Stunning Performance

Shen Lang said, "Father, Mother, I'm going up the mountain to gather some herbs."

"Da Lang, Mother will go with you. There are wild beasts on the mountain, and don't you dare get lost." His mother rushed straight out.

She still treated Shen Lang like a child, unwilling even to let him go up the mountain alone.

"Mother, boil a pot of water at home. Find a small knife and sharpen it, prepare a thicker, longer needle, and put some cotton cloth in the water to boil." Shen Lang spoke quickly, yet his instructions were clear and calm.

His mother froze for a moment, then unexpectedly did not question him. She nodded. "All right."

To her, her son had become spirited. Every word he said seemed like an Imperial Decree.

Shen Lang carried a bamboo basket and a small shovel as he left home for the mountain. Tian Heng's thirteenth and fourteenth adopted sons followed close behind him, never straying a step.

Until they got the money, they would keep their eyes on Shen Lang. Once the time came, they would kill him.

Shen Lang had been somewhat worried that the plants of this world might be completely different from those on Earth. As it turned out, he had worried for nothing. Though there were many plants he did not recognize, a considerable number were exactly the same.

There were many Chinese herbs that reduced inflammation, and the Back Mountain behind Shen Lang's home was covered in lush forest.

In just over an hour, he picked plenty of perilla, honeysuckle, and dandelion. All of them could reduce inflammation.

Unfortunately, this was neither the edge of a dry desert nor the grasslands, so there was no licorice root. But to his great surprise, he dug up isatis root.

On Modern Earth, isatis root was hailed as a universal miracle medicine. Shen Lang continued digging up more than a dozen kinds of medicinal herbs—some to stop bleeding, some to reduce fever, and so on—until his entire bamboo basket was full. Unfortunately, he did not find any datura, so he could not make anesthetic.

By evening, Shen Lang returned laden with a full harvest. His mother had already prepared everything.

Shen Lang carefully examined his younger brother's broken leg with X-Ray Vision. Fortunately, the broken ends of the bone were fairly even rather than sharp, so they had not punctured any major blood vessels.

His mother had sharpened the small knife and boiled it in water.

Shen Lang gently cut open the area around his brother's fracture. First, it would allow the pooled blood to drain out; second, it would let him set the bone more accurately.

Unfortunately, the conditions here were truly too crude. Driving in steel nails was impossible. After aligning the broken bone perfectly, Shen Lang used boiled needle and thread to stitch the wound. He applied mashed medicinal herbs to it, then wrapped it round and round with three whittled wooden sticks and strips of boiled cloth, completely fixing the set bone in place. Without plaster, wooden sticks were all he could use.

"This leg can't touch the ground from now on. It's best not to move at all. It should heal in two months," Shen Lang said.

This barely counted as a minor operation, yet it took less than an hour from start to finish. Though his younger brother was drenched in sweat from the pain, he clenched a wooden stick between his teeth and forcibly held back every cry.

Throughout the entire process, his parents held their breaths as they watched in disbelief. Forget speaking—they barely even dared to breathe heavily.

This, this was simply too astonishing! After Shen Lang returned home, not only was he no longer foolish, he had actually become so capable.

His father had seen it all clearly just now. Shen Lang's movements had been swift and decisive, his gaze firm and resolute. He seemed like an entirely different person from before.

His younger brother threw away the wooden stick he had been biting and said to Shen Lang in astonishment, "Brother, you're amazing! Not only has the swelling in my broken leg gone down, it doesn't hurt as much either. I've seen many doctors treat broken legs, but none of them were as fast or as skilled as you!"

Though Shen Jian was cannon fodder among hooligans, he had seen more than enough broken legs and arms. The skill Shen Lang had displayed was truly dazzling. Whether in technique or method, he far surpassed the doctors who treated the gangs.

Most importantly, the old Shen Lang had been nothing but a useless fool. How had he changed so drastically? Where had he learned such formidable methods? The family was both shocked and overjoyed.

Next, Shen Lang treated his father. First, he had to drain the blood pooled inside his lungs; otherwise, the injury would only worsen.

The hardest part of draining such pooled blood was knowing where the hematomas were. They were inside the lungs, completely invisible to the naked eye from outside. To doctors in this world, it was almost an unsolvable problem.

But for Shen Lang, it took no effort at all. His X-Ray Vision could effortlessly determine the precise locations of the pooled blood and fluid.

His mother had already sharpened the thick needle. Its thickest part was about three millimeters in diameter, meant specifically for sewing animal hide. After boiling it in water to sterilize it, Shen Lang decisively and accurately inserted it into the lung, then pulled it out. He then inserted a hollowed-out plant stem into the wound.

The plant stem was only two or three millimeters in diameter. Once its pith was removed, it became hollow, while remaining hard enough to drain out the pooled blood.

