Chapter 30.3

After seeing ten patients, Guan Yue was feeling a bit tired, as treating them with acupuncture had drained some of her energy.

When she reached the last patient, she sat down for a moment to rest. “What’s his condition?”

This patient appeared as if he were simply asleep.

Deng Baishu flipped through the medical records. “The records say that during a mission in the jungle, he suddenly collapsed. After being brought back to the hospital, the doctors said he was just sleeping, but he’s been asleep for five days straight and couldn’t be woken up. Including the time spent getting here, it’s already the sixth day.”

“Let me take a look.”

Guan Yue stood by the bedside and took the patient’s pulse with his hand.

Deng Baishu, seeing that Guan Yue’s expression was unchanged, thought she hadn’t diagnosed it yet. He hurriedly said, “This illness is definitely not an ordinary one. So many doctors at the military hospital couldn’t diagnose it. It must be a difficult case.”

The nurse holding the silver needles spoke up, “Could it be a brain injury?”

“Maybe,” Guan Yue replied.

“What should we do? We can’t open the brain to check. How are we supposed to treat this?”

Guan Yue lowered the patient’s hand. “The brain is fine. He has been poisoned.”

Deng Baishu exclaimed, “Poisoned?”

How could poisoning not have been detected? His uncle was very skilled at treating poisoning cases.

Deng Baishu decided to give it a try. He moved to the other side of the patient and took his pulse.

After a long pause, he shook his head. “I can’t diagnose it.”

While Guan Yue was writing out a prescription, Deng Baishu called someone to run and bring his father over.

Deng Weimin was busy on his side but quickly walked over. “You little rascal, you’d better have something important to say.”

Deng Baishu said, “Dad, come quickly and take his pulse. The doctor says this person has been poisoned.”

“Poisoned? If that’s the case, why didn’t your uncle notice?” Deng Weimin replied.

Both Deng Weimin and Deng Baishu shared the same view: if it was poisoning, the Deng family should have detected it.

After carefully taking the patient’s pulse, Deng Weimin had to admit that he found nothing unusual. To him, the patient simply seemed to be asleep.

Guan Yue finished writing the prescription, and the nurse went to the pharmacy to get the medicine. The Chinese medicine still needed time to be brewed.

Before the medicine was ready, the doctors, having heard about the strange case, came over to watch.

Deng Weimin, leading a group of traditional Chinese medicine doctors, had them all line up to take the patient’s pulse, but none of them found anything.

The Western doctors were more forceful in their actions, prying open the eyelids, pulling at the mouth, checking the mucous membranes, and finally drawing a little blood. They tried every method they could think of, but there was no conclusion.

Gu Sui, who had studied both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, could not identify any problems either.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Guan Yue. “Doctor Guan, how did you figure it out?”

Guan Yue remained calm and said, “By taking the pulse. You can tell by the pulse.”

The Western doctors lost confidence. The traditional Chinese doctor could figure it out just by taking the pulse, while they didn’t even know what disease the patient had.

Deng Baishu tried to comfort them. “Be a little more confident. If you couldn’t find anything, we Chinese medicine doctors didn’t figure it out either. Not every Chinese medicine doctor is as good as my teacher.”

The Chinese medicine doctors felt discouraged. They really didn’t have an answer.

Deng Baishu then turned to comfort them further. “My dad is so old and has been practicing medicine for decades, and even he couldn’t figure it out. Don’t get discouraged.”

Deng Weimin, furious, chased after Deng Baishu to hit him. As he ran, Deng Baishu begged, “Dad, I was just joking, don’t hit me! Oh, there are so many people here, I don’t care about my face anymore!”

Guan Yue smiled slightly and looked at the Western doctors. “Through Western medical methods, this poison can actually be detected. The reason you couldn’t detect it is because the current equipment is too outdated.”

There was no need to wait for another hundred years. After a few decades of Western medicine development, toxins in the human body would be detectable with clarity.

Gu Sui remarked, “Though it’s a matter of equipment, it also shows that Western medicine relies too much on external tools.”

The medicine was ready, at the right temperature to be ingested. Everyone helped to administer the medicine.

Ten minutes after the medicine was administered, Guan Yue performed acupuncture to speed up the absorption of the medicine.

Fifteen minutes later, she removed the needles, and the person on the bed slowly opened his eyes.

Deng Baishu, having been beaten by his father to the point of a swollen head, ran back. “Damn, he’s awake. What did I miss?”

The Chinese and Western doctors present: We watched the whole thing, but we still didn’t understand anything.

Several Western doctors gathered around the patient. “How are you? Can you speak? How did you get poisoned?”

