The moment these words were uttered, the entire crowd gasped. Aru spun around and rushed inside; there was no stopping her now. Doctor Zhu’s wife followed close behind, and the rest of the throng flooded in after them.

The hall was suddenly left with only two men.

They exchanged a look.

“Brother, what do we do?” one whispered.

“Since Mistress Qi has explicitly forbidden anyone from being taken away, we absolutely will not let these people take him,” the other grit out.

“Should we just keep pretending to fetch medicine?” the first asked quietly. “Will that work?”

“It has to work, whether it’s feasible or not!” the man replied.

The two nodded heavily, positioning themselves on either side of the back courtyard door, guarding it like twin imposing statues.

The crowd surged into the back courtyard, but they were still blocked.

“Don’t let them approach!” Aru commanded, her eyebrows furrowed.

Hu San immediately led his men to form a line, holding back the incoming wave.

Aru did not rush into the sickroom. Instead, she bolted into the adjacent sterilization room and quickly emerged, clad in surgical scrubs.

Her attire startled everyone in the courtyard who was not part of the Qianjin Hall staff.

“What in the world is she doing?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

“This is to isolate the contagion of pathogens!” Zhang Tong announced loudly. “Masks, caps, gloves, boots—because the patient’s excretions are highly likely to be infectious, we must wrap ourselves completely to prevent being contaminated.”

Infection was something they understood.

“The books record that during the Rat Death Plague in Diannan, even talking between people was enough to spread the infection…” one doctor murmured quietly.

Wang Qingchun was furious.

“Silence! What are you talking about! Is this the Rat Death Plague?” he roared sharply.

If this truly was the Rat Death Plague, then none of them here would survive…. In less than three days, the entire Yongqing Prefecture would become a city of the dead….

A sudden quiet fell over the assembly.

“Nonsense! This is just an upset stomach, not any plague!” Wang Qingchun bellowed in rage, striding toward the room. “I, this official, will see for myself if I die just by walking in there!”

As he took a step, the surrounding physicians quickly moved to stop him.

“My Lord, you mustn’t.”

“My Lord, perhaps we should wait a little longer…”

Hearing this, Wang Qingchun’s anger nearly burst his lungs. Did these doctors genuinely care about him? Nonsense! This only proved that these doctors ultimately believed the words of that woman!! Absolutely despicable! Such cowards! They were terrified by this!

Wang Qingchun struggled angrily, finally shaking off the restraining doctors and charging forward.

Meanwhile, Doctor Zhu’s wife, having just snapped back to reality, also cried out as she tried to follow.

“My husband, don’t you leave us behind…” she wailed.

Hu San and his men held her back with all their might.

“How could no one be by your side before you closed your eyes? You won't rest in peace now! Qianjin Hall, you are committing evil deeds!” Doctor Zhu’s wife cried hysterically.

“Are you certain you want to go in?” Zhang Tong asked, gritting his teeth.

“Nonsense!” Doctor Zhu’s wife sobbed.

“Someone, prepare the disinfectant and change her into isolation gear,” Zhang Tong called out.

The exclamation stunned everyone into silence.

“Senior Brother,” the disciples hesitated, clearly doubtful.

“Let her see him. Otherwise, she won’t believe us,” Zhang Tong explained. “We are trying to save a life. I don't want people to think we are murderers. I don't want Master to suffer such scrutiny for trying to help them!”

His words caused Doctor Zhu’s wife’s cries to momentarily pause.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to enter?” Zhang Tong asked her soberly.

The gravity of his tone made Doctor Zhu’s wife suddenly feel timid.

“I will go in,” Wang Qingchun stated first, stepping forward. “Stop with this drivel. As the Medical Adjudicator, I have the right to determine a patient’s condition. We won't simply accept whatever the Qianjin Hall says!”

Zhang Tong nodded.

“Very well,” he replied, gesturing. “Please proceed.”

He stepped aside, and the other disciples yielded as well. However, those who had been shouting to enter moments before now hesitated. Is it truly contagious?

Wang Qingchun gritted his teeth… and walked toward the sterilization room.

Hu San sneered at the sight, while Zhang Tong let out a sigh of relief.

“Scared off. If you have guts, don’t wear the isolation suit,” Hu San mocked.

Wang Qingchun instantly boiled with rage. He desperately wanted to rush into that so-called sickroom, but…. He ultimately decided to ignore the taunt.

He led the way, and Doctor Zhu’s wife followed. Two or three other doctors, after a moment of hesitation, succumbed to curiosity and trailed after them.

After dressing and enduring the discomfort, the few of them entered the sickroom.

Aru and her team inside had already overheard the commotion outside, so they were unsurprised and continued their work.

