Just then, a worker rushed in in a panic and said, "Director Qiu, a colleague accidentally startled some bees in the bee farm and got stung. Please go and take a look."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ru quickly said, "Don't worry, I have medicine to treat bee venom in my room. I'll go get it right away."
Song Hao said, "Go get the medicine, we'll go take a look first." Then he led the group out.
The worker led Song Hao and the others to the bee farm, where a group of workers were anxiously waiting around a person lying on the ground.
"General Manager Song has come to see everyone. Director Qiu has gone to get the antidote for bee venom," the worker who had spoken earlier excitedly called out to everyone.
When Song Hao stepped forward to investigate, he was taken aback. A worker had been stung on the forehead by a venomous bee, and the swelling was spreading, almost blocking his eye. The worker was groaning in pain. The Baicao Garden's bee farm had introduced several types of venomous bees, including a large bumblebee that Qiu Ru had transplanted from Wansong Ridge. Untamed and highly venomous, this was the bee that had stung the worker. Besides producing medicinal bee products for Tianyitang, the bee farm also supplied venomous bees to the bee acupuncture treatment room in the acupuncture department. Its effects in treating rheumatism were remarkably good.
"Just bear with it a little longer, your Director Qiu will be here with the antidote soon," Luo Feiying said hastily, trying to comfort him, as she was also terrified by the worker's injuries.
"The old Taoist priest is here!" At this moment, the workers parted to the sides, and Wu Feizi walked in.
"Sigh! You just won't listen!" Wu Feizi shook his head and said, "You're still keeping your distance from the bees. You must wear protective suits. Wasn't that a rule already set in the garden? Why won't you listen? If you're stung in a vital area by these poisonous bees and don't receive timely treatment, you'll lose your life." Seeing the worker's injuries, Wu Feizi also calmed down. The workers around him all lowered their heads.
"Senior brother, Qiu Ru has gone to get the antidote for bee venom. She'll be back soon, so everything should be fine," Song Hao said.
“Even if there is medicine to cure bee venom, it will probably still hurt for a day. Let me try it.” Wu Feizi said, helping the worker sit up and instructing him, “Endure the pain for now and imagine yourself sitting in the freezing cold.”
After Wufeizi finished speaking, he found a tree branch nearby and drew the character "井" (well) on the ground in front of the worker. Then, he muttered something under his breath. A moment later, he reached out and took a small amount of soil from the center of the "井" character, mixed it with his saliva, and applied it to the worker's sting wound.
"What kind of magic is the old Taoist priest performing?" the workers asked curiously.
"Senior brother, what are you doing..." Song Hao asked, bewildered.
"A forbidden technique!" Wufeizi said, "This is a forbidden technique that my master taught me in my early years to treat bee stings and insect bites. It still belongs to the Zhuyou school."
"The Zhuyou School!" Tang Yu, Luo Feiying, and Li He were surprised to hear this.
Ji Dongyang stood to the side, seemingly unconcerned. He had initially planned to treat the worker who had been stung by the poisonous bees, after mentally calculating the possible effects, but Wu Feizi beat him to it, so he stood aside and watched silently.
"Master, are you also skilled in the art of incantation healing? Has this technique not been lost?" Song Hao asked in surprise.
"My master has devoted his life to the study of Qimen Dunjia divination and inherited the true text of Zhuyou from our ancestral master, hence his knowledge of this art. However, my master did not include this art in the orthodox medical tradition, and it is still regarded as a superstitious practice by the world, so he did not pass it on to you. The art of Zhuyou is not suitable for your Tianyi Hall," Wufeizi said.
"So Master learned the long-lost art of incantation healing. No wonder he firmly believes in the existence of the miraculous cure without medicine and has a great interest in divination techniques!" Song Hao realized.
"Old Taoist priest, your magic is so effective! It doesn't hurt anymore!" the worker who had been stung by the bees exclaimed in delight.
When everyone looked again, the swelling had miraculously subsided. Such a remarkable effect, achieved in just three or four minutes, astonished all the onlookers.
"The antidote for bee venom is here!" Qiu Ru ran over at that moment.
Chapter 18 Standoff
The three months of summer are called the season of flourishing and growth. Heaven and earth's energies intertwine, and all things blossom and bear fruit. Go to bed late and rise early, without being averse to the sun, keep your mind free from anger, allow your vitality to flourish, and let your energy flow freely, as if your heart were drawn to the outside world. This is the proper response to the summer's energy, the way to nourish growth. — *The Inner Canon of Medicine*, Chapter on Regulating the Spirit in Accordance with the Four Seasons
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That evening, Lin Fengyi, Wu Qiguang, and Song Zihe went to Song Hao's room.
"Song Hao, I heard that two strange things happened at the Hundred Herbs Garden. Your Taoist senior brother actually used the art of incantation to cure a worker who had been stung by a bee. And Li He's stubborn illness was also unexpectedly cured by someone else. How come I've never heard of this medical master before?" Lin Fengyi asked blankly at first.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao knew that Ji Dongyang's presence at the Hundred Herbs Garden was no longer a secret, so he said, "This person is from the Ji family of the medical sect, and is skilled in the secret technique of the Divine Prescription Without Medicine."
Song Hao then gave a general account of the "miracle cure without medicine," and mentioned that Ji Dongyang had encountered some trouble because of this medical secret, and was temporarily staying at the Hundred Herbs Garden. He did not mention the various dangers, so as not to worry Lin Fengyi, Song Zihe, and the others.
