Chapter 9: Arise, you who refuse to be slaves! (Part 1)

Tang Lie looked at the simple-minded Bitian man and couldn't help but feel deeply concerned for his fate. After calming down, he recalled his strange right arm. He rolled up his sleeve completely, and in the darkness, he saw a spiraling dragon coiling around his right arm, emanating a faint glow. The trajectory of the dragon was not clear, and Tang Lie gasped in shock. He could swear to the heavens that he had never had a tattoo in his life, yet the evidence lay right before him. He recalled the experience of turning blue all over after swallowing that crystal stone. Could it be that the dragon on his right arm was still inextricably linked to the crystal stone?

Macy said coldly, "I will consider this matter!" and turned to walk into the cabin

Yan Yue quickly brought Tang Lie onto the deck, where Oscar was still screaming in agony. Upon seeing Tang Lie, he seemed to have found a savior, pointing at his fractured right leg and wailing incessantly.

The pain during the reset caused Oscar to faint, and Tang Lie did not immediately wake him up; instead, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up.

In three days, we will arrive at the imperial capital of Longde in the Xuanwu Kingdom. The Xuanwu Kingdom is located in the western part of the Grandia continent, bordered by the Yigulaba River from the Land Empire. These two nations are the most powerful on the Grandia continent, standing in opposition and enmity towards each other, with a history of continuous conflict since ancient times. Therefore, when Meixi first saw the parchment in Tang Lie's satchel, she regarded him as a spy from the Land Empire.

Macy sighed and said, "His origins are unclear, and I am always worried that he has ulterior motives"

Mei Xi looked at Yan Yue with deep meaning and said, "Yan Yue, you aren't having feelings for him, are you?"

Tang Lie could not help but steal a glance at Mei Xi's expression, and by chance, he caught a glimpse of the trace of resentment in her eyes. He was momentarily taken aback, vaguely sensing that something was amiss, yet he could not articulate why.

Tang Lie hurriedly supported his shoulder: "Do not move easily; if it causes a displacement of the broken bone again, it may become very troublesome"

Tang Lie did not dare to look directly at Mei Xi, fearing that her beauty would once again stir his desires. He lowered his head and gazed at the deck, saying: "If all goes well, it should be possible to recover in two months..."

Yan Yue bit her lower lip and said with difficulty: "He... he wanted to take advantage of his subordinate... but fortunately, the other sisters arrived just in time..."

Why not let Tang Lie take a look

Yan Yue smiled gently, lifting the ginger, pepper, and jujube soup she had prepared and handing it to Mei Qian: "Master, drink this, have a good sleep, and when you wake up, everything will be fine."

Mei Xi nodded. In fact, she immediately thought of Tang Lie. Although she had heard Yan Yue praise Tang Lie's extraordinary medical skills multiple times, she had not yet seen them with her own eyes. This time happened to be a good opportunity.

He said softly: "I have some medications stored in my bag; if they can be used on Oscar, I believe he will recover sooner."

Tang Lie was not as easygoing as they were; he was calculating in his mind how to quickly extricate himself from the current predicament. Mei Xi's menstrual pain presented him with a fortuitous opportunity. If he could seize this chance, he might be able to win Mei Xi's favor and thereby alter his currently passive and disadvantageous situation

Throughout the entire process, Mei Xi stood by, observing coldly, until Tang Lie completed his treatment. Only then did she coldly ask, "How long will it take for this person to recover?"

Mei Xi furrowed her brow; the lives and deaths of the Bit People were of no importance to her. What she cared about was whether her merchandise was intact and undamaged

Oscar! A man must endure the pain!" Tang Lie picked up a wooden stick for Oscar to bite down on, to prevent him from biting himself due to the intense pain during the realignment.

A handsome face appeared before me, with the corners of his lips, resembling the petals of a plum blossom, revealing a hint of a shy smile

It became particularly important to maintain a sense of proportion. Tang Lie was fully focused, oblivious to everyone else around him, with all his attention concentrated on the broken bone. Accompanied by a loud roar from him, Oscar's short and stocky body trembled violently for a moment, as Tang Lie accurately repositioned the two ends of the broken bone to their correct place

Tang Lie approached Oscar, lifted his short skirt, and saw that his thigh was already significantly swollen. He probed the fractured area of Oscar's leg with his fingers and immediately made the correct assessment. Oscar was quite fortunate; the bone displacement was not severe. As long as the bone was realigned properly and stabilized with a splint, along with two months of rest, he should be able to recover.

