"Good... she's still savable."
Chen Jinshu immediately took out a silver needle and pierced the woman's vital acupoint. Then she carefully fed a few drops of Cold Pool Water to the unconscious woman.
That water held traces of spiritual energy. For mortals whose strength was completely depleted, it was far more restorative than even ginseng.
When color began to return to the woman's face, Chen Jinshu quickly turned her attention to the baby. The fetus was in a transverse position, its head angled toward the northeast. Delivering in this state was nearly impossible, especially in such a poor rural setting.
Despite the midwife's aged appearance, her experience was shallow—suitable only for routine births. Once the bleeding subsided, Chen Jinshu placed both hands gently on the mother's belly and slowly guided the fetus into the proper position, head down.
Only then did she wake the woman.
"Auntie, the baby is in the right position now. Use all your strength, just a bit more and you can bring the child into the world."
"Okay..." the woman gasped weakly, her entire body drained. Her voice was low and hoarse.
"Aaaah—!"
As her cries echoed through the room, a glimmer of hope returned to her husband's face outside the door. Moments later, with Chen Jinshu's help, the baby was finally born. But the mother soon slipped into unconsciousness again. Her condition remained fragile.
Outside, the sound of a newborn's wail spread through the courtyard. Villagers erupted in praise, whispering words like "miracle" and "divine physician."
Not far away, Hua Jingyi and the others nodded in quiet approval.
Their junior sister had taken her first real step. Now came the task of slowly embedding herself within the village, subtly guiding their master's reborn self toward awareness. Only through such insight could she transcend the trial of karma.
"Thank you, Doctor, for saving my wife and child!" The Li family knelt before her, deeply moved.
"Please, there's no need for that," Chen Jinshu said, gently helping them up. "This is simply my duty as a physician."
She paused, then added with a serious tone, "However, as per tradition, I do need to accept something in return—grain or other goods—as treatment compensation."
While she genuinely wanted to treat them for free, acting without exchange would bind her to karmic ties. Taking something in return was the only way to sever that cause and effect. The same principle applied to Hua Jingyi's teaching, where he accepted grain for instruction.
She wrote out a prescription and asked the family to come by her place later to receive the herbs. She didn't ask for silver—only a small bag of grain. When she stepped outside, villagers were still gathered around the doorway.
"Aunties and uncles, the mother needs rest now. Please return to your homes. If anyone falls seriously ill, feel free to come to me. I only ask for grain, not coin."
"Miss Chen truly is as kind as she is skilled. With someone like her in Qingquan Village, we won't need to trudge all the way to town for treatment anymore. It's such a hardship going back and forth."
Without staying to bask in praise, Chen Jinshu quickly returned to her home.
That night.
Under the canopy of the dense forest, she gathered with her fellow disciples.
"This letter is from First Senior Brother," Chen Jinshu began. "He says there's no need to worry. They've settled temporarily in a market town five hundred li away and can respond at any time if needed."
"How are things going with everyone's assumed identities?"
"My food stall has opened, but it's not going well..." Dai Yuzhu admitted, expression heavy. "Most villagers prefer to eat at home. They won't spend money on food."
While her siblings had all made some headway, she felt stuck, like she hadn't even taken her first step.
"Have you looked into what the village actually lacks?" Chen Jinshu asked. "Tofu, wine, ingredients for daily cooking—not finished dishes. Even raw materials could be sold."
She had quietly observed her Senior Sister's menu. It was innovative, yes, but failed to connect with local needs. Tofu and dried bean curd, even alcohol, were in short supply. Very few villagers knew how to make these themselves, which gave Yuzhu a much bigger window of opportunity.
"That's a great idea. I was thinking too narrowly," Dai Yuzhu said, her eyes brightening with renewed hope. "I'll try making a batch of tofu tomorrow. Wine will take longer, but it's doable."
The others had also begun to settle into their roles.
"I caught a few wild pheasants in the forest today," said Pang Zhuoqun with a wide grin. "I'll bring them over to you sisters later." His identity was the simplest—he just had to hunt occasionally.
"I plan to teach the village women embroidery and incense-making," another said.
Half a month passed.
Chen Jinshu's name had begun to spread across Qingquan Village.
The one who gained the most acclaim, though, was Fourth Senior Brother Hua Jingyi. Raised in a prestigious family, he taught with clarity and grace. Under his guidance, many village children had received their first real education.
Even girls had started attending classes.
It helped that Hua Jingyi was spreading the idea that educated girls could marry well, even into better families.
For generations of farmers, marriage had always been the hardest part of raising children. If their daughters could marry upward, it would be a blessing. And since the school only required some grain as tuition, even the poorest households could scrape together enough to send their children.
Following Chen Jinshu's advice, Dai Yuzhu shifted her business strategy and began selling tofu and homemade rice wine—foods no one else in the village could make. Word spread fast. Each day saw more buyers, and business steadily grew.
Yet amidst all this change, their master, Shui Huanmeng, remained untouched by her karmic trial.
"Does it still hurt?"
Chen Jinshu gently cleaned the wounds on Liu Huameng's arms and shoulders.
That day, the girl had sneaked over to listen at the school window, longing to join the other girls learning inside. But her father had found her and beaten her with a stick. Had Hua Jingyi not stepped in, she might have suffered even worse.
The welts on her back were too many to count.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you, Big Sister, for the medicine!" Liu Huameng's eyes sparkled like stars. It tugged at the heart to see such brightness from someone who had suffered so much.
Parents who gave life but offered no care—such things were hard to witness. Still, the girl's yearning to learn, her attempt to sneak near the classroom, proved that Hua Jingyi's teachings were beginning to take root. There was still hope she could be awakened from her karmic trial.
"I need to go. I still have laundry and dishes to wash. If I don't hurry back, Papa will hit me again."
Something in her tone trembled. She pulled away from Chen Jinshu's hand and ran off in a panic.
"What else can we do to help Master break free from this?"
Watching Liu Huameng's retreating figure, Chen Jinshu felt a deep ache in her chest. Just when they had made some progress, the girl's drunken, violent father nearly forced everything back to square one. Still, it wasn't all for nothing. A seed had been planted in the girl's heart.
"I need to speak with the others. We must rethink our next steps."
Her own reputation as a healer had already spread throughout Qingquan Village—and even the nearby settlements had begun sending people to seek her out.
But whether that was enough to help awaken their master... remained uncertain.