Chapter 708: Chapter 239: Holding Hands
Snow in Su Nan had stopped for several days.
After Lu Tong woke up, the medical officers were ecstatic.
A disease that once seemed incurable, a candle destined to go out, took a turn for the better at the very last moment, bringing light amidst darkness and bloom amid desolation.
The medical officers recorded this case with the intent of bringing it back to Shengjing for research with all members of the Medical Officer Institute after the epidemic. Perhaps it could become one of Da Liang’s significant case studies in the history of medicine.
Many people visited her daily, each of them checking her pulse and asking about her condition. Lu Tong had been a doctor for so many years, and this was her first time as a patient. At first, it was novel, but gradually it became somewhat overwhelming.
Li Wenhu and Cai Fang visited once. Since the medical officers had not declared Lu Tong passed, the two were unaware of her years of testing medicine and thought that Lu Tong was suffering from a relapse of an old illness. When they visited, they spoke to her of the recent epidemic in Su Nan.
"The epidemic is under control now, and everything is stable in the Plague Hospital," Cai Fang bowed deeply to Lu Tong, "Thanks to Doctor Lu for finding the Golden Qin on the mountain, buying time for the patients. Red vine wood from Pingzhou has now arrived in Su Nan, and Chief Physician Chang and Marshal Pei have also ordered people to immediately collect more Golden Qin from other places. The most dangerous time has passed."
A sense of relief washed over Lu Tong.
Li Wenhu scratched his head and said with an embarrassed smile, "Sorry, Doctor Lu, I looked down on you all when I first came, thinking you were just like those from Shengjing before, who only knew how to talk big without doing anything substantial. I didn’t expect that the medical officers from Shengjing are really competent! It was my mistake; I apologize!"
Lin Danqing, carrying a bowl of medicine, came in from outside and snorted at what he heard: "Even if the Hanlin Medical Institute is not great, we still have to pass nine subjects in the spring exams... Do you think those nights we studied were all for nothing?"
After speaking, she nudged past Li Wenhu, went by the two men, and put the bowl on the bedside table, giving them a displeased look.
Li Wenhu and Cai Fang exchanged a glance, awkwardly exited the room, and gently closed the door behind them.
"What’s the matter?" Lu Tong asked.
"I told them not to disturb you. The epidemic in Su Nan is under our watch, and you are still not fully recovered. You should rest more. Those two, however, keep bothering the patient for no reason. Isn’t that annoying?"
Usually always presenting a smiling face, Lu Tong rarely saw Lin Danqing so impolite and couldn’t help but smile.
"You shouldn’t worry too much about the epidemic," Lin Danqing placed a pad under the bowl and offered it to Lu Tong, "Everything has been going well, Younger Sister Lu. It’s not just you who are a healer in this world; all the talented medical officers are here. You should trust the talents selected by the Imperial Medical Bureau’s spring exam. By doing this, you’re not leaving any face for others. Aren’t you embarrassing them?"
Lu Tong took the bowl, bowed her head to drink all the medicine, set the empty bowl aside, and nodded, "You’re right. After all, it was the talented medical officers who saved my life."
At this, Lin Danqing became proud.
"Well," she waved her hands in false modesty, "It’s the ancient formulas that are so effective, we just stumbled upon them by pure chance."
The "Blood Exchange" treatment was extremely bold in its use of poison, which ordinary people could not withstand; it was a method to seek life within the brink of death. At that time, when Lu Tong was breathless and all hope was gone, she miraculously turned around.
"Also, thanks to the Golden Qin you brought back," Lin Danqing thought for a moment, "If it wasn’t for seeing the Golden Qin, I wouldn’t have thought of the ancient prescription."
Golden Qin, the last ingredient in the "Blood Exchange" formula, was used to counteract major toxin reactions. However, Golden Qin was not found in the Central Plains, and even if collected from other areas, it would not have arrived in time. The Golden Qin that Lu Tong brought from Luomei Peak was originally intended to substitute for the red vine wood for the Su Nan epidemic but ended up solving an urgent crisis.
"However," Lin Danqing wondered, "Golden Qin thrives in heat and fears the cold, so how could it grow on the mountain with all the snow?"
Lu Tong smiled faintly.
She too had thought Golden Qin would never grow on Luomei Peak, that the seeds had long since withered in the mountain soil. Yet, the dream that had disappointed her in her youth had sprouted anew after many years.
Luomei Peak had yielded an antidote.
And that antidote had ultimately saved her.
Destiny is mysterious, always leaving a glimmer of hope when all seems lost.
Two knocks on the door sounded, and Ji Xun’s voice came from outside: "Doctor Lu, it’s time for your acupuncture."
Lin Danqing stood up, "I’ll step out first, and come back later to talk to you."
Lu Tong nodded.
Ji Xun entered, carrying a medical box.
The "Blood Exchange" procedure was administered by Chang Jin, Lin Danqing, and Ji Xun. While Lin Danqing specialized in gynecology, Ji Xun was more adept at acupuncture. Lu Tong’s awakening did not signify a complete recovery; it only indicated that most of the toxins had been removed from her body. She would still need to continue detoxifying and recovering gradually.