The bamboo door opened, and Su Mu stepped into Yunhe Clinic for the first ti.
On both sides of the pebble-paved path, bamboo groves stood tall; a gentle breeze rustled through, making the bamboo leaves sound like cascading water. Su Mu followed the Little Doctor through the bamboo to a cluster of rooms ahead.
Now, within the subtle fragrance of bamboo leaves, wafts of herbal aroma began to perate the air. On both sides of the houses and in the rear courtyard, herb gardens had been cultivated.
The Little Doctor led Su Mu into the main hall; inside was an antique elegance—with a tea-brewing kettle suspended from the beam. Both sides featured bookshelves packed full, and aside from a writing desk and several palm-leaf mats, there was nothing else.
Su Mu was surprised to see so many books on the shelves, but his heart stirred slightly; he’d thought about learning dicine before—after all, more skills never weigh one down.
However, after visiting pharmacies to ask for prescriptions and being refused by every shop in unison, Su Mu temporarily let go of this idea.
Even a single prescription was guarded jealously, let alone the far more precious dical Skill itself.
At the town’s pharmacies, Su Mu noticed the old Pharmacists would always step into the inner hall when treating patients, never allowing apprentices to observe. Their attitude was obvious enough; Su Mu had no intention of courting rejection and knocking on their doors.
Once inside, the Little Doctor invited Su Mu over to the writing desk.
"Brother, let check your pulse first."
The Little Doctor’s tone was tinged with nervousness—and a hint of anticipation.
Su Mu extended his hand as instructed, knowing it was part of the treatnt routine, one he was quite familiar with.
Soon, two slender, delicate fingers landed on Su Mu’s wrist. After assessing his pulse for a while, the Little Doctor’s brows arched in subtle confusion.
"Brother... your breath is long, pulse steady and strong, plus your Qi Blood is far stronger than the average person—by your pulse, nothing seems amiss."
When Su Mu heard this, he sighed inwardly and, not holding out hope, spoke up: "To be honest, whenever it rains, I feel an unbearable itch, like insects crawling inside . I’ve visited other clinics in the city, and an old doctor once used Silver Needle on and found a fierce Gu Poison entrenched near my heart."
"He then pointed here to see Pharmacist Lin."
Voicing the Gu Poison directly, Su Mu had his own reasons. He wanted the Little Doctor to realize the difficulty and withdraw, saving them both so wasted ti—better to chat and warm up the relationship a bit instead.
Yet on hearing the words ’Gu Poison’, the Little Doctor didn’t seem frightened. Rather, a gleam of joy lit up those limpid eyes.
"My master taught a little about treating Gu Poison—I also know so Silver Needle Technique myself. Brother, would you let take a look?"
Su Mu caught this hint of excitent, and joy surged in his heart.
In the phrasing, he keenly picked up a ssage: Pharmacist Lin truly knew Gu Poison, and the hope for Detoxification burned brighter.
Without hesitation, Su Mu resolved—today, he would let the Little Doctor have a try.
"The old doctor said the poison inside is fierce. Little Doctor, you must be careful."
"Co with ."
Whether or not the Little Doctor actually absorbed the warning, he excitedly led Su Mu to a side room off the main hall—a room set aside for treating patients.
"Brother, lie down, please."
The Little Doctor pointed to a bamboo bed behind the curtain. Su Mu obeyed and untied his upper garnt, while the Little Doctor sterilized Silver Needles in the lamp fla, glancing at Su Mu out of the corner of his eye, cheeks instantly tinged with two spots of red.
Secretly swallowed a small mouthful of saliva.
Even through the bamboo curtain, the sight was captivating—a result of nearly two years of Martial Arts practice, along with months of hearty at and Body-Strengthening Soup. Usually, it didn’t seem much, but when Su Mu undressed, muscles hidden beneath his clothes erged, sharp as if carved, emanating a sense of Power.
Soon, the Little Doctor lifted the curtain and approached, Silver Needle in hand. The mont his fingertips touched Su Mu’s chest, a tingling numbness shot through—the Little Doctor’s face flushed deeper and felt hot.
But quickly, he focused all his attention, inserting Silver Needles one after another.
After a while, the Little Doctor began withdrawing them, needle by needle, until, pulling a Silver Needle from Su Mu’s chest, the tip ca out pitch-black and accompanied by a foul, fishy stench.
Then, a horrifying sight played out—the Silver Needle was visibly corroded.
The Little Doctor seed petrified by this scene, frozen in place. Seeing this, Su Mu sighed deeply and promptly snatched the Silver Needle, tossing it to the ground.
"This Little Doctor truly isn’t reliable."
Su Mu quietly berated, sitting up imdiately to dress, already set on leaving.
But after a brief mont, the Little Doctor ca back to himself, pressing a hand to Su Mu’s chest. "Lie down quickly."
"Ren ridian, Chest Acupoint—the poison can erode Silver Needles..."
"Brother, your poisoning runs deep. My master once said there are three ways in this world to treat Gu Poison. The first is the principle of mutual generation and counteraction—most Detoxification thods use this."
"The second is fighting poison with poison, but right now, we don’t know what kind of Gu Poison you have, and this thod is also extrely dangerous."
"The last is not so much a Detoxification as a ans of relief—using outside force to drive out the Gu Poison from the body. I can try this third thod for you."
Upon hearing this, Su Mu’s eyes brightened. Though he could see the Little Doctor was hesitant, the hope before him made Su Mu want to give it a chance.
"I’ll trouble you, Little Doctor."
"Alright—your Gu Poison is very toxic, so ordinary bloodletting won’t work. Next, I’ll use Silver Needle to seal the acupoints and ridians around your heart, then use Silver Needle to force it out."
