Plate after plate of raw pork chops, pig's trotters, ham... even pig heads and innards were brought into the royal tent.
Then, one by one, they were sent back out.
All the soldiers passing by expressed their confusion.
"What's going on in there?"
"Are the Emperor and Empress coming up with new dishes again?"
"But the meat coming out is still raw."
"Maybe they're inspecting the freshness of our camp's pork? The Emperor and Empress really do care about us."
"Don't overthink it. Doctor Meng is in there."
A group of soldiers huddled together to discuss, but soon became even more perplexed.
What could it mean? Raw pork, Doctor Meng, the Emperor, and the Empress?
Fortunately, a sharp-eyed scout soldier discovered the mystery.
"The pig stomachs, legs, and heads being sent out have all been stitched up!"
"!!"
...
Inside the royal tent, Meng Chun was already covered in sweat, his energy depleted, but he looked at Liu Chaniang with utmost admiration.
In his hands, he held a pig's hind leg, with both the meat inside and the skin outside perfectly stitched together with fine needlework.
Meng Chun was thoroughly impressed!
"Your Majesty's suturing technique is unlike anything I've ever seen before. How did you come up with so many different stitching methods?"
"The techniques for suturing intestines, flesh, skin, and meat around bones are all different. I've truly broadened my horizons today!" Meng Chun said, respectfully asking Liu Chaniang for guidance.
"Your methods have surpassed mine! During your stay in the military camp, would you be willing to teach me a thing or two?"
Meng Chun's face flushed red, "I wish to become your disciple, Your Majesty!"
[Wow, they say that being a teacher for a day makes you a father for life. Is that true?]
Xiao Chuchu's eyes widened.
Liu Chaniang, hearing her daughter's words, felt a bit embarrassed.
"Please rise, Doctor Meng. I'm glad if I can be of help. Don't talk about becoming my disciple. I've never sutured on a human body before. When it comes to treating wounds and saving lives, you're still the expert. If you find my methods useful, feel free to learn them."
Liu Chaniang knew that all of this came from the little princess, a reincarnated immortal, who brought these techniques from the Immortal Realm.
The little princess's arrival in this world might be meant to bring about change.
As the little princess's mother, now chosen by celestial methods, she became the first to learn these techniques.
No matter how difficult, she was willing to become the messenger of this suturing technique.
"I'd like to try more," Liu Chaniang looked at Xiao Yunzhou, and then at the gutted sheep beside him. "I seem to know how to stitch just by looking. With practice, I'll become more proficient."
"Once I've mastered it all, I'll try to write it down in a book for you and Doctor Meng to study?"
Meng Chun and Head Imperial Physician Hu were overjoyed upon hearing this. "Thank you, Your Majesty. You truly are a saint!"
Not everyone would be so willing to share their knowledge.
"If Your Majesty's techniques were written down, it would surely become a sacred text in medicine, passed down through generations."
[Of course! These are all modern suturing techniques, a cheat code from the system.]
Xiao Chuchu was also grateful that the skill sent by the stingy system this time was so useful.
[Modern suturing is based on anatomy. Unlike now, Jing Country's understanding of human body structure is still insufficient.]
Xiao Yunzhou listened with great interest, immediately encouraging and praising Liu Chaniang.
"Good, keep practicing. Let them assist you, and write the book as you practice."
"These few days, Meng Chun, learn this suturing technique. If you encounter injured soldiers with external wounds, try it out."
Meng Chun hurriedly accepted the order.
This time, he was genuinely convinced. "I will do my utmost to assist."
Xiao Yunzhou clasped his hands behind his back, "Then, about the issue of Ba Tu's excessive bleeding that you mentioned earlier, can it be partially resolved with Liu Chaniang's suturing technique?"
Meng Chun's eyes sparkled, "Yes, it can!"
"If we can locate the fragments quickly and suture swiftly, it will indeed reduce bleeding time and increase the chances of wound healing!"
Xiao Yunzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
The progress on the bell had completely stalled.
If there were no other methods, they might have to resort to treating Ba Tu.
This matter, if not handled with certainty, could potentially lead to Ba Tu's death.