Step aside! Yan Yue exclaimed in terror. Although these individuals were merely commodities to her, she could not bear to watch a living being die right before her eyes

Yanyue's perfectly timed pressure gradually alleviated the pain in Meixi's lower abdomen. She let out a long sigh, picked up a warm towel from the side, wiped the sweat from her face, and softly said: "Yanyue, I didn't expect you to have this skill!"

Oscar woke up an hour later, and at a glance, he found Tang Lie among the heads of the people surrounding him. He struggled to sit up to express his gratitude to Tang Lie.

Mei Xi's beautiful eyes revealed a piercing cold light as she said coldly, "Do you really think I can't see through it?"

Tang Lie and another Bit person carried Oscar back to the lower cabin, the complex expression on Macy's face lingering in his mind, a sense of foreboding arising in his heart. Although Macy appeared beautiful, she was ultimately a slave trader, showing no humanitarianism towards them as slaves. Otherwise, she would not have subjected him to such cruel and relentless torment in the first place

Oscar nodded emphatically and tightly closed his eyes

Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from behind. Meixi and Yanyue turned to look back simultaneously, only to see a thick wooden post, about the width of a bowl, suddenly fall from the mast not far away. Oscar, the Bit person who was kneeling on the deck cleaning, was so startled that he froze in place, forgetting to dodge.

Yan Yue knew she could not hide anything from Mei Xi, so she hurriedly knelt before her and said: "Yan Yue acted on her own accord, I hope my master will forgive me"

He quickly secured Oscar's right leg with the wooden board he had prepared in advance, completing the resetting and fixation in one go. Although it took less than five minutes, it encapsulated Tang Lie's years of diligent study and understanding of medicine. Tang Lie slowly wiped the sweat from his hands with a clean towel, and could not help but think that the resetting technique he demonstrated today had already surpassed his own level. The control and mastery of his right hand's strength had reached a point where it was entirely at his command. He instinctively glanced at his right arm; the exposed half of his arm had mostly returned to its normal color, yet several deep blue stripes still faintly lingered, like tattoos that could not be erased.

These Biters are inherently simple-minded, and the delicious food before them temporarily makes them forget their circumstances. After eating their fill, they each pat their round bellies and begin to laugh and play. Of course, they do not forget that this feast was brought by Tang Lie, and they express great respect and gratitude towards him

Macy unexpectedly asked a baffling question: "If the other sisters had not appeared, would something inappropriate have already occurred between you and him?"

Yan Yue nodded and said: "His medical skills are exceptionally high; even compared to those imperial physicians in our capital, his level is significantly superior."

Yan Yue took the opportunity to speak, saying: "Master, perhaps we should give him a chance to explain himself"

Mei Xi furrowed her brows and said, "I have my own plans for this matter." Suddenly, she recalled something and fixed her piercing gaze on Yan Yue's watery eyes, saying, "There is something I have always wanted to ask you: what exactly happened between you two in the water chamber that day?"

In the early morning, Meixi arrived at the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant rising sun, quietly bathing in the golden morning light. Her curvaceous figure was enveloped in a layer of golden radiance, making her appear enigmatic and her beauty elusive. Since consuming the ginger, pepper, and jujube soup, her symptoms of dysmenorrhea had alleviated, and her body had returned to its usual comfort.

Yan Yue's charming face instantly turned crimson, and she stammered, "Master is overthinking... nothing has happened..."

Yan Yue smiled and handed the medicine bowl to Mei Xi, saying, "The master's health seems to have improved significantly!"

Two months! Macy's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked with some disdain at Oscar, who lay unconscious on the ground. Given his current condition, he was worth absolutely nothing. Once he recovered, she would have to cover two months' worth of food and lodging. From a business perspective, this deal was truly a loss.

Mei Xi did not speak, her gaze once again turned towards the horizon where the sea meets the sky, her deep blue eyes shimmering with a captivating light

Meixi carefully observed Yanyue's expression, and from her face, Meixi had already found the answer. She sighed softly and said, "You may go for now, but in the future, without my permission, no one is allowed to approach that guy."

