The Lord of Void and Real

53  Chapter 52 Time is pressing

"The patient is here, Doctor Liu, can you tell what ailment he is suffering from?" Mr. Hou led Doctor Liu to the bedside and fetched a stool for him to sit on.

Doctor Liu carefully examined Shen Luo's complexion, then took Shen Luo's wrist to take his pulse. Soon a soft sound of surprise escaped from his lips.

"Doctor Liu, is this young man's condition very serious?" Mr. Hou hurriedly asked.

"His pulse is weak and erratic, the three burner syndrome is out of balance, indeed quite severe. This kind of pulse is often found in dying elderly people, it is really strange that such a young man has this condition." Doctor Liu said with a grave expression.

"Dying..." Mr. Hou's thick brows couldn't help but frown.

The same expression was on the faces of the three clerks, especially that of Xiao San, who was wearing a mournful face.

The woman in red at the back, with her arms folded across her chest, was looking at Mr. Hou with a mocking gaze, seemingly expressing her previous dissatisfaction.

"Doctor Liu, this young man is a guest in my shop, please do your best to save him," Mr. Hou said reverently.

"Brother Hou, it's not that I'm trying to shirk responsibility, it's just that I've never seen a condition like this young man's, I really don't know where to begin," Doctor Liu said helplessly.

Mr. Hou was silent for a moment, then sighed.

Doctor Liu is the best doctor in town. It seems that this handsome young man is really beyond help.

"If he can't be cured, just let it be. You three, quickly take this man out of the back door for me, don't let him die in the store. Bad luck," the woman in red said.

Mr. Hou's face darkened, just about to speak.

"Needle... Celestial Pivot..." A weak voice suddenly sounded.

Everyone in the room looked over, only to see that it was Shen Luo who had barely opened his mouth. They were all taken aback.

"What did you say?" Doctor Liu stood up and leaned his ear closer to Shen Luo.

"Celestial Pivot... Celestial Pivot..." Shen Luo spoke again.

This time his voice was slightly louder, and everyone in the room heard it.

"Are you saying that you want me to acupuncture your Celestial Pivot acupoint?" Doctor Liu hesitated a bit, then asked.

20:52

Shen Luo slowly nodded his head.

Doctor Liu frowned, turned his head to Mr. Hou and said, "Brother Hou, this young man is a guest in your shop. What do you think should be done?"

"Doctor Liu, this young man doesn't seem to be an ordinary person, perhaps he understands the method of treatment. Just give it a try," Mr. Hou, after a moment of silence, said, gritting his teeth.

"What if something happens," the woman in red in the back said coldly.

"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, I, Hou, cannot stand by and watch someone die. Doctor Liu, please," Mr. Hou said.

The woman in red wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't say a word.

Doctor Liu nodded, undid Shen Luo's clothes, then took out a set of acupuncture tools, drew out a silver needle, and inserted it into Shen Luo's abdomen at the Celestial Pivot acupoint.

"Water division..." Shen Luo spoke again.

Doctor Liu looked at Shen Luo once and followed the procedure to perform acupuncture.

"Conception Vessel..." Shen Luo slowly voiced, listing eighteen acupoints one after another. Those happened to be the eighteen places where Master Fengyang had treated him before.

Being sick from a young age, he had a deep understanding of the body's acupoints, although he didn't study thoroughly, remembering these eighteen acupoints was a small matter to him.

Following the procedure indicated by Shen Luo, Doctor Liu performed the acupuncture, quickly creating a forest of needles on Shen Luo's chest and abdomen, which trembled lightly.

Shen Luo's complexion improved significantly, no longer as pale as before, and some of his strength returned as he could barely lift his arm.

Doctor Liu's face turned to astonishment as he took Shen Luo's wrist to check his pulse again, finding that the chaotic pulse had almost completely restored itself.

"It turns out the miracle doctor is here. I had my doubts about your medical skills at first, please pardon me!" Doctor Liu stood up, bowed respectfully towards Shen Luo.

Everyone else in the room was stunned by the situation before their eyes.

