Chapter 6

The middle-aged man excitedly led Xia Qingqing to another part of the back courtyard.

Here, the birds sang and flowers bloomed, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere.

However, it was heavily guarded, which seemed out of place with the beautiful scenery.

Xia Qingqing felt uncomfortable under the guards’ scrutiny; she lowered her head and carefully followed the man. It seemed there were super VIP guests in this courtyard!

The man first took her to a small room where a few white mice were kept.

Xia Qingqing stared in surprise at the white mice, “I didn’t expect there would be experimental white mice in this era!”

Hearing her mumble, the man turned to look at her.

“We use white mice for testing medicines!”

He took out a pill and stuffed it into one of the white mouse’s mouths. After a moment, the mouse was still lively and jumping around.

In one of the rooms, an old man with white hair was performing acupuncture on a young man lying on a soft couch.

Beside the couch sat an elderly lady with a serious expression, exuding elegance and nobility.

The old lady tightly gripped her phoenix-headed cane, leaning forward to watch the young man on the couch.

Her eyes would squint and then widen; whenever the young man cried out, she would become anxious.

She softly comforted him:

“My dear grandson, just endure! Grandfather is highly skilled in medicine; he will surely cleanse the toxins from your body!”

The young man cried out, “Grandmother! It hurts so much! I miss my little cricket! It was crushed by that girl, and I feel so sad!”

Old Doctor Sun and the grandmother nearly fell backward.

Everyone felt sorry for him suffering from the needles, but he was still thinking about his cricket.

“Alas! My Little Liu! Grandmother knows you miss your little cricket, and I feel for you too!”

The old lady leaned back in her chair, gently shaking her head.

“Old Madam, don’t be sad; Young Master Liu will recover one day and return to being the capable person he once was!”

The maid beside the old lady comforted her.

“Hmph! It’s all that poisonous woman’s fault. Little Liu’s mother blocked an arrow for the emperor and lost her life. That poisonous woman is always suspicious, saying Little Liu wants to take her son’s life, which has scared him silly. As an old woman, I can only protect his little life. But I will eventually die; who will protect my Little Liu in the future?”

The old lady wiped her tears, unable to speak from sadness.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Father, I found the miraculous antidote pill!”

At the entrance, Uncle Sun Sun stood with Xia Qingqing.

The old lady immediately raised her eyes and signaled to the maid beside her.

The maid understood and went to open the door.

Uncle Sun Sun bowed and brought Xia Qingqing inside.

“Old Madam, may you be well! Uncle Sun Sun pays his respects!”

Uncle Sun Sun respectfully knelt and bowed his head to the old lady.

Xia Qingqing followed suit, kneeling on the ground and politely saying, “Old Madam, may you be well!”

The old lady raised her hand, and Uncle Sun Sun stood up, with Xia Qingqing following suit.

The old lady scrutinized the young girl standing in front of her.

“What is your name? Are you the one mentioned by Uncle Sun Sun regarding the miraculous pill?”

“Replying to the Old Madam, my name is Qingqing. I made some pills to sell at Xinglin Hall! The uncle said my pills can help others, so he specially brought me to see.”

Xia Qingqing felt the imposing aura of the old lady, which pressed down on her despite her background as a special forces soldier.

“Hmph! How old are you? How can you make life-saving pills? You’re just boasting!”

The Old Madam’s suspicious gaze fixated on Xia Qingqing.

“Grandmother, she’s the girl! She crushed my little cricket!”

Hearing Xia Qingqing’s voice, Young Master Liu, lying on the soft couch, raised his head and shouted immediately.

“Oh! So it’s you who made my dear grandson heartbroken!”

The old lady’s eyes widened. Although Xia Qingqing felt a bit scared, she remained calm. She clasped her fists and said loudly, “I accidentally stepped on it, and I have already promised to catch another cricket to compensate Young Master Liu!”

“I know medicine; maybe I can help Young Master Liu with his illness?”

“You really can talk big. My grandson is not sick; don’t spout nonsense!”

The old lady denied it.

Her gaze was piercing as she scrutinized the girl named Qingqing. The way she spoke was neither servile nor arrogant, and her voice was strong, reminiscent of the old lady in her youth.

Xia Qingqing was astonished; not sick?

If he’s not sick, why are you all at the pharmacy? Young Master Liu is still being treated with needles! Do you think I’m blind?

This old lady is not being honest.

“Replying to the Old Madam, when I encountered Young Master Liu on the road, I saw the dark circles under his eyes and the dark color beneath his fingernails. This is a sign of poisoning reflected on the body.

If the toxins in the body are not cleared in time, the dark color will worsen and turn black, and eventually, the toxins will enter the internal organs. Even the greatest doctor may not be able to cure it!”

Xia Qingqing answered truthfully. As a descendant of an old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and a modern medical doctor, she had some skills in observation and inquiry!

The old lady, Uncle Sun Sun, and Old Doctor Sun, who was administering acupuncture, were all stunned by Xia Qingqing’s words.

She had only encountered Young Master Liu once on the street, yet she could see all this without missing a detail.

Old Doctor Sun said, “Xiao Bai, bring the pills over!”

“Yes, Father!”

Uncle Sun Sun respectfully presented the medicine bottle.

He removed the cork and brought the bottle close to Old Doctor Sun’s nose.

Old Doctor Sun inhaled and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Good medicine! Truly good medicine! This is the excellent remedy I’ve been dreaming of!”

“However!”

Old Doctor Sun paused.

Everyone, who had just been quite happy, suddenly became tense.

“We need to test the medicine!”

“Father, I already fed the white mouse when I came in!”

“Good, feed it again! You should also take one! Tomorrow morning, we’ll check the effects. If it works, the toxins in Young Master Liu’s body can be eliminated by seventy to eighty percent. Then we can proceed with acupuncture treatment, and he can fully recover!”

Old Doctor Sun stroked his beard, seriously instructing Uncle Sun Sun.

“Yes, I will obey!”

Uncle Sun Sun’s gaze was intense. To treat Young Master Liu, they had been researching the detoxification pills day and night. Now that they had a remedy delivered to them, they were even more cautious.

The spirit of the Sun family doctors deeply impressed Xia Qingqing. A healer’s benevolence and skill—Old Doctor Sun truly deserved to be the head of the Imperial Medical Institute!

At that moment, Old Doctor Sun beckoned to Xia Qingqing, “Little girl, come here; I would like to talk to you.”

Xia Qingqing quickly moved over with small steps.

“Please speak, Old Doctor Sun!”

“Little girl, I hear this pill was made by you yourself, and you learned from books! I have lived for over seventy years, and it’s the first time I’ve seen such a gifted child like you. Your medicine is excellent; how much do you plan to sell it for?”

“I don’t know how much is appropriate to sell it for; Old Doctor Sun, please decide!”

Xia Qingqing was unsure about the prices here; anyway, the materials for making the medicine were provided by her father, and she only contributed some labor.