After agreeing to treat Xue Muhua, Xu Qian immediately got to work. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to admit outright that he possessed extraordinary skills. Everything had to be done within a "reasonable" framework.
He first found Zhou Kang and reported with an air of "concern," "Captain Zhou, that Divine Doctor Xue in cell B-13 looks like he's about to die. His whole body's rotting and stinking. I'm afraid... afraid it might be contagious, or that dying in there would bring bad luck and affect our district's... hygiene evaluation."
Zhou Kang had already been fretting over the matter. Hearing Xu Qian put it that way, he also found it ominous and waved a hand. "Then handle it as you see fit. Don't let him die too soon, and don't make too much of a fuss. Put down some plant ash or something to cover up the smell."
With Zhou Kang's vague instruction to "handle it as he saw fit," Xu Qian had room to maneuver. Officially, he was there to "deal with the hygiene." In truth, he was there to practice medicine.
The Qing Nang Handbook recorded several remedies for "Bone Rot Miasma," all of which required specific medicinal ingredients. Xu Qian naturally couldn't get his hands on those, but he had alternatives—plants that already grew in the Heavenly Prison, though they looked ordinary.
For instance, the plantain stubbornly growing in the corner had heat-clearing and detoxifying effects; moss from certain damp corners, when crushed and applied externally, could ease the sores. Then there was the aconite he had used in a previous mixture. It was poisonous, but poison could fight poison. In tiny amounts, it was just right for countering the Bone Rot Miasma's insidious toxicity. Naturally, the dosage had to be precise down to the slightest fraction—otherwise, it would be a death warrant.
These "folk remedies" were easy to explain, too: they were "family recipes." After all, for a "country bumpkin" like him to know a few rustic remedies was perfectly normal.
After preparing a mash of several crushed herbs, Xu Qian went to cell B-13 again. He sent the others away on the excuse that "the smell was too strong," then went in alone to "deal with the hygiene."
When Xue Muhua saw Xu Qian enter, and especially when he saw the blackish, foul-smelling herbal paste in his hand, his eyes filled with hope, though there was a trace of doubt as well. Could... could this really work?
Xu Qian didn't explain much. While pretending to clean the filth beneath him, he murmured, "Divine Doctor Xue, trust me this once. This is a folk remedy from my hometown for sores like yours. We might as well try it as a last resort."
As he spoke, he carefully applied the herbal paste to several key sores on Xue Muhua's body. His movements looked rough, but there was a hidden purpose behind them.
As he applied the medicine, he secretly circulated his Longevity True Qi, channeling it through his fingertips and into Xue Muhua's body with the utmost subtlety! His qi was balanced and gentle, brimming with vitality. Although it couldn't directly neutralize the poison, it could protect Xue Muhua's heart meridians and vital organs, slow the poison's spread, and guide and stimulate the herbal paste's medicinal power, directing it more precisely toward the meridians where the poison had gathered!
It was like adding a precision-guidance system to an ordinary bullet—the results were worlds apart!
Xue Muhua first felt a cool sensation at the wounds. Then a warm, gentle yet powerful current seeped into his body along with the medicine. Wherever it passed, the bone-deep, insidious chill and pain eased noticeably! His muddled mind also grew much clearer!
His eyes flew wide open, and he stared at Xu Qian in disbelief!
The effect... it was so fast! So dramatic! No ordinary folk remedy could possibly achieve this! That gentle force entering his body... was it true qi?! This young man really had been hiding his abilities!
After finishing, Xu Qian dusted off his hands, still wearing that honest, guileless expression. "Divine Doctor Xue, get some rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow. Remember, don't tell anyone I treated you with a folk remedy. I don't want trouble."
Xue Muhua was a man of keen insight. He immediately understood Xu Qian's concern and nodded again and again, his voice trembling with emotion. "I understand! I understand! Thank you... thank you, young master, for saving my life!"
Over the next few days, Xu Qian "happened" to come by every day to "deal with the hygiene" for Xue Muhua, replacing the herbs and continuing to use his Longevity True Qi to guide their medicinal power and protect Xue Muhua's vitality.
With the aid and precise guidance of the Longevity True Qi, the seemingly ordinary herbs produced astonishing results. The sores on Xue Muhua's body began to close and scab over. His fever gradually subsided, and his breathing grew steadier and stronger by the day.
His fellow guards assumed Xue Muhua was simply tough enough to pull through, or that the folk remedy had worked by sheer luck, and didn't pay much attention. Only Zhou Kang occasionally glanced at Xue Muhua, whose complexion had clearly improved, then at Xu Qian, who looked "harmless to man and beast." His gaze would turn thoughtful, but in the end, he said nothing.
Seven or eight days later, Xue Muhua could sit up on his own. Apart from some lingering weakness, his wounds had all but healed. The deadly Bone Rot Miasma poison had actually been driven back and neutralized by Xu Qian's rough-and-ready method!
That day, Xu Qian came to change his dressing for the last time. Xue Muhua gripped Xu Qian's hand tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Young master... no, my benefactor! I'll never forget the grace of your saving my life! Please, let this old man bow to you!"
As he spoke, he struggled to get down on his knees.
Xu Qian hurriedly stopped him. "Divine Doctor Xue, you mustn't! It was only a small favor. Please, don't do this."
Xue Muhua raised his head and looked at Xu Qian as though he were a rare treasure! His gaze brimmed with gratitude, admiration, and a kind of fervor beyond words!
Before you continue