My 1995 Small Farm.

As Chen Ling led Li Lianjie and his assistant into the main room, before they could even sit down, they heard a deep and powerful tiger roar coming from outside the courtyard.

Li Lianjie shuddered instinctively, and his assistant turned pale, nervously looking towards the door.

Chen Ling laughed and said, "It's alright, it's just that my two tigers have returned. They are intelligent and won't hurt people."

Before the words were even finished, Afu and Ashou's large figures appeared at the gate of the courtyard.

Under the sunlight, the two beasts moved with ease, their fur shimmering like silk, and the "king" character pattern on their foreheads exuded an imposing aura.

Even more astonishingly, Ah Fu was carrying a plump gray hare in his mouth, while Ah Shou was dragging a pheasant that was still twitching.

"Ouch——"

Afu growled softly, gently placed the rabbit under the eaves in the shade, and then affectionately rubbed its large head against Chen Ling's leg.

Ah Shou put down the pheasant, letting out a satisfied "snoring" sound, his amber eyes curiously observing the two unfamiliar guests.

Even though Jet Li is a kung fu superstar who has seen it all, he couldn't help but feel a sudden tightness in his chest and instinctively took a half-step back.

The assistant's legs went weak, and he almost hid behind Chen Ling.

The scene before his eyes was too shocking: two tigers, each nearly two meters long and as strong as oxen, were as docile as two big cats in front of Chen Ling!
"These... these are the two tigers that Boss Xu mentioned, Afu and Ashou?" Li Lianjie tried to remain calm, but his voice still trembled slightly.

He had worked with tamed tigers while filming, but those beasts always had a restrained wildness in their eyes, far less lively and natural than the two in front of him. In particular, the way they looked at Chen Ling revealed a sense of affection and intimacy.

"Yes, they went into the mountains early this morning to forage for themselves."

Chen Ling bent down and rubbed Afu's ears, then patted Ashou's chin: "The prey was brought to me? Goodness, this rabbit is quite fat."

Afu nudged Chen Ling's hand with its nose, as if seeking praise.

Chen Ling smiled and called out to Wang Susu, "Susu, bring some salt water to quench their thirst."

Wang Susu responded by bringing out a half-basin of warm salt water and placing it under the eaves.

Afu and Ashou lowered their heads to lick, their posture leisurely.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened!
A huge black shadow swooped down like an arrow, bringing with it a sharp whistling sound.

Li Lianjie felt a gust of wind above his head and looked up in surprise. He saw a magnificent eagle with a wingspan of nearly two meters landing on the top of the courtyard wall.

Its sharp, hooked beak gleamed coldly in the sunlight; it was indeed Baldy.

What's even more surprising is that Er Tuzi was also holding a wild pigeon that was constantly fluttering under his paws.

It tilted its head to look at Chen Ling, let out a short cry, and then loosened its claws, dropping the pigeon at the feet of the two tigers.

Then, it preened its feathers with its beak, its posture haughty, as if to say, "Here, this is a reward from this eagle."

Actually, it's easy to understand why Er Tuzi fed the two tigers.

It's like a tall new classmate joining the class.

I'm always curious.

I wanted to go up and strike up a conversation, maybe even flirt with him.

"Hey Baldy, you're joining in the fun too?"

Chen Ling chuckled and scolded, then picked up the pigeon and looked at it: "It's alright, it wasn't broken. I'll make soup with it tonight."

The two bald men stood tall and proud, looking down on everyone around them.

Its two henchmen.

Two smaller eagles perched on higher branches, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

Li Lianjie was completely stunned.

A tiger offers its prey, an eagle offers its food...

He had only heard of this scene in old folk tales.

This young man before me can actually control birds of prey and beasts with ease? This goes beyond the realm of animal taming; it's almost like the legendary "beast control"!

He recalled the stories of Middle Eastern royalty keeping falcons and leopards.

But those are at most caged and shown off, unlike Chen Ling, who is so close to wild beasts and birds of prey, like family.
The assistant's mouth gaped open so wide it could fit an egg, and he muttered, "Brother Jie, this Mr. Chen... is he some kind of immortal from the mountains?"

Chen Ling handed the pigeon to Wang Susu, then turned around and saw Li Lianjie and the other man staring in disbelief. He couldn't help but chuckle.
“These wild creatures that grew up in the mountains haven’t lost their wildness. I’m sorry to make you laugh, Mr. Li. They’re just more affectionate with me, nothing more.”

"Mr. Chen is too modest..."

Li Lianjie took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, his eyes already showing a hint of awe: "Such skills are unheard of! No wonder Boss Xu said you are an extraordinary person!"

"There's no such thing as an extraordinary person; it's just a matter of chance."

Chen Ling waved his hand, leading them into the house: "Let's take care of the injuries first."

Inside the room, Wang Susu had already deftly prepared two cups of tea.

The fragrant aroma of tea slightly diluted the bloody and wild atmosphere that had just wafted from outside the courtyard.

