Elixir Supplier

“Time is running out!” He wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth.

He took a deep breath and stared at the dark sea. He let out a sigh, which was scattered and lost amidst the sound of the waves.

Dawn arrived, and a new day had begun.

…

In the mountain village, there were fewer patients than in the past two days. No one came at noon, so Wang Yao was able to go home for lunch.

“This is good,” Zhang Xiuying said as she served rice. “If there are too many people, you won’t even be able to eat. How can that work?”

“Skipping a few meals doesn’t matter,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

“That’s not good either.” She was still a mother who loved her son.

While they were eating, Wang Yao’s phone rang. It was Su Xiaoxue.

“Hello, Xiaoxue,” he said.

“Brother-in-law, it’s me.” The voice of Su Zhixing came from the other end of the phone.

“What’s up?” Wang Yao asked.

“Where are you? Back home?” Su Zhixing asked.

“Yes, I’m at home eating,” Wang Yao replied.

“Is Uncle and Auntie there too?” Su Zhixing asked.

“Yes,” Wang Yao said.

“Say hello to them for me,” Su Zhixing said.

“Sure, do you have anything else?” Wang Yao asked.

“Ah, there’s one more thing I want to ask of you,” Su Zhixing said.

“Tell me,” Wang Yao said.

“I have a comrade in arms who is seriously injured,” Su Zhixing said. “Can you treat him?”

“Where is he now?” Wang Yao asked.

“He’s still in the army hospital,” Su Zhixing said. “If you agree, I’ll tell him that he can go to the mountain village hospital to find you.”

“Can you first find a way to send me a copy of his case so I can be prepared for it?” Wang Yao asked. “As for the time, they can come at any time. I don’t plan on going anywhere and will be in the clinic.”

“I’ll tell them right away,” Su Zhixing said. “I’ll let you know in advance when the time is fixed.”

“Was that Xiaoxue’s big brother?” Zhang Xiuying asked.

She had heard the conversation between the two of them, including Su Zhixing’s greeting of “brother-in-law.” That meant that Su Xiaoxue’s family recognized her son, which made her very happy.

“Yes, one of his comrades was injured,” Wang Yao said. “He wants to come over for treatment.”

“Treat the soldiers first,” Wang Fenghua said.

“Yes, I think the same way,” Wang Yao said.

Although he operated on a first-come-first-served basis, he had to prioritize by severity. Among those would be some special cases, such as those who were seriously ill, the elderly, weak, women and children, and respectable soldiers.

“Finish eating first,” his mother said.

“Yes, I will,” he said.

In Jing, Su Zhixing was in the ward.

“Did he agree?” a man asked.

“Yes, he asked to have a look at the case first,” Su Zhixing said. “You’ll be able to see him at any time. In fact, I can ask him to come out for treatment.”

“It’s OK,” the man said. “He happens to be near Qi province, so it’s not too far away for me to go there. You also said that he has a more complete set of medicinal ingredients in his clinic, so it’s better to go there.”

“Please send him a copy of the case as soon as possible,” Su Zhixing said.

“I’ll have someone do it right away,” the man said. “By the way, when does his clinic close? I’ll arrange for someone to deliver the case today.”

“Just arrange for someone to deliver it,” Su Zhixing said. “I’ll call him then.”

In the mountain village, the sun had already set behind the mountain. Another day had passed.

Wang Yao was not in a hurry to leave. He was waiting for someone. Su Zhixing had told him that someone would be sending the case file of the wounded soldier and asked him to wait there.

Around 6 p.m., he heard cars outside. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in, please!” Wang Yao called out from inside

The soldier who knocked at the door whispered to himself, What a clear voice! He pushed the door and entered. The layout of the yard was very dainty and exquisite. Mmm, it’s a beautiful little yard.

Upon entering the room, he saw a young man with a clean appearance. He seemed to be in his 20s, a few years younger than himself.

“Hello, are you Dr. Wang Yao?” the soldier asked.

“Yes, that is me,” Wang Yao said. “Do you have the case file?”

“Here it is. Please have a look.” The soldier handed the file envelope in his hands over.

Wang Yao took the envelope and pulled the information out for a look. The soldier had suffered a gunshot wound. The injury was in a lung. The bullet had pierced it. The injury was very serious. The key problem was that the bullet seemed to be poisonous and had spread to other parts.

“Three days?” Wang Yao’s brows furrowed slightly. “When will he arrive?”

“He’s on the way to the hospital and will arrive by tomorrow morning,” the soldier replied.

“In that case, I’ll keep the files,” Wang Yao said. “You can go back now.”

“Yes, thank you!” The soldier saluted him.

“You’re welcome.” Wang Yao got up and walked the soldier out.

After returning home, he called Su Zhixing again.

“Did you get the files?” Su Zhixing asked.

“Yes, I received them,” Wang Yao said. “Was this wounded soldier on a similar mission as you?”

