The bamboo gate opened, and Su Mu stepped into Cloud Crane Medical Hall for the first time.
Bamboo groves lined the pebble path. A breeze stirred the leaves into a soft rustle as Su Mu followed the Young Physician through the grove and toward a cluster of buildings.
The fresh scent of bamboo soon mingled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs. Herb gardens had been planted beside the buildings and throughout the rear courtyard.
The Young Physician led Su Mu into the main hall. The interior was steeped in an antique charm, with a tea stove in the middle of the hall and shelves lined with books on either side. Beyond those, there was only a desk and a few woven palm mats.
Su Mu was surprised to see the books on the shelves, but a thought stirred in his heart. He had once considered learning medicine, thinking that one could never have too many skills.
But later, when he went to the Medicine Shops to ask for a prescription, every one of them had refused him in unison. Su Mu had put the idea aside for the time being.
They guarded even a single prescription as if it were a priceless treasure. Medical knowledge was even more precious.
Su Mu had also noticed that when the old pharmacists in town treated patients, they always took them into the inner room and never allowed apprentices to watch. Their attitude was plain enough, so he had decided not to invite rejection by knocking on their doors.
After entering the hall, the Young Physician ushered Su Mu over to the desk.
"Sir, let me take your pulse first."
The Young Physician's voice was a little tense, but there was also a hint of anticipation in it.
Su Mu did as asked and held out his hand. He knew this was part of the examination; he was quite used to it by now.
Soon, two slender, delicate fingers rested against Su Mu's wrist. After taking his pulse for a while, the Young Physician's brows lifted slightly, as if puzzled.
"Sir... your breath is long, your pulse is steady and strong, and your qi and blood are far more abundant than those of an ordinary person. There's nothing unusual in your pulse."
Su Mu sighed inwardly. He spoke without much hope. "To be honest, Young Physician, whenever it rains, I itch so badly I can barely stand it. It feels as though insects are crawling inside me. I once went to another clinic in the city, and an Old Physician used silver needles on me. He said a powerful Gu Poison was lodged near my heart."
"Then he told me to seek Pharmacist Lin."
Su Mu had his reasons for mentioning the Gu Poison outright. He wanted the Young Physician to realize how difficult the case was and give up. There was no need to waste time here; they could have chatted a little and gotten to know each other instead.
Yet at the words "Gu Poison," the Young Physician showed no sign of fear. On the contrary, delight flashed through her clear, watery eyes.
"My master once taught me some medicine related to Gu Poison, and I know a little about silver-needle techniques too. Sir, may I examine you?"
Su Mu caught that flash of delight, and his heart leaped.
He had picked up on the key point: Pharmacist Lin really did understand Gu Poison. There was now more hope of curing it.
Su Mu gritted his teeth. He might as well let the Young Physician practice on him today.
"The Old Physician said the Gu Poison in me is severe. Young Physician, you'll need to be careful."
"Come with me."
The Young Physician seemed not to have heard the warning. Excitedly, she led Su Mu into a side room beside the main hall, a room used for treating patients.
"Sir, lie down first."
The Young Physician pointed to the bamboo bed behind the curtain. Su Mu did as she asked and removed his upper garments. As she disinfected the silver needles over the flame, the Young Physician caught sight of him from the corner of her eye, and two blushes immediately bloomed on her cheeks.
She quietly swallowed.
He looked even more enticing behind the bamboo curtain. Su Mu had been practicing martial arts for nearly two years, and for the past half year he had been eating meat in great quantities and drinking Body Strengthening Soup without pause. Normally, none of it showed. But when he took off his clothes, the lines of muscle beneath them were revealed, sharp as if carved by a blade and chisel, and full of strength.
Soon, the Young Physician lifted the curtain and came over, silver needles in hand. The instant her fingertips touched Su Mu's chest, a tingling sensation rippled through her. Her face grew even redder, and she felt a little hot.
But she quickly focused her attention and began inserting the needles one by one.
Not long afterward, the Young Physician began removing them, one after another. When she pulled out the last needle from his chest, its tip was pitch-black, and a foul, fishy stench rose from it.
Then the horrifying sight unfolded again: the silver needle visibly corroded before their eyes.
The Young Physician seemed stunned by what she saw. She stood frozen, and Su Mu sighed inwardly. He immediately reached out, snatched the needle from her hand, and tossed it to the ground.
This Young Physician really isn't up to the task.
Su Mu thought this to himself, then sat up and began getting dressed, already intending to leave.
But a moment later, the Young Physician came to her senses and pressed a hand against Su Mu's chest. "Lie back down."
"Ren Meridian, Shanzhong Acupoint. The poison can corrode silver needles..."
"Sir, the poison has spread deep through you. My master once said there are three ways to treat Gu Poison in this world. The first is to use things that counteract each other. This is how most Gu Poison is cured."
"The second is to fight poison with poison. But we don't know what kind of Gu Poison you have, and this method is very dangerous."
"The last method is called curing the poison, but it's really a way to relieve it. You use an external force to drive the Gu Poison out of the body. I can try this third method on you."
Su Mu's eyes lit up. He could see the Young Physician's hesitation, but now that he had glimpsed a hope, he was willing to give it a try.
"Sorry for the trouble, Young Physician."
"All right. The poison in your Gu is potent, so ordinary bloodletting probably won't work. I'll use silver needles to seal the acupoints and meridians around your heart, then force it out with the needles."
