282: Chapter 282 Healing the World

As the voice fell, the entire street fell silent for a breath.

The commoners waiting in line looked at each other, and no one made a sound.

Logically speaking, consultations at Ciyin Medical Valley all required waiting in line.

But after all, this was a matter of life and death, so it wasn't easy for everyone to say much.

After about a few breaths,

from inside the main gates came a few slight sounds of footsteps.

Then the gates were pushed open a crack from the inside, followed by being fully opened.

The one who walked out was a young maiden.

She wore a plain cyan long dress, fastened only with a wooden hairpin. Her footsteps were light, her features delicate, and she possessed a pair of eyes as gentle as shallow water.

Walking out, she first swept a glance at those half-kneeling Martial Artists without stopping her steps.

She walked straight to the injured person placed on the ground, bent down before them, and reached out to cover the other person's pulse gate.

The brocade-robed man and the others knelt halfway in place, not daring to breathe loudly.

Bai Nianci had just placed her hand on the pulse gate when her brows slightly furrowed, and she softly said:

"Abdominal cavity damaged, internal organs displaced, Qi and blood flowing backward, and two vital meridians injured."

The brocade-robed man's voice was somewhat hoarse as he spoke in a deep voice: "Doctor... can they be saved?"

"Were it not for a Martial Artist foundation, an ordinary person suffering this injury would have collapsed long ago," the young maiden did not answer directly.

"But his foundation is still there, and his Qi and blood have not yet been cut off; I have a way."

The brocade-robed man lowered his head, his eye sockets slightly red, and forcefully suppressed it.

The young maiden had already stood up, taking out from the medicine pouch at her waist a silver needle no thicker than an embroidery needle. Slightly turning her wrist, she probed the side of the injured person's neck, and then silently dropped the needle.

The precision of that needle was extremely exact; a hidden acupoint on the side of the neck was sealed. The Qi and blood that were still surging backward suddenly stalled, just like a solid dam thrust into a river channel, and the backward-flooding momentum abruptly slowed.

The brocade-robed man saw it clearly: the injured person's body, which had still been trembling slightly, grew much less shaky the moment that needle fell.

He did not know medical principles, but he knew what that needle had stabilized.

The young maiden did not raise her head, her eyes lowered, and her wrists moved continuously. The silver needles shuttled between her fingers like flowing water and moving clouds, dropping down one by one with precision.

Abdomen, chest, wrists, knee bends—every single spot was without the slightest error.

With every single needle, the injured person's breath stabilized by a fraction.

The crowd gathered outside quietly huddled closer, everyone holding their breath and only daring to look with the corners of their eyes.

That passing Martial Artist also didn't move his steps, standing right in the cleared gap, his gaze locked unblinkingly onto the young maiden's hands.

This skill with silver needles—looking across the entire Great Wei, how many people could have it?

The young maiden withdrew the last needle and took out a Medicinal Pill from the deepest part of her medicine pouch.

That Medicinal Pill was about the size of a thumb-nail, deep in color, with a few faint patterns flowing across its surface,

resting quietly in her palm, a faint medicinal fragrance drifted out, seeping into the nasal cavity, making one feel spiritually refreshed and full of Divine Qi just by smelling it.

Even if the people present did not understand pharmacology, they could tell that this Medicinal Pill must be extremely precious.

True Qi flowed from the young maiden's fingertips, gently prying open the injured person's teeth, sending that Medicinal Pill into their mouth, and slowly guiding it to melt away.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

The injured person's breathing gradually grew steady from being extremely shallow, and the ashen color on their face receded bit by bit, replaced by a trace of extremely faint yet real blood color.

The brocade-robed man stared at the injured person, the stifled Qi in his chest slowly releasing, and even his throat grew sore for a spell.

He abruptly raised his hand and bowed deeply toward the young maiden:

"Doctor, by making a move to save my brother, your great kindness and virtue, we shall engrave in our hearts for the rest of our lives!"

Those few attendants around also followed suit by bowing in salute, speaking all at once, their voices rough and loud:

"Many thanks, Doctor!"

"Immense grace, Doctor!"

The leader of the group still wanted to give money, but saw the young maiden stand up, gently wave her hand, and calmly instruct:

"Though this person's injuries are temporarily stabilized, the abdominal cavity still needs recuperation and cannot be moved lightly. For the nearly seven days, avoid spicy food in diet, avoid violent cultivation, and avoid drastic grief or joy. I will write a recuperation prescription, and you shall follow it."

"Yes, yes, whatever the Doctor says goes!"

The brocade-robed man repeatedly agreed, his eye sockets still carrying unscattered redness, and his expression held a few traces of suppressed excitement.

Seeing this scene, the surrounding commoners gradually also breathed a sigh of relief,

"As expected of Ciyin Medical Valley."

"Superb medical skills, truly living up to its reputation."

"You think not? Didn't you see that Fairy Bai made the move? She is a Personal Disciple in the valley, and among the top five of this Martial Arts Tournament..."

Some sighed in emotion, some discussed, all praising the other party's medical skills.

Just as that group of people was still repeatedly expressing thanks outside the courtyard gate, another person walked out from inside the courtyard gate.