Gao Xiulan, holding the curiously peering Kang Kang and Lele, went to the inner room with Wang Cunye, leaving the space to them.

“Mr. Li, you must be tired from your journey. Please have some tea and catch your breath.” Chen Ling gestured for the two to sit down, then pulled up a chair and sat opposite Li Lianjie, his gaze calmly fixed on Li’s slightly limping left leg.

Li Lianjie thanked him, took off his baseball cap, revealing a slightly tired but still sharp-eyed face.

He sat down as instructed, and his assistant carefully lifted his left leg and placed it on another cushioned stool.

Even through the loose sweatpants, the unnatural swelling around the left knee was visible.

"Mr. Chen, to be honest..."

Li Lianjie got straight to the point, his tone carrying the helplessness of someone suffering from a long illness, yet also a glimmer of hope.

"My knee is an old injury, a remnant from filming back then."

I got infected while filming a rain scene two months ago. I visited several hospitals in Hong Kong Island and used a lot of antibiotics. Each time I felt a little better, it would easily relapse as soon as I stopped.

The wound just won't heal; sometimes it swells and hurts terribly inside, like a rope is twisting around it, making walking difficult.

The assistant added, "The doctor said it was chronic osteomyelitis complicated by intractable soft tissue ulcers. Because there were bone fragments left from an injury in the past, this time the infection has penetrated deeper, forming a dead space with poor blood circulation, making it difficult for the medication to work effectively."

Western medicine recommends another surgical debridement, but the success rate... is not guaranteed, and the recovery period is very long, and Brother Jie's schedule..."

Chen Ling nodded, indicating her understanding.

He didn't rush to take the pulse or examine the wound; he simply asked, "How does the wound feel now? Is it burning, throbbing, or stinging? Is there a lot of pus? What color is it?"

"The main problem is the bloating and pain, especially in the afternoon and evening, it feels like it's going to burst."

Li Lianjie described it carefully: "The pus wasn't particularly much, it was yellowish-white, sometimes with a little blood, and the smell... wasn't very pleasant."

"Yes, dampness and toxins accumulate internally, obstructing the meridians."

Chen Ling summarized the situation simply using traditional Chinese medicine terminology, and then said, "Mr. Li, if you don't mind, I need to take a look at the specific condition of the wound."

“Of course.” Li Lianjie gestured to his assistant for help.

The assistant skillfully rolled up his trouser legs and unwrapped the layers of dressing.

When the last piece of gauze was removed, a faint stench of decay filled the air.

Li Lianjie's left knee was swollen like a steamed bun, the skin was taut and shiny, and the color was dark red with purple.

There is an ulcer about the size of an egg on the outside of the knee. The edges are irregular, the center is sunken, and yellowish-white pus and a little exudate can be seen inside. The surrounding granulation tissue is dark in color and lifeless.

The wound looked truly distressing.

Chen Ling leaned closer to examine it carefully, even gently pressing the skin around the wound to feel its hardness and temperature.

Li Lianjie couldn't help but gasp.

“The wound is very deep, there is indeed a dead space, and there is still necrotic tissue inside that has not been completely liquefied and drained.” Chen Ling straightened up, his tone calm.

"With routine dressing changes, the medication is difficult to reach deep into the tissues and can easily damage newly formed granulation tissue."

Western medicine's surgical debridement is one option, but it's highly invasive and, like scraping a rotten apple, easily damages healthy tissue, resulting in slow recovery.

Li Lianjie sighed: "Mr. Chen, to be honest, I hesitated before coming here. Actually, this wasn't my own request. It was my elders who heard about Professor Li's situation and introduced me to this place."

Professor Li said your method is very unique, but I really can't think of any other way. As long as it can cure the disease, I'm willing to try any method.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling said, "Professor Li should have told you about my method, which is 'maggot therapy.' His son suffered burns and scalds, and this method was used for him."

"I know……"

Li Lianjie nodded, but his face still paled.

As a kung fu star, he has suffered countless injuries, including stitches, casts, and surgeries.

But the thought of maggots crawling and gnawing on my wound...

He still felt a chill run down his spine, and his stomach churned.

"Mr. Chen, since you were able to cure my cousin's burns, is there any other way?" he asked with difficulty.

"In your case, maggot therapy is more effective than conventional debridement surgery."

Chen Ling looked at him intently and explained again in greater detail:
"Surgical debridement involves scraping away necrotic tissue with instruments, which inevitably damages the surrounding healthy granulation tissue."

Maggots' 'debridement' is biological; they can accurately distinguish between living and dead tissue and only eat the necrotic parts.

More importantly, they can penetrate deep into sinus tracts that are difficult for surgical instruments to reach.

These are all professional terms that he had researched in various medical books and was preparing to include in his thesis.

He paused for a moment: "I know this sounds hard to accept. You can consider it. If you really don't want to, I can also treat it for you using traditional methods, but I can't guarantee the results."

