"Master, senior brother, you're back!"
The young apprentice looked at the two people who came in from outside and said happily.
"Yes, I've been back for a while, but seeing this young man saving someone, I didn't disturb him."
Doctor Zhao nodded, took off the medicine box he was carrying, and handed it to his young apprentice.
Then he looked at Lu Qing with curiosity.
Lu Qing was also sizing up the other person.
In fact, given his martial arts skills, he would have noticed that someone was standing outside long ago.
He was too busy saving lives to pay much attention to the fact that no one came in to bother him.
The two people who came in were a middle-aged man and a young man.
The old man had a refined and scholarly air about him, with a long beard and a gentle demeanor; he seemed more like a scholar than a doctor.
The young man had a kind and honest face, and looked like a reliable and honest person.
"Dr. Zhao, you're back! Old Wang was bitten by a poisonous snake, and you weren't at the clinic at the time. Luckily, this young man came to his rescue, saving his life. Could you tell how Old Wang is doing now?"
When Uncle Li saw Doctor Zhao come in, he was overjoyed and quickly went up to him.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Lu Qing, but Lu Qing was ultimately too young. They would feel more at ease if Dr. Zhao, a highly respected doctor, took a look at him.
"Alright, I'll take Old Wang's pulse. Young master, you don't mind, do you?"
Doctor Zhao did not refuse, but looked at Lu Qingdao.
After all, this is his patient, and if I were to interfere rashly, it could easily lead to conflict if I were to do it with someone who is more arrogant.
"It's alright. It just so happens that I lack experience in treating people. With Doctor Zhao overseeing things, it will naturally be even better."
Lu Qing didn't have the same sense of competition among peers; instead, he readily agreed.
Moreover, he was saving people in someone else's clinic, which, strictly speaking, was a taboo. If something went wrong, it would affect the clinic's business.
Therefore, he was naturally happy that Doctor Zhao was willing to take his pulse.
Seeing that Lu Qing showed no sign of resentment, Doctor Zhao's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he became even more curious about Lu Qing's background.
However, he didn't rush to ask questions. Instead, he came up to Old Wang, extended three fingers, and placed them on Old Wang's wrist.
He was shocked and curious when he saw Lu Qing using acupuncture to force out the poison from Old Wang.
Therefore, I am very curious about the current condition of Lao Wang's body.
After taking Old Wang's pulse for a while, Dr. Zhao's expression of surprise deepened.
He noticed that Old Wang's pulse was now very steady and strong, and his breathing was smooth and orderly, making him seem nothing like a patient who had just been rescued from the brink of death.
Instead, he seems more like an ordinary person who has suffered some injuries and is currently in a deep sleep to recuperate.
"How is it, Doctor Zhao?"
Uncle Li and the others looked at Doctor Zhao with hopeful eyes.
Doctor Zhao released his grip and said with a smile, "This young man's medical skills are extremely superb. Old Wang is no longer in serious condition. I think he should wake up in a little while."
"That's great!"
Uncle Li and the others were overjoyed and once again expressed their gratitude to Lu Qing.
Watching Lu Qing politely respond to their thanks, Doctor Zhao's eyes revealed a look of curiosity.
What he just said was not just polite talk.
In his opinion, Lu Qing's medical skills were indeed extremely superb.
He was able to save a patient who was severely poisoned and on the verge of death from the brink of death using only acupuncture, forcing out all the poisonous blood.
Even he couldn't possibly possess such medical skills.
Therefore, he was very curious about Lu Qing's background and how he could possess such miraculous medical skills at such a young age.
He had never heard of such a talented young man in Zhongzhou before.
"Young master, may I ask your name?"
After Lu Qing finished thanking Uncle Li and the others, Doctor Zhao bowed slightly and said to Lu Qing.
“Dr. Zhao, there’s no need for such politeness. My surname is Lu, and my given name is Qing. The situation was urgent, which is why I took the liberty of saving someone at your esteemed clinic. I hope you will forgive me,” Lu Qing replied, returning the greeting.
“Young master, what are you saying? If it weren’t for your help, Old Wang would probably be in trouble by now. Saving lives is the most important thing, why bother with such trivial matters?”
Doctor Zhao waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.
"By the way, Young Master Lu, your medical skills are so superb, may I ask which great physician your master is?"
“My master’s surname is Chen. He is just an ordinary itinerant doctor who lives in seclusion in the countryside. Doctor Zhao should not know him,” Lu Qing said modestly.
However, what he said was true. His master had always considered himself an ordinary doctor, so his words were not exactly a smear against him.
"Dr. Chen?"
Doctor Zhao's mind raced as he tried to recall which great physician in Zhongzhou was surnamed Chen.
