The moment we arrived at the Feiying Prefecture the next morning, the few of us looked like bumpkins fresh from the countryside. I had assumed this place would be quite backward, imagining the Prefecture to be only slightly larger than Feiyu County. Now I realized they were on entirely different levels.

There were no thatched huts to be seen; every building was constructed of stone, tall and majestic. The mortar filling the gaps between the stones was incredibly strong, and the city walls, too, were a combination of stone and mortar, unlike the walls in Feiyu County which relied on the natural contours of the mountains to save time and labor.

Having established the Yuejin Construction Engineering Company, I naturally paid closer attention to the rooftops here, hoping to bring the business to this city. Looking around, though the details from the ground up were not entirely clear, I grasped the main structure: the stone houses in Feiying Prefecture did not have flat roofs; they were concave.

Seeing my confusion, Commander Tong explained, "Divine Doctor Zhao, you are unaware. The ground here is solid rock, so fresh water resources are scarce. However, rainfall is exceptionally high. Thus, our rooftops are all designed to collect rainwater, and every household has a cistern."

I nodded. It seemed the scope for Yuejin Construction Engineering Company wouldn't be huge here. If we were to renovate their houses, we would have to factor in water sources for the cisterns. Still, as a means of livelihood, if it worked here as it did in Feiyu County, the daily income would be enough to set off Rysky to find a wife. Those two brothers had been so good to me; I would certainly put my heart into helping them if I could.

We arrived at a tall, imposing courtyard. Commander Tong motioned towards it and said, "Divine Doctor Zhao, we are here."

Upon hearing the report from the gatekeepers, Magistrate Wu immediately rushed out to greet us. Although he didn't particularly favor his First Wife, his entire future and official career depended on her. If she died, his connection to the Prime Minister would be severed. Therefore, he was willing to risk his entire fortune to save her.

"Divine Doctor Zhao! I have been waiting anxiously, praying for your arrival! Please, come in quickly!" Magistrate Wu was in his thirties, reasonably tall, and possessed an imposing bearing, unlike those who constantly indulged in drink and pleasure.

I offered a slight bow. "This humble one pays respects to Magistrate Wu. Since Magistrate Wu has favored me with this invitation, this humble one will do his utmost to treat the Lady."

Magistrate Wu grasped my hand. "You have traveled all night. Please enter the reception hall first, have some tea, and rest a moment. Even the Emperor doesn't rush hungry soldiers. Saving a life is urgent, but we cannot expect the Divine Doctor to work without drawing breath."

Seeing the anxious look on Magistrate Wu's face, I knew he was desperate for me to examine his wife right away. Realizing I needed his influence to search for the Seven Women around Feiying Prefecture, I replied, "Magistrate Wu, saving a life is paramount. It is not too late for tea after I have examined the Lady."

Magistrate Wu was deeply moved. "Divine Doctor Zhao, if you can save my wife, this official will grant you a heavy reward."

I responded, "Wealth is external; human life is the most important. Magistrate Wu, please lead the way."

Magistrate Wu led me into the rear hall. Inside, several elderly men with the bearing of Daoist immortals were seated, sipping tea and arguing heatedly. Each one quoted classical texts (though, regrettably, I was unfamiliar with their references) and argued eloquently.

Seeing this scene, Magistrate Wu became furious. "Stop arguing! Divine Doctor Zhao has arrived! If you possessed any real skill, you wouldn't waste time bickering. If you have the ability, cure my wife's illness! Shouting aimlessly is useless!"

Swish. The gazes of the old men fixed upon me unpleasantly. I cupped my hands. "Esteemed uncles and elders, I am Zhao Qian. I am honored by Magistrate Wu's trust to treat the Lady, and I ask for your support."

A shorter-bearded elder spoke. "I, Wuque, have practiced medicine for decades and have never encountered such a strange affliction. The patient's internal organs are all normal, yet she suffers from unbearable, pervasive itching. Various anti-itch medicines have been ineffective. This old man believes the Lady suffers from a hidden poison and requires a more thorough examination."

"Examine? Examine your head!" Magistrate Wu snapped. "Do you want me to strip my wife naked for you to see? I told you—her maid and I have personally inspected her. There is nothing unusual about her body."

A longer-bearded elder stated, "Brother Wuque, a hidden poison doesn't always manifest on the skin. This old man believes the Lady's condition is due to depletion of Qi and Blood, causing systemic imbalance. This imbalance leads to discomfort, and the itching is merely an external symptom. The focus of treatment should be on tonifying the Blood."

"Wrong, it should be on cleansing the Blood! The poison has entered the Blood and circulated throughout the body. Therefore, the immediate priority is to purge the poison from the blood." A comparatively young physician chimed in.

Another countered, "Fine. Even if your hypothesis, Brother Xuliang, is correct—cleansing the blood? How would you cleanse it? Must you drain all the blood and replace it with new blood?"

