I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Although the clinic was still filled with a tense and anxious atmosphere, the order was relatively stable, and the treatment progressed smoothly and effectively.

……

……

Clinic, a hospital ward—

Aoto and the members of the Chiba family stood in a row, waiting silently outside the room.

Regarding Qingdeng's injuries... in short: although he did not suffer a fatal wound, he had many minor injuries!

Shuten-dōji's blade cut countless wounds, large and small, into his body.

If Qingdeng hadn't possessed the talent "Blood Lock +7", the blood flowing from these wounds alone would have been enough to make him faint once or twice after the battle.

Severe injuries, coupled with fatigue accumulated since the "Second Great Return of China"...

To put it simply—after examining Qing Deng's physical condition, he was stunned, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground, and he blurted out, "Lord Renwang! Your body is in such a state, how can you still remain conscious? Quick! Lie down! Don't sit!"

After completing the basic treatment, the doctor specifically instructed Qingdeng: You must rest in bed! Do not get out of bed and walk around!

Clearly, he ignored the doctor's orders and quietly gave up his bed, leaving it for someone else in need.

Chiba Jutaro and Chiba Michizaburo also did the same thing.

Their injuries were also severe, and the amount of burlap wrapped around their bodies was no less than Qingdeng's.

Just like Qingdeng, the doctors who treated their injuries had barely left when they got out of bed to make room for the beds they hadn't even had a chance to sleep in.

In comparison, Chiba Tamon Shiro's injury was much less severe; he was merely grazed on the forehead by a bayonet, and a piece of burlap was all he needed to do.

Chiba Sadakichi's injuries were even minor... to be precise, he wasn't injured at all!

A close examination of his performance in battle reveals that his contributions and hard work are beyond reproach.

Wherever the enemy was numerous, he would charge there with his sword; wherever support was needed, he would go to provide it without hesitation.

After Chiba Eijiro and the others went to support Akasaka Mikado, he remained firmly rooted to Kohinata Mikado like an oak nail, single-handedly filling the gap in combat strength left by Chiba Eijiro and the others, and repeatedly repelling the enemy's attacks.

After the battle, people rushed to check Chiba Sadakichi's body and found that apart from his clothes being slightly dirty, he was completely unharmed and had fought the whole battle intact!

As it turns out, your grandpa is still your grandpa.

Even with graying temples, the founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu school remains as charismatic as ever.

Because the injuries were relatively minor, Chiba Sadakichi and Chiba Tamon Shiro had been assisting at the clinic since last night.

Taking advantage of their rest time, they waited outside the ward with Qingdeng and the others.

At this moment, the short-tempered Chiba Jutaro crossed his arms, his right leg trembling uncontrollably, and he kept muttering to himself:

"Tsk...is it not done yet..."

He had only been quiet for a moment when he couldn't stand still any longer. First, he started circling in place, then he hurriedly walked away into the distance, and then hurriedly walked back...

Under normal circumstances, Chiba Sadakichi would have already impatiently yelled at him to behave.

But at this anxious juncture, Chiba Sadakichi didn't have the time or inclination to worry about Chiba Jutaro.

Whether it was Qing Deng or the swordsmen of the Chiba family, they all felt that every second was like an eternity.

Finally... after a long wait, there was movement in the ward in front of them.

A young man and woman pushed open the door and walked out of the room at a leisurely pace.

These two were old acquaintances of Qing Deng—Kita no Jin and Tachibana Saki from Jin Medical Hall.

Upon seeing the couple emerge, Qingdeng and the others immediately perked up and rushed to greet them.

Before they could speak, Bei Fangren cut to the chase:

"Mr. Eijiro has survived."

He paused, then adopted a half-joking tone:

"He's incredibly lucky. Anyone else would have been dead by now if they'd suffered such severe injuries."

His remark did not elicit agreement from Qing Deng and the others—because after hearing the first half of his sentence, they disregarded everything else and rushed forward impatiently, crowding into the room in a chaotic manner.

As soon as they stepped across the threshold, the pungent smell of blood immediately assaulted their noses.

The not-so-spacious ward contained only one hospital bed.

Chiba Eijiro, his upper body wrapped in thick linen like a mummy, lay on this hospital bed.

His face and lips were terribly pale, without a trace of blood.

At first glance, it looks like it's dead.

However, if you look closely, you can see that he is still breathing.

Although the movement was very small, his chest was indeed rising and falling slightly!

Seeing Chiba Eijiro "come back to life," Aoto and the others were all stunned.

