Gu Qishao even released Department Head Lin and strode over cheerfully. “Poison la.s.s, this Gu Beiyue can do it! He’s really got hidden depths!”
At least, Gu Qishao would never look down on Gu Beiyue again. Han Yunxi nodded without a word. He examined her then and asked, “What, were you scared witless?”
He quickly found a chair and helped her to sit, but Han Yunxi only said, “It’s not over yet, what are you so happy for?”
Gu Qishao didn’t understand. He looked towards the four babies and asked, “Aren’t all the babies out?”
“The mother’s still in danger. A lot of complications can happen after childbirth,” Han Yunxi explained, then added, “At least, Gu Beiyue hasn’t come out yet.”
She was admittedly uneasy. If everything was as smooth as it appeared, then Gu Beiyue should have emerged long ago and left the rest of the work to Fourth Young Miss Ren. The medical a.s.sistant just then had said that he was just doing acupuncture, not helping with the birth.
“Is there?” Gu Qishao knew little about childbirth. “What kind of complications?”
Han Yunxi was about to explain when a cry a horror came from inside the room. “Ah…!”
It was so loud that it startled everyone outside. Their smiles froze on their faces, and even the crying babies seem to sense something amiss and stop weeping. Without a word, Han Yunxi opened the doors and stepped inside.
“Xiaoyan, what’s wrong?” Clan Head Ren rushed in as well, recognizing the cry as his daughter’s.
Han Yunxi had hardly stepped inside the courtyard when Fourth Young Miss Ren and a group all rushed out. Fourth Young Miss Ren’s hands were covered in blood, her expression terrified. “Blood loss, ma.s.sive blood loss!”
“She was just fine, but she suddenly started bleeding nonstop! There’s so much blood!”
“She wanted to see her children so I was going to get them, but...but then there was blood. Her whole body’s bleeding, it can’t be stopped!”
The crowd grew alarmed and fl.u.s.tered at her words. The three department heads and various directors all rushed inside with the obstetric specialists until the door was crowded with people. By now, the mother had already cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, but she was soaked in a pool of blood. It gushed from her like a spring, even from her very pores. Gu Beiyue’s white robes had long been stained scarlet as well. Han Yunxi had never seen him look so serious, much less his forehead covered in so much sweat. He was currently inserting needles into the woman nonstop, but she could tell that his hands were shaking!
Everyone was stunned by the sight. Even the most experienced obstetrics specialists and the three department heads were floored.
How can this be?
They all knew about postpartum haemorrhage, but that kind of bleeding only came from the lower body! How could this woman be bleeding all over? The loss was severe as well, more like a flood than a flow! Just what had happened?
“Gu Beiyue, what did you do?” Department Head Lin suddenly demanded.
Ignoring him, Gu Beiyue asked Gu Qishao, “Do you still have blood generating pills? She can’t hold out much longer.”
“None! The medical academy should have medicine to stop bleeding!” Gu Qishao answered.
Department Head Huo quickly ordered someone to get some, but they had no effect on the woman at all. Instead, she started losing blood faster. Suddenly, Department Head Ouyang cried out.
“The blood’s turning black! Is she poisoned?”
Indeed, the blood coming from the woman’s body was growing darker. Everyone looked towards Han Yunxi, suspecting her to be the culprit!
“What are you looking at?” Han Yunxi fumed. “What good would it do me to poison her? Am I crazy or stupid?”
Indeed, Han Yunxi had no motives to poison the woman. The blood was black because it had stayed in the uterus for too long and changed colors.
“Then...Gu Beiyue, just what did you do?” Department Head Huo’s voice was shaking now. He’d never seen this situation in all his years in medicine.
“It’s amniotic fluid embolism!” Han Yunxi’s voice was shaking as well, but she shouted it out for the sake of shocking the crowd and maintaining her calm.
“The amniotic fluid entered the mother’s bloodstream and contaminated the blood! It must be removed from the uterus immediately. Blood plasma and clotting factors should be prepared, while the patient should be sent to the ICU. All related personnel urgently requested to help! Quick!”
After spouting off that speech, Han Yunxi finally calmed down and realized her unfavorable plight. This wasn’t a modern day hospital, but ancient history thousands of years ago. They didn’t have any modern instruments or machines, so even something as simple as blood transfusions were impossible.
What now?!
90 percent of embolism patients died. She had seen a few survivors, but that was only possible with dozens of doctors and nurses armed with over 40 to 50 bags of blood. It was the same as trying to replace all the blood in the mother’s body to save her life.
What were they supposed to do now?
As a doctor, the scariest thing wasn’t being unable to save a patient, but knowing how but not having the means! By now, the mother’s consciousness was already fading. Her eyelids fluttered briefly as she reached out with one hand, as if begging someone to bring her babies to her for a look. It had taken so much work to birth all four, so how could she bear to leave them just like this? Although she was still alive, she had already accepted her impending death. Her only wish now was to see her children…
Han Yunxi looked at the mother’s bloodstained hands and grew blank with despair.
At this moment, Gu Beiyue suddenly rested a hand on her shoulder. “Yunxi, you have a solution, right? What did you say just then?”
n.o.body had noticed that Gu Beiyue had switched to calling her “Yunxi,” including himself.
Han Yunxi came back to her senses and met Gu Beiyue’s serious gaze.
“As long as there’s a way, we have to try it!” Gu Beiyue said earnestly.
“Blood!” Han Yunxi finally grew alert. “Blood! Stop the bleeding, and give her more blood! And also, there might be embolism in her veins, so...so that needs to be cleared out to leave the pathways clear.” Would it be easier for Gu Beiyue to understand if I explained it this way?
