A child with dark skin, limping, and looking about seven years old timidly approached.

At the first sight of the boy, Xia Liang frowned.

The boy’s eyes showed timidity, fear, and cowardice that weren’t feigned.

It was certain that he suffered great harm physically and mentally!

However, when he looked at the video on the phone, his eyes showed a hint of curiosity and hope.

Even Xia Liang furrowed his brows at such complex emotions—what had this boy gone through?

How could a seven-year-old child have such complex emotional changes?

Just then, Lemon Essence reached out to the boy, seemingly wanting him to stand in front of the camera, but the boy shrank back instinctively, as if frightened.

Lemon Essence’s actions froze for a moment, quickly laughing to comfort.

"Don’t be afraid, Xiao Jun; this is Doctor Xia. He’s very skilled. Your sister specially booked an appointment with him, and he’ll definitely be able to cure your illness."

Then, Lemon Essence reached out again to the boy. This time, he didn’t dodge, but Xia Liang noticed his body was trembling slightly.

When looking at Lemon Essence, his eyes also inadvertently showed a hint of fear. However, the boy quickly showed gratitude.

"Thank you, Doctor Xia, thank you, tha...."

Listening to the boy’s repeated thanks, Xia Liang felt something unsettling in his heart.

What torture had this boy endured to become so sensitive?

"Don’t be afraid, little brother, trust me, I will save you."

Xia Liang comforted softly.

The boy’s eyes showed excitement at those words, but then dimmed, as if thinking of something.

"Okay."

The boy named Xiao Jun responded weakly.

At this moment, Lemon Essence softly said beside him, "Xiao Jun, lift your clothes for Doctor Xia to take a look."

Xiao Jun nodded, obediently lifting his shirt.

Dark yellow skin, skeletal thinness, combined with the unhealthy pale color on the boy’s face—Xia Liang could conclude that the boy was suffering from long-term malnutrition.

And most shocking were the dozens of wounds on his chest and back, and his arms and thighs had over ten boils.

Wounds are external injuries, called "trauma" in Western medicine and "golden sore" in traditional Chinese medicine.

These are caused by external force, such as cuts from swords or sticks, and if not treated timely, they can become infected and turn into golden sores.

Boils, on the other hand, are caused by bone and muscle abnormalities leading to local swelling, heat, pain, or pus. They are sometimes referred to as folliculitis, though boils and golden sores are rare nowadays.

These types of skin injuries are mostly due to long-term poor living conditions.

What’s perplexing for Xia Liang is that Xiao Jun is only seven years old. Even if living in rural poverty doesn’t usually lead to such conditions!

Moreover, combining all the golden sores and boils on his body sums to dozens, a shocking sight, with some boils already festering.

However, considering what Lemon Essence said earlier—the boy was bullied by classmates at school, resulting in his introverted and sensitive personality.

Even if bullied, it’s unlikely he’d develop such symptoms.

Even if injured by classmates at school, his family would surely notice and seek treatment for him!

Despite poverty, there is healthcare in rural areas, and visiting rural clinics wouldn’t cost much.

Timely discovery and treatment for either golden sores or boils wouldn’t allow it to become so severe.

Therefore, Xiao Jun’s injuries are unlikely caused by classmates as Lemon Essence claimed.

If Xia Liang’s analysis is correct, the relationship between Lemon Essence and Xiao Jun would be questionable!

However, even with doubts, Xia Liang hasn’t concluded, so he refrained from hastily judging.

Perhaps other factors are at play here?

Thinking of this, Xia Liang spoke sternly.

"Alright, Xiao Jun, you can put your shirt down now."

Xiao Jun nodded slightly, letting his shirt down but instinctively wanted to scratch.

Golden sores and boils are sensitive to surrounding conditions; when too hot, the skin turns unbearably itchy, prompting involuntary scratching.

The more you scratch, the itchier it becomes!

"Whatever you do, don’t scratch any more, or it will worsen."

Xia Liang quickly advised.

Beside Xiao Jun, Lemon Essence quickly patted his hand down.

"Damn, this would leave a shadow for someone with trypophobia."

"How could this happen, how did the child’s body become like this?"

"This is so terrifying, unimaginable for such a disease to appear on a child!."

"I’ve only seen such illness on beggars; surely ordinary people rarely get it now?"

"Yes, I think the same. How do this child’s parents care for him?"

The livestream audience was also shocked by Xiao Jun’s conditions.

Many have never seen such a disease. Even if they have, they haven’t seen so many golden sores and boils on one person, especially not a seven-year-old.

Xia Liang wasn’t feeling well himself; he took a deep breath.

"Xiao Jun, how long have you had this illness?"

Xiao Jun hesitated, glancing at Lemon Essence as if fearing her, reluctant to speak freely.

Lemon Essence smiled, quickly explaining.

"Doctor Xia, my brother is shy, psychologically affected, and hence not good at communicating—let me explain his illness."

Xia Liang nodded.

"As long as the situation is explained clearly, it doesn’t matter who speaks."

Regarding the source of Xiao Jun’s symptoms, Xia Liang could tell through observation, but to understand how it arose and how long it had been, traditional Chinese Medicine’s inquiry was needed!

Lemon Essence nodded.

"Yes, my brother’s illness has persisted for a month."

Hearing this, Xia Liang furrowed his brows again.

This couldn’t possibly be developed within a month!

Observed from Xiao Jun’s symptoms, they’ve lasted at least two years.

Given the size of Xiao Jun’s golden sores and boils, they were considerably large.

Ordinarily, these ailments would be the size of a pinky finger or even a pea.

But on Xiao Jun, the smallest sores were thumb-sized, and the largest were as big as a baby’s fist.