Old Doctor Chen's Startling Discovery

The image that surfaced in Lu Qing's mind was that of a thin, kindly old man.

Old Doctor Chen.

This old doctor was the only physician in several nearby villages.

His medical skills were superb. Though not quite capable of bringing the dead back to life, ordinary headaches and fevers, bruises and sprains, colds and Wind-Cold were generally cured as soon as the medicine was taken. There were rarely any illnesses he could not treat.

As a result, he was deeply respected by the nearby villagers.

It was said that even wealthy families in town often invited him over to treat their illnesses.

A figure like that naturally held a special position in the village.

Hardly any villager dared show him the slightest disrespect.

The original owner had merely been an ignorant Youth with limited horizons, so he had not given much thought to many things.

But after pondering it, Lu Qing noticed several unusual details.

For instance, Old Doctor Chen was supposed to be quite old, yet he remained remarkably robust and often entered and left the deep mountains alone to gather herbs.

One had to know that the deep mountains of this world were not tourist attractions developed like those in his previous life.

They were truly towering mountain ranges and primeval forests.

There were countless venomous insects and snakes, jackals, tigers, and savage beasts within—an extremely dangerous place.

Even experienced hunters did not dare venture too deeply into the forests at will.

For Old Doctor Chen, an old man, to travel safely in and out of such places was truly extraordinary.

Lu Qing was immensely curious about his abilities.

It would be wonderful if he could learn even a little of Old Doctor Chen's medical skill.

His ability could see through the basic information of all things.

When used to identify medicinal herbs, it would be infallible.

It was practically a perfect match for medical arts.

If he could learn a bit of Old Doctor Chen's skills, then the future lives of Xiao Yan and himself would have a few more safeguards.

But how could he learn such skills from Old Doctor Chen? As Lu Qing pondered this, his eyelids began to droop uncontrollably.

After all, his body was weak. The exhaustion in his flesh was not something his willpower could resist.

In the end, before he fell asleep, Lu Qing still failed to come up with any good method.

Yet what Lu Qing had not expected was that before he could figure out how to approach Old Doctor Chen, Old Doctor Chen came to his door himself.

Reclining in the lounge chair, Lu Qing had fallen asleep. In his haze, he seemed to hear someone speaking, followed by the sensation of someone grasping his hand.

He woke up at once.

"Lu Qing, you're awake. Old Doctor Chen is examining you!"

A booming voice rang out.

It sounded somewhat familiar to Lu Qing, seemingly belonging to Grandpa Zhang next door, and he first relaxed.

Then he immediately became fully alert and opened his eyes.

Old Doctor Chen? Turning his head, he saw two old men beside him, one standing and one sitting.

The seated one was thin and kindly in appearance. Who else could he be but Old Doctor Chen? "Don't move. Let me take your pulse first."

Seeing that Lu Qing seemed about to get up, Old Doctor Chen said gently.

Lu Qing immediately did not dare move.

Only then did he notice that Old Doctor Chen's hand was resting on his wrist.

No wonder he had vaguely felt someone grasping his hand just now. Old Doctor Chen had been taking his pulse.

When he saw Old Doctor Chen close his eyes again to feel his pulse, Lu Qing did not dare make any sudden movements and could only continue lying obediently in the lounge chair.

Sensing that the pulse examination would not be over anytime soon, Lu Qing could not help studying the somewhat mysterious Old Doctor Chen during the idle wait.

His first impression was that the old doctor was even gentler than he remembered. His thin frame carried something of a Celestial Appearance.

Just looking at him gave one a sense of peace.

But at that moment, his expression was solemn and his brows tightly furrowed, as though he had encountered some difficult problem.

Lu Qing quietly observed Old Doctor Chen for a while. Then, all of a sudden, he saw a faint red glow emerge from the old doctor's body.

Chen Songqing: Highly skilled in medicine, kind-hearted, and respected by others. A fine old Medical Practitioner.

Cultivation: Qi Refining Accomplished, Acquired Inner Organs Realm.

