Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-Three It Might Be Hard to Settle

Chapter 53: A Difficult Reckoning

After days and nights of tireless work, Ruan Xingji finally made some progress with his caesarean experiment. He proudly presented a weak little lamb, holding it like a prized treasure.

"Look! It's alive!"

As he spoke, he placed the lamb on the ground and casually plucked a handful of grass, offering it to the lamb’s mouth.

The lamb had only recently been stitched up, and the lingering effects of the anesthetic hadn't fully worn off, so it felt no pain. It stretched its neck, took the grass into its mouth, and chewed with effort.

Animals possess remarkable vitality; as long as they can eat, they can survive.

If the lamb’s wound healed without infection, it would prove the feasibility of Ruan Xingji’s caesarean method for delivering offspring. However, the anesthetic dosage for animals differed from that for humans, so he still needed to refine his approach.

Determining the correct human dosage presented another challenge. While animals were readily available, finding a living person willing to undergo such an experimental operation was not.

Ruan Xingji was troubled, his face etched with worry as he absentmindedly played with the bleating lamb.

Beside him, the silent Wei San felt no joy. Instead, his guilt and unease intensified. He had a strong premonition that something unexpected was about to happen, and his intuition had always been remarkably accurate.

He couldn't help but think of Wei Zheng. For the past half-month, he hadn't dared to exchange any letters with Wei Zheng, fearing that even a few words might betray his secret.

But avoiding contact in such a secretive manner couldn't last forever. Once Wei Er returned to the capital, their master would surely inquire about his whereabouts. It was only a matter of time before he was summoned back. He could only hope that Ruan Xingji would work faster.

The lamb’s recovery wasn't going well; its wound had become infected and pus-filled. Ruan Xingji used every bit of his medical knowledge to save its life, but it now lay weakly in the shed, barely clinging to life, unwilling to move, and showing little interest in fresh, tender grass.

Ruan Xingji grew even more anxious. Squatting in front of the shed, he tenderly stroked the lamb’s head and couldn’t help but suggest once more, "Look, you’re already more than four months pregnant. Given my current progress, I truly don’t dare operate on you."

Wei San remained silent, his expression resolute, as if his resolve was unshaken, yet his gaze was evasive.

He lowered his eyelids slightly and asked, "How soon can it be done?"

Ruan Xingji sighed. "I don’t know why you’re so determined not to keep it, but it definitely can’t be done quickly. I need at least another month."

A month was too long—he couldn’t wait.

Wei San pressed his lips together, lost in thought for a moment, then asked, "Can’t we just use medicine instead?"

Ruan Xingji was taken aback. He withdrew his hand from the lamb’s head and looked at Wei San with a complex expression.

"If you were intersex, it might be possible, but unfortunately..."

Unfortunately, Wei San wasn't. Even if he took medicine, there would be no way for the child to emerge, and the danger would be no less than that of a C-section.

Wei San understood this, but he wasn’t sure if Ruan Xingji would be able to help him remove the child a month later, nor was he sure he could wait that long.

The mission concerning the Yangzhou secret letter had essentially concluded when Wei Er left; Wei San had merely used it as an excuse to stay behind. An assassin going AWOL for an extended period would be deemed a betrayal of their master.

He would never allow himself to be branded a traitor.

Wei San was burdened with anxiety and couldn't calm his mind. He took his sword and began practicing, each move sharp and executed with powerful, imposing grace.

Ruan Xingji, who had just finished changing the lamb’s bandages, felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight. He hurried over and, taking advantage of Wei San’s momentary pause, snatched the sword away.

"My goodness, could you please be more careful with your body? If you accidentally bump into something or fall and have a miscarriage, you’ll need surgery whether you want it or not."

Trembling with lingering fear, he sheathed the sword and hid it behind his back, then, with a "you could do better" tone, gave Wei San’s forehead a light flick.

