The pinnacle of the martial arts world - Chapter 76
The disciple replied, "Four days."
"So long?"
No wonder his martial uncle was angry; Yang Luoxue was also surprised. Even with a second pulse-changing procedure, he shouldn't have been unconscious for more than ten hours. He reached out and felt his own pulse; it was erratic and weak, indicating a very bad situation. He gave a bitter smile, "How is the child?"
Du Zixin remained silent. The crowd parted around the bed, and Zhan Yuan knelt on the ground, his face pale and his eyes dark. He kowtowed heavily onto the bed and said, "My sister has passed away. She... passed away happily." After saying this, he kowtowed again, "I am willing to repay the great kindness of the divine physician by serving him like a cow or a horse."
Yang Luoxue closed her eyes briefly; her delicate face appeared as frail as a woman's in her illness.
For the first time, I couldn't keep the patients I had.
Even if you give it your all, you can only save one day from death.
It's still not enough, not enough at all.
Everyone else left, but Zhan Yuan stayed in Yang Luoxue's room to brew medicine, deliver messages, and take care of her daily needs. Everyone felt it was somewhat inappropriate for a martial arts academy's top scholar to be her servant, but Zhan Yuan insisted. On the first day, Yang Luoxue kicked him out of the room, and he knelt outside until dawn, until Yang Luoxue finally gave up.
Half a month later, Yang Luoxue was finally able to get out of bed. However, although her body was weak, no amount of the best tonics could help. She often felt dizzy after walking only a few steps. Yang Luoxue herself was anxious, but the reason why acupuncture was a forbidden technique was because it was extremely harmful to the doctor. There was no other way but to recuperate slowly.
Every ten days, the disciples of the Upper Medical Academy gather to discuss the most outstanding medical cases. Although the daily operations fall on Du Zixin's shoulders, Yang Luoxue will also attend such important occasions.
This time we're talking about phlegm syndrome. Although phlegm syndrome isn't a serious illness, this patient had been ill for so long that medicine had become ineffective. Most doctors would advise the patient's family to start preparing for the worst, but the Medicine King once said, "Only the dead and the cured can be carried out of Medicine King Valley."
Several people stood up and presented medical cases. Du Zixin glanced at Yang Luoxue after hearing each one. Since many old methods had failed, these disciples were proposing extremely bold ideas. Yang Luoxue leaned back in her chair dejectedly, her eyes half-closed, and her expression was unreadable.
At three-quarters past nine in the morning, Zhan Yuan handed the medicine to Yang Luoxue, then stood behind her, his black robes as dark as ink, his eyes calm and collected, like a steadfast shadow. Yang Luoxue held the medicine cup, slowly sipping it like tea, and after listening to the thoughts of several disciples, suddenly asked, "Zhan Yuan, what do you think?"
Zhan Yuan said, "If I were to save this person, I would first use my true energy to activate his internal organs and clear away the phlegm, and then administer the medicine."
Everyone was stunned.
Zhan Yuan said, "My medical skills are not very good; I was just talking casually."
Yang Luoxue's thin lips curved slightly. "This patient is yours to treat."
Even Zhan Yuan himself was stunned. "Me?"
"Hmm, I think this method is good. However, you are the only one who can use this method. The disciples of Medicine King Valley do not have your internal strength. When they make a move, either they cannot transfer their true energy, or they transfer too much and kill the person directly."
Chapter 149
As she spoke, Yang Luoxue stood up, indicating that the meeting was over. A disciple led Zhan Yuan to see the patient. Du Zixin followed Yang Luoxue out, frowning as he asked, "Zhan Yuan isn't a doctor, after all. We can't joke around with the patient's life."
"If your master doesn't trust him, does he not trust me either?" Yang Luoxue picked up a strand of hair and slowly twirled it around her fingertip. "Zhan Yuan has profound internal energy and knows the four meridians, five internal organs, six bowels, seven bones, and eight meridians. Moreover, he has learned a lot of medical principles during his time at the Medical Academy. Such a person, with just a little polishing, is a beautiful piece of jade."
