Qin Zhong was secretly delighted, seeing that public opinion was clearly on his side. He discreetly shot another meaningful glance at the servants of Baohe Hall.
The servants immediately understood his intention and moved to carry the middle-aged man lying on the broken door plank out of Baohe Hall.
“Doctor Qin, my father was just speaking to me moments ago. How can he be beyond saving?”
The sturdy, robust girl shoved the servants aside and wailed loudly at Qin Zhong.
“Girl, when your father spoke to you, that was merely a final rally before death.”
“Your father is already at death’s door. If I intervene, it would not only waste time but also money. However you calculate it, you’d be at a loss.”
“I’m saying all this for your own good. Why are you so stubborn, refusing to listen to reason?”
As he spoke, Qin Zhong’s hypocritical face darkened noticeably, and he directly issued an order to expel them without any courtesy.
In an instant, over a dozen servants menacingly surrounded the pitiful father and daughter.
Seeing this, Ji Yunsu, who had been quietly observing the condition of the middle-aged man on the broken door plank, finally parted her pink lips and spoke softly.
“Doctor Qin, could it be that your medical skills are inadequate to treat this girl’s father, and that’s why you’re making excuses and refusing to provide treatment?”
Hearing this, Qin Zhong instantly bristled like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on. He retorted without thinking,
“Look at his face—it’s already turned dark purple. He clearly shows all the signs of impending death.”
“If he could be saved, why wouldn’t I treat him?”
“Girl, I’m a divine doctor, not a deity. Bringing the dead back to life is something only gods can accomplish.”
As he spoke, Qin Zhong shot a glare at Ji Yunsu. Though his expression appeared amiable on the surface, it carried a hidden threat as he spoke again.
“Girl, you can eat recklessly, but you mustn’t speak carelessly.”
“Baohe Hall is a century-old establishment. We won’t tolerate baseless slander. Be careful, or I’ll have you brought to court!”
Unfazed by Qin Zhong’s threat, Ji Yunsu crossed her arms and walked over to the middle-aged man, who was breathing shallowly with more exhalation than inhalation, then crouched down beside him.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Qin Zhong watched as the woman wearing a Weimao, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, reached out as if to take the pulse of the lifeless middle-aged man on the broken door plank. He immediately rebuked her coldly.
Ji Yunsu didn’t even spare Qin Zhong a glance and calmly stated,
“You can’t treat him because your medical skills are lacking.”
“But that doesn’t mean no one else can.”
With that, she pressed her fingers against the man’s wrist and, in full view of everyone, leaned her ear close to his chest.
His pulse was weak and rapid, his breathing faint—classic symptoms of oxygen deprivation.
Yet, within his shallow breaths, there was a wheezing, hollow sound.
Coupled with his dark purple complexion, it was evident he was suffocating.
Preliminary diagnosis: respiratory obstruction caused by pneumothorax.
Without prompt treatment, it could be life-threatening.
Although the condition had struck fiercely, it could be alleviated immediately with proper intervention.
“Girl, don’t worry. Your father isn’t going to die.”
Ji Yunsu comforted the sturdy girl beside her.
Her words instantly stirred a commotion among the onlookers.
In no time, whispers spread through the crowd, and people began to cast doubt on Qin Zhong’s medical abilities.
“Could it really be as this veiled young lady says, that Qin Shenyi is actually unskilled in medicine and can’t treat the illness, so he’s deliberately putting on airs and would never actually intervene?”
“Oh dear, if that’s really the case, then Qin Shenyi is nothing but a hypocritical fraud!”
“Exactly! No wonder Baohe Hall only treats wealthy and powerful nobles while ignoring us poor folks – it’s because they can’t cure our diseases!”
“Come to think of it, nobles live such pampered lives, what serious illnesses could they possibly get?”
“…”
By this point, the crow’s feet at the corners of Qin Zhong’s eyes were twitching so violently they could have caught a fly.
He never imagined that the “divine physician” reputation he had built up over so many years would be destroyed by a woman who appeared out of nowhere!
At that moment, the light in Qin Zhong’s eyes flickered uncertainly as he looked at Ji Yunsu.
Just then, Qin Zhong noticed Ji Yunsu holding a writing brush and a small knife.
In front of everyone, Ji Yunsu snapped the brush handle in half, then used the knife to smooth out the splintered edges.
Seeing this, Qin Zhong couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. He had originally thought this shabbily dressed woman might actually have some real skill.
But here she was, preparing to treat someone by whittling a writing brush.
It seemed this woman was deliberately stirring up trouble to extort money!
Thinking this, Qin Zhong suddenly hatched a plan. Looking down at Ji Yunsu who had knelt back beside the middle-aged man, he spoke with contempt.
“Young lady, you keep saying you want to save someone, but all you’re doing is sharpening this writing brush. Who exactly are you trying to fool?”
At this moment, Ji Yunsu calmly and seriously asked the sturdy young woman:
“Miss, I need to insert this sharpened brush tip into your father’s body to help him release gas. Do you consent?”
Hearing that someone wanted to stick a brush tip into her father’s chest, the young woman paused. Though worried, for some reason she felt this young lady before her was trustworthy.
As if possessed, the young woman said to Ji Yunsu in a straightforward voice: “Miss, as long as you can save my father, I consent to whatever you need to do!”
As soon as these words fell, Qin Zhong immediately stirred up the crowd:
“Everyone, look! This woman wants to stab this dying man with a hollow, broken brush handle.”
“This is clearly attempted murder! If this man dies in Baohe Hall, she can use it to extort me and ruin my reputation in my old age!”
Hearing this, the commoners became uncertain, thinking Qin Zhong made sense.
After all, what could a hollow brush handle with one sharpened end possibly cure? It was more likely to kill someone!
For a while, the crowd buzzed with whispered discussions.
Ji Yunsu then lifted her head slightly and said to Qin Zhong with a smile:
“Doctor Qin, shall we make a bet? If I revive this girl’s father, you must publicly admit your medical incompetence…”
“I’ll take that bet! But what if you kill the patient? What then?”
Qin Zhong was now completely convinced that this veiled woman was bluffing. If he didn’t accept the bet, she would surely accuse him of having a guilty conscience.
Therefore, without waiting for Ji Yunsu to finish speaking, he rudely interrupted her.
After speaking, the hypocritical expression on Qin Zhong’s sanctimonious face was indescribably smug.
Looking down at Ji Yunsu from his superior position, he adopted an arrogant posture of certain victory and said bluntly:
“If you kill the patient, you must kneel and apologize to me in front of everyone!”
“Furthermore, I will send you to the magistrate’s court and make sure you rot in prison!”
An overreaching pauper!
Daring to cause trouble in the Qin Family’s territory – I’ll make you understand what kind of people you can never afford to provoke in this lifetime!
At this moment, Ji Yunsu’s clear almond-shaped eyes curved slightly, and beneath the Weimao that concealed her swollen, bun-like face, a fox-like cunning smile emerged.
She immediately responded cheerfully in a clear voice: “It’s settled then!”
Heh, the fish has taken the bait!