Bai Banxia had only gained a tiny amount of points for the Divine Doctor System by performing emergency first aid on the Old Master. If she treated a severe injury, she would surely earn a lot more.
She had hemostatic herbs in her basket, which would work even better when paired with her acupuncture.
Unfortunately, she didn't have any silver needles right now. A set of exquisite silver needles would only appear once the Divine Doctor System was upgraded.
At this thought, she turned around and chased after the man. Unexpectedly, the man turned his head slightly, revealing cold and stern features.
Dressed in deep black, he looked to be about twenty years old and was very tall. Bai Banxia was considered tall among women, yet her head only reached his shoulder, forcing her to look up at him slightly.
His face was sharp and angular, with long sword-like eyebrows extending toward his temples, giving him a very heroic appearance. However, his phoenix eyes carried a hint of ruthlessness.
Bai Banxia instinctively paused in her tracks. This man was truly good-looking; his features, silhouette, and temperament were not inferior to modern idol stars. However, his "do not approach" murderous aura was a bit chilling.
Clang! A loud noise came from a roadside stall. The vendor roasting chestnuts had overturned his pot.
"Oh my!" the vendor exclaimed, his face flushing red as he muttered, "This youngster is so handsome he makes people lose their focus."
Another elderly woman walking toward them couldn't help but stare at the man's face until she collided with someone. She fell flat on her back, grimacing in pain, but even then, she couldn't resist looking back again.
The man ignored his surroundings and continued walking forward. Bai Banxia hurriedly followed.
Behind them, many street vendors and passersby craned their necks to watch, as if the man's back were covered in blooming flowers.
"That youngster is so handsome. I wonder whose family he belongs to? Matchmakers will probably break down his door."
"Isn't that the truth? Look, even that fat girl is chasing after him."
"He's so good-looking. If he came to my stall for noodles, I wouldn't even charge him!"
"Aren't you the clever one? He’s a living advertisement. If he bought things from me, I wouldn't charge him either."
The "fat girl" in question, allegedly chasing the handsome man, had already come to a halt. Seeing the murderous intent deepening in the man's eyes, she hurriedly explained, "I sell medicine. I have wound medicine."
The man didn't speak. She simply took off her basket and pulled out some hemostatic herbs.
"You can boil them for internal consumption or grind them for external use," she added.
The man indifferently grabbed the herbs and turned to leave.
"Hey, the money for the medicine!" Bai Banxia called out.
A flash of white light flew toward her. She reached out and caught it—a piece of silver! It was nearly one tael!
Hehe, this deal is too profitable. If it weren't unhygienic, she would have wanted to bite it with her teeth like they did in TV dramas.
However, thinking of the murderous aura in the man's eyes, she decided not to linger and quickly made her exit.
As for handsome looks or soul-stirring charm, could they compare to the fragrance of shiny silver?
Bai Banxia tucked the silver away and decided to wander around the town; perhaps she could find another way to make money.
Soon, she reached the West Market. It was very lively, with people selling vegetables and food, and the foot traffic was much heavier.
Unfortunately, after looking around for a long time, she found no business opportunities. She had no choice but to head back to the village.
Just as she reached the village entrance, she saw her mother pacing in circles. Had something happened again?
"Mom, what's wrong?" Bai Banxia went up to ask.
"Banxia, you're finally back! Your grandfather is spitting blood. Your grandmother says she's going to beat you to death. Your father told me to take you to your great-grandfather's house to hide. Quick, let's go now," Zhang Lingzhi shouted.
Bai Banxia felt a headache coming on. "Mom, keep your voice down."
Zhang Lingzhi pulled at her to leave. "Don't worry about that. You really have to hide this time, or your grandmother will kill you."
Bai Banxia wouldn't move. With her current weight, her mother really couldn't pull her, and Zhang Lingzhi began to sweat from anxiety.
"If I leave, I'm afraid Grandpa's life will be in danger." Bai Banxia sighed. In her memory, Old Mr. Bai had been quite kind to her previous self. Before he fell seriously ill, he had even tried to persuade the Old Lady not to constantly scold her fat granddaughter.
If the bone fragment stuck in Old Mr. Bai’s trachea wasn't removed, he would continue to have phlegm and blood, making it easy for him to choke on phlegm again.
The village doctor hadn't even noticed the existence of the bone fragment; the medicine he prescribed only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
Now that he was suddenly spitting blood, his condition had likely worsened.
