"Miss, I'm so sorry for causing you trouble." Nie Caidie looked at everyone's reactions, her heart filled with apology.
"Caidie, it's alright. Syphilis needs to be detected and treated early. If this illness progresses to its late stages, even an immortal couldn't save him," Leng Ruoli said thoughtfully to Nie Caidie.
"Then is my husband still salvageable?"
Nie Caidie's entire body panicked upon hearing Leng Ruoli's words.
"Caidie, don't be anxious. Let me examine your husband first to see the extent of his condition. Rest assured, I will do my utmost to save him."
As she finished speaking, Nie Caidie's brows remained tightly furrowed.
Leng Ruoli looked down at the two young girls beside Nie Caidie. Both were sallow and emaciated, looking clearly malnourished.
Then, Leng Ruoli said to the three of them, "Caidie, you haven't eaten lunch yet, have you?"
Nie Caidie nodded shyly.
"There's still food at the medical hall. Take the children and go eat your fill first," Leng Ruoli said gently.
Liu Nianhua, standing behind, overheard Leng Ruoli and Nie Caidie's conversation and kindly called out to Nie Caidie.
"Sister Caidie, there's still plenty of food in the kitchen. Hurry over and eat."
"Alright then, Miss. I'll take the children to eat."
Leng Ruoli nodded.
"Old Huang, put on this protective suit and come with me into the room to examine the patient."
After all, the patient in the room was highly likely to have syphilis, which we call syphilis. Syphilis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum, and it is contagious.
Leng Ruoli took out two sets of protective suits from her medical kit and handed one to her old disciple.
The old disciple unwrapped the white protective suit, his face full of curiosity, and asked, "Master, what is this?"
"This is called a protective suit. Wearing this can protect yourself and prevent viral infection."
The old disciple's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he exclaimed, "I didn't expect such a good thing to exist."
After both of them had put on their protective suits, Leng Ruoli, carrying her medical kit, re-entered the room.
At this moment, Nie Caidie's husband had become drowsy, and his reactions were sluggish when spoken to.
Leng Ruoli instructed her old disciple to draw some blood from the patient's finger, placed it in the medical kit, and then used her mind to transfer the blood to the laboratory in her system space for analysis.
Afterward, she took out two bottles of disinfectant and instructed her old disciple to disinfect the room.
An incense stick's worth of time later, the patient's blood analysis report was out. Leng Ruoli opened her medical kit, took out the report, and examined it closely. Her brows furrowed; this patient truly had syphilis, and the condition was quite severe.
"Master, what's wrong? Is this syphilis particularly difficult to treat?"
Leng Ruoli nodded.
"Master, according to my understanding of medical principles, no one has ever cured this syphilis since ancient times. No one would blame you if you couldn't cure him."
Old Huang spoke to comfort Leng Ruoli when he saw her furrowed brows, as even immortals would encounter difficulties.
"It can be treated, but I don't know if it's too late."
Leng Ruoli smiled at her old disciple through her mask.
"What? Master, you say syphilis can be cured?"
The old disciple's eyes widened, and his face was filled with shock.
"Yes, I can use my homemade medicinal water to treat him."
Leng Ruoli appeared calm and composed. She originally wanted to say she could use penicillin for treatment, but she was afraid her old disciple would inquire further upon hearing the name penicillin, so she lied, claiming it was her own concocted medicinal water.
In modern times, for the treatment of syphilis, doctors often choose penicillin-based drugs as the first-line treatment. If the patient is allergic to penicillin, alternative drugs such as ceftriaxone, tetracycline, or macrolides can be chosen.
The treatment plans for different types of syphilis also vary; specific treatment depends on the patient's condition, as determined by the doctor.
Leng Ruoli used her mind to retrieve penicillin from her system space and place it in the medical kit.
She needed to perform a penicillin skin test on the patient first to see if he was allergic to penicillin. Leng Ruoli prepared the penicillin to a concentration of 50ug/ml, then injected the test solution into the patient's arm to observe if any allergic reactions occurred.
A moment later, Leng Ruoli confirmed that the syphilis patient showed no signs of allergic reaction, so she administered penicillin and took out a notebook to meticulously record the patient's condition.
Although her old disciple was very curious about the items Leng Ruoli took out from her medical kit, he always swallowed his questions just as they reached his lips.
Later, he couldn't hold back any longer and finally asked, "Master, after injecting this medicinal fluid, will Nie Caidie's husband's syphilis be cured?"
"I can't be sure yet. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if his condition improves."
Old Huang, however, trusted Leng Ruoli's medical skills implicitly.
"Old Huang, since you are a man, I'll give you a surgical knife, a bottle of saline, and two tubes of ointment. Please help by gently lancing the ripened pustules on his body, disinfect them, and then apply the ointment to make him more comfortable."
"Yes, Master, you can leave this task to me."
Old Huang happily accepted the task Leng Ruoli assigned him.
Outside the room, Nie Caidie and her two daughters waited anxiously by the door after finishing their meal.
When Leng Ruoli emerged from the room, they immediately surrounded her, eager to know the situation of the man inside.
"Miss, is my husband alright?"
Nie Caidie asked as soon as she approached Leng Ruoli.
"Caidie, don't rush. I've administered medication to your husband. We'll only know tomorrow if his condition improves."
"I'm sorry, Miss. Caidie is just too anxious. My husband has been ill for more than half a year, how could he recover so quickly?"
Leng Ruoli greatly appreciated her words, recognizing her maturity. However, Leng Ruoli still needed to inform her that it would be best for the couple not to see each other during this period.
"Also, Caidie, it's best if you and your husband do not see each other while he is undergoing treatment. I will have Old Huang take good care of your husband. As for you, would you like to return home or..."
At this moment, Shi Zhenghe, standing not far away, suddenly interrupted, "Miss, you shouldn't let them go back home. Today, Nie Caidie couldn't bring her husband to see a doctor earlier because her wicked mother-in-law stopped her, preventing her from bringing her husband to the Hundred Herbs Hall for treatment, and even hit her. It's truly detestable," Shi Zhenghe said, his face filled with anger.
This left Leng Ruoli somewhat perplexed.
"Caidie, is your husband not your mother-in-law's biological son?" Leng Ruoli asked with some curiosity.
"Miss, like you, I have also suspected that they are not biological mother and son. But I secretly asked many neighbors in the village, and they all said that my husband is indeed my mother-in-law's biological son," Nie Caidie said with great doubt.
Leng Ruoli sighed.
"That's very strange. It's very rare for a mother in this world to want her own son dead."
"Then you and your two daughters can stay at the medical hall for a few days. After all, the backyard of the Hundred Herbs Hall is large enough." This meant more trouble for Old Huang.
After Nie Caidie's husband finished the IV drip, Old Huang also finished applying medication to the pustules on his body. The sky had gradually darkened.
After Leng Ruoli had arranged accommodations for Nie Caidie's family, she gave her old disciple five hundred taels of silver notes for the expenses of Nie Caidie's family and Liu Nianhua's family. The old disciple initially refused to accept the money, but after Leng Ruoli's persistent persuasion, he finally accepted the silver notes.
Then, Leng Ruoli, along with Xing'er and Ling'er, left the Hundred Herbs Hall.