Chapter 263: Benevolent Heart Clinic, A Mutated Poison

Chapter 263: Benevolent Heart Clinic, A Mutated Poison

By the time Hu Zezhi entered the inn for the night, her mind was still in a state of chaos.

Lu Qing, on the other hand, had already chosen a room and settled his belongings. He now stood at the front of the inn.

"Excuse me, kind sir, I'd like to inquire about something," Lu Qing addressed the innkeeper.

"How may I be of assistance, sir? Please, give your instructions," the innkeeper replied eagerly. He considered Lu Qing and his companions to be valuable guests, given their generous spending on the best rooms without haggling over the price.

"I was wondering if there are any reputable apothecaries in this town. I wish to purchase some medicinal herbs," Lu Qing asked.

The innkeeper pondered for a moment before answering, "There are two medical clinics in Yunlai Town. If you're looking to buy medicinal herbs, I suggest you visit the Benevolent Heart Clinic. The resident physician, Doctor Zhao, is highly skilled and well-respected in our town. He is known for his reasonable prices and never cheats his patients."

"Benevolent Heart Clinic, you say? Thank you for the information," Lu Qing acknowledged, realizing that the clinic must have a good reputation in town, and the herbs they sold were likely trustworthy.

"You're welcome, sir. After you exit the inn, turn right and continue straight ahead. You should be able to spot the sign for the Benevolent Heart Clinic," the innkeeper instructed.

Following the innkeeper's directions, Lu Qing turned right after leaving the inn and made his way down the street. Eventually, he reached the end of the road and spotted the Benevolent Heart Clinic.

He stepped inside.

Coincidentally, there were no patients in the clinic at that moment, except for a young apprentice dozing off with his head propped on the counter.

Lu Qing extended his hand and gently tapped twice on the counter, causing the apprentice to startle awake.

"Master, I wasn't slacking off..." the young apprentice stammered, still half-asleep.

As he lifted his head to get a better look, he realized that the person who had startled him was not his master but a stranger. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry to startle you," Lu Qing apologized, not expecting such a strong reaction from the young apprentice.

"It's alright. As long as it wasn't Master," the apprentice said, clearly unfazed by the incident. "By the way, sir, what brings you here? Are you here for a consultation or to purchase medicine? If you wish to see the doctor, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while. My master and senior apprentice are out on house calls and won't be back for some time."

"I'd like to buy some medicinal herbs, and here's the list," Lu Qing said, handing over a piece of paper with a list of herbs. "Could you gather these for me?"

"Please, don't call me 'little physician'. I haven't graduated yet and don't deserve such a title. Master would scold me if he heard," the apprentice said, waving his hands in denial. It seemed he was often on the receiving end of his master's reprimands.

He took the list and scanned it, his eyes widening in surprise. "You need all these herbs, sir?"

Lu Qing smiled and explained, "We are travelers passing through, and we have some knowledge of medicine. Our own supply of herbs has run out, so we wish to restock. Is there a problem gathering these herbs?"

"Most of the herbs are available, but we don't have much Bai Zhi and Huang Qi left," the apprentice said, a puzzled look on his face. "It's strange. Today was the day the herb gatherers were supposed to deliver the herbs, but they haven't shown up yet."

As the apprentice muttered to himself, trying to make sense of the situation, a group of people suddenly rushed into the clinic, interrupting the conversation.

"Doctor Zhao! Where's Doctor Zhao?! Help! Please, save him! He's been bitten by a venomous snake!" they cried out in panic.

They set down a stretcher, upon which lay a man with a swollen, purplish-black leg, the pant leg cut open and tied with a red cord. His face was ashen, and he seemed to be unconscious.

"Li, what happened? What about Wang?" the apprentice, Little Yi, asked in shock, setting the herb list aside and rushing out to meet them.

"Little Yi, why are you here alone? Where's Doctor Zhao?" Li asked anxiously.

"Master and my senior apprentice are out on house calls and haven't returned yet," Little Yi replied.

"What? Doctor Zhao is not here? What are we going to do now? Wang went into the mountains this afternoon to gather herbs and was bitten by a venomous snake. He's already lost consciousness. If we don't treat him soon, he might die!" Li exclaimed, slapping his thigh in distress. He turned to Little Yi, "Do you know how to treat snakebites?"