Li Lianjie remained silent for a long time.

He looked at his festering knee and recalled the excruciating pain he had experienced every time it rained over the years.

Thinking back to all the acting offers I had to turn down because of my leg injury, and the subtext of the doctor's words, "Amputation might be necessary"...

"About how many maggots do we need?" he suddenly asked.

"A small handful, about thirty or forty."

Chen Ling gestured: "The treatment time is about three to four days, and the wound needs to be changed once a day. After that, the wound will become clean and rosy. With the help of the skin-regenerating ointment, the healing speed will be much faster."

"Will it hurt a lot?"

"At first, you may experience a slight tingling sensation, but it won't be more uncomfortable than the swelling and pain in your wound. The enzymes secreted by the maggots actually have a mild anesthetic effect."

Li Lianjie gasped and remained silent for a while.

A few seconds later, he looked up and said with a wry smile, "Since I'm already here, I'll treat you."

"I didn't have a better choice."

Chen Ling nodded: "Please wait a moment, I'll go prepare."

He went into the back room and took out the maggot packet that he had wrapped in clean, damp leaves the night before from the cave.

Upon opening it, dozens of plump, white maggots were found inside, slowly wriggling on the leaves, full of vitality.

These maggots were cultivated in the residue of medicinal herbs from the cave, making them almost sterile and far more vigorous than ordinary maggots.

Chen Ling carefully picked up a few pieces with bamboo tweezers and placed them into a sterilized white porcelain bowl.

With preparations complete, he carried the porcelain bowl back to the main room: "Mr. Li, let's go to the side room in the wooden building at the back."

The back room had been cleaned up by Wang Susu.

The windows were open for ventilation. A single bed covered with a clean white cloth was placed in the center, and gauze, cotton, liquor, medicinal powder, and a few simple instruments were neatly arranged on a small table next to it.

With the help of his assistant, Li Lianjie lay down on the bed with his left leg straight.

Although he appeared calm, his eyes twitched involuntarily when he saw the wriggling thing in the white porcelain bowl in Chen Ling's hand.

Anyone who sees these plump, white insects will get a chill down their spine.

"Mr. Li, relax..."

Chen Ling keenly sensed his nervousness.

"The treatment process will not be very painful. The maggots will only feed on the necrotic tissue and will not touch the healthy tissue, so you will only feel some slight itching and a crawling sensation at most."

"If you feel really unwell, please let me know."

Li Lianjie took a deep breath and closed his eyes: "Mr. Chen, please begin. I can endure it."

Chen Ling said no more.

He first carefully disinfected the area around the wound with cotton soaked in liquor, and then carefully removed the blackened sutures that were stuck to the skin with a small pair of surgical scissors.

As soon as the stitches were removed, the wound opened slightly, and more murky fluid gushed out, making the fishy stench even stronger.

Chen Ling gently pressed around the wound with sterile gauze to squeeze out some deep pus until the oozing fluid became clearer.

Then, he used bamboo tweezers to pick up a maggot from the porcelain bowl and gently placed it on the edge of the wound.

As soon as the maggots touched the wound, they seemed to immediately sense the presence of "food" and began to slowly wriggle deeper into the wound.

One, two, three... Chen Ling placed more than a dozen maggots in different locations on the wound.

Li Lianjie was initially tense, but soon he opened his eyes in surprise.

"Huh???"

"Mr. Chen, this...it really doesn't hurt!"

His tone was incredulous: "On the contrary...on the contrary, I feel a sense of relief!"

While observing the maggots' activity, Chen Ling explained, "Because they are eating away at the necrotic tissue and pus that are pressing on the nerves, the pressure is reduced, and naturally the swelling and pain will subside. How do you feel now?"

"It itches, it's a little itchy."

Li Lianjie carefully felt it: "But it's not that kind of uncomfortable itching, it's... like something is gently crawling inside the wound."

And that throbbing, suffocating pain I felt before is really lessening!

As he spoke, a genuinely relaxed expression appeared on his face, the first such expression he had shown in a long time.

The assistant watched in stunned silence.

He followed Jet Li to hospitals all over Hong Kong Island, and every time he had his wounds cleaned and dressings changed, Jet Li would break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

But this seemingly terrifying method actually made Brother Jie say it didn't hurt?

Chen Ling gently covered the wound with a breathable sterile gauze to prevent the maggots from crawling out: "Let them work for two to three hours. During this time, try not to move this leg. You can close your eyes and rest for a while. I will come to check on the situation regularly."

Li Lianjie nodded, his whole body relaxing.

The throbbing pain that had bothered him for so long, and was constant, was receding at a clearly perceptible pace.

Instead, there is a slight tingling and a feeling of relaxation.

The contrast is just too stark.

"Mr. Chen, thank you."

He said sincerely that his eyes were even a little hot.

During this time, he was tormented by the wound to the point of near despair, but now, he truly saw hope. (End of Chapter)