Chapter 27: Seeking Out a Specialist Doctor

Polar Ocean World.

The conveyor belt of the underwater tunnel carried the two to the end.

Ahead lay an extremely wide circular exhibition hall.

In the center stood a massive cylindrical water column filled with a school of colorful tropical coral reef fish.

Lin Xuan pulled Xiao Sizi off the conveyor belt and sat down on a wooden bench provided for resting visitors.

He took off his backpack, pulled out a thermos, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to Xiao Sizi. This book is first published on ttks. tw, offering a flawless reading experience with no errors or scrambled chapters.

"Drink some water; you've been watching all the way, you must be thirsty."

Xiao Sizi took the cup and sipped in small mouthfuls.

Her gaze still followed the fish swimming around her.

Lin Xuan took out his Mobile Phone and opened the hospital's registration page.

He rebooked the appointment time.

Money for service; since her father had already given such generous care fees.

Then he certainly had to do his duty.

Using modern technology to cure the illness was definitely no problem.

"Tomorrow I'll take you to handle official business." Lin Xuan turned to look at her.

Xiao Sizi put down the cup. "What business?"

"Seeing a doctor. Your Qi ailment is a time bomb."

"I've booked an expert appointment at the best hospital in the provincial capital; we set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing she had to see a doctor, Xiao Sizi's small face immediately wrinkled up.

In the Great Tang, seeing an Imperial Physician meant drinking bowl after bowl of thick black medicine so bitter it made one gag, and suffering the pain of Silver Needle Piercing Acupoints.

"Do I have to take bitter medicine?" she asked tentatively.

"Not necessarily; modern medicine prescribes according to symptoms. Many medicines are sweet, or they are sprays inhaled directly into the lungs."

Lin Xuan saw through her thoughts and rubbed her hat.

"Don't be afraid; the doctor will just ask about the situation and examine the body. No suffering."

Xiao Sizi nodded reluctantly.

She had blind trust in Lin Xuan's words.

Since he said it wasn't bitter, she would believe him.

The next morning.

Lin Xuan pushed the Golden Nanmu Box to the corner of the sofa and covered it with a dust cloth.

With this box of real gold and silver as a foundation, Lin Xuan completely cast aside his financial worries.

Yesterday, he had made an inter-provincial appointment with the country's top pediatric respiratory specialist.

Special Outpatient Service; appointment slots were extremely scarce.

But by paying extra to scalpers, he had managed to snatch a spot.

"Have you changed your shoes?" Lin Xuan called out toward the entrance hall.

Xiao Sizi pushed open the master bedroom door and walked out.

Today she wore a pink sleeveless sport dress and white soft-soled running shoes.

"Lin Xuan, how far are we going today?"

She walked to the door and, mimicking Lin Xuan, fastened the double-row buckles tight.

"Seven hundred kilometers away, to the capital of the neighboring province."

"To see the white-haired old man I showed you yesterday, to let him examine your illness."

The two went downstairs and walked out of the residential compound.

Lin Xuan did not go to the underground garage to drive that SUV.

For inter-provincial travel, driving oneself not only exhausted the mind but also made one prone to encountering highway congestion.

He waved by the roadside and hailed a taxi.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped before an extremely massive building.

Xiao Sizi tilted her head back.

Her gaze followed the silver-gray steps all the way upward, landing on that wave-shaped steel structure dome, huge as a hill.

"Is this a city within a city?"

"High-speed Railway Station."

Lin Xuan pulled her up the steps.

Entering the waiting hall, the place was roaring with noise.

Tens of thousands of travelers carrying luggage shuttled through the vast hall, wide as a square.

Giant electronic screens overhead rolled out blood-red train schedule information.

Lin Xuan led her toward the security checkpoint.

"Put your carry-on bag on the conveyor belt, walk forward, stand on the platform."

Lin Xuan tossed his backpack into the black entrance of the security machine.

Watching her backpack get swallowed by the machine, Xiao Sizi clenched her fists, somewhat nervous.

She followed Lin Xuan across the metal detector gate and stepped onto a square platform.

A uniformed security officer held a scanner and quickly swept it over her body twice.

"All done, go ahead." The security officer waved his hand.

Xiao Sizi ran through the security checkpoint, watching Lin Xuan pick up his undamaged backpack from the other end of the conveyor belt.

"Lin Xuan, what does that black-glowing iron box inspect?" she asked in a lowered voice.

Lin Xuan led her toward the ticket gates. "It checks for swords, gunpowder, and anything capable of causing harm; nothing of the sort is allowed on the train."

"When traveling, one seeks peace and safety."

"By barring all weapons at the door, everyone can ride with peace of mind."

At the gate entrance.

Lin Xuan took out his Mobile Phone and ID card, waving them briefly over the scanning area.

A blue light flashed across the facial recognition camera.

The Glass barrier retracted.

The two walked toward the descending escalator.

On the platform.

A cold wind blew.

Outside the yellow safety line, passengers stood waiting in full numbers.

Wooo—!

Immediately after, a bullet-shaped train, entirely white, glided into the platform.

Xiao Sizi, having already seen the Subway before, felt little shock.

She felt this iron dragon was very similar to the iron dragon she had seen underground earlier, yet still sensed differences in its appearance.

One travels underground, the other travels above ground.

Lin Xuan led Xiao Sizi into the carriage, found a window seat, and let Xiao Sizi sit on the inside.

She pressed both hands against the window sill, her face pressed against the double-layer soundproof Glass.

"Passengers, the train is about to depart; please sit firmly and hold on tight————"

The carriage announcement sounded.

A slight pushing-back sensation reached them.

The concrete platform outside the window began to recede slowly, then the speed increased faster and faster.

Lin Xuan pointed to a red LED display screen above the door at the carriage connection.

"Look at that number."

The red numbers were jumping.

150km/h... 220km/h... 280km/h.

The numbers climbed continuously, finally settling at 350km/h.

Lin Xuan saw through Xiao Sizi's earlier confusion and explained proactively: "This iron dragon we are riding is called High-speed Railway; the iron dragon from last time was called Subway."

"High-speed Railway is much faster than Subway; it can run steadily at three hundred fifty kilometers per hour."

"Converted to the measurements of your Great Tang, in one double-hour, it can run more than fourteen hundred li."

Xiao Sizi gasped sharply, turning her head to look out the window.

Nearby utility poles and trees merged into a blurred afterimage; the gaze simply could not capture them.

Distant buildings and hills rushed backward at a speed defying common sense.

Yet inside the carriage, it was so quiet that even the conversation of passengers in the front and rear rows could be heard.

She released her hand from the handrail.

She shifted her body on the seat, feeling not the slightest tremor.

Xiao Sizi's face was full of confusion. "Lin Xuan, this iron dragon runs so fast, yet why do I not feel it moving?

"

"If not for the scenery outside the window flying backward, I would even think I am sitting on the sofa at home."

Lin Xuan smiled, reached into his trouser pocket, and pulled out a silver coin.

"Then I will perform a trick for you."

Lin Xuan pinched the edge of the coin and extended his hand to the smooth plastic window sill below the carriage window.

His two fingers loosened slightly.

The circular coin, only two millimeters thick, stood steadily on the window sill.

The train raced along the tracks at the extreme speed of three hundred fifty kilometers per hour.

Yet that coin stood on the window sill, motionless.

Xiao Sizi's eyes sparkled with little stars: "Wow!!! Your trick is far more impressive than the acrobats on the streets of Great Tang."

"This is called the precision of industrial manufacturing and the smoothness of the tracks."

"Take a nap; the journey is more than two hours."

Lin Xuan closed his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, and prepared to catch up on some sleep.