Chapter 58

"Old Mr. Tang! Hehe, I'll be troubling you from now on!" Jiang Xingchen spoke respectfully, but a victorious smile appeared on his face.

The little old man's eyes twitched again, and he nodded woodenly, his heart full of bitterness. Usually, it was he who played tricks on others, but this time he was the one being pressed down, unable to even turn his hand. After a lifetime of hunting, he had finally been pecked by the goose.

"Mei'er, the fish soup should be ready. Bring a bowl for Old Mr. Tang!" Jiang Xingchen instructed Mei'er, then invited Tang Tian to sit down.

The old man's wooden expression finally eased, his eyes flashing for a moment before sinking back into silence.

"Hmph! After beating me, you're now trying to flatter me. This kid knows a lot! But how could I be... Hmm! This smell..." The old man sniffed, his gaze fixed on Mei'er who was entering with a bowl, all his thoughts cast aside.

"Old Mr. Tang, try the fish soup my brother made. It's really delicious!" Mei'er giggled as she placed the fish soup on the table.

The old man picked up the bowl, examined it carefully, then brought it to his nose and sniffed. He closed his eyes slightly, a look of enjoyment on his face: "Rich, truly rich. The fish soup is milky white. How did he do it..."

Next, he brought the bowl to his mouth. Unlike his injured brother who drank it in large gulps, he sipped it slowly, savoring it and praising it as he drank...

"Really good! Excellent skills!" After finishing the bowl of fish soup, the old man threw a cloth bag to Jiang Xingchen: "This is the monster that Little Snow promised you, as a reward for Big Drum!"

"Monster!" Jiang Xingchen's eyes lit up instantly.

"This is a Level 4 Poison Weasel. Be careful when handling it, don't touch its teeth... and remove the poison gland from its brain!" Tang Tian warned.

"Okay!" Jiang Xingchen nodded. With his dexterous skills, this was easy for him.

Just as he turned, a knock on the door sounded. Old Mr. Tang moved as fast as lightning, snatching a few white silk pieces from beside Mei'er and tucking them into his chest.

Mei'er smiled and then ran out with her brother...

The courtyard gate opened, and a girl stood outside, about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her first impression was of fragility, looking sickly.

"Who are you..." Jiang Xingchen was somewhat taken aback; he didn't recognize this girl.

"I came to see my brother. His name is Du Roshan, the leader of the Sky-Shocking Mercenary Group, and he's recuperating here!" The girl's voice was also very weak.

"Oh!" Jiang Xingchen immediately understood. Du Roshan was the older brother. Yesterday, he was shouting about leaving because of his sister!

"He's inside. Follow me!" Jiang Xingchen said, leading the girl to the storeroom.

As soon as they entered, the girl's tears streamed down her face. She ran to Du Roshan, grabbed his arm, and asked anxiously, "Brother! How are you? I told you not to go deep into the Vast Mountains..."

Du Roshan, clearly not expecting his sister to come, was slightly stunned. His face turned angry, and after comforting the girl a bit, he turned to the two big men and demanded, "Who told Heart about this?"

The two big men looked bewildered and said, "No one, Brother. We've been with you all along. We didn't even leave last night when the thieves came!"

"Brother! Don't blame them. I overheard Little Five's conversation and came secretly!" The girl shook Du Roshan's arm.

"Little Five, why can't he be more careful..." Du Roshan complained, then sighed.

"Brother! Don't take risks anymore. This time was so dangerous!" Heart's face was filled with fear, tears streaming down.

"But, your illness... Brother needs to earn more money!"

"Earning more money doesn't justify taking risks. If something happens to you, how can Heart go on living?"

Listening to the conversation between the brother and sister, Jiang Xingchen's expression turned heavy. It sounded just like his own situation with Mei'er! He had the means to earn money and could ensure Mei'er's daily consumption of 3,000 yellow crystals. But Du Roshan had to take risks to treat his sister.

Mei'er, standing behind Jiang Xingchen, also looked sad. But thinking about the affection and care her brother had shown her, her heart was filled with happiness.

After a moment, Jiang Xingchen gently pulled Mei'er, preparing to leave.

But at that moment, the girl's face suddenly changed. She clutched her right abdomen and crouched down, her face contorted in pain, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Ah!" Du Roshan exclaimed in shock and hurriedly said, "Heart, take your medicine quickly!"

"I... didn't bring it!" Heart said in a broken voice.

"What, you didn't bring it!" Du Roshan's expression turned frantic, and he shouted, "Go back and get Heart's medicine quickly!"

"Okay!" The two big men hurriedly responded and turned to run out.

But before they could move, Heart suddenly let out a painful cry, her legs unable to support her, and she fell to the ground.

