Chapter 217 - 213: Seeking Medical Treatment (Part 2)
With that, Ye Xing took a box of silver needles from his pocket and walked over to his uncle, Lin Debiao, ready to treat his leg injury with acupuncture.
Just then, a hand shot out and blocked Ye Xing.
"Young man, what do you think you’re doing?" Dr. Xie asked, frowning at Ye Xing.
"I’m going to treat my uncle’s leg," Ye Xing replied.
"Treat his leg? His injury is severe. How do you plan to treat it?" Dr. Xie’s brows furrowed as he looked Ye Xing up and down. "Which school did you just graduate from? Are you an intern?"
"Uh, I’m not a medical school intern!"
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"You’re not even an intern, and you dare to treat a patient? Forget not being an intern—even if you really had just graduated from medical school, your skills wouldn’t be up to snuff without two or three years of training." Dr. Xie shot Ye Xing a disdainful look. "For an injury this severe, even the best surgeons in the country would have no guarantee of success. And yet a young man like you, not even a hospital intern, has the audacity to make such a boast."
"That’s not it. I have studied medicine!"
"Axing, stop fooling around!" his mother, Lin Yufang, said, quickly pulling him aside. "When have you ever studied medicine? Don’t make things worse. Your uncle is in enough pain already."
"But Mom, I really have," Ye Xing said with a wry smile. "I’m not lying. I can cure Uncle’s leg."
"But you were a literature major in college, weren’t you?" Lin Yufang said, her face full of disbelief. "And I know for a fact you didn’t study medicine before that."
"While I was away on business, I studied acupuncture with a highly skilled old traditional Chinese medicine doctor. I even learned a special remedy for leg injuries," Ye Xing explained. "I’m confident I can heal Uncle’s leg. Otherwise, are you just going to stand by and watch him have an amputation?"
Hearing this, his aunt’s heart stirred. She asked, "Axing, do you really have a way to cure your uncle’s leg?"
"I’ve heard acupuncture can be amazing, and if you use the right folk remedy, it might actually work. Besides, Axing has always been a brilliant student; he’s not the type to do things recklessly. Maybe we should let him—" his younger aunt, Lin Yuxiang, started to say, but her husband pulled her back. "Yuxiang, what are you talking about? Even if Axing did learn a little something, Dr. Xie is an attending physician at this hospital. You think Axing knows more than a doctor with over ten years of experience?"
After her husband’s remark, both his aunt and Lin Yuxiang had to agree he had a point. This was the Provincial Hospital, one of the best in all of Fujian Province. Anyone who could become an attending physician at such a major hospital was bound to have excellent skills. If even Dr. Xie was at a loss, then what hope did anyone else have?
Nearby, Dr. Xie’s expression turned grim. "The patient’s injury is severe," he said gravely, "but there’s still a twenty to thirty percent chance he won’t need surgery. However, if you start messing around, then I can’t make any guarantees. You will bear the consequences yourselves." As he spoke, he shot a sideways glance at Ye Xing, who didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
After Dr. Xie’s warning, his aunts and the others were even more hesitant to let Ye Xing perform acupuncture. After all, Dr. Xie was an authority. Even though Ye Xing was family, they chose to trust the doctor.
Ye Xing was speechless, but he couldn’t really blame his aunts. ’They don’t know my secrets, after all.’ In their eyes, he was just a recent college graduate, and not even a medical major at that. Even though he was family, a young kid like him had no credibility. They might have let him try as a last-ditch effort, but now that Dr. Xie had warned that reckless treatment would only make things worse, they didn’t dare risk it.
Since his elders were opposed, Ye Xing certainly wasn’t going to force the issue. ’I wanted to heal Uncle’s leg as soon as possible,’ he thought, ’but I guess I’ll have to wait. I’ll just treat him secretly tonight after everyone’s asleep.’
TAP! TAP-TAP!
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside. A dignified-looking middle-aged man knocked on the door before entering.
"Dr. Ye, I’ve finally found you! I was about to go to Luoxian County to look for you, but I can’t believe you’re here in Fu City!" the middle-aged man said with a smile as he walked toward Ye Xing.
"I’m not a doctor. You’ve got the wrong person," Ye Xing said flatly, his brow furrowing slightly. As a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Martial Arts Fifth Realm, he had exceptionally sharp hearing and instantly recognized the man’s voice. It was the stranger who had called him last night, pleading for medical help.
’This man’s Energy seems considerable, though, to have found me in Fu City.’
"I know you aren’t a doctor by profession, but your medical skills surpass those of many specialists," the middle-aged man pleaded. "My father suffered a heart attack and is now on the brink of death. I beg you to save him just this once. I will be eternally grateful."
Faced with this middle-aged man who had suddenly shown up begging for medical help, Ye Xing’s mother, Lin Yufang, as well as his aunts, were all completely dumbfounded. They had no idea what was going on.
"Whatever you ask for as payment, as long as it’s within my power to give, I will satisfy your request," the middle-aged man continued.
"I’m sorry, but if you need medical treatment, you should find a doctor," Ye Xing said, shaking his head. He had no intention of getting involved. ’I don’t need anything right now,’ he thought. ’I have money, I have everything I could want. The last thing I want is to run all over the place. I’m no saint; I have no particular interest in saving people. It’s enough that I don’t cause harm—saving lives isn’t my duty. I just want to spend more time on my Cultivation. That’s what I’m interested in.’
"But my father’s condition is critical. Ordinary doctors can’t help him," the man said with a helpless, bitter smile.
Just as the man was speaking, the sound of approaching footsteps came from the doorway. A moment later, someone rushed in, looking panicked. "Yan Ming, bad news! Elder Chen’s condition has taken a turn for the worse. Academician Zeng is recommending immediate heart surgery, otherwise it’ll be too late!"
The middle-aged man’s face went white as a sheet. With a sudden THUD, he dropped to his knees before Ye Xing.
Ye Xing’s gaze shifted, and he quickly moved to stop the man from kneeling completely.
The man’s action startled the messenger, who asked in bewilderment, "Yan Ming, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling to this kid? We have to get back to Elder Chen! Dean Zeng says they need to operate now, you have to go sign the forms!"
"The chance of success is too low. Academician Zeng said there’s only a ten percent chance—it’s practically a death sentence," the middle-aged man said, his eyes red and welling with tears. He turned to Ye Xing. "Mr. Ye, I’m begging you. Please, save my father!" Gritting his teeth, he tried to kneel again.
Ye Xing once again stopped him from kneeling.
Inside the room, his aunts stared at the scene in astonishment, making Ye Xing feel incredibly awkward. ’This standoff can’t continue,’ he thought.
"Is the patient in this hospital?" Ye Xing finally asked. "I’m not going if it’s too far."
"Yes, he’s right here in this hospital! VIP Room 801," the man replied, overjoyed.
"Fine. I’ll go with you and take a look, but I can’t make any promises. Lead the way."
With that, Ye Xing followed the man out of Room 603 and headed toward VIP Room 801.
"Sis, does Axing really know medicine?"
"I... I have no idea!"
"He must! Look, that man came all the way here just to beg for his help!"
Room 603 erupted in a flurry of discussion as the aunts chattered excitedly. No one noticed Dr. Xie standing to the side, staring at the doorway in utter shock and muttering to himself, ’How can that be? That man just now... he looked like... Mayor Chen Yanming?’