Chapter 9: 009 Medical Trouble

 Chapter 9: 009 Medical Trouble

As soon as they entered the medical hall, a strong scent of herbs filled the air.

The medical hall wasn’t large; the entire west wall was lined with shelves filled with medicinal cabinets. Two attendants were busy preparing prescriptions.

Hu Po furrowed her brows slightly, not understanding why the young lady had come to the medical hall, but Chu Qianchen, on the other hand, smiled faintly. To her, this was the fragrance she loved the most.

This was her world. 

In her previous life, no medicine could save him.

She had sought out the famous Physician Lin Miao as her teacher and studied medicine, all in hopes of prolonging his life. 

But it was too late. By then, he was already beyond saving.

Every time she thought about those days, Chu Qianchen felt a sharp pain in her heart, and her lips, hidden behind her veil, pressed tightly together.

"May I ask, young lady, do you wish to see the Physician or buy some medicine?" A young attendant in grey clothes greeted her with a smile.

Chu Qianchen shook her head and asked, "Do you have silver needles here? I wish to purchase a set."

Hu Po, who was standing behind her, showed a look of surprise. The young lady knew medicine?

The attendant paused for a moment. He had seen many people come here for consultations and prescriptions, but it was the first time someone had come to buy silver needles.

He was about to dismiss Chu Qianchen casually, but hesitated.

As a worker in the medical hall, he had seen countless people. This young lady, dressed plainly, appeared to come from a well-off family, and she had brought a maid along. Perhaps she was just a spoiled young lady, wanting a set of silver needles to play with.

Not wanting to offend her, the attendant smiled and said, "Please wait, young lady. I’ll check with Physician Liu." 

The attendant entered the back room and returned shortly with a needle case, smiling again, "Young lady, it’s a coincidence. Physician Liu just had a set of silver needles made, and he’s willing to sell them to you as a good omen."

Chu Qianchen opened the case, inspected the needles, and nodded in satisfaction. Then she borrowed a pen and paper, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to the attendant, "Please prepare these medicines for me."

Before the attendant could respond, a loud commotion came from outside, with cries mixed in, shouting something like "quack Physician ruining lives" and "pity my son."

Soon, a group of people rushed in, with an elderly woman in grey leading the charge.

She stormed into the medical hall and demanded, "Where’s Physician Liu?"

"You at Jishi Hall have ruined my son. You must give us an explanation today!"

Behind her, two tall, dark-skinned men were carrying a door board, upon which lay a man in his mid-thirties, his face ashen and his breath faint. A woman in blue followed closely behind, her eyes red from crying.

Some curious onlookers trailed behind them to the entrance of the medical hall and gathered outside, eager to see what was happening. 

The attendant greeted the elderly woman politely, "Aunt Wang, Physician Liu is not here. He was called out of the city by a gentleman to treat a patient. He probably won’t be back for two or three days..."

"I knew it!" Aunt Wang interrupted him loudly, pointing her finger at him angrily, "Physician Liu has run away, hasn’t he!"

"My son came here for treatment just three days ago, and he was fine then. But after taking the prescription from your medical hall, look at him now!"

The two large men behind her grumbled in agreement, "That’s right. Our elder brother was fine just a few days ago, but now he’s hanging by a thread..."

"My brother is only thirty-five, and he has two young children. The whole family depends on him."

As they spoke, the woman in blue cried bitterly, her tears falling in streams, "My children’s father, you’re leaving us like this, leaving us as orphans and widows. What will we do from now on?"

The crowd outside the medical hall started to murmur and gossip.

"Jishi Hall has been open for over thirty years. Physician Liu is a good Physician…"

"Well, as they say, even the best can make mistakes. If his medical skills were so great, how could he let someone die?"

"Exactly, exactly. The man lying on the door board looks like he’s barely hanging on..."

As the gossip spread, more and more people gathered outside, blocking the entrance, and the hall inside grew darker.

Another attendant hurriedly called for a young Physician from the back room.

Aunt Wang immediately rushed forward, her steps quick and resolute, and shouted at the young Physician, "Physician Liu, you’re here! Your grandfather’s actions have caused my son to end up like this. A life for a life—I’m taking you to the authorities!"

Physician Liu, looking at Wang A-Niu lying on the door board, barely clinging to life, furrowed his brows and murmured, "How could this happen? It’s impossible…"

When Physician Liu's grandfather had treated Wang A-Niu a few days ago, Physician Liu had been present as well. The elder Physician had diagnosed Wang A-Niu with an excess of evil energy and had prescribed the appropriate medicine.

Physician Liu crouched beside Wang A-Niu and checked his pulse. The faint pulse under his fingers made Physician Liu’s expression turn even more grim.

The attendant, seeing the Physician’s expression, felt a sense of dread rise in his chest. Nervously, he said, "Physician Liu..."

Physician Liu bitterly replied, "I’m afraid he won’t survive the night…"

The medical hall immediately fell into an oppressive silence.

The woman in blue swayed, her body seemingly drained of all strength, and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, "My children’s father, you’re leaving me—what am I supposed to do alone?"

Her body shook violently, and tears and snot streamed down her face as she cried out in agony.

At this moment, a cold, clear voice suddenly rang out: "He still has a breath left; he can still be saved!"

There was another pause, and all eyes turned toward the source of the voice. A young woman in blue stood gracefully, her face veiled with a thin cloth, revealing only a pair of sharp, clear eyes like black jade.

The attendant frowned, suddenly remembering that Chu Qianchen was still there.

He wanted to dissuade her from making wild claims, but before he could, Chu Qianchen spoke first: "Last night, at the midnight hour, he suddenly had difficulty breathing, with phlegm blocking his throat, his sweat was like oil, and he lost control of his bowels and bladder, followed by unconsciousness, with cold air coming from his mouth and nose?"

The woman in blue, hearing this, stared in shock, nodding repeatedly and stuttering, "Yes... yes..."

Chu Qianchen then turned to Physician Liu, who was standing at the other side of Wang A-Niu, and added, "His pulse is deep, weak, and irregular, like a bird pecking at a leaking roof…"

"Exactly," Physician Liu nodded in agreement.

Everyone around them was stunned, almost doubting whether this young girl could possibly have some prophetic ability.

The woman in blue, her face covered in tears, crawled toward Chu Qianchen, kowtowing repeatedly. "Miss, please, please save my husband!"

"If you can save him, I’ll do anything—become a beast of burden if I must!"

"Please, miss, please!"

The woman’s eyes were full of desperation, as if she had found a lifeline in the young girl, clinging to her like a drowning person clutching at a piece of driftwood.

Aunt Wang furrowed her brows tightly, thinking that her daughter-in-law had completely lost her senses—how could she be asking a mere child to save her son?

(End of Chapter)