Chapter 125 - 124: Medical Disturbance

Chapter 125: Chapter 124: Medical Disturbance

When the group arrived at Ji’an Hall, a haggard, white-haired old man inside was sighing incessantly.

It was Su Pu.

When he saw Chen Li and his two companions, especially Chen Shouye, a flash of guilt and confusion passed through his eyes. He hurried over to greet them. "Shouye... Brother Chen, you... why have you come?"

"Elder Su, I’ve come for Brother Li and that child, Jinru."

Chen Li got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

Su Pu let out a long sigh and led Chen Li and Shouye to a quiet corner. He lowered his voice and recounted the whole story.

"Sigh, what a tragedy... A few days ago, this man came to my hall to have a wound treated. It was just an ordinary knife wound, and that child, Jinru, had already cleaned it and applied medicine for him."

"Who knew... who knew that by the next day, it would be red, swollen, and festering? He developed a high fever, the wound worsened into a severe abscess, and he fell into a coma. I’ve been a doctor for decades, and I’ve never seen a common external injury worsen so quickly..."

Elder Su’s voice was hoarse, filled with deep exhaustion.

"His family insisted that Jinru used the wrong medicine and made him worse. They threatened that if he can’t be cured, they’ll demand... demand a life for a life!"

Su Pu’s voice trembled. "That’s not all. They... they even proposed that to settle this, unless... unless Jinru is married off to the man’s older brother as an apology. They keep saying that the brother is a distant relative of the Lord Governor, and that our little hall can’t afford to offend him..."

Hearing this, Chen Shouye clenched his fists so tightly that fire practically shot from his eyes.

Su Pu continued, "When Weikun heard the news, he immediately came to mediate, but they wouldn’t budge. I proposed that we could try surgery to cut out the rotten flesh and the abscess, which might give him a chance to live."

"But as soon as they heard about cutting into a person, they staunchly refused. As a last resort, I then suggested we could use Five Stone Powder. After taking it, the person falls into a deep, senseless sleep, and the surgery would be painless."

"But... but this Five Stone Powder is a substance strictly forbidden by the Government Office. Ordinary pharmacies don’t carry it, and you can only buy it on the Black Market."

"To resolve this dilemma, Weikun decided to take Jiwei and Jinru to the Black Market to find the powder himself. His Martial Arts are formidable, and he thought he could make a quick trip..."

"But they’ve been gone for five whole days with no word! The disciple sent to meet them ran back in a panic yesterday, saying he never saw them come out. That Black Market is a chaotic place, full of vicious and cruel people. I’m afraid... I’m afraid that..."

As Su Pu finished, tears were already streaming down his old face, his voice choked with sobs.

"Elder Su, please don’t worry. I’m sure Brother Weikun and the others will be fine and return safely. Where is the troublemaker now? I’ll go take a look at him."

Chen Li offered a few words of comfort before getting to the point.

"In the inner courtyard. I... I won’t go."

Su Pu had an apprentice lead Chen Li and his son to the inner courtyard.

Entering the inner courtyard, they saw a sallow-faced, unconscious man lying on a couch in the inner hall.

His lower leg was wrapped in thick gauze, from which pus and blood were still seeping. A foul, rotting stench filled the air.

Standing guard by the couch was a tall, burly man in his thirties, his face hostile and his demeanor fierce.

When the man saw the two of them enter, he gave them a hostile look from head to toe. Seeing they weren’t regulars at the hall, he immediately stood up warily and barked in a rough voice, "What are you two doing here? If you have no business, don’t just wander around!"

The apprentice saw this and was about to explain, but Chen Li spoke first. "I heard there was a patient here in need of treatment, so I came to have a look."

Hearing this, the fierce light in the man’s eyes intensified. He took a sudden step forward, almost completely blocking the path into the room, and snarled, "Look at what? This quack doctor is the one who did this to my brother! Are you helpers that old geezer hired? Here to cause trouble?"

Chen Li’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he said no more.

The man saw a blur and had no time to react—he didn’t even know how Chen Li had moved. Then, everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground without a sound, unconscious.

"Shouye, guard the door. Don’t let anyone disturb us."

After subduing the man, Chen Li turned to look at Shouye.

Chen Shouye’s heart tightened. He immediately nodded, closed the room’s door, and warily watched for any movement outside.

Chen Li walked over to the man lying on the couch.

The man on the couch panicked. He scrambled to sit up and shouted, "You—what are you doing?"

Chen Li ignored him, found a long bench, and sat down.

The Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing began to circulate.

A Dream of Millet Porridge.

In the past, his Divine Sense had been insufficient, so he was unable to cultivate this Dream Creation Technique.

Ever since ascending to the Divine Hall, his Divine Sense had found a place to anchor itself. Nourished day and night, it was now strong enough for him to use the skill.

When he had entered the room moments ago, he had swept it with his Divine Sense and already knew that the man on the bed was only at the Marrow Refining Realm. The gap between their Realms was enormous, so he had no need to worry about his Divine Sense being insufficient.

The man only felt his head grow heavy before he instantly passed out.

When he woke again, he was no longer in the noisy medical hall.

Instead, he was being held by two government constables in official uniforms, one on each side, and had been brought into a solemn, brightly lit Government Office.

A plaque symbolizing impartial justice hung high above the court. On either side stood silent government constables holding Water and Fire Staffs. A suffocating pressure filled the air.

He looked around in horror, but before he could even understand the situation, the loud CRACK of a gavel shook him to his very core.

He snapped his head up and saw a man seated behind the high desk, dressed in the green robes of an official. His face was stern and imposing, and his gaze, sharp as lightning, was fixed coldly upon him.

"Who stands before this court? State your name!"

The man immediately and instinctively dropped to his knees. "I... I am Wang Lingui, Your Lordship. May I ask who Your Lordship is...?"

The official behind the desk roared, "You impersonate my relative, swindling and extorting people, blackmailing the innocent, and trying to force a young woman into marriage—and you dare ask who I am?"

Wang Lingui was scared out of his wits. He collapsed to the floor, trembling like a leaf. "Gr-greetings, Lord Governor! I’ve been framed! I... I didn’t impersonate..."

"Still trying to argue!"

The official’s voice boomed like thunder. "You caused trouble at Ji’an Hall using my name, yet you don’t even recognize me when you see me. And you still claim you weren’t impersonating me?"

The shout terrified Wang Lingui so much he felt his insides would rupture. He immediately began banging his head on the floor, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Lord Governor, spare me! Spare my life! I... I didn’t mean to use your name... S-someone instructed me to do it. I was just following orders!"

"Speak! Who instructed you? If you utter a single false word, you will face severe torture!"

"It... it was Jiang Li! The steward from the Governor’s wife’s family estate, the Jiang Family! Jiang Li, Master Li, ordered me to do it."

Wang Lingui hastily spat out the mastermind’s name. "Master Li said... he said as long as I made a big scene and forced that old doctor into a corner, it would be enough... that the Jiang Family would take care of everything... That’s why I lost my mind and recklessly dragged Your Lordship’s name into it... I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

"And what was the purpose of these reckless actions?"

"I... I don’t know either. It was all Master Li’s orders."

Chen Li slowly opened his eyes.

He glanced at Wang Lingui. The man was kneeling on the bed, still in a prostrate posture from the dream, his eyes glazed over and his forehead dripping with cold sweat. Chen Li now understood.

’The Jiang Family is behind this, but what is their motive?’