County Head Gu and Mayor Jiang exchanged a look.
Their eyes were filled with excitement.
Compared to Gu County Head, Mayor Jiang’s reaction was even stronger.
He knew his own body very well—he was already at the end of his strength.
Yet now, he felt as if he had returned to twenty years ago, with noticeably renewed strength and energy.
The longer he stayed conscious, the more certain he became that this feeling was real.
Seeing how readily Liu Zhixia agreed, he even wondered whether he could bring this young woman back to the city.
But then he thought of her husband—the man who had once been famous in Beijing—and suppressed that thought.
Still, he genuinely liked this girl.
In the end, Mayor Jiang decided to extend his originally two-day trip to four days.
He needed more time for observation.
County Head Gu was overjoyed. After the meal, he immediately brought Liu Zhixia to Dr. Fang’s home.
At that moment, Dr. Fang Huali was overwhelmed and exhausted.
His youngest grandson’s condition had worsened severely.
Even after going to the county hospital, they had found no cause.
They had also gone to the city hospital, but nothing changed when they returned.
The child, who had once had difficulty walking, was now completely unable to move.
Old Madam Fang and the daughter-in-law were crying uncontrollably.
On the bed, the child lay expressionless, as if the pain did not belong to him at all.
Old Madam Fang held him tightly, eyes swollen red.
“Little Bao… what’s wrong with you?
You were fine yesterday… don’t scare Grandma…”
Dr. Fang lowered his head, exhausted.
They hadn’t even considered going back to the hospital again, because they knew it would be useless.
Neither the county nor the city hospital could treat it…
Going again would only add more burden.
He looked completely defeated.
When County Head Gu and Mayor Jiang arrived with Liu Zhixia, this was the scene they saw.
A bitter heaviness filled their hearts, and Gu County Head looked at Liu Zhixia pleadingly.
He hoped she could help.
The child had always been sickly, but no one expected his condition to become so severe.
Dr. Fang noticed them but did not recognize Mayor Jiang.
Mayor Jiang, not wanting to reveal his identity, simply nodded in greeting.
“County Head Gu, I’m afraid we can’t properly receive you in this situation…”
His voice was filled with exhaustion.
Then his gaze fell on Liu Zhixia.
Gu County Head quickly spoke.
“Old Fang, I’ve brought you a very capable doctor today. If she can cure him, you must thank us properly.”
Dr. Fang’s eyes lit up. His gaze followed and landed on Mayor Jiang.
“You are the doctor?” His voice trembled.
He assumed anyone brought by the county head must be extraordinary.
But Gu County Head quickly stepped in.
“No, no, he’s just my guest.”
Then he turned toward Liu Zhixia and coughed awkwardly.
“This is Dr. Liu. Her medical skills are excellent.”
He even gave a thumbs-up.
Dr. Fang was startled.
If she was praised so highly by the county head, she must be remarkable.
But after a closer look, he couldn’t help feeling doubtful—she was simply too young.
Her aura was refined, her features delicate, her gaze pure.
But youth made him hesitant.
Just as Gu County Head was about to speak again, Old Madam Fang rushed out.
“Old Gu! Old Gu, come quickly and look at Little Bao!”
“Quickly…”
Everyone hurried into the inner room.
The child on the bed was so thin that one might barely sense his breathing if not careful.
What is this condition…? It was as if he had lost all will to live.
He was so young.
Liu Zhixia felt a pang of pain in her heart.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward.
“I’ll try.”
She took the child’s hand—and was shocked at how thin it was, almost bone-piercing.
Her expression softened with pity.
This should have been the happiest time of his life, yet he was suffering like this.
Old Madam Fang tried to stop her, but Dr. Fang raised a hand to stop her.
He looked at Liu Zhixia with trust.
Her brows tightened more and more as she examined him.
The people in the room grew tense as they watched her expression.
“The child’s condition is very serious. My preliminary diagnosis is that his bone marrow and spine are becoming adhesively fused.
It has already reached an advanced stage.
Earlier, at most he had difficulty walking—but this condition must have developed recently.
If not treated in time, he may never be able to stand again.”
Though harsh, she spoke the truth.
Patients and families had the right to know.
More importantly—she could treat it.
Even in later eras, this was not a simple condition to handle.
But her internal energy carried a regenerative force, giving her an advantage others did not have.
Combined with her medical skill, it was not an unsolvable problem.
The real issue was—
At her age, performing such treatment in this era would cause a huge sensation.
She fell into thought.
Her silence caused the Fang family, who had just seen hope, to sink back into despair.
They shouldn’t have expected anything…
The child’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
Even Mayor Jiang and County Head Gu felt heavy-hearted.
Just then, Liu Zhixia lifted her head.
The atmosphere in the room felt even more suffocating.
Had she missed something?
Dr. Fang’s voice came weakly.
“Dr. Liu… don’t blame yourself. It’s okay. We’ve already prepared for the worst.”
Liu Zhixia suddenly came back to herself.
They misunderstood.
“I never said I couldn’t treat him,” she said quickly.
“Just that it may take some time.”
“What?”
“Really?”
“Great… great!!”
The room erupted instantly.
Dr. Fang reacted the fastest.
“Dr. Liu, can you explain the treatment plan? We’ve treated him before but saw no improvement…”
“This condition is relatively rare,” she said calmly.
“I happened to read some medical texts before, and I’ve studied similar cases.
Otherwise…”
She silently thanked the original owner’s wide range of interests.
Although she hadn’t achieved much, she had at least explored many fields.
If she claimed medical knowledge, even her family would not find it strange.
She looked at the child again and took out her acupuncture tools.
“Please help adjust his clothing. I’ll perform acupuncture.
It should at least improve his current symptoms.”