Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Benevolence of the Healer

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“Quick, press the philtrum, the ten Xuan points, Hegu, and Zusanli!” Qin Xiaomo shouted urgently as the Third Young Master’s condition suddenly worsened. “Leave two people here, everyone else out! Open all the doors and windows, and give him warm water to drink.”

The Old Master grew anxious and bellowed, “Do as the Seer says! Out, all of you, out!”

“Seer, the Young Master vomits as soon as he drinks,” reported the devoted attendant, who had tried to give him water, only for it to be thrown up immediately.

“Force it down, even if he vomits.”

“Yes!”

Qin Xiaomo hurried to the Old Master. “Old Master, please have a few things prepared immediately.”

“Just tell me what you need!” The Old Master was nearly beside himself with worry.

“First, set up a bed in the thickest grove by the fish pond. If you’re worried about insects, use a mosquito net. Move the Young Master outside. Second, have someone prepare a basket of oranges, squeeze out the juice, and let him drink as much as possible. Third, from now on, don’t let him eat or drink anything from inside the residence.”

When she finished, the Old Master hesitated—would moving him really help? Qin Xiaomo saw his doubt and, exasperated, shouted, “Do you want to just lie here and wait for death?” The mention of death jolted the Old Master into action, and he immediately ordered people to carry his son out.

At that moment, Xue the Miracle Doctor, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. “No! Old Master, moving the patient recklessly will worsen his condition. The sun is fierce outside, and the Young Master is already weak and exhausted—if you put him out there now, are you trying to kill him?”

“In the shade of the trees, for heaven’s sake! Who said anything about sunbathing? Lying here is just waiting to die!” Qin Xiaomo was so angry that she almost swore.

“Seer, in all my years I have never heard of a sunbathing cure, nor of forbidding food and water. Are you trying to kill the Young Master?”

“I came to save him—why would I want him dead? And what good would it do me if he died? Would I not be risking my own neck?”

“Who knows? Perhaps someone’s paid you to be an assassin.” Xue’s words sowed doubt in the Old Master’s mind as well.

“You quack! You can’t even diagnose the illness, you’re just keeping him alive with ginseng, and now you’re trying to stop me from saving him—what are you after?” Qin Xiaomo was so anxious her words tumbled out. With Xue obstructing her, even a life that could be saved might be lost, and when that happened, the blame would surely fall on her.

At the word “quack,” Xue clenched his teeth so hard they almost shattered, and he barked, “In decades of practice, I have never made a single mistake or harmed a single soul. How dare you—where did you even come from—”

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Before he could finish, Qin Xiaomo stuffed a wad of gauze into his mouth. “Shut up! This is a matter of life and death. I have no interest in hearing you boast about your career.” She turned to the Old Master. “I am right here. I guarantee that if we act now, he will survive. But if we delay until sunset, he will die!”

The Old Master fixed her with a hard stare. “Are you truly confident?”

“If I fail, I’ll pay with my own life!” Qin Xiaomo’s answer was resolute, every word ringing with conviction.

“Very well! I’ll trust you this once.” With difficulty, the Old Master made his decision. “Move the Young Master outside!”

Qin Xiaomo was deeply grateful for the Old Master’s trust, and hurried out with the attendants, running as they went. Time was life itself—she finally understood the feeling of racing against time that real doctors must experience, the pressure and urgency of saving lives.

Xue the Miracle Doctor yanked the gauze from his mouth, his teeth grinding audibly, his eyes blazing with fury. He stormed out, his heart full of bitter resentment.

Surrounded by lush trees and flowers, the Third Young Master, who had been struggling for breath, was now breathing more easily. His loyal attendant fed him orange juice, and he managed to swallow a little. Ten meters away, the servants stood in a row, awaiting orders. The Old Master, anxious but afraid to approach and disturb his son, kept glancing inside from a distance.

Qin Xiaomo lifted the mosquito net and entered. She saw the Third Young Master half-reclining, sipping orange juice. Once a strikingly handsome young man with thick brows and bright eyes, he was now gaunt and emaciated from his illness.

Seeing him awake, she asked softly, “How do you feel?”

He took a few rasping breaths, then slowly replied, “A bit better. Thank…” After another deep breath, “Thank you, Seer.” For some reason, as Xu Zixian, the Third Young Master, looked up at Qin Xiaomo’s delicate face, her furrowed brow and anxious gaze, he felt a sudden, inexplicable trust. Then, recalling how she’d fought Xue for time, his cheeks flushed with anger on her behalf, and admiration flared in him—a feeling he himself did not fully recognize. As long as he was awake, his eyes involuntarily followed her, and even the reassurance she gave him made him feel drowsy and at peace.

“Would you… be willing to trust me to treat you?”

“I trust you. Ever since…” He paused, too weak to finish. The attendant, seeing his struggle, spoke for him: “The Young Master means to say, ever since you moved him into the shade, his breathing has been much easier.” He looked at the Young Master, who nodded gratefully. The attendant was clearly a lifelong confidant.

“It seems you know your Young Master’s wishes well. From now on, I’ll ask you, and if you’re unsure, the Young Master can add to your answer. That way, he can rest, and I won’t lose time diagnosing.” Qin Xiaomo had found a solution that worked for both.

“Excellent!” the attendant said with delight, and the Young Master nodded his approval.

Qin Xiaomo then asked in a low voice, “Apart from you, is there anyone else who can be trusted absolutely?”

The attendant thought a moment, then whispered, “There is one—Ding Zhan. The Young Master once saved his life, and he has followed him through life and death, even shielding him from sword and blade.”

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“Then he must be skilled. Go to him and have him quietly hide all the food from the Young Master’s room, taste the water to see if it’s salty, and if it is, keep it as well. This must be done silently—no one else can know.”

“Seer, why is that?”

“Your Young Master’s illness is highly suspicious.”

The attendant instantly understood, and ran out to deliver the message.

“How is he? What’s happening?” the Old Master, anxious among the crowd, stamped his foot. Seeing the attendant running out, he feared something was wrong and grabbed him.

“The Young Master is better than this morning—he can even speak a little now. Don’t worry, Old Master. The Young Master has a sudden craving for my pastries; I’ll be right back.” The attendant was jubilant.

“Good.” Watching Qin Xiaomo’s figure, the Old Master mused to himself: Who would have thought this Seer truly had a way? If she can really cure my son, she would make a fine daughter-in-law. He weighed the idea silently.

Qin Xiaomo thought: The sun is high now, so the natural oxygen is saving him. If he has another attack tonight, or is poisoned again, he won’t survive. The most urgent thing is to make an oxygen machine, but where in a place like this can I find hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate? Turning, she saw the Old Master still standing there and said, “Old Master, please, come and sit.”

The Old Master looked at the Third Young Master’s pale face. But his breathing was steady, and he was resting quietly, so the Old Master asked in a low voice, “Seer, how is Xian’er’s illness?”

“For now he’s stable, but…” Qin Xiaomo glanced at the distant, noisy crowd. “Old Master, could you have them all disperse? We don’t need so many people—leave only two.”

“All of you, go! You, you—two of you stay, the rest—” He was about to assign people when Qin Xiaomo interrupted.

“Old Master, may I choose who stays?”

“Of course, of course.”

“Thank you, Old Master.”