Chapter 171: The Boat Met with A Storm. On the Verge of Death
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When he stepped into the house, Wang Yao saw the patient.
An elderly man in his 70’s with greying hair and beard was lying on the bed. His face had a yellowish hue, and his breath was as light and shallow as gossamer. Beside the bed, an old man with white hair and beard sat. He was dressed in a traditional Chinese garment, and he was very skinny, but his eyes were lively. He was taking the pulse of the old man on the bed.
Sigh. The old man let out a deep sigh after taking the pulse.
“How is it, Mr. Sang?” Zhou Ying who had rarely spoken on the way to the house spoke up hastily after seeing his reaction.
The old man named Sang pondered for some time before responding, “I am unable to do anything more. Be prepared for the worst.”
He got up and realized that the house had one more person, a young man who exuded an unexplainable aura that caused most people to unconsciously take more than a look at him.
“This lad is?”
“Oh, he is—” Zhou Xiong was about to reply that Wang Yao was their relative. However, Wang Yao unexpectedly spoke up.
“Hello Sir, I am a pharmacist,” Wang Yao smiled and said.
He took the initiative to introduce himself and exposed his identity because when he saw the old man, he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with him. Simply put, the old man exuded a similar demeanor as he did.
“An ancient pharmacist?” The old man was slightly astonished.
“Yes.”
“Haha, I’ve not heard of this title for a long time. My young friend, how do I address you?” The old man’s mannerism was amicable. His bearing and speech did not show any sense of disdain or arrogance, which was why Wang Yao admired him.
“Wang Yao.”
“Young friend, go ahead.”
Wang Yao did not act formal and sat by the bed and took the patient’s pulse. Upon diagnosis, his brows gradually furrowed, and after a while, he shifted away from his fingers.
“How is it, Doctor Wang?” Zhou Xiong’s father asked in a soft voice. He knew Wang Yao was extraordinary.
“The poison has reached the viscera; the blood vessels and tendons are disorderly, and the vigor has retrograded. Also, he has multiple bone fractures and injuries to the internal organs.”
There were multiple ailments, and any one of the ailments would have been deadly if it befell any person.
This patient was akin to a boat that was riddled with thousands of gaping holes and yet was cruising through a violent storm. It was a miracle that the patient was able to survive till now.
Yes. The old man named Sang heard Wang Yao’s diagnosis and nodded in agreement.
Compared to the other people Wang Yao had met, when he said that he was a pharmacist, the old man’s heart was filled with surprise and anticipation. The title had been buried for too long, and most people were unaware that there was such an occupation in ancient times. This young man had not brought disgrace to this title—he had taken the pulse and diagnosed the illness successfully.
“Is there a way to treat him?”
“Temporarily, no.” Wang Yao shook his head.
Such a patient was basically on his way to Hades; it would be incredibly difficult to pull him back.
While they were talking, the patient on the bed whose breaths were weak and shallow, suddenly started to breathe rapidly. His body started to perspire. The sweat was both salty and sticky.
“Oh no!”
Both Wang Yao and the old man named Sang exclaimed at the same time.
This was an indication that the patient was at death’s door; he was so critically ill that his Yang energy was about to diminish.
Wang Yao quickly put his hands on the pulse. The pulse condition was very weak and seemed to be on the verge of stopping.
Mr. Sang was on the side testing the patient’s four limbs. They were deathly cold to the touch.
“Ying…” the unconscious old man started to speak, but his voice was very faint and could not be heard clearly. He seemed to be calling his son’s name.
This was the moment of clarity while on the brink of death.
“Dad!” Zhou Xiong’s cousin kneeled down beside the bed. The man who had been silent during the journey had now teared up uncontrollably.
This was Wang Yao’s first time being in such close proximity to a person whose death was imminent.
The death god had descended and was prepared to take away the old man.
Hang on. Wang Yao suddenly thought of the newly made Prolongation pill. Perhaps this pill could help.
“Don’t cry.” Wang Yao had an idea. He slipped his hands into his pocket and retrieved a bottle of pills. He took out a pill. A faint herbal scent was emitted.