Xiao Yunzhou wasn't willing to risk someone's life and potentially incur the grasslands' hatred towards Jing Country just for the sake of collecting an elite character.
"As long as we can keep people alive, that's good. As for the other issue of wound infection you mentioned, I will continue to recruit top medical experts from across the country to research it in the coming days."
Xiao Yunzhou felt that Ba Tu wasn't just one person; there would be other 'Ba Tus' in the world.
Should they give up on treating arrow wounds and knife wounds in the future?
Learning the 'disinfection' and 'anesthesia' techniques brought back from the Immortal Realm by his daughter today could save many more Ba Tus!
Xiao Yunzhou sensed the heavy responsibility and expectations placed upon him by the Immortal Realm!
"Alright, you may go about your business now," Xiao Yunzhou waved his hand.
But Meng Chun stopped in his tracks and turned back with a complex expression. "Your Majesty, I have a great-uncle who is a genius in our family's medical tradition. He once performed chest surgery on someone. But he has a peculiar temperament and has now retired."
"If we could persuade him to come out of retirement, and combine his skills with Her Majesty Liu Chaniang's suturing technique, we might have a 30% chance of success with Ba Tu's injury!"
As soon as Meng Chun finished speaking, Xiao Yunzhou raised an eyebrow.
Then he heard Xiao Chuchu's surprised exclamation.
[Oh, another approachable character has been unlocked in the elite character map.]
[Meng Can, Jing Country's top surgical expert, has discovered an early anesthesia method — the Sleep Saint Powder (marijuana powder).]
[However, this character once caused a patient's death due to marijuana overdose and has since retired, no longer performing surgeries.]
[Mission: Persuade Meng Can to come out of retirement. Successfully recruiting this hero character will greatly increase loyalty.]
[Reward: Significantly improve Jing Country's current medical level (Current level: Barely adequate).]
Xiao Chuchu read it once, and her inner voice immediately broadcasted this new mission.
Seeing the emperor's silence, Meng Chun thought he was displeased and was about to turn away when Xiao Yunzhou suddenly slapped the table.
"Quickly write to him! Send the message by express horse!"
"Whatever it takes, we must invite him here!"
...
Even with express horses, it took a day. Two swift horses pulled a carriage carrying a red-faced old man, galloping into the camp.
Before the carriage had fully stopped, the old man eagerly jumped out, moving more nimbly than the young soldier driving the carriage.
"Where's Meng Chun? How did he get shot by an arrow? How could a camp doctor get shot?"
The old man, carrying a medicine box on his back, grabbed the guard at the entrance and shook him while asking, "Is Meng Chun still alive? Is he still breathing?"
"Huh?" The guard was bewildered, "Doctor Meng... isn't..."
"Gone?" Old man Meng Can's tears suddenly fell, "I told him long ago not to be a military camp doctor, but he wouldn't listen, just wouldn't listen!"
"Ah, I'm sixty-three, and he was only forty-two, yet he went ahead of me!"
"Where's his body?"
"No use wasting it, I might as well cut him open and study his internal organs!"
Meng Can cursed and wept as he asked the guard to lead the way.
The guard was completely bewildered until Meng Can was led into a tent, where he saw Meng Chun practicing sutures on pigskin.
"Doctor Meng, someone's here to—"
Before the guard could finish, Meng Chun was struck on the head with a resounding slap.
"You little brat, how dare you trick me! Weren't you supposed to be incapacitated from an arrow to the shoulder, asking me to come treat you?"
"Boy, I'll cut you open right now and treat you!"
At sixty-three, Meng Can had jet-black hair and a strong, tall build. He immediately snatched the guard's knife, intent on cutting open Meng Chun, his disciple-nephew.
But as he raised the knife over his head, Meng Can was hurriedly restrained by Meng Chun.
"Uncle, wait! Look at this pigskin..."
"To hell with the pigskin! I'll give you something to look at!"
"Come on, just look at the stitching—"
"!!"
Meng Can was about to curse again, but the moment he saw the fine, beautiful stitches on the pigskin, his knife stopped mid-air.