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Translator: Silavin
After leaving his Father, Hansheng wandered around. Inadvertently, he noticed a crowd gathered ahead. As he approached, he saw a young girl in a worn blue floral coat kneeling on the ground. Behind her lay an old woman with greying hair, body tightly contracting and barely alive.
The onlookers could not help and could only sigh.
In front of the girl was a piece of brown paper, also known as Kraft Paper, spread on the ground. With crooked writing, it read: ‘Seeking medical help. My Mother has a strange disease. Whoever can cure her, I will repay with my body.’
“Little girl, what disease does your Mother have?” Someone in the crowd asked.
“Little girl, how old are you?” Another person inquired.
The girl raised her head, and the crowd let out a gasp. Her brow bones were too prominent, her eye sockets were deeply sunken, and her eyes were as small as beans. Her nose was flat and her lips were thick with her face covered in freckles. She was incredibly ugly…
※※※
Hansheng was startled at first, thinking to himself that he had never seen such an ugly woman in the world. As he was pondering, he heard the girl begin to speak.
“I’m called Lan’er, and I’m sixteen years old. My Mother got this strange disease last December, and it has been getting worse over the course of the year. Her whole body is stiff as if frozen, and she can only curl up in a ball. The hospital said this disease can’t be cured and told us to prepare for the worst. I beg all the Uncles and Aunties here, if there’s even a glimmer of hope, I’m willing to be your slave.”
Hansheng heard her voice, which was as hoarse as a frog’s croak. He even felt a sharp pain in his eardrums.
“Little girl, this disease seems to be called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS), also known as gradual freezing’. Unless Hua Tuo is reborn or Bian Que comes back to life, there’s no way to cure it. It’s better to prepare for her funeral,” said an old man with a white beard selling dog skin plasters nearby.
(Silavin: Bian Que was a Chinese physician 401BC – 310BC)
*Wuu…* Lan’er began to cry upon hearing this, her tears falling onto the paper, appearing faintly red.
“Crying Blood Disease?” Hansheng blurted out.
“Oh? This young man actually knows about Crying Blood Disease. This is also an ancient incurable disease. Are you studying medicine?” The old man turned and asked with curiosity.
Hansheng’s face reddened, and he gave a small nod.
“Unfortunately, even the most skilled doctors in the world can’t cure this disease,” the old man sighed.
“It can be cured,” Hansheng said, his voice so low only he could hear it.
“What? You say it can be cured?” However, the old man’s ears were quite sharp.
Hansheng made an affirmative, “En”.
“Young man, don’t talk nonsense. Do you even know how this disease is contracted?” The old man’s eyes showed clear disdain.
Hansheng shook his head, “No, I don’t know.”
“Hmph! If you don’t even know the cause of the disease, how can you cure it? The young these days don’t know their limitations.”
“Brother, can you really cure my Mother?” Lan’er looked at Hansheng in confusion.
Hansheng gave a small nod.
“If you can cure my Mother, I’m willing to marry you,” Lan’er firmly stated.
The crowd let out another gasp. Who would want to marry such an ugly girl?
Hansheng remembered the words from the letter in the wooden box: ‘If this Classic sees the light of day in the future, the one who obtains it should seek out and practice medicine to help the world.’
[Both Mother and Daughter are so pitiful. Since the Classic of the Black Satchel has a prescription for ‘Frozen People’, I should just take on the risk and try.] He looked around and said, “I just need a pair of scissors, a bowl of water, and a box of matches.”
The warm hearted people of Jiangxi quickly gathered the items. As the news spread, more people from the market gathered around.
※※※
Ignoring the puzzled looks of the crowd, Hansheng went straight to the Mother’s side. He squatted down, grabbed her hair, and cut off a lock with a *snip*.
He placed the hair in the porcelain bowl, immediately lit a match, and set it on fire. It produced a burnt smell. After it had burned to ashes, he took out the green Earth Spawn from his pocket and smashed it hard on the ground.
[There must be a wood silkworm inside the egg…] He prayed.
“There’s a green worm!” Those around exclaimed in surprise.
[Thank Heaven!] Hansheng carefully picked up the green worm and held it in his palm. The silkworm was plump and fat, wriggling with its two small green eyes.
The Classic of the Black Satchel recorded that the Five Elements Earth Spawns contained white, green, black, red, and yellow silkworms. They absorbed the essence of the earth and were extremely effective as medicine. Coincidentally, the first disease written that the wood silkworm could treat was Frozen People, which was precisely what was needed.
The miraculous aspect of the Classic of the Black Satchel was that it only required one main ingredient. The Medicine Catalyst was very peculiar, unbelievable even. For the Frozen People prescription, the main ingredient was the wood silkworm, and the Medicine Catalyst was charred human hair, which the classic annotated needed to be the patient’s hair.
The next part was simple. Hansheng placed the wood silkworm in the bowl. Upon seeing the ashes from the charred human hair, the silkworm opened its mouth wide and began to eat…
After a moment, the wood silkworm’s belly swelled up, and its skin became greener. It seemed to be full, so it closed its eyes and went to sleep.