Seal the meridians with silver needles, then force out the poisonous blood?
Su Mu was astonished. He had still underestimated the Young Physician. Just what level of medical skill did Pharmacist Lin, the man who had taught her, possess?
Su Mu's anticipation grew, and another thought occurred to him.
Perhaps I can take this chance to learn from her!
The Young Physician quickly fetched a fresh set of silver needles. After sterilizing them over the flame, she began her treatment. As the first needle went in, Su Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. His 14-point Excellent Talent, Raw Jade comprehension revealed its astonishing power at that moment.
Watching the Young Physician's movements, Su Mu committed them to memory as corresponding acupoints sprang rapidly to mind. The benefits of practicing several martial arts also became clear: by now, he was quite familiar with the acupoints across his body.
"Beneath the armpit, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Jiquan Acupoint. Insert directly to a depth of about half an inch."
The Young Physician's expression was solemn as she placed each needle with painstaking care, giving Su Mu the perfect opportunity to learn from her.
One of them focused completely on the treatment; the other focused completely on learning.
"On the inner side of the medial epicondyle of the humerus, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Shaohai Acupoint. Insert directly to a depth of about one inch..."
After that came Shenmen Acupoint, Tongli Acupoint, one needle after another.
Su Mu's eyes shone. His keen comprehension linked the acupoints together in his mind, and a diagram of the Silver Needle Meridian Seal gradually took shape.
"Sir, wait a moment."
The Young Physician soon fetched a small stone vessel that looked like a basin. She lightly twisted a needle and inserted it. Su Mu suddenly let out a muffled groan, but his heart filled with joy. At that moment, he clearly felt the insects near his heart move.
They stirred restlessly, just like when the poison flared up on rainy days. But now the silver needles had trapped that feeling in his chest, preventing it from spreading through his body.
Had the Silver Needle Meridian Seal worked?
The Young Physician's hands moved over Su Mu's sealed meridians, using a strange technique to work swiftly along the blocked meridians and acupoints. Then she spoke urgently.
"Sir, sit up quickly."
Su Mu did as she asked. The Young Physician gently twisted and pulled out a silver needle, and Su Mu's whole body convulsed.
Gush!
A jet of black blood spurted from the needle hole. Su Mu's face turned deathly pale. Only after the stone vessel was half full did the Silver Needle Meridian Seal treatment end. The stench of the poisonous blood completely overwhelmed the herbal fragrance in the room.
"Sir, lie down for a while. I'll brew you a tonic to replenish your qi and blood."
Su Mu waved a hand.
"No need to trouble yourself, Young Physician. I'll be fine after lying down for a while."
The Young Physician hesitated, then nodded and got up to deal with the poisonous blood. Once he was alone in the room, Su Mu quietly circulated the force and qi and blood within his body.
The pallor in his face slowly gave way to a flush. Though some of his qi and blood had been depleted by forcing out part of the poison, he felt a wave of relief.
He had refused the Young Physician's tonic because he still didn't fully trust her. Medicine wasn't something one could take recklessly.
The Silver Needle Meridian Seal may not be able to eradicate the Gu Poison completely, but it can certainly relieve it!
After catching his breath, Su Mu tried to pay the consultation fee, but the Young Physician refused.
"My master says I'm not qualified yet, so I can't treat people on my own... How about this? Let your consultation fee count as practice for me. You can come back again later."
Su Mu's heart stirred. His strong comprehension meant he had remembered most of the Silver Needle Meridian Seal after seeing it just once, but most of it wasn't enough. In medicine, the smallest error could lead to a thousand-mile failure. He couldn't afford to be careless.
He also needed to watch the strange technique for pressing along the meridians and acupoints a few more times.
This was an opportunity he couldn't have asked for!
"Sorry for the trouble, Young Physician."
After leaving the clinic, Su Mu went to the marketplace and bought paper, ink, a brush, and an inkstone. That evening, a light rain began to fall. Rain pattered against the eaves, streaming from their edges in thin white lines, a soft, ceaseless drizzle.
In the room, Su Mu's face was pale, but his eyes shone.
"It doesn't seem as... severe as before."
The wind from outside stirred the sheets of paper spread across the desk. On them was a diagram of the meridians, with acupoints circled in cinnabar and detailed annotations beside them. It was still incomplete.
Su Mu quietly rubbed ointment into his left arm. The bones in it were scorching hot, growing stronger and more solid with each passing day.
Over the next several days, Su Mu went to the clinic daily to let the Young Physician practice on him. At night, he continued working on the unfinished meridian diagram.
By the fifth day.
After another Silver Needle Meridian Seal treatment, a line of text suddenly appeared before Su Mu's eyes.
Medicine (Beginner 1%)
"Medicine mastery!"
Su Mu was overjoyed. After watching the Silver Needle Meridian Seal for five consecutive days, the Medicine skill had appeared on his status panel, and he had reached the beginner level.
But after this treatment ended, as he was about to leave, the Young Physician suddenly called out to him.
"Sir, you're a martial artist, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I've trained a little and know a bit of martial arts." Su Mu knew he couldn't hide his martial arts training from the Young Physician. It showed in his pulse and qi and blood.
Now that the Young Physician had asked, she probably needed his help.
"I have a favor to ask. It concerns you, too. I'd like to ask you to go out of the city and look for my master."
Look for her master?
Could something have happened to Pharmacist Lin?
Su Mu's heart leaped.
Before you continue