Although Xiao Tianfan was moved by Ling Chuxi’s last sentence, he never would have believed that the medical pill had been refined by Ling Chuxi herself. In fact, it was not only Xiao Tianfan who thought so – hadn’t everyone else there thought that it was Luo Li that had refined it?
“Alright then. I will bring you there to give it a try.” For the sake of his grandfather’s life, Xiao Tianfan did not think too much. ‘Just like Ling Chuxi said, treat a dead horse like a live horse… Ptui! I shouldn’t jinx it.’
In a small courtyard which had been decorated elegantly, the dozens of ‘famous doctors’ hired by the Xiao Family using large sums of money were having lively discussions.
“In my opinion, this is the stagnation of the yin qi (1) and blockage of the arteries and veins. The deficiency of essence and blood, as well as the weakness of both qi and blood-” A middle-aged man with a goatee said loudly while stroking his beard.
“No, that’s not right. Old Master Xiao has cultivated his whole life and his Battle Qi is vigorous. How can it be stagnation of his yin qi? It should be excessive yang qi (2) instead!” Another old man with a white beard shook his head.
“What do you know? Who said that after cultivating Battle Qi that one’s yin qi could not be stagnant?” Goatee glared at him.
“When I started practicing medicine, you were still suckling on milk. What do you know?” The old man with the white beard glared back fiercely.
“The two of you, stop quarrelling! From what I see, it is most likely-” Another person came up to smooth things over.
“What do you know?!” The both of them yelled at him at the same time.
Loud quarrelling noises could be heard coming from the courtyard, which was as noisy as a market. A few of them had rolled up their sleeves, and it seemed like things were escalating into a martial arts display.
The moment Ling Chuxi entered, she saw the scene and silently shook her head. ‘They have this kind of character and yet they can become famous doctors. I really don’t know what type of people the Xiao Family hired, even a healthy person could die from the noise they’re creating.’
“Everyone, please keep calm.” Xiao Tianfan’s first uncle pressed his hands on the table and asked wearily, “Fellow masters, have any of you found a way to save my father?”
Everyone quietened down. Just a while ago they were debating until their faces turned red, but once the key issue was raised, everyone became mute.
“Brother Gaode, your father’s sickness is too complicated. Regarding the method, I think we should listen to Master Sun first,” Goatee said hesitantly.
“Yes, yes. Master Sun is our Dong Xing Country’s number one sacred hand, we should see if he has any valuable opinions!” the white beard who was just about to get into a fight chimed in quickly. The both of them had formed an alliance so quickly, it seemed they were quite skilled in going with the flow when things looked bad.
Everyone’s gaze was directed towards a middle-aged man. He had pinned his hair back with a jade crown and he had an arrogant look on this face. So this was the Master Sun they had spoken of – the number one sacred hand of Dong Xing Country.
“Master Sun, what is your opinion?” Xiao Gaode respectfully asked.
“According to my diagnosis, Old Man Xiao is ill from being overworked and he has reached his limit. The pulse in his body is chaotic and he has reached the end of his life. I think that there is nothing to argue about. Brother Gaode, you should arrange for the old man’s funeral soon,” Master Sun said in a conceited manner.
“But….” Someone wanted to say something, but at Master Sun’s glare, they immediately went silent.
“Master Sun is right, Brother Gaode. You should prepare for the old master’s funeral as soon as possible.” The others echoed right after.
“Brother Gaode, I happen to have a Transforming Life Pill here. Let the old man take this. He is already at such an old age, why let him suffer?” Master Sun said as he pulled out a medical pill and passed it to Xiao Gaode.
Xiao Gaode hesitated for a moment, but eventually accepted it with a heavy sigh.
(1) Yin qi is Cold qi, usually associated with coldness in the body
(2) Yang qi is Hot qi, usualy associated with heat in the body