This was the first time the crowd had seen one of Qianjin Hall’s 'sickrooms.' Apart from Doctor Zhu’s wife, who only focused on her husband, the others couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at their surroundings. What were those things? Hanging porcelain bottles? Copper tubes?

“We still need to lower his temperature,” one disciple mentioned.

Aru nodded and used water to soak a towel, wiping the armpits of the unconscious man.

Wang Qingchun and the others advanced a few steps, their expressions hardening. For them, seeing a patient like this, there was no need to check the pulse to know…

Wang Qingchun snorted.

“Why bother with all these elaborate setups? Shouldn’t you be rapidly force-feeding him medicine at this point?” he said coldly. “Men, take the person away.”

“Yes, yes, if we delay any further, it will be too late,” one doctor agreed.

“What delay? I think he’s already gone…” another grumbled. “It’ll just take half a day.”

At these words, Doctor Zhu’s wife instantly went limp by the bedside, clutching her husband's arm and bursting into tears.

“Officer Wang, Officer Wang, please find a way to save him,” she turned and wept to Wang Qingchun and the others.

This crying and shaking caused Doctor Zhu to stir from his stupor.

“I… I’m not dead yet…” he mumbled, his blackened face betraying almost no emotion, his gaze vaguely fixed on the ceiling.

Everyone rejoiced and rushed forward.

“Doctor Zhu, can you see me clearly? We are here to save you,” Wang Qingchun said. Even though Doctor Zhu was gravely ill, certain things still needed to be said. “Look at you, how could you be fooled by this Qianjin Hall? Isn’t this sheer nonsense? Delaying proper treatment only harms yourself, doesn’t it?”

“My dear, I’ll take you away right now,” his wife cried.

Hearing this, Doctor Zhu’s cloudy eyes suddenly gained focus.

“I… I’m not leaving…” His hand gripped the bed tightly. “I… I’m not leaving…”

His wife paused, assuming her husband was delirious.

“But, you will die here,” she wept.

“No… it’s not that… If… if I were elsewhere… I would already be… dead…” Doctor Zhu gasped, his eyes fixed. “…Their onset is rapid; from illness to death… at most… three days…. I… I have already passed the third day…. Qianjin Hall… truly saved me… saved me…”

As he spoke, his hands reached out, grasping wildly, his expression frantic.

A nearby disciple reached out and took his hand.

“Yes, we will do everything we can to save you,” the disciple declared loudly.

Clutching this hand, Doctor Zhu seemed to grasp the hope of life, exhaled a breath, and fell unconscious again.

Wang Qingchun and the others merely looked grim, though it was hidden beneath their masks. What irony!

Silence reigned in the room, utterly still.

“From onset to death, only three days…” one doctor murmured. “That’s right… indeed… Doctor Zhu has shown us much consideration…”

“Madam, the patient needs rest now, and it is too dangerous in here. You should wait outside,” Aru finally spoke.

This time, Doctor Zhu’s wife did not speak of leaving. Instead, she hesitated before rising slowly.

Wang Qingchun sneered internally and reached out to examine the patient’s eyes, mouth, and tongue.

“Stop trying to fool people. It’s a miracle if he lasts another day! Propping him up for one more day—what is there to boast about if he doesn’t last to the end? Is this not merely the pot calling the kettle black?” he remarked.

Doctor Zhu’s wife’s legs gave way again, and she sank to the floor.

The other doctors seized the opportunity while he was looking and crowded closer. Seeing the patient, their hearts chilled, and they shook their heads.

“He’ll probably be gone by tonight,” one whispered softly.

Although Aru didn't understand Wang Wen Wen Qie (traditional diagnostic methods), she grasped the situation somewhat from the blood pressure monitor’s readings. Hearing the assessment, she bit her lower lip. There is still time, still time, there must be time…

“The medicine is here! The medicine is here!” a disciple shouted from the doorway.

As these cries reached them, Aru rejoiced and rushed out. Medicine? What medicine? Had they only just brought out something useful now?

Wang Qingchun and the others exchanged glances.

Aru had already reached the door.

“Is it Penicillin?” she urgently asked.

“No, Penicillin will take longer. This is the Bai Mao Xia Ku Cao (White Hair Heathwort) injection solution,” the disciple replied, handing over the medicine box.

This one was commonly used; having something was better than nothing. Aru took it.

Watching Aru draw a strange object from a small vial—this object was transparent and bore a gleaming, fine needle—several doctors couldn't help but crowd closer to look.

“Are these the same kind of tools as the stethoscope and such?” one asked.

“This is a syringe, used to infuse medicine directly into the patient’s veins, allowing the drug to take effect more efficiently and rapidly,” Aru explained, expertly sterilizing the site and inserting the needle.

When the needle pierced the skin, everyone instinctively flinched and looked away. Needles—they seem inherently designed to inspire trembling fear.

