The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

"My basis is my judgment."

Yang Shuisheng stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and calmly swept his gaze over the loudest people: "If you want to believe me, then do as I say."

"If you don't believe me, you can still hitch a ride to town now; it's not too late."

"However, the road from the village to the town is difficult to travel, and it takes at least two hours."

Whether this child can hold on until then depends on his fate; you can decide for yourselves.

His words were very blunt, even a bit cold, leaving the choice entirely to the host family.

But his calm and composed demeanor, as if he had everything under control, only made Mr. and Mrs. Wang more hesitant.

Should we send it to town?

After more than an hour, the child is in this state; what if something happens to him on the way...?

We can choose not to send it to Yang Shuisheng for treatment. But what if he can't cure it or makes things worse?

Wang Laosi looked at his son, who was groaning and convulsing in pain on the bed, and then at Yang Shuisheng, who had a calm expression. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, turned around abruptly, and shouted at the relatives and neighbors who were still shouting, "Stop arguing, I'll trust Cadre Yang this time."

With red eyes, he nodded heavily to Yang Shuisheng: "Officer Yang, I'm entrusting that child to you."

"Do whatever treatment you need to."

"Just tell us what you need, and we'll do our best to cooperate."

Then he said to his wife and his elderly mother, "Hold the child down, don't let him move."

Looking at Wang Laosi's reckless gaze, Yang Shuisheng nodded slightly in agreement.

Without further delay, he focused his mind and struck with lightning speed.

His fingers flew, and several slender silver needles were precisely inserted into several specific acupoints around the swelling on the child's ankle, at varying depths, some straight and some angled.

As he inserted the needles, the warm sensation from his fingertips quietly seeped in again, stimulating the acupoints and clearing the local blood and qi, while also protecting the child's heart and preventing the sudden spread and impact of toxins.

Immediately afterwards, he picked up the thickest needle and quickly made a small cross-shaped incision at the highest and darkest point of the swelling.

"laugh--"

A stream of thick, black blood with a foul odor immediately gushed out from the cross-shaped incision.

"Hold it down! Don't let go!" Yang Shuisheng shouted in a low voice. At the same time, he began to push and press rhythmically along the child's calf, from the knee towards the ankle wound.

His technique was unique, guiding the flow of qi to continuously force out the toxic blood that had accumulated around the wound and had not yet fully spread towards the cross-shaped incision.

After adding about half a bowl of poisonous blood, the color finally changed from dark purple to dark red, and then gradually returned to normal bright red.

The horrifying swelling on the child's ankle has visibly subsided and is no longer so frightening.

The child's convulsions stopped. Although he still had a fever and was talking incoherently, his breathing was noticeably more stable, and the flush on his face had faded a little.

Yang Shuisheng carefully examined the wound and checked the child's pulse, then breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Some of the poisonous blood has been released; there's no danger for now."

"However, the toxins have not been completely eliminated, and the inflammation and nerve damage in the child's body also need to be treated."

He took the hot towel handed to him by Wang Laosi's wife, wiped the sweat from his hands and forehead, and then said to the crowd gathered around him, "We still need to take medicine afterwards, internally to detoxify, externally to reduce swelling, and to clear heat and calm the nerves."

He paused, then named several herbs: "I need Lobelia chinensis, Paris polyphylla, and Hedyotis diffusa, fresh ones are better."

"I also need some honeysuckle, forsythia, and rehmannia root."

"The internal prescription should also include cicada molting, uncaria, and silkworm to calm the nerves and stop convulsions."

"For external application, find some dandelion and violet, mash them up and apply them around the wound."

The herbs he listed were all common Chinese herbal medicines, some of which were excellent detoxifiers, while others were used to clear heat, cool the blood, calm the nerves, and extinguish wind.

But the villagers present, apart from barely understanding honeysuckle and dandelion, were completely clueless about the other names, let alone having them in their homes.

"Lobelia chinensis? What's that? I've never seen it before!"

"Paris polyphylla? The name sounds strange."

"Hedyotis diffusa...that's a scary name, where can I find it?"

"Officer Yang, we've never heard of any of these things you're talking about, and we certainly don't have any at home."

"Yes, where can we get this? If we go to the pharmacy in town, it will be dark by the time we get there and back."