He had thought this would teach Wei San to be more cautious, but instead, Wei San frowned thoughtfully, as if considering the feasibility of inducing a miscarriage.

Ruan Xingji narrowed his eyes warily. "No! Don’t even think about it!"

Wei San regretfully pursed his lips. Ruan Xingji felt dismayed and sternly warned, "You better behave and not do anything out of line!"

Just as Wei San was about to say that he was overreacting and that he wasn’t that fragile, he suddenly felt a dull pain in his abdomen.

He instinctively reached down to touch the spot, where his slightly bulging belly formed a hard lump again.

The lump disappeared almost instantly. Wei San’s face paled, and he asked stiffly, "What... was that?"

He had rarely been around women, let alone pregnant ones, so he had no idea this was a fetal movement.

Ruan Xingji looked on with curiosity. "The little one is quite lively."

This time, Wei San understood. He lowered his gaze to his abdomen, his expression complex.

Over the years as an assassin, Wei San’s hands were stained with countless amounts of blood, and he had taken many lives. And in the near future, he would once again snuff out a vibrant little life.

It was his and his master’s child...

As if sensing his sorrow, the little one kicked forcefully a couple more times, as if trying to comfort him.

The life inside him was full of vitality, likely to be a mischievous and lively little rascal—nothing like his own dull and rigid self.

Perhaps it took more after the master.

Wei San had to admit—he was growing reluctant to let go.

Over the next two days, the little one seemed to be doing its best to remind Wei San of its presence, occasionally kicking his belly with its tiny feet. Sometimes, it even kicked so hard in the dead of night that it woke the highly alert Wei San, leaving him drowsy and lethargic these past couple of days.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xingji took every opportunity to keep an eye on him, often wandering over to stare at him. The sword from before had been hidden away somewhere, leaving Wei San utterly exasperated.

Wei San’s mood remained low. The longer time dragged on, the more he became acutely aware of the child’s presence, and the more his reluctance grew.

At times, he even considered recklessly abandoning all caution and confessing everything to his master. If his master could accept it, that would be ideal. If not...

Then he would have to give the child away or simply take the child and run away to a distant place.

This thought crossed his mind more than once. Just as the scales in his heart increasingly tipped toward keeping the child, Ruan Xingji walked in, beaming with joy.

In his hand was a prescription, which he proudly unfolded and presented to Wei San.

"I’ve figured out the correct dosage for the anesthesia. I’m going to sneak into the prison and bring out a death row inmate to test it. If he survives the surgery and suturing, I’ll perform the surgery to remove the child for you. If all goes well, it’ll take at most seven days."

With Ruan Xingji’s medical skills, as long as the patient didn’t die immediately, he could snatch them back from the jaws of death. The only risks of a caesarean were the patient dying from excruciating pain if the anesthesia wore off during the procedure or never waking up if the dosage was too high. Once the dosage was confirmed, he could confidently put his skills to use.

"That would be for the best."

Wei San’s smile was somewhat forced. He had thought he would be overjoyed that his long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled, but aside from a sense of loss, he felt nothing else.

Lost in the joy of impending success, Ruan Xingji didn’t notice his unusual reaction. After speaking, he tucked away the prescription and was about to rush out when he remembered something. Turning back, he sternly warned Wei San not to pull any stunts while he was away—he wouldn’t be responsible for cleaning up any mess.

Wei San: "…………"

He moved his lips but ultimately didn’t voice any objection.

Four hundred *li* away from Yangzhou, Wei Zheng rode his horse into the Suizhou region. He had no intention of entering the city, planning instead to travel through the night to reach Yangzhou by the next morning.

Along the way, Duan Lin, who was accompanying him, suggested resting in Suizhou for the night. Wei Zheng, with a displeased expression, rejected the idea.

Failing to persuade him, Duan Lin could only sigh in resignation. He couldn’t help but pray for Wei San, hoping this was all just a misunderstanding. Otherwise, given their master’s current furious state, he was afraid this wouldn’t end well.