“Poisoned?”

The man suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening, “I knew it! Something bit the back of my head just now. I didn’t even have time to scratch it before I passed out.”

“You didn’t just pass out now. You’ve been unconscious for six days.”

He panicked. “Six days?! Where am I now? What about my comrades?”

“Calm down, your comrades are all fine. You’re the unlucky one… cough, cough. You’re in the Qingxi Village recuperation center now. How are you feeling?”

“I… I feel a bit tired, my body feels all rusty, and I’m really hungry!”

“That’s normal, normal. You’ve been unconscious for six days, it’s all normal.”

“Then, someone, go to the cafeteria and get some food for the patient. Make sure it’s light.”

The Western doctors still needed to check the hospital room to make sure the patient was fine after waking up. Once satisfied, they left. The Chinese medicine doctors, however, stared at Guan Yue with admiration, their hearts shouting with excitement.

Ah, Doctor Guan is so amazing!

A difficult case and just one prescription, and it worked—so impressive!

Deng Baishu stood beside Guan Yue, his chin held high. “Hehe, such a great person is my teacher.”

Guan Yue glanced at Deng Baishu. “What’s that expression on your face? Did your jaw dislocate?”

Nearby, someone couldn’t help but laugh.

Guan Yue said, “You know how to remove the needles, right? There are still two patients who need their needles removed. Go do that.”

“Oh,” Deng Baishu lifted his head, only to let it drop again quietly.

Once Guan Yue finished seeing the patient, the remaining tasks were left to Deng Baishu.

Gu Sui finished his work as well, and the two of them were preparing to leave.

Director Zhang called out to them, “It’s getting late. Why not eat something in the cafeteria?”

Gu Sui held Guan Yue’s hand. “Thank you, Director Zhang, but we won’t stay for the meal. We’ll head out now.”

After they left, Deng Weimin came out holding a bowl of noodles. “Don’t mind them. Guan Yue is very picky about food; she only eats what Gu Sui cooks.”

“Is Gu Sui’s cooking really that good?”

“Hmph, it’s definitely better than what the cafeteria makes,” Deng Weimin scoffed.

Director Zhang sneered, “At least there’s food. What are you so picky about?”

With that, Director Zhang turned and walked away, not giving Deng Weimin a chance to retort.

Deng Weimin muttered angrily to his retreating figure, “If you’re so brave, say that to Guan Yue.”

The first batch of patients wasn’t many. Guan Yue had eleven people under her care. Aside from the young man who had recovered from poisoning on the same day, the other ten, depending on the severity of their conditions, mostly recovered within a week to half a month.

By this time, everyone at the recuperation center had witnessed Guan Yue’s skills. The feeling of admiration they felt for her couldn’t be summed up in just the words “deep respect.”

Director Zhang said to Li Dingbang, “Guan Yue is practically half of our recuperation center. Now, I feel more confident when any difficult patient is assigned to her. It’s a pity, though, she only comes to the recuperation center for an hour or two each day.”

Li Dingbang responded, “Her patients have all recovered. What does she need to do here? The nurses can take care of them.”

Director Zhang sighed, “Such a great doctor, and she has nothing to do. It just feels like a waste.”

Li Dingbang emphasized, “Guan Yue has plenty of work to do. I repeat, don’t waste her time.”

“Got it. She’s still making medicine, right? I heard she’s researching a type of poison that causes people to faint?”

It wasn’t just research; she had already completed the research. They had tested it, and as soon as the powder was inhaled, the person would immediately lose consciousness, just like the soldier brought in on the first day.

The medicine had already been sent to the front lines, and Li Dingbang wasn’t going to tell Director Zhang that.

Li Dingbang continued, “The second batch of patients will arrive tomorrow afternoon. You need to prepare. The first batch of patients who have recovered will return the day after tomorrow.”

“Got it.”

“Also, two special patients are coming at the end of the month. You need to tell them not to ask questions.”

“Special patients? What’s so special about them?”

“I told you not to ask questions, and you’re still asking.”

Director Zhang raised an eyebrow. “Hey, why are you so fierce?”

More than half a month had passed. Xu Huaping and Zhang Mingrui had paid the agreed consultation fee to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in return, the Ministry gave them a confirmed schedule. They were to arrive in Beijing on the 25th, where Ministry staff would take them to Qingxi Village.

Since it was inconvenient to bring too many people, Xu Huaping was accompanied by Xu Hua’an, while Jiang Zhi stayed behind in Hong Kong to manage their business. Zhang Mingrui was traveling with his wife, Cai Jin.

They took the train all the way to Qingxi County. When they got off at the station, Xu Hua’an became excited. “We’re finally going to Qingxi Village today!”

