Chapter 301: Is He Really All Right?

After that, she hurriedly sent people to investigate and found that the day the Alliance Leader and Deputy Alliance Leader died happened to be the day Yuan's wife—Qiao Mai—returned to reside in Tianshui Town.

The location where the Alliance Leader and Deputy Alliance Leader died happened to be in Beifang.

Some things kept nagging her; the more she thought, the more frightened she became, and Lady Liu couldn't help trembling all over.

She didn't want Physician Liu Yuyi to know about such a huge matter, fearing that once he knew, he would no longer take her seriously, and her standing in the Liu family would drop.

That night, after agonizing over it, she immediately wrote a letter and had someone dispatch it to her natal family at a gallop.

Although she couldn't deal with Lady Qiao, her own family should be able to, and the Deputy Alliance Leader's family should as well, right? A starved camel is larger than a horse; the hatred for killing a child is unforgivable, and she must take revenge.

If it were said that the Alliance Leader was killed by Lady Qiao, who knows whether those in the jianghu who had once benefited greatly from the Alliance Leader would devour Lady Qiao alive.

Thinking of that woman's tragic fate, Lady Liu couldn't help bursting into laughter.

The years passed; Wang Zongsheng and his spouse left, Zihan stayed behind, and like Chuan'er, he intends to sit the imperial examination this year.

"The person is fine; carry him away. After returning home, take good care of him. Healing muscles and bones takes a hundred days; his bone injury is severe, requiring half a year of convalescence. Come to me every three days for a medicine change; each change costs one to two taels of silver."

She cleaned the wound, took the man's pulse, then lifted his eyelids and saw his pupils were not dilated and his pulse was steady.

Sometimes she is away from home all day; she has nothing to worry about—six mice, three goats; no matter how many people come, she is not afraid.

During this period, whenever she has free time, she reads medical texts, and with her eidetic memory she has already memorized the flesh descriptions from the books.

How can one pass the test? First diagnose the pulse, then use divine perception, mental power, Spiritual Energy, and calibration to see whether one's diagnosis is correct.

When someone saw Qiao Mai's stall, his eyes lit up: "Look, over there is a wandering physician of the jianghu; perhaps he can cure it."

Anyway, she had no good impression of Mingren, the elder said awkwardly, "Then, could we step aside for a word?"

"Treat a dead horse as a living patient, otherwise he'll just die before our eyes."

The Daifu of Mingren Medical Hall, who had been watching quietly from behind, said, "No need to look for anyone else; I'll take a look."

Now she merely lacked practice, so during the day she disguised herself as a middle‑aged man, set up a free clinic on the streets of Jingcheng, and only returned home at night.

She tilted her head and saw several men hurriedly carrying another man into Mingren Medical Hall; she raised an eyebrow.

A white‑bearded elder stepped forward, took the man's pulse, and, astonished, looked at Qiao Mai: "Truly a master; did you bring this man back to life?"

"If you don't believe it, fetch a Daifu to take his pulse."

"Can't,"

Qiao Mai pulled a wooden box from under the table, quickly retrieved tools from it, and at that moment the man had fallen into a coma.

"Ah, he—he won't die?"

Especially at her current cultivation level, she could dare to claim to be the second‑best surgeon of the Great Ming Dynasty; no one would dare claim first.

See? He's revived!

Qiao Mai collected the silver from those men, gave the old Daifu a cold stare.

Damn it, it's here again; Qiao Mai's eyes, frosted with cold, almost froze the elder to death.

Because she realized that medicine is linked to Pill, medicinal herbs, even what people eat and drink, and daily habits; the more she observed, the more marvelous it seemed.

The crowd grew larger; her hands, slick with fresh blood, first set the man's bones in place, then sutured the torn flesh.

"Even the renowned Mingren Medical Hall can't handle it; what can a wandering physician possibly do?"

Qiao Mai looked at the trail of blood on the ground, which had flowed from the man being carried.

Yuan Jiaqi and Fengyun had also taken up positions, Ling'er had opened her shop, and only Qiao Mai and Mu Shi remained at home.