“Help him up.”
Zhou Ying hurriedly held up his father and then helped Wang Yao to get the pill to his father’s lips. Mr. Sang, who was on the side, patted his throat and back area.
“Okay.”
Zhou Ying slowly helped his father lie down.
The people in the room did not know what medicine Wang Yao had given the patient and could only wait anxiously.
The old man slipped into unconsciousness. His gossamer light breath that was about to stop anytime had now stabilized.
“This is?!”
Mr. Sang quickly came to the patient’s side without a care for his image. He extended his hand to take the pulse. The original faint pulse had become a continuous pulse and had become more stable. He touched the four limbs and found that they had warmed up a little. He also listened to the heartbeat, and it appeared to regain a bit of strength. These were indicators that the unconscious patient had escaped the threat of death.
“What did you give him?!” Mr. Sang was astonished, as he gazed at Wang Yao
In his years of healing, it was the first time he had met with such an occurrence. A patient that he could not help any further and with all signs pointing towards an imminent death was suddenly turned around.
To save a dying person from the jaws of death—only the legendary elixir or magical herb could achieve such an effect!
“Let’s wait and see.” Wang Yao did not directly respond to the question and changed the topic.
The people waited in the house. After an hour passed, it was determined that the patient on the bed was out of danger. Various parts of the body had shown signs of strengthening. The patient’s lips moved, and his eyes blinked. These were indicators that he was about to wake up. He had been unconscious for a long time and earlier, he had almost slipped to another world. This person who was about to wake up had experienced a jarring impact. Apart from the person lying on the bed, everyone else looked at Wang Yao with different eyes, especially the old man named Sang.
“Doctor Wang, how’s my father’s illness?” Zhou Ying was the first to speak up. His eyes were still brimming with tears.
“I have temporarily saved his life. As to how to treat his illness, I need to think about it. I have no confidence.”
Even if there was no confidence, it meant it could be treated, and so, there was hope!
“Okay.”
“Let the patient rest. An attentive person needs to be here to care for him.”
The people left. Out of the entire house, only Zhou Xiong and his father, Wang Yao and Mr. Sang remained. On the other hand, Zhou Ying was out and about, busy arranging Wang Yao’s accommodation.
“My young friend, can I speak to you privately?” Mr. Sang was not in a hurry to leave. He had matters to discuss in private with Wang Yao.
“Sure.” Wang Yao had a good impression of Mr. Sang and agreed to his request.
The two of them walked to the courtyard.
“May I ask you something? Who is your teacher?” Mr. Sang smiled and asked. At that moment, he appeared to be like an affable older generation. In his impression, he did not know of anyone who could groom such an outstanding protege. Even more amazing was the miraculous medicine that Wang Yao had taken out earlier.
“If I say that this was a gift from heaven, would you believe me?” Wang Yao smiled and replied.
He possessed this ability purely because of the system’s help. If this mysterious system was not a gift from heaven, what was it?
“A gift from heaven?”
“Yes,” Wang Yao answered seriously.
“Can you tell me the name of the pill that you gave Zhou Wuyi to consume?”
“Prolongation pill.”
“Prolongation? Avoiding death and prolonging life?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent name for an excellent pill.”
“You give me too much credit.”
“My advice to you is not to take this pill out in front of other people. It’s too precious and will attract attention and will plant evil thoughts in some people,” Mr. Sang kindly counseled.
“Okay, I will take note.” It had been a rushed day. If not for the fact that a person’s life was at stake, he would not have used the Prolongation pill under the watchful eyes of so many people. On the other hand, the Prolongation pill’s effects had convinced him of its true powers—it was able to save a dying person.
“May I know Sir’s esteemed name please?” Wang Yao asked politely.
“What esteemed name? I’m just an old man. My name is Sang Guzi,” Mr. Sang smiled and said.
This was the first time Wang Yao had heard of the name. However, within the boundaries of Cangzhou, this was a resounding name. Mr. Sang was a renowned doctor in Cangzhou. His medical skills were exceptional, and so were his ethics. He commanded deep reverence among the people.