Zhang Mingrui showed a faint smile. “I can’t wait.”

Cai Jin looked at her husband with concern. “Is your chest bothering you? Should we take some medicine?”

“Yeah, let’s take a pill.”

He was almost out of the medicine that Guan Yue had given him. If they hadn’t come on this trip, he would have already started planning to get a six-month supply from Guan Yue.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff member, Fang Lin, who was in charge of escorting them, led them out of the station. A jeep was waiting outside.

Fang Lin drove, with the only woman, Cai Jin, sitting in the passenger seat. Fang Lin’s colleague and Xu Hua’an’s group squeezed into the back seats.

The road from Qingxi County to Qingxi Village wasn’t as bumpy as they had imagined. In fact, the road was quite good.

Xu Hua’an glanced around curiously. “Oh, how come this dirt road turned into a paved road?”

Fang Lin replied, “Qingxi Village built a recuperation center. To make it easier to transport patients, they paved the road with cement last year.”

“That’s great. Many seriously ill patients can’t handle the bumps.”

With a smooth road, the journey went quickly. They reached Qingxi Village before noon.

Fang Lin parked the car in the parking lot at the mouth of the valley and led them to the entrance for registration.

As Xu Hua’an was registering, he asked the security guard, “Where is Guan Yue?”

The security guard on duty today was Wang Tiejun. His foot had recovered, but he was no longer able to go to the frontlines. Not wanting to retire, he had been reassigned to work here.

Wang Tiejun asked, “May I ask who you are? What do you need Doctor Guan for?”

Xu Hua’an answered, “Who am I? I’m her teacher. What do you think I need her for?”

Wang Tiejun became excited. “So you’re Guan Yue’s teacher! To be able to teach someone like Doctor Guan, you must be incredible!”

Xu Hua’an, whose knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine was rather average, felt a little embarrassed by the compliment.

“Not at all, it’s all because she worked hard on her own.”

“Wang Doctor Guan is amazing. When I was unconscious, she saved me with just one long silver needle, piercing my brain and waking me up.”

Once Wang Tiejun started praising someone, he couldn’t stop. With the cold weather, he wasn’t worried at all. He pulled up his pants to reveal his ankle. “This too! When I was shot in the foot, the doctors said my foot was beyond saving, and that I’d definitely end up with a permanent limp. But guess what? Doctor Guan used a few silver needles and cured me! Now, when I walk, nobody can tell I have a problem with my foot. Hahaha!”

Wang Tiejun excitedly walked a few steps. “Look, do my feet look normal?”

Zhang Mingrui and his wife, Cai Jin, were standing behind Xu Huaping, just finishing their registration. Watching Wang Tiejun walk, they couldn’t tell at all that he had been shot in the foot and was once destined to be a cripple.

Cai Jin tightly grasped her husband’s hand. “We have hope.”

Zhang Mingrui smiled and nodded, looking at the houses in the valley. He couldn’t wait any longer.

Due to their status, they weren’t allowed to go straight inside. They waited for a while at the entrance until Director Zhang and Li Dingbang personally came to greet them.

Director Zhang led the way, and they went up the mountain from the left side of the valley entrance. During their treatment, they would all stay in small houses on the mountain.

When they arrived, Director Zhang said, “Each house has three rooms. Do you want to stay together, or would you prefer separate rooms? The houses on the mountain are spacious, so you can choose to stay separately if you like.”

After a brief discussion, Zhang Mingrui and Xu Huaping told Director Zhang, “We’ll stay together.”

Director Zhang nodded. “During the treatment, you’ll stay on Xiaoqing Mountain. Please don’t go down the mountain. Our staff will bring your meals up to you at mealtime. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.”

Xu Huaping and Zhang Mingrui agreed, understanding the arrangement.

They had already noticed from listening to Wang Tiejun at the valley entrance that this wasn’t an ordinary recuperation center but a military one. Given their identities, it wasn’t appropriate for them to know too much.

Minimizing contact was good for both parties.

Xu Hua’an couldn’t wait any longer. “Where’s my disciple? Can I go to Daqing Mountain from here?”

Li Dingbang and Fang Lin exchanged a glance, and Li Dingbang said, “Sorry, you can’t. The log cabin is Doctor Guan’s residence, and there are some things there that it’s not suitable for you to know.”

“When will Guan Yue come over?”

“Guan Yue is just down the mountain. She was treating someone when you arrived. She’ll come up once she’s finished.” Xu Hua’an stood there looking down the mountain. The trees obscured his view, and he could only hear voices from below, but could see no figures.