The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

The more he was aware of his mistakes, the more Xue Jiming couldn't let go of Wu Xuancao; it would be truly unbearable if he’d made so many mistakes only to get nothing out of it. So, he had been very clingy with Wu Xuancao recently. The other party also finally agreed to his marriage proposal.

The old madam of the second branch was acting as a matchmaker and Wu Xuancao had also made a name for herself, so it was difficult for Old Madam to refuse this marriage. She just had to hold her nose and accept it. Since Wu Xuancao was an orphan, the old madam of the second branch would help her arrange her marriage affairs. Perhaps, in a few days, the two would finally be legitimate fiancees.

Xue Jiming sat in the clinic, but his eyes swept to the opposite side from time to time, saying in surprise: "I noticed that Xing Lin Spring’s lobby is extremely empty. Why is this?"

The medical practitioner who served him tea smiled sarcastically: "What else could it be? Her medical skills are too poor. It seems that Second Young Master doesn't know about the fact that just now, Physician Lin stubbornly obstructed a patient and tried to stop them from coming to our Xuancao Hall for medical treatment, saying that Physician Zheng prescribed the wrong medicine. Who is she to try to correct our Physician Zheng? She’s really so audacious, anything can come out of her mouth!"

"In order to compete for business, doesn’t she have to do whatever she can? That clinic of hers has been open for more than half a month, but she hasn’t gotten a single bit of business. Only a few people buy herbs. In one day, she can't even earn ten copper coins. She has long had no way to make a living. If she can create drama and snatch a patient from our Physician Zheng’s hands, maybe she could become famous?” Another medical practitioner ridiculed.

"Famous? I think you mean notorious! She even tried to grab that sort of patient. I think she’s gone mad! That madam's gastroenteritis was already very serious. Physician Wu said that if she had come one or two days later, it would have become gastric perforation. At that time, no matter what medicine you prescribe, it would be no use; it’s incurable at that stage. If she snatched that person away but was unable to cure her, wouldn’t that be considered murder?"

"Yeah! She’s young, after all, and doesn’t know the severity of the situation. But then again, what is gastric perforation?"

"Gastric perforation is when gastroenteritis has completely ulcerated and a hole is opened in the stomach. At this stage, even if the Daluo Immortal came down, it would be difficult to recover."

"So it’s like this! Physician Wu knows so much!"

The two medical practitioners chatted back and forth, but Xue Jiming kept frowning as he listened. Seeing Wu Xuancao lead a patient out of a ward, he quickly said, "Xiao Cao'er, Lin Dan was able to cure my brother's legs. That shows that her medical skills are definitely not bad. If she says that you two misdiagnosed, it would be better to investigate carefully before moving forward."

Wu Xuancao hated hearing Lin Dan's name the most, so she frowned and said, "The patient drank the Baohe Decoction prescribed by Master and her abdominal pain disappeared on the spot. How could it be a misdiagnosis? Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions just because you heard a rumor*."

*Literally, “Don't assume it’s going to rain just by listening to the wind.”

When the two medical practitioners saw that the person Second Young Master was defending was actually Lin Dan, they didn't dare to speak up. But, deep in their hearts, their contempt and disdain for Lin Dan became even stronger.

Word about what happened outside Xuancao Hall gradually spread among the populace. Another achievement was added onto Zheng Zhe’s head: “prescribes medicine like a god,” while Lin Dan became a clown that made him look even better by comparison. She was constantly brought up and then satirized. The Xing Lin Spring clinic she opened became more and more deserted, but Xuancao Hall’s doorstep was almost trampled to pieces by patients.

Whenever the rich and powerful in the capital had whatever minor headaches and fevers, they would be sure to send a carriage to Xuancao Hall and pick up the two doctors for a consultation. The patient with intestinal carbuncles who had initially refused them took the initiative to come to the door, saying that he would agree with their treatment plan.

Zheng Zhe and Wu Xuancao were overjoyed. As they took out the life and death contract and asked the patient's family to sign, they said slowly: "We will cut open the patient's belly, cut off the rotten intestines, and then sew it all back up. In half a month, at the fastest, or up to one month, at the slowest, the patient will make a full recovery.”

"Can it really be cured like this?" The patient's family hesitated again when they saw the words "whether the patient lives or dies, we will not be held liable*" written on the contract.

*Literally, “Life, Death, Own Responsibility.”

