"Chairman!"
"Father."
As Mr. Li Sr. suddenly fainted, urgent calls erupted from the cluster of sharply dressed elites surrounding him.
"Quick, go and get Dr. Zhao immediately!"
The middle-aged man in charge, clearly Mr. Li Sr.'s son, shouted to a group of assistants, "Hurry!"
"Yes."
"Understood."
At the middle-aged man's command, several assistants drove off without a second word. They headed for a clinic not far from the herbal market and soon returned with an elderly man with white hair and a beard.
Qin Lin was about to enter the herbal market when he stopped in his tracks, taken aback. He had glanced over at Zhao Jingxi and his apprentice, noticing the red lettering on the medicine box they carried. Qingyu Hall, Zhao Jingxi?
Qin Lin had heard of Qingyu Hall and Zhao Jingxi. In fact, nearly everyone in Hangcheng knew of the famous Qingyu Hall Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic. As the head of Qingyu Hall, Zhao Jingxi was particularly renowned as the number one miracle doctor in Hangcheng. People came seeking his care not only from the city itself but from other regions as well, willing to pay a hefty sum for his treatment.
I wonder how his medical skills compare to the Qin Family's?
Possessing the inherited medical techniques of the Qin Family, Qin Lin didn't rush away. Instead, he watched as Zhao Jingxi prepared to give emergency treatment to the collapsed Mr. Li Sr.
"Mr. Zhao Sr., what exactly is wrong with my father?" the middle-aged man holding his father asked anxiously. "He was talking and laughing normally just a moment ago, but when he got here, he suddenly blacked out and collapsed! He didn't even have the chance to say a word!"
After taking Mr. Li Sr.'s pulse and inspecting his eyes, Zhao Jingxi said gravely, "It's a cerebral vessel blockage caused by an invasion of pathogenic Sha wind, leading to a sudden collapse from insufficient blood supply and oxygen. This is an old ailment. Your father must have complained about headaches before."
"He has," the middle-aged man admitted, his face filled with guilt. "He would pound his own head sometimes when working late at night. I just thought he was stressed about the corporation's problems. I never expected—"
"He should have received treatment earlier." Zhao Jingxi's expression was very grave. "Now, both the blood vessels and nerves are damaged. It's going to be very difficult."
"Mr. Zhao Sr., you must save my father!" the middle-aged man pleaded, his anxiety peaking. "No matter the cost, as long as you can cure my father, money is no object!"
"This isn't about money," Zhao Jingxi answered solemnly. "Brother Li and I are old acquaintances. I will do my best." He then took a set of silver needles from his apprentice and began performing acupuncture on Mr. Li Sr.
Standing in the crowd, Qin Lin watched Zhao Jingxi administer the needles and shook his head slightly. The Jade Hall Needling Technique.
He muttered under his breath, "That might have worked if applied before the condition manifested. But now the patient's illness has penetrated the brain marrow. The Jade Hall Needling Technique can only adjust the blood vessels and nerves, so it's useless now."
"What does a young man like you know? Stop spouting nonsense!" A nearby medicine stall owner who overheard Qin Lin's murmur looked at him disdainfully. "Mr. Zhao Sr. is our number one miracle doctor in Hangcheng! His medical skills are miraculous and profound. When he takes action, there's no one he can't save!"
"Exactly! And since Director Li is the chairman of our herbal market, Mr. Zhao Sr. can get any medicinal herbs he needs. In this situation, how could any illness be incurable?"
"This isn't about herbs," Qin Lin said with a wry smile. "When the brain marrow is damaged, even the best medicine can't reach it."
"Ridiculous!" the stall owner scoffed. "You watch a few videos online and now you think you're an expert? You're just spewing nonsense."
"He's right. Mr. Zhao Sr.'s medical skills are brilliant."
"With Mr. Zhao Sr. on the case, Director Li will surely be saved!"
The other onlooking stall owners also joined in, all looking scornfully at the young Qin Lin. They dismissed him as immature and unreliable, just a kid talking nonsense.
Not five minutes later, however, after administering five needles to Mr. Li Sr., Zhao Jingxi removed them. With a grave expression, he turned to the middle-aged man and shook his head. "My apologies. I am powerless to help."
"Mr. Zhao Sr., please, think of something else!" Seeing the doctor's funereal expression, the middle-aged man grew desperate. "You know our Li Family corporation is in a major crisis. If something happens to my father, I fear—"
"I've done all I can," Zhao Jingxi said, shaking his head again as he gently pushed away the man's hand that was tightly gripping his arm.
Seeing Zhao Jingxi cease his efforts, Qin Lin, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer hold back. "Wait, this man can still be saved!" he called out. "You could easily wake him by stimulating the brain marrow's fluctuations with the Plum Blossom Needle Technique."
"This isn't some incurable disease!"
"Shut up! Who do you think you are?" The middle-aged man, in a foul mood, glared at the young Qin Lin, not believing a word he said. He figured the young man was just an attention-seeker. "Get him out of here!" he snapped, waving at his bodyguards.
However, just as they were about to move, Zhao Jingxi, who had been packing up his needles, suddenly paused. He stepped forward, blocking the middle-aged man. "You know of the Plum Blossom Needle Technique?" he asked, looking at Qin Lin in surprise. "Are you referring to the Thirteen Needles of Plum Blossom from the Southern Fujian Plum Blossom Medical Sect?"