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

“It’s not enough…” Looking at the bonus points, Wang Yao sighed.

After tilling the fields, he prepared to plant another batch of seeds.

Closer to evening, just as he was preparing to leave Nanshan hill, he received a phone call from Li Maoshuang. The herbs that he ordered had been purchased but needed a while more before they were delivered. Some of the herbs could arrive earlier, within three days. The rest would only come within a week.

After hanging up, he received another call, this time for Zhou Xiong. Through the phone, Zhou Xiong explained his uncle’s situation.

“His channels are shriveling up?”

Wang Yao knew immediately that the situation was severe. He would have to rush over to Cangzhou as soon as he could.

“I’ll get there as soon as I can,” Wang Yao said.

“I’ll make the arrangements. When can you go? I’ll book the flight tickets.”

“No need. I’ll get the tickets myself.”

Flight tickets could be purchased over the internet and was now very convenient. Furthermore, it wasn’t the holiday season, so there were many flight tickets available.

The flight timing was in the late morning, departing from Haiqu City.

Zhou Xiong also got tickets for him and his son on the same flight to Cangzhou as Wang Yao. As of now, Zhou Wukang’s situation had improved greatly, whereas Zhou Wuyi’s condition took a downturn. They needed to go back to visit him. Anyway, with Wang Yao in Cangzhou, there was no need for the two of them to stay in Lianshan County.

They were seated in the first-class section, where there weren’t too many people.

Wang Yao’s seat was pretty good. He had a window seat and could view the passing scenery. Throughout the journey, he stared at the clouds passing by. He found it a pity that he couldn’t see the giants walking on the clouds.

There wasn’t any airport in Cangzhou itself. They disembarked at Tianjin, which was a fair distance from Cangzhou. When they disembarked, transportation was already arranged by the Zhou family and was waiting for them outside.

They got into the car and sped off towards Cangzhou.

Actually, the time taken by plane and car was about the same compared to taking a train directly from Haiqu City to Cangzhou.

“Sorry to trouble you, Dr. Wang,” Zhou Ying said. He was driving the car.

“It’s alright,” Wang Yao replied.

“How’s Uncle’s condition?” Zhou Xiong asked.

“It’s like we said on the phone. Master Sang has already made a diagnosis. If nothing is done, his channels will slowly shrivel up, after which he’ll become paralyzed,” Zhou Ying said.

Zhou Xiong didn’t reply. The atmosphere within the car became a little uncomfortable.

Because of his anxiety, Zhou Ying did not realize that the speed he was going at had increased, exceeding the 120 km

/h speed limit.

“Slow down,” Wang Yao said coolly.

The other party was anxious, that he could understand. After all, it was his father on the sickbed. However, it was evident that he was flustered, and driving in this condition was dangerous. Furthermore, it was clear that he was recklessly pushing the speed limit, and he had a few passengers with him in the car.

“I’m sorry,” Zhou Ying responded, reducing his speed.

Two hours later, they arrived at Cangzhou. By this point, it was noon.

“Dr. Wang, would you like something to eat first?” Zhou Xiong asked.

“No thank you. Let’s go directly to see the patient; that’s more important.”

“Okay.”

That was also what Zhou Xiong and the rest were hoping. However, Wang Yao was an esteemed guest, and they had to cater to his needs.

Not long later, they arrived at the village. It looked exactly like before. The car stopped in front of the big house.

“Dr. Wang, please.”

In the bedroom, Zhou Wuyi was lying down on the bed. He had regained his lucidity but nevertheless still looked extremely gaunt like a dried corpse. His eyes were also dull.

“Dad, this is Dr. Wang who saved you last time.”

“Dr. Wang,” Zhou Wuyi croaked. His voice was hoarse and dry like an old windbox.

His pulmonary vein was injured.

Just from that one utterance, Wang Yao had determined the problem.

Of course, it wasn’t as simple as that. During this time in which Wang Yao had not seen him, his body condition had deteriorated, and he was like a lamp that was on its last bit of oil. If not for the Prolongation Pill and Revitalization Soup that Wang Yao prescribed, he would probably not have lasted until now.

A bitter and stale air emanated from his body. This was the result of when one’s organs were failing.

“It’s quite serious,” Wang Yao said. He had determined this from what he had heard about Zhou Wuyi’s condition.

Wang Yao came to the bedside and reached out to take Zhou Wuyi’s pulse.

Compared to the last time he came, some parts had improved. However, the rest of Zhou Wuyi’s body had become much worse than before.

Seeing Wang Yao’s expression become more and more serious, Zhou Xiong and the rest knew that the situation was not good. Traces of worry appeared on their faces.

After Wang Yao was done with his diagnosis, Zhou Xiong’s father came in.

“How is it, Dr. Wang?”

“Let’s talk outside.”

“Okay.”

They went out into the living room.

“It’s not good,” Wang Yao said. “I need the following herbs. Please try to get it as quickly as possible.”

He took out a list of herbs. This wasn’t the formula for Regather Soup but another similar soup with similar effects. The herbs needed were normal herbs. He had tried this formula on Wei Hai, and it turned out to be effective. Of course, it was not as magical as Regather Soup.