Medicine to stop the blood and make new blood was meant for treating uncontrollable bleeding. Pills to improve blood circulation and disperse stasis treated embolisms and other infectants in the arteries. Only by clearing out the uterus could the leftover amniotic fluid in the womb leave the body and stop infecting the blood. However, Han Yunxi couldn’t do this even if she had the means, because she didn’t know how!
Under these circ.u.mstances, all they could do was control the bloodflow first!
Han Yunxi wasn’t sure about the pharmacology behind Cloud Realm Continent’s blood stopping and blood creating medicines, nor did she know whether Gu Beiyue understood the concept of embolisms even with the medicine in hand. To put it bluntly, they were trying to beat a dead horse!
“Find medicine! Pills to stop the bleeding and generate more blood!” Gu Beiyue said loudly.
“And also, we need Dispersions of a Hundred Pathways, the more the better! Hurry, she has two more hours at most!” Han Yunxi added urgently.”
With a human life at stake, everyone had no time to study the illness or decide whether they trusted Gu Beiyue and Han Yunxi. The three department heads ordered people to get all the blood stopping and generating pills from the medicinal warehouse. Meanwhile, the people outside the courtyard were thinking up solutions as well. Old w.a.n.g from Medicine City got in contact with Medicine City’s offices in Medical City and found their reserves of pills. A few medical families also ordered their own people to grab supplies from home.
Although they lacked modern tools and conveniences, this was still Medical City. The Ren Clan was first to arrive with the Dispersions of a Hundred Pathways. Soon enough, a whole pile of blood-related pills were delivered to Gu Beiyue. He found a female medical a.s.sistant to take over feeding the pills to the mother while he controlled the bleeding with more acupuncture. Meanwhile, Han Yunxi performed CPR in front of the gathered crowd. Severe shock was also a side effect of amniotic fluid embolism.
The tense battle to save the mother’s life gradually eased as the woman’s bleeding slowed, but no one dared to relax while she was still losing blood. Under the pressure, everyone worked together until she finally stopped bleeding! 10 blood-stopping pills and 30 blood generating pills were needed to pull it off, along with two chests’ worth of Dispersion of a Hundred Pathways. Cloud Realm Continent’s miracle pills were an enigma to Han Yunxi’s studies. She stared at the nearly dead woman and didn’t ask how they managed to bring her back from death.
It was really unfathomable that this was even possible. Even modern times had difficulty with amniotic fluid embolisms, much less here. If this wasn’t a miracle, then what was?
Everyone was exhausted, but happy. Gu Beiyue looked at Han Yunxi and met her eyes at the same time she met his. If it wasn’t for Gu Beiyue’s calm and rationality, this miracle never would’ve happened. Medical skills didn’t count for everything when it came to a doctor.
Meanwhile, Gu Beiyue was pondering over a question. This woman might know poison arts, but how does she know so many other things as well? First there was the mixing of blood to prove relations, then amniotic fluid embolisms. Where did she learn these things?
With the woman out of danger, the aftercare was left to a few female doctors. The rest of the crowd left the scene. Gu Beiyue and Han Yunxi hung behind to make sure the mother was truly well before easing their worries. The woman was currently unconscious with her husband, family, and babies surrounding her. Han Yunxi gave the man once last glance before smiling coldly. She couldn’t be bothered to curse him now. If even a matter of life and death wasn’t enough to make him come to his senses, what use would her words be?
She looked at the mother next and felt that she was quite pitiful. But seeing the four babies by her side made her think that she was a very happy woman as well.
Sorrow and joy together. Is that what makes mothers so great and amazing?
At the south central region’s commander-in-chief’s estate, she and Long Feiye had discussed many matters of administration and shared with him modern ideas and thoughts. Now she was thinking it was about time to talk with him about the concepts of male superiority and female inferiority. She couldn’t help but wonder how his wounds were doing. What was he doing now? Was he waiting for letters from Medical City?
By the time Han Yunxi and Gu Beiyue emerged from the courtyard, they discovered that everyone was still there to wait for them.
“Esteemed w.a.n.gfei, Doctor Gu, this illness...can you explain it to everyone else, please?”
“Yes, esteemed w.a.n.gfei, Doctor Gu, we’ve really had a chance to open our eyes today. It’s the first time we’ve ever seen such a strange case.”
“You can get ill just from birthing a child? Just what happened? Why was she bleeding all over her body?”
Clan Head Ren pushed Fourth Young Miss Ren forward until she was standing next to Gu Beiyue. She’d played a part in the efforts, too. As the crowd began to grow excited with questions, the three department heads simply stood there silently. However, it was obvious that they were curious too.
Gu Beiyue smiled faintly. “Clan Head Ren, Medical City needs a leader. Let’s continue with the medical skills compet.i.tion, we can discuss this case later.”
Despite their curiosity, none of the three department heads wanted Gu Beiyue and Han Yunxi to steal the spotlight now.
Department Head Lin said hastily, “Exactly, exactly. Clan Head Ren, Doctor Gu didn’t save his patient with his own efforts. This can’t count as his win. Perhaps he should pull a new patient instead?”
But Gu Beiyue refused. “There’s no need to pick another patient. I can diagnose the three department heads’ patients as well and propose a treatment plan for each of them. If the three department heads have no treatment proposals to offer themselves, then please pick a new patient yourself.”
Everyone grew stunned at his words, including Han Yunxi and Gu Qishao...