Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Xia Dong pondered carefully after hearing what Elder He said.

While the Eagle Wolf Guards have access to resources in the cultivation world, the waters there run too deep. Leaving aside the high and mighty cultivators, even the martial arts masters at the Transcendent Realm and True Intent Realm who can rival cultivators possess incredibly sharp perception.

If the ancient bronze bell in his mind, and the heaven-defying method that could refine Yin spirits into Yin Sha pills, were to reveal even the slightest flaw under their noses, the consequences would be far beyond what he could bear.

He decided that he must not step into that vortex until he was absolutely certain of his own safety.

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, sir." Xia Dong bowed slightly, his tone sincere yet carrying a touch of self-deprecation. "However, my physique is still very weak. I have only just begun to learn martial arts and can barely even practice the Five Animal Fist. If I were to join the Eagle Wolf Guard now, not only would I not be able to achieve anything, but I would also be a burden to your duties."

He paused for a moment, then revealed his plan: "After much thought, I've realized that haste makes waste. Fortunately, my family has inherited a few incomplete medical books, which I've studied quite thoroughly these past few days. I'm thinking of opening a small clinic in the county this spring, firstly to practice medicine and benefit my hometown, and secondly to use the practice to cultivate my mind and refine my martial arts skills. Once I've mastered some martial arts, I can then serve the court. I've come here to seek your support, sir."

Upon hearing this, Lord He was slightly taken aback, then stroked his beard and laughed.

"If you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor. Since you have this heart for saving lives and a family tradition of medical knowledge, I will naturally support you." Lord He had no doubts about Xia Dong's decision. In this dynasty, it was a very respectable and elegant thing for a scholar to know medicine.

With Lord He's support, it was very easy for Xia Dong to open his clinic.

Today, the He family is the largest medicinal herb merchant in Pingyang County.

With the connection to Lord He and his newly appointed status as a tribute student, Xia Dong's access to medicinal herbs for his clinic was naturally unimpeded.

To guard against those ignorant thugs, Xia Dong even sought help from Magistrate Yang.

Magistrate Yang greatly appreciated the young scholar who helped him revise the county gazetteer, and with a flourish of his pen, bestowed upon him a calligraphy scroll inscribed with the words "Benevolent Heart and Skillful Hands".

A few days later, these four large characters were made into a black-background, gold-lettered plaque made of Phoebe zhennan wood and hung high above the main hall, which had been converted from the front hall of Xia Dong's courtyard.

The clinic was named "Changchun".

With a plaque personally inscribed by Magistrate Yang to ward off evil, everyone in Pingyang County, from gangs of all sorts of people to ruffians who collect protection money, had to respectfully detour around Changchun Medical Clinic and dared not have the slightest thought of causing trouble.

However, for the first two weeks after the clinic opened, business was slow.

After all, Xia Dong was too young. Although he had the title of a scholar, treating patients and saving lives was a matter of life and death, so ordinary people naturally trusted the old doctors more.

Xia Dong wasn't annoyed; he hadn't opened his clinic to earn those few coins in consultation fees.

It was the time of year when winter was giving way to spring, and the weather was still chilly despite the warm spells. Colds were common. So Xia Dong set up a stall in front of the clinic and offered free medical consultations to her neighbors and Xiao Hong's tenant relatives who lived outside the city.

He was a miracle worker, and his prescriptions were not only inexpensive but also often cured ailments. Gradually, the reputation of "Master Xia not only writes well but also has god-like medical skills" spread throughout the streets and alleys of Pingyang County.

But what truly made Xia Dong and Changchun Medical Clinic famous was a chance coincidence.

That evening, just as the clinic was about to close, Ding Jiu, a constable from the neighboring street, was carried in by several colleagues on a door panel, stumbling and falling.

Ding Jiu was covered in blood, his right arm was twisted unnaturally, and his face was as pale as paper, clearly in extreme pain.

It turned out that a notorious thief had appeared in the county. When Ding Jiu led his men to capture him, they never expected that the thief was a trained martial artist, possessing not only considerable external martial arts skills but also ruthless attacks. Ding Jiu took a blow head-on, not only breaking his bones but also injuring his meridians due to the violent energy surging within his body.

Ordinary traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, upon seeing this kind of internal injury from martial arts involving qi, blood, and meridians, would wave their hands repeatedly, not daring to treat it at all.

Ding Jiu was a poor, down-on-his-luck man whose meager salary made it impossible for him to afford the renowned doctors specializing in martial arts at Lin Yuan Prefecture. Seeing that his arm was about to be ruined, his colleagues, desperate and in desperation, remembered Xia Dong, who had recently gained a good reputation, and reluctantly carried him over.

"Master Xia, please have mercy and save Ninth Brother! He still has an elderly mother to support!" Several men pleaded, their eyes red with anxiety.

Xia Dong nodded slightly, and then used the most powerful pulse-taking method from Changchun Medical Classic.

Under the keen perception of his soul, the flow of Qi and blood within Ding Jiu's body appeared in Xia Dong's mind.

"Hold him down," Xia Dong ordered in a deep voice.

Then, Xia Dong slightly bent the five fingers of his right hand, instantly activating the power-generating technique of the Dragon-Capturing Hand.

This martial art, originally used to seize the spine and control qi and blood, has now been transformed by him into the most exquisite Dragon-Capturing Bone-Setting Technique!

Xia Dong's palm seemed to rest gently on Ding Jiu's twisted right arm, but in reality, his fingertips were secretly releasing force. That subtle internal energy, like a swimming dragon, precisely pierced Ding Jiu's acupoints, straightening and clearing the meridians that Ding Jiu had injured from the martial artist, allowing the stagnant blood and qi to flow smoothly.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Dong's wrist jerked violently.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound of bones closing rang out.

There was no heart-wrenching scream. Ding Jiu only felt a tingling numbness in his right arm. The excruciating pain that had been tearing his bones apart receded like a tide, and the dislocated broken bones were now perfectly put back together!

From taking the pulse to setting the bones, it was all done in one go.

...

...

With Ding Jiu as a living advertisement, the threshold of Changchun Medical Clinic was almost worn down by the crowds.

Veteran constables from the yamen who had spent years on the front lines and suffered internal injuries, as well as some underworld figures in Pingyang County, all came seeking his treatment.

Xia Dong welcomed all these people without exception.

Not only was he not afraid of trouble, but he was also delighted when he encountered difficult and complicated diseases such as damaged meridians and disordered qi and blood.

Every injured person who came to him helped him verify the "Changchun Medical Classic" and hone his spiritual perception and the power exertion techniques of the Dragon-Capturing Hand.

In just a few months.

With countless instances of spiritual pulse diagnosis and bone setting, Xia Dong's medical skills skyrocketed at an illogical pace.

On this day, Xia Dong cured a martial arts instructor who had gone mad from forcibly attempting to break through a cultivation barrier.

clang.

Deep within his consciousness, the long-lost ancient bronze bell emitted a long, clear chime.

He cultivated the skills represented by the "Changchun Medical Classic" to the point of "perfection"!

After seeing the patient off, Xia Dong felt extremely happy as he pondered the intricate yet readily available medical principles in his mind.

He was slightly surprised by the speed of his progress, but when he calmed down and thought about it, he felt it was only natural.

Ultimately, he now possesses some extraordinary characteristics, making him different from ordinary doctors.

Moreover, after the completion of the Changchun Medical Classic, a wonderful connection was suddenly formed between the Changchun Medical Classic, the Dragon-Capturing Skill, and the Crane-Shaped Stance.

"These three elements should be able to be combined into a special technique." A sudden realization dawned on Xia Dong.