The Martial Doctor-Chapter 111 - 108: Healing Hands Bring the Dying Back to Life
The medicine has been given.
But when it takes effect is hard to say.
It might be soon, or it might take a while, depending on the individual’s constitution.
Although night had already fallen, a large crowd of people had gathered at the entrance of the diagnosis point, forming layers upon layers around it.
"The fever, the fever has gone down..." About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, the boy’s father touched his son’s forehead and exclaimed with surprise.
Lin Miao bent down, crouched, and felt it with his palm—it indeed wasn’t as scorching as before. The fever had subsided, though not entirely.
However, the frequency of the limbs twitching had significantly reduced compared to when they first arrived.
"He’s sweating, sweating, and the color of this sweat..." Xia Zhu also noticed the beads of sweat on the boy’s forehead, which weren’t the same color as a normal person’s.
Only then did everyone recall that Lin Miao had mentioned earlier that if the medicine were effective, the color of the sweat and urine would resemble that of sappan wood. Now that they saw it, the boy’s sweat, his reduced fever, and the sweat he was covered in were indeed the color of sappan wood.
Could it be that this "rabies" can really be cured, and it’s not an incurable disease after all?
Not only were the onlookers astonished, but even the seasoned physicians, Mr. Jia and Guan Biyun, were stunned to witness this scene.
Is it possible that this young Mr. Lin can really cure this incurable ailment of rabies!
If this method could be applied to others, he would surely hold a significant place in the contemporary world of practitioners.
Making a name for oneself in medical history is a lifelong pursuit for many doctors, and for some, a single prescription is enough.
"The poison in his body can’t be expelled all at once. Three hours later, use the same method to administer another dose, repeating it until the residual toxin is completely removed, which should take about three to five doses," said Lin Miao after checking the pulse.
"There’s an unused room at the back. The two of you can stay there tonight, and I’ll be here as well, so you can come to me anytime if there’s any issue," Lin Miao suggested, determined to see the task through to the end. Saving the boy would be a ’king’s bombshell’ for him, and he must ensure that there are no problems with it.
"Alright, thank you, Mr. Lin." The boy’s father thanked him profusely.
"Disperse, disperse, everyone go home. If you want to know the result, just come back early tomorrow..." Mr. Xie, as Lin Miao’s devoted steward (henchman), started dispersing the crowd.
He also kept an eye on potentially ill-intentioned individuals in the crowd.
Anyway, this news is bound to spread tomorrow as long as the young boy appears up and lively.
That’s the first step ensured.
...
"How could this be, this ground beetle actually has such miraculous effects..." Mr. Jia exclaimed in disbelief, "Lin, your prescription is so peculiar. Tell me quickly, how does it work?"
Being in practice for so many years, he had studied remedies that use poison to fight poison, and in this field, not many dared to claim superiority over him.
Yet, this young chap managed to pull a boy experiencing a rabies attack back from the brink using ground beetles, which he had never given much thought to before.
It’s utterly unbelievable.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it. He must find another case to test it again.
He had already memorized the prescription, the dosage, and the method.
But these ground beetles seemed to be...
As Mr. Jia insisted on an exchange of ideas, Lin Miao had no choice but to explain the contents recorded in ancient medical books from his memory.
Mr. Jia, being a senior physician with high aptitude and great comprehension skills, quickly grasped the medical theories, becoming excitedly animated.
Applying what he learned across different fields, what Lin Miao explained was very enlightening for his research on "using poison to fight poison," and thus, his perception of Lin Miao completely changed.
"Lin, where are my ground beetles?"
"Used them all," Lin Miao spread his hands, "Mr. Jia, I don’t intend to take them for free. Just Name a price, and I’ll buy them from you."
"All used?" Mr. Jia widened his eyes and asked.
"Yes, these ground beetles need to have the head and tail removed before use, so what you gave me wasn’t much, really."
Mr. Jia felt something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t figure it out. Ground beetles weren’t particularly valuable, but it’s off-season now, making them hard to find—just some effort to catch them, and they weren’t worth much.
"Forget it; these ground beetles are of no use to me. Saving a life is a good deed, no need to pay me."
"That’s not an option. If you weren’t here to supervise me, I’d have no problem not paying you. But since you were, I must pay you every coin," Lin Miao insisted.
"Then make it ten coins."
Alright, it was equivalent to the consultation fee for one visit, and yet, after a busy night that involved giving up the whole night and using medicinal materials, he hadn’t heard the clinking of money and had to give out.
After the second dose of medicine, the little boy had already awoken, the fever mostly subsided, and after a bowel movement, as Lin Miao said, the stool was pig-liver black and unbearably foul. After checking the pulse, Lin Miao believed two more doses would suffice for a complete cure.
Guan Biyun had Lien Yurou prepare porridge for the father and son.
The father, having run around all day for his son’s treatment, had only had a few sips of water and hadn’t eaten anything.
If not for the immense father’s love, how could he have held on till now?
"Alright, the child is mostly out of danger, so you don’t have to worry too much," Lin Miao comforted the father, saying, "Your wife at home might be worried. After some food, you can go home and reassure her."
"Ah, thank you, Mr. Lin, for your great kindness..." The boy’s father, holding the porridge bowl, attempted to kneel in gratitude, but Lin Miao reached out and stopped him.
...
In fact, to put the father’s mind at ease, Lin Miao stayed at the convenient medical diagnosis point even though the child was mostly fine.