Several years older than that young maiden, her hair bun combed meticulously, her brows and eyes cold and aloof, standing there with her own aura of dignity without anger, she looked like a person of strict and upright character.

Liu Qing walked out, her gaze sweeping a circle. She first glanced at those half-kneeling Martial Artists and the injured person on the ground, then her gaze fell on Bai Nianci's face, pausing for a moment.

"Nianci, come in."

Bai Nianci nodded toward the brocade-robed man, gave an acknowledgment, and then turned to follow that woman into the courtyard.

The main gates closed behind them.

...

Inside the side room, the window shutters were half-open. Noon sunlight leaked in through the gap as a single thread, cutting a slender strip of light onto the ground.

That older woman sat steadily in a chair, holding a cup of tea in her hand, and looked at Bai Nianci for a moment.

"Sit down and speak."

Bai Nianci sat down opposite her, her eyes not dodging away.

That woman put down the teacup and slowly opened her mouth:

"The Medicinal Pill just now, do you know which one it was?"

Bai Nianci thought for a moment and replied: "It is the Eight-Treasure Life-Prolonging Pill prepared in the valley."

Liu Qing narrowed her eyes, taking over her words: "You knew, yet you still gave it out."

"Senior Sister Liu, that person's injuries were critical. If time drags on any longer, even immortals coming would not be able to save them,"

Liu Qing fell silent for a beat.

"Nianci," she sighed, her tone slowing a bit,

"I am not saying you saved the wrong person. What I am saying is, with you acting alone, how many injured people in the world can you save?"

"I cannot save them all... But those in front of me that I can save, I must save."

Hearing these words, Liu Qing twisted her brows slightly and did not speak immediately.

"You took out that Medicinal Pill right on the street, and administered it in front of so many pairs of eyes. Do you know how many people around were staring at you during that time?"

Bai Nianci did not answer.

"The imperial capital is not like our Medical Valley," that woman stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the street outside that still gathered scattered crowds.

"The people here are knowledgeable and experienced, and even more people have seen good goods. What is an Eight-Treasure Life-Prolonging Pill worth outside? Those in the know can recognize it at a glance.

As a little girl who looks to be only seventeen or eighteen, you casually gave one away without taking it seriously."

"Those with ulterior motives will then know how many more you have on your person."

Bai Nianci pressed her lips together and made no sound.

"I know you have a good heart," Liu Qing turned her head, her gaze complex, "but sometimes a good heart will bring trouble to yourself and bring trouble to others as well."

"Grandmaster set the rules: when practicing medicine outside, one must not easily expose the School's identity, must not casually use precious medicinal materials, and must not display wealth without cause."

"It is not that our Medical Valley is hard-hearted, but in this Jianghu, the danger in some places is deeper than you imagine."

The side room was quiet for a spell.

Bai Nianci lowered her eyes and slowly pressed her lips together.

"I have noted it down."

"You have noted it down, but you will still save people again," Liu Qing looked at her fixedly, her tone unclear whether it was a sigh or helplessness,

"I have known you for so many years; I am clear about this temperament of yours."

Bai Nianci did not deny it, only sitting silently.

"I understand, Senior Sister."

"Today, stay in the clinic and you are not allowed to go out; reflect properly."

That woman pushed open the door of the side room and walked out.

The side room quieted down again, and the sunlight moved inch by inch across the ground, slowly pushing away that slender strip of light.

...

Chen Ran stood at the end of the line, taking everything before his eyes completely in.

He recalled the scene that happened shortly before: that near-death patient actually stabilized their injuries extremely quickly after being fed an injury-healing pill.

"Such a high-grade Medicinal Pill, as expected of a Personal Disciple of Ciyin Medical Valley, she certainly has many Medicinal Pills on her..."

He instinctively cast his gaze onto the courtyard's main gates, his heart already quietly turning to another matter.

Ciyin Medical Valley practiced both medicine and martial arts (Dual Cultivation), proficient in the medical Dao and the pharmacological Dao. For Disciples of such a School, matters of Alchemy were naturally a breeze.

In his hands, he had a Yao Beast inner core that had been shelved for some days.

Comparable to a second-grade Yao Beast inner core, if handed over to a knowledgeable Alchemist to refine, supplemented with medicinal materials, and extracting and condensing the essence within the inner core, the effect could multiply severalfold.

This severalfold increase, when placed on him, meant the gap of several decades of internal cultivation.

Several decades of internal power...

Chen Ran moved forward a step, his face holding no particular expression, but a gleam flashed through the depths of his eyes.

"Perhaps they are a very good tool..."

Chen Ran looked forward in the line and saw figures shuttling back and forth inside that half-open courtyard gate, occasionally sending out the soft words of consultation.

He tucked his hands into his sleeves, stood firmly, and moved forward step by step along with the long dragon of a queue.

Sunlight spread across the street, voices were murmuring, and the scents from all directions mixed together—there was the bitter fragrance of medicinal materials and the cooking smoke drifting from the street stalls.

Chen Ran half-closed his eyes, neither hurried nor slow.

After waiting for a few quarters of an hour, the crowd slowly moved forward, and a sound came from afar.

"Next, enter."