Shen Xingmian wasn't too worried about everyone's safety. Apart from her aunt, everyone in the family knew some martial arts, just at different levels.

Even if the father is relatively weak, he can pretend to be weak and still not be at a disadvantage when fighting with a strong man.

The others are capable of taking on several opponents at once; the ones we should be worried about are the other people.

Shen Xingmian stayed home while her mother led the women to dig for wild vegetables and wash themselves briefly by the stream. Everyone was usually very hygienic, and it was really painful to go without a bath for so long.

With Shen Yun standing there, Shen Xingmian wasn't worried at all about them being offended by some ignorant man. In any case, if anyone dared to do so, that person would definitely be the one who suffered.

Xu Ce went off to act alone, and to avoid anyone realizing that they were on the same side, he deliberately kept a distance that was neither too far nor too close.

In particular, he must not be discovered; he has decided to continue to serve the young prince.

Everyone assumed that after experiencing such a blow, he would be completely devastated, and that was indeed the case back then.

But things are different now. He now has a new reason and motivation to live.

He will protect the young prince and watch him ascend to the throne, ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity.

He cannot die yet, nor does he want to die.

*

Shen Xingmian picked up a packet of silver needles she had bought while passing by a clinic. She bought them on a whim, as she had no idea how to use them.

However, she didn't buy this to apply pressure to acupoints. She mainly used it to confuse Xiao Yanyue during treatment, since she couldn't very well perform surgery on him in front of him.

She specifically sought out videos of tendon repair surgery, carefully understood the principles, and prepared to begin treatment as soon as possible.

This kind of injury shouldn't be left untreated for too long. Moreover, there are many variables and unexpected situations on the run. Having another child who can't walk is definitely not as convenient as having another healthy child.

Of course, these were all excuses she made up; the real reason was simply that she didn't want a child to live in despair.

The advancements in modern medicine have made tendon repair surgery widely known, so even if someone suffers this type of injury, they know that after surgery, they can recover in a little over a month.

In ancient times, before surgery, a severed Achilles tendon meant permanent disability.

He already has no relatives left; if he becomes disabled, how painful it must be for him...

Shen Xingmian could never forget the despair and emptiness in his eyes when she first saw him, so she made up her mind to reassure him in advance.

Her current level of superpowers is not enough for him to recover quickly, but it is precisely because of this somewhat slow recovery that he seems more normal.

If only it had happened on the spot, she would have been mistaken for a monster by that clever child.

With the steward and his men guarding the area, she wouldn't need to intervene if anything happened, so she felt safe enough to get into the carriage.

Fortunately, before her mother and the others left, she had them help her move her grandfather and the young prince into a more spacious carriage, so that they would have more room to maneuver during the treatment.

The horse, which was originally a bit sickly, is now in much better spirits after drinking the supernatural water, so it can't be considered animal abuse.

As soon as she entered the carriage, she dropped a bombshell.

"Grandpa, I need to check on the young prince's injury. Please keep an eye on things outside. If anyone comes, please remind me. I'm afraid I'll get too focused and miss what's going on around me."

She didn't miss the way Xiao Yanyue's eyes widened in surprise, the light that burst forth from them dazzling and captivating.

Shen Xingmian couldn't help but raise her hand and pat his head gently, saying, "It might hurt a little, so you have to bear with it."

That's what she said, but she didn't really intend to let the child suffer again.

In their time, there were already anesthetic drugs that could provide local anesthesia upon contact with the skin. Without needing to take out a needle or give an injection, she could help him achieve the effect of "not too painful".

So she changed her words, saying, "It won't hurt much, don't worry, trust your sister Mianmian~"

In the years that followed, Xiao Yanyue recalled Shen Xingmian on this day and at this moment countless times. She seemed to radiate a gentle holy light, which spread outward like water, enveloping him in the abyss of despair.

That feeling is hard to describe. If there's one word to sum it up, it would probably be "redemption."

From that moment on, he no longer believed in gods and Buddhas or ghosts and spirits. The only person he could look up to and worship was the one in front of him.

...

Shen Xingmian wasn't as calm as she appeared. Her healing abilities only required skin contact; there was no need to cut open flesh with a knife and find the tendons inside.

This process will be extremely bloody...

She steadied her breathing and began wiping Xiao Yanyue's ankle with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol.

This made Xiao Yanyue very uncomfortable. He had never been so dirty before, and no one had ever seen this part of his skin.

This uncomfortable feeling made him unconsciously shrink his legs, trying to pull his feet out of the other person's hands, but Shen Xingmian grabbed him without saying a word.

"Grandpa, talk to the young prince and try to distract him so he won't look here."

Shen Zhiheng was also a little nervous. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up and stood between his granddaughter and the young prince, ensuring that Xiao Yanyue could only see himself.

Then I started trying to chat with him about this and that.

Xiao Yanyue was somewhat speechless at his skill in finding topics to talk about, but knowing that the two people in front of her were genuinely trying to help him, she cooperated and tried her best to keep up with the conversation. However, she still couldn't ignore the soft touch coming from her feet.

This was the first woman besides his mother to have physical contact with him. As a member of the royal family who had been strictly raised to be "learned and virtuous, resolute and far-sighted," his feelings at this moment were truly complicated.

Because he was so precocious, he knew more than other children his age. He understood the profound significance of physical intimacy for women, so he secretly decided that when he grew up...

*

With no more eyes on her, Shen Xingmian felt much less hesitant and became even more unrestrained in her actions.

She moved with lightning speed, first cleaning the skin in that area, then applying anesthetic. Once the anesthetic took effect, she used a sterilized scalpel to make a vertical incision in the skin.

Use gauze to absorb the blood, locate the ruptured tendon above, use a medical flat-nose forceps to pull it over and fit it tightly against the break, then fully transfer healing power from the joint to the tendon.

When her powers were depleted, she released the pincers. The tendons were pulled by the muscles, but they did not break.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away the blood, applied a quick-acting hemostatic agent, and wrapped her ankle with a medical bandage.

The whole process took her less than five minutes, but it felt incredibly long.