“I’ll go settle it immediately,” Zhou Ying said, taking the list from Wang Yao.

“Before you go, take a break and have a meal. We’ve been rushing for time the entire journey; you must be tired.”

They ate at home, but for Wang Yao, the dishes were incomparably delicious and extravagant.

At the dining table, Zhou Xiong’s father consistently expressed his gratitude towards Wang Yao. He knew that only this doctor in front of him could cure his brother.

After lunch, Wang Yao went to take a break.

…

Zhou Ying had already returned with most of the necessary herbs.

“I need to check one more time,” Wang Yao said. He wanted to make another diagnosis on the patient. Earlier, he had thought of something and wanted to confirm it.

“Okay.”

This time, Wang Yao was exceptionally detailed in his diagnosis. Besides the pulse, Wang Yao inspected all the channels in Zhou Wuyi’s body. He discovered that there was one particular area in which the channels were all disrupted and in a mess. It was really serious.

His condition was markedly different from Zhou Xiong’s son. Zhou Wukang’s problem was merely an obstruction of the vessels. Zhou Wuyi’s problem, however, was that some of the channels were disrupted, even broken, and needed to be reconnected. This was not something Wang Yao could do at the present moment.

After getting a more detailed understanding of the problem, Wang Yao returned to his room to thoroughly consider his plan of action.

Evidently, it wasn’t easy to treat these various diseases. Over the past few months, he had encountered various types of problems, with varying levels of difficulty. Some were less serious like Secretary Yang’s mother and Wei Hai, who were both close to recovery. In Wei Hai’s case, there was a mishap that delayed the treatment. A more serious case would be Zhou Wuyi’s right now. He had no method to immediately treat him.

How about trying out the Blood Deblocking Powder?

This was something that Wang Yao had on hand right now.

Wang Yao retrieved the Blood Deblocking Powder from his bag and inspected it. Then, he came to the bedside and instructed someone to prepare it for the patient. Following that, he waited to see if there were any changes in Zhou Wuyi’s condition, occasionally taking his pulse.

The effect of this medicine was not merely clearing away obstructions. More importantly, it also helped to strengthen the tensile strength of the surrounding walls of the various vessels.

It was effective.

Wang Yao decided to continue using this medicine. However, he took care not to prescribe too large a dose. Not only would that not help the patient, but there could also be undesirable side effects.

As it was getting closer to evening, Sang Guzi arrived at the village.

“Long time no see, young friend.”

“Hello, Master Sang,” Wang Yao replied respectfully.

“We meet again.” Master Sang had a cheerful expression, and a smile hung on his face.

“Uncle Sang?”

“Mmmm.”

They gathered in the living room.

“Is your father any better?” Sang Guzi asked.

“It’s not too optimistic. This afternoon, Dr. Wang gave him some medicine. We need to wait a while to see if there’s any effect,” Zhou Ying answered.

“Do you have any method to treat him, young friend?” Sang Guzi asked Wang Yao.

“Not yet, no. We can only try and see if something works,” Wang Yao replied honestly.

“Uh-huh,” Sang Guzi nodded his head.

In his opinion, Zhou Wuyi’s condition could be considered terminal. At the moment, there was no hope of treatment as all his vessels were in a mess. Unless there was some kind of heavenly elixir, there was no possibility of recovery. Nonetheless, some unexpected surprise could happen. For example, the previous time, this young fellow had produced a pill that brought Zhou Wuyi back from the brink of death. That scene was still fresh in Sang Guzi’s memory.

“A while back, I went to Qi province…,” Sang Guzi suddenly recounted.

“Hmm?”

“I went to the island to see a patient with a strange illness.”

“The island?” Wang Yao’s curiosity was piqued.

“It was a disease caused by excess Yang energy,” Sang Guzi continued.

Once Sang Guzi mentioned this, Wang Yao had an inkling of who this patient was.

“Is that person surnamed Sun?”

“Hmm?” Sang Guzi was surprised. “You’ve seen this patient?”

“I’ve met him,” Wang Yao laughed as he replied.

“How is he?” Sang Guzi asked about the patient’s condition.

“Just like Master Zhou right now—his condition is extremely hard to treat,” Wang Yao said.

“Mmm, over the years, I’ve seen my fair share of strange illnesses. However, it’s also my first time seeing a condition like his. For him to live until now is quite shocking. Could it be that you did something to help him?” Sang Guzi asked.

“No, I saw him, but I didn’t treat him.”

The Zhou family asked Master Sang to stay for dinner.

Master Sang lived nearby and had known the Zhou family for many years. In addition to that, he was someone with exceptional medical skills. Therefore, he always had a good relationship with the Zhou family.

After dinner, Wang Yao went to look at Zhou Wuyi once more. He took Zhou Wuyi’s pulse again before confirming that the Blood Deblocking Powder was effective.

The herbs he needed had been prepared by Zhou Ying since the evening. Even the equipment he needed to decoct medicine had been prepared.

“I can start decocting the medicine tomorrow.”

That night, the Zhou family had a few more people and relatives at their house.

Normally speaking, people rarely came to visit a patient at night because that was considered inauspicious. For them to come right now must mean that something urgent was happening. Wang Yao could hear some noises next door as though there were people quarreling about something.