Chapter 73 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Survivor Testimony

Five days after the night the North Gate fell, a small reconnaissance group returned to the city with a seriously injured soldier who was found dragging in a ravine not far from the old front line, barely alive but still breathing. The news spread to the military medical station immediately, and Tinh Yen abandoned everything he was doing to rush to where the soldier was brought.

He belonged to Thanh Phong's suicide squad, his face was haggard from hunger and blood loss, his broken leg was beginning to show signs of infection, but he was still conscious enough to realize the severity of the situation he was facing.

"I need to know everything you can remember." Tinh Yen said, quickly treating the wound while trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, even though her heart was burning like fire. "About what happened after Major General Thanh Phong was injured."

The soldier closed his eyes for a moment, trying to retrieve his fragmented memories in pain and exhaustion. "After he was stabbed and slashed..." He said, his voice weak. "We tried to help him retreat, but Bac Dich's counterattack was too strong, our squad was divided. He ordered us to stay behind, giving priority to protecting the people still stuck behind."

Tinh Yen listened and her chest tightened, clearly imagining the scene of Thanh Phong, even though he was carrying fatal wounds, still trying to sacrifice himself so that others could have a chance to survive - an action completely consistent with the man she had loved and admired for so many years.

"And then?" She continued asking, trying to suppress her emotions to continue getting information.

"I injured my leg right after that, so I couldn't continue going with him anymore." The soldier replied, his voice choked with regret. "I saw him carrying an old man and a small child, trying to escape the siege, heading towards the eastern mountains and forests. I... I don't know what happened to him after that. I had to find my own way to avoid Bac Dich for the past few days."

That detail - Thanh Phong accompanying an old man and a child - made Tinh Yen's heart both aching and strangely warm. Even in the most life-or-death moment, he still did not forget his responsibility to protect ordinary people, just like what she always believed about him.

"Do you remember what they looked like? The old man and the child?" Tinh Yen asked, hoping to find some more clues.

The soldier shook his head weakly. "I don't remember clearly, everything happened so fast, there was smoke and dust everywhere. I just remember, they seemed to be people from the nearby village, not soldiers."

Tinh Yen nodded, remembering every little detail in her mind, even though she knew that they were too fragmentary to paint a complete picture. She finished treating the soldier's wound, made sure he was transferred to the special care area, and then left to find Ve Khai Trach to report everything she had just heard.

"An old man and a child from a nearby village." Ve Khai Trach repeated, his face thoughtful. "The northeastern mountainous area has a few scattered small villages, most of the people living there are hunters and gatherers, rarely involved in royal affairs or wars. If Thanh Phong found its way to one of those villages, it was likely that it would have been taken care of by the local people."

"So can we contact those villages?" Tinh Yen asked, her voice full of hope.

"It's more difficult than you think." Ve Khai Trach replied, shaking his head. "That area is currently in the middle of a dispute, not under the complete control of either side. Our troops cannot enter there with a large force without it being considered a provocative act, which could cause the North to increase their attacks. But..."

He paused, looking at Tinh Yen with complicated consideration. "But a healer, traveling alone or with a small unarmed group, under the guise of neutrality treating anyone in need, may have a chance of reaching that area without provoking an immediate hostile reaction. It is an unwritten tradition that both sides, even when fighting, often respect to a certain degree."

Tinh Yen felt her heart beat faster at that suggestion. "Sir is saying, can I go look for it myself?"

"I'm saying, it's a possibility, not an order, and certainly not an easy decision." Ve Khai Trach replied, his voice serious. "The danger is real, and no one can absolutely guarantee your safety in a land that is not under anyone's control. I need time to think carefully, and need to prepare everything as carefully as possible before making the final decision."

Tinh Yen nodded, even though in her heart she had almost firmly decided what she would do, regardless of Ve Khai Trach's final decision. She once crossed the safety line to save people, when she was a young student following Master Lieu Nguyen as a doctor in the middle of battle. Now, when the person she loves is in danger somewhere in that unknown land, there is no reason for her to falter.

Leaving the command post, she went to Nhuoc Lan to share the news, knowing that she needed someone who could listen without judging the bold decisions she was cherishing in her heart. After listening, Nhuoc Lan was silent for a long time, her eyes were full of worry but could not hide her understanding.

"You're planning to go on your own, right?" Nhuoc Lan asked directly, without beating around the bush.

"I have to go." Tinh Yen replied, her voice firm. "If you were in my position, would you sit still and wait?"

Nhuoc Lan sighed and shook her head. "No, I will do the same as you." she said. "But you can't go alone. That land is dangerous, you need at least one person who knows martial arts to defend yourself, and one person who understands the mountain terrain."

"I will consider that when Lord Tran Bac Hau officially agrees." Tinh Yen said. "In the immediate future, we need to prepare enough medicine, enough to be able to cure anyone we meet on the road, including Bac Dich's people if necessary. That is the only way for a physician to cross the battle line without being considered an enemy."

Nhuoc Lan nodded, although her eyes were still filled with worry. "I will help you prepare everything as best as possible." she said. "But you have to promise me, if the situation becomes too dangerous, you will prioritize your own safety first, and don't be so stubborn that you risk your life."

Tinh Yen smiled slightly at that familiar advice, exactly like what Thanh Phong had told her before leaving for Nghinh Phong. "I promise to do my best to return safely." She replied, even though they both understood, it was a difficult promise to keep once she had set foot on the dangerous search path ahead.

In the evening, Dinh Ba Kham also came, carrying a rudimentary hand-drawn map of the mountainous area in the Northeast, marking the village locations he knew through previous reconnaissance reports. "If Lord Tran Bac Hau agrees to let you go, this map will be of some help." He said, spreading the map out in front of her. "I will also try to arrange to send one or two trustworthy soldiers along, in the name of escorting the relief convoy, not an official army that could cause misunderstandings."

Tinh Yen bent down to study the map, memorizing each trail, each marked village location, gradually forming a more specific plan for the upcoming trip. Even though she knew clearly, all the preparations on paper, it was difficult to fully anticipate what was waiting ahead.

That night, when she returned to her tent, she took out the piece of wood with the seal imprinted on it, the broken sword Dinh Ba Kham gave her, and half a piece of white talisman, placing them all in front of her under the flickering light of an oil lamp. Three pieces of evidence, three pieces of different secrets - the underground sabotage in the city, Thanh Phong's fate, and the mystery of Master Lieu Nguyen's past - all seem to be waiting for her to move on, to venture deeper into the darkness to find the light for each of those unfinished stories.

Baby Tep, who was sleeping soundly in the corner of the tent, turned over slightly, and Tinh Yen quickly put everything away, afraid that the noise would wake her up in the middle of the night. She sat quietly for a long time, looking at the rare peaceful face of the child in her sleep, then wondered if the upcoming trip did not go well, who would stay to take care of her and the other children who still needed her hands here.

But then she put aside that hesitation, reminding herself that it was because she wanted to protect more children like baby Tep, because she wanted to maintain the belief of "saving people first, asking about their identity later" that Mrs. Khue and Master Lieu Nguyen had passed on to her, that she needed to find the truth behind all the plots covering Nghinh Phong city, as well as find the person who had shouldered that responsibility with her for so many years.