Based on her understanding of her subordinates, Yan Yue certainly did not possess such abilities. Recalling that Yan Yue had previously recommended Tang Lie to diagnose her illness, Mei Xi could almost conclude that Yan Yue's method of diagnosing her illness was undoubtedly learned from Tang Lie

Tang Lie took a deep breath, gently lifting Oscar's ankle and knee to prevent further displacement of the fractured bone. The most fundamental technique for bone reduction is traction, aimed at achieving the shortest distance of contact between the two ends of the fracture. Insufficient traction force will not achieve the desired effect. Excessive traction may assist in reduction but is highly likely to cause additional damage to soft tissues or lead to soft tissues becoming embedded in the fracture gap, subsequently resulting in delayed healing or nonunion of the fracture.

Macy's deep blue eyes quietly gazed out the window, as night had fully descended. The sea had turned completely black under the night sky, resembling an endless black net. She pondered and said, "Setting aside this person's base character, he is indeed a remarkable talent."

Macy slowly set down the empty bowl she had finished drinking from and said: "Did he teach you these methods, or did you come up with them on your own?"

Yan Yue hurriedly rushed over, while Oscar's chubby face turned pale with pain as he clutched his right leg and moaned incessantly

At the last moment, Oscar finally reacted, his small body shifting back just enough to allow him to evade disaster. The wooden stake struck heavily against his right leg, accompanied by a sharp cracking sound, and Oscar let out a heart-wrenching scream as his right leg was shattered by the stake

Mei Xi nodded gracefully and drank the ginger, pepper, and jujube soup, feeling a warm, smooth sensation enveloping her abdomen, a delightful tingling that seemed to make the pain in her stomach vanish in an instant

Yan Yue's heart was heavy as she said: "Master, do you really intend to send him to the market for auction?"

The Biters devoured the delicacies that Tang Lie had shared with them, each one eating voraciously. From time to time, they cast grateful glances at Tang Lie. Tang Lie offered his roasted chicken leg to Oscar, who initially hesitated but ultimately could not resist the temptation of the food, accepting it without reservation and began to eat heartily.

Soft footsteps sounded behind her, and it was Yan Yue approaching her with a bowl of medicine.

The Biters have short and stout lower limbs, with exceptionally developed muscles, yet the length of their femurs is quite short, which brings considerable inconvenience to Tang Lie's method of reduction. After familiarizing himself with the skeletal structure of the Biters through touch, he vividly conceptualizes the shape of the fractured bone in his mind. In the absence of X-ray assistance for examination, his extraordinary judgment and imagination play a crucial role. He cannot help but feel somewhat strange, as he must have undergone some peculiar change without realizing it; the sensitivity of his right hand's tactile perception has become remarkably heightened. He vividly conceptualizes the shape of the fractured bone in his mind, and in the absence of X-ray assistance for examination, his extraordinary judgment and imagination play a crucial role. He cannot help but feel somewhat strange, as he must have undergone some peculiar change without realizing it; the sensitivity of his right hand's tactile perception has become remarkably heightened.

Yan Yue remained silent, her mind recalling the scene in the water chamber that day. She thought to herself: "If no one else had appeared, would I have firmly rejected Tang Lie's wanton harassment?" The answer was surprisingly negative. She understood better than anyone that if her sisters had not arrived in time, she would likely have completely succumbed to Tang Lie's aggression.

Mei Xi said softly, "We will soon arrive at the imperial capital."

"He must be treated!" Yan Yue raised her head and said to Mei Xi for instructions

Yan Yue indeed kept her promise and sent three roasted chickens and several pounds of beef to Tang Lie. Naturally, Tang Lie could not eat so much by himself; he was grateful for the selfless help he had received from these friends during difficult times. This was his way of expressing his gratitude.

Mei Xi took a small sip of the medicinal soup and smiled, saying, "I didn't expect that Tang Lie actually has some skills!"

Although Oscar could not understand what Tang Lie was saying, he could tell from Tang Lie's expression that he was very concerned about him, which moved him to the utmost, and he began to cry loudly.

Yan Yue hurriedly shook her head and said: "Yan Yue is merely speaking the truth and would never dare to have any selfish motives"