"It can. If you survey the entire Central Plains, how many doctors would you find who can cure intestinal carbuncles? Physician Wu and I previously cured a patient with an abdominal tumor using this same method. He is currently completely fine. If you don't believe me, you can go to his house and ask…" Before Zheng Zhe finished speaking, there was a commotion outside. A dozen strong men with sticks and hoes tried to rush into Xuancao Hall to smash it. There were also two people carrying a door panel behind them. A woman lay on the board, incessantly spitting out blood.

Fresh blood spilled the entire way in, as if she were giving it out for free. Some passers-by who were splattered by blood dodged, some cursed, and some followed to spectate. Someone with a good memory pointed at the woman and said, "I recognize her! Isn't that the lady who came to Xuancao Hall two days ago for treatment? At that time, because of her, the doctor of Xing Lin Spring even quarreled with Physician Zheng, saying that Physician Zheng prescribed the wrong medicine and causing treatment to be delayed."

"Looking at this situation, could it be that the doctor from Xing Lin Spring was right?" Several passers-by couldn't believe that Miracle Doctor Zheng would make a mistake.

"Who knows? Let's wait and see."

More and more passers-by crowded around, blocking the entire street. That woman had already turned into a bloody person; the rise and fall of her chest was so slight that it was not visible to the naked eye; and she was already exhaling more than she was inhaling. It was apparent that she was just on the edge of death. Her husband and son rushed to the capital with a group of fellow villagers from their hometown. They lifted their sticks and smashed Xuancao Hall, cursing and scolding in extreme rage.

Lin Dan heard the commotion and came out. Her eyes swept over that woman, but her expression was indifferent. She had persuaded her and even blocked her path. This outcome really had nothing to do with her.

Zheng Zhe and Wu Xuancao arrived in a hurry. As soon as they saw the woman, covered in blood, their expressions twisted.

"It shouldn't be! After drinking my Baohe Decoction, her illness should have been cured long ago. How could it have become this serious? Did you stop giving her medicine after going back or change my prescription at all?" Zheng Zhe asked urgently as he took her pulse.

"Three doses a day, we didn’t miss a single one!" The strong man said with rancor, "If my woman dies suddenly, I will make you pay with your life!"

"That being the case, did you get the medicine from my apothecary? If you were greedy for cheap goods and went to another apothecary to get the medicine, we cannot guarantee that the Baohe Decoction will always be effective,” Wu Xuancao said, shirking the blame.

"Fucking bullshit*! Back then, we didn’t even leave Xuancao Hall before we grabbed enough medicine for seven days. After my woman went back and took two doses, her stomach started to hurt again. I insisted that she finish taking it, but as a result, she started to vomit blood and we had no way to stop it! Did you poison the medicine? I'm going to the yamen** to sue you for premeditated murder!"

*Literally, “your mom’s dog fart.” Calling someone’s words “a fart” means they’re speaking nonsense.

**The government office, usually where a judge sits and hears disputes.

The strong man charged over with a hoe; two apprentices rushed to stop him, lest he hurt their Master. Wu Xuancao had already sent someone to bring a message to Xue Jiming. Xue Manor’s guards would come soon, so she was not that worried.

Zheng Zhe, risking being beaten to death, ran to the woman’s side and took her pulse. The worried expression on his face was completely replaced by terror. Oh my goodness, it was all over! This person only had some inflammation when she first came, but now she was beyond saving and would not live for much longer! If the hematemesis couldn’t be stopped, she would die within two hours!

The strong man saw his complexion completely change. The rims of his eyes were already so red, bloody tears almost dripped out, but he held onto the last thread of hope and asked: "Can my woman still be saved?"

"We’ll talk after I stop the hematemesis." Zheng Zhe struggled to maintain his composure.

"Then why aren’t you quickly prescribing medicine!" The strong man harshly urged.

Zheng Zhe hurriedly waved at several apprentices: "Go and brew Jiehui (grime-dissolving) Decoction, quickly!"

Several apprentices ran to do so. Seeing this scene, Lin Dan shook her head and sighed: "Wrong again." After her words fell, she went straight back into Xing Lin Spring, too lazy to continue watching.

However, she didn’t expect some busybodies who had been observing her every move to loudly yell: "Miracle Doctor Zheng, Physician Lin said you were wrong again!"

Zheng Zhe's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't have time to pay attention to this idle gossip. Instead, he took out a set of silver needles and, one by one, plunged them into the woman's key acupoints.