“It will be cured just like this?” Wang Qingchun scoffed.

Aru looked down, ignoring him.

“Fine, we will wait right here and watch how Qianjin Hall performs its miracle of raising the dead,” Wang Qingchun said with a cold laugh, turning and striding out, flicking his sleeve.

As he left, the other two doctors quickly followed him out.

“Bring these clothes here to change out of before they are destroyed,” a disciple waiting outside guided them.

Though reluctant, Wang Qingchun had to comply. Watching the disciple toss the removed clothes and gear into an incinerator, everyone present couldn't help but stare.

“But, they were only used once…” one doctor whispered. “These… these are perfectly fine…”

“Mistress Qi said that since we cannot achieve the level of high-temperature sterilization, for safety’s sake, these items must simply be burned,” the disciple explained.

The doctors gasped in astonishment. They certainly had money to burn…. If it were them, they couldn't afford this; how much would this cost….

“Hey, you few, since you insisted on entering, our isolation suits cost money. You should pay up,” Hu San called out from the side.

The doctors stumbled slightly. Damn them…

All that night, Qianjin Hall was lit up, the main hall filled with people—Doctor Zhu’s relatives, Wang Qingchun and his contingent of doctors, plus others who had rushed over upon hearing the news. By the end, it had become another grand assembly of the Prefecture’s physicians. This was highly likely to be another opportunity for Qianjin Hall to be humiliated, an event they couldn't miss. It served two purposes: watching the spectacle and cheering on Wang Qingchun—a truly two-birds-with-one-stone situation. As for the patient being cured? That was almost certainly impossible…. One only needed to look at the expressions of these doctors to know.

To ensure strict observation, two doctors went in to check every so often. Zhang Tong did not interfere, observing coldly. Hu San was delighted, as he managed to charge a high price for every isolation suit collected, feeling that burning clothes that commanded such value was truly meaningful.

As dawn faintly broke, the two doctors who had gone in last emerged.

“It was no use at all…” they shook their heads, saying.

“What happened?” everyone asked eagerly. They had been up all night, their eyes red from fatigue and suffering.

“There is no pulse left,” the doctor stated.

At this announcement, a commotion erupted throughout the courtyard.

“Senior Brother?” Hu San and the other disciples were also startled, all turning to Zhang Tong, who had just exited the sickroom.

Seeing the earnest anticipation in his fellow disciples’ eyes, Zhang Tong felt an unbearable weight crushing his chest.

“Two injections were administered, but there was no effect,” he said, lowering his head.

“How could that be?” Hu San cried out. “It was effective before, it was always effective before! Senior Brother, did you misread it?”

Before Zhang Tong could finish, Wang Qingchun interjected with a cold sneer.

“How ridiculous. Can the disciples of Qianjin Hall not even take a pulse? Can you not tell if a patient is living or dead?” he mocked. “This shop deserves to be shut down; it’s not the least bit unjust!”

“It’s all your fault! You locked up Master! Otherwise, Master would surely have saved him!” Hu San shouted at him. “This has nothing to do with us! This is Wang Qingchun detaining a doctor and causing a death! We… we will also report this to the authorities!”

Wang Qingchun chuckled coldly.

“Your Master? Isn’t Mistress Qi the one in charge of your Qianjin Hall?” he mocked. “Mistress Qi said, Mistress Qi said, Mistress Qi said it could be cured, so it should be curable! If the person wasn’t cured, what does it matter to anyone else? Where is Mistress Qi now? Why isn't she speaking? Isn't everything she says law? She said he should live, so let him live! Now, tell him to live quickly! It’s just a matter of saying it, isn’t it? Where is he? Speak up!”

The Qianjin Hall disciples glared angrily, ready to retort, when a voice came from outside the gate.

“That’s right, I said I would cure this illness, and I said this person would not die.”

Qi Yue arrived, striding through the morning mist, carrying a tiny porcelain jar. Everyone turned. The morning sun was rising, and the woman stood against the light, appearing almost luminous.

“You…” Wang Qingchun started to speak.

He was cut off by Qi Yue before he could finish.

“Grandson, dare to make a wager?” Qi Yue asked directly, already approaching.

Wang Qingchun felt a breath lodge in his throat. Dare! he screamed internally, but for some reason, the word wouldn't come out.

Without waiting for a reply, Qi Yue swept past him without the slightest pause, as if she had never intended to wait for his answer.

“…I figured you wouldn't dare,” she commented, glancing back. “Grandson, watch closely. I’ll show you how I bring the dead back to life!”

Bastard…

Wang Qingchun looked at the woman, feeling his chest tighten so severely he instinctively clutched his heart.

Since I cannot manage additional extra chapters due to focusing on this one, I will simply make this section longer. Thank you to Mugu’er for the generous gift; you all really overspend. RS