Inside the consultation room, there was a charcoal stove, and a makeshift bed could suffice for the night.
The senior sister brought him another set of bedding, worried about him getting cold. Actually, as a martial artist, with vigorous blood and strong yang energy, he could withstand this bit of cold.
Besides, there was food, drink, and warmth here, lacking nothing.
...
"Master, I was wrong!" Lien Yurou was punished to kneel before the ancestral master’s tablet. Their lineage belonged to the Jingfang School, a branch of the Medical Saint Le’s lineage, so they usually worshipped Le, but they had some relation to the Medicine King Sect.
Lien Yurou often liked to mention Le’s "Hundred Herbs Scripture", naturally holding high esteem for Le, who authored the Scripture of Plants over three hundred years ago.
"You still know you were wrong. Fortunately, Lin excelled today. If your words had ruined a talented young person’s future, your sin would have been great!"
"Master, I just said it casually. Could I really ruin someone’s career?" Lien Yurou’s face was awkward, indicating she did not believe it at all.
"You are still arguing. Today’s test for Lin’s application for the ’Path to Sainthood’ was his first diagnosis, crucial for him. Have you thought about the consequences if it failed? Even I dared not speak, fearing to influence his judgment and the onlookers’ trust. Do you know how hard it is to build trust with patients, especially for a young doctor like Lin? If you were in Lin’s shoes today, how would you handle it?" Guan Biyun harshly reprimanded her disciple.
"I, I..." Lien Yurou almost cried, having never seen her master so severely scolding her; today, she was truly angry.
"Kneel for two hours and reflect deeply." Guan Biyun realized she had been too indulgent with this disciple. If this continued, she would be spoiled, but discipline was still in time now.
...
Guan Biyun’s disciplining of her disciple was known to Lin Miao, but it was their personal affair, which he couldn’t interfere with. Besides, this girl named Lien Yurou indeed needed discipline, given her reckless mouth.
The consequences wouldn’t be as light if she encountered someone severe.
She hadn’t faced society’s harsh realities, but from her nature, she likely wouldn’t easily give in.
Some people’s nature is hard to change.
Calm down, cultivate, unaffected by anything, only with a good body can one appreciate more beautiful scenery, and with strong martial power, can one protect everything hard-earned.
For now, he could only rely on himself.
The "Dragon Elephant Wisdom Strength" given to him by the nun Jing Hui was indeed a marvelous martial art Heart Method, much better than the common goods he previously practiced.
As a physician, his demand for combat might not be as prominent. The martial arts and boxing techniques in his mind were sufficient for cultivation and use.
Heart Method, martial technique, he lacked none, only time.
He selected three main boxing arts to practice: Xingyi, Tan Tui, and Tai Chi, with Bagua and Arhat as supplementary, focusing on staff and sword for weaponry, with spear training as well.
Too much desire leads to lackluster execution.
For now, he focused mainly on boxing, with weapons mainly practicing "Flying Needle," critical for saving his life at crucial moments.
He didn’t want to expose everything before Si Miaoxue. Although their relationship was close, it hadn’t reached the point of complete mutual trust.
Whew!
A breath escaped, forming a milky white vapor in the cold air.
Bone refinement at a medium level!
This period had seen fast progress, especially after relations with Si Miaoxue; he used the methods in "Su Nu Jing", and the advancement speed exceeded his previous imagination.
Could it be true that there exists Dual Cultivation in this world? He had read numerous medical scriptures recording "sexual and vital energy dual cultivation," which he had doubted, as he never had the opportunity to try.
Now, with evidence so close,
He couldn’t help suspecting ancient people were not speaking nonsense; it could indeed be achieved, just requiring certain conditions.
However, his beginnings with Si Miaoxue were "forced," unlikely to produce such effects, or was it because both were in a "sealed" state?
If both were of the same mind...
At this thought, Lin Miao became somewhat restless. Could he find an opportunity to try it? But this required Si Miaoxue’s cooperation.
No rush on this matter; after all, there would be many opportunities later. As for the senior sister, he didn’t know how to approach it...
Early the next morning, hearing the door open, Lin Miao suddenly opened his eyes and leaped from the simple bed.
Senior sister Sun Youwei, along with Xia Zhu, accompanied by Yuzhu, arrived early, carrying a food box, probably delivering breakfast for him.
Along with toiletries.
Having someone at home who constantly thought of and felt compassion for him felt wonderful.
The thoughtful Sun Youwei even brought breakfast for the father and son, and Lin Miao had Yuzhu send it over.
Just as Lin Miao finished washing and was enjoying breakfast under the gentle gaze of his senior sister, the father arrived again with his son, now back to normal yet still very weak.
The father and son knelt before Lin Miao, bowing thrice fervently before Lin Miao could stop them.
"Xiaobao, remember, this is our great benefactor. Never forget that Mr. Lin is your lifesaver no matter what happens in the future!"
"Mr. Liu, please rise. I am just a physician. Healing the sick and saving lives is my duty. You need not be so formal." Lin Miao helped both up from the ground.
After diagnosing the boy’s pulse, he found it stable, and the tongue coating returned to normal: "The child is fine now. If you’re still worried about residual toxicity, you can observe here before going back."
"Thank you, Mr. Lin!"
"Alright, go home and increase the child’s nutrition a bit. He has suffered greatly and needs good care."
"Got it."
"Xiaobao, remember to keep away from those dogs and cats in the future," Lin Miao advised the little boy again.
After this incident, the boy would likely steer clear of dogs.
