Chapter 143
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Chapter 143: The Compassionate Doctor
Famous Doctor Dong Xinglin’s clinic is located to the west of the Imperial Capital.
He is a very skilled doctor, and it is said that he also had some experience in martial arts. Among his patients, there are also martial artists.
In the past, Fang Yuan’s parents were troubled and searched all over the Imperial Capital for a famous doctor, but either the doctors had limited knowledge or they feared the reputation of the Spirit Refining martial artist, Sword Ghost. Only Dong Xinglin, who was righteous and frank, told Fang Yuan’s parents that they were injured by the Spirit Refining martial artist’s Eye Attacking Method.
Otherwise, Fang Yuan would have thought that his parents had some strange illness, and they might still be in the dark until today.
On this day, when the sky was just getting bright, Qiao Mu followed Fang Yuan’s guidance and arrived at the clinic.
The clinic signboard reads "Apricot Forest Clinic," and there were already several patients waiting at the entrance. Among them were wealthy people dressed in fancy clothes, as well as ordinary folks in simple clothing. However, all these people were patiently waiting in the waiting area, in an orderly manner.
Fang Yuan was quite upset about this, so he found a middle-aged doctor he knew well and talked about getting treatment for Qiao Mu’s injury. However, the middle-aged doctor shook his head.
"If you want treatment, you’ll have to wait in line like everyone else."
"This is a rule set by the master. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from as a patient. If you come to this Apricot Forest Clinic, you have to follow this rule."
Fang Yuan wanted to say something, but was stopped by Qiao Mu raising his hand.
His injury was not serious, just a little troublesome because of the cold poison.
It’s not a bad thing for this Famous Doctor Dong Xinglin to talk about rules, and he doesn’t mind this temporary situation, so there’s no need to break his rules.
Fortunately, Qiao Mu and his friend arrived early, and there weren’t many patients waiting in the lobby.
Finding a stool to sit on, Qiao Mu casually glanced at the Sword Ghost martial arts notes in his pocket, while observing the people in the lobby.
Famous Doctor Dong Xinglin is already old, and now his clinic is mainly run by three disciples who treat patients. There are also several apprentices below them, responsible for fetching medicine and performing acupuncture, clearly dividing the tasks.
The patient in front of Qiao Mu was a middle-aged person holding a five or six-year-old child.
The middle-aged person was wearing a long gown, slim but straight, with meticulously groomed hair. He looked like a scholar, with a scholarly air, probably in his forties or fifties.
However, his gown was slightly yellowed and his cloth shoes were dirty and muddy, indicating a poor background and the possibility of being an outsider from a distant place, not a local of the Imperial Capital.
This middle-aged man is obviously not sick. The sick person is a five or six-year-old child holding his hand.
The child is only five or six years old, and compared to the thin middle-aged man holding his hand, he looks more prosperous with a round face.
These two people, one big and one small, are supposed to be the child’s father, but they don’t look like it. That thin man looks too old, probably over forty.
They say this middle-aged man is the child’s grandfather, but this thin man doesn’t look that old.
Qiao Mu was bored and kept guessing their ages, and ended up staring at these two people for a while.
Although the child is young, he is sensible.
He stood in the clinic, not crying or making a fuss, but his little face had a slightly red and swollen nose. He kept breathing with his mouth open, and there was nothing else unusual.
Time passed quickly, and it was soon the child’s turn.
The middle-aged doctor examined him and asked many questions. His eyebrows unconsciously furrowed.
He asked the child to wait in the lobby and beckoned the thin man to come behind the screen, lowering his voice and saying:
"There seems to be something foreign inside your child’s nose."
"It appears to be a creature called the ‘Shadow Ghost Spider’ larva, which is quite troublesome…" At this point, the doctor’s words carried a hint of blame:
"Almost all the major cities in Zhong Province have Immortal Gate stationed there, so these weak creatures rarely cause trouble in the cities. They mostly appear in the wilderness… It’s because you, as the father, haven’t paid much attention to your child’s activities, otherwise it wouldn’t have come to this."
The thin man’s face looked unpleasant, and he smiled bitterly:
"That’s true."
"Actually, I used to be a resident of Tan County. Half a month ago, Tan County suffered from an Inhuman Disaster, with tens of thousands dead or injured. Afterward, I could only bring this child and leave my hometown, seeking a safe place here in the Imperial Capital."
"It’s true that I may have been negligent during our journey…," the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and asked:
"May I ask, how much money is needed to treat this illness?"
The doctor shook his head slightly.
"Although this ghost spider is not strong, it is still a monster. Since it has already entered the body, it can’t be easily dealt with using normal medicines. It cannot be cured just by applying or taking medicine."
"If you want to treat it, you need to take the ‘numbing and boiling powder’ first, and then use a sharp blade to open the nasal cavity… Afterwards, you have to be careful with the recovery, especially since your child is still young, we can’t be careless."
"Considering everything, it will amount to… fifty taels of silver."
"Fifty taels? Is it that serious?" The thin man was stunned for a moment and didn’t say anything.
"Too expensive? After all, it’s caused by a monster…" The doctor glanced at the man’s clothes and remembered the man’s background, realizing that he wasn’t wealthy. He pondered for a moment and said:
"Then… five taels it is."
Five taels of silver, in terms of the purchasing power of the Great Yan Imperial Court, corresponded to five thousand in Qiao Mu’s past life.
This was clearly a great discount. According to the doctor’s explanation, for the patient to recover, they would need to take herbal medicine for a long time. Apart from the surgery fee and labor cost, five taels of silver might not even be enough for the medicine expenses.
The thin man read the number "five taels" and didn’t show any expression on his face.
After a while, when the doctor became a little impatient, he suddenly spoke:
"What will happen if it’s not treated?"
The doctor was startled and looked fixedly at the thin man. They both stayed silent for a long time.
He wanted to persuade the man to think it over a little more, but when the words came to his mouth, he didn’t know what to say.
Just as he was silent, an old man quickly walked over and went straight to the screen.
"Here, this is fifty taels."
The old man was quite forceful and forcefully stuffed fifty taels of silver into the doctor’s hand.
"I don’t have the patience to see you haggle and act pitiful. I’ve given you the money, when will you treat my injury?" Qiao Mu urged the doctor directly without even looking at the man next to him.
"The kind old man." The skinny man blinked his eyes and bowed deeply to express his gratitude:
"Even a penny can trouble a hero. Now that my family is poor, I have nothing to offer. I hope the kind old man can tell me his name, so that I can repay him in the future."
Qiao Mu hadn’t initially thought about leaving his name, but then he realized that it would be a good thing for him to become famous, so he spoke up:
"I am Qiao Shuanglin."
"Qiao Shuanglin?" The doctor, who had been standing by the whole time, found it a bit strange when Qiao Mu voluntarily came forward to give money.
It wasn’t until Qiao Mu introduced himself that the doctor had a moment of realization.
"So, you’re Qiao Shuanglin, Elder Lao… Why didn’t you say so earlier?"