Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 92 Worshiping Buddha
The wolf king turned around, narrowed his left eye, hesitated for a moment, then howled to the sky. The remaining wolves heard this and echoed, the five wolves retreating backward into the dense forest, then scattering and disappearing. The wolf king brought up the rear, turning back to stare intently at Rong Wanyin, unwilling to give up, but still left.

The wolf pack disappeared into the dense forest!
Rong Wanyin relaxed completely, a slight smile appeared on her lips, and she opened her mouth to speak when everything went black and she fainted.

"Miss Rong!" Yan Mingzhang hugged Rong Wanyin tightly, calling her name, but Rong Wanyin's face was pale and her breathing was weak.

"You'll be alright, hang in there! I'll take you to see a doctor right away!" Yan Mingzhang felt he rarely felt so lost; he was truly panicked!

"We're here!" Su Zhan shouted to the group of people walking up the mountainside. The group consisted of about fifty or sixty people, all dressed in neat uniforms. They were clearly yamen runners from the county government, but the leader was a sprightly old man with white hair!

When Yan Mingzhang saw the newcomer, he also craned his neck and looked around. When he recognized the old man, he couldn't help but shout with joy, completely losing his usual composure, "Doctor Yan! Doctor Yan, please save Miss Yin... Rong!"

The head constable bowed to Yan Mingzhang: "Sir, we happened to run into Doctor Yan when we arrived. Doctor Yan told us that a pack of wolves had come to this mountain, so we brought everyone we could!"

Yan Mingzhang burst into tears of joy, stammering incoherently, "That's wonderful, thank you! Thank you!"

Doctor Yan rushed over in a few strides, and when he saw Rong Wanyin's miserable state, he was both anxious and angry. He stomped his foot and cursed, "You brat! I told you to take good care of her, and now she's injured like this! Once I've healed Rong, I'll beat you to death!"

Doctor Yan has always had an eccentric temper, and few people's tempers can please him. But this girl is just so pleasing to his eye, and he has long regarded her as his little granddaughter.

"What are you all looking at! Find a place for Rong'er to treat her injury!" Doctor Yan was furious, his eyes red with anxiety.

The only shelter from the wind nearby was the cave, so the group returned to it. Doctor Yan frowned and whispered in Yan Mingzhang's ear, "Why does this cave smell so strongly of corpses? It's probably full of them!"

Yan Mingzhang nodded solemnly, "I'm afraid it's over a hundred!"

Doctor Yan shook his head, raised his hand, and stopped everyone: "No, the corpse poison in this cave is too strong. We absolutely cannot heal here. Go to the tree over there!"

With everyone working together, they spread clothes on the ground and then propped up tree branches to hang their outer garments on them, which both protected them from the wind and blocked their view. A makeshift treatment area was thus set up. Yan Mingzhang picked up Rong Wanyin and gently put her down, careful not to aggravate her wounds.

Yan Mingzhang ordered a few people to fetch and boil water at a distance, while the rest retreated to the dense forest to guard the area.

Su Zhan and Yan Mingzhang waited outside the tent, bringing and changing the water. Inside the tent, clean clothes were laid out, and a fire was lit. After washing his hands, Doctor Yan carefully cleaned Rong Wanyin's back wounds.

"You brat, come in and help me!" Doctor Yan said to Yan Mingzhang outside through the curtain of clothes after everyone had gone far away and could no longer see them.

"Me? But..." Yan Mingzhang blushed and hesitated, after all, there's a difference between men and women...

"What are you afraid of? Doctors are like parents. What time is it? Life is the most important thing. Why are you still getting hung up on these formalities? Do you want to kill Rong'er?" Doctor Yan was furious. This kid is good in every way, except for being pedantic! He's even more old-fashioned than his old man! "I..." Yan Mingzhang's face turned red, his heart was pounding, and he stammered.

"Why didn't you call me? I'll come, I'll come. If Rong girl grows up, she'll be just as beautiful as that so-called number one beauty in the capital. At worst, I'll take her as a concubine." Su Zhan pretended to be overjoyed and reached out to lift the curtain of clothes.

Yan Mingzhang was both anxious and angry. He grabbed Su Zhan by the back of the neck and pulled him back. After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and covered his eyes, so that only his outline could be seen. Then he darted inside.

Su Zhan shouted outside, "A concubine won't do, I'll marry her properly..."

Yan Mingzhang's voice was a little hoarse through the curtain: "Jing Jun, don't talk nonsense. This concerns a woman's reputation. If you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for not showing any mercy."

Su Zhan immediately shut his mouth obediently. He knew there was a limit to fooling around, and Yan Mingzhang kept his word.

Seeing Yan Mingzhang's upright demeanor, Doctor Yan couldn't help but nod in approval: "You brat, give me that jar of water..."

Doctor Yan lit a candle, carefully heated the knife on it, and tore open Rong Wanyin's clothes on her back, removing them little by little, afraid that the fabric would stick to her skin.

Rong Wanyin's back was a bloody mess, the wound so deep that bone was visible. Doctor Yan held his breath and scraped away the necrotic skin with a knife. Although Rong Wanyin was unconscious, she still instinctively screamed, the sound of which was terrifying. Rong Wanyin instinctively tried to move her body, but Doctor Yan's expression hardened: "Quickly hold her down. If the bleeding isn't stopped, she might bleed to death."

Yan Mingzhang had no choice. His trembling hands pressed against Rong Wanyin's shoulders. Through the white handkerchief, in the candlelight, he could vaguely see Rong Wanyin's slender neck and feel the delicate smoothness of her skin. Yan Mingzhang swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. He quickly closed his eyes and silently recited the Heart Sutra. However, every time he reached the line "Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form," he became increasingly agitated, and ultimately gave up.

Doctor Yan was completely oblivious to Yan Mingzhang's unusual behavior, diligently washing the wound repeatedly with warm water—the wolf's claws were highly venomous. Then, he took out a specially prepared wound medicine from his pocket and sprinkled it on the wound. The medicine stung upon contact with the wound, causing Rong Wanyin to tremble. Yan Mingzhang snapped out of his daze and held her down.

……

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Rong Wanyin's back wound was finally treated, treated with wound medicine powder, and bandaged tightly, thus stopping the bleeding. Rong Wanyin's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, like a withered flower, completely devoid of its usual vitality.

"The wound has been treated, but whether she has a chance of survival depends on her willpower. The injury is too deep..." Doctor Yan sighed, patted Yan Mingzhang on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Doctor Yan gave Yan Mingzhang a quick treatment of his wounds before going out to treat Mo Yun and the others, leaving Yan Mingzhang to guard Rong Wanyin.

Yan Mingzhang sat there, staring blankly at her, his heart aching so much it felt like it was being torn apart. He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Rong Wanyin's ear. Yan Mingzhang's throat tightened, his nose stung, and he almost burst into tears. He held her slender, pale fingers, gently stroking the thin calluses that had grown from her martial arts practice. He silently prayed; he had never been one to believe in ghosts or spirits, but at that moment, he had already mentally prayed to every deity imaginable.

He earnestly prayed to all the gods in his heart, begging them to protect her and keep her safe. Never before had he hoped for the existence of true spirits and deities so desperately! If they could protect her, he would pray at every temple he passed from now on! His piety was extraordinary!

……