"Me? No, Master doesn't allow me to treat patients yet!" Little Yi quickly backed away, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Li didn't show any signs of disappointment. He knew better than to expect much from Little Yi. However, the situation with Wang was dire, and he knew they couldn't afford to waste any more time. With a resolute expression, he...

"You there, what are you doing?!"

Li, alarmed, immediately moved to stop him. However, before he could take a step forward, he felt an invisible, gentle force blocking him, preventing him from taking even a single step further.

"The venom in this uncle's body has almost reached his heart. We must force it out immediately, or even a divine immortal won't be able to save him," Lu Qing said without looking up, his hands continuing their work. In the blink of an eye, he had already inserted over ten needles into the man's leg, sealing the wound left by the venomous snake bite.

Witnessing Lu Qing's deft and decisive needling, coupled with the strange occurrence of being blocked moments ago, Li immediately understood that this young man before him was no ordinary person.

Li fell silent, not daring to cause a ruckus and risk disrupting Lu Qing's treatment.

The others also realized the gravity of the situation and held their breaths, not daring to make a sound as they watched Lu Qing work.

Seeing that the group understood the seriousness of the situation, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, lives were at stake, and if they had insisted on causing a fuss, he would have had no choice but to use more drastic measures.

Only with a peaceful environment could he focus on saving the patient.

After sealing the wound on the man's leg, Lu Qing, amidst the hushed silence, began to undo the man's clothes to expose his upper body.

However, his brows furrowed as he took in the sight before him.

The man's chest was also covered in the same greenish-black aura, with only the area around his heart still untouched.

But even as they watched, the greenish-black aura continued to creep towards the heart at a visible rate.

Lu Qing knew that once this aura reached and enveloped the man's heart, it would signify that the venom had completely attacked the heart, making rescue extremely difficult.

He wasted no time and quickly retrieved another set of silver needles from his needle pouch. With a blur of his hands, he inserted eighteen needles in a strange formation around the man's heart, sealing it off completely.

As soon as the needle formation was complete, with the qi connecting the beginning and end of the formation, it began to vibrate, emitting a soft silver glow.

The greenish-black aura, which had been advancing towards the heart, immediately stopped in its tracks and was held at bay, unable to penetrate the barrier formed by the needles.

This miraculous scene left the onlookers stunned, especially the young apprentice, who was utterly dumbfounded.

After sealing off the man's heart, Lu Qing finally paused and exhaled.

It was fortunate for the patient that he had been brought here in time and that Lu Qing happened to be present.

If they had delayed even a little longer, or if Lu Qing hadn't been there, the venom would have fully invaded the man's heart, and he might not have survived.

"Young man, is there still hope for Wang?" Li asked cautiously.

"It's hard to say," Lu Qing replied, shaking his head. "The snake venom he's suffering from is rather peculiar. It doesn't act swiftly, but it's extremely stubborn. You must have given him anti-venom, but it didn't seem very effective, right?"

"Yes, yes!" Li hurriedly replied. "When Wang was first bitten, we immediately gave him the medicine. At first, we thought he would be fine, but then his condition gradually worsened, so we brought him here."

As herb gatherers who frequently ventured into the mountains, Li and his companions were well-versed in dealing with venomous snakes and insects.

Whenever they ventured into the mountains, they would carry not only snake repellent but also anti-venom at all times, just in case they were bitten.

"Also, it's strange. The snake that bit Wang looked like the common rat snake we often see in the mountains," Li continued. "Those snakes are usually timid and run away at the sight of humans. They rarely attack, and even if they do bite, the venom isn't that potent. As long as you treat it promptly, there are usually no issues. But the snake that bit Wang was different. It wasn't afraid of people at all and was extremely aggressive. It pounced and bit Wang as soon as it saw him!"

Li rattled on, describing the unusual circumstances of the incident.

Lu Qing's brows furrowed as he considered a possible explanation for the strange behavior. However, now was not the time for questions; saving the patient took priority.

Turning to the young apprentice, Lu Qing said, "Little apprentice, I'm going to help detoxify and purge the poison from Wang's body. I'll recite the formula, and you fetch the herbs. Please prepare the decoction as quickly as possible. Can you do that?"

The young apprentice, already awestruck by Lu Qing's incredible needling technique, was even more astonished now.

"Now, get to it! Hurry!" Li instructed, his voice shaking with urgency.

"Yes... yes, of course," the young apprentice stuttered, nodding hastily.

