Chapter 38

Li Yifeng stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Tian Li Yifeng clearly saw him treat Murong Feiyang, and now he said he didn't understand medicine. He just thought he was being modest and chuckled, "Mr. Hu is too modest." His expression clearly said, "Who are you trying to fool? I saw it with my own eyes."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I've never understood what modesty is, Mr. Li. I see you as a kind and honest elder, so I won't hide anything from you. I have no teacher, and I haven't studied any medical techniques."

Li Yifeng said, "I was right there when Mr. Hu treated Inspector Murong. If you don't tell me, young man, you're too slippery."

Hu Xiaotian said, "This is really hard to say. If I don't say it, Mr. Li will definitely think I'm lying. Mr. Li, I'll tell you the truth, but you must keep it a secret."

Li Yifeng, seeing his serious demeanor, was both curious and suspicious, so he nodded and said, "Speak your mind, I will keep your secret."

Hu Xiaotian deliberately looked around, then leaned closer to Li Yifeng and lowered his voice, "Actually, I don't know anything about medicine. The reason I can set bones and remove arrows from Inspector Murong's body is because I am familiar with human anatomy."

Li Yifeng said, "How can you be familiar without studying medicine?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "I have a problem!"

Li Yifeng was slightly taken aback; he hadn't met many people who said this about themselves. He blinked, puzzled, "A problem? What kind of problem?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Since I was young, I've had a secret hobby. I like to dissect small animals with a knife. At first, it was chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs, then it progressed to larger animals like pigs, horses, cows, and sheep. Later..." Hu Xiaotian deliberately paused, his smile sinister, "Do you understand dissection?"

Li Yifeng, of course, understood dissection. By this point, he was already feeling uneasy, "You mean... like the butcher dissecting a cow..."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Something like that, but not quite. The butcher only dissects the bones, joints, and muscles of a cow. I don't miss the internal organs or the meridians. I call it dissection!" His eyes gleamed with excitement.

Li Yifeng felt a chill run down his spine, "That... ah..."

"Not just that. Later, I found dissecting pigs, horses, cows, and sheep wasn't satisfying enough, so I shifted my interest to..." Hu Xiaotian's eyes fixed on Li Yifeng.

Li Yifeng felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He knew what Hu Xiaotian was hinting at and trembled, "You mean dissecting..." He held back the word "people," as he saw this as a shocking and terrifying act. He didn't want to believe it, but Hu Xiaotian seemed to be speaking with such conviction that it was very likely.

Hu Xiaotian nodded, "You guessed it."

Li Yifeng felt his stomach churn, and he barely suppressed the urge to vomit, "But that's against the law."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Of course I know. So, I buy dead bodies for a high price, bring them to a secret place, and dissect them bit by bit, studying them."

Hearing this, Li Yifeng could almost see the man wielding a knife, dissecting a body, blood everywhere, a gruesome sight. A wave of nausea hit him, and he clamped his hand over his mouth, rushing to the backyard at an astonishing speed.

Not long after, Hu Xiaotian heard the man's painful retching. Li Yifeng was in a terrible state, probably even vomiting bile. In the past, what was considered a branch of natural science was now seen as a monstrous and terrifying act. No wonder people who studied anatomy were once shunned and even sacrificed their lives. Hu Xiaotian's story had some truth and some lies. He had never done any dissection experiments. He needed to give Li Yifeng a shock to make him give up the idea of having him treat Prince Jin. After knowing about this hobby, Li Yifeng would likely avoid him. Hu Xiaotian realized that managing his image was important. This conversation transformed him from a benevolent doctor into a bloodthirsty dissection fanatic.

Murong Feiyang arrived at Yiyuan Hall at noon. Hu Xiaotian's surgery was timely and skillful, Li Yifeng's wound medicine was very effective, and with Murong Feiyang's good physical condition, she recovered quickly. When she appeared before Hu Xiaotian, she had already regained her former vigor.

However, when she saw Hu Xiaotian, she still didn't give him a good face. Every time she saw his playful smile, she felt he had ulterior motives. How could someone look like this? He was quite handsome, but he always seemed sinister, like a bad guy.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "Inspector Murong, you've kept me waiting for a long time."

Murong Feiyang said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Hu. I had to handle some official business, so I arrived late."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Inspector Murong is truly dedicated. Even with a work injury, you still insist on working on the front lines. Truly, a minor injury doesn't stop you from fighting."

Murong Feiyang was used to his strange way of speaking. Hu Xiaotian was indeed a man of hidden depths. She had always thought he was an uneducated playboy, but he turned out to know some medicine, and quite well. In the entire capital, few could successfully remove a canine barbed arrow. Hu Xiaotian not only removed the arrow but also treated her wounds beautifully, leaving almost no scars.

At this moment, Murong Feiyang also heard the vomiting from the backyard. She looked over and saw Li Yifeng leaning on a pillar, bent over, vomiting continuously. She frowned, "Is Mr. Li sick?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "He's quite sick!" He inwardly laughed, thinking it was just a story about dissecting human bodies that had scared Li Yifeng so much.

Murong Feiyang was wearing her official uniform today, exuding a rare androgynous charm of the era, looking very capable and efficient, a unique and independent spirit.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Sit!"

Murong Feiyang sat in a Taishi chair and placed her long sword on the table. Because of her role as a constable, her posture was more masculine, sitting with her legs wide apart, unlike the typical woman. Hu Xiaotian had recently seen many women who kept their legs tightly together, and Murong Feiyang was a rare exception.

Murong Feiyang noticed his gaze fixed on her legs. Although covered by her outer robe, she instinctively reacted, suddenly clamping her legs together.

Hu Xiaotian, who had just taken a sip of tea, found her action very amusing and couldn't help but laugh, choking on the tea and spitting it out.

Murong Feiyang's face turned red, inwardly cursing him as shameless. "Don't look at me like that!" Just as she was about to react, she saw Li Yifeng, pale and weak, walk in. Li Yifeng had been thoroughly tormented by Hu Xiaotian and barely managed to greet her with a weak bow.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Is Mr. Li okay?"

Li Yifeng nodded.

Hu Xiaotian opened the brocade box. Li Yifeng, seeing the surgical instruments, was reminded of the man dissecting a body, his mouth twitching. He quickly covered his mouth with both hands and ran back to the backyard.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "He's quite sick!"

Murong Feiyang now believed he was sick and softly said, "Mr. Li is a skilled and benevolent doctor, dedicated to his patients. He must be very tired."

Hu Xiaotian said, "No one has it easy." He thought, "I saved you, I'm the one with skilled and benevolent hands."

Murong Feiyang looked at him with some dissatisfaction, "Not necessarily. There are always people who live without working, living off others, and spending extravagantly, completely unaware of the suffering in the world."

Hu Xiaotian, of course, knew she was talking about him. His smile suddenly vanished, "Take off your clothes!"