Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Chang Huaiyuan stopped immediately. He turned around and looked Hua Jiunan over with clear interest.
“Does the young master know medicine?”
Eighth Master Chang was eager to show off and hurried to answer:
“Big Brother, Xiao Jiu is amazing!”
“When he was five, he cured a plague. Anyone who got sick in the villages within ten li came to him for medicine.”
“And the rarest part is-he can even deliver babies!”
At that last sentence, everyone’s faces went dark.
In all fairness, Hua Jiunan had only written a prescription when Wang San’s Wife had a difficult labor.
He’d never delivered a baby for anyone else!
From the moment he entered, Chang Huaiyuan hadn’t treated Hua Jiunan like an ordinary boy.
And after seeing Eighth Master Chang and Hemp-clad Grandmother openly reveal their forms without hiding anything from Hua Jiunan, Chang Huaiyuan felt even more certain of his guess.
So he said with a smile:
“My illness was left behind a hundred years ago, when I failed my transformation from a Jiao into a Qiu.”
“I’ve visited many master physicians, but none of them could cure it.”
“Young master-do you have a way?”
To fail the transformation from a Jiao to a Qiu and still survive was proof enough that Chang Huaiyuan’s cultivation ran deep.
But if this injury couldn’t be healed, his road of cultivation would be severed for good.
Whenever Hua Jiunan treated a patient, his entire presence would change.
He became steady and composed, with a dignified air-and absolute confidence.
“Brother Chang, please sit. I need to take your pulse first.”
Seeing Hua Jiunan like this, Chang Huaiyuan trusted him a little more.
He first bowed toward the pine tree, then sat down and extended his right hand.
After a short moment, Hua Jiunan spoke:
“Qi stagnation and blood stasis. Stasis blocking the channels. With the bitter cold weather, it’s become wind-cold-damp stasis.”
“And also…”
“And also, Brother Chang, your pulse is like a drumhead beneath the hand-surging, unceasing. There’s also a strand of thunder-and-fire qi within you.”
“Do you often get chest pain like you’re being roasted by fire-and does it become more obvious whenever the weather changes suddenly?”
Chang Huaiyuan’s face lit up with surprise and delight.
Even the way he addressed Hua Jiunan changed, from “young master” to “young master physician.”
“Young master physician, you’re exactly right! Is there a way to treat it?!”
Hua Jiunan nodded.
“There is. Brother Chang, please wait a moment.”
A little later, Hua Jiunan brought out his golden needles.
His hands moved swiftly, and he quickly pierced five acupoints-Feishu, Zhongfu, Fenglong, Xinshu, and Zhiyang-continuously twisting the needles.
A few minutes passed.
Chang Huaiyuan suddenly retched and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
When it splashed onto the snow, it actually sizzled.
Chang Huaiyuan instantly felt refreshed, as if a huge stone pressing on his chest had been lifted away.
When he spoke again, his voice was full of joy:
“Young master physician-your skill is miraculous! Far beyond those who are famous in name only!”
Hua Jiunan felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
“Brother Chang, although you’ve expelled the stagnant blood, you still need medicine to regulate your body.”
“I’ll write you a prescription now.”
Chang Huaiyuan stood and cupped his hands. “I’ll trouble you, young master physician.”
But as soon as he saw the prescription, he froze:
“Young master physician, the other medicines are easy enough, but the Nine-whisker Old Ginseng and the Human-faced Fleeceflower Root… can they be replaced with something else?”
Hua Jiunan slowly shook his head.
“Brother Chang, your constitution is special, and you’ve been injured for too long. These two main herbs can’t be substituted.”
The light in Chang Huaiyuan’s eyes gradually dimmed.
“Alas… spiritual treasures like that-without the right fate, you won’t encounter them in a thousand years.”
“Even if they appeared by chance, in my current state, it would be hard for me to fight for them…”
Eighth Master Chang couldn’t help but cut in:
“Eldest Brother, don’t worry. Xiao Jiu has them.”
“They were left to him by the Valiant General.”
The “Valiant General” Eighth Master Chang spoke of was the Snow Corpse.
Before Chang Huaiyuan could even ask for the herbs, Hua Jiunan spoke first:
“Brother Chang, wait a moment. That was my oversight.”
He went back inside, brought out the Nine-whisker Old Ginseng and the Human-faced Fleeceflower Root, and stuffed them into Chang Huaiyuan’s hands without hesitation.
Chang Huaiyuan had already prepared himself to pay an enormous price in exchange.
He never expected Hua Jiunan to give away something so precious so casually, without a moment’s pause.
Looking into Hua Jiunan’s eyes-clear as water-Chang Huaiyuan spoke solemnly:
“This favor is too great for words. In the future, if the young master physician has any command for me, Chang Huaiyuan will not hesitate!”
After this, all kinds of injured animals began coming to Hua Jiunan for treatment.
Big ones-jackals, wolves, leopards, bears.
Small ones-foxes, hedgehogs.
Anything you could name.
And the animals never came empty-handed.
Some carried prey they had hunted.
Some brought various medicinal herbs.
Some even brought strange stones of all shapes.
Hua Jiunan never refused them. Each time, he treated them carefully and earnestly.
But that’s getting off track. Back to the main matter-
Chang Huaiyuan hesitated for a while, then spoke again:
“I ask Deaf Granny to establish a shrine hall for me, so that our two families can come and go more easily in the future.”
Deaf Granny was overjoyed.
This was an Immortal you couldn’t invite even if you tried!
If other spirit medium disciples learned that the Chang Family Patriarch was sitting in her hall, they’d come at once to pay their respects.
With Hemp-clad Grandmother and Chang Huaiyuan-the Chang Family Patriarch-behind her, Deaf Granny was already the Number One Spirit Medium Disciple of the Northern Lands!
Watching Hemp-clad Grandmother leave with Chang Huaiyuan, Hua Jiunan felt uneasy.
“Grandma, will Grandmother run into danger?”
Deaf Granny’s face was split in a grin.
“No, no!”
“For your sake, the Chang Family Eldest will definitely keep Big Sister Hemp-clad safe.”
“The matter with the Yellow Immortal can finally be pressed down!”
Things turned out exactly as Deaf Granny said.
In less than half a day, Hemp-clad Grandmother returned.
Deaf Granny hurried to ask:
“Old Sister, what did they say?”
Hemp-clad Grandmother gave Hua Jiunan a grateful look, then answered:
“The Chang Family Eldest actually invited Lord Hu San.”
“His Excellency said: the one who harmed the Huang Family Youngster is the same wicked creature that came to our home to harm Xiao Yue.”
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll search for her together!”