"Then go and fetch the herbs. Herba Lysimachiae, half a branch, and one and a half ounces of White Snake Flower..." Lu Qing recited the ingredients, his hands moving swiftly as he prepared for the treatment.

Before anyone could blink, a silver, sharp dagger appeared in Lu Qing's hand.

With precise movements, Lu Qing first removed the silver needles from Old Wang's leg.

Then, with the dagger, he made a cross-shaped incision on the snake bite wound.

Thick, black blood slowly oozed from the cut, a sight that made everyone hold their breath.

"Get me a bowl," Lu Qing instructed.

Without hesitation, Li rushed to fetch a large ceramic bowl, the kind used by patients to drink medicine. "Here you go, young man."

Lu Qing took the bowl and placed it under Old Wang's injured leg to collect the toxic blood.

Then, with a light tap of his finger, he directed a burst of energy towards Old Wang's chest.

The formation of eighteen silver needles buzzed and trembled in response, creating a gentle vibration.

As the needles vibrated, the black blood from Old Wang's wound began to flow out faster, dripping into the bowl with increasing speed.

The venomous blood gave off a putrid, nauseating stench, causing the onlookers to feel dizzy and light-headed.

Noticing their discomfort, Lu Qing frowned and said, "Step back, all of you. This snake venom is no ordinary toxin. Inhaling too much of it could make you sick as well."

Hearing this, Li and the others were shocked and quickly backed away, covering their mouths and noses.

They couldn't help but wonder what kind of snake it was. It seemed so different from the ordinary rat snakes they were used to encountering in the mountains.

Once the group had moved a safe distance away, Lu Qing stood tall and continued to manipulate the needle formation, his expression calm and focused as he forced the venom out of Old Wang's body.

With each activation of the needles, more black blood seeped from the wound on Old Wang's leg, filling the bowl.

Before long, the bowl was full, and without needing to be asked, Li hurriedly fetched a large ceramic jar, holding it close to his face to block the smell as he brought it to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing emptied the bowl of venomous blood into the jar and continued the detoxification process.

Under Lu Qing's skilled manipulation of the needle formation, three large bowls of toxic blood were drawn from Old Wang's body. Finally, the blood flowing from his leg wound turned red, indicating that the venom had been purged.

The sight of so much blood left Li and the others pale and worried.

They couldn't help but wonder if Old Wang would be able to survive losing so much blood.

Fortunately, their fears were unfounded.

As the venom was forced out, Old Wang's chest, which had barely been moving, began to rise and fall with more strength, indicating that his breathing was improving.

The severe swelling on his leg decreased, and the purplish-black color on his face faded, leaving a healthy flush in its place.

Just then, the young apprentice returned with a bowl of herbal decoction, carefully carrying it out from the inner hall. "Young man, the medicine is ready."

"Give it to me," Lu Qing said, taking the bowl. He used his ability to scan the concoction and found that although the herbs had been overcooked, reducing their potency, they were still usable.

He administered the medicine to Old Wang and used his needle and moxibustion technique to help the man absorb the medicinal properties. Only then did he remove all the silver needles and cover the jar of venomous blood to prevent further exposure.

"Young man, how is he?" Li asked anxiously as Lu Qing finished his work.

The others gathered around, eager for an update on Old Wang's condition.

"Most of the snake venom has been purged from his body, but there are still traces of it left. After he takes this medicine, he should be able to eliminate it completely," Lu Qing explained. "However, the venom has spread throughout his body, causing significant damage to his internal organs. He will need a lot of rest and recovery time. I'll prescribe a formula for him to aid in his recuperation. If he takes the medicine regularly, he should be able to make a full recovery."

"Thank you so much, young man!" Li exclaimed, grabbing Lu Qing's hand and expressing his gratitude repeatedly.

"You don't know, young man. Old Wang has three children, and his wife is disabled. Their entire family of five relies on him for their livelihood. If he hadn't been saved, the widow and her children would have had no means to survive," Li said, his voice thick with emotion.

The others also thanked Lu Qing profusely.

"You're welcome," Lu Qing replied with a smile. "I, too, am a healer. My master always taught me that it is a healer's duty to save lives. This is what I am meant to do."

"Oh? May I ask who your master is, young man? To have taught you such impressive skills," a warm and gentle voice inquired from outside the clinic.

"Master!" The young apprentice's eyes lit up with joy as he recognized the voice.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end