Li Ang then took out the fine gold mind thread he had crafted at great expense.
Fine Gold’s ductility and flexibility were superior to ordinary silver thread; it was not only equally resistant to corrosion and able to suppress bacteria, but its efficiency in conducting Spiritual Energy was also far higher than that of silver.
Other than being expensive and inciting a devouring desire from Mo Si, it had almost no drawbacks.
Ashide Tumen, Ashina Que Teqin, and the others didn’t know what was happening. They only knew Li Ang seemed to be busy preparing to treat Ashina Galuo and subconsciously wanted to take a few steps forward, push open the door, and enter the living room.
"Don’t interfere." Sui Yi frowned slightly, waved her hand, and released Spiritual Energy to block Ashide and the others outside the living room door. "Li Ang is saving someone."
"But..." Ashina Que Teqin, deeply worried about his sister’s condition, spoke anxiously, his Chang’an dialect thick, "I want to go in and see my sister."
"Internal organ rupture; no medicine can treat it, unless it’s one of the few Martial Arts Grandmasters who cultivate Abnormal Skills and possess unparalleled bodily control, enough to forcibly seal the organ damage." Sui Yi spoke gravely, "Staying here and not disturbing Li Ang is the greatest help you can provide your sister."
"..." Hearing Sui Yi’s words, though extremely reluctant, Ashina Que Teqin could only stand outside the living room, waiting anxiously.
"Dr. Li, am I going to die?" Lying on the sterile sheet, Ashina Galuo looked at Li Ang and Qiu Feng, who were now wearing medical masks and gloves, and gave a bleak smile.
"Come to think of it, Doctor Li, you’re not even as old as I am."
Li Ang picked up the fine gold mind thread, silently muttered an apology, and tore open the clothes on Ashina Galuo’s abdomen, revealing her belly.
"Ha, back when I was on the grasslands, I heard of a very famous Dr. Li from Yu Country. I even argued with my younger brothers and sisters about whether your surname was Li or if it was a compound surname, ’Li Xiao’."
"It seems Yu Country doesn’t have the compound surname Li Xiao," Li Ang replied.
As a doctor, Li Ang had long grown accustomed to the various reactions of patients on the operating table. Patients, out of fear of death, would involuntarily become chatty. Conversing with them and maintaining their conscious awareness was also one of a doctor’s professional skills.
"Bear with this for a moment."
Li Ang gently wiped Ashina Galuo’s abdomen with Iodine and, with Qiu Feng’s help, took a fine gold mind thread and gently pierced one end into her skin.
Ashina Galuo subconsciously tensed her abdominal muscles, causing the Fine Gold thread to immediately get stuck. As a Postnatal Martial Artist, muscle memory had become instinctual for her, triggering a defensive reaction.
Li Ang and Qiu Feng exchanged glances. This was also his first time performing invasive surgery, let alone on a Martial Artist; he had never encountered such a situation before.
"Chai Chai, in the red-labeled medicine box, at the very bottom, there’s a bottle of medication—get it out," Li Ang said, turning to Chai Chai.
"Mhm."
Chai Chai immediately rummaged through the boxes, found the bottle of medicine, and placed it on the surgical instrument table.
"What is this..." Qiu Feng glanced at the unlabeled, suspicious bottle and asked hesitantly.
"Arrow Poison, a Muscle Relaxant," Li Ang stated simply. "It can relax the muscles."
This was one of the drugs Li Ang had privately concocted in his residence in the back hills of the Academic Palace, using plants like strychnine, digitalis, and Stevia. He had tested it on animals of various sizes, and it had indeed proven effective at relaxing muscles.
He had previously considered performing a public surgical operation to lay the foundation for the spread of surgery. The prerequisites—asepsis, blood transfusion, and anesthesia—were now all met. Disinfectants could kill bacteria, the Dust Removal Talisman could create a rudimentary sterile operating room, and soft tubes made from insect glue, along with the emergence of blood type theory, made blood transfusions possible. For anesthesia, he now had anesthetics as well as the Arrow Poison Muscle Relaxant.
He just hadn’t expected to use them so abruptly.
Li Ang administered a small amount of diluted Muscle Relaxant to Ashina Galuo. Soon, her abdominal muscles relaxed, allowing the fine gold mind thread to penetrate deeper.
"I see it," Li Ang said, his hands suddenly still. Using the Mind Silk to channel his Telekinesis, he had sensed the state of Ashina Galuo’s internal organs.
"What’s wrong?" Qiu Feng noticed the change in Li Ang’s expression and asked quietly.
"It’s nothing, just some internal organ damage. Stitching it up will be fine," Li Ang said casually, continuing to deftly manipulate the Mind Silk.
The crowd gathered outside Golden City Square grew larger, consisting not only of curious Chang’an citizens but also Turkic merchants and people from the Academic Palace. After all, Ashina Galuo had been injured on the competition stage, so it was only right for the Academic Palace to be present.
The sun had long set, and after an unknown amount of time, the living room door finally opened.
Li Ang stepped out slowly, removing his mask, his expression weary.
"Dr. Li, how is my sister?" Ashina Que Teqin hurriedly inquired, glancing towards the living room, but he did not see Galuo, Qiu Feng, or the others.
Li Ang slowly said, "Her spleen and intestines, among other internal organs, were damaged. I’ve stitched up the wounds and drained the accumulated blood; her condition has stabilized. She is now resting in the inner room. With the self-healing ability of a Postnatal Martial Artist, her subsequent recovery should be quite promising."
"Really? That’s wonderful!" Ashina Que Teqin let out a huge sigh of relief and immediately knelt on one knee, performing a grand gesture of gratitude customary on the steppes. "Dr. Li, your great kindness is beyond my capacity to repay. Whatever you ask, my Ashina family will strive to fulfill it..."
"Stand up first," Li Ang said, using Telekinesis to help Ashina Que Teqin to his feet, his expression still serious. "The injured internal organs are treated, but the damaged area is, after all, the lower abdomen, where organs are densest and most prone to problems."
"You mean..." A strong sense of unease rose in Ashina Que Teqin’s heart, his voice so faint it was barely audible.
"Her ability to bear children," Li Ang said slowly. "There’s a slight possibility that it could be lost."