"What?"
Xia Yunting hesitated for a moment.
The next moment, his arm was grabbed, and he was spun around. By the time he regained his senses, he felt a coolness on his chest. His outer robe and belt were already in Rong Zhi's hands.
"Strip naked and get into the tub. I won't let you out until you do."
Rong Zhi sized up Xia Yunting.
"This is a matter of life and death, so don't be shy."
Rong Zhi detested patients who dawdled during treatment, especially those poisoned. A moment's delay could jeopardize the treatment.
As a responsible doctor, Rong Zhi didn't mind lending him a hand.
With that, she reached for his pants.
"Wait a moment!"
Xia Yunting quickly held onto his waistband.
"I'll do it myself..."
A complex look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Rong Zhi.
"Xiao Mo, do you always treat people like this?"
Always... stripping people's pants?
Rong Zhi's expression stiffened. Something exploded in her mind, and a wave of heat spread across her face. She realized how impulsive her actions had been.
She was just anxious to treat him, and hadn't thought much about it...
Seeing Xia Yunting's clearly misunderstood expression, Rong Zhi felt even more awkward. She cleared her throat and spoke with feigned composure.
"No, you're the first."
After her rebirth, she hadn't encountered any patients with the Seven-Day Fiend Poison.
He clearly didn't believe her. Rong Zhi's expression turned stern: "Why are you asking so much? Do you want to be treated or not? Do it yourself and get in quickly!"
Rong Zhi turned her back, let out a long sigh, and her face remained flushed.
She silently clenched her hand by her side, cursing herself: 'Damn my hands!'
Behind her, there was a rustling sound, followed by the sound of water.
"Done."
Rong Zhi turned around and found Xia Yunting already sitting in the tub.
The brown medicinal liquid reached his chest, obscuring everything below his chest.
Rong Zhi's mood finally calmed down a bit.
"How do you feel?"
"It feels... itchy and warm."
That was right.
The Yunlin Flower's purpose was to protect the meridians. Otherwise, using poison to fight poison would be like two armies fighting in a room; no matter who won or lost, the room would be in ruins.
"I sealed your acupoints earlier. I'm going to release them now. It will be very painful after they're released, so you need to endure it."
"Okay."
Xia Yunting nodded, not taking it to heart.
He had gone to war at fifteen, and after eight years of bloody battles and countless near-death experiences, he feared pain the least.
Seeing that he wasn't nervous at all, Rong Zhi was a little surprised. She quickly unsealed the acupoints with a few swift movements.
Xia Yunting's face suddenly turned pale, and he frowned.
What kind of pain was it? It felt like a hand was squeezing his internal organs, pulling them in the same direction, or like he had swallowed countless needles that were poking around inside his organs as they shifted. With every breath, the pain intensified.
He gripped the edge of the tub, gritting his teeth to endure it.
"Can you still bear it? Next, I'll force out the poisoned blood."
Xia Yunting nodded forcefully. Rong Zhi then pressed a few more acupoints on him.
Xia Yunting felt the pulling sensation intensify. There was something in his blood that didn't belong, and it was moving within him.
It was an extremely strong foreign sensation. With every inch it moved, his body instinctively resisted it, but Rong Zhi's technique was clearly aiding the foreign object's movement.
Beneath the murky medicinal water, Xia Yunting's skin began to bulge in patches. These bulges slowly moved, following Rong Zhi's manipulations towards his heart.
Xia Yunting couldn't see any of this until it moved to his chest.
Xia Yunting was startled. Before he could get a clear look at what it was, Rong Zhi slashed down with a knife. She then sidestepped, and black, poisoned blood sprayed out, landing where Rong Zhi had been standing.
Xia Yunting's expression relaxed. Fine beads of sweat on his forehead condensed into lines, falling into the tub one after another.
"Circulate your inner energy," Rong Zhi instructed.
Xia Yunting steadied himself and sat up, attempting to circulate his inner energy, but found he couldn't. It seemed his meridians were blocked.
"Don't stop! Force out all the toxins, or that cut would have been for nothing."
His meridians, having just undergone torment, would instinctively protect themselves and resist the flow of true energy. However, if he didn't do this, the remaining toxins wouldn't be expelled and would quickly accumulate again.
Xia Yunting had to suppress the urge to vomit blood and circulate his inner energy through the pain.
He clearly felt a powerful force resisting him.
His body, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. This time, it was ten times more painful than before.
Sweat dripped into the tub like rain.
Blood also flowed continuously from his chest, mixing with the medicinal liquid in the tub. The kitchen gradually filled with the smell of blood.
Xia Yunting's eyes were tightly shut, his teeth chattering, and veins bulged on his forehead, yet he endured without making a sound.
Rong Zhi stood by his side, watching Xia Yunting with a solemn expression.
Although she had tested the medicine on herself and developed this treatment method, this was the first time she was treating someone else.
After all, the Seven-Day Fiend Poison was not common among the populace. At least, it was the first time she had seen it since her rebirth.
After a quarter of an hour, the blood from Xia Yunting's wound finally turned red again.
These were the toxins that had accumulated in his body within a day.
If he had delayed, the toxins would have only increased, eventually corroding his internal organs.
