In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

Looking at the two of them, Qin Shaolang felt like an exhibit.

He just wanted to explain the principle behind his fighting, similar to "Do you know why ambulances are called 'medical martial arts' (120)? Because doctors know acupoints when they hit people, and they hit them accurately every time." But he swallowed the words back down.

Explaining human anatomy and joint weaknesses to them is like casting pearls before swine—a complete waste of breath.

Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, something unexpected happened.

Su Tang, who had been hiding behind him, suddenly went limp, rolled her eyes, and fell straight backward.

"Tang'er!"

Su Jin exclaimed in surprise, forgetting her fear, and hurriedly turned around to help, but she couldn't hold on to him.

With a "thud," the little girl fell solidly to the ground.

"Holy crap!" Qin Shaolang was shocked.

This little girl had been malnourished for a long time, and her physical condition was extremely poor. She had just been frightened by the howling of wolves and the sounds of thugs, pushing her mind and body to their limits. Now that the tension had eased, she completely broke down.

"Tang'er! Tang'er, wake up! Don't scare your sister!" Su Jin hugged her younger sister, her voice hoarse from crying, her face pale and completely lost.

Qin Shao-Lang rushed over, squatted down, and quickly placed his fingers on Su Tang's carotid artery.

The pulse... is faint, but still there.

I then opened my eyelids and looked at my pupils.

Fortunately, it's not a serious problem. It was just an acute stress reaction combined with hypoglycemia that led to shock.

"Get out of the way!" Qin Shaolang shoved Su Jin aside, laid Su Tang flat on the ground, and untied the belt binding her neck to allow her to breathe freely.

"What...what are you going to do?" Su Jin was taken aback by his rough actions, and then tried to pounce on him like a protective mother.

"Shut up if you want her to live!" Qin Shao-Lang roared without turning his head.

This roar, carrying an undeniable authority, instantly stunned Su Jin.

She watched as Qin Shao-Lang skillfully turned her sister's head to one side and raised her legs. She had never seen these actions before, but for some reason, they calmed her panicked heart.

After performing first aid, Qin Shaolang looked up at Su Jin and ordered, "Do you have any needles on you? Sewing needles!"

"A needle?" Su Jin was stunned for a moment before realizing what it meant. She hurriedly rummaged through a small cloth bag close to her body and pulled out a large sewing needle wrapped in a strip of cloth. This was the only tool they had to mend their clothes during their escape.

Qin Shao-Lang took it, and without even looking at it, used the still-burning flame in the stove to heat the needle tip until it was red-hot, performing a simple sterilization.

Su Jin was terrified: "You...you're going to..."

Qin Shao-Lang ignored her. He pressed one hand against Su Tang's tiger's mouth, and with the other hand, he held the red-hot needle and, without hesitation, precisely stabbed it into a certain spot on her hand!

Renzhong (GV26), Hegu (LI4), Neiguan (PC6)...

His movements were as fast as lightning, each needle piercing a spot that Su Jin couldn't understand at all, yet felt incredibly mysterious.

He has no internal strength or true qi.

What he relied on was the most accurate understanding of human nerves and acupoints from the 21st century!

Stimulating nerves and restoring cardiopulmonary function is the simplest and most direct form of physical therapy.

In Su Jin's eyes, Qin Shao-Lang at this moment was like a god walking among mortals. No, even more terrifying than a god. One moment he was a ruthless star who could crush a person's hand bones, and the next moment he transformed into a divine healer who could save lives with a single embroidery needle.

This extreme sense of contradiction left her mind blank.

Just as she was lost in thought, Su Tang, who was lying on the ground, let out a soft groan, her long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Sister...Sister..."

Although the voice was weak, the person was indeed awake.

"Tang'er!" Su Jin cried with joy, rushed over and hugged her younger sister tightly, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.

Qin Shao-Lang let out a long breath and plopped down on the ground, feeling more tired than if he had been in a fight.

Saving lives always takes more mental and physical effort than killing them.

Inner monologue: [The quest chain in this starting village is way too complicated! I just finished fighting monsters, and immediately I get a healing quest. They don't even give me a chance to catch my breath! Thumbs down!]

The two sisters hugged each other and cried for a while before Su Jin remembered that there was a great benefactor next to her.

She pulled her younger sister, wiped away her tears, and solemnly prepared to kneel down before Qin Shao-Lang again.

"Not again?" Qin Shao-lang swiftly caught her. "Hey lady, do you have springs in your knees? You always seem to want to bounce off the ground?"

"Young master's great kindness..."

"Stop!" Qin Shaolang interrupted her. "I told you, I saved you only because I didn't want my grain to go to waste. Stop with the nonsense, it's giving me a headache."

He looked at the two sisters in front of him, still shaken and trembling like little quails, and sighed.

Alright, alright. Since we're already in the same boat, it's time to make things clear.

"Listen up, you two." Qin Shaolang's expression turned serious. "From today onwards, you'll follow me. You've both seen my current situation. I'm penniless, I've offended the local tyrant, and in three days I'll be sent to the border to die."

His words were direct and also cruel.

The little color that had just returned to Su Jin and Su Tang's faces faded again.