"The doctor can't cure him; I have to go back and take a look," Bai Banxia said, before striding toward the house.
Zhang Lingzhi wanted to stop her, but seeing her daughter's serious gaze, she wondered if her daughter really had a way.
"Daughter, you know how to treat illnesses? Why have you changed so much lately?" she asked, chasing after her.
"I'll explain to you both when we get home." Bai Banxia had already prepared an excuse and planned to tell everyone at once so she wouldn't have to answer them one by one.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard Old Mrs. Bai’s wailing. When the Old Lady saw her, she jumped up from the ground, grabbed a feather duster, and swung it at her.
"I'll beat you to death, you jinx! You damnable creature! Not only did you prevent your father from having a son, but you also hit your grandfather until he spat blood! How did our Bai family end up with a scourge like you?" The Old Lady cursed incessantly.
Beside her, the Old Master’s face was flushed red again, and he was struggling to breathe. Clearly, he was choking on phlegm once more!
The patient was waiting for emergency care; Bai Banxia had no time to waste on this shrewish grandmother. She snatched the feather duster away and slammed it onto the ground.
She raised her heavy leg and stomped down. With a crack, the feather duster snapped into two.
"Shut up! Go throw your tantrum elsewhere and stop hindering me from saving him!" After she finished speaking, she rushed to the Old Master and called for her father to help prop him up.
Bai Tian was stunned by his daughter's dominant display, but he didn't question her actions and hurriedly went to help.
The Old Lady was completely shocked. She stood there with her mouth agape, unable to speak for a long time.
Bai Banxia pressed a few more acupuncture points on the Old Master's back and suddenly struck him on the center of the back with her palm.
"Cough, cough, cough…" The Old Master let out a series of coughs and spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm.
This time, there was still blood in the phlegm—even more than before.
"The first time could be luck, but what about the second?" Bai Banxia raised an eyebrow at the Old Lady.
"You… you… you…" The Old Lady pointed at her for a long time. Then, looking down at the phlegm on the ground, her anger flared up again. "But your grandfather is spitting blood because of your hitting! Who knows if you've given him internal injuries!"
At that moment, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Doctor Xu was ushered in.
"Choking on phlegm again?" Doctor Xu identified the situation as soon as he entered the room, but his dim eyes showed a hint of confusion. He muttered, "I prescribed medicine to resolve the phlegm. Did he not take it properly?"
The Old Master was now able to speak, and he said hoarsely, "I took it all on time, just as you said."
The Old Lady chimed in from the side, "It must be because of my wretched granddaughter's hitting. She’s covered in fat and strong as an ox; she hit her grandfather until he spat blood again."
"If our Banxia hadn't patted the phlegm out, Father wouldn't even be able to breathe," Zhang Lingzhi said, displeased. Her daughter had risked a beating to come back and save the Old Master; why was everything she did considered wrong?
"That's right, Mother. Once is luck, but twice means our Banxia really knows how to do it," Bai Tian echoed.
Doctor Xu glanced at Bai Banxia. "The excessive phlegm likely has nothing to do with her, but one cannot simply hit a patient to clear phlegm recklessly."
"Exactly! Last time I said we should wait for the doctor to arrive, but this jinx just had to show off and hit her grandfather until he spat blood. Today she’s acting reckless again and even dared to be aggressive with me. She’s truly revolting against the natural order!" The Old Lady looked at the feather duster broken in two and started cursing again.
While cursing, she suddenly struck Zhang Lingzhi, who was standing nearby. "You ill-intentioned woman, you must have encouraged this poisonous girl. The third son should have divorced you long ago!"
"Enough!" Bai Banxia barked.
It was one thing to be falsely accused after saving someone, but hitting her mother was too much. Did this Old Lady have no sense of right and wrong?
And this Doctor Xu was far too pedantic. Just because she was young, he thought she was being reckless, but in a crisis, who could afford to wait for him to arrive?
She straightened her back, looked Doctor Xu in the eye, and asked, "Despite taking your prescription, he still has a lot of phlegm and continues to choke. Have you considered why?"
"Do you know why?" Doctor Xu frowned. Although he was unhappy about being questioned, he truly couldn't figure it out.
Before Bai Banxia could answer, the second uncle, Bai Shui, who had been waiting on the side, said sarcastically, "Doctor Xu, don't listen to her nonsense. She doesn't know a damn thing."