Day 81 Night

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Surgery-

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Liang Yu was suprised at the level of malnutrition most of the clan members had. A few in the town were the same way. Just was so odd considering they had qi to help them with matters. Or maybe the problem was the constant mistreatment and hard life-style.

Ye Xinghe had treated a few of his clan members with his star energy. Not really thinking much of it since they were his clansmen. They wouldn't dare tell others. Especially with him having healed injuries that an older Star Martial Artist of a higher realm couldn't take care of.

"Liang Yu,.." A young man walked over with a box from the blacksmith. Inside were the tools that Liang Yu requested upon arriving. Old Ye was checking on other matters. ".. will you really be able to treat Granny Kuli?"

"Yes. It is a small surgery. If you dont want the help, I cannot do it if you like." Liang Yu had a tiny segmented mirror. With the help of his qi circling his visual was as good as a magnifying glass. Looking down an old man's throat, he continued the exam. 'Doing the basics is not that bad. But he needs more work done.'

The old man he worked on wife sat nervously. The energy used to heal her husband did not take care of everything. And Ye Xinghe was to tired to treat him. Her hope was that he could be treated soon.

"Alright, all done." Liang Yu finished his check-up and wrote a few things down for the couple. "Just severe scar tissue. As well as frostbite. What have you eaten lately? Or drink for that matter?"

"Just some of the lake water." The wife said. "Usually we drink some warm tea every few days to offset and chill from the cold. But lately just been too busy. This old fool just can't take a break enough do to the harvest last time."

Ye Xingyun, the one who brought the tools over just stared with mixed feelings. On one hand, Liang Yu was a member of the Dark moon family that caused so many problems for them. On the other, he was currently helping the family as well as the help from before.

"What was that called just now.." Ye Xingyun asked somewhat scared by the low level in his voice. ".. Liang Yu?"

"Well, you rembered to address me correctly so that is good." Liang Yu told them earlier not to keep calling him young master. It was just ... annoying to hear. "But as for what I was doing, it is called Laryngoscopy. Used by doctors to look at the back of your throat, your voice box, and vocal cords with a scope called a Laryngoscope."

Waving the segmented mirrors that he received at them he waited till the wife finished reading things over before readdressing the situation.

"Direct laryngoscopy uses a rigid metal tube to look at the voice box and the back of the throat, but with the help of qi this can work a little better. This is usually also done under general anesthesia to allow for manipulation of these areas, such as biopsies and careful inspection for tumors or other abnormalities." Liang Yu placed his hands around the man's throat. Circulating a little qi to check one other matter. Clear there he relaxed a little. "Do you have any questions?"

"No, I will make sure he follows these instructions." The old wife stood up escorting her husband out. "Thank you so much for this." Her husband couldn't talk with how bad it was. 'Now I need to find out what all the youngins were up to about earlier.'

Moving back home, she would find old Ye to find out what happened.

'Hmm, the old man used to be a cultivator but his Dantian is dried up. Overall health is almost spent to.' Liang Yu thought everything over after the couple left. Ye Xingyun looking over al the different rags in the room with different medicines applied to them. 'I wonder if I can observe several more of the older ones to find a pattern or insights?'

"Umm Liang Yu.." Ye Xingyun asked after some time. "..were you serious about taking an apprentice from the clan?"

"Umm yes." Liang Yu answered absentmindedly. He needed to find out more about the effects of cultivation on all ages and an apprentice would be able to help with things. Well, help bring people close to him anyway. "To be my apprentice, however, you need to listen to me more and trust my word. Your family situation would have to be put on the back burner when my matters come about. Can you do that?"

"I don't know." Ye Xingyun had his head down while thinking it over. "We put our hopes on Xinghe and that did not go over to well. I just don't know what will happen if our family takes more setbacks."

"That is very easy, you will die horribly." Liang Yu had another person come in. In a very basic wheelchair made of mostly wood. Not a member of the Ye family by the way the person escorted them in. "And who might you be?"

