From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor-Chapter 348 - 323: Double Act

Zheng Peian performed an examination on Su Tianyu. Although Xu Chunliang had briefed him before coming here, Zheng Peian still wanted to use his own experience to judge Su Tianyu’s physical condition first.

Xu Chunliang saw that Old Zheng was earnestly conducting the inspection and realized that he lacked confidence in his own medical skills.

Xu Chunliang found it somewhat amusing. Even the top experts from the Provincial People’s Hospital and Gulou had examined him and concluded that Su Tianyu’s condition could not be improved. How could Zheng Peian have the ability to cure Su Tianyu? Yet, this also showed Old Zheng’s meticulous and rigorous approach to professionalism.

There’s another advantage to Zheng Peian doing this — putting on a full show makes it more credible.

Su Tianyu’s eyes were half-open and half-closed, looking as if he was about to fall asleep.

If not for his daughter’s insistence, he wouldn’t bother with the treatment. He had long lost hope and even the will to live. A father unable to protect his daughter but instead relying on her care just to survive is a profound sadness. Su Tianyu now desires nothing but death.

After the examination, Zheng Peian sighed quietly, realizing that with his current medical skills, he was powerless against Su Tianyu’s ailment.

Xu Chunliang playfully asked, "Uncle Zheng, what do you think of Uncle Su’s condition?"

Zheng Peian mustered all his courage and said, "In my opinion, Mr. Su isn’t sick; he’s injured!"

"No way, my dad hasn’t had any injuries," Su Qing said, astonished. Did this Director Zheng even look at the medical records?

Su Tianyu opened his eyes and stared at Zheng Peian.

Zheng Peian felt embarrassed inside. Chunliang, oh Chunliang, you’ve really put me in a tough spot. Treating a patient is no child’s play; lives are at stake. I can’t just make things up.

Xu Chunliang said, "Injured? How could that be? Did someone beat Uncle Su to this state?"

Before coming here, Xu Chunliang had coordinated with Zheng Peian on this narrative, but he now regretted it immensely. This kid causes trouble, and I shouldn’t have come along with him. If my teacher finds out, the consequences would be dire. Yet now, backing out was impossible, leaving Zheng Peian caught between a rock and a hard place: "I can’t rule out this possibility."

Su Qing said, "That’s impossible."

Xu Chunliang said, "Were you attending school when Uncle Su fell ill? Did you see the entire onset of his illness with your own eyes?"

Su Qing was stumped by this question. She returned only after her father’s illness began and couldn’t have seen its onset.

Xu Chunliang said, "Uncle Zheng, why do you say Uncle Su is injured?"

Zheng Peian thought to himself, it’s not me saying this; it’s you. You even mentioned Su Tianyu was poisoned. At this point, Zheng Peian had no choice but to stick to the narrative set earlier: "He’s not only injured but also poisoned. The current condition is due to unhealed old injuries and residual toxins. The initial diagnosis was wrong, leading to incorrect treatment directions. Treating based on a wrong diagnosis will naturally result in worsening conditions."

Xu Chunliang said, "Uncle Zheng, are you implying that Uncle Su was harmed due to incompetent doctors?"

Zheng Peian sighed inwardly, not my implication; it’s all Chunliang’s. Such statements might defame fellow practitioners. Shi Youliang is certainly not an incompetent doctor; he’s a renowned expert from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

Su Qing felt Zheng Peian was unreliable. Since her father fell ill, she’s sought numerous renowned doctors, including two experts from the provincial capital. None claimed her father was injured or poisoned. Could all these experts have misdiagnosed him? That seems implausible.

Su Qing said, "Director Zheng, my dad really wasn’t injured."

Xu Chunliang said, "Whether he was injured or not isn’t for you to say; he should be the one to tell us."

Xu Chunliang asked Su Tianyu, "Uncle Su, can you still write?"

Su Tianyu blinked his eyes.

Su Qing revealed that her father couldn’t even hold a pen, let alone write.

Xu Chunliang had a solution; he instructed Su Tianyu to blink once for ’yes’ and twice for ’no.’

Zheng Peian said, "Mr. Su, from now on, I’ll ask and you’ll answer; you only need to answer yes or no. Do you understand?"

Su Tianyu blinked, indicating he understood.

Before Zheng Peian could ask, Xu Chunliang said, "Uncle Su, were you ever beaten or injured?"

Su Tianyu pondered for a while before blinking once.

Both Zheng Peian and Su Qing froze in shock. Zheng Peian wondered, how did this kid figure it out?

Su Qing was shocked that Zheng Peian had hit the nail on the head. How could she be so careless? Her father’s illness wasn’t coincidental; he had been injured and then fell ill. Who could be so cruel?

Xu Chunliang exchanged a glance with Zheng Peian, and Zheng Peian remembered his task for coming this time. He asked, "Were you bitten by an insect before you got injured?"

Su Tianyu blinked again.

Su Qing was astonished. She knew nothing about these circumstances; her father never mentioned them.

Zheng Peian said, "A centipede?"

After receiving Su Tianyu’s confirmed response once more, Zheng Peian was immensely impressed with Xu Chunliang, like the overflowing waters of the Yellow River.

Su Qing had never heard her father mention being bitten by a poisonous insect. When taking him to various doctors, no one ever said his illness was due to injury and poisoning.

Zheng Peian wrote a prescription on-site, not for internal use but for a medicinal bath. According to the prescription, grab the herbs, wrap them in gauze, soak them in the bathtub in proportion, and Su Tianyu should take a sitz bath twice daily, morning and evening, before moving on to internal treatment after a week.

Su Qing respectfully accepted the prescription, not knowing the real person who wrote it was Xu Chunliang. Xu Chunliang had determined that Su Tianyu was poisoned and had internal injuries the first time he saw him.

In today’s era, medicine is divided into departments like internal and external, women’s and children’s, but there is no specialized department for poisoning and internal injuries. This is related to the current background of the time, where diverse and strange internal and poisonous injuries frequently emerged among the numerous martial sects of the past with their overt and covert conflicts.

Due to the large patient base, highly skilled specialists emerged, but with the evolution of history, traditional martial arts combat has become less important, and masters have nearly vanished from the world.

Take internal injuries, for example; mysterious arts like the Seven-Injuries Fist and Heart Shattering Palm have long been extinct.

In terms of poisonous injuries, traditional methods of poisoning have mostly been lost. Nowadays, the so-called biochemical weapons are popular; they sound sophisticated but are prone to getting out of control and are not environmentally friendly.

In a situation like Su Tianyu’s, many doctors have never even seen it, let alone know how to treat it.

While Zheng Peian was writing the prescription, Xu Chunliang received a call from Zhang Haitao, who informed him that the town government’s Comprehensive Law Enforcement Office came by today with a notice to standardize the renovation of facades and rectify illegal street occupations.

The former director of the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Office, Huang Yong, has been transferred, and the new director, Li Fangliang, is reportedly a demobilized soldier from the county.

Xu Chunliang originally thought that standardized renovations weren’t a bad thing, considering Weishan Island’s construction as a national-level resort; the entire island is being rectified, and it’s not necessarily targeting them. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

However, Zhang Haibin told him that the matter wasn’t that simple. Although the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Office did not demand the removal of their unlicensed storefront, there was indeed a discrepancy between some of the hospital’s courtyard walls and the actual design area, requiring rectification by deadline.

Xu Chunliang had no choice but to rush back.

On the way, he contacted Huang Yong, who had taken up his new position in Mao Village, to gather some information about Li Fangliang. Huang Yong told him that Secretary Kong had basically stopped dealing with specific matters, and now both major and minor affairs in the town are handled by