I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Sister Mei! Something terrible has happened! Qing'er...she's fainted!"

Su Mei rushed towards the backyard.

Zhao Zian followed.

At the entrance to the west wing, a young girl lay limply on the ground.

Wan'er knelt on the ground and shook the girl's shoulders.

"Qing'er! Qing'er, wake up! Don't scare me!"

"Get out of the way!"

Zhao Zian said.

The women made way for them.

He knelt down next to the girl and placed his hand on her wrist.

He checked her breathing again.

"What happened?"

Wan'er's voice was trembling with tears.

"We...we just got our new clothes, and Qing'er said she felt dizzy and wanted to rest against the door. I turned around and saw her...her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed..."

"She was the one who suffered the most severe shock."

Another woman added timidly.

"While she was in Tu San's group's hands, she didn't eat anything for several days..."

Zhao Zian took out silver needles.

He aimed precisely at the philtrum between the girl's eyebrows and thrust in without hesitation.

"Waaah..."

The girl on the ground trembled.

Zhao Zian took another needle and inserted it into the Neiguan acupoint on the inside of the girl's wrist.

After a short while, the girl's breathing became steady.

Zhao Zian finally breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the silver needle.

"The shock caused him to be deficient in both qi and blood. I have stabilized his heart pulse using acupuncture."

Su Mei breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good, that's good... You scared me to death."

"But her body was severely depleted, and acupuncture alone was not enough; she needed to be slowly nourished with medicinal cuisine."

Zhao Zian gave the instructions.

"Go to the pharmacy and get three qian of angelica root, five qian of astragalus root, and two qian of roasted licorice root. Also add some longan pulp and red dates, and simmer a pot of porridge over low heat. Remember, the rice should be cooked until it blooms, and the porridge should be thick but not greasy."

"These past few days, her meals have mainly consisted of this qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing porridge; she is not allowed to touch any other meat, greasy, or oily foods."

"I've got it."

Su Mei nodded emphatically.

She turned to Wan'er and said.

"Wan'er, you're very thoughtful. Come with me to get the medicine. I'll teach you how to identify medicinal herbs and how to control the heat. From now on, please pay more attention to the sisters' diet."

"Yes, Sister Mei!"

Wan'er quickly agreed.

Zhao Zian bent down and picked Qing'er up in his arms.

They carried her into the nearest room and placed her on the bed.

The girl's eyelashes fluttered a few times on the bed.

She opened her eyes.

It's him.

He was the benefactor who pulled them out of hell.

"I...I'm..."

"Don't move."

A large hand pressed down on her shoulder.

"You just fainted, you're still very weak, lie down first."

Qing'er obediently lay back down, but her gaze couldn't leave his face.

She is not Qing'er.

Her surname was Murong, and her given name was Qingxue. She was the eldest daughter of the current Vice Minister of Rites.

She was born into a life of luxury and was the envy of everyone in the capital.

But this wealth and glory also became a golden cage that bound her.

In order to curry favor with the powerful, her father betrothed her to the young master of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

What kind of person was he? A spoiled brat who indulged in cockfighting, dog racing, and womanizing.

Murong Qingxue resisted, cried, and went on a hunger strike, but all she got in return was her father's cold rebuke.

On the eve of her wedding, she bribed the old woman guarding her, changed into a coarse cloth dress, and escaped.

Heaven have mercy, she thought she had read a few books and seen a bit of the world.

Then one can live a life of integrity in this world, find a good partner, and seek a peaceful haven.

How naive! How foolish!

He fled for no more than ten days before his money was all gone.

When she was desperate, she met Tu San.

The man said he could find her a good place to go.

Driven mad by hunger, Murong Qingxue believed her and drank the laced rice porridge.

When I woke up again, I was in hell on earth.

Until this man appeared.

It was he who pulled them out of that quagmire one by one.

"water……"

Zhao Zian picked up the teapot and poured a cup of warm water.

"You're still weak and can't get up on your own."

Zhao Zian reached around the back of her neck and gently lifted her upper body.

The girl's body was very light, as soft as if she had no bones.

Zhao Zian brought the water glass to Qing'er's lips.

"Drink slowly."

Murong Qingxue froze.

In all her life, apart from her father and brother, she had never had such intimate contact with any man.

After she finished her water, Zhao Zian put her back on the pillow.

"Get some rest and don't overthink it."

He stood up, ready to leave.

"My benefactor!"

In her haste, Murong Qingxue blurted out.

Zhao Zian stopped in his tracks.

"I...I'm Qing'er. Thank you for saving me."

"It was just a small favor."

Zhao Zian responded calmly.

"Now that you've arrived at Jishetang, please settle in comfortably. Manager Su will take good care of you."

"My benefactor."

Qing'er called him back again.

"What...what's your name?"

Zhao Zian glanced at her with some surprise.

This girl is quite bold.

However, he didn't feel there was anything to hide.

"Zhao Zian."

Zhao Zian.

Qing'er silently repeated the name in her heart.

sounds so good.

Zhao Zian felt a little uncomfortable under her intense gaze.

He was looking for an excuse to slip away quickly.

The door to the side room was pushed open.

Su Mei appeared at the door.

"Oh my, our Grand Master Zhao is really chivalrous."

"That girl just woke up, and you're just standing here. Are you trying to help her recover faster, or do you want her to faint again?"

Zhao Zian said helplessly.

"Manager Su, please don't make fun of me. I'm just checking on her condition."

Su Mei walked to the bedside.

"My body is severely weakened and needs to be healed slowly. I've already had Wan'er take the medicinal herbs to the kitchen; that girl is meticulous, she can easily make some porridge."

"But you are, Grand Master Zhao."

Su Mei extended her delicate finger and tapped Zhao Zi'an's chest.

"The backyard is a place to nurture people, while the front hall is where you save lives. If you stay here any longer, the families queuing up ahead of us will wear down the threshold of our Jishetang."

"Is the front hall busy?"

What do you think?

Su Mei rolled her eyes at him.

"Dr. Wang is almost overwhelmed with work. Several people have even come all the way from neighboring towns, specifically asking to see you, Dr. Zhao. What, are you planning to stay in this backyard forever, you big shot?"

Upon hearing that there was a patient, Zhao Zian became serious.

"I'm coming right now."

He turned to Qing'er on the bed and gave her some instructions.

"Just rest and recover. If you need anything, just call Wan'er and the others."

After saying that, he followed Su Mei outside.

Su Mei walked ahead.

"If you don't come out soon, I'll start to think that little girl has bewitched you."

Zhao Zian frowned.

"She's just a frightened patient."

"patient?"

Su Mei scoffed.

"I don't think so. The way that girl looked at you, she looked like she wanted to devour you alive. Tsk tsk, not very old, but she's got quite the mind."

"Manager Su."

Zhao Zian's tone became a bit harsher.

Be careful what you say.

Su Mei knew when to stop.

"Okay, okay, I admit I misspoke, alright?"