Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Hello,” said Chen Boyuan on the phone, “Dr. Wang, are you home today? Can I visit you?”

“Sorry, I’m not available today,” said Wang Yao.

“When are you available then?” asked Chen Boyuan.

“I’m not sure,” said Wang Yao. “Are you in Haiqu?”

“Yes, I just got off the plane,” said Chen Boyuan.

“I will let you know when I’m available,” said Wang Yao.

“Okay,” said Chen Boyuan before hanging up.

It seemed that he had already known Wang Yao’s answer, so he didn’t sound too disappointed. Chen Boyuan carried his luggage and found a place in Haiqu to settle down.

…

Inside a shop of Lianshan, a man was coughing hard.

Cough! Cough! Cough! Ugh!

The man was on the toilet. He faced the toilet and a mouthful of blood came out and dropped inside the toilet. The blood was thick.

He looked really bad. His face was pale and full of large drops of sweat. He bent down because he was in great pain.

What the hell!

He was clenching his teeth and fists. His body was shaking. He tried his best to put up with the pain.

Damn it! How come it is so painful this time!

This man was Wei Hai. He had taken several doses of Deworming powder given by Wang Yao. Every time the toxin inside his body was expelled like this. Every time he was in great pain. Because he had experienced similar pain before, he thought the pain was temporary and was good for him in a long run. He didn’t expect the pain to become even worse after he had taken the Deworming powder after lunch. He was in such bad pain that he couldn’t stop turning in his bed and he almost passed out.

After a while, he became extremely weak.

No! I can’t put up with the pain anymore! He didn’t feel good and didn’t want to continue being like this. So, he called Wang Yao.

Wei Hai?

As soon as Wang Yao saw Wei Hai’s number showing up on his phone, he knew something was happening.

“Hello, Hai?” said Wang Yao.

“Hello, Dr. Wang. The pain in my belly is so bad today. I think something went wrong.” Wei Hai was in such great pain that he almost dropped his phone.

“Where are you?” asked Wang Yao anxiously.

“In my tea shop,” said Wei Hai.

“Stay there, I’ll come to you now,” said Wang Yao.

“Okay,” said Wei Hai.

After hanging up, Wang Yao took an umbrella and rushed out of the cottage. He went into the rain and ran downhill.

“San Xian, watch the place!” Wang Yao shouted to San Xian before he left.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Wang Yao went to get his car, and he drove really fast to Lianshan town center. It was about life and death, so he didn’t dare to delay or hesitate. Fortunately, there were not many cars on the road due to the rain, and it was Wang Yao’s first time speeding.

Wang Yao arrived at Lianshan town center after 20 minutes and parked his car outside Wei Hai’s tea shop. The sign of “closed” was still at the entrance.

Wei Hai bought the tea shop because he wanted to have a place to stay in Lianshan. It would be convenient for him to stay in Lianshan as he had to see Wang Yao regularly. He planned to make the shop his residence after he got better. As for selling teas, Wei Hai was not very keen. He just liked drinking tea. He had got himself quite a lot of high-quality teas.

Wei Hai was lying in bed when Wang Yao opened the door. He looked pale, and his breath was shallow and weak. He looked like someone who had just been saved from drowning.

Wang Yao didn’t say much. He went straight to Wei Hai to check his pulse.

Wei Hai’s internal organs were damaged, especially the liver.

How come?

“How much of the decoctions have you taken?” asked Wang Yao.

“A glass of the decoction each time, three times a day, I’ve been following your instructions,” said Wei Hai softly.

Maybe the dose was not right? Going beyond the limit was as bad as falling short. Or should I wait for him to vomit more toxins before enhancing his immune system?

Wang Yao’s hand was still on Wei Hai’s pulse.

“From now on you just take half a glass of the decoction each time, and double the interval of two doses.” Wang Yao made a decision after thinking for a while.

Better safe than sorry. It was too risky to let him to continue to vomit. His health is the priority.

“Okay,” said Wei Hai.

“Just one second.”

Wang Yao went out and came back shortly with several items in his hands. He brought a clay pot and a pack of herbs.

He just bought the clay pot in a shop nearby. As for the herbs, he took them out of the system. But he couldn’t take them out in front of Wei Hai like a magician. That would only confuse Wei Hai. He would think that he was so ill that he started to hallucinate.

“Do you have gas here?” asked Wang Yao.

“Yes, behind the kitchen,” said Wei Hai.

“You stay here; I’ll go by myself,” said Wang Yao.

After a short while, Wei Hai noticed a unique smell of herbs.