The physician named Xuliang was deeply embarrassed. He had spoken rashly; he had no real method for cleansing the blood of toxins.

Listening to their dispute was not entirely useless. At the very least, I gained some insight into Lady Wu's illness. My medical knowledge is simulated, but the medicine I carry is real. First, I must thoroughly understand Lady Wu's condition, and if possible, avoid using the Life-Saving Needle.

Magistrate Wu said, "Divine Doctor Zhao, please come inside. Pay no mind to their clamor. If they truly possessed skill, my wife’s illness would have been cured long ago. Please."

Before even entering the inner room, I heard a sound like a pig being slaughtered coming from within. I had heard similar noises frequently recently, so I didn't pay them much mind. Magistrate Wu looked embarrassed. "Divine Doctor Zhao, please excuse my wife. The itching on her body is unbearable, yet her skin is so raw she dares not scratch. She endures this torment daily. Please, Divine Doctor, use your marvelous hands to rescue her and relieve her suffering."

Linglong and Daliwan waited outside. I followed Magistrate Wu into the inner chamber. I saw a girl, about twenty years old, bound to the bed. She had been quite delicate and beautiful, but now her face was covered in broken capillaries, and some parts of her body revealed bloody, raw flesh, making a horrifying sight.

Magistrate Wu bowed. "Divine Doctor Zhao, please feel free to use any method you deem necessary. As long as you save my wife's life, I, Wu, will be utterly obedient to you from this day forward."

I replied, "Magistrate Wu speaks too strongly. As for diagnosis, we observe, listen, feel the pulse, and inquire. I have seen the external appearance of your esteemed Lady, but I must inquire about the history of the illness."

Magistrate Wu savored the words. "Observe, listen, pulse, inquire. Excellent, those four words summarize the essentials of treatment. Divine Doctor Zhao is indeed a true divine doctor. Ask whatever you must. These maids are her personal attendants. My wife is so afflicted by the itching that her senses are clouded; just ask them whatever you need to know."

I asked the maids, "When did your Lady first exhibit these symptoms?"

One maid replied, "Seven days ago, the Lady was admiring flowers in the garden and returned after being caught in a few drops of rain. She then began to feel unwell. So, we prepared a floral bath for her. Who knew that after bathing, the Lady felt worse, the itching unbearable, with red spots and swelling? We immediately summoned a physician. The Prefecture Physician prescribed several cooling and detoxifying medicines, but after two days, not only did the condition not lessen, but the itching grew worse. The Lady couldn't bear it and scratched violently, even asking us to help her. As a result, her skin was torn open within days. The red spots and swelling are no longer discernible. Then, other doctors were invited by the Master, but the medicines they prescribed also failed to halt the decline. Since yesterday, the Lady has lost lucidity."

As she spoke, the young Lady Wu on the bed began to writhe again. She must have been in intense discomfort, desperately trying to reach her body to scratch with both hands. Fortunately, the ropes were secure; otherwise, if she continued scratching, she would have torn her flesh right off.

From the maid's account, the Lady must have been in good health previously. The physician Wuque mentioned earlier confirmed her internal organs were fine. Physician Xuliang's mention of eliminating blood toxins gave me an idea. Perhaps this Lady is suffering from a severe allergy to something, an allergen so potent that common medicines are useless. Coupled with the extremely backward medical standards here, the situation deteriorated rapidly over time.

Seeing that I stood silently, Magistrate Wu grew impatient. "Divine Doctor Zhao, have you conceived of a method to cure my consort?"

I pondered for a moment. "This..."

Magistrate Wu rushed to reply, "Divine Doctor Zhao, please speak freely."

I said, "I do not have complete certainty, but if Magistrate Wu trusts me, I can attempt it. Success will depend on the Lady's fortune." I did not want to promise success outright. What if the people here reacted poorly to the Life-Saving Needle, or what if the needle and some of the supplies had degraded during transit through the wormhole? That would be disastrous for me.

Magistrate Wu was now grasping at straws; delaying further meant that even if the illness wasn't fatal, his wife would likely succumb to the unbearable itching and bite her tongue to end her life. "Divine Doctor Zhao possesses the miraculous skill of cutting open the abdomen to deliver a child; I believe you can certainly save my consort. Ask whatever you need me to do."

I requested, "Magistrate Wu, may I have my assistant, Linglong, come in? I require her assistance." "Quickly, summon Miss Linglong!" Magistrate Wu ordered a maid.

Moments later, Linglong entered carrying a small medicine box—it was just a makeshift case, but it did contain some rather expensive medicine.

"Master," Linglong felt that as my assistant, she should call me Master. Although I found the title amusing, I couldn't argue with her, so I accepted it.

