“Ciren! Please, you have to save Yangzong!”
Duojie dropped to his knees with a thud and clung tightly to Ciren’s leg.
“Yangzong went into labor today, but she’s having a difficult delivery. She won’t stop bleeding… The midwife said the baby is stuck and won’t survive, and Yangzong won’t make it either…”
Duojie’s cries were loud, quickly attracting the attention of the neighbors.
When they heard that Yangzong was suffering from a difficult delivery, everyone wore pained expressions.
In this remote plateau where medical supplies and medicine were scarce, news like this usually meant the worst outcome.
“Quick. I’ll get the horse ready. We’ll take her to the hospital in town!”
Ciren helped Duojie up and made the decision immediately.
“There’s no time.”
Sang Luo’s calm voice rang out.
Ciren and Duojie both turned toward her.
Sang Luo hurried into the house. When she came back out, she had a medical kit slung over her shoulder.
“Take me to her.”
“Huh?”
Duojie seemed unable to process what she had just said.
“I studied medicine. I should be able to help.”
Duojie looked at Sang Luo suspiciously, and the surrounding villagers also stared at her with obvious distrust.
Only Ciren pulled Sang Luo’s hand without hesitation.
“I’ll take you.”
Duojie and Yangzong had been staying at the pasture recently. Ciren rode with Sang Luo at full speed, and it took them more than twenty minutes to reach the place.
Sang Luo lifted the curtain of the felt tent, and the heavy smell of blood immediately assaulted her nose.
Yangzong lay on the earthen bed, her face as pale as paper.
The elderly midwife was muttering incantations and performing a ritual. The moment she saw Sang Luo enter, her expression immediately hardened.
Yangjin, who had been accompanying her older sister, also saw Sang Luo. She jumped to her feet and shoved Sang Luo.
“What are you doing here? Get out!”
The midwife also spread her arms to block Sang Luo.
“Get out! Get out! Outsiders aren’t allowed in here. You’ll anger the mountain god!”
Sang Luo placed the medical kit heavily on the ground. Without wasting time arguing with them, she spoke directly to Duojie, who had followed her inside.
“Take the two of them outside.”
Duojie looked at his sister-in-law, who was still trying to attack Sang Luo, and hesitated.
Ciren had waited outside for a while. When he saw that Duojie still had not done anything, he simply opened the door and dragged the still-shouting Yangjin outside.
Sang Luo exchanged a glance with Ciren before crouching down to carefully examine Yangzong’s condition.
“Uterine contractions are too weak. The baby is in the wrong position, and the birth canal is severely torn.”
She looked coldly at the old midwife.
“Did you pull on her forcefully?”
“If I didn’t pull, how would the child come out? This is the will of the mountain god!”
“Ridiculous! You’re killing her!”
Sang Luo’s chest heaved violently as she looked at the midwife’s self-righteous expression.
“Ciren A-Bu, please take her outside too!”
Without saying a word, Ciren grabbed the midwife and dragged her outside.
The villagers who had hurried over had just arrived when they heard the midwife and Yangjin loudly cursing and screaming.
Sang Luo ignored the midwife’s hysterics outside and turned to Duojie and Ciren.
“Ciren A-Bu, please prepare some hot water and clean cloth. Duojie, help me keep her still.”
Duojie nodded and carefully held Yangzong in place.
Sang Luo placed one hand on Yangzong’s abdomen, feeling around carefully, while using the other hand to sterilize the fine needles in her medical kit.
Suddenly, her hand stopped at a particular spot.
Then, without hesitation, she inserted the needle.
When Yangjin came in carrying hot water, she saw the silver needles in Sang Luo’s fingers seemingly come alive, precisely piercing the Hegu, Sanyinjiao, Zusanli, and other acupoints.
Each needle was inserted at a specific angle and depth. There had to be enough stimulation without damaging any vital areas.
Before long, tiny beads of sweat appeared on Sang Luo’s forehead, glistening beneath the oil lamp.
Fortunately, Yangzong’s agonized cries gradually subsided after Sang Luo inserted the needles.
“Yangzong, your cervix has opened now, and I’ve corrected the baby’s position. Follow my instructions.”
Yangzong nodded with difficulty. Though she looked as though she had been pulled straight from the water, hope had already returned to her eyes as she looked at Sang Luo.
Time passed second by agonizing second.
Outside the tent, the faint sound of villagers quietly chanting prayers could be heard.
Inside the felt tent, only Sang Luo’s voice and Yangzong’s restrained cries of pain could be heard.
“Wah!”
When the loud cry of a newborn finally rang out, everyone waiting outside breathed a sigh of relief.
Sang Luo quickly took care of the baby before immediately turning back to check Yangzong’s condition.
While cleaning the woman up, she secretly fed a few drops of spirit spring water into Yangzong’s mouth.
When Sang Luo finally stepped out of the delivery room, she was greeted by the villagers’ reverent gazes.
Duojie became so emotional that he was about to kneel.
“Doctor Sang Luo, you are the savior of our entire family!”
Sang Luo hurriedly helped him up.
“Let her rest properly. For the next few days, make sure she doesn’t move around unnecessarily or catch a chill. Remember to—”
She carefully explained the precautions for postpartum care, considering every detail thoroughly.
The villagers gathered around her, their eyes filled with unprecedented awe and gratitude.
After all, in the Tibetan region, several villages, sometimes even more than a dozen, might share a single Mamba—a doctor.
And now, the daughter A-Zhen had brought back was a highly skilled Mamba.
To them, this was a blessing they could never have dreamed of receiving—a goddess sent down from the snow mountains.
Ciren stood beside Sang Luo, subtly leaning toward her in a protective stance.
Yangjin stood at the edge of the crowd, staring fiercely at Sang Luo, who was surrounded by everyone.
Seeing the admiration and undisguised affection in Ciren’s eyes—something she had never seen from him before—made Yangjin feel as though her heart were being gnawed apart by thousands upon thousands of poisonous snakes.
She quietly slipped out of the crowd and hurried toward the edge of the village.
Beneath the prayer flags at the village entrance, a man was going around asking people questions.
As Yangjin passed him, he suddenly grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing?!”
Yangjin was already in a terrible mood because of Sang Luo.
Now that someone had grabbed her, her tone was especially harsh.
“Have you ever seen this woman?”
The man took out a photograph and showed it to Yangjin.
“Seen her? I haven’t…”
Yangjin had originally intended to leave as quickly as possible, but when she saw the person in the photograph, her expression immediately changed.
She lowered her voice, a malicious gleam flashing in her eyes.
“I’ve seen her. Why? Do you have a grudge against her?”
“You only need to tell me where she is.”
The moment the man heard this, he knew that Yangjin had definitely seen the woman in the photograph.
“If you don’t tell me why you’re looking for her, I won’t tell you.”
Yangjin could tell just as easily that this man was no good.
She spread her hands, her face full of malice.
“Tell me why you’re looking for her first. Maybe we can even discuss a deal.”
“I’m just here to get something from her.”
The man remained cautious.
“What kind of deal do you want to make with me?”
“It’s very simple.”
Yangjin’s smile slowly twisted into something vicious.
“The woman in this photograph is staying in our village, but I really don’t like her. I can help you lure her out.”
She paused, her eyes filled with hatred.
“But in exchange, I want you to kill her.”