Qiao Mai closed the book and glanced at the injured man.

But she just sat there motionless, withdrew her gaze and kept reading, as if she were hurrying not for trade but to compete with Mingren for business—let them treat him first; if they can't, then we'll speak.

Thus, after the fifth day of the month, the old master wouldn't let the two of them play any longer and urged them to seize the time to review their lessons.

"Can't, let's speak here."

"Willing, willing, each of us will contribute a tael or two of silver; Daifu, please treat him quickly."

"Daifu, you truly are a Divine Physician."

The Mu Shi household also had a small matter; Xiao Qingling, after the New Year, never returned—not because she didn't want to, but because the Xiao family didn't want her to appear again before she got married.

For such a painful bone‑setting surgery, she showed not the slightest reaction.

Now that she's to be married, she may no longer appear frequently at her husband's family; that's the rule.

Qiao Mai usually idles around the house when she has nothing to do, planting something on this plot of land and something on that plot when she's free.

"I think your medical skill is fine, especially the method you just used; could you teach it to our medical hall? We will be greatly grateful."

The whole operation was clean and efficient; a kind person fetched a basin of fresh water for her.

Some people even muttered secretly, "How shameless, using the guise of serving the country and the people to freeload on others' medical skills."

Qiao Mai, expressionless, looked at the man's wound: "Five taels of silver; I'll set his bones and bandage the wound."

"Who said he'll die? Speak quickly, are you willing or not?"

Thus, several men carried the patient to Qiao Mai and said, "Physician, we have a patient here, do you know?"

The men hurriedly placed the injured man on her table; oddly enough, though the table appeared rectangular, it fit a lying person perfectly.

She was holding a medical book, watching from behind the table, when she heard a commotion not far away.

She hadn't written a free prescription; now she needed to practice both pulse diagnosis and prescription writing.

"Set the bone, suture the flesh, stop the bleeding, and it will naturally be fine."

"Accustomed to freedom, unwilling to be restrained,"

After reading for a while, several men carried the injured man out of the medical hall, each with a grim expression.

Although the sign above read free pulse diagnosis, for external wound dressing and bone‑setting she had no problem at all.

Well, at worst she could just walk away, but if she wanted to set up a stall again later, it would be somewhat difficult.

In front of so many people, the elder's face turned pale, then red, and without speaking he turned and left; the townsfolk usually held a good impression of this medical hall, but after this incident its reputation was tarnished.

The more proactive you are, the more people think you're a swindler.

The thigh was cut open from top to bottom, and the bone seemed to be broken as well.

Ah, with such excellent medical skill, setting up a clinic here would be a waste, wouldn't it?

She isn't afraid of matters, but she fears trouble; she'll first get the pulse diagnosis cleared before proceeding.

I wouldn't dare; I only know how to treat wounds like this.

Is he really fine now?

Either she's staying in the house reading, and a single reading session stretches for a whole day; she is now becoming more and more interested in medical arts.

Put it on the table; don't block the way.

At this rate of bleeding, she won't live much longer.

Has the prescription from Mingren Medical Hall ever been contributed to the Ming Emperor Imperial Court? Has it ever been shared with other Yiguan?

Quick, move aside, move aside.

Free pulse diagnosis is nothing, but she hasn't planned to write prescriptions yet; after all, there are several Yiguan opposite—what if they cause her trouble?

Where is the wound?

Why? This is a great act that benefits the nation and the people.

Speaking of Qiao Mai's clinic, she set up her stall not far from the Mingren Medical Hall, propped a small table, and hung a canvas on it that read "Free Pulse Diagnosis."

Indeed, I used to have a good impression of the Mingren Medical Hall, but it turns out it's just like that.

When the old Daifu stepped out of the crowd and heard that, he went from walking to a light jog.

A few men bowed to Qiao Mai, "Thank you, Daifu, your medical skill is superb and your fees are low; we are fully convinced."

Alright, hurry and carry him away; let him rest properly, and return here in three days to change the medicine.

(End of chapter)