"Qing Ning, going to the back mountain so early?"
A senior disciple from the third peak greeted Qing Ning, who was carrying a herb basket. The sky was still early, and the morning mist still hung in the air, the damp and cold air biting at her face like shards of ice. Everyone on the third peak knew Qing Ning was a lazy glutton, so it was a surprise to see her heading into the mountains to collect herbs so early.
Qing Ning smiled brightly, brimming with youthful energy. She replied, "The mushrooms are freshest and most tender this season. I plan to pick some to make soup."
"Heh~"
Hearing her words, the senior disciple chuckled along.
He knew it; this little girl was only this diligent because of food!
"Alright, pick plenty to bring back, so this senior brother can have a taste too… Oh, right, the fog hasn't cleared yet. Be careful when you enter the mountain, and come back early."
"Got it, senior brother. I'm off~"
Qing Ning waved goodbye to her senior brother, gripped the straps of her herb basket, and turned towards the back mountain.
...
Qing Yuan slept until broad daylight. When she opened her eyes, she blinked at the ceiling, a little disoriented. After a while, she pushed aside the covers and sat up.
How did she fall asleep yesterday?
Qing Yuan scratched her scalp. In her memory, she seemed to have smelled the scent of Shui Yan grass.
Shui Yan grass?
Had someone drugged her?
With this thought, Qing Yuan jumped out of bed and scrutinized her surroundings. She even lifted her clothes to check herself, but apart from feeling a bit groggy, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Had she just slept poorly?
The aroma of vegetable porridge and smoked chicken drifted in from outside. Her taste buds immediately watered, and her stomach rumbled. Her slight suspicions were tossed aside as she quickly got dressed, roughly wiped her face with a towel, and eagerly ran out.
"Little Martial Aunt, what's for breakfast today?"
Du Lao glanced at Qing Yuan, a trace of drool still on the corner of her mouth. This girl didn't look like she had a brain in her head. He looked towards Nan Shiying, whose face was filled with a spring breeze smile, showing no hint of the emotions hidden beneath.
"Vegetable porridge, smoked chicken, boiled eggs. For the main course, we have date rolls and steamed buns."
Nan Shiying placed the food on the table. As Qing Yuan reached for it, Nan Shiying grabbed her wrist, "Go wash up first."
Qing Yuan tearfully bid farewell to the chicken leg and ran off quickly, as if a moment's delay would cause the chicken leg to transform back into a chicken and fly off the table.
Du Lao picked up a chicken wing and took a bite, then slurped some porridge, smacking his lips. "Why do I taste chicken in the porridge?"
Nan Shiying glanced at the chicken wing he was biting and said with a smile, "Wouldn't it be strange if you *didn't* taste chicken?"
"So?"
Du Lao nudged her with his chin, his gaze sweeping over the spot where Qing Yuan had just sat. "Strange?"
Nan Shiying shook her head. "Not strange!"
Their seemingly oblique conversation meant they both understood what the other was implying. Compared to Qing Yuan, Qing Ning was more suspicious. However, whether it was Qing Yuan or Qing Ning, it didn't make much difference.
Yesterday, after returning from the back mountain, she had only seen three people: the old man, Qing Yuan, and Qing Ning. Only these three could have been responsible. Logically, compared to Qing Yuan and Qing Ning, the old man was the most likely to have tampered with the Luo Sha Man Tuo Luo. However, Nan Shiying leaned more towards subjective judgment than logic.
While the two were exchanging veiled words, discussing the possibility of Qing Yuan being the culprit.
As soon as Nan Shiying finished speaking, Qing Yuan came rushing back, this time having washed her face and brushed her teeth, even tying her scattered hair into two little pigtails.
"Can we eat now?"
She asked, her eyes sparkling and full of light as she spoke.
Her face wasn't as round as before, but she still looked like a glutinous rice ball.
Nan Shiying pinched her cheek, smiled, and nodded.
Qing Yuan grabbed a chicken leg in one hand and a bun in the other, starting to devour them. She ate like a little piglet.
On the sixth day of the free clinic, Nan Shiying and Du Lao descended the mountain again. This time, the Fourth Elder grabbed Nan Shiying's hand and refused to let her leave.
Six days. These brats were getting worse generation by generation. The last time she accompanied the clinic, it was during the Qin generation. Back then, excluding the freak Qin Qing, Si Teng, Qin Mu, Hui Ji, and the others were several times stronger than these current brats. Their diagnoses and prescriptions were almost flawless. But now? Out of ten patients, five had incorrect consultations, and one had an incorrect prescription. She had to re-examine and re-prescribe so many times that her old bones were about to be worn out by these little scoundrels.
Now that she saw the freakish master-disciple pair, Qin Qing and Feng Luan, how could she let them slip away again?
"Sit down, you do it!"
The Fourth Elder, gripping Nan Shiying's wrist, ordered Du Lao to sit and re-examine the patients.
Du Lao couldn't be bothered with such trouble and had Nan Shiying sit there for the re-examination instead, assuring the Fourth Elder, "Don't worry, she can do it."
Since she had the endorsement of the great freak, the Fourth Elder had no further reservations. She patted Nan Shiying's shoulder encouragingly, "Young people should get more practice. Go on, I have faith in you."
Of course, medical skills improved with age. With such a young person taking over, the patients waiting behind were somewhat apprehensive. Some had heard of Feng Luan's fame, while others hadn't. Low murmurs of discussion echoed around them.
Nan Shiying, however, paid little attention, leaning back in her chair and resting her eyes.
"Medical Immortal, this is the prescription from the previous Medical Immortal."
Someone placed a prescription in front of Nan Shiying, their eyes repeatedly glancing at the Fourth Elder sitting behind her. Nan Shiying opened her eyes and gestured for him to extend his hand. The man readily complied. Nan Shiying placed her fingers on his wrist, withdrew them after a few seconds, picked up a pen, and made a few strokes on the prescription, crossing out some herbs and adding others.
"All done!"
Nan Shiying put down her pen and waved him away.
This...
The patient hesitantly held the prescription, not daring to question the other's skill but also unable to believe it. The previous Medical Immortal had spent half the time giving that prescription, and she had changed it in just a few seconds?
Was it correct?
Seeing his hesitation, the Fourth Elder stood up. She asked the patient to raise his hand, and the patient, not finding it troublesome and certainly not daring to, promptly extended his hand again.
The Fourth Elder took his pulse, then glanced at the revised prescription by Nan Shiying, and suddenly smiled. She deliberately raised her voice so everyone could hear, "There is no prescription more fitting than this one. Take it with confidence!"
Then she added, "Yaowang Valley will not tarnish its reputation. If Feng Luan can sit here, it means her skill is sufficient to hold this position."
With that, she said no more and sat back down.
This time, she sat even more firmly.
She sipped her tea while chatting with Du Lao, and also spared some attention to observe Nan Shiying. After a while, she straightened her posture.
What, could it be that the patients today were not seriously ill?
She called over the patients who had just been re-examined and took their pulses. Their conditions were not severe, but not light either. For one patient, it took her about a minute to confirm the diagnosis.
But if she wasn't so senile as to forget what had just happened, how long had Feng Luan taken to diagnose this patient?
Half a minute or a dozen seconds?
Could her medical skills be even better than hers?
Was this scientific?
Was this normal?
Was this reasonable???