Decoctions cooked with gas won’t be the most effective, and tap water is not ideal for brewing the decoction. As for the clay pot…

None of those were suitable to brew a decoction in Wang Yao’s opinion. If he were not in such a hurry, he would never use those things to brew a decoction.

Wang Yao added sealwort, licorice, matrimony vine and glossy ganoderma into the boiling water. The decoction Wang Yao was brewing was to enhance Wei Hai’s physical function. He just didn’t add any licorice roots to it.

The water was boiling, and all the herbs were added into the water following a special order. Although the condition of brewing a decoction here couldn’t compare to the condition on Nanshan hill, Wang Yao was very focused and serious. The order of adding different herbs into the water was based on how long it would take for each herb to melt into the water.

Done!

By the time Wang Yao took the decoction out of the kitchen, it was dark outside.

“Drink it while it is still warm,” said Wang Yao.

“Sure,” said Wei Hai.

He supported himself up and drank up the decoction Wang Yao gave him.

“Well, I feel much better,” said Wei Hai in relief. “I thought I was going to die.

“Sorry, the dose I prescribed previously was too strong. Have you had similar experiences when you took the decoction previously?” asked Wang Yao. If it was Wei Hai’s first time experiencing such pain, then Wang Yao would have to think of a possible reason because a strong dosage can’t have been the only cause.

“Yes, the pain was bad from the very beginning. I just try to put up with it,” said Wei Hai.

“Were there any other symptoms other than pain?” asked Wang Yao. Wei Hai’s answer basically confirmed Wang Yao’s thoughts.

“I vomited and passed out more blood than the first time you treated me,” replied Wei Hai after thinking for a moment.

“I see; I know the reason now. It should be because I increased the dosage. Continue to take the decoction as I told you. If you still experience strong pain, continue to reduce the dosage by half,” said Wang Yao.

“Okay,” said Wei Hai.

“I have a formula for you. Get yourself herbs according to the formula and brew the decoction yourself. It will help you recover. Don’t give the formula to anyone.” Wang Yao wrote down the formula he just obtained from the system on a piece of paper and left it on the table.

“Try to use good quality herbs. I suggest you get your herbs from Li Maoshuang,” said Wang Yao.

Wei Hai knew Li Maoshuang. They occasionally contacted each other and were considered friends. They also helped each other sometimes.

“Okay,” said Wei Hai.

“How about the decoction? Do you want me to brew it myself?” asked Wei Hai.

“You can brew the decoction yourself, or get someone to do it for you in a clinic. Ask someone in a clinic to brew the decoction for you at the beginning, but I strongly suggest that you should learn to brew it yourself. It will benefit you anyway,” said Wang Yao with a smile.

“Sure,” said Wei Hai.

“Lie down and rest for a while. You still look bad,” said Wang Yao.

Wei Hai went back to lie on his chair and covered himself with a thin blanket. Maybe it was because he just had some medicine, but his face had become slightly red.

“Well, it is so hard to live!” Wei Hai suddenly made such a comment out of the blue.

“Why do you say that?” asked Wang Yao with a smile.

“I don’t know. Well, I’ve got some nice tea here. Help yourself.” Wei Hai pointed at the tea table next to him. “I’ve got Huang Shan Mao Feng green tea, Biluochun tea, Dongting Oolong tea, and Wuyi rock tea.”

“Okay.” Wang Yao just picked one tea randomly and made himself a cup of tea before sitting down.

“I come from a poor family. I have four siblings. Because my family was so poor, my parents couldn’t even feed us properly. I started to work in the fish market since I was a teenager. After I had saved up some money, I started to sell seafood. I worked very hard in order to make more money and have a decent life. My business started to grow bigger, and I made more and more money out of it. I have also made quite a few friends through my business. We used to party together all the time. We ate a lot of fish and meat, and a lot of delicacies. We used to drink all sorts of boutique wines. We had a great time together. However, I became so ill afterwards. My health had been deteriorating until I met you. I thought that as long as I could live, I would rather live on vegetables and cereals. What would money do for me if I lost my life?” said Wei Hai.

Wang Yao held his cup of tea while listening to Wei Hai talking about his life.

“Now I look back, I’m only in my 40’s and have experienced so many ups and downs in my life!” said Wei Hai.

“Yes, but life is not supposed to be smooth anyway,” said Wang Yao.

“Now I am increasingly envy you!” said Wei Hai.

“Me?” said Wang Yao.

“Yes, you live on that quiet hill being surrounded by all the trees and flowers. You don’t have worries and concerns. You live like a recluse,” said Wei Hai.

“When you get better, you can have the same lifestyle,” said Wang Yao.