Chapter 73: Cold in the Body, Hot in the Qi and Blood

Chapter 73: Body Cold, Blood Hot

The wind in the alley blew unhurriedly, past high walls and carved eaves, where time and weather had worn away their former glory.

An Jing walked slowly through the alleyways, carrying his small medicine box.

Suddenly, he paused, instinctively touching his medicine box.

“Hmm?”

The figure standing in the distance frowned slightly, “Could it be that this Little Doctor discovered me?”

Upon closer thought, he dismissed the idea; how could this unremarkable Little Doctor possibly detect his presence?

An Jing, however, grew increasingly certain in his heart. Ever since returning from Faxi Temple, he had felt as if someone was following him.

“Why are they following me? Has my identity been revealed?”

An Jing pondered, concluding that any force capable of uncovering his identity would be extraordinary. He feared that acting rashly might alert them. However, he soon realized that the person tracking him was only observing from a distance, almost as if monitoring him.

“Impossible, I couldn’t have been discovered.”

An Jing murmured to himself, then walked into the alley as if nothing was amiss.

“Indeed, he didn’t notice.”

In the distance, the Human Sect expert saw this and couldn’t help but scoff at himself, “It seems I’m being overly paranoid.”

Mazi Alley was a notorious slum in Yu Prefecture. Both sides of the alley were lined with mud-brick houses, and the air carried a constant smell of dampness.

At the end of the alley stood two dilapidated shacks.

An Jing approached the door and knocked on the wooden frame.

“Thump, thump!”

A voice came from inside.

“Coming.”

With a creak, the wooden door opened, revealing a gaunt, hunchbacked middle-aged man.

His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were tattered.

This man was He Ping, the Cao Gang laborer who had visited the clinic that morning.

Cao Gang laborers were porters who moved goods at the docks. If they were lucky enough to be recruited into the Cao Gang or Three Lakes Gang, their wages would be 30% higher, and their work would be much more stable, though they had to pay some Gang fees.

If they didn’t receive the Gang’s protection, they would only earn eighty copper coins a day and were often subjected to the foreman’s abuse and beatings.

Upon seeing An Jing, a glimmer of light appeared in He Ping’s dull eyes: “Little Dr. An, you’re finally here. Third Sister just coughed up blood again.”

Coughing blood!?

An Jing, hearing this, quickly walked into the house.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

As soon as he entered, he heard a series of coughs, and a little girl with red eyes was clinging to the side of the bed.

On the bed lay a pale woman, holding a white cloth stained with fresh blood.

An Jing walked to the bedside, frowning, “Didn’t you say this morning that her body was just a bit cold?”

He Ping stammered, “It… it was cold, but I don’t know why she started coughing up blood.”

“How long has Third Sister been coughing?” An Jing continued to ask.

“Five days,” He Ping whispered.

“Five days?”

An Jing frowned, sighing inwardly. After so many years of treating illnesses, he had discovered that there truly was a disease in this world: poverty.

To save a few coppers, they dared not fall ill. Even if they did, they dared not seek medical attention, thinking these were minor issues, or simply lacking the money for a doctor.

They could only lie in bed and wait to die.

This not only wore down those who were dying but also caused pain to those who were still alive.

He didn’t harbor a desire to save the world, but he felt that if he saw it, he should at least save one person if he could, to allow himself to sleep peacefully at night.

He Ping saw An Jing frown and couldn’t help but lower his head in shame.

“Cough, cough, cough… It… it was me. I thought it wasn’t a big problem. Don’t blame me, He Ping… cough, cough, cough.”

Third Sister, lying on the bed, coughed.

An Jing took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly, then placed two fingers on Third Sister’s pulse.

The moment his fingers touched her pulse, a chilling sensation immediately transmitted.

“So cold, but her blood Qi is still warm.”

An Jing raised an eyebrow.

Third Sister’s entire body was cold, and she was still coughing. Fortunately, her blood Qi was warm, retaining a trace of Yang Qi.

This situation indicated that her body was filled with a large amount of cold Qi, a condition very similar to Young Miss Cao Ling'er of the Cao family.

Cao Ling'er had been invaded by Yin evil Qi. Third Sister’s condition was not as bad as Cao Ling'er’s; it seemed she was only infected by Yin evil Qi. However, her blood Qi was not as strong as Cao Ling'er’s, so her symptoms appeared even more severe than Cao Ling'er’s.