Originally a scholar, Doctor Liu had turned to medicine after repeatedly failing in the civil examinations. His medical skills were exquisite and he carried the haughty demeanor of a scholar, never having bowed to anyone before. Yet today, he was showing such reverence to a youth.

"You needn't be so formal. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to recover at this moment," Shen Luo said, his speech much smoother than before.

"My name is Liu Baichuan, may I know the miracle doctor's name?" Doctor Liu inquired.

"Hardly a miracle doctor, I am Shen Luo," he waved his hand in dismissal.

"Shen Luo? Are you the distinguished young doctor from the Shen family in Chunhua County? Your Shen's Pharmacy's Golden Fragrant Tonic is renowned for enhancing a person's vitality and spirit without harming the body; they say you invented it after studying ancient texts. Admirable, truly admirable!" Liu Baichuan looked even more respectful.

Mr. Hou and others, who were not involved in the medical field, were unaware of the fame of the Shen family in Chunhua County. However, seeing Liu Baichuan's demeanor, they guessed Shen Luo was no ordinary person, and their gazes towards him changed instantly.

The young woman in the red skirt felt particularly uneasy, as she had spoken ill of Shen Luo just a moment ago. She wondered if he had heard her.

Upon hearing Liu Baichuan's words, Shen Luo was taken aback. He had asked his father to keep the matter of Golden Fragrant Jade secret, yet it appeared to have leaked out.

"Brother Liu, you flatter me. The Golden Fragrant Jade was produced by the combined efforts of me and several pharmacy owners of the Shen family, not just my own work," he calmly replied, despite his inner bewilderment.

By acknowledging his identity like this, Liu Baichuan looked pleasantly surprised.

"Master Shen lives in Chunhua County. If you need any help here in Song Fan County, please don't hesitate to ask. I have many friends in the nearby area," Liu Baichuan offered.

"It's a private matter, there's no need to bother you," Shen Luo declined with a shake of his head.

He was a little curious about Liu Baichuan's eagerness; it seemed excessive, even for a famous doctor from Chunhua County.

"Master Shen, please don't misunderstand. Your Golden Fragrant Jade has saved the life of someone close to me. I merely wish to express my gratitude," Liu Baichuan explained, noticing Shen Luo's puzzlement.

"I'm here for something minor which I can handle myself, so there's no need to trouble you. I won't hesitate to ask if I need help," Shen Luo smiled.

"I understand, Master Shen. Since you're feeling unwell, I won't overstay. I'll take my leave," Liu Baichuan didn't linger and stood up to leave. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"I'm returning your silver needles," Shen Luo said, pulling them out and handing them back.

Liu Baichuan accepted them and left.

"Brother Liu, take care," Mr. Hou stood up to see him off.

The three shop assistants and the red-skirted woman also took the opportunity to leave the room, quickly leaving Shen Luo alone.

Shen Luo reached for the bundle near him and checked its content before sighing in relief. He then took a white jade bottle from it and consumed a white elixir.

This pill was the Life-saving Pill. As it melted down his throat, it turned into a warm sensation, slightly easing his sense of weakness, allowing him to sit up.

He sat cross-legged and began circulating the Small Transformation Yang Technique. As the Yang Gang Qi emerged from his Dantian, blending with the warmth produced by the Life-saving Pills, it circulated throughout his body.

After a while, Shen Luo opened his eyes, the feeling of weakness inside him had disappeared.

Rather than rejoicing at his recovery, his expression darkened like a deep, cold pool.

His condition just now was similar to his previous fainting spells after waking up from dreams, clearly due to a depletion of his vital energy.

Over the past two days, he had been taking Life-saving Pills and diligently practicing the Small Transformation Yang Technique to avoid relapses. He had believed that as long as he didn't enter the dream again, he would be safe for the time being. However, it now appeared he had been naïve. If he had not deduced the acupuncture method used by Master Fengyang to save him that day, the consequences would have been inconceivable.

The dangers of his depleted vital energy were becoming apparent. Even though it did correlate with the exhaustion from treasure hunting during the day, he realised he didn't have much time left.

He even had an intuition that his lifespan might not be able to reach the two years predicted by Master Fengyang.