"It seems there really is a unique medical practice here! The Zhuyou School and the Divine Prescription Without Medicine must belong to it," Lin Fengyi remarked.
“There are different levels in medicine. For example, we learn medical skills, which are also different in level. The next level is the extraordinary skills, such as Teacher Wu’s Ice and Fire Divine Needle and Teacher Lin’s pulse diagnosis. And the next level is the divine skills. I think the Medicineless Divine Prescription and the Zhu You Ke are secret techniques between extraordinary skills and divine skills, so you can also call them divine skills,” Song Hao said.
Wu Qiguang nodded and said, "There are countless medical methods, and any technique that can cure an illness is a good technique. However, secret techniques such as the 'miracle cure without medicine' and the 'incantation therapy' can cure an illness but not a time. It is not appropriate to use them at Tianyitang Clinic at this time. They are only used occasionally to treat a few difficult and complicated diseases."
Song Hao said, "That's what I think for now. Besides, Ji Dongyang is a man in distress, so it's inconvenient for him to show up at Tianyi Hall to treat patients. He's just temporarily staying at Baicao Garden. Whether he stays or leaves will be discussed later. If he's willing to share his techniques, we'll record them in Tianyi Hall for future research on their mechanisms."
Upon hearing this, Lin Fengyi praised, "This is a good approach. It's best not to change the traditional Chinese medicine characteristics of Tianyitang."
Song Zihe said, "A miraculous cure without medicine! When your great-grandfather was alive, he seemed to have mentioned a legendary medical secret technique, which was actually researched and mastered by the Ji family of the medical sect. It's really not simple! Since this Ji Dongyang has come to you, you should treat him well."
“By the way, Song Hao,” Wu Qiguang said, “I heard that Yingying’s father, Luo Beiming, came to Tianyi Hall. What is he doing here? Haven’t he done enough evil deeds? If he weren’t Yingying’s father, people like him wouldn’t be allowed to step into Tianyi Hall.”
“That’s right,” Song Hao said. “He came to see Yingying and Li He, but he’s already left.”
"That's good!" Wu Qiguang said, "We should ignore this kind of medical scoundrel from now on. It's just that it's tough on Yingying in this situation. Also, I heard that Li He is willing to join the Heavenly Medicine Hall. You should be careful. After all, he is from the Demon Needle Sect and can use that kind of reverse needle technique. Don't let the Luo family's Demon Needle technique bring disaster to the Heavenly Medicine Hall. Yingying and this person are two different things."
“I know that,” Song Hao said. “I’ve heard Yingying say that Li He used to be an upright person, and like her, he despised the Luo family’s actions. He has the will to reform and do good. I think we should give him a chance to start anew. Of course, when to officially join the Heavenly Medicine Hall is still undecided. There are a few things that need to be resolved before that. In my opinion, Li He is a genius in acupuncture, and his joining the Heavenly Medicine Hall would be a beneficial addition to our team.”
Song Zihe said, "You should make the decision yourself. We are just giving you advice and a reminder. Although Tianyi Hall is recruiting talents, it is also necessary to make distinctions. No matter how skilled a person is, if they are talented but lack virtue, they will not be allowed to enter Tianyi Hall."
“I will understand,” Song Hao nodded in response.
After seeing off Song Zihe, Wu Qiguang, and Lin Fengyi, Song Hao then found Tang Yu and said, "It's no longer a secret that Ji Dongyang is hiding in Baicaoyuan. Gu Xiaofeng will definitely take action. Tell Xiao Wu to strengthen the security of Baicaoyuan to prevent him from taking him away."
Tang Yu said, "Let's do it this way. I will stay at the Hundred Herbs Garden starting tomorrow to deal with any unforeseen circumstances."
Song Hao nodded and said, "Alright, with you and Xiao Wu, two experts, we should be able to protect Ji Dongyang. Besides, as long as we keep him from leaving the Hundred Herbs Garden, Gu Xiaofeng can't do anything about it. He wouldn't go so far as to snatch him from inside the Hundred Herbs Garden, would he?"
"For safety's sake, have Qiu Ru move Ji Dongyang to another place tomorrow, and he can't go out and move around freely. This is to prevent Gu Xiaofeng from openly robbing him but secretly attacking him. If he breaks into Baicao Garden at night and kidnaps him, there's nothing we can do. As long as they can't find him, we'll have a way to deal with them," Tang Yu said.
"It would be best if we could coexist peacefully with the Gate of Life and Death! With them around, we can dispel the thoughts of some people and also stop some people who have ill intentions towards Ji Dongyang from coming here again," Song Hao said.
Tang Yu said, "The current situation is still in our favor. After all, Gu Xiaofeng's relationship with you is somewhat special, and he should have some concerns. Even if that day really comes, I don't think he will harm you. We haven't seen his true abilities, but he must be an unfathomable master. So, we should keep him calm as long as possible and avoid conflict with him. Of course, if he dares to openly snatch someone from Baicao Garden, then we won't be so polite to him."
And so, more than ten days passed, and Gu Xiaofeng did not make any unusual moves. However, the security department told Song Hao that the people from the Life and Death Gate had not yet left the county town and Baihe Town, and that people were appearing at Tianyi Hall and Wansongling every day.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao, aside from informing Tang Yu and the squad leader to strengthen security at the Hundred Herbs Garden, paid little attention to it.