After the battle at Nan Lake, my reputation had risen rapidly, and I needed to seize the moment to turn that reputation into real power. If I let this golden opportunity slip by, gaining authority later would be far more difficult.
Chen Jie reviewed what he needed to accomplish next,
and then returned to his home at the Big Vegetable Market.
Having been delayed for a day, the sky was already turning dark.
When Chen Jie arrived home, he found that Su Yunjin had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him.
Upon seeing Chen Jie return, Su Yunjin immediately came to welcome him and, without a word, took him to the bedroom.
Chen Jie said, "It’s still light out, wife, what’s this for?"
Su Yunjin replied, "Why did you take so long? You’re wounded."
Only then did Chen Jie remember the wound on his body, having been too preoccupied with the day’s affairs to attend to it.
Once inside, Chen Jie asked, "Where’s Ruirui?"
Su Yunjin answered, "She’s playing with Sister Hua, who’s teaching her how to stand on stakes."
Chen Jie responded briefly, following Su Yunjin as she brought over clean water and the golden sore medicine, saying, "This is from Sister Hua; she said it’s very effective."
Chen Jie said, "Oh, then I really must thank sister-in-law!"
"Husband, take off your outer clothes, and I’ll apply the medicine for you."
Chen Jie nodded, removed his outerwear easily enough, but as he went to take off his inner garment, he found the cloth stuck to his flesh.
It hadn’t bothered him until he moved, but at that moment, a piercing pain shot through him.
Seeing this, Su Yunjin immediately said with distress, "Husband, don’t move."
She came over to try and peel it away, but it was already stuck to the flesh. She then said, "Husband, wait a moment."
Quickly, she found a large pair of scissors, cut away the extraneous parts of the clothing, leaving only the ragged pieces near the wound on his chest.
It was then she truly saw the extent of Chen Jie’s injury—a deep wound that started from his right rib and stretched to his shoulder, with flesh turned outward.
She nearly wept at the sight, biting her lip to keep the tears from falling.
Now grabbing a basin, she intended to dampen the wound with the water, to slowly peel off the clotted rags.
Chen Jie said, "Don’t use water, find some wine...never mind, use water."
Chen Jie initially wanted Su Yunjin to fetch some strong liquor for disinfection, but then he recalled that this world only had rice wine, which was low in alcohol content and sugary, potentially nurturing bacteria instead of killing them.
So, he instructed Su Yunjin to use warm water to help remove the fabric stuck on his wound, meanwhile contemplating brewing high-proof alcohol when he had free time—not only for personal enjoyment but also as medical disinfectant.
After all, who in Jianghu didn’t sustain injuries? Masters with strong bodily constitutions and protected by Inner Strength were relatively safe.
But for lower-ranked disciples, a simple wound could lead to tetanus. Timely disinfection with medical alcohol could save many lives.
Moreover, having been accustomed to strong spirits in his previous life, Chen Jie had a particular fondness for the flavor.
Brewing alcohol could serve both medicinal and recreational purposes. Why not enjoy the best of both worlds?
However, all of that was a future concern. Right now, there wasn’t any alcohol for disinfecting, but fortunately, Golden Saber Feng San had kept his knife well-maintained and rust-free, preventing it from becoming a "tetanus blade."
Also, with Chen Jie’s strength at the Iron Bone Realm, his body naturally had a force aiding his healing and likely had antimicrobial effects.
He had never heard of any Iron Bone Realm master in Jianghu dying from tetanus, indicating that Inner Strength likely had disinfecting properties.
Su Yunjin softly laid a warm towel on Chen Jie’s wound, causing him to wince and draw a sharp breath.
Seeing Chen Jie in pain, Su Yunjin asked, "Husband, did I hurt you?"
Chen Jie replied, "It’s fine."
Su Yunjin said, "I’ll be more careful."
Chen Jie insisted, "It’s okay, be bold."
Encouraged by his words, Su Yunjin focused on dampening the blood crust with the towel and tearing away the fabric bit by bit. Yet, in some spots where the crust hadn’t formed properly, blood began to flow, which left her flustered.
Chen Jie merely smiled and said, "It’s nothing, just a bit of blood."
Su Yunjin soaked the towel in the copper basin, which was soon tainted red with blood.
Despite her fear, she persisted, and Chen Jie couldn’t help but laugh as he noticed the sweat beading at the tip of her nose due to her concern.
The little young lady proved to be quite amusing indeed.
Chen Jie reached out to wipe the sweat from her forehead, as she continued to earnestly remove the crusted clothing from the wound.
Blood trickled down Chen Jie’s abdomen, causing her hands to tremble, but he kept on encouraging her.
Finally, when the last piece of fabric was removed, Su Yunjin heaved a sigh of relief, and then carefully applied the golden sore medicine to the wound.
Indeed, the medicine was excellent; it cooled the wound so soothingly.
After the golden sore medicine was applied, his wife fetched some gauze and began to bandage the wound, layer by layer.
Before long, the wound dressing was complete.
Su Yunjin wiped the sweat from her forehead, and in the glow of the setting sun outside, she appeared exceptionally beautiful and enticing.
Seeing her , Chen Jie couldn’t help himself and wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist.
Startled, she turned to him and said, "Husband, I’ve just dressed the wound, it’s not possible."