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"Can this... can this be cured?"

It was apparent that the doctors here had no concept of performing such surgery.

Without pursuing the strange terminologies Gu Youyou had mentioned, Qin Changlin was overjoyed to hear that Yuancheng’s condition could be treated.

This had been the boy’s personal affliction; in their village, everyone knew that the Yuan family had a son who resembled an eunuch, and they had not spared their ridicule.

If he could truly be healed, to then take a wife and father a healthy baby boy would be a grand way to make a point; he would show those who had jeered what for.

Qin Changlin dressed Yuancheng, covered him with a blanket, and stepped out of the room along with Gu Youyou.

Gu Youyou, holding a delicate pen, drew a diagram and listed the dimensions before handing it over to Qin Changlin, saying, "Find someone to make me a small knife like this one. There’s no need to rush, but it must be made with precision."

A precisely made small knife?

Qin Changlin felt a sudden jolt of unease, a bad premonition tightening below, as he instinctively clenched his legs together.

Considering that this knife could very well be used on Yuancheng, his face turned ashen and he said, "Sister Youyou, you... you aren’t going to..."

"Yes!" Gu Youyou knew what he was about to say and admitted it straightforwardly.

"I told you, he needs a minor surgery to remove those bits that shouldn’t be there. This little trick is my secret technique, a technique I’m imparting to you for free. You had better learn it well. Hmm, perhaps have the blacksmith make an extra one for you to keep."

Sure enough, Gu Youyou’s shocking pronouncements had truly frightened Qin Changlin.

That place, once touched by a knife... could it still function? He deeply worried about Yuancheng’s future sexual blessedness.

Then again, without the surgery, Yuancheng’s sexual blessedness was non-existent anyway. Perhaps Gu Youyou’s method could indeed be useful.

He considered that at this point, they were but treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

Qin Changlin gazed at the drawing for a long time, puzzled. The blade was just that small? Considering the many oddities about Gu Youyou, attempting to make sense of everything would surely burst one’s brain.

"Alright, but it might take some time. Our small Xiaoqingshui Town likely lacks a blacksmith skilled enough; I’ll need to ask someone to find one in Yangguan City."

"That’s fine. His condition isn’t a matter of immediate urgency."

Gu Youyou suddenly recalled the strange event from the night before and asked Qin Changlin, "Are there any families with the surname Jin nearby?"

"The Jin family?" Qin Changlin looked at Gu Youyou in bewilderment, thought for a moment, and said, "There are no families by that name around here, but the Jin surname is prominent in our Zhuzhao Country, especially around Beijing in the north.

That name is quite significant—the imperial surname. .."

The imperial surname? Gu Youyou was slightly startled. "The Imperial Family has the Jin surname?"

Qin Changlin nodded and replied, "Yes, I should say most of the Ministers in control of Zhuzhao Country bear the Jin surname."

Vaguely remembering, Gu Youyou thought back to the time behind the ancient tomb’s mountain, when Jin Zijin had inquired about the tongueless wild man, asking which Prince he might be.

...

When the afternoon arrived and Doctor Zhou had not yet returned, Gu Youyou decided to head back home.

She had assumed that the bizarre man, having waited for half the day without seeing anyone, would have left on his own, yet there he was, sitting atop her garden wall, leisurely watching the sunset, idly fanning himself.

Such a bewitching figure, he almost looked like a ’sunset god.’

If it weren’t for the fact that Gu Youyou had encountered too many handsome men throwing themselves at her in her past life, she might have actually fallen for his charms.

The courtyard gate had been locked by Gu Youyou before she left; Abao was locked inside the house. Hearing the sounds of teeth grinding and scratching at the walls, she could imagine Abao’s current state and now understood why the man was sitting atop the wall.