The morning sun filtered through the clouds, scattering patches of light across the second-floor bedroom of the military compound.
By the time the couple had returned to the compound the previous evening, it had already been completely dark. After dinner, neither of them had the energy to look through the belongings they had brought back. They simply collapsed into bed.
Early that morning, Huo Zhixing had already left for the regimental headquarters to handle urgent military affairs. Despite spending the entire previous day driving, one night’s rest had completely restored his energy. There wasn’t the slightest trace of fatigue on him.
Su Jiuyue, on the other hand, had slept exceptionally soundly in the man’s embrace. By the time she woke up, it was nearly noon.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she immediately spotted the old tin box they had brought back the night before.
The edges of the box were covered in rust, still carrying the earthy scent of fresh soil.
Applying a little pressure with her fingertips, she heard a soft click as the aged metal lid sprang open.
Inside were the same items she had glimpsed through the cracked corner the day before.
Two thread-bound books lay inside. Their yellowed, slightly damp covers bore handwritten titles, while many pages contained notes and revisions in the margins.
One was Ghost Doctor’s Poison Manual, the other Qianjin Medicinal Prescriptions, accompanied by several collections of medical case records.
Beneath the books rested a row of items that, in this era, would have been considered contraband worthy of imprisonment.
Nine gold acupuncture needles of varying lengths.
Unlike ordinary round needles, each had a unique shape. Some even had triangular tips designed for bloodletting. The ends of the needles were carved into fierce ghost heads that gleamed coldly beneath the sunlight.
“Ghost Gate Golden Needles… Triangular needles for bloodletting… Ghost heads that steal souls.”
Su Jiuyue gently ran her fingers along one of the needles.
The instant her skin touched it, her heart skipped a beat.
This acupuncture technique had long since been etched into her very bones. She had never expected that, in this world, the inheritance left behind by the original Su Jiuyue’s mother belonged to the very same lineage.
Could it be…
Was her arrival in this world also part of Heaven’s design?
Beneath the needles lay a jet-black jade pendant.
The jade was smooth and lustrous like rich cream, its entire body as black as ink. Yet when held up to the sunlight, faint crimson streaks shimmered from within.
The front was carved with an ink-black qilin standing atop auspicious clouds.
On the back was a single ancient seal-script character:
“Xiao.”
“Xiao?”
Su Jiuyue frowned slightly, tracing the character with her thumb.
Nearly everyone in Sujia Village carried the surname Su. They all belonged to the same clan.
For three generations, the Su family had been poor peasants.
According to what she’d heard, the original owner’s mother, Ning Wan’er, had fled to the village during a famine over twenty years ago.
Yet someone who carried a qilin jade pendant crafted with such exquisite workmanship could never have come from an ordinary family.
If this pendant ever became public…
It could easily bring about a fatal disaster.
“It seems Ning Wan’er’s background is even more complicated than I imagined.”
Her eyes sharpened.
She carefully wrapped everything separately before searching for a secure hiding place.
Unfortunately, the small Western-style house wasn’t large, leaving few good hiding spots. Besides, it wasn’t necessarily safe.
Then inspiration struck.
Elder Qin’s acupuncture kit had a hidden inner compartment. Normally it was probably meant to store a pulse pillow, but it was spacious enough to conceal all of these items.
Keeping them with her every day would actually be far safer.
After hiding everything away, Su Jiuyue got up, washed up, and was preparing to head to the compound cafeteria.
Just then, Huo Zhixing returned carrying a lunch pail.
He also brought good news.
The military hospital had instructed Su Jiuyue to report for duty in five days.
The position had been personally approved by Grandpa Huo. Although she hadn’t officially started working yet, all of the paperwork had already been completed.
Her injured foot had nearly recovered as well.
Now that she had a job, life wouldn’t be nearly as boring.
She could spend the next five days organizing the medical records left behind by Su Mu before officially beginning work.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Early that morning, Huo Zhixing personally drove Su Jiuyue to the military hospital.
The onboarding process wasn’t much different from any other hospital.
She familiarized herself with the environment and toured each department.
Bright and early, Elder Qin asked Dr. Hu to show Su Jiuyue around the entire hospital.
She had only just sat down and was about to pour herself a cup of water when the head nurse of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, Sister Wang, approached her with a troubled expression.
“Dr. Su,” Sister Wang whispered, glancing toward the VIP ward at the end of the hallway. “Do you know Li Guilan from Bed 16?”
The moment she heard that name, Su Jiuyue instinctively stiffened.
The original owner’s suffering at her stepmother’s hands had left scars deep within her memory.
“Is she from Sujia Village?” Su Jiuyue asked, suppressing her disgust. She didn’t want to explain the family’s mess to outsiders.
“Yes.”
“She’s a terminal liver cancer patient. She’s been making a scene since this morning, insisting on seeing you by name.”
Sister Wang hesitated before adding,
“…and she claims she’s your mother.”
She quietly observed Su Jiuyue’s reaction.
If Li Guilan really were her mother, why didn’t Dr. Su seem anxious?
And if her mother was seriously ill, how could she know nothing about it?
Having worked as a nurse for many years, Sister Wang had seen every kind of bizarre patient imaginable.
Li Guilan from Bed 16 ranked among the worst.
A country woman acting as though she were some important official, barking orders at the nurses all day long.
If she hadn’t been making such a racket first thing in the morning—claiming Dr. Su was her daughter while hurling vicious insults—Sister Wang wouldn’t even have bothered mentioning it.
“She’s not my biological mother.”
“My real mother passed away years ago.”
“She’s my stepmother.”
Su Jiuyue smiled faintly, her face filled only with helpless resignation.
“A stepmother…”
“No wonder.”
Sister Wang’s attitude immediately grew warmer.
“You must’ve had a hard life growing up. I can tell you’re the kind who smiles on the outside while suffering on the inside.”
Though it was their first meeting, Sister Wang’s years of experience told her that Dr. Su was genuinely capable.
Someone personally acknowledged by Elder Qin could never be the sort of person Li Guilan claimed she was.
“You said she has liver cancer?”
Su Jiuyue raised an eyebrow with a meaningful smile.
“Terminal?”
“That’s right.”
“It came with an official notice from the Capital Hospital.”
Sister Wang herself seemed doubtful.
“They instructed us to let her stay hospitalized, let her eat whatever she wants, and not restrict her. They said… she doesn’t have much time left.”
“I see.”
Su Jiuyue immediately knew someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, though she said nothing.
“But let me tell you…”
“She doesn’t look like someone with liver cancer.”
“I overheard several doctors discussing her case.”
“They all agree she probably has some liver disease, but it doesn’t appear to be cancer.”
“No one can figure out what’s really going on.”
Sister Wang sighed.
Just then, a young nurse came running over.
“Sister Wang!”
“The patient in Bed 16 is making another scene!”
“She’s demanding that Dr. Su examine her.”
“Dr. Su isn’t even her attending Doctor.”
“I’ll go get Director Liu.”
“Let’s give her another sedative injection so she stops disturbing everyone.”
Sister Wang stood up.
“I’ll go.”
Su Jiuyue calmly smoothed the collar of her coat.
A cold glint flashed across her eyes.
“I’ll go see her myself.”
Bonus Mini Scene
Commander Huo stood in the hospital director’s office with his usual icy expression.
The director smiled awkwardly.
“Commander Huo, Dr. Su is already very popular in her department.”
Commander Huo casually rested a hand on the pistol at his waist.
“I heard someone is claiming to be her mother and causing trouble.”
“Take me there.”
“I’d like to see which old woman has grown tired of living and wants to sample a bullet from the Huo family.”
The director:
Wipes sweat nervously.