Chapter 25

This time, Ding Yuchang had wronged Wang Xiaojun. The official was not summoned by Wang Xiaojun but was coincidentally encountered on the way to the clinic. He and Zhong Fucai turned into Yushu Street and saw several people who looked like officials walking towards them. Wang Xiaojun did not intend to report the incident to the authorities immediately but wanted to save the injured first and deal with other matters later. However, Zhong Fu, who was by his side, immediately recognized the leader of the officials, who was none other than the head of the constables of Liangxiang County, Zheng Boming. Just as he was about to introduce Wang Xiaojun to Zheng Boming, Zheng Boming also recognized Zhong Fu. He quickly walked over and greeted him, saying, "Oh, isn't this the great steward of the Zhong family! What brings you to the city today? Are you here to buy things for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Zhong Fu, seeing that Zheng Boming had already spoken, smiled and replied, "It's you, Chief Zheng. It's been a while. Today is your shift. I was ordered by my master to accompany several Taoist priests from Yuxu Palace to the city to buy festival items." As he spoke, he pointed to Wang Xiaojun and introduced him, "This is Taoist Priest Wang from Yuxu Palace, also a good friend of my master."

Upon hearing that Wang Xiaojun was a friend of Zhong Youpeng, Zheng Boming hurriedly clasped his hands and said, "Ah, it's Taoist Priest Wang. I apologize, I apologize." Although Wang Xiaojun was anxious, he had to return the greeting and said, "It's Chief Zheng. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."

Zheng Boming was very good at reading people's expressions and immediately noticed that Taoist Priest Wang seemed distracted and had something urgent to attend to. The steward Zhong Fu seemed to have something to say but was hesitant to speak directly in front of Taoist Priest Wang. If it were anyone else, Zheng Boming would have let it go, but since this Taoist priest was a friend of the Zhong family, he felt he had to ask more, to avoid any trouble that might lead to the Zhong family blaming him. Of course, he couldn't ask directly, so he laughed and said, "Steward Zhong, if you're here to buy things, why did you come to this street? There are no big shops here."

Zhong Fu originally wanted to tell Zheng Boming about the incident, but since Wang Xiaojun hadn't spoken, he couldn't say it directly. Now that Zheng Boming asked, he took the opportunity to pretend to be annoyed and said, "Don't mention it. I'm here with this Taoist priest to see a doctor." He looked at Wang Xiaojun, and seeing that he didn't object, he recounted the incident at the City God Temple. Zheng Boming was immediately alarmed and loudly said, "How could this happen? These performers are really outrageous. They must not be let off easily. Taoist Priest Wang, rest assured, I will take care of this matter and give you and your junior a satisfactory resolution." Without giving Wang Xiaojun a chance to speak, he pulled him and Zhong Fu to Huichun Hall.

As soon as they entered Huichun Hall, Zheng Boming quickly pulled the renowned doctor Xue Yongren and walked out. Xue Yongren, puzzled but not daring to refuse, was stopped by Wang Xiaojun, who explained that Xue Yongren should bring the necessary medical supplies and preferably two assistants with a soft bed, in case of emergencies. Realizing he had been too hasty, Zheng Boming let go and allowed Xue Yongren to prepare. After gathering the necessary items, they hurried to the City God Temple.

Xue Yongren pushed through the crowd and saw Liu Wendong lying on the ground with a spear in his back. He quickly walked over, bent down, and carefully examined the injury. He frowned and said to Wang Xiaojun, "Taoist Priest Wang, your junior is seriously injured. There are too many people here, and the environment is unsuitable for treatment. I suggest we carry him to my clinic on a soft bed for proper care." Seeing the worried look on Wang Xiaojun's face, he added, "Don't worry, as long as we carry him carefully and support the spear, his condition should not worsen." Hearing this, Wang Xiaojun felt somewhat relieved and called over the two assistants from Huichun Hall. They carefully lifted Liu Wendong onto the soft bed, with Hong Yan and Fan Wucheng gently supporting the spear, while Xu Shaowan and You Yuan carried him carefully to Huichun Hall. Zeng Zhilin, after learning the location of Huichun Hall from Wang Xiaojun, quietly informed Qian Yuanshan via a walkie-talkie to bring the medical kit directly to the clinic. Wang Xiaojun and Zeng Zhilin then went with Zhong Fu and Ding Yuchang and his disciples to the county office. Qingchen was sent back to Yuxu Palace to report the news, and it seemed that the festival would not be peaceful.

At the clinic, since it was not far, they arrived quickly. Xue Yongren had the assistants carry Liu Wendong into a room in the back courtyard and then had them bring various medical supplies to prepare for the removal of the spear. Hong Yan, seeing the simple tools the doctor had prepared—a basin of hot water, some white cloths, a bottle of unknown medicine, a thick needle, and some thread—was not confident in letting the so-called "miracle doctor" operate. She looked at Xu Shaowan with a pleading look, asking him to speak to the doctor and see if they could wait for Lin Xiaoyu to arrive.

Xu Shaowan understood her concern. He himself did not fully trust the surgical skills of this era. However, he felt it was inappropriate to directly express his doubts, as they had invited the doctor. Just as he was hesitating, Fan Wucheng spoke up. Fan Wucheng, with his years of business experience, did not directly stop the doctor but tactfully suggested that his senior, who was a long-term practitioner, might suffer a loss of vital energy if the spear was removed immediately. If possible, it would be better to wait for his junior to bring the appropriate ritual objects to protect him before proceeding with the operation.

