Miraculous Hands

Xia Dong pondered Lord He's words carefully.

The Eagle-Wolf Guard certainly offered access to the resources of the cultivation world, but the waters there were far too deep. Setting aside the high-and-mighty cultivators, even the martial arts experts of the Mortal Transformation Realm and True Intent Realm—who could contend with such cultivators—possessed incredibly keen perceptions.

The Bronze Ancient Bell in his mind, along with the heaven-defying ability to refine vengeful spirits into Yin Evil Pill, would surely lead to an unbearable fate should even the slightest flaw be exposed under their watchful eyes.

He decided that until he had absolute certainty of his own self-preservation, he must never step into that whirlpool.

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Lord He," Xia Dong said with a slight bow, his tone sincere yet tinged with a perfectly measured self-deprecation. "However, my constitution has only just begun to touch upon the path of martial arts; I can barely even perform the Five-Animal Boxing. If I were to join the Eagle-Wolf Guard now, not only would I fail to make any contributions, but I fear I would only become a burden to your esteemed duties."

He paused, seizing the moment to present his own plan: "I have thought this over, and I know that haste makes waste. It just so happens that my ancestors left behind several incomplete medical texts, and I have gained some insights from studying them these past few days. I intend to open a small clinic in the county come spring. Firstly, to hang my pot to save the world and benefit my hometown; secondly, to use the practice of medicine to settle my temperament and supplement my martial cultivation. Once I have achieved success in my martial arts, it will not be too late to serve the imperial court. I have come today to seek your support, Lord He."

Upon hearing this, Lord He was momentarily stunned before he stroked his beard and laughed.

"If one cannot be a virtuous minister, one should be a virtuous physician. Since you possess such a heart to save the world and have the foundation of family learning, I shall certainly support you." Lord He had no suspicions regarding Xia Dong's decision. For a scholar to understand medicine was considered a highly respectable and elegant pursuit in this dynasty.

With Lord He's support, opening the clinic was a simple matter for Xia Dong.

The largest medicinal herb merchant in Pingyang County was none other than the He Family.

With his connection to Lord He and his status as a newly minted tribute student, Xia Dong's supply channels for medicinal herbs were naturally unobstructed.

To guard against any ignorant thugs or hooligans, Xia Dong even sought out Magistrate Yang.

Magistrate Yang, who held this young tribute student who had helped him compile the county annals in high regard, waved his brush and bestowed a piece of calligraphy reading "Benevolent Heart, Benevolent Art."

A few days later, these four characters were crafted into a black-lacquered plaque with gold lettering, framed in golden nanmu, and hung high above the main hall of the clinic, which had been converted from the front courtyard of Xia Dong's residence.

The clinic was named "Evergreen."

With Magistrate Yang's personal plaque anchoring the establishment, everyone in Pingyang County—from the various gangs and sects to the ruffians collecting protection money—would respectfully detour when passing the Evergreen Medical Classic, never daring to stir up any trouble.

However, for the first half-month after the clinic opened, business was sparse.

After all, Xia Dong was far too young. Although he held the title of a scholar and tribute student, treating illnesses and saving lives was a matter of life and death, and the common folk naturally trusted the old physicians more.

Xia Dong was not annoyed; he had not opened the clinic to earn a few coins in consultation fees.

It was the season when winter turned to spring, a time of lingering cold, and cases of colds and flu were frequent. Xia Dong simply set up a stall at the entrance of the clinic to provide free consultations for his neighbors and the tenant farmers related to Xiao Hong who lived outside the city.

His touch was miraculous; the prescriptions he wrote were not only inexpensive but often cured the ailment with a single dose. Gradually, the reputation that "Scholar Xia not only writes excellent essays but also possesses medical skills like an immortal" spread through the streets and alleys of Pingyang County.

But what truly made Xia Dong and the Evergreen Medical Classic famous was a stroke of accidental coincidence.

That evening, just as the clinic was about to close, Ding Jiu, a constable from the neighboring street, was carried in on a door plank by several of his colleagues, stumbling as they rushed inside.