The old man in the wheelchair said nothing. Moving only a feeble hand to direct the person behind them to speak.

This person seems strong but frail at the same time. A Star Martial Cultivator by the looks and feel of it. The three by the old man happening to be all Dragon Martial Artists.

"You may call me Ránshāo Xīng." The man gave a half bow. Voice completely even as he spoke. "We heard a strange doctor was in the area and wanted to see if he could look at our elder." Liang Yu did nothing but passed a sheet of paper for Ranshao Xing to look over and fill out. "I will get this finished, but do you need to know what is wrong with him first?"

"Well... gonna assume it is something with the legs there and the arm." Liang Yu arched a brow while looing the old man over. The three guards taking a defensive stance the moment he was within in three feet of him. "Filling that out is for long-term issues if he becomes a future patient. But for now, I just need you to pick him up and lay him down on the table. I won't use any medicine on him. And take off his robes and shirt to the waist."

Ye Xingyun had know idea who the people were but knew better to cause trouble. For them to make it into the inner area where they were, someone had to let them in. When the guards removed the upper robes, it was enough to almost make him faint.

All along the spine of the old man were cuts and burn marks that never healed by the looks of it. The area by the hip showed a really terrible gash. Possibly an animal cut.

Liang Yu made sure to show his hands to the old man before he touched him. Slowly he moved from the top to the waist. Not pushing down with any form of pressure or anything, just moving along the top of the surface.

He did this for fifteen minutes before saying anything.

"The skin is just down for. Basically a.." Liang Yu stopped talking and turned to Ye Xingyun. ".. are you my apprentice or not?" The young man snapped to and walked over to stand a few feet next tom. Pulling out the paper and started writing what was said. "Anyway, the skin needs to be removed. The flesh is charred in a way I have only seen from intense heat and through chemical fires."

"Chemical fires?"

"Medicinal, Poison, Metal Waste type of fires would be better to say." Liang Yu answered not looking away. "Certain areas of the muscle is still viable but the wheelchair and not moving is defintely not doing him any favors."

"From the sounds of it.. he can be treated."

"Yes. Just will take a long time. The skin needs to be removed. This will allow a better look at his muscles condition while allowing better future treatment. Needs to be better for donors and ... what the heck?" Liang Yu paused at the weird movement by the L3 vertebra is in the middle of the five lumbar vertebrae in the lower back portion of the spinal column. This was not missed by those in the room either. "But.. mostly need to get to see further to check on the spine after that clears up a little.. So much needs to be done."

"I do not understand anything of what you said for the most part." Ranshao Xing's face scrunched up a bit. He looks to the others who showed they did not understand as well. "What all needs to be done for our elder to survive?"

Liang Yu wrote down some treatment methods that they could do themselves. Aware that they would not let him do the work himself with how defensive they were of him. It was quite the sight really how they tensed when he touched over certain areas earlier.

"A lot of work and cutting." Ranshao Xing's eyes narrowed reading over the fact the elder was in constant pain. Even more so than what they were told before. "We will see what we can do about this. If we have the time, we will find you once more."

"Sure." Liang Yu took the paper that was filled out before for the record. Turning to his apprentice Ye Xingyun, he addressed some other matters while they dressed the old man. "You heard me say donor right?"

"Yes, I did. What do you mean by donor?"

"Donor would be something or someone that provides a form of tissue or organ for another. In this case, it would be muscle tissue and skin." Liang Yu started to sketch a diagram on a piece of paper. "The donor area, which would be a patch of skin would be like this. Small segments at first to help with healing while monitoring the patient. Thin skin grafts usually take about 14 days to heal. For full-thickness skin grafts, the donor area only takes about 5 to 10 days to heal, because it's normally quite small and closed with stitches throughout. With the assistance of a Star Martial Artists helping, however. Shouldn't be long before they are at better state."