Like this, Shen Lang made several small holes in his father's lungs, then gradually sucked out the hematomas inside.

After more than an hour, he had drawn out most of the hematomas and fluid from his father's lungs. It did not matter if a small portion could not be extracted; the body would gradually absorb it on its own.

After Shen Lang's treatment, the results were immediate.

His father still coughed, but breathing had become much easier. Before, no matter how hard he tried to breathe, he felt there was never enough air. Every breath brought such agonizing pain that his lungs seemed about to burst. That feeling had truly been worse than death.

But now, breathing no longer took much effort, and the congested feeling in his chest had vanished. It felt so comfortable.

Who would have thought that a few simple moves from his son could produce such miraculous results? This medical skill was simply too superb.

They said that after three days apart, one should look at someone with new eyes. This precious son of theirs had only been gone for three months, yet he had gained such ability?

"Your father feels much lighter and more comfortable now. My son has truly become remarkable." His father's words brimmed with incomparable pride.

His mother stared at Shen Lang as well, truly unable to believe that her son had become so clever and capable.

"Don't ask. Our Da Lang was never foolish before; he was merely wise enough to seem foolish." His father directly stopped his mother from questioning him. "Da Lang has changed like this, and we can hardly be happy enough. Why dig to the bottom of the pot and get every last answer?"

His mother nodded vigorously. "Right, right. As long as my son has returned, Heaven has blessed us. With Da Lang's abilities, we won't marry Widow Liu after all. Once we open a medical clinic and save enough money, we could even marry the village chief's daughter."

After that, his parents and younger brother did not mention Shen Lang's transformation again. They were simply happy.

"My son must be hungry. Mother will go make you some food." His mother hurried excitedly into the kitchen.

His mother was virtuous and quick with her hands. In less than half an hour, the food was on the table: three bowls of porridge, one large bowl of rice, a plate of wild vegetables, a plate of greens, and a plate of cured meat with cucumber.

Since his father and younger brother were lying in bed recovering and could not move about conveniently, the dining table was set between the two beds.

Shen Lang still had white rice, while his father, mother, and younger brother drank corn porridge.

Shen Lang wanted to share his rice with his father and younger brother, but all three firmly refused.

"My son is still growing. Eat the white rice; you can't swallow corn porridge." His father said with finality, "If you don't eat the rice, neither will I, and neither will your brother."

"That's right, absolutely not," Shen Jian said from the bed beside them.

"My son, eat meat..." His mother placed the only few slices of cured meat into Shen Lang's bowl, one piece after another.

Of course Shen Lang wanted his father and younger brother to eat some, but he knew they would absolutely refuse. Besides, seeing Shen Lang eat meat actually made them happier inside.

Ah! Their favoritism truly knew no bounds.

Even though his father and younger brother were injured and recovering, even though Shen Lang himself was perfectly healthy, the family still gave all the best food to him alone.

After dinner, Shen Lang decocted the medicine and gave it separately to his father and younger brother.

His brother's bone was broken. He needed to drink bone broth and lie down for roughly two months, and then he should be fine.

Though the hematomas and fluid in his father's lungs had been drained, removing the immediate danger to his life, it could only count as half cured at best. Next, he still needed anti-inflammatory treatment, medicine to nourish his lungs, and tonics to restore his body. Those medicines could not be dug up in the mountains; they had to be bought with money.

"Da Lang, wash your feet." His mother came forward carrying warm water and directly squatted down to wash Shen Lang's feet. Her movements were natural and practiced; clearly, for the past ten-odd years, Shen Lang's mother had always washed his feet.

"I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself." Shen Lang absolutely did not dare let his mother wash his feet. That would be far too unfilial.

But his mother became somewhat upset instead. "Da Lang, you used to love having Mother wash your feet. What's wrong? Mother's hands are very clean."

She was worried that after spending several months living in wealth and luxury with the Xu Family, Shen Lang had come to despise her.

Shen Lang understood. Each time she washed his feet was also something that made his mother happy, because he was the child she doted on most.

Thus, Shen Lang's entire body and soul rippled with happiness as he watched his mother's rough hands wash his feet. Throughout it all, her eyes and expression were filled with boundless happiness and contentment.

Shen Lang had inherited this body and its memories, but he had not entirely inherited its emotions. Yet within just a few hours, his heart had fallen—fallen into the loving care of his parents and younger brother.

From this day onward, you are my biological parents, my own younger brother! He had the responsibility to let his parents and brother live good lives.

At that moment, Tian Shisan's indifferent voice sounded beside his ear. "Shen Lang, your family truly loves one another. But you only have two days left. If you can't produce a thousand gold coins, your entire family will suffer along with you."

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