Today, they had only expelled the poisoned blood. The next day, they would need to incorporate centipedes, scorpions, and colorful spiders into the medicine.
The reason they weren't directly administered was that if the toxins were too much, the dosage of venomous insects would also need to increase, which would be suicidal.
"You can get out now."
Xia Yunting slowly opened his eyes and tried to stand up by pushing himself off the edge of the tub. He tried twice but failed.
Rong Zhi sighed. An ordinary person who had contracted the Seven-Day Fiend Poison would likely be bedridden. The fact that Xia Yunting could endure her treatment was truly remarkable.
"I'll help you."
Rong Zhi took Xia Yunting's arm, allowing him to use her strength to stand up.
With a splash of water, the murky medicinal liquid formed a waterfall, slowly dripping from Xia Yunting's body, revealing him completely.
Rong Zhi was taken aback. She turned her head away immediately and grabbed the nearby clothes to wrap around him.
Back in the room, both of them felt awkward.
"You rest first, I'll go clean up!"
Rong Zhi hastily said and then ran into the kitchen, looking somewhat like she was fleeing. Soon, the sounds of busy work came from the kitchen.
Xia Yunting, as if steamed, kept a stern face, trying hard not to show his embarrassment.
He recalled how his subordinates used to talk about how joyful it was to interact with women, and he wanted to go back and rip their mouths open.
Where was the joy? All that was left was awkwardness.
After resting for a while, he heard the commotion in the kitchen hadn't stopped. He took a deep breath and felt that although he was a bit weak, he was indeed much more comfortable. He tidied his clothes and got out of bed.
The room was simply furnished, with only a bed and a table. Xia Yunting looked around and finally fixed his gaze under the bed.
He crouched down and fumbled around. With a 'click,' a mechanism seemed to open. When Xia Yunting withdrew his hand, he held a slip of paper.
He unfolded the paper and saw three large characters written in black ink.
"Chu Qing Ze."
Xia Yunting's expression turned knowing.
He had previously sent people to investigate the case here, but the clues had been interrupted several times. He had thought there would be no more leads, but unexpectedly... the clue was actually with that divine doctor.
"Xia Yunting, drink your medicine."
Rong Zhi's voice came from outside. Xia Yunting quickly lay back down, and with a squeeze of his hand, the paper turned into dust.
The door opened, and Rong Zhi entered with a bowl of dark liquid.
"Drink this, and you'll feel better."
"Mm."
Xia Yunting took the bowl of medicine and drank it in one gulp.
Rong Zhi watched him drink it, her eyes looking deep. "How do you feel?"
"It's okay. Thank you."
"Between a husband and wife, why thank each other."
Rong Zhi flashed a smile, a brilliant one.
She took back the bowl of medicine and watched as Xia Yunting's eyelids drooped. Then she watched him close his eyes, his breathing shallow.
Rong Zhi fiddled with the medicine bowl and asked casually.
"Xia Yunting, what was the name of your subordinate who was impersonated?"
"Zhang... Can..."
Two very light words, but Rong Zhi heard them clearly.
She nodded, her smile deepening.
Amnesia? So he was faking it... Fine, I'll just watch you fake it.
Rong Zhi had added some aphrodisiac to Xia Yunting's medicine. Xia Yunting, of course, didn't know. Furthermore, she had only asked an inconsequential question. Even if Xia Yunting had his memory, he would only think he was dreaming.
The next day, Rong Zhi needed to buy venomous insects for the medicine. However, before leaving, she discovered a crucial problem—she had no money!
She was used to being out and about and always kept some silver on her. But when she searched, she found that her money pouch was lost long ago. All that was left was a small sachet containing some commonly used pills, and... the token given by Xia Yunting.
"Do you have any money?" Rong Zhi sighed and looked at Xia Yunting for help.
Xia Yunting paused and found a money pouch by the bed, giving it to Rong Zhi.
He had been carrying it with him and had placed it on the bed while being treated.
Rong Zhi opened the money pouch and almost went blind.
Gold! It was full of gold!
Let alone buying medicine, it was enough to buy the entire apothecary.
She took out a gold ingot, and before she could be happy, she caught sight of a conspicuous "夏" (Xia) character below the gold. She froze.
"Does the money from your General's Mansion also have names on it?"
"What name?"
Xia Yunting blinked, looking innocent.
Keep faking.
"Never mind, this gold won't do. I'll figure something else out on the street!"
Rong Zhi threw the money pouch back and walked out, with Xia Yunting looking somewhat guilty.
She didn't go to the apothecary first, but began to wander around the street, looking for anyone who needed treatment.
After all, she was the Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley. Without the ability to cure illnesses instantly, how could she have established it?
After about fifteen minutes of wandering, she hadn't seen anyone who was sick.
Indeed, those who were truly sick would go to see a doctor, who would be wandering around the streets?
Just as she was about to change locations, she suddenly heard a scream from an alley.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Rong Zhi's expression sharpened, and she instinctively moved towards the sound.
In the alley, a woman in red lay on the ground, her face pale. She was clutching her chest and breathing heavily, looking extremely pained.
Rong Zhi didn't think twice and instinctively reached out to feel her pulse.
"Hey, who are you? What do you want to do to our Miss?"