Ding Jiu was covered in blood, his right arm twisted at an unnatural angle, his face as pale as paper; he was clearly in extreme agony.

It turned out that a flying thief had appeared in the county. When Ding Jiu led his men to capture him, who would have thought the thief was a martial artist? Not only did he possess formidable external martial arts, but his strikes were also ruthless. Ding Jiu had taken a blow head-on, which not only snapped his bones but also caused the thief's violent internal energy to surge into his body, damaging his meridians.

Ordinary bone-setters, upon seeing such internal martial injuries involving energy and meridians, would wave their hands repeatedly, not daring to treat him.

Ding Jiu was a man from the bottom rungs of society with a meager salary; he could never afford the famous doctors in Linyuan Prefecture who specialized in treating martial artists. Seeing that his arm was about to be crippled, his colleagues, desperate and clutching at straws, remembered the recently well-regarded Xia Dong and braced themselves to carry him over.

"Scholar Xia, please, have mercy and save Brother Jiu! He still has an elderly mother to support!" the men cried, their eyes red with anxiety.

Xia Dong nodded slightly, then employed the most profound pulse-reading method from the Evergreen Medical Classic.

Under the meticulous perception of his soul, the flow of energy within Ding Jiu's body appeared in Xia Dong's mind.

"Hold him down," Xia Dong commanded in a low voice.

Following this, Xia Dong slightly curled the five fingers of his right hand, instantly activating the force-generating techniques of the Dragon-Capturing Hand.

This martial art, originally used for seizing the spine and controlling energy, was now transformed by him into the most exquisite technique of Dragon-Capturing Bone-Setting!

Xia Dong's palm rested seemingly gently on Ding Jiu's twisted right arm, but in reality, his fingertips emitted a hidden force. That clever internal energy, like a swimming dragon, precisely pierced into Ding Jiu's acupoints, smoothing out the meridians damaged by the martial artist and allowing the congested energy to flow freely once more.

Immediately after, Xia Dong's wrist gave a sharp flick.

Crack!

An extremely crisp sound of bones snapping back into place echoed through the room.

There was no heart-wrenching scream; Ding Jiu only felt a wave of soreness and numbness in his right arm, and the piercing, bone-deep pain that had been there moments ago faded like a receding tide. The dislocated, broken bones had been perfectly aligned!

From pulse-reading to bone-setting, it was all done in one fluid motion.

With Ding Jiu as a living advertisement, the threshold of the Evergreen Medical Classic was nearly trampled down.

The old constables from the yamen who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a blade and carried various internal injuries, and even some underworld figures hiding their identities in Pingyang County, all came seeking treatment.

Xia Dong turned none of them away.

Far from being bothered, the more he encountered difficult cases involving damaged meridians and chaotic energy, the more delighted he became.

Every patient who came to his door was an aid in verifying the Evergreen Medical Classic and honing his soul perception and the force-generating techniques of the Dragon-Capturing Hand.

In just a few short months.

With countless instances of soul-based pulse-reading and Dragon-Capturing bone-setting, Xia Dong's medical skills soared at a speed that defied all reason.

On this day, after Xia Dong cured a martial arts instructor who had suffered a qi deviation from forcing a breakthrough.

Clang.

Deep within the sea of consciousness, that long-absent Bronze Ancient Bell emitted a long, clear, and resonant chime.

The skill representing the Evergreen Medical Classic had been forcibly cultivated by him to the realm of "Perfection"!

After seeing the patient off, Xia Dong felt the dense, complex, yet effortlessly accessible medical theories in his mind, his mood exceptionally joyful.

This rate of progress even surprised him slightly, but upon calming down to reflect, it felt like a matter of course.

When all was said and done, he already possessed certain extraordinary traits, naturally setting him apart from ordinary physicians.

Moreover, after the Evergreen Medical Classic reached perfection, a wondrous connection had unexpectedly formed between the Evergreen Medical Classic, the Dragon-Capturing Technique, and the Crane Stance.

These three should be able to merge into a single, special cultivation method. A realization welled up in Xia Dong's heart.