Repaying Kindness with Enmity

"... This kind of flawed information won't fool him."

"That's why I said we need to test your relationship. If he truly cares about you, even if he knows it's a trap, even if the information is full of loopholes, he'll still take the risk, especially since he's already met you and confirmed that the 'resurrection' is real. Then he'll have a lot of trust in the 'resurrection deadline.'"

"... Although I hate to admit it, your plan is indeed very feasible, which is quite surprising."

Ignoring the last sarcastic remark, Si Ming produced a feather fan from somewhere, shook it, and struck a pose like Zhuge Liang, saying, "I'm not bragging, but I used to be revered as an unparalleled strategist, described as 'so wise as to be almost supernatural.' And just recently, I thwarted the conspiracy of a powerful organization whose number of strong individuals was no less than the combined total of the three great martial arts holy lands, and whose intelligent people were countless. Unfortunately, they were all defeated by my wisdom—before the Mage, I am first and foremost a Master of Wisdom."

Shang Yu had a pretty good grasp of Si Ming's personality and temperament. The more she paid attention to him, the more he trembled. So she turned a deaf ear and kept quiet, pretending to be deaf and mute.

Si Ming tried to continue the conversation, but after several attempts, the other party did not respond. Helpless, he could only focus on getting on his way.

Before long, the two arrived at a small thatched hut in the mountains. This was the destination that the disciples of the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect had relayed back. Looking up, the place, which should have been quiet and secluded, was now crowded with people.

"Why hasn't the little miracle doctor opened yet? I've been waiting for almost an hour, hoping that his miraculous skills will cure my stubborn ailment."

"What's an hour? I've been waiting for two hours, since before dawn, at the courtyard gate, and I still didn't get the first spot. Someone else was here even earlier than me."

Are the doctors here really that skilled?

"You don't even know the Little Divine Doctor's skills? What are you doing here? Let me tell you, there was a little beggar in the village who accidentally offended the Golden Flood Dragon Gang. He was stabbed, his stomach was ripped open, blood was everywhere, and he was on the verge of death. But then the Little Divine Doctor used a needle to prick him, kept him alive, stuffed his intestines back in, sewed up his stomach, gave him a pill, and now he can walk again."

"Is it really that amazing?"

"What's this? What's even more amazing is that the chief escort of the Changfeng Escort Bureau was secretly plotted by the Xueyuan Sect. His whole body was filled with pus and his skin was ulcerated. He didn't even look like a human being. He searched everywhere for medical treatment but failed. He came here to try his luck with the idea of being a dead horse as a living horse doctor. Unexpectedly, the little miracle doctor only glanced at it and used voodoo to draw out a lot of people from the gourd treasure. The maggots crawled all over the body of the Chief Escort, and the appearance of a swarm of worms dancing around scared people. The escorts of Changfeng Escort Bureau thought that the Chief Escort would be unlucky to make matters worse, but unexpectedly, after the little miracle doctor removed the poison, all the rotten flesh on the Chief Escort's body was gone, the wounds no longer pus, the bad diseases were gone, and he could compete with others after a few days of rest."

"He even knows Gu poison; he truly is a divine healer."

Hearing the crowd's discussion, Shang Yu frowned and said, "What kind of nonsense is this? Is your companion a fraudster who gives patients talisman water?"

"It's normal for ignorant villagers to spread rumors and exaggerate the miraculous treatment methods. The so-called 'Gu' technique is actually maggot therapy, which uses fly larvae to help clean festering wounds. It's said to be very effective, especially for large, difficult-to-treat wounds, and is even more effective than surgery."

Shang Yu, though not understanding the meaning of surgery, couldn't help but question, "Are you talking about maggots, those worms in feces? Aren't you afraid of worsening the injury by touching it with the wound? Although I don't know the principle behind it, I do know that smearing feces on arrows is a very vicious method. Even if the wound is not in a vital area, it will usually cause a high fever and death."

Si Ming explained, "The maggots I'm talking about aren't the kind you catch from feces, but rather specially cultivated medical maggots. Although we always associate maggots with feces, maggots themselves are clean. They don't eat the healthy tissue around the wound; they only attack the necrotic tissue on the wound surface, promoting the formation of granulation tissue. They can even penetrate deep wounds that are difficult for surgery to reach. Moreover, their excrement after devouring necrotic flesh contains a bactericidal salt and substances that enhance the patient's immunity and help ulcers heal. This is originally a very ordinary medical procedure, but in the eyes of laymen, it becomes a mysterious and unpredictable form of witchcraft."