"Do you want him to stay in Medicine King Valley?"
"Um."
"But didn't you say that after Xiao Yan left, you would send him to Yuewei Pavilion?"
“I’ve changed my mind.” Yang Luoxue smiled slightly, twirling a strand of hair. “Rather than sending someone to their death, it’s better to keep them alive and help more people find a way to live.” He looked up at the tall treetops. “If the scholars of Yuewei Pavilion truly understand the ways of the world, they will surely understand this principle.”
Du Zixin was still uneasy, "But, what kind of people does Yuewei Pavilion need to take in—"
"Who said Zhan Yuan is someone Yuewei Pavilion wants? Who knows about this? Besides, the fact that Yuewei Pavilion hasn't contacted Zhan Yuan yet means he's alright." He patted Du Zixin on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take responsibility if anything happens. Hey, Uncle-Master, what kind of birds are those?"
This junior apprentice always spoke his mind, leaving no room for others to interject, so Du Zixin had no choice but to give up. He replied, "Sparrow."
"Really?" Yang Luoxue squinted and looked at it. "Uncle-Master has good eyesight. You can see clearly from this far away."
"It's your own fault for not being able to see clearly; you're not even as good as an old man like me." As he spoke, a disciple from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Academy came forward to greet him, and Du Zixin went to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Academy.
Yang Luoxue stood still, still looking up at the sparrows.
In his eyes, he could only see gray shadows.
To the surprise of the disciples of Medicine King Valley, Zhan Yuan cured the patient.
However, even more shocking news was yet to come: Yang Luoxue had been in charge of Medicine King Valley for three years, and her reputation as a divine physician had spread throughout the world. Finally, in October of that year, she accepted a disciple.
This disciple is Zhan Yuan.
Although Zhan Yuan already had a master, in this peaceful martial world, the importance of mastery was not as great as it had been a hundred years ago. In particular, the Wenwu Academy itself was a new sect that brought together the martial arts and masters of various schools, and each disciple had more than a dozen teachers, so the concept of mastery was even less important.
However, it wasn't a small matter for the top scholar of the Martial Arts Academy to become a disciple of Medicine King Valley. Out of courtesy, Medicine King Valley still had to write a letter to the head of the Martial Arts Academy, which Zhan Yuan would personally deliver. Headmaster Xiao Pingjun was extremely easygoing, praising Zhan Yuan for combining martial arts and medical skills, a remarkable achievement in the martial arts world. He even said, "Since you've already become the top scholar at the Martial Arts Academy, you should also obtain some kind of title at Medicine King Valley."
Few disciples of Medicine King Valley knew internal energy cultivation, let alone how to use it to treat illnesses. Therefore, they all admired Zhan Yuan greatly and asked him for guidance. Yang Luoxue would occasionally point out a few patients to Zhan Yuan, and in private, she would teach him some medical principles.
Zhan Yuan's progress was extremely rapid. In less than three months, everyone knew that Medicine King Valley had a new Doctor Zhan who could save lives without medicine or acupuncture, using only his internal energy. Although the story was somewhat exaggerated, healing with internal energy was indeed Zhan Yuan's innovation, which inspired many disciples in the valley to begin practicing internal energy cultivation.
Chapter 150
Yang Luoxue's health, however, did not improve much. Although he could move around normally, he was easily tired and had trouble sleeping. He knew it was due to qi deficiency, but after so long of recuperation, he was gradually becoming impatient.
What frustrated him even more was that after applying the acupuncture needles to the acupoints, his eyesight deteriorated significantly, and he would sometimes miss the acupoints when inserting needles into patients—a mistake he would never have made when he was eight years old!
He took a deep breath and handed the needle to Zhan Yuan, who was standing beside him. "You do it."
He went outside to get some fresh air.
His fingertips trembled slightly inside his sleeve.
Forbidden techniques.
It was indeed a forbidden technique.
The technique of applying acupuncture points with a golden needle is a direct lineage passed down only in Medicine King Valley. Only those designated as the next Medicine King are qualified to learn it.