The rain had fallen all day, stopping only by dawn, and Qi Yue was ready to leave, carrying her small medical kit.

"Master, are you going out to solicit patients for the Bell Doctor?" The disciples couldn't help but gather and whisper amongst themselves.

What Qi Yue intended to solicit wasn't patients, but bacteria. She was anxious to verify the efficacy of penicillin, but without patients, she couldn't obtain pathogenic bacteria—a true vexation. Since the patients wouldn't come to her, she decided she would go look for them.

Before she even stepped outside, a commotion arose from the street, accompanied by sounds of lamentation. Being idle, the disciples all streamed out to watch. They saw a funeral procession making its way down the road: the chief mourners—sons and daughters-in-law—wept pitifully, carrying a coffin. "Oh dear, it's the 'Chatterbox Granny' from East City, how could she have died?" "Yes, yes, I saw her selling pork just a few days ago." "...Pork is ridiculously expensive these days; she was striking it rich, what a pity..." The disciples who recognized her exchanged remarks. Qi Yue didn't recognize any 'Chatterbox Granny.' "She sold pork?" she asked casually, waiting for the filial mourners, who paused to weep and bow every three steps, to pass. "Her son and daughter-in-law raise pigs in the village; she sold the meat here in the city. She was quite the talker and did excellent business, which is why everyone called her Chatterbox Granny," Zhang Tong explained, before calling back the disciples who were rubbernecking, "Alright, alright, stop staring. How can a physician sit still when there's potential work? Even without patients, one must maintain composure." The disciples smiled and dispersed. The funeral procession passed, and the street returned to normal.

Qi Yue wandered the streets for two days, but to her frustration, everyone in the city recognized her, and the established medical halls were wary, preventing her from entering.

"...Hey, hey... Madam Qi, what is it you need?" The apprentice at the pharmacy stopped her, his voice tinged with suspicion. This was the fourth time she had been intercepted. "Look, I need to find something," Qi Yue said after careful consideration. "To fetch herbs? Doesn't your Qianjin Hall have medicine?" The apprentice frowned. Qi Yue swiftly produced a piece of paper from her sleeve. Upon seeing the paper, the apprentice immediately became guarded. "Hey, hey, don't you dare come here and hand out whatever... whatever advertisements!" he shouted. "You can't poach business like this..." The people of Qianjin Hall often distributed paper slips. Based on the disciples' promotions, these were advertisements—a public announcement to educate the common folk about common ailments. Of course, as competitors, what they truly focused on was the final line: "For emergencies, please find Qianjin Hall." Common ailment knowledge? Put plainly, it was soliciting customers! "No, no, if you happen to have cases of these specific symptoms in your shop, I'd be much obliged if you'd call me..." Qi Yue quickly explained. Before she could finish, the doctor emerged from the pharmacy. "Call you? So you can come treat patients here?" The doctor asked with a frown. This doctor looked pale, appearing quite unwell. As he spoke, he reached out to cover his abdomen, his posture slightly stooped. "Master, are you up?" the apprentice asked quickly. "Are you better?" "It's nothing," the doctor said, frowning, while waving Qi Yue away again. "Madam Qi, please step aside. We are all physicians; you should understand these professional courtesies." Before Qi Yue could utter a word, she saw the doctor's expression change; clutching his stomach, he turned sharply and hurried away. Not many steps later, a few faint pffft sounds were heard, immediately followed by a wave of foul odor. It was... diarrhea... The apprentices were deeply embarrassed. "Caught a chill last night..." he mumbled, turning back somewhat sheepishly toward the woman, only to find her staring intently at the floor inside their pharmacy. Qi Yue lifted her foot, preparing to step in. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?" The apprentice hastily blocked her. "Was it... bloody, watery stool?" Qi Yue continued to look inside, speaking as she pointed toward the floor. What? The apprentice followed her gaze and saw, where the doctor had just stood, faint traces of something like bloody water... The doctor was wearing thin summer clothes, and what he passed had dripped right through his robes onto the floor... The apprentice felt ashamed, mixed with annoyance—why was a woman staring at such a thing! "Go on, go away," he waved her off with little patience. Qi Yue pursed her lips. "It seems your master is quite ill," she remarked. Turning to leave, she saw several people rushing over carrying a wooden plank. "Doctor, Doctor, help!" Qi Yue quickly moved aside to let them pass. As they drew near, they revealed a man lying on the plank; his entire face and neck were swollen, unrecognizable. "What's wrong?" The apprentice quickly took charge while shouting for the doctor inside. "...Such severe tissue necrosis..." The apprentice heard a voice beside him remarking on the case and then saw Qi Yue pushing forward. "Hey, hey..." Ignoring notions of propriety, he stopped Qi Yue. "Out, out!" Qi Yue was pushed outside in two quick movements. "This person is critical; let me take a look..." she insisted. The doctor suffering from diarrhea emerged from inside. "What's happening?" he asked, recognizing the patient. "Oh, it’s that injured man who was hit by a stone." "Doctor, please look quickly! The man is burning up and about to die, and why has his body swollen up like this?" the family members cried out. Before the doctor could examine the patient, a woman's voice called from outside. "...Besides the swelling around the eyes and neck, where else is he affected?" Qi Yue asked, standing on her tiptoes. "Are there external wounds? How long has it been? Is there pus forming..." The doctor's face darkened with anger. "Madam Qi, we are all colleagues; don't push things too far. Must I truly chase you away?" he shouted. "No, I'm not trying to steal your business. I just need a bacterial sample—perhaps this patient has one. Let me see... I promise not to interfere with your treatment..." Qi Yue explained. "Guards, guards..." The doctor shouted in fury. "Drive her out, drive her out..." Three or four apprentices rushed over to escort her away. Qi Yue had no choice but to retreat helplessly. The commotion attracted the attention of passersby, who began pointing and murmuring. "How outrageous! They have no business of their own, so they come here to steal! What sort of people are they!" the apprentices cursed. The doctor also wanted to curse, but as he opened his mouth, he was seized by a violent fit of coughing, immediately followed by retching. "Doctor, Doctor!" The apprentices were terrified and rushed forward to support him. The doctor vomited continuously, clutching his abdomen; a stench erupted, and water began dripping from beneath him. The scene dissolved into screams, and amidst the cries, the doctor collapsed onto the ground, still vomiting incessantly. "Doctor, Doctor, my elder brother is dying..." The family members of the injured patient waiting for treatment began to wail in terror. But no one paid them any mind, for the doctor was also on the verge of death. The pharmacy plunged into chaos. Qi Yue dashed inside in a few strides; this time, no one stopped her. "Acute abdominal crisis?" Qi Yue declared, setting down her medical kit, quickly donning gloves and a mask, and pushing past the bewildered apprentices to kneel beside the doctor. "High fever... vomiting... bloody, watery stools... abdominal distension..." she murmured while examining him. The apprentices were stunned, watching her tend to their doctor. "No external wounds... this is visceral pain," Qi Yue stated, then looked up and called out, "Help me turn him onto his back with his knees bent, I need to examine..." The apprentices snapped out of their shock. One instinctively moved to obey but was restrained by another. "Go fetch Doctor Huang," he said, looking at Qi Yue. "You, get out, get out!" "Hey, I'm a doctor too; I'm treating the patient..." Qi Yue frowned. "Our doctor doesn't want you treating him! Out, out..." The other apprentices also reacted and began shouting for Qi Yue to leave. "Then, then may I at least examine this injured man? Your doctor can't look after him anymore; surely I can examine him?" Qi Yue conceded, stepping away from the fallen doctor and looking toward the injured man's family, who stood paralyzed with anxiety. Qi Yue was driven out again, and the door to the pharmacy was shut.