What was this?!

Lu Qing's eyes flew wide open, not only because of the faint red glow emerging from the old doctor's body, but also because of the description in the note that followed.

During the time since waking up, Lu Qing had gradually worked out some patterns behind his ability.

Ordinary, unremarkable objects generally emitted a gray glow under its inspection.

Things that were comparatively special, such as medicinal herbs, displayed a white glow.

But humans, without exception, all emitted white light—at least, that was true of everyone he had encountered in the village.

The only difference was the strength of the white light. It was strongest in adults, weaker in youths and children, and weaker still in the elderly.

Lu Qing guessed that it might be related to a person's vitality or life force.

After all, generally speaking, adults had the most energy, while the elderly had the least.

But Old Doctor Chen's display overturned his understanding.

What appeared was an unprecedented red glow! More importantly, there was the content of the note that had appeared afterward.

Cultivation?

Qi Refining Accomplished, Acquired Inner Organs Realm?

What did that mean? Could it be that the world he was in was not, as he had assumed, one similar to ancient Huaxia Kingdom, but a far more mystical and strange world where one could cultivate?

Lu Qing's heart was thrown into turmoil by this sudden change.

Just as he wanted to continue observing and obtain more information from the old doctor, Old Doctor Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

Seeing Lu Qing's flustered and shocked expression, he first frowned, then relaxed.

He comforted him gently, "Don't be afraid. I was only taking your pulse."

He had misunderstood, thinking that his grave expression during the examination had frightened Lu Qing.

Taking the chance, Lu Qing steadied his emotions and asked somewhat anxiously, "Grandpa Chen, how is my illness? Is it completely cured?"

Grandpa Zhang beside him also looked hopefully at Old Doctor Chen.

Old Doctor Chen pondered for a moment before saying, "Yes, your illness has indeed healed. Though you are still somewhat weak, as long as you recuperate properly, there will basically be no problem."

"Really? That's wonderful! Lu Qing, hurry and thank Old Doctor Chen. If the old doctor hadn't prescribed medicine to treat you, you might never have woken up!" Grandpa Zhang said joyfully.

"Thank you, Grandpa Chen."

Lu Qing climbed out of the lounge chair and made as if to kneel and kowtow.

After all, the old doctor truly had saved his life.

Without that bowl of medicinal soup, he might not have endured the period when his memories were merging.

For that alone, the old doctor deserved his bow.

But Old Doctor Chen stopped Lu Qing. "There's no need for this. That you woke up was also due to your own fortune. This old man merely did a small part."

Old Doctor Chen was not being modest.

In truth, even now, he was still extraordinarily astonished.

When Lu Qing had collapsed from illness, he had indeed come to examine him.

At the time, Wind-Cold had seeped into Lu Qing's bones, and his breath was as faint as a thread. He was already critically ill, with only his final breath remaining.

Even if a true master of medicine had come, he likely would have found it difficult to save him.

Out of a Medical Practitioner's compassionate heart, he had still prescribed a decoction in the end and added quite a few precious medicinal ingredients.

His purpose had only been to do all that human effort could do, then leave the rest to fate.

Some of the herbs he had added had originally been reserved by nobles in the city.

Because of this, he had no choice but to hurry into the mountains the very next day to gather herbs and replenish the shortage.

He had thought Lu Qing would not survive this trial, but after returning from gathering herbs, he heard villagers spreading word that Lu Qing's illness had already recovered.

Not only could he get out of bed and walk, he could even go to the riverbank to catch fish.

Startled, he had not bothered with anything else and immediately wanted to come see for himself.

When he arrived outside the courtyard, he happened to encounter Grandpa Zhang returning from working in the fields, so the two entered the house together.

He had originally thought the villagers' words were exaggerated.

But after taking Lu Qing's pulse, he found that the villagers had not uttered a single false word.

Lu Qing's illness had truly been completely cured.

Other than still being somewhat weak, all his previous symptoms had vanished.

This left Old Doctor Chen immensely astonished.