I addressed the others. "Everyone, please withdraw. I am about to administer medicine to the Lady."

Magistrate Wu understood that a divine doctor's treatment was not for outsiders to observe. If such techniques became known, anyone could claim to be a divine doctor! Thus, he had no doubts. Moreover, he had a female assistant in the room; the Divine Doctor wouldn't dare to treat his wife improperly in front of her.

"Everyone, follow the Divine Doctor's command and wait outside the door. No one is to enter without the Divine Doctor's summons."

"Yes," everyone complied, leaving the inner room with Magistrate Wu.

"Master," Linglong gave me a radiant smile. "Have you figured out how to cure this illness? Should I fetch a brazier?"

I replied, "Do you think everything requires surgery? Using a blade might not work for this ailment. Open the box; your Master needs to find some medicine."

"Yes, as Master commands." Linglong said this, but her expression held no hint of respect; she was giggling, hardly the look of an assistant.

The Huashi Pharmaceutical Group possessed a highly effective anti-allergy medication, an essential item in any starship's medical kit. Besides the Martian environment, which often caused allergies, space travel frequently resulted in acclimatization issues, so this drug was developed and marketed. Clinical trials on Earth populations showed a 99% efficacy rate and excellent results in treating and preventing unknown allergic reactions.

However, to maximize its effect, the dosage unit was quite large—much larger than the pad of an adult man's thumb. Even a healthy person would struggle to swallow it whole, let alone Lady Wu, who was already delirious.

I instructed Linglong, "Grind it into a fine powder, mix it with water, and the two of us will force-feed it to her. If that fails, we'll try something else."

Linglong gasped. "Ah, Master, you aren't confident about Lady Wu's illness?"

I answered, "No doctor dares claim a hundred percent certainty in healing. Nothing in this world is absolute."

"I thought you were a hundred percent certain in everything you did?"

Although Linglong said this, she didn't slacken her pace and soon mixed the solution. Lady Wu was thrashing wildly in her fit. I thought it better to call a maid in to help. If the water sloshed out, wouldn't that waste your divine medicine?"

I murmured in a voice only Linglong could hear, "We must keep this from them. The more mysterious the Divine Doctor's cure, the better. If others learn I cured the illness with just one pill, what kind of divine doctor will I be?"

Linglong let out a chuckle. "Master, you are so cunning."

"Heh heh, when it's time to be cunning, we must be. Otherwise, how can I manipulate Magistrate Wu into helping me find people?"

Linglong said, "In that case, you hold Lady Wu down, and I'll administer the medicine."

Lady Wu was relatively still at this moment, perhaps weakened from days without food. It felt rather improper for me to vault onto the bed and restrain the young woman covered in bloody gashes and torn flesh, but saving a life was paramount. Besides, Magistrate Wu and the maids couldn't see from outside, so I could manage the situation however I saw fit.

I jumped onto the bed, straddling Lady Wu and pinning her hands, then secured her arms. Linglong held the bowl of solution up to her lips. Perhaps the water was slightly warm, because as Lady Wu's mouth touched the rim of the bowl, her head began to move. Suddenly, she whipped her head violently, and Linglong lost her footing, causing Lady Wu to knock the bowl off the bed!

Although I had many of these pills, every one used was one less, and I didn't know how long we’d be stuck here; we couldn't afford waste. Furthermore, if the bowl hit the floor, the people outside would surely rush in. Seeing me straddling their lady in such a posture would surely infuriate her husband.

These two thoughts flashed through my mind like lightning. Linglong gave a soft cry, and I lunged towards the floor. Linglong’s reaction was no slower than mine; as soon as she released the bowl, she knew trouble was brewing and immediately leaped off the bed to chase it.

Linglong’s agility was far superior to mine at this moment. She executed a 'dove flip,' grabbed the bowl with both hands, and landed squarely on her back, securing a safe landing. I, however, was less fortunate. By the time I reached the floor, I realized I was a step behind Linglong; she was already lying on the ground, holding the bowl high above her head.

Diverting my path mid-air was impossible. My only hope was to avoid crashing into the bowl Linglong held aloft. I tucked my head and squeezed through the space beneath Linglong’s raised arms.

Bang. Time seemed to freeze. Linglong's heart hammered like a drum—not because of the man's weight on her, but because his mouth began 'kissing' from her lower abdomen, traveling up past her nascent breasts, then to her neck, before trailing saliva as it invaded her lips. This was something she had never experienced in her twelve years; this sensation was utterly new to her life—tingling, itchy, and embarrassingly shy.

The moment I squeezed under Linglong’s raised hands, I knew disaster was imminent. Sure enough, unable to stop my momentum, my body slid right over Linglong, violating her completely. This time, it was far worse than the last time when she was posing for the

"Hahahaha..." Prefect Wu emerged from the inner hall, roaring with laughter.

"