Several medical halls were nearby, and soon another doctor was summoned. Qi Yue was unwilling to leave and stood nearby, waiting. Before long, she heard weeping from inside, and then the door opened. Several men emerged carrying the plank, weeping as they walked. "Excuse me, I am also a doctor..." Qi Yue quickly stepped forward to speak. The leading man looked up at her. "Can you treat the dead?" he asked sullenly. Qi Yue froze. Of course not... So fast... She stared at the man. The body was already covered, only one arm exposed. The men carrying the plank moved forward, and Qi Yue quickly stepped to stop them again. "May I just look?" she asked. The man was already dead; what was there to see? This was a corpse. Qi Yue was still wearing gloves, so she reached out to lift the covering cloth. "Hey, what are you doing!" The family member nearby reacted immediately and shouted. "I... I want to take something from him... just a little bit..." Qi Yue said tentatively, already fumbling in her kit for a few needles, looking at the man's swollen face and neck. Large patches of skin necrosis—sepsis? How could there be such severe sepsis? Was it caused by a wound infection? What? The family members stared, and a mocking laughter echoed from nearby. "Madam Qi," someone said with a wry smile, "your methods are growing increasingly audacious. Now you want to study corpses in broad daylight?" Wang Qingchun finished speaking, and the men accompanying him all shook their heads. "Too much!" "Truly indecent!" "This is desecrating the dead!" Hearing their words, the family member shot Qi Yue a fierce glare, then carried the corpse away weeping. "Don't speak nonsense if you don't understand," Qi Yue glared back at Wang Qingchun, frustrated that the bacteria she was moments from obtaining had escaped. "Madam Qi, someone has reported you for harassing other physicians during consultations. Is this true?" Wang Qingchun asked with a stern face. Qi Yue scoffed. Before she could reply, weeping erupted from the pharmacy. "Oh, Officer Wang, you've arrived just in time! Come quickly and see; Doctor Shen is failing!" The doctor who had gone inside earlier rushed out upon seeing Wang Qingchun and others, saying urgently. Hearing this, everyone was greatly startled, including Qi Yue. "Impossible, we were drinking together just yesterday..." That was Wang Qingchun speaking. "Impossible, how could acute abdominal crisis kill so quickly? Could it be an intestinal perforation?" That was Qi Yue speaking. The group hurried toward the entrance. "Hold it right there," Wang Qingchun commanded, stepping forward to block the doorway and intercept Qi Yue. "Madam Qi, where are you going?" "He's dying; I must go see," Qi Yue said with a frown. "What are you going to see?" Wang Qingchun sneered. "Treat the illness?" Qi Yue looked at him. "If it is truly perforation, immediate abdominal surgery is required, or he will certainly die," she stated seriously. Wang Qingchun laughed. "Are you suggesting that if only you examine him, and not us, he is surely doomed?" he asked mockingly. "Why is that?" Before Qi Yue could answer, the others started laughing. "Because we are not Qianjin Hall!" they laughed together. Watching the smiling group, Qi Yue nodded. She was certainly aware of this sarcastic catchphrase associated with Qianjin Hall. "That's right, precisely because you are not Qianjin Hall," she said, offering them a faint smile in return.