As for Lu Qing's mention of itinerant doctors, he naturally took it as a humble expression.
How could someone who could train a young man with such superb medical skills as Lu Qing be an ordinary doctor?
Unfortunately, he went through it in his mind but still had no clue.
In this Central Plains, he knew many skilled doctors, but none of them had the surname Chen.
"By the way, Dr. Zhao, I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer, so I will take my leave here."
Lu Qing could tell that Doctor Zhao was very interested in his background, but he didn't say much.
Instead, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and prepared to take his leave.
"My lord is leaving so soon?" Doctor Zhao asked in surprise.
"Indeed, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer, Doctor Zhao. By the way, young master, if possible, could you please help me gather all the medicinal herbs on my list? I'll come to pick them up tomorrow morning. Here is the deposit."
Lu Qing took out a silver ingot, placed it on the counter, and then drifted away.
However, before leaving, he took the jar of poisoned blood with him.
Doctor Zhao wanted to persuade him to stay, but Lu Qing's movement technique was so amazing that, although he seemed slow, he had already left the clinic and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Upon seeing this, Doctor Zhao immediately understood that this mysterious young master Lu was not only a highly skilled physician, but also a martial artist with astonishing strength.
"Oh dear, why did this young man leave so soon? We haven't even paid his medical bills yet!"
Uncle Li and the others were dumbfounded when they saw Lu Qing leave so suddenly.
Doctor Zhao pondered for a moment and then asked, "Xiao Yi, what kind of medicinal herbs does that young master Lu want to buy from us?"
“Master, that young man wanted to buy quite a lot of things. Oh, and he left a list.”
The young apprentice ran back to the counter, picked up the list of medicinal herbs that Lu Qing had given him earlier, and handed it to his master.
Doctor Zhao quickly glanced at the prescription: "These are all herbs for reducing inflammation and swelling, and treating external injuries. This is a prescription for promoting tissue regeneration and healing wounds. Is any of this young man's companions injured?"
After leaving the clinic, Lu Qing noticed that it was already completely dark outside.
It seems he spent quite a bit of time rescuing people; I wonder if his master and the others were getting impatient.
With these thoughts in mind, Lu Qing quickened his pace and headed towards the inn.
He still held the pottery jar containing the poisoned blood in his hand. After reaching a certain corner and making sure that no one was around, he slipped into the shadows and put it into his Qiankun Yiqi Bag.
The reason he wanted to take this jar of poisoned blood was because he had used his supernatural abilities to investigate the source of the poisoned blood when he was forcing the poison out of Old Wang.
As he expected, the snake venom in Old Wang's body was not ordinary snake venom.
Instead, it was the venomous evil spirit of the brocade snake that was mutated and transformed after unintentionally absorbing and refining the evil energy.
This poison is extremely peculiar. Although it does not take effect quickly after entering the human body, it is extremely difficult to treat.
It can completely penetrate into a person's internal organs and is extremely difficult to remove.
If his acupuncture technique hadn't been so extraordinary, it would have been difficult to expel all the poison from Old Wang's body so easily.
More importantly, this poison has another terrifying characteristic: when it comes into contact with blood, its toxicity not only does not decrease, but it gradually changes the nature of the blood, turning it into a toxin similar to itself.
In other words, the half-jar of poisonous blood forced out of Old Wang's body is now no less toxic than the original snake venom.
If an ordinary person touches it, they are very likely to be poisoned again, thus being invaded by snake venom and creating new snake venom.
This is almost like the zombie poison in those movies from my past life, capable of spreading indefinitely.
Therefore, to avoid such a thing from happening, Lu Qing simply took all the poisoned blood away and planned to destroy it later to prevent future troubles.
After collecting the poisonous blood, Lu Qing walked silently down the road.
Although he saved a life today, he did not feel relieved; instead, he felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
He and his master had previously speculated that the changes in the rules of heaven and earth would bring more than just the revival of spiritual energy.
Along with the revival, there may also be various terrifying things such as malevolent energy, demonic energy, and poisonous energy.
People like Mo Zhen from the Flowing Cloud Sect, weren't they so inhuman because they cultivated evil energy and demonic energy?
But what he encountered today made him realize that evil energy and demonic energy affect not only people, but also all living things in the world.
For example, those already powerful venomous insects, snakes, and scorpions, if given the opportunity to refine the evil and demonic energy of heaven and earth, will surely become even more terrifying.
At that time, if ordinary people were to be caught off guard, they would likely not survive.
Just like this old Wang today, if he hadn't met him, he would have surely died a violent death.
"Jiuli Village is located in front of the deep mountains, and behind the village, in the vast mountains, there are countless ferocious beasts and poisonous creatures."