The strong man violently turned his head and looked into Xing Lin Spring, only to see that Lin Dan had already lifted the bamboo curtain and gone into the rear courtyard, not wanting any part in the matter at all. Thinking of her previous warning, the strong man’s mind churned, hesitating and undecided. However, he saw that when the silver needles entered his woman’s acupoints, she stopped vomiting blood and twitched, seeming to have been pulled back from the edge of death. This finally dispelled his idea of going to Xing Lin Spring to seek treatment.

Zheng Zhe wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, saying Whew in his heart. Fortunately, these past few days, he had gained some new insights into combining internal energy and acupuncture. Otherwise, he would have been completely ruined today. The hematemesis had stopped. This person was no longer in immediate danger of dying.

Wu Xuancao saw the immediate effect of his acupuncture method and her eyes flashed slightly.

The expressions of the watching crowd became more and more tense; they were completely invested. Only at this point did they let out a sigh of turbid breath, exclaiming in admiration: "It is Miracle Doctor Zheng after all! If he doesn’t make a move, it would be like that, but as soon as he makes a move, he can definitely save a life!"

"She was vomiting so much blood just now, but he could stop it with just a few needles. His technique is truly exquisite!"

"It’s not an exaggeration to say that he brought her back from the dead!"

Amid the passers-by’s praises, an apprentice ran out with a bowl of decoction, shouting loudly: "Get out of the way, the Jiehui Decoction is here! This is a life-saving medicine! If it’s spilled, who will take the blame?"

The crowd quickly parted to let him pass. Zheng Zhe received the bowl of medicine and personally fed it into the woman's mouth, saying with conviction: "Jiehui Decoction can detoxify rot and poison. After one bowl, the ruptured ulcer in her stomach will be suppressed immediately. When I pull out the silver needles, you can carry her in. We will slowly give her treatment. Stay calm."

The group of villagers had already calmed down and stared at the woman with burning eyes. No one expected things to take a steep downturn. The woman screamed shrilly and sat up in shock, vomiting blood from the top while feces and urine spewed out from the bottom. Her appearance was extremely tragic.

The onlookers shouted while hurriedly retreating, commenting: "It was fine earlier, so why is she dying now? It looks like she’s dying, right? It was like this when my grandmother died. She couldn’t control her bowels!"

"She’s dying, for real! She’s already passed out!"

The passers-by stepped back further, their eyes full of horror.

The strong man threw himself onto her and shouted loudly for his wife. His sons and daughters, their eyes blood-red and their auras murderous, looked like they were ready commit a crime. Zheng Zhe was terrified. His legs were too weak to walk, so he could only half-kneel beside the woman, incessantly twisting the ends of the needles, trying to make a final struggle.

Wu Xuancao repeatedly shouted “Save her,” but she was also at her wit’s end.

No one knows who shouted at the top of their lungs, "Physician Lin would definitely be able to save her! She knew at a glance that you were using the wrong medicine and already warned you twice, but you just refused to listen!"

Hearing this, the strong man was like a drowning person who found a piece of driftwood. He immediately picked up his wife, staggered to the front of Xing Lin Spring's door, kowtowing and shouting, "Save her, Physician Lin, save her! I was blind as a bat before and didn’t recognize Mount Tai*. I admit my mistake! I’m begging Physician Lin, please save my woman! I'll bow down to you, I'll give you silver! I beg you to come out and take a look! Please, I’m begging you!"

*Mount Tai refers to an important person. (Sometimes, it’s used to refer to one’s father-in-law.)

The strong man struck his head onto the ground as if he didn’t want his own life. His deep emotion made people tear up. His several sons and daughters quickly took out all of the copper coins and silver in their purses, lined them up on the counter inside Xing Lin Spring, and then knelt down and kowtowed together.

The bamboo curtain finally moved and Lin Dan slowly walked out, holding a similar set of silver needles in her hand. She silently held the woman's wrist, carefully probed her pulse, then pulled out Zheng Zhe's silver needles one by one and carelessly threw them to the side. She then pulled out her own silver needles and, one by one, inserted them into different acupoints. With a flick of her fingertips, the needle tail began to quiver continuously, emitting a humming sound.

Amidst this humming sound, the woman slowly opened her eyes and let out a breath of turbid air.

Seeing this scene, passers-by burst into a commotion, shouting repeatedly "She’s alive,” “An immortal,” “That’s amazing," and so on. They were stunned by Lin Dan's medical skills, which had clearly reached the pinnacle! Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at Novel Multiverse – “NovelMultiverse dot com”