Leisurely Doctor's Life (7)

At this moment, Kubota Noriyuki had completely shed any sense of contempt. It could be said that the previous three strikes had thoroughly convinced him that the person before his eyes was a true master of the craft.

In his view, although Bai Sui used a relatively rare double-edged blade, his technique was exquisite and his power was astonishing.

Little did he know that Bai Sui had never actually specialized in any sword style; he relied purely on his superior physical fitness, faster movements, quicker reactions, and greater strength.

There was a brief pause between the two; after all, this was just a spar, not a life-or-death struggle, and Bai Sui did not press the attack.

Seeing that Kubota Noriyuki had regained his balance, Bai Sui launched another preemptive strike, a simple step forward followed by a side slash.

Kubota Noriyuki had been watching Bai Sui's every move since a moment ago and responded immediately. He shifted his center of gravity slightly lower and blocked with his long sword. He knew he lacked the offensive advantage and could only defend first, searching for flaws in Bai Sui's form to launch a counterattack.

However, Bai Sui did not let up. He lunged forward with a step-in thrust, followed by a wrist-turning sweep, forcing his opponent to remain on the defensive.

After a simple exchange of moves, Bai Sui realized his own standing. It could be said that he was entirely bullying the other man with his physique; he had never practiced any refined techniques, and continuing the fight would be meaningless for him.

Thus, Bai Sui executed a low thrust, forcing his opponent to turn and defend, leaving him no choice but to meet the next strike with one hand. Bai Sui then pulled back his arm and unleashed a half-swinging horizontal sweep, using half of his total strength.

Blade met sword with a sharp "clang." Under the immense force, Kubota Noriyuki felt the webbing between his thumb and index finger tear, and his long sword was sent flying.

Looking at his bleeding right hand, Kubota Noriyuki bowed to Bai Sui. "I am terribly sorry. I actually doubted whether you had ever truly practiced swordsmanship. I was truly blind. Please forgive me!"

Seeing the other man apologize so sincerely, Bai Sui was momentarily caught off guard. What was this? Was this the power of defeating an opponent with sincerity?

Bai Sui quickly stepped forward to help him up. "Not at all, not at all. I really don't look like someone who has practiced swordsmanship, so it's normal for you to have such doubts. Come, come, let's go inside, let me look at your leg."

After asking about Kubota Noriyuki's sensations and examining the painful area to confirm there was no crepitus or obvious deformity, he said, "This is an ankle sprain. Have you sprained it before?"

Kubota Noriyuki nodded. "I sprained it when I was practicing kendo as a child. It's always this same foot, and it's been spraining every now and then over the years."

Bai Sui nodded in understanding. He took out a filiform needle fashioned from a Qi Sword and inserted it straight into the Kunlun Point between the lateral malleolus and the Achilles tendon, about an inch deep. Immediately after, Bai Sui channeled his internal Qi into the point in the form of Earth-attribute energy.

"Hiss~" Kubota Noriyuki gasped slightly.

Bai Sui asked casually, "What does it feel like?"

"Sour, numb—the numbness is traveling from my ankle all the way to my toes," Kubota Noriyuki replied immediately.

Bai Sui nodded. Ignoring him, he proceeded to the Juegu Point, also known as the Xuanzhong Point, located three inches above the lateral malleolus. He inserted the needle an inch deep and channeled the Earth-attribute Qi inside.

This time, before Bai Sui could ask, Kubota Noriyuki spoke up, "This time, it's not just my toes; my whole foot feels very sour and swollen."

After letting the needles remain for half an hour, Bai Sui removed them. He sensed the Qi he had injected into the acupoints and felt relieved when he discovered it had traveled along the meridians to the injury site, adhering to it to nourish the tissue.

This was a method Bai Sui had explored over the past few years. Simply injecting Earth-attribute Qi into the corresponding acupoints could greatly enhance the healing effect without any side effects. The only thing to watch out for was avoiding results that were too effective, which might draw unwanted attention.

After removing the needles, Bai Sui took an ounce of Wood Sorrel, mashed it, and applied it to the sprained area.

"There you go. Keep this poultice on until tonight, then you can remove it. You don't need to come tomorrow; come back the day after, and then once more the day after that. Three treatments like this will cure the root cause. Also, avoid strenuous activity during this time and don't put too much pressure on your ankle to prevent it from worsening," Bai Sui instructed before the man left.

In truth, the herbal poultice was completely unnecessary; the acupuncture alone had already healed him. Bai Sui was just masking the effect to make it seem less miraculous. Even if the man went back and started exercising, it wouldn't matter much, as the Qi adhering to the injury would finish healing the damage by the time he returned home.

Yes, over these years, Bai Sui had relied on his miraculous Qi and his rudimentary knowledge of acupuncture to treat all sorts of illnesses, large and small, for the villagers.

In reality, the village was so small that many diseases didn't even exist there, leaving Bai Sui with few opportunities to even practice his craft.

Moreover, because everyone was engaged in manual labor, they were all robust and rarely fell ill; most issues were just wear and tear, which were easily managed under Bai Sui's care.

Nowadays, Bai Sui was often troubled by the fact that his Qi was too effective, as it left him with no opportunities to hone his skills.

At the same time, his moral compass prevented him from intentionally delaying treatment for the villagers; after all, being able to help but choosing not to was a different matter entirely.

However, an excellent person will always be noticed.

And so, through the mouths of several traveling merchants who had visited the village, the reputation of Bai Sui, the miracle doctor, began to spread.

Of course, this was mostly among the lower-class commoners, as this world still possessed ninjutsu.

Although they might not be as proficient in the arts as the Senju or Uzumaki clans, the miraculous effects of chakra were always being developed by someone.

Especially those clans with hundreds or thousands of years of heritage; in the long passage of time, every clan that survived to this day had not only specialized in their own secret techniques and bloodline limits but had also dabbled in a wide range of other fields.

Likewise, thanks to the application of chakra, it wasn't just the ninja clans; even the nobility of various countries could enjoy its benefits.

Therefore, even if people heard about Bai Sui, they merely assumed he had mastered some decent techniques for a commoner, but they were absolutely incomparable to a ninja.

Bai Sui was simply unaware of these nuances; otherwise, he would have been very grateful for their contempt. After all, quietly nesting in this small village and slowly raising his own life level was exactly what he wanted.

As for other things like power and fame, on one hand, Bai Sui's innate personality made him uninterested in them. Furthermore, having experienced his family's fall from grace in his previous life, the insights he gained regarding gain and loss made him intentionally distance himself from power.

On the other hand, Bai Sui knew that once he achieved the Dao, he could easily obtain the power that ordinary people craved, should he ever desire it.