Chapter 263
When Hu Zezhi finally entered the inn she was staying at, her mind was still in a haze. After selecting a room and settling his belongings, Lu Qing went to the front of the inn.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask you sothing."
"Ask away, esteed guest. How can I help you?" The innkeeper responded promptly.
Lu Qing and his companions were generous custors, booking the best rooms without haggling over prices. To the innkeeper, they were true VIPs.
"Is there a good pharmacy in this town? I'd like to buy so dicinal herbs," Lu Qing asked.
"Buying dicinal herbs?" The shopkeeper pondered for a mont before replying, "There are two dical clinics in Yunlai Town. If you're looking to buy herbs, Renxin dical Clinic is the place to go. Doctor Zhao there is highly skilled and has the best reputation in town. His prices are fair, and he never overcharges."
"Renxin dical Clinic, you say. Thank you for the information."
Lu Qing realized that the Renxin dical Clinic had a good reputation and should have reliable herbs.
"You're welco. After you leave the inn, turn right and keep going straight. You should see the sign for Renxin dical Clinic."
Following the shopkeeper's directions, Lu Qing turned right after leaving the inn and walked straight ahead. Finally, he reached the end of the street and saw the Renxin dical Clinic.
He stepped inside.
At that mont, there were no patients in the clinic, only a young apprentice leaning on the counter, dozing off. Lu Qing tapped the counter lightly.
"Master, I wasn't slacking off..." The young apprentice woke up with a start, quickly realizing it wasn't his master who had woken him but soone else. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"You almost scared
to death. I thought my master was back."
"Sorry."
Lu Qing smiled apologetically, not expecting such a big reaction from the young apprentice.
"It's fine, as long as it wasn't my master," the apprentice said, not holding a grudge. "What brings you here, sir? Are you here for a consultation or to buy herbs? If it's the latter, do you have a prescription? If it's the forr, you'll have to wait a bit. My master and senior apprentice are out on a house call and won't be back for a while."
"I need to buy so herbs. Here's the list. Can you help
gather them?"
Lu Qing handed over a list of dicinal herbs.
"Don't call
'little doctor.' I'm not qualified yet. If my master hears that, he'll scold
again."
The apprentice waved his hands hurriedly, showing he was often reprimanded by his master.
He took the list and looked at it, surprised. "You're buying so many herbs?"
Lu Qing smiled. "We're travelers and know a bit about dicine. We've run out of herbs recently and need to replenish our stock. Can your clinic provide all these herbs?"
"The other herbs are fine, but we’re low on Angelica Dahurica and Astragalus," the apprentice explained, muttering to himself. "Today should be the day the herbal farrs deliver the herbs. Why haven't they shown up yet?"
Before Lu Qing could respond, a group of people burst in, shouting anxiously, "Doctor Zhao! Doctor Zhao! Help! Old Wang has been bitten by a poisonous snake!"
They placed a stretcher on the floor, revealing a man with a dark, swollen face, unconscious. His right leg, bound with a red string, was swollen and blackened.
"Uncle Li, what happened to Uncle Wang?"
The young apprentice was startled, dropping the herb list and rushing over.
"Xiaoyi, why are you alone here? Where's Doctor Zhao?" Uncle Li asked urgently.
"My master and senior apprentice are out on a house call. They haven't returned yet."
"What? Doctor Zhao is out? What should we do? Old Wang went into the mountains to gather herbs and got bitten by a snake. He's unconscious now. If we don't treat him quickly, he won't make it!"
Uncle Li slapped his thigh in frustration. "Xiaoyi, can you treat snake bites?"
"? No, my master doesn't let
treat patients yet!"
Uncle Li wasn't surprised. He knew the apprentice's capabilities. Seeing Old Wang's condition worsening, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's take Old Wang to Fulai dical Clinic. Although Doctor Qian is a bit greedy, his skills are decent. Hurry!"
They moved quickly but noticed a young man crouching by the stretcher, holding a silver needle and inserting it into Old Wang's swollen, snake-bitten leg.
"What are you doing, sir?!"
Uncle Li was alard and rushed to stop him. However, an invisible force held him back, preventing him from moving forward.
"This man's blood is almost completely poisoned. We must expel the poison imdiately, or not even a deity could save him," Lu Qing said calmly, continuing to insert needles into Old Wang's leg.
Seeing Lu Qing's skilled and decisive actions, coupled with the invisible force that stopped him, Uncle Li realized this young man was no ordinary person.
He dared not make a sound, afraid of disturbing Lu Qing. The others held their breath, watching Lu Qing's treatnt intently.
