Chapter 7

It was not yet noon, but the morning had already passed. The current sunlight was not too scorching, yet it was not as gentle as in the morning, and it was slightly glaring.

The slightly glaring sunlight was somewhat hot, but it could not stop the curious thoughts of the crowd.

A circle of people gathered, noisy and bustling.

"This little girl is quite pretty, but I heard she was bitten by a blood trace snake. This snake is more dangerous than any bamboo leaf viper. I'm afraid there's no hope for her."

"I heard Doctor Hu said there's no hope. Look, they threw her out, fearing that she would die inside and bring bad luck."

"The venom of the blood trace snake can only be cured by that divine doctor Qin, I think. The little girl's father seems to have gone to find the son of that divine doctor Qin?"

"A mere young boy, what skills could he have? Doctor Hu couldn't cure her, how could he?"

"That's not entirely true, after all, Doctor Qin is famous."

"He died of his own illness, what reputation does he have left? The title of divine doctor has long become a laughingstock."

...

The crowd was in a flurry of discussion. Some felt sorry for the little girl who suffered unjustly, while others thought of Doctor Qin, some praising and some criticizing.

Outside the pharmacy, a little girl lay on the ground.

The little girl had a tender face and delicate features, but a black thread-like aura floated between her eyebrows, gradually turning her lips blue.

Beside the little girl was a woman, crouching by her side, sobbing uncontrollably. There were also two other children, one older and one younger, probably the little girl's older brother and younger brother.

A few kind neighbors or friends were also there to help.

Above the pharmacy was a sign that read "Dade Pharmacy."

In front of the pharmacy, under the sign, stood a doctor in his fifties, wearing a gray robe, with sharp eyes, scolding, "In this area, who doesn't respect my medical skills? I said this child has no hope. Unless a god comes, she will surely die. Quickly take her away. It's bad luck to die at the door. Get lost."

The woman, upon hearing this, cried even more.

The little girl's older brother was quite indignant, pointing at him and shouting, "Doctor Qin can save her, why can't you? It's just that you have no skills!"

The elders who knew the family scolded the child, telling him not to speak rashly.

The child was even more不服, saying, "He has no skills to save people, yet he's driving us away. Why should we show him any respect?"

The child's words made sense, and the few men fell silent.

"Don't compare me to that dead man!" Doctor Hu said angrily, "His reputation is good, but he died of his own illness. What reputation does he have left? In the past, it was just some minor injuries and illnesses. You ignorant villagers saw him treat a few rheumatic pains and called him a divine doctor. How much medical skill could a man who died of his own illness have?"

This statement made a few people nod, thinking, "Maybe he really has no skills, just a legend."

At this moment, the crowd suddenly fell silent, their faces showing embarrassment, and then they parted.

A young man in a Taoist robe pushed through the crowd, his eyes scanning everyone, his expression calm, and he squatted beside the little girl without a word. He glanced at Doctor Hu, and with his current hearing, he had heard the crowd's discussion from another street, and Doctor Hu's words were also in his ears.

Doctor Hu and the Qin family had a good relationship in the past, often coming to seek advice from his father. But after his father fell ill, Doctor Hu became the most vocal critic of the Qin family.

Perhaps the title of divine doctor was too enviable.

"Brother Qin, my sister..."

The child was about to speak, but Qin Xianyu frowned slightly, raised his hand to signal silence, and the woman who was about to plead also stopped.

Qin Xianyu placed a water pot aside, took out a roll of cloth from his chest, and unfolded it, revealing a set of needles.

The sunlight shone on the needles, giving them a faint luster, almost imperceptible, and slightly cold.

The onlookers were very considerate. No matter how much they disagreed, they stopped their discussions and watched quietly.

Qin Xianyu's face was slightly serious. The venom of the blood trace snake was extremely toxic, and the little girl had been poisoned for a long time, with the toxin spreading throughout her body, making it very difficult to treat.

To expel the venom of the blood trace snake, rare medicines were needed, but these medicines could potentially exacerbate the venom. One mistake could be fatal. To truly expel the toxin, the venom must first be contained, but even famous doctors in Fengxing Prefecture might not have this skill.

Fortunately, Qin Xianyu had learned this skill from his father. He took a deep breath, his heart not entirely calm.

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his mind now at peace.

Qin Xianyu raised his hand, and three long needles were held between his fingers.

His hand swept over the little girl's face, and the three long needles landed on the philtrum and the two sides of the neck.

His hand moved again, bringing out three more long needles.

His movements were fluid, picking up and inserting the needles as if he were simply waving his hand, smooth and graceful, making it look very impressive.

The onlookers, though not experts, felt that his technique was smooth and uninterrupted, and even if they didn't know the effect, the calm and fluid way he inserted the needles earned their praise.

Others might have just found it impressive, but Doctor Hu, with decades of medical experience, his face changed slightly. From these few moves, he could tell that this young man from the Qin family had truly mastered acupuncture, and his technique was even better than his own. He gritted his teeth and suddenly sneered, "You didn't heat the needles over a flame. Aren't you afraid of injuring the acupoints and infecting evil qi? This way of saving people might just cost a life!"

The crowd's expressions changed, and their gaze on Qin Xianyu shifted slightly.

It was common knowledge to heat the needles over a flame before acupuncture to remove impurities and dust. But why was this calm and seemingly skilled young Taoist so reckless?