“Yes, it was most likely the same enemy,” Su Zhixing said. “Six soldiers were sacrificed during the mission. One of them was seriously injured, which is the case you took. They heard that all our toxins had been neutralized by you, so they wanted to ask you for help.”

“I see,” Wang Yao said.

“Please help,” Su Zhixing said in a grave and serious tone.

“As long as there is a breath, I can save his life,” Wang Yao quietly said.

“Thank you,” Su Zhixing said.

After Su Zhixing hung up the phone, he turned to a man in his 30s, who was in a military uniform standing beside him, “Did you hear that?”

“Yes, thank you,” the man in the uniform said.

“You’re welcome,” Su Zhixing said. “Let’s hurry up and get him to the clinic.”

The man in the uniform left.

Su Zhixing thought, As long as there is a breath, he can save his life. Tsk tsk tsk, how arrogant, but I like it!

In the clinic, Wang Yao took out his cellphone and made a Weibo post.

[I have something going on tomorrow. The clinic will be closed and will not receive patients.]

He had set aside a day, especially for the arriving soldier.

That night on Nanshan Hill, the lights dimly glowed. Firewood was burning, making a crackling sound.

Wang Yao was brewing medicine. He as preparing antidote powder and regathering soup. He would use them on the soldier the next day.

He looked up at the sky and thought, I’m afraid that it’s going to rain tomorrow.

The next morning, the sky was gloomy. The air was stuffy and uncomfortable, but the weather was a little better in the village.

Around 9 a.m., an army Jeep and medical vehicle entered the village.

“Why are there army vehicles arriving?” a villager asked.

“Could they be looking for Wang Yao?” another villager asked.

Under the eyes of several villagers, the two vehicles stopped outside the clinic.

“It’s true!” a villager exclaimed.

Two officers got out of the Jeep and entered the clinic.

“Hello, Dr. Wang, my name is Cheng Haidong,” an officer said.

“Hello, where’s the patient?” Wang Yao asked.

“Outside,” Cheng Haidong replied. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, bring him in,” Wang Yao said.

After a while, the patient was carried in, followed by two medical staff members. IV drips were hanging in the air. The medical staff members looked at Wang Yao with suspicious eyes.

After they had heard that the critically ill soldier was going to be transferred to another hospital, they disagreed with the decision because the soldier’s situation was very critical. It was likely that there would be uncontrollable accidents in the process of transferring him to another facility, which would endanger his life, but the higher-ups insisted on it. They had also received instructions from hospital leaders to fully cooperate.

They had thought the soldier would be transferred to a big hospital in Beijing or Shanghai. They hadn’t expected to come to a small mountain village and meet such a young doctor.

They couldn’t help but think, Is this a joke? What are these people thinking? Have their brains gone haywire?

Wang Yao gently inspected the soldier’s gunshot wounds, which were inflamed and festering. His body and face were black, and his breathing was light as the wind.

“It’s critical,” Wang Yao said.

“Of course, it’s critical,” a young nurse grumpily said.

“Xiao Li!” Cheng Haidong gave the nurse a serious look

“No worries.” Wang Yao smiled and waved his hand. “Let’s detoxify him first.”

He took out the prepared antidote powder and gave it to the soldier. Next, he carefully looked at the wound. He looked up at the people in the room and said, “All of you, please go out.”

“Huh?!” The people in the room, especially the accompanying military doctor and nurse, were stunned.

“Get out. I’m going to give him a special treatment,” Wang Yao said.

All the people were looking at Cheng Haidong. “Go,” he said as he led the way out. He turned back and solemnly said, “Dr. Wang, please save him.”

He had a great deal to do with this trip, and his leaders had also taken great risks. If something went wrong, it would be big trouble.

“Don’t worry.” Wang Yao smiled. He was confident and calm.

All the people left the room, even though the military doctor and nurse were obviously unwilling. They went straight out into the yard.

After coming out, the young nurse couldn’t help but ask, “Captain Cheng, aren’t you worried? He’s so young! How can he possess any superb medical skills? This is a joke!”

“Su Zhixing and Meng Wushuang were saved by him.” Cheng Haidong’s simple words stunned the young nurse.

“They weren’t hurt that badly,” the nurse said. “This soldier had his lung pierced, and the bullets were highly toxic.”

“Silence.” Cheng Haidong’s rendered everyone silent.

The nurse was still pouting.

In the clinic, Wang Yao had a small box in his hand. After opening it, there was a black jade-like ointment that emitted a unique fragrance. Ointment for continuing life could mend any defects.

He took a small scoop with his finger and dabbed it on the wounded soldier’s wound. The medicine was absorbed by the body near the trauma at a speed invisible to the naked eye. It disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Wang Yao turned and flipped his hands like two flying swallows. He quickly massaged and patted the soldier’s body. In a short time, he had stimulated dozens of acupoints of several major blood vessels.