"However," Qin Shaolang changed the subject, "as long as you follow me for a day, I will not let you go hungry, nor will I let anyone bully you again. Whether it's Zhao the Cripple or Wang the Cripple, if they dare to come again, I will cripple one if they come, and cripple both if they come."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling ruthlessness and confidence.

This is not empty talk.

The overturned pot on the ground and the few thugs fleeing outside the door are the best proof.

"I don't need you to be my slaves, nor do I need you to sacrifice yourselves to repay a debt of gratitude." Qin Shaolang looked into Su Jin's eyes and said, word by word, "What I need are teammates, teammates who can survive together. You clean the house and gather firewood, that's your value. I'll take care of food and safety, that's my value. We're in an equal partnership, understand?"

Teammates? Collaborating relationship?

Su Jin only half understood these novel words.

But she understood the sentence, "I will not let anyone bully you again."

These words reassured her more than any vow of eternal love.

She looked at the man in front of her. He was so destitute that he didn't even have a place to live, but when he said those words, it was as if he owned the whole world.

"I...we understand." Su Jin nodded. This time, her voice no longer contained despair and fear, but rather a hint of determination.

"Good, that's good." Qin Shaolang waved his hand. "Alright, it's getting late, get some rest. We have a ton of things to do tomorrow."

……

The next day, before dawn, Qin Shaolang woke up.

His biological clock makes it impossible for him to stay in bed.

He tiptoed to his feet and saw Su Jin and Su Tang huddled together on the pile of straw, fast asleep. Su Jin was a light sleeper, like a wary cat, easily awakened by the slightest noise.

Qin Shaolang did not disturb them.

He walked to the corner of the hut and, from a pile of odds and ends, pulled out a dusty hardwood bow and a jug of scattered arrows.

This is one of the relics left by the original owner's father, General Qin Baisheng, who protected the country. It is also the only thing the original owner couldn't bear to pawn after losing all his family fortune.

The bow is a good bow, but unfortunately it has not been well maintained and the bowstring is already somewhat loose and worn out.

But for now, we have no choice but to make do.

He slung his bow and arrows over his shoulder and stepped out of the hut.

We must stockpile enough dry rations and supplies within three days. The journey to the border is long, and we can't rely on the post stations for supplies; we have to do everything ourselves.

His goal was clear—the mountains and forests.

With his knowledge of wilderness survival as a military doctor, he quickly discovered some edible fungi and medicinal plants in the forest.

He also found traces of wild animals.

Following the trail, he cautiously advanced and soon found a plump wild rabbit munching on grass roots behind a thicket of bushes.

Qin Shao-Lang took a deep breath and slowly drew back the bowstring.

The original owner's body still retained some muscle memory; although the strength was insufficient, the posture was still there.

Aim, then release!

"call out!"

The arrow pierced the air and flew away!

Unfortunately, the aim was a bit off, and it flew past the rabbit's rear end.

Startled, the rabbit vanished in a flash.

Qin Shao-Lang cursed under his breath, "Damn it, I'm out of practice."

Undeterred, he continued searching for his next target.

Luckily, not long after, he found a pheasant pecking at food under the tree.

This time, he learned his lesson and got a little closer.

Draw the bowstring again.

This time, he used even more force, pulling the bowstring to almost a full moon.

Just as he was about to let go!

"Snapped!"

A crisp snapping sound rang out!

The bowstring in his hand snapped instantly!

The pheasant flapped its wings and clucked as if mocking him, then swaggered into the depths of the woods.

Qin Shaolang: "..."

Inner monologue: [You messed up at the crucial moment! Did you buy this gear on Pinduoduo?! Thumbs down!]

He stared at the bow broken in two in his hand, speechless.

Without a bow, we'd be without ranged attack capabilities in these mountains, making it far less efficient.

It seems I must repair the bow first.

Although this post station was dilapidated, it was an important stop on the official road with many merchants and travelers passing through, so there must have been a blacksmith shop there.

He made up his mind, tied the collected mushrooms and herbs together with vines, carried them on his back, and headed towards the market at the post station.

The market at the post station was small, with only a few scattered shops.

Qin Shaolang quickly found the shop with the hammer logo.

However, as he approached, he realized that something was amiss.

The blacksmith's shop door was wide open, but it was quiet inside, without the familiar sound of hammering. Scattered on the ground near the entrance were some charcoal and iron filings, looking somewhat messy, as if an argument had taken place.

Qin Shaolang's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously walked in.

The shop was dimly lit, and a strong smell of rust and medicine mingled together.

An old man with white hair and beard was leaning against a haystack in the corner of the wall. His arm was wrapped in thick strips of cloth, which were stained with blood, indicating that he was injured.

In front of the old man stood a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old.

The girl, dressed in a patched-up short outfit, clutched a half-person-high iron hammer tightly in her hand, staring warily at the doorway.

Her face was smeared with black cigarette ash, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like those of a mother leopard protecting her cubs.

Seeing Qin Shaolang walk in, the girl immediately held the iron hammer horizontally in front of her chest and shouted sharply, "Stop! Who are you?"

Qin Shaolang stopped and raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.

He glanced at the injured old man, then at the wary young girl, and finally fixed his gaze on the broken hardwood bow in his hand.

"My name is Qin Shaolang," he said calmly. "My bow is broken, and I'd like to find someone to repair it."