Seal ridians with Silver Needle, then expel poisoned blood?
Su Mu was shocked; he had underestimated the Little Doctor, and wondered at the dical mastery of Pharmacist Lin who could teach such skills.
Suddenly, Su Mu felt a greater surge of expectation—and hatched a new idea.
"Maybe I can seize the chance to steal so skills!"
The Little Doctor swiftly switched to a new set of Silver Needles, sterilized them again in the lamp fla, and began anew. As each needle went in, Su Mu slightly narrowed his eyes—his Jade-Level Enlightennt, with a score of 14, displayed astonishing prowess at that mont.
Watching the Little Doctor’s needling technique, Su Mu morized it while his mind simultaneously conjured the corresponding acupoints. Having cultivated several Martial Arts skills, Su Mu was quite familiar with the body’s acupoints by now.
"Under the armpit, Heart Sutra, Jiquan Acupoint—pierce about half an inch."
The Little Doctor’s expression turned solemn, every needle inserted with precision—a perfect opportunity for Su Mu to steal skills.
Afterwards, one was wholly absorbed in the needlework; the other, fully intent on learning by stealth.
"At the dial epicondyle of the hurus, Heart Sutra, Shaohai Acupoint—insert about an inch ..."
Then ca Shenn, Tongli—one needle after another.
Su Mu’s eyes sparkled; his powerful Enlightennt let him ntally link the acupoints together, gradually weaving an outline of the Silver Needle Sealing ridians diagram.
"Brother, wait a mont."
Soon, the Little Doctor fetched a stone basin resembling a small bowl. Holding a needle between her fingers, she spun it and inserted it lightly; at that mont, Su Mu stifled a groan, but inside, he was jubilant, for he vividly felt the bugs squirming near his heart.
It was a restless sensation, akin to the poison acting up in rainy weather. But now, the feeling was confined within his chest, not spreading throughout his body.
Had the Silver Needle Sealing ridians begun to work?
Then, both the Little Doctor’s hands began to ripple along Su Mu’s sealed ridians and acupoints, pressing rapidly in a peculiar rhythm before urging him:
"Brother, sit up quickly."
Su Mu obeyed. The Little Doctor spun and removed a Silver Needle, instantly causing Su Mu’s whole body to convulse.
Gurgle!
From the Silver Needle’s puncture, black blood spurted out like a pillar. Su Mu’s face went deathly pale, and only after half a basin was filled did the Silver Needle Sealing ridians end—the dicinal scent within the room replaced entirely by the stench of poisoned blood.
"Brother, lie down for a bit; I’ll decoct you a tonic to replenish Qi Blood."
But Su Mu waved his hand.
"No need to trouble you, Little Doctor. I’ll be fine after a rest."
The Little Doctor nodded hesitantly and left to deal with the poisoned blood; alone in the room, Su Mu quietly circulated his internal Power and Qi Blood.
The ghostly pallor on his face slowly lifted, a flush of color returning. With so poison expelled, his Qi Blood had dropped, but he felt noticeably better.
As for refusing the Little Doctor’s dicinal soup, it was simply because Su Mu still didn’t fully trust him yet—dicines must not be taken recklessly.
"This Silver Needle Sealing ridians might not eradicate the Gu Poison, but it certainly relieves it!"
Once he caught his breath, Su Mu offered to pay, but the Little Doctor refused.
"Master said I haven’t graduated yet, so I can’t treat people on my own ... Instead, let your fee be my practice opportunity, and you can co again."
On hearing this, Su Mu’s heart stirred. Though his Enlightennt was formidable, and he had morized most of the Silver Needle Sealing ridians, ’most’ simply wasn’t enough; in dicine, a tiny error could an disaster—there was no room for carelessness.
Plus, he needed to witness that unusual ridian-pressing technique several more tis.
This opportunity was exactly what he’d wished for!
"Then I’ll trouble you again, Little Doctor."
Leaving the clinic, Su Mu went to the Market to buy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. That evening, as a light rain fell, drops ran from the eaves in white streaks, drizzling ceaselessly outside.
Inside, Su Mu’s face was pale, but his eyes burned brightly.
"It doesn’t seem ... as intense as before."
The paper spread atop the writing desk billowed in the wind from the window—it was a ridian diagram, with acupoints circled in Cinnabar, annotated in detail, but not quite finished.
Su Mu silently rubbed ointnt onto his left arm, feeling the bone beneath scorchingly hot—each day, it grew sturdier and stronger.
In the days that followed, Su Mu visited the clinic every day to let the Little Doctor practice, then continued each night to refine the unfinished ridian chart.
On the fifth day, after yet another Silver Needle Sealing ridians session, a line of text abruptly appeared before Su Mu’s eyes.
dical Skill (entry-level 1%)
"I’ve learned entry-level dical Skill!"
Su Mu was overjoyed—after watching five sessions of Silver Needle Sealing ridians, the dical Skill appeared on his attribute panel, signifying his entry-level achievent.
Yet at the end of that day’s treatnt, just as he was leaving, the Little Doctor suddenly called out to Su Mu.
"Brother, you’re a Martial Arts practitioner, aren’t you?"
"Mm, I’ve trained a bit, know so Martial Arts." Su Mu knew it would be impossible to hide his practice from soone like the Little Doctor—pulse and Qi Blood made it clear enough.
With the Little Doctor asking now, chances were he had a request in mind.
"I have a favor to ask, and it concerns you as well. I hope you can help leave the city to search for my master."
Searching for your master?
Could Pharmacist Lin be in trouble?
Su Mu’s heart jolted.
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers