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

I should be able to complete the task.

He just needed two more people.

By this time, Wang Yao felt a little relieved. He was very nervous a few days ago. If it were not for the group of elders, he reckoned that the task would still be quite difficult.

…

In a countryside somewhere in a neighboring county, hundreds of miles away.

“Father, are you feeling unwell? Do you have to go to the hospital to have a checkup?”

The old man who was examined by Wang Yao accepted Wang Yao’s advice. After returning home, he told his children about this matter. He said that he was feeling unwell and that he wanted to go to the hospital to have an examination the next day. All of them went straight home at night after hearing their father’s words.

“My head hurts.”

“Okay. I’ll take you to the county hospital tomorrow.” One of his sons immediately made sure to clear his day.

“Yes. Go get checked.”

His children lived in the town and they all lived well. They had asked their father several times to move into town with them. They were worried about him being alone in the countryside. However, after staying over a few times, the old man realized he was not used to living in a storied house. It was not as comfortable as his old house, so he was not willing to move.

Once he was ill, his children became very anxious.

“Alright,” the old man said while smoking a cigarette.

Just like that, the matter was settled.

Of course, the old man did not mention that he went to see a doctor in a neighboring county. He was afraid that his children would be worried.

Early in the morning, Wang Yao practiced Chinese boxing on top of the hill. Then, he tidied up the herbal field and went down the hill.

After eating something at home, he then drove his mother to his grandmother’s house.

“Why don’t we shopping in town first, Mother?”

“Okay. We do need to pick up some supplies.”

He bought a few things at the supermarket in town. They bought some food for his grandparents and some supplements for his aunt who had cancer.

It was not a very long journey. They arrived at Wang Yao’s grandmother’s house before nine o’clock in the morning. The two elders were in good health and they looked quite well. Wang Yao took a look at their bodies and there didn’t seem to be any problems.

“Grandma, Grandpa, you both seem well.”

“Yes. We feel a lot more relaxed lately.”

“Let’s visit Jiqing later,” Zhang Xiuying suggested.

“Yes, you should,” Wang Yao’s grandfather responded.

The two families were quite close. Wang Yao’s mother and Zhang Wenbao’s father had the same grandfather. Visiting them was contact between relatives.

“Okay. We’ll go over first.”

They brought the things with them and left. Zhang Wenbao’s house was in the north of the village. There were four big, tile-roofed houses which were newly built within the last two years. Their living conditions had just improved in those two years. His daughter got married and his son was about to get married as well. However, this latest incident was not expected.

When Wang Yao and his mother arrived, his whole family was home. The woman who was ill laid on the kang. She was very skinny and she was covered with a thin blanket, but her stomach was huge. Her face was sallow and there was no spirit in her eyes. Her breathing was very weak. She still spoke a few words when they came, but her voice was so soft that it sounded like a mosquito buzzing.

“Second Uncle, Aunty,” Wang Yao greeted them.

“Take a seat.”

Wang Yao’s uncle was busy pouring some tea.

“Brother, don’t make yourself busy. We’ll leave in a bit.”

It was very bright in the room.

Wang Yao did not go closer. He could already see clearly from a distance away.

She was dying. She was at death’s door.

That was right. His aunt was in such a state.

It was solely through sheer strength of will that she had survived this long. She wanted to see her son getting married, and she was, as people called it, relying on “one breath”. However, it would be dependent on her willpower as to how long she could last.

The atmosphere in the house was very depressing. After all, it was impossible for the family to be in a good mood in such a situation.

Wang Yao and his mother did not stay for long and left after some time.

“Sigh. They used to be a happy family,” Zhang Xiuying said with a sigh. “She should be at the age where she could possibly hold her grandson soon. Hey, you better be quick. When is Tong Wei coming back? Didn’t she say that she’ll only be there for a month? It’s almost two months now!” Zhang Xiuying suddenly changed the topic.

“Huh? She’s coming back soon,” Wang Yao was startled.

“Take her to our house to have a meal after she’s back.”

“Okay.”

On their way back, Wang Yao was lost in thoughts. He was thinking about the condition of his second aunt who was lying on the kang.

If he were to treat her, could he prolong her life by a little?

He could. Not to mention anything else, the Prolongation pill he had could have such an effect. In addition to the Prolongation pill, the Nine Herbs pill might be able to produce some effect as well. However, as for her current situation, each day she was alive was torture.

“What are you thinking about?” Zhang Xiuying, walking next to him, saw that her son had kept his head low and was lost in his own thoughts after coming out of Zhang Wenbao’s house. He seemed to be very worried.

“Nothing. I’m thinking about Second Aunt’s illness.”

“Can you treat it?”

“I can give it a try, but I can only prolong her life. Currently, I’m not capable of curing her disease.”

“Prolong her life? How are you going to prolong it?”

“I can do so by giving her the pill which I’ve given to you and Father. No, the Nine Herbs pill will do too.”

“Hurry up and give it to her!”

“Okay. Wait here. I’ll go back and give it to them.” Wang Yao turned around and went to his aunt’s house.