"... Is this really not a form of witchcraft?"

As an "outsider," Shang Yu expressed skepticism, especially due to the numerous technical terms she didn't understand. This made Si Ming's image seem even more impressive in her mind, and she became somewhat doubtful about the earlier title of "Master Zhi."

Knowledge is power!

Just as Si Ming was about to go to the hospital to find the "little miracle doctor" to recognize him, more than a dozen men barged in, pushing aside those who were queuing in front.

The crowd looked indignant, and one of the outsiders seemed to be planning to teach the other a lesson, but he was immediately pulled back by the people next to him, who whispered a few words in his ear. In the end, he stood aside helplessly and did not dare to make a move.

Two men helped a middle-aged man with a purplish-black face and cracked lips into the courtyard and carefully sat him down. The middle-aged man was strong and powerful with bright eyes, clearly a martial arts master. However, he only took two steps before feeling extremely tired. He leaned on the stone table, panting heavily, which made the men beside him worry and ask him questions. They could vaguely hear the titles "gang leader" and other terms.

"Where is the little miracle doctor? Why hasn't he come out yet? The sun is already high in the sky!" one of the men with a scar on his face shouted anxiously.

The out-of-towner sneered, "The miracle doctor might still be asleep. You can force us to give up our seats, but do you think you can force him to treat you?"

"Then I'll set this house on fire and see if he comes out." The scarred man deliberately opened the door wide, intending for the people inside to hear.

The seriously injured man, suspected to be the gang leader, hurriedly said, "Don't be rude to the divine doctor. We're here to ask for help, not the other way around."

Si Ming let out a soft "Eh," and muttered, "I didn't realize this person was so reasonable."

Shang Yu scoffed dismissively, saying, "What kind of reasonable person is this? It's like being under someone's roof and having to bow your head. This guy is Shang Zhen, the leader of the Golden Flood Dragon Gang. He's a ruthless killer, a bully, and a scoundrel. But he's a smart man. He knows that threatening a doctor will only backfire. For example, he might deliberately leave a hidden trick during the treatment, which won't be noticeable in the short term, but will become a hidden danger when the injury is almost healed, dragging the doctor down for life."

"You have a prejudice against him?"

"I have a prejudice against all evil people; they all deserve to die."

"No wonder everyone says that the disciples of the Evil-Slaying Sword School are mostly righteous and fierce in their actions."

Just then, the wooden door of the thatched hut was pushed open, and a young man with a youthful appearance walked out. It was Murong Wu.

He scratched his head, looking ashamed, and said, "I just went to the mountains to gather herbs. I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

The villagers quickly assured him it was nothing serious, but the scarred man said impatiently, "Please, divine doctor, treat my chieftain's injuries; his condition cannot be delayed any longer."

Murong Wu nodded, sat down at the table, and reached out to take Shang Zhen's pulse, about to examine him, when a little girl's voice immediately came from the small hut. "Don't treat him!"

Murong Wu asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Hmph, these guys are from the Golden Flood Dragon Gang. The Golden Flood Dragon Gang is a local tyrant, not a single one of them is good. Since this guy is the gang leader, he's the worst of the worst. If you save him, then all the innocent people who die at his hands in the future will be killed because of you!"

If you only say that you shouldn't treat bad people, Murong Wu would probably argue that doctors should have the heart of a parent and advocate treating all patients equally. But if you remind him that his actions might harm others, Murong Wu would hesitate.

A selfish person might argue, "I only care about saving my own people; I don't care what others do." But Murong Wu is not that kind of person. He treats everyone equally, so he feels the same way.

The Golden Flood Dragon Gang members were both shocked and furious, and they all started cursing. Shang Zhen coughed repeatedly, raised his hand to stop them, and then said to Murong Wu, "As long as the little divine doctor can heal my injuries, I will immediately offer him one hundred taels of gold."

"Who cares about your stinking money?" came the girl's disdainful voice from inside the hut.

Murong Wu slowly said, "I don't want your money, but you must promise me that after you recover, you will turn over a new leaf and never do evil again."

Shang Zhen said solemnly, "If the young divine physician heals my injuries, he will be my benefactor. I, Shang, have always repaid even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude. I will certainly keep my benefactor's word."

Murong Wu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "That's good. A true man keeps his word. Please remember your promise, Chief."

Inside the hut, the girl merely sneered and ceased her attempts to stop them.

Chapter 559 Ingratitude

Murong Wu took Shang Zhen's pulse and immediately understood most of Shang Zhen's injuries.