"We think you for this." Ranshao Xing turned and passed over a small bag of coins. "Do keep everything quiet. "Ye Xingyun take us to old Ye. Something to discuss with him still."

The five of them left as Liang Yu sat down taking a few notes about the odd patient he just saw. Something dangerous in the man's skin was on his fingertip. The smallest of skin samples that turned out to be a type of poison.

*Fwish!* With a pass of fire, it was extinguished entirely. No time to study as it was a pretty aggressive type of poison. But no match for his fire. A few more notes then it was time to look for something in the place.

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Not long after-

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Liang Yu finished his search around the Ye estate. Not much was found as expected. The Patriarch must have the important things in his room or somewhere else. Let alone the token he carried of a fish, there was something else that Liang Yu wanted.

So he went to the records area.

Checking the records of the family created a bit of a problem, however. The guard that stopped had his arm broken and tossed to the side.

"Has to be more in here." Liang Yu continued to look around the place. His Flame Vortex Core not responding to anything and his reading gave nothing of note really. "This is disappointing."

*Bam!* Someone rushed in throwing the doors open. It was Ye Xinghe, old Ye, and a few others following behind. They thought the worse looking around the room. Old Ye checking to make sure nothing was destroyed. Ye Xinghe checking nothing that didn't belong was placed with his Star Eyes.

"Haa, nothing here either!" Liang Yu just put a book back and stepped further in. Ignoring the presence of the others altogether. "Such a weird situation."

"Liang Yu, don't you think this is improper?" Old Ye asked. Not to demanding or servile. Considering the grain and meat he delivered, the man was grateful. But this made him think the worse still. "Are you trying to destroy the records of our family?"

"I am a Flame Martial Artist, if I wanted to destroy anything, it would all be gone in the blink of an eye. So do not be foolish." Liang Yu picked up a book and glossed over it. Nothing important but a few ties with other families. "Useless information that no one seems to be honoring. The Ye family must have pissed some people off in the past royally." He continued to flip through the pages take not of only a little here and there. "I mean... this is so odd."

"This area is only for members of the Ye clan.." Ye Xinghe said.

"You are a vassal clan.." Liang Yu looked over his shoulder for a moment. His eyes carrying an intense look in them from a circulation of his qi. "..that means everything you have and own is under the purview of your masters. Try not to forget that."

"So you are no better than the others then."

"I am better in some ways and worse in others." A particular passage that was worse off, he looked it over a few times again and again. Trying to figure the passages out. Rotating did not help in the least. "I have not exerted any real authority over you all. I gave you food to feed your scraggy children and people. Haven't abused any of your members either. Starting to get a little angry though.."

"This is still..." Ye Zhuo started to protest. He was Ye Xinghe's father. "..a different matter."

"We would like you to stop!" Ye Mu shouted. Some girl or boy that was not an important member of the clan from memory. Liang Yu looked back at her with a brow raised. "I know you are looking for something but it is not here!"

"Ye Mu.." Ye Zhuo had an inkling of what it might be.

"And what am I looking for?" Liang Yu closed the book. Giving up on finding anything at all. He moved towards her, ignoring the Ye members still. "Is it something good?"

"A map of the lakes." Ye Mu stood his ground looking at him.

"You have one?"

"No, it was sold a year ago." Ye Mu answered quickly. "But I remember some of it. If you .."

"I have nothing else to do in the Ye clan besides going to the mine later." Liang Yu cut her off quickly enough. "The Steward and myself do not get along. Be careful of any of his machinations." He said towards old Ye. "If you have the chance, I suggest you kill him before he makes things worse for you all."

Liang Yu walked pass Ye Mu. A note passed to Ye Xingyun to gather some herbs.

"I will have some of it ready for you tomorrow. I swear!" Ye Xingyun was conflicted but understood the clan needs more pillars of support. 'No matter what happened between Ye Xinghe and Liang Yu, I need to earn the clan some benefits.'