"What if there are venomous creatures or ferocious beasts among them, like that serpent, that have gained some power and mutated, and then attack the village?"
Thinking about this, Lu Qing's mind became somewhat chaotic.
Before coming to Zhongzhou, he was unaware that the changes here had been so enormous, catching him somewhat off guard.
"Based on what I've seen and heard along the way, this spiritual energy revival is clearly radiating outwards from the Central Plains to the surrounding states."
Our Cangzhou is located in a remote area, almost the farthest from the Central Plains, so it shouldn't develop to the point of all things changing so quickly.
So, there's still time.
Lu Qing pondered to himself.
Jiuli Village is the village he has lived in since he came into this world.
The villagers were all very simple and honest, and he had long regarded it as his hometown.
Therefore, he would absolutely not stand by and watch that place be destroyed.
So he decided that once things were settled in Zhongzhou, he would rush back, at least to ensure the safety of the villagers.
Lost in thought, Lu Qing slowly returned to the inn.
As soon as I entered, I saw my master and the others sitting there, with many dishes laid out on the table.
"Aqing, where have you been? Why are you so late in returning?" the old doctor asked.
If he hadn't known Lu Qing's abilities and hadn't learned from the shopkeeper that Lu Qing had gone to buy medicine, he would have gone to find him himself.
"I went out to find a pharmacy to buy some medicinal herbs, but I encountered some trouble along the way and was delayed for a while."
Lu Qing composed himself, smiled, and briefly recounted what had happened at the clinic.
Only then did everyone realize that Lu Qing had gone to buy medicine and had also saved someone along the way.
The others were still relatively calm, but after hearing the story, Hu Zezhi's eyes began to fill with admiration as she looked at Lu Qing.
She felt that Young Master Lu was truly kind-hearted, having saved another life so easily.
Only the senior doctor frowned after listening to Lu Qing's story.
"Ah Qing, according to you, that person was poisoned by the venom of the krait, but when did the venom of the krait become so potent?"
“This disciple is also a bit strange, but I brought some poisoned blood that was forced out of that injured person’s body. After we finish eating, Master can take a look and see what the mystery is,” Lu Qing said.
"Oh? You brought back poisonous blood? That's excellent."
The old doctor's eyes lit up slightly; he had always been extremely interested in anything related to medical principles.
So after the meal, Lu Qing took a small bottle of poisoned blood to his master's room and taught it to him.
“Master, this poisonous blood is very strange. It can gradually change the blood of a person without damaging its own toxicity. You must be careful.”
"Such a potent poison?" The old doctor's expression hardened.
"Therefore, this disciple suspects that this is not ordinary snake venom, but a malevolent venom mixed with evil energy..."
Lu Qing told his master about the information he had obtained using his special abilities, as well as some of his own conjectures.
This finally made the old doctor's expression serious.
“That’s right. According to what you’ve said, it’s very likely that the serpent has been blessed by evil energy, which has caused its venom to mutate and become so troublesome.”
“Master, the world is changing, and all things are transforming. Poisonous evil energy like this will probably become more common in the future.”
Faced with such toxins, ordinary detoxification methods are unlikely to be effective.
If venomous creatures like the mutated serpent become more numerous, the people of this world will likely suffer even greater calamities.
Lu Qing voiced her concerns.
"You're right." The old doctor stroked his beard, his face showing satisfaction. "Aqing, the fact that you can say these words, showing concern for the health of people all over the world, has already deeply captured the spirit of us doctors."
"Master, you flatter me. I don't have such a magnanimous heart."
Lu Qing smiled; he didn't have the same kind of benevolent heart as his master.
He was thinking mostly about the people he cared about.
"However, you don't need to worry too much. Everything in this world is governed by the laws of mutual generation and restraint, and the mutual support of yin and yang."
This is the principle of all things, and it is likely that even if spiritual energy revives, it will not deviate from this fundamental principle.
Although this malevolent energy is potent, as you said, everything is changing, and it is not impossible that a medicine to counteract it has been developed.
What we need to do is find such methods, compile them into prescriptions, and spread them so that when people encounter danger, they will have a way to rely on and not be left without any hope of survival.
This is the responsibility and significance of our existence as doctors.
Seeing his master's solemn expression, Lu Qing's face also became serious: "Yes, disciple understands."
"Alright, let's first investigate what's so strange about this malevolent snake venom."
The old doctor smiled when he saw that Lu Qing had taken his words to heart.
However, just as the two master and apprentice were about to study the snake venom together...
Suddenly, they felt a throbbing deep within their hearts.
A magnificent voice echoed throughout the heavens and earth. (End of Chapter)