They stood silently by Chiba Eijiro's bedside for a long time, the room so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long while, Chiba Sadakichi's murmur broke the silence:

"He's still alive... Eijiro is still alive..."

Before he could finish speaking, his lips trembled violently, and he could no longer continue.

His murmurs were like a secret incantation to break the spell, releasing Qing Deng and the others from their "petrification".

Suddenly, Qingdeng staggered and almost fell to the ground. He managed to steady himself by grabbing the wall next to him.

Intense sadness can numb a person—intense joy has the same effect.

This is the case with Qingdeng today.

Her heart was filled with overwhelming joy, but she didn't know how to express it. She could only stare blankly and stiffly at Chiba Eijiro on the hospital bed.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if all the words in the world were used, they would not be able to describe his feelings at this moment.

At that time... when his "body" was found in the Edo Castle Honmaru, Aoto truly believed that Chiba Eijiro was dead.

In fact, it is not surprising that the Qing Deng Association made this judgment.

At that time, Chiba Eijiro's eyes were half open, he was not breathing, and his chest was no longer rising and falling... From any angle, he was a dead man who was as dead as could be.

After the battle, the swordsmen of the Chiba family suppressed their grief, found a handcart, and prepared to transport Chiba Eijiro's "body" back to the Genbukan for burial at a later date.

On their way to the Genbu Hall, they unexpectedly encountered Kita Jin—who had already accepted the shogunate's call and was on his way to a temporary clinic to treat the wounded.

Kita Jin glanced at Chiba Eijiro's "corpse" and raised an eyebrow:

"Huh? He's not dead yet! Don't bury him yet!"

His words were like a bomb, causing Chiba Sadakichi and the others to tremble violently.

Kita Jin succinctly explained Chiba Eijiro's symptoms.

Simply put, Chiba Eijiro is in a state called "feigned death".

As the name suggests, he only appears to be dead, but he is not actually completely dead.

According to Kita Jin's explanation, this was because Chiba Eijiro had suffered extremely serious injuries, which was why he entered this special state of "neither dead nor alive".

This statement may seem absurd, but it is not.

Throughout history and across the world, stories of "famous doctors bringing the dead back to life with a few simple tricks" have been commonplace.

The reason for this is that these "dead" people were not truly dead; they were merely "pretending to be dead."

After carefully examining Chiba Eijiro's entire body, Kita Jin made a firm judgment: as long as a skilled doctor provides him with the best possible treatment, Chiba Eijiro has a chance to survive!

Fortunately, Bei Fangren happens to be a doctor with such excellent medical skills!

Northern Jin's bold statement left Chiba Sadakichi and the others stunned.

They didn't understand what "apparent death" meant, nor did they understand what methods Kita Jin would use to save Chiba Eijiro, but they understood one thing: Chiba Eijiro had a chance to come back to life!

Chiba Eijiro's position within the family, and their deep respect and affection for him, did not allow them to hesitate in the slightest on this matter.

Now that things have come to this, they are willing to accept it even if it turns out to be a false hope, as long as Chiba Eijiro can be brought back to life!

Thus, Kita Jin personally performed the treatment on Chiba Eijiro, giving full play to his medical skills.

After two full hours of treatment, he finally managed to bring Chiba Eijiro back to life!

At that moment, Chiba Sadakichi belatedly turned around, preparing to thank Kita Jin.

"Mr. Northern, thank you so much..."

However, when he turned around, he found that Beifangren had disappeared.

Only his personal assistant, Ms. Tachibana Saki, remained standing there.

Tachibana Saki smiled slightly:

"Mr. Northern has gone to treat other wounded patients."

Upon hearing this, Chiba Sadakichi immediately showed a look of shame:

“Oh dear, we have been so rude… Mr. Northern has been kind to us, and we haven’t even said ‘thank you’…”

Saki Tachibana gently shook her head:

"There's no need to feel guilty. Mr. Northern has been practicing medicine to help people, never for the sake of making a lot of money or for others to worship him."

"Being able to see your ecstatic expressions is the most precious reward he has received."

After saying this, Tachibana Saki gave a slight bow and then slowly withdrew to attend to other matters.

The mood of everyone present made the air in the ward feel lighter.

The tension and uncertainty that had been building up on their faces have now completely dissipated, replaced by genuine smiles and joy.

Qing Deng, whose face had been tense since yesterday, relaxed her facial features slightly at this moment.

However... before he could relax for long, a sudden shout made his nerves tense up again:

"Mr. Orange! Mr. Orange! Mr. Orange, are you there?"

It's the voice of Sanosuke Harada.

Upon hearing Harada Sanosuke's shout, Aoto's expression changed slightly.