“Yao, is there a matter?” He happened to see his uncle coming out of the house when he entered the house.

“Second Uncle, I’ve brought you some pills. It may help a little. I’ve forgotten about it just now. This is for you.” Wang Yao gave him three Nine Herbs pills which were stored in a small plastic bottle.

“What kind of medicine is this?” the middle-aged man was startled.

“It’s formulated by using nine types of herbs. Aunty can try to eat it when she’s feeling unwell and when she can’t endure it.”

“Alright. Thank you,” the middle-aged man hurriedly responded.

In this current situation, he did not care where it came from or if it had any side effects. He was willing to give it a try. His wife did not have much time left anyway. In order to treat her disease, they had used lots of folk prescriptions. They had already tried using venoms like scorpions, centipedes, and toads to treat the malignant disease with poisonous agents. Three tiny pils were nothing compared to what he had already done.

“I’ll get going now.”

“Okay.”

Wang Yao had lunch at his grandmother’s place.

“How’s the condition of Jiqing’s mother?”

“I don’t think she’s going to be able to make it,” Zhang Xiuying replied.

“I don’t know if she can hold out till Jiqing’s marriage.” Wang Yao’s grandfather lit a cigarette while eating.

“The disease might be genetic!”

…

In the People’s Hospital in Zhu County.

“What? A tumor?!”

The old man’s children, who accompanied him to see a doctor, were all dumbfounded after hearing the test result.

“Doctor, are you mistaken?”

“You can go to the big hospitals for a second opinion, but I’m sure.”

They stayed there for quite some time.

The old man’s eldest son calmed down first and said, “Listen, don’t tell Father anything when you go out.”

“Okay.”

After seeing his children coming out of the room, the old man hurriedly went forward and asked, “How is it?”

When the doctor called his children into the other room just now, he did not feel too good. He couldn’t shake the feeling feeling that something was wrong.

“It’s nothing serious. The doctor said that there may be a thrombosis in your brain. It’s just that he isn’t too sure, so he suggested us to have a checkup at a big hospital. We’ll go to the provincial hospital immediately.”

“Yes, let’s go to the provincial capital city.”

“Aye, why do we have to go to the provincial capital city just for a thrombosis?!” the old man said.

“The doctor has said that the situation may worsen, so we have to go immediately.”

His children made up a reason and coaxed their father. The old man finally agreed to go to the provincial capital city immediately.

“Sigh. That doctor really has a knack for medicine,” the old man mumbled in the car.

“Which doctor, Father?” his youngest daughter beside him asked.

“Oh. Before you all came, I went to a doctor in the neighboring county with several other elders in the village. His skills in treating headaches are remarkable. At that time, after giving me a checkup, he asked me to go to a big hospital to have a proper examination, but he did not tell me what my illness is,” the old man explained.

“The doctor asked you to have a checkup at a big hospital?” his children looked at each other.

Obviously, the doctor had also discovered that there was something wrong with their father’s brain, but he did not tell the old man the truth. He was probably also afraid that the old man could not accept it.

“Father, why didn’t you say so earlier? Where are the X-ray films that he gave you?”

“There are no X-ray films. He checked my pulse.”

“Checked your pulse? Is he a Chinese medicine practitioner?”

“Yes.”

It would take more than four hours to drive from Zhu County to the provincial capital city. When they arrived in the afternoon, it would be just in time to see the doctors on duty in the provincial hospital.

This was the best hospital in the province which had brought together the best specialists in the province. It was hard to register for a specialist.

They made an appointment with a specialist, but it was the next day.

“Father, we have no choice but to stay here for a night.”

“Okay then.”

Ju City was close to Lianshan County. However, it was more than two times as big as Lianshan County.

…

In a villa somewhere.

“Mother, how do you feel after taking the medicine?”

“Umm, I feel quite well. My body feels warm and energetic. My appetite is back too and I sleep better at night,” the old woman replied.

“Looks like Dr. Wang is quite skilled,” Chen Changfeng said.

“Yes.”

“I wonder how’s the formulation of the other medicine going?”

…

In Lianshan County.

After returning home with his mother, Wang Yao went back to the medical center. He had some thoughts on his way back. He had to write them down now. After he had done recording it, he went up Nanshan Hill again.

He gathered a few types of herbs which he had prepared.

Moonlight herb, glossy ganoderma, poria cocos, and licorice. There were only these four types of medicinal herbs.

He wanted to formulate Anshensan.

There were breezes in the Spirit-gathering battle array.

The firewood spluttered and crackled. The ancient spring water was boiling inside the pot and releasing steam.

He added the herbs in order. He was only waiting for the herbs to mix into the water completely.

He added the moonlight herb last. It practically melted once it came into contact with water, turning the herbal medicine in the pot into a nice aquamarine color, like a jade that melted away.

It was successful!

The medicine was decocted.

It required some experience and some knowledge.

After storing the medicine, he went out of the cottage and began to check on the ordinary medicinal herbs which were planted in the herbal field. He dug out those which had ripened and processed them. He planned to exchange them through the system’s pharmacy shop.