Fuling followed Qin Guan as they squeezed through the crowd, and immediately gasped in shock.
On the cold stone floor, a young maidservant in blue was sitting slumped, with a plainly dressed old madam lying unconscious in her arms.
The old madam, her silver hair indicating she was over sixty, had her eyes tightly shut and showed no signs of breathing. Upon closer inspection, her face was pale with a bluish tint, her forehead dotted with a thin layer of sweat—clear signs of severe illness.
The blue-clad maidservant clung tightly to the old madam, tears streaming down her face. "When the old madam fell ill, she couldn't move at all and shouldn't be jostled. I'm the only one attending to her right now. Please, if anyone is kind enough to fetch a physician, we will reward you generously..."
"The nearest physician is Dr. Li from Renshou Hall, but it would take nearly half an hour to go and return. Young lady, where is your home? You should call for someone who can take charge."
Seeing the old madam's critical condition, those present hesitated to help, fearing they might get entangled in trouble.
Hearing this, the maidservant's lips trembled, her face full of distress. "Our home... our home is far away... There's no time for that. Please, if anyone could just run this errand for us..."
"This old madam's condition looks similar to what my mother had before. Back then, my mother also turned pale and couldn't move. When we called a physician, he told us to prepare for her passing."
At these words, the onlookers instinctively took a step back. The maidservant's tears fell like pearls. She was the only attendant and couldn't leave the old madam alone, but without a physician, wouldn't she be watching the old madam die?
"Lay her flat on the ground."
Suddenly, a cool, composed voice rang out from the crowd.
Fuling, who had been watching with a heavy heart, was startled by the voice and didn't react immediately. But soon, she realized Qin Guan, standing beside her, was stepping forward. Fuling's eyes widened in disbelief—the speaker was none other than her own mistress!
"Miss, you—"
It was good to be helpful, but this was a matter of life and death. If things went wrong, what if the family blamed her mistress? Fuling watched Qin Guan anxiously, wishing she could pull her back.
The crowd also stared at Qin Guan in surprise. What was she planning to do?
Qin Guan crouched beside the old woman. "Lay her flat on the ground."
The floor was hard and cold. The blue-clad maidservant hesitated for a moment. "Miss, you..."
Qin Guan was too young, and her clothes were plain and worn. Even though she carried an air of calm composure beyond her years, the maidservant couldn't easily trust her...
"Does this young lady know medicine?"
"She's so young. She might end up killing someone."
"Yes, good intentions could lead to disaster."
Qin Guan ignored the maidservant's doubtful gaze and the murmurs of the crowd.
She directly took the old woman's wrist to check her pulse, then leaned close to listen to her chest and throat. After a moment, she said, "Your old madam has long suffered from wind-induced illness. Half a year ago, her condition worsened, and in the past two months, she has had more than five episodes. Just now, she suddenly lost consciousness, her body stiff and unresponsive, her tongue rigid, her throat blocked, and she could only make incoherent sounds. Looking at her pale, bluish face, her sluggish pulse, and the stagnation of qi, she is suffering from wind-induced liver obstruction—a life-threatening condition that cannot be delayed."
She added a few more words, "Her life is in danger. There's no time to waste."
Qin Guan's voice was soft but quick, ensuring the maidservant heard every word clearly. When she finished, the maidservant looked at her in astonishment. Without waiting for Qin Guan to say more, she carefully laid the old madam flat on the ground.Qin Guan immediately leaned forward, starting from the Fengchi acupoint, she pressed along the Jianyu and Quchi points, then moved to Zhigou, Wushu, and Yanglingquan, repeating this cycle continuously. Seeing the old woman's forehead glistening with sweat, Qin Guan finally looked up at her surroundings. They were right next to a teahouse, so she instructed, "Go fetch paper and ink."
The maid in green had observed Qin Guan's technique. Having cared for the old woman for years, she could tell Qin Guan truly knew medicine. No longer harboring any doubt, she rushed to the teahouse the moment Qin Guan spoke and quickly returned with the requested items.
Qin Guan spread the paper on the ground and elegantly wrote a prescription in delicate orchid-style calligraphy...
As she wrote, the onlookers watched with complex expressions. Though the old woman hadn't woken yet, Qin Guan's composed and confident demeanor made them reconsider underestimating her.
Within moments, the prescription was complete. Folding it, Qin Guan handed it to the green-clad maid. "She can be moved now. Take her home immediately and have this decoction ready within an hour. Did you see my technique clearly?"
The maid nodded. Qin Guan continued, "After administering the medicine, continue massaging in this sequence. If someone skilled in needle therapy is available, that would be most effective. If the Old Madam breaks into heavy sweating before nightfall, she'll pull through. If not—" Qin Guan's expression turned grave, her voice lowering, "If not, she will certainly pass within seven days."
The maid's hands trembled, her eyes widening in shock. Qin Guan cast a compassionate glance at the old woman before standing. She had done all she could—now it was up to fate.
Brushing dust from her skirt, Qin Guan turned and walked away without another word.
Fuling, who had been watching anxiously with sweaty palms, hurried after her mistress.
"Young lady! May I ask your name—" The green-clad maid's voice called after them, but Qin Guan didn't look back. Fuling only wanted to leave quickly—she'd never known her mistress knew medicine. Though Qin Guan had seemed competent, what if... what if the old woman died from her treatment?
As Qin Guan and her maid disappeared into the distance, the green-clad servant wasted no time enlisting the teahouse attendants' help to move the old woman, clearly intending to follow Qin Guan's instructions.
The crowd lingered, one bystander cautioning, "Young girl, are you really going to trust that young lady's words? You should be careful..."
Another disagreed, "That's not necessarily true. She seemed completely composed and knew the pressure points well. Has any young female physician come to Jinzhou recently?"
Their exchange sparked discussion among the spectators.
"I've heard nothing of the sort. This wind-strike illness is serious—only a highly skilled physician would know how to treat it, and I've heard no rumors of such a woman. We should have stopped her to ask..."
"While I haven't heard of any young female doctors in Jinzhou, I have heard another strange story about someone saving lives..." interjected a well-dressed man mysteriously.
At this, everyone—including the green-clad maid—perked up with interest.
The man continued eagerly, "They say in the Qin Manor to the east, their Ninth Miss not only returned from death after jumping into a lake, but also revived a maid who'd hanged herself. Now the people from the Qin Mansion say she's possessed by the Buddha—"There are no walls without cracks, especially in a place like Qin Manor with its many servants. Qin Guan and Fuling left quickly, unaware of the gossip that followed. Fuling was filled with worry, while Qin Guan herself felt somewhat hesitant.
In the past, she had studied medicine under her father from a young age and later became a disciple of the Medicine King, Sun Xi. But ever since moving to the capital, she had remained secluded in the inner chambers, never given the chance to practice her skills. Today, however, she had saved a life right on the streets—who knew what trouble it might bring?
The moment this thought arose, Qin Guan felt a pang of shame.
Her father had always said that saving lives was the duty of a physician. Moreover, this life was vastly different from the one before. To think this way was to lose sight of her true purpose.
At the memory of the past, her heart ached. Turning her gaze, she met Fuling’s aggrieved eyes.
Fuling, her face twisted in distress as if on the verge of tears, said, "Miss, I’ve been utterly loyal to you, yet you hid such a big secret from me! I’m so wronged..."
OpenNovel