After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

"Slap!" Lu Yun slapped the old woman aside with his sword sheath. "My dear grandson, tell me, what grandmother in the world would threaten a child so viciously? You look like the kind of heinous human trafficker."

One of the onlookers whispered, "Speaking of which, I saw her in town. Just like today, she was dressed in tattered clothes and kneeling in front of a tavern. Beside her was a tattered mat, and on the mat lay a little girl. She looked about four or five years old, and like this child, she was covered in wounds. Her story was exactly the same as today's. This old woman is really strange; she might actually be a human trafficker."

One person spoke up, and ten echoed. The old woman, sensing trouble, tried to slip away, but was stopped by guards and the onlookers. If you were to ask who these people hated most, besides corrupt officials, it would be these human traffickers.

"Does anyone know the mayor? Please go and ask him for help. He's been around a lot, and each time he's with a different child. He must have a hideout somewhere."

Among the onlookers happened to be the town mayor's nephew, who immediately went to fetch his uncle. Lu Zhiyuan signaled the guards to restrain the old woman and at the same time dragged out her accomplice hiding in the crowd. They were in a hurry to get on their way, but there was no rush.

The two imperial physicians, Cui and An, examined the child, their brows furrowing more and more as they looked. These dignified imperial physicians were at a loss as to how to proceed.

He had lacerations on his scalp, tears on his ears, and marks on his neck from repeated strangulation and being chained. His throat was burned, and his foul speech was not only due to his throat but also because a piece of his tongue had been cut off.

The wounds on his body were a horrific sight. His chest and back were covered in cuts from knives, branding irons, and scalds from hot water. Because he hadn't received timely treatment, the wounds piled on top of each other; some had scabbed over, while others had rotted, emitting a foul, fishy odor.

The child wasn't lying; his leg was broken, with the broken bone protruding. He couldn't walk, and even the slightest touch hurt.

Physician An, unable to bear it any longer, walked to the carriage with red eyes and begged Lu Zhiyuan to treat the child. Lu Zhiyuan knew the child was injured and that the injury was serious, but she never expected the slave trader to be so ruthless, ruining a perfectly healthy child like this.

Upon seeing Lu Zhiyuan approaching, the child instinctively shrank back.

The Crown Prince said, "Don't be afraid, my wife is a doctor, let her take a look at your injury."

The child avoided the prince's gaze, secretly glancing at Lu Zhiyuan out of the corner of his eye, "Dirty, I'm dirty."

Lu Zhiyuan understood, took off her cloak and handed it to the Crown Prince: "Alright, is it okay now?"

"Madam, this dress is expensive, and it will be difficult to wash off the bloodstains."

"I'm not letting you wash, why are you worrying about these things, you little kid?" Liu Ying came over carrying her medicine box: "Look carefully, I'm the madam's maid, I do all the washing and cooking. I'm not afraid of not washing it properly, what are you afraid of? Be good, let my madam treat your injury, we still have to travel after she's treated."

The child pursed his lips and remained silent.

Lu Zhiyuan grasped his wrist, feeling him flinch again.

She laughed and pulled him back with a little force: "To put it bluntly, I married a very rich husband. I can throw away ten or eight sets of clothes without a second thought. You don't need to worry about washing clothes, just obediently let me treat your illness."

"Is the lady ill?"

The child smelled the strong medicinal scent on Lu Zhiyuan: "Madam, please go back to the carriage. Those two uncles examined me just now, and they said my injuries are all old and can't be healed. I only beg you to save me and not let them take me away. My mother is sick, and I need to go and gather herbs for her."

His throat was burned, and a piece of his tongue was missing, making it extremely difficult for him to speak. Even with Lu Zhiyuan's excellent medical skills, she couldn't repair his injured throat or the severed tongue. While examining him, she spoke to him gently and patiently.

"How old were you when they abducted you?"

Six years old!

At six years old, she already remembered things.

Do you still remember where your home is?

After reciting a string of place names, the child suddenly remembered that Lu Zhiyuan and the others came from out of town, and she might not know the place he mentioned. So she added, "It's near this town. If Madam goes south, she will pass through that village. I escaped, but they caught me, and that's when my leg was broken."

How old were you that year?

"I was seven years old, the second year after I was arrested." The child looked at his leg: "They treated me, then broke it again, over and over, until it became like this."

"Does it hurt?" Lu Zhiyuan pinched the broken bone.

"It hurts, it hurts every day, but you get used to it eventually." The child smiled, a smile that was heartbreaking: "I miss my mother, but I'm also afraid of her seeing me like this. Madam, you're a doctor, could you please save my mother? She's the best mother in the world, she shouldn't be tormented by illness."

“Okay, I promise you, I will help your mother get medical treatment. Even if it can’t be cured, I will at least reduce her suffering. Now, I’m going to help you set your broken bone.” Lu Zhiyuan looked into his eyes: “It will hurt, but it won’t last long. You can choose to bear it or take some painkillers. The bone will not be able to walk like before. You will have a chronic illness and become a cripple, but it will be much better than it is now.”

"Can it be better than it is now? I don't need to take medicine, I'm not afraid of pain, I can endure it."

Before she could utter the word "endure," a snap sound rang out, and the broken bone was reset, but more blood flowed from the wound. Lu Zhiyuan felt dizzy and swayed. The Crown Prince quickly supported her, and Imperial Physicians Cui and An took her place.

The wound had reopened and needed to be stopped. Before stopping the bleeding, it needed to be cleaned, especially those wounds that had already festered. Physician An had never seen such an injury before and was at a loss. Physician Cui had served in the military when he was young, so while he couldn't say he was familiar with such injuries, he was at least not afraid and knew where to start treating them.

After all that fuss, the child was even more unrecognizable, his clothes torn to shreds. The guards picked out two pieces of clothing from their own pockets and took the child to the carriage carrying the two imperial physicians, who helped him change. Just as they finished changing, the town mayor and his nephew arrived in a donkey cart.

Hearing that human traffickers had arrived in town, the mayor, carrying his clothes, hurriedly ran to the old woman. The old woman dodged left and right, seemingly afraid to meet the mayor's gaze. Their eyes met, and the mayor pointed at the old woman and exclaimed, "You, how are you still alive?"

The mayor's nephew, puzzled, asked the mayor, "Uncle, do you know her?"

The mayor stomped his foot in anger: "I know her! I'd recognize her even if she were ashes! She's your deceased aunt. Back then, I took her in because she was all alone and helpless. She pretended to be gentle and understanding, but in reality, she was always trying to drive a wedge between my fiancée and me. I was blinded by greed and broke off my engagement with my fiancée for such a vicious woman. Not long after the wedding, my sister disappeared. Everyone in town said that my sister was with her before she disappeared, but I didn't believe it. I thought my sister had eloped with someone."

The town mayor pointed at the old woman: "She told me my sister eloped, and she told it so convincingly that I had no doubts. Later, my youngest brother and my elder brother's son also disappeared. Just when we were at our wits' end, she took all the valuables from the house and vanished. Seven days later, someone found her clothes and shoes in the mountain temple, assuming she had been murdered. We reported it to the authorities, but they couldn't find anything, and it remains a cold case to this day. I never expected this..."

The mayor slapped his thigh: "Now I understand. My sister, my brother, and my brother's children were all sold by her."