The crowd started talking all at once, and the hope that had just risen because the bloodletting had been effective turned into anxiety and helplessness.

It takes four or five hours to get to and from the town. Given the child's condition, can we wait that long?

The Wang couple, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, were filled with anxiety again as they stared longingly at Yang Shuisheng.

Yang Shuisheng frowned.

He wasn't surprised. It's good enough for country folk to recognize a few common herbs. The ones he mentioned weren't particularly rare, but not every household had them on hand.

It seems I'll have to make the trip myself.

He recalled seeing fresh Lobelia chinensis and Paris polyphylla in several places during his previous trips into the mountains, while Hedyotis diffusa, dandelion, and Viola yedoensis were even more common.

As for honeysuckle and forsythia, there are wild ones in the mountains, but their quality may not be as good as those sold in pharmacies.

You'll have to buy cicada molts, uncaria, and silkworm pupa in town, or use other herbs with similar effects as substitutes.

"It's too late to buy one in town." Yang Shuisheng's gaze swept over everyone. "From now on, no one is to touch the child. Just let him lie there like this."

"Do not get the wound wet, and do not apply or rub anything on it."

"I'm going into the mountains to find some emergency herbs. I should be back in about an hour or two."

"Don't move him during this time; he's not in immediate danger."

His tone was serious, carrying the professional authority of a doctor.

Having witnessed his bloodletting technique, no one dared to question him anymore.

"Officer Yang, I... I'll go with you, lend you a hand, and help you find your way," Wang Laosi immediately offered, eager to do something.

"No need, you stay and take care of the children."

"I know the mountains well, I know where these medicines are. Too many people going there will only cause delays," Yang Shuisheng shook his head and refused.

He did know the approximate location of those herbs, and he was fast on his feet, making him more agile on his own. If he encountered any trouble, he could handle it alone without any worries.

He said no more, glanced at the child on the bed whose condition had temporarily stabilized, then turned and strode out of the Wang family's courtyard.

It was midday, the sun was setting, and there was still some time before nightfall.

Yang Shuisheng went home to get a small hoe and a basket, and without changing into any special clothes, he strode towards the path leading to the Daliang Mountains.

He was planning the route in his mind.

Lobelia and Paris polyphylla like to grow in damp streamsides or shady rocky areas. He remembered seeing them near the upper reaches of a stream in the back mountains.

White-flowered snake tongue grass, dandelion, and purple violet are even more common, and can be found by roadsides and field edges.

Honeysuckle and forsythia may need to be found on slightly deeper hillsides and forest edges.

Time was of the essence, so he moved with lightning speed, his internal energy flowing smoothly, making him walk lightly and with great stamina. He quickly left Peach Blossom Valley behind and ventured deep into the quiet and secluded mountain forest.

The mountains and forests were dense with trees, blocking out the sun. The air was moist and carried the fresh scent of soil and vegetation. Relying on his memory and keen observation skills, Yang Shuisheng quickly traversed the rugged mountain path, his eyes scanning the grass, crevices in the rocks, and streamsides along the roadside.

Soon, he found several plants with slender leaves and pale purple flowers on the back of a damp rock; they were Lobelia chinensis.

He carefully dug up a few plants, roots and leaves included, and put them into his basket.

Not far ahead, in a damp area where a stream bends, we found a few plants with whorled leaves and a peculiar little flower at the top. They had seven leaves and one flower. Although there weren't many, they were enough.

White-flowered snake tongue grass, dandelion, and purple violet are readily available, and he picked a large handful of them.

It took a little effort to find honeysuckle vines in bloom and forsythia with small green fruits on a sunny hillside forest edge, and we picked quite a lot of them.

In just one hour, his basket gradually filled up, and he had gathered most of the herbs he needed, which was faster than he had expected.

He breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to head home.

"Help!"

Suddenly, just as he turned around to go back the way he came...

A sharp cry for help from a woman came from somewhere deeper in the mountains.

The sound echoed through the silent valley, sounding exceptionally clear and eerie.

Yang Shuisheng paused, his brows furrowing instantly.

That voice sounds familiar, kind of like Yu Qianwei!

"There are poisonous snakes! Someone please save me!"

Poisonous snake?

Yang Shuisheng felt a chill run down his spine. Without thinking twice, he immediately turned around and rushed towards the direction from which the cries for help were coming.