Even Li Ding's wife's face changed, looking at Qin Xianyu with some tension, fearing that he might be a poor doctor and cause a wrongful death.

Doctor Hu mocked, "If you kill someone, you'll have to face the court. You might end up in jail. A promising young man, don't get involved."

Qin Xianyu's expression was calm. He had already inserted over ten long needles, and his movements gradually slowed. His other hand began to press on the acupoints to stop the bleeding.

"Mr. Qin, don't worry. Little Seven is already half-dead. The庸医 couldn't treat her, and there are no other options. Try your best, and if something goes wrong, it's the will of heaven."

The speaker was Li Ding, who arrived a few steps behind Qin Xianyu. The fisherman Zhang was still running, his feet sore. Li Ding, hearing Doctor Hu's words, feared that Qin Xianyu might be hesitant to treat the girl, so he reassured him, but he avoided using the taboo word "death."

Qin Xianyu did not look at Doctor Hu, but nodded slightly to Li Ding and looked at the crowd, saying, "Could someone please boil a pot of water?"

One person, likely a neighbor of the pharmacy, said, "I'll go boil the water."

Qin Xianyu nodded, noticing the water pot beside him, and said, "Boiling water now might take too long. I have a pot of water here. Take it and boil it."

The kind person took the water pot and went home to start a fire.

Qin Xianyu breathed a slight sigh of relief. To save the girl, he relied on acupuncture and extraordinary herbs. Without the herbs, this spiritual water was the hope for her survival, but he didn't dare let anyone know, so he pretended to have someone boil water.

"This isn't enough."

Qin Xianyu thought to himself and walked towards the pharmacy, planning to mix a set of herbs. This way, everyone would think the herbs were effective, and they wouldn't know the water was the key.

"What are you doing?"

Doctor Hu slightly moved to block him and said, "Want herbs? Pay up!"

Qin Xianyu stopped and said, "I want to buy herbs to treat the girl. I won't owe you a single coin."

Doctor Hu looked him up and down.

Qin Xianyu wore a blue Taoist robe, washed until it was faded, with a clear and refined appearance, but he still looked somewhat destitute.

Doctor Hu sneered, his eyes showing disdain, and said, "You don't have a single coin. The girl just entered my pharmacy, and the consultation fee wasn't even enough. If you want to treat her, pay for the herbs first. No money, no herbs. Get lost!"

The onlookers were quite indignant, but most were struggling with their own livelihoods and lacked the courage to do good, so they just scolded the doctor a bit.

Qin Xianyu was silent for a moment, looked at the man, and then stepped back, looking at the pharmacy.

Above the pharmacy was a large sign that read "Dade Pharmacy."

Doctor Hu, in his gray robe, stood under the sign with a disdainful smile.

Qin Xianyu looked at the sign, then at Doctor Hu, shook his head slightly, and said softly, "Medical ethics?"

He only said two words, in a calm tone, but everyone heard clearly.

The famous doctor's face immediately darkened, and he was about to scold.

"Money?"

Qin Xianyu shook his head and laughed, with a hint of anger. He suddenly took out a handful of silver from his chest, spread it out for Doctor Hu to see, and then... threw it at him.

Over ten taels of silver hit Doctor Hu's face and chest.

The doctor immediately became angry, but seeing the silver ingots on the ground, he was startled.

Everyone was shocked.

Over ten taels of silver was a huge sum!

Qin Xianyu's expression was calm. He listed over ten types of herbs and their weights, and pointed inside, saying, "I only need these thirteen herbs!"

Doctor Hu quickly calculated and knew that these thirteen herbs would cost about 120 coins, a little over one tael. With over ten taels of silver, this transaction would be equivalent to over twenty days of his income. Although angry, he didn't want to miss this windfall, so he grunted and said, "Follow me inside."

"Exempted," Qin Xianyu said calmly. "This dirty place, I won't go in. Bring the herbs out to me."

After a pause, Qin Xianyu added, "Don't try anything funny. If the herbs are wrong, and I end up killing someone, I'll go to jail, but you, tampering with the herbs, will be beheaded."

Doctor Hu trembled slightly, reined in his bad intentions, and returned to the pharmacy.

After a short while, the herbs were brought out.

Qin Xianyu took them and asked someone to guide him to the kind person's home, where he put the herbs in boiling water.

Calculating the time, he thought the needles in the little girl's body were about ready, so he asked for a bowl and poured half a bowl of the herbal soup.

The water in the pot was not much. In Qin Xianyu's eyes, this spiritual water was more precious than gold and silver, so he only filled two bowls, boiled them, and after cooking the herbs, about one and a half bowls remained.

He first pried open the little girl's mouth and poured in half a bowl, then poured out the rest of the herbal soup.

Originally, the little girl's mouth was tightly closed, making it hard to pry open. Li Ding had to work hard. But Qin Xianyu just supported her chin and pressed an acupoint, and the little girl's mouth opened, surprising everyone and earning their praise.

"Wait a moment, and I'll take out the needles and have Little Seven drink the rest of the soup."

Qin Xianyu instructed, then looked at Doctor Hu and said calmly, "Refund the money."

Doctor Hu was stunned.

Qin Xianyu knew the herbal soup made from the spiritual water had taken effect, saving Little Seven's life. He was quite happy, his face showing a smile, and he said, "Refund the money."

PS: Setting an update time, generally two updates, one at 2 PM and one at 9 PM, unless there are special circumstances.

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