After a while, An Jing slowly withdrew his fingers.

“Little Dr. An, how is she?” He Ping quickly asked.

“Doctor, please save my mother,” the girl cried even more frantically.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”

An Jing stroked the girl’s head and smiled, “Later, you can go to Ji Shi Clinic to get some herbs. However, she is weak and needs about a month of rest.”

The Yin and Yang Qi were out of balance. Expelling the excess Yin Qi and then supplementing some Yang Qi would suffice. Third Sister’s symptoms were much milder than Cao Ling'er’s, so ordinary herbal medicine could achieve this effect.

“Thank you, Little Dr. An.”

Upon hearing this, a huge weight lifted from He Ping’s heart. He then patted the girl’s back, urging, “Xiao Ya, quickly thank Little Dr. An.”

Xiao Ya’s heart instantly filled with joy upon hearing An Jing’s words, and coupled with her father’s urging, she immediately knelt before An Jing: “Thank you, Dr. An, thank you, Dr. An.”

“Please get up, there’s no need for this.”

An Jing quickly helped Xiao Ya up, then asked, “Did Third Sister also go to Faxi Temple recently?”

He Ping was slightly taken aback, then thought carefully for a moment before shaking his head, “No, Third Sister has always worked as a maid at Mingyue Restaurant. She hasn’t really left Yu Prefecture during this time.”

An Jing nodded, growing increasingly puzzled.

At this moment, He Ping instructed, “Master Jiang will be here soon. You can open the door for him then.”

“Understood, Dad,” Xiao Ya nodded obediently.

“Little Dr. An, please wait for me a moment. I’ll go ask Uncle Jiang next door to look after her,” He Ping turned and said with a deferential smile.

“No problem, as long as it’s not too long,”

An Jing waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, He Ping quickly rushed out the door, as if afraid of delaying An Jing for even a moment.

“Dr. An, please have some water.”

Just then, Xiao Ya carefully brought a bowl of water, her large eyes filled with childlike innocence as she spoke.

“Good.”

An Jing took the bowl, then noticed the broken edge of the porcelain bowl and, seeing the innocent little girl before him, paused slightly.

He couldn’t help but recall the events of the third year of Xingping, when the little girl was about the same age. In a trance, ten years had already passed.

Time truly flies.

“So well-behaved. Don’t worry, your mother will be fine soon,” An Jing said with a smile after taking a sip of water.

“Little Dr. An, I’m back.”

He Ping’s loud voice came from outside the door, and beside him was an old man.

The old man had a face full of wrinkles, cloudy eyes, and a cheerful smile. His clothes were also very neat.

He Ping said from the side, “This is Master Jiang, who lives next door to me. He usually feeds horses at the stable, and today he’s off. This is Little Dr. An from Ji Shi Clinic, a famous doctor in Yu Prefecture.”

“Old man greets Little Dr. An,” Master Jiang smiled, cupping his fists at An Jing.

“Master Jiang, you are too kind.”

An Jing returned the gesture, feeling as if he had seen the old man somewhere before. Just then, a black light appeared from the Earth Book in his mind.

“Prompt: There is a black Opportunity near the host.”

An Jing’s expression changed slightly as he saw the prompt on the Earth Book.

“Little Dr. An, what’s wrong?” Master Jiang asked upon seeing this.

“Nothing, I just feel as if Master Jiang and I are old friends at first sight.”

An Jing composed himself and said.

Master Jiang laughed heartily, stroking his beard, “Little Dr. An truly is a busy man who forgets easily. Last year, Sima Prison suffered from an epidemic. Officer Han invited Little Dr. An then, and it was this old man who guided Little Dr. An.”

“So that’s how it is,” An Jing realized, then said to He Ping, “It’s getting late. I have other patients to see this afternoon.”

“Yes, yes, yes, then I’ll go get the medicine now,”

He Ping quickly said from the side, “Master Jiang, then I’ll trouble you to look after things here.”

Master Jiang pinched Xiao Ya’s cheek and said with satisfaction, “Don’t worry, with me looking after them, and Xiao Ya to keep me company, I couldn’t be happier.”

Thanks to Liushen Huadewang 12, 20170612042049640, and Shou SI Ba for the tips!!! Thanks to all the brothers for your votes!!!