How was that possible?
How could the clotted blood in Tang Bingyan’s body be drawn out with just a few silver needles?
No—there was one possibility.
There were people who could achieve that with acupuncture alone.
They were known as national doctors.
But in all of Huaxia, the number of such national-level physicians could be counted on one hand.
Such figures were beyond the reach of even the most powerful people in Jiang City. How could a good-for-nothing like Xu Tian possibly bring one here?
“Dr. Lin, what’s going on?” Before Lin Tong could recover from the shock, Chen Xiaoxiao’s worried voice rang out beside him.
She saw the dark, clotted blood flowing out. Though she knew it was likely stagnant blood, she still couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Lin Tong’s gaze flickered as he looked back into the ward. “I’m not certain yet… Let’s keep watching.”
Hearing that, Chen Xiaoxiao turned back toward the room, anxiety tightening in her chest.
Inside, under Zhang Zizhen’s constant application of needles, the stagnant blood in Tang Bingyan’s body was being released little by little.
Gradually, her complexion improved. The pale hue on her face began to recede, replaced by a healthier flush.
Just from her appearance alone, it was clear—Tang Bingyan was recovering.
Moments later, Zhang Zizhen withdrew all the silver needles from her body.
Lin Tong, seeing that he wasn’t taking any further action, immediately scowled. “That’s it? Then I can say for certain—this man is a complete quack!”
Chen Xiaoxiao’s heart dropped. “Dr. Lin, is something wrong with the treatment?”
Lin Tong didn’t answer. Instead, he opened the door and strode in.
At the same moment, Zhang Zizhen and Lin Xiao were about to exit the room.
Lin Tong looked at them with righteous indignation, his voice cold and cutting. “You call yourself a doctor? Relying on a few superficial acupuncture techniques and calling it healing? It’s because of frauds like you that Huaxia’s traditional medicine is falling into decline!”
Lin Xiao, being young and hot-tempered, immediately opened his mouth to argue, but before he could speak, Zhang Zizhen gently stopped him.
Zhang Zizhen looked at Lin Tong with calm eyes and said, “You’re right. Huaxia medicine is vast and profound. I’ve only learned a little. What wisdom might you share?”
“Hah!” Lin Tong sneered. “Wisdom? I wouldn’t go that far, but even the most basic principles should be obvious to anyone with a shred of medical knowledge. If the patient’s internal organs are damaged, do you really think just draining some stagnant blood is enough?”
“Shouldn’t you be stitching up internal wounds? You dare call yourself a divine doctor with such half-baked methods? You’re not saving lives—you’re risking them!”
Hearing that, Zhang Zizhen—usually calm and composed—actually let out a small laugh. “So according to you, if there’s even a slight rupture in the organs, we should open up the body and cut? And you call that being responsible to the patient?”
“Ignorant!”
With a flick of his sleeve, Zhang Zizhen strode past Lin Tong.
Lin Xiao shot Lin Tong a look like he was staring at an idiot. “From her pulse, the damage to her organs wasn’t even close to the point where surgical stitching is needed. Otherwise, how do you think she lasted until now?”
Whoosh!
The moment Lin Xiao said that, Lin Tong’s face turned deathly pale.
In Western medicine, organ damage nearly always meant surgery. But he had forgotten that surgical stitching in the West was mostly precautionary. If a national doctor could assess the extent of internal injuries with pinpoint accuracy, and if the rupture was minor, there was no need to cut at all.
The man Xu Tian had brought… was really a national-level doctor of Huaxia?
Before Lin Tong could fully process the shock, Zhang Zizhen handed Xu Tian a prescription he had written in advance.
“Take this to get her medicine. If you can find the two rare herbs listed here, she’ll fully recover in under half a month. If not, you can substitute these two alternatives. The effects will be weaker, and recovery slower, but still effective.”
Upon hearing that, Chen Xiaoxiao immediately leaned in to look. She quickly said, “Our Imperial Capital family pharmacy has those two herbs. Give me the prescription—I’ll have them delivered right away. Their quality is much higher than what’s available in the market.”
Zhang Zizhen nodded slightly and handed the prescription to her.
Then he turned to Xu Tian with a warm smile. “Mr. Xu, my work here is done. I’ll take my leave. If you ever need anything, just say the word.”
Xu Tian nodded. “Alright. I’ll walk you out.”
Chen Xiaoxiao watched them leave, hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Lin Tong. “Dr. Lin, could you take a look at this prescription? Just in case.”
Compared to Xu Tian’s so-called miracle doctor, she still trusted the skill of Lin Tong more.
“Sure. Let me see.” Lin Tong took the paper with a hint of curiosity.
And then—
“This is…!”
The moment he finished reading it, a storm surged within Lin Tong’s heart.
To evaluate the skill of a national doctor, beyond their hands and diagnostics, the greatest test was their prescription.
This prescription from Zhang Zizhen, even someone like Lin Tong—who wasn’t a national doctor—could recognize its brilliance. He could feel the weight of its knowledge and precision.
This… this was not something a back-alley quack could ever write!
This was clearly the work of a true national master!
And yet earlier, he had dared question whether this person had a license…
Lin Tong’s face burned with shame.
“Dr. Lin, what’s wrong?” Chen Xiaoxiao noticed his strange expression and asked in confusion.
“It’s nothing.” Lin Tong forced himself to calm down, burying the thoughts in his heart.
Though Zhang Zizhen’s prescription was extraordinary, Lin Tong was still one of Jiang City’s top medical experts. He couldn’t possibly admit inferiority in front of Chen Xiaoxiao.
Especially in front of someone like her—he didn’t know Tang Bingyan’s full background, but he knew enough to understand that she held immense power. If he wanted to get closer to that world, he had to prove his value.
Yet from his professional perspective, this prescription was flawless. He couldn’t find a single issue with it.
After hesitating for a long while, Lin Tong gritted his teeth and made a decision.
He put on a serious expression and said, “This prescription has major problems. Several of the ingredients are mutually counteractive. If CEO Tang takes this, her condition may worsen. The herbs must be changed!”
“What?!” Chen Xiaoxiao’s breath caught in her chest.
Mutually counteractive herbs? Her condition would worsen?!