Seeing the group understood the gravity of the situation, Lu Qing was relieved. If they had continued to make noise, he might have had to resort to extre asures.
After sealing the wound on Old Wang's leg, Lu Qing opened his shirt, frowning at what he saw. Old Wang's chest was also covered in dark patches, with only the heart area unaffected, though the dark patches were spreading visibly.
If the dark patches reached Old Wang's heart, it would indicate the snake venom had fully invaded, making it much harder to treat.
Without delay, Lu Qing took out another set of silver needles, and within a breath, he inserted eighteen needles around Old Wang's heart, forming a peculiar needle array that sealed the heart area completely.
The needle array connected, vibrating and emitting a silver light, stopping the dark patches from spreading further.
This miraculous scene left the onlookers, especially the young apprentice, in awe.
After sealing Old Wang's heart, Lu Qing sighed in relief. If Old Wang had been brought any later, or if he hadn't been there, Old Wang would have been beyond saving.
"Sir, can Old Wang be saved?" Uncle Li asked cautiously.
"It's hard to say," Lu Qing shook his head. "The snake venom is unusual. It's not fast-acting but extrely persistent. You must have given him snake dicine, but it wasn't very effective, right?"
"Yes, yes," Uncle Li nodded. "We gave him dicine right after he was bitten. At first, we thought it was fine, but then it got worse, so we brought him here."
As experienced herb gatherers, Uncle Li and his group were always prepared with anti-venom herbs and sachets to ward off snakes and insects.
"And it's strange. The snake that bit Old Wang looked like the common brocade snake, which is usually timid and rarely attacks people. Its venom isn't potent, and tily treatnt should suffice. But today, the snake was aggressive and bit Old Wang as soon as he saw it!"
Uncle Li recounted the events, and Lu Qing thought of a possibility but focused on saving Old Wang first.
"Young doctor, I need to expel the poison from this man's blood using dicinal herbs. I'll recite the prescription; can you prepare the herbs quickly?"
The young apprentice, still in awe of Lu Qing's acupuncture skills, nodded quickly, "Yes, of course."
"Gather Half Lotus, half a liang, White Snake Flower Grass, one liang..." Lu Qing recited the prescription while continuing his treatnt. Suddenly, a sharp silver knife appeared in his hand. He removed the needles from Old Wang's leg and made a cross-cut on the snake bite, letting the black blood ooze out.
"Bring a bowl," Lu Qing instructed.
Uncle Li fetched a large ceramic bowl, "Here, sir."
Lu Qing placed the bowl under the wound, flicked his fingers towards Old Wang's heart, and the needle array vibrated again, causing more black blood to flow out rapidly.
The poisonous blood emitted a foul stench, making the onlookers dizzy.
"Step back. This venom is potent. Inhaling too much can poison you," Lu Qing warned.
Startled, Uncle Li and the others quickly moved back, covering their noses, puzzled by how a common snake could have such deadly venom.
Seeing them retreat, Lu Qing continued to expel the poison. He filled three large bowls with black blood before the blood from Old Wang's wound turned red.
This sight made Uncle Li and the others pale, worrying if Old Wang could survive after losing so much blood. But as the poisonous blood was expelled, Old Wang's breathing beca more evident, his leg swelling reduced, and the dark patches on his face faded, revealing a bit of color.
At this mont, the young apprentice returned with a bowl of dicinal broth, "Sir, the dicine is ready."
"Give it to ."
Lu Qing took the broth, checked its potency with his abilities, and found it usable despite so loss of efficacy. He administered the dicine to Old Wang, using his acupuncture skills to enhance its effects, then removed the needles and sealed the jar of poisonous blood.
"How is Old Wang?" Uncle Li and the others approached cautiously.
"The snake venom is mostly expelled. After taking this dicine, the remaining poison should be eliminated. However, the venom has severely damaged his internal organs, and he'll need a long recovery. I'll prescribe a restorative redy for him to take regularly. He should recover in ti."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you!" Uncle Li gratefully shook Lu Qing's hand.
"Old Wang has three children and a disabled wife
. The whole family relies on him. If he hadn't survived, I don't know what they would have done!"
Uncle Li choked up, and the others also expressed their gratitude.
"There's no need to thank . As a doctor, it's my duty to save lives," Lu Qing said with a smile. "My master always taught
that it's a physician's responsibility to heal."
"Oh, who is your master, to have trained such a remarkable young doctor?"
A gentle voice ca from outside the clinic.
"Master!"
The young apprentice exclaid joyfully upon hearing the voice.
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