Hansheng grabbed the wood silkworm, used one hand to open Lan’er’s Mother’s mouth, and pushed the silkworm into it.
Lan’er’s Mother’s throat moved a few times as she swallowed the silkworm.
By this time, everyone was watching in amazement. Even the white bearded old man nearby was staring intently.
Lan’er knelt beside her Mother, her body trembling.
Hansheng was equally nervous. He did not know what would happen next. From the perspective of the Five Elements’ generation and restriction, the symptoms of Frozen People belonged to water. Water at its extreme becomes ice. The silkworm from the Wood Egg was green, belonging to wood. In the Five Elements, water supports wood, and conversely, wood drains water. From the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this was much gentler than using earth to forcibly restrict water. In short, this method suited Lan’er’s Mother’s weak constitution the most.
After an unknown amount of time, someone called out softly. Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that a thin white mist was rising from Lan’er’s Mother’s skin and clothes. As the mist grew thicker, it eventually formed a layer of frost.
The warm sunlight shone on her, slowly evaporating the frost.
Lan’er’s Mother’s contracted body gradually relaxed, and Lan’er’s tense expression also eased.
As everyone was still marvelling, Lan’er’s Mother opened her eyes and slowly sat up…
The locals immediately burst into cheers. Several women were wiping tears from their faces, and Lan’er threw herself into her Mother’s arms.
“A divine doctor! A divine doctor has appeared!” someone shouted.
Lan’er turned around, her eyes brimming with tears. She knelt before Hansheng, kowtowing gratefully, “Divine doctor, you’ve cured my Mother! I am willing to repay you with my body and marry you.”
Hansheng’s face reddened as he softly said, “At the next big market fair, here, at the same place, I’ll treat your Crying Blood Disease.”
After he said that, he slipped through the crowd and ran away like the wind.
“Who is he?” Lan’er’s Mother asked.
Lan’er watched Hansheng’s retreating figure, pale red tears flowing from her sunken eyes.
The crowd slowly dispersed, and the news of a divine doctor appearing in Wuyuan spread quickly. By that evening, it had spread throughout half of the town.
※※※
At dusk, in an old, large courtyard house in Wuyuan town.
This house was another typical ancient Hui Style residence, with three courtyards, white walls, and grey tiles. The crow-stepped gable had high eaves in the air. There were winding paths and corridors in the courtyard. The wooden carvings on the door were particularly exquisite, with fishing, woodcutting, farming, and studying on the east side. Music, chess, calligraphy, and painting on the west side. It must have been the home of a Family of scholars or officials in the past.
The current owner was Huang Qiansui, the chairman of the County Reformation Committee and also the Brother-in-law of Meng Zhuqi from Nanshan Town.
In the main hall’s reception room, cigarette smoke lingered. Three people sat on armchairs made from Chinese Rosewood.
“So, the divine doctor story is true, not just a rumour?” Huang Qiansui looked at his Brother-in-law and exhaled a puff of smoke.
“Brother-in-law, it is absolutely true. Many people saw it with their own eyes at the market. The old woman’s disease was said to be the incurable Gradual Freezing Disease. Yet, it was cured in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea,” Meng Zhuqi confidently said.
Huang Qiansui turned his gaze to the person on his right, “Master Wu, what do you think?”
The person he was referring to was none other than the Hong Kong Feng Shui Master, Wu Daoming.
Wu Daoming smiled and said, “Chairman Huang, as far as I know, Gradual Freezing Disease is internationally known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The patient’s motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord are attacked by unknown causes, leading to gradual muscle atrophy, weakness, and paralysis. The body seems to freeze over time, and patients usually die within two years. This disease is listed as one of the world’s five major incurable diseases. There has been no precedent for a cure.”
Huang Qiansui nodded and said, “Master Wu makes a good point. However, our China has a long history of 5,000 years. Many extraordinary individuals have emerged from among the common people. It’s not impossible that a divine doctor could appear, just like you, Master Wu, who is a leader in the field of Feng Shui.”
“Chairman Huang, I’ve been pondering over this issue as well. It’s said that the young divine doctor at the market cured the old woman using just a green worm and ashes from burned hair. If this is true, there are hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide who suffer from ALS. How much would this single prescription be worth in USD? The business opportunities here are limitless.”
Chairman Huang waved his hand, stood up, and paced the floor, stating meaningfully, “Let’s not talk about money. Even if it’s taken as the contribution of China to the world, its impact would be immense. As far as I know, there are some among the older generation of the Revolutionaries in the Central Government who suffer from this incurable disease. If we can cure them, we would be able to ensure that the Revolutionary Country would never change colour. That would be the greatest contribution.”
“Brother-in-law, I agree with you!” Meng Zhuqi said, somewhat excitedly.
“Alright, you should secretly investigate the matter of the divine doctor. The key is to verify its authenticity. If false, then those spreading rumours should be arrested. Report to me at any time. Also, we need to speed up the search for the Dragon Veins. Make sure to keep it absolutely secret.”
“Yes,” Meng Zhuqi and Wu Daoming responded.
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