Ren Shan looked at Fang Mo with admiration, his eyes gleaming. After Fang Mo said he was a medic, a newfound respect for him emerged. But Yuan Yi's initial shock turned into a mocking smile. "Aren't you too young to be a medic? Where's your certificate?"
Fang Mo frowned. He hadn't expected to need a certificate, considering how backward the technology was in this place. "I don't have one, but I do have the capabilities. Why don't you show me the way to your camp, and I'll prove it to you?"
"Hmph," Yuan Yi snorted. "I can bring you there, but if you're caught lying, I'll execute you myself according to martial law."
"I'll grab my things and we'll go." Fang Mo's expression remained calm. As long as he had a chance to prove his medical skills, he wasn't worried. If he claimed to be the second-best medic on Earth, no one would dare to take the top spot. Whether Eastern or Western medicine, he had dabbled in them all.
Fang Mo clasped his hands toward Ren Tingfeng. "May I know where the belongings I had when you pulled me from the river are?"
Ren Tingfeng nodded, his expression still a little pale. He was worried Fang Mo might have lied just to help them. If that were the case, he wouldn't have a good ending. "We found a satchel with you. It's right beside the bed you were resting on."
Fang Mo returned to the room where he had woken up and found the satchel. At first, he hadn't noticed it because he stood up in a rush, and from where he was lying, it had been out of view.
Surprisingly, only the herbs inside the satchel were damaged. The poisons he had concocted and the gold coins remained intact. He looked at Ren Tingfeng with newfound respect. Despite their difficult situation, the old man hadn't stolen from him or even mentioned the money he carried.
There were only two possibilities: either they hadn't checked inside the satchel, or they had and chose to treat it as if it were nothing. Either way, to Fang Mo, people like them were worth befriending.
"Are you coming or not? I don't have all day," Yuan Yi said impatiently from the doorway.
Fang Mo ignored the man's tone. Before leaving, he approached Ren Tingfeng and handed him a gold coin. "Thank you for saving me. This may not be much, but I hope it helps your situation."
He wanted to give them more, but with Yuan Yi present, he didn't dare. Who knew if the money would be stolen as soon as he left?
"This…" Ren Tingfeng was at a loss for words. Instead of giving him the gold coin, why didn't Fang Mo simply give it to the military and avoid getting dragged into this mess?
But Fang Mo could guess what he was thinking. He pushed the gold coin into Ren Tingfeng's hand before the old man could protest. "It's okay. Going to the military to work is not a bad outcome for me. Just stay here and take care of your grandson. That's what matters most."
Ren Tingfeng's body trembled slightly. He had thought he was the one saving Fang Mo, but in the end, it was Fang Mo who had saved them. He watched in silence as Fang Mo left with Yuan Yi.
***
With Yuan Yi leading the way, Fang Mo walked toward the military camp. Because the frontlines were close to Liushi Village, where Ren Tingfeng lived with his grandson, they walked for only thirty minutes before Fang Mo saw rows of tents aligned in neat formation.
The thick smell of blood filled the air. Sweat and blood mixed together to create a pungent, almost nauseating scent. The war between the Wei Zhou State and the Cheng Hou State had been dragging on for a while, and the morale of the troops was low. Here, it was easier to find an injured soldier than a healthy one.
Most soldiers didn't fear a quick and honorable death on the battlefield, but a slow, prolonged death outside it.
As Fang Mo entered the camp and continued to follow Yuan Yi, he noticed the soldiers' injuries. Some had blood-soaked bandages that clearly needed changing, while others didn't have any bandages at all. Due to the lack of competent medics, the soldiers had to make do with what little they had, which led to worsening wounds and even avoidable deaths.
Fang Mo even saw someone with an open, infected wound, suffering alone in a corner without medical attention. He knew the problem wasn't just the lack of medics; it was also the lack of technological advancement.
Instead of feeling sadness, Fang Mo felt a surge of excitement. This was exactly the situation he needed. The worse their condition, the more leverage he would have to negotiate.
Finally, Yuan Yi stopped in front of a tent marked with a red cross above its entrance and gestured for Fang Mo to go inside. Within, many soldiers lay groaning in pain on makeshift beds and stretchers. A few attendants moved between them, but it was clear they were nowhere near enough.
"D-Doctor, my leg!" a soldier with an amputated leg screamed. His complexion turned pale as he stared at the space where his right leg should have been.
"Qi Niu, your leg was too infected. We had to amputate it, or you would've died." A beautiful woman in white robes, with a thin, symmetrical nose and lips, approached. Her robes couldn't hide her mesmerizing curves as she moved toward the soldier.
Tears welled up in Qi Niu's eyes. "Doctor Xue, I…"
Doctor Xue held his trembling hand. "I'm sorry. I'll fill out the form to send you back to your family. Thank you for your service."
"Is that your excuse for your incompetence? If you weren't so useless, this soldier would still have his leg," a cold voice echoed through the tent, drawing everyone's attention.
The other doctors in the tent were speechless as they watched a young, unknown man speak to Doctor Xue in such a manner. Who dared to speak to Doctor Xue like that? Despite her young age, she was the Head Doctor in the military camp. No one here would dare question her medical skills. The number of lives she had saved far exceeded anyone else's.
Doctor Xue frowned and looked over her shoulder. A skinny, pale man with bandages on his shoulder stared back at her without a trace of fear.
"Who are you?" she asked coldly.
Yuan Yi, who saw the scene, felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Fang Mo had just arrived, and he had already managed to offend Doctor Xue. It was one thing to seek death himself, but why drag him down too?
"I'm sorry, Doctor Xue. This newbie doesn't know his place!" Yuan Yi hurried over to Fang Mo and grabbed his arm. He was about to drag him out to teach him a lesson, but Doctor Xue raised a hand to stop him.
"Stop right there, soldier," she said, eyes narrowing as she turned back to face Fang Mo. "Since you're so confident, what would you have done? Isn't it better to lose a leg than a life?"
Fang Mo smiled coldly. His expression made Yuan Yi shiver even more. This madman was about to say something outrageous again. Unfortunately, Yuan Yi didn't dare act rashly in front of Doctor Xue. Her authority compared to his was like that of a queen to a servant.
Before Fang Mo could reply, shouts rang out from outside the tent.
"We need a doctor! Wan Liwei had his arm cut off!"
Fang Mo and Doctor Xue turned toward the entrance. A soldier lay on a stretcher, blood pouring from both his shoulder and his severed arm. His face was deathly pale. Three other soldiers carried him in. If he didn't receive immediate care, he would die.
Doctor Xue's expression hardened. She moved forward, focused. There was no time to argue with an arrogant newcomer. But Fang Mo stepped in front of her.
"Didn't you want to see what I would have done?" he said. "Get me antiseptics, a suturing, acupuncture needles, and water. Today, I'll show you what a real medic looks like."
Without waiting for her response, he walked to the injured soldier. "Put him there. Be careful with that arm. If you can, place ice around it, but make sure nothing, not even the ice, touches the wound directly!"
Doctor Xue and Yuan Yi both stared in disbelief. The newcomer had dared to treat the Head Doctor as an assistant.
Yuan Yi wanted nothing more than to slap Fang Mo and drag him out, but he didn't dare. Not in front of Doctor Xue. If he had known the man was this crazy, he wouldn't have brought him even if he had nine lives.
"D-Doctor Xue, do you want me to kick him out?" Yuan Yi stammered.
"I'll get what you asked for," Doctor Xue ignored Yuan Yi's question and replied to Fang Mo, leaving Yuan Yi dumbfounded.