Xue Yongren, who usually focused on medical research and knew little about Taoist practices, was a bit hesitant after hearing Fan Wucheng's words. After some thought, he agreed to wait a short while, which would not be a problem.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Xiaoyu and Qian Yuanshan arrived. Lin Xiaoyu entered the room and saw that the treatment had not yet begun, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Without regard for the doctor's reaction, she quickly went to Liu Wendong's bedside, opened the medical kit, and took out a tray, then placed surgical knives, scissors, forceps, hemostatic clamps, alcohol, sutures, bandages, syringes, antibiotics, anesthetics, and Yunnan Baiyao on the tray. She then asked the puzzled Xue Yongren to boil a pot of water to sterilize the instruments, put on a pair of medical gloves, and had Qian Yuanshan cut off Liu Wendong's shirt and hold him down while Xu Shaowan slowly pulled out the spear. As the spear tip was removed, the blood flow, which had decreased, suddenly increased. After a careful examination, Lin Xiaoyu found that the internal organs were not damaged, which was a stroke of luck. With this, she felt more confident and, using her skilled techniques, quickly and steadily performed the necessary procedures: administering an anesthetic, stopping the bleeding, cleaning the wound, suturing, bandaging, and injecting antibiotics. After all the procedures, seeing Liu Wendong's upper body wrapped like a mummy, Lin Xiaoyu wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "As long as the wound does not become infected, there should be no problem."

Hong Yan, still worried, asked, "But why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Lin Xiaoyu reassured her, "He initially fainted due to excessive pain. He hasn't woken up because I gave him an anesthetic. It will probably take a while for him to regain consciousness. From his breathing and heartbeat, as long as there is no infection, there is no danger to his life."

Hearing this, Hong Yan felt somewhat relieved. She sat by the bed, closely watching Liu Wendong, hoping for the moment he would wake up.

At this point, Xue Yongren, who had been somewhat angry at the apparent lack of trust in his skills, was now amazed. Not only by the small and strange instruments used by the female Taoist but also by her skilled and calm handling of the wound, which could be considered the best in the world. Even he, known as a "miracle doctor," admitted that he could not handle such severe external injuries with such skill.

He wanted to ask for advice but thought that both the instruments and the techniques were probably secret practices of the Taoist sect. If he asked now, he might not get the true knowledge and might even be seen as trying to steal their secrets. Since he now knew their background, he would have the opportunity to ask later. He praised Lin Xiaoyu's medical skills and suggested not moving the patient to avoid affecting the healing of the wound. Lin Xiaoyu agreed.

Since Liu Wendong would be staying temporarily, Xu Shaowan asked Qian Yuanshan to go to the county office to report the situation to Wang Xiaojun. First, to update him on the situation, and second, to wait for the resolution of the matter and then have everyone come to the clinic to discuss the next steps. Qian Yuanshan agreed and left.

Liangxiang County was not large, and Qian Yuanshan quickly found the county office. He asked the guards about the progress of the case at the temple, and they told him it was still in session. The guard, hearing that he was a Taoist priest from Yuxu Palace and knew about the injured, led him to the hall.

Qian Yuanshan entered the hall and saw a scene similar to what he had seen in TV dramas. The county magistrate sat behind a desk, with a painting of waves and sea on the wall behind him and a plaque reading "Justice Prevails" hanging above. On both sides of the hall stood four guards, each holding a staff. Wang Xiaojun, Zeng Zhilin, and Zhong Fu stood on one side, while Ding Yuchang and his disciples knelt on the other. A guard stood next to the desk, listening to the magistrate's instructions.

The guard who led him in reported his identity to the magistrate, Hu Youdao. Hearing this, Hu Youdao waved to the guard, who was about to go to Huichun Hall to check on the injured, to stand aside. He then gestured for Qian Yuanshan to come forward and asked, "Taoist priest, since you are here from the injured's side, tell me the current condition of the injured."

Qian Yuanshan bowed and said, "In response to the magistrate, my senior has been temporarily saved from life-threatening danger after emergency treatment. However, due to the severity of the injury, he is still unconscious. According to my sister, who is skilled in medicine, we need to observe him for a few more days to determine his safety."

Upon hearing this, Hu Youdao struck the gavel and said, "Since the injured is still in a critical condition, this case cannot be concluded immediately. Bring the defendants to custody. Once the condition of the injured is determined, we will make a judgment. The three plaintiffs should not leave the city for now. They will be needed for the next hearing. Court is dismissed." With that, he swept his sleeves and went to the back hall.

Under the supervision of the guards, Ding Yuchang and his disciples were taken to the prison, while Wang Xiaojun and the others walked down the hall with Chief Zheng.

Zheng Boming confidently said to Wang Xiaojun, "Taoist Priest Wang, once your junior's condition is determined, the matter will be resolved quickly. The disciple of Ding Yuchang, who injured someone, has clear evidence against him. He will definitely be punished. Even Ding Yuchang himself will be held responsible for failing to discipline his disciple."

Wang Xiaojun nodded and thanked him, "Thank you, Chief Zheng, for helping to explain the situation to Magistrate Hu, which prevented Ding Yuchang and his disciple from making any arguments. Once this matter is resolved, I will visit to express my gratitude."

Zheng Boming, hearing this, waved his hand and said, "No, no. This matter is just on your side. I merely stated the facts. We are friends, so there's no need for thanks."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Wang Xiaojun, concerned about Liu Wendong's condition, bid farewell to Zheng Boming and promised to inform him as soon as his junior's condition was determined.