"Why is it so severe this time... It's too late to get the medicine! By the time we get it, Heart will be in unbearable pain!" Du Roshan became even more anxious, and he looked up to see Jiang Xingchen, who had turned back at the commotion.

"Right! He can save her, he can save my sister!" Du Roshan, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, shouted, "Young Master Jiang, please save Heart!"

"Me?" Jiang Xingchen's eyes widened. "I don't have that ability!"

"I can't do it! I don't know how to treat illnesses!" Jiang Xingchen quickly shook his head.

"You can do it. You healed my severe injuries... I beg you, Young Master Jiang, I only have this one sister, please save her!" Du Roshan's speech was incoherent, showing how anxious he was.

"I only know how to sew. I can't treat stomach pain!" Jiang Xingchen thought to himself, about to refuse.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Old Mr. Tang walked in. He frowned, looked at Heart on the ground, and a flash of sorrow appeared in his eyes. Then, his right hand trembled, and a half-meter-long, silver-bright needle appeared in his hand. With his left hand, he pulled away the girl's hand covering her abdomen and swiftly stabbed the needle into her abdomen several times.

"What are you doing?" Du Roshan was stunned by Old Mr. Tang's sudden appearance. It wasn't until the old man acted that he reacted, shouting and trying to get up, ignoring his injuries.

However, before he could move, Heart suddenly stopped moaning, breathing heavily, and the pain on her face disappeared.

In an instant, the room fell silent. Jiang Xingchen stared at Old Mr. Tang, his eyes growing brighter.

"This old man can actually treat illnesses! His technique is even better than Uncle Xiang! Wow, this is a huge gain. I've been worrying about finding a doctor, and now one has come to me..."

Du Roshan and the two big men were also dumbfounded. "Heart's illness can only be relieved by medicine. How did a few needles from this old man cure it... Is he a great doctor?"

"Old man! Can you... cure my sister's illness?" Du Roshan asked hopefully.

Old Mr. Tang didn't answer but asked, "Did this girl suddenly experience severe pain in her right abdomen, unable to bear it, and then the doctor used pain-relieving drugs... and it recurs every so often, requiring expensive Cold Yuan Ice Flower to stop the pain?"

"Yes! That's exactly the situation. We've seen many doctors, but none could cure it. I only took this risk to earn money for Cold Yuan Ice Flower..."

Du Roshan saw hope and began to spill out all the details.

However, Old Mr. Tang shook his head. "This is a terminal illness, incurable. Cold Yuan Ice Flower only relieves pain, and my needle technique only temporarily alleviates it... Over time, her abdominal pain will worsen, and eventually..."

"Terminal illness!" Du Roshan was stunned. The doctors he had seen never used these words, and he always held out hope, thinking their skills were insufficient. But now...

Heart was struck as if by lightning, her hopes shattered, and she stood there in a daze.

Jiang Xingchen, however, frowned, thinking, "This sounds like appendicitis. An acute episode that turned chronic, recurring periodically. Without surgery, it can lead to intestinal perforation, which could be life-threatening. But with regular use of antibiotics to prevent peritonitis, it shouldn't be life-threatening... Ah! I forgot, there are no antibiotics in this world!"

In his previous life, his dorm mate had appendicitis, and he took care of him during the surgery. So, he was quite familiar with the condition. And Heart's pain was in the area where the appendix is located.

Thinking this, Jiang Xingchen didn't speak. He could sew, but he couldn't perform an appendectomy. He didn't even know what an appendix looked like! The consequences of pretending to be skilled were evident from Zhao Danqing.

Old Mr. Tang looked at Du Roshan and his sister, feeling a bit sorry. He said solemnly, "This illness, though terminal, won't be immediately life-threatening... If managed well, reducing the pain during episodes, she could live for over a decade!"

After saying this, Old Mr. Tang turned and left the storeroom. Jiang Xingchen and Mei'er didn't stay long and followed him out, leaving the stunned group behind.

Back in the bedroom, Jiang Xingchen immediately pulled Mei'er in front of Tang Tian: "Old man, I didn't know you were a great doctor! Please check on my sister and see how her recovery is progressing!"

Tang Tian was taken aback and said, "Illness... your sister... no one mentioned this to me before..."

"My sister's illness!" Jiang Xingchen's forehead throbbed, wanting to slap the old man. If he didn't want to treat her, he didn't have to insult her.

At that moment, Old Mr. Tang's expression changed. He suddenly grabbed Mei'er's wrist, felt her pulse for a moment, and then darted out, stirring up the snow in the courtyard.

"What's going on?" Jiang Xingchen was also stunned, looking at Mei'er, who was equally confused.

At that moment, Old Mr. Tang's faint roar could be heard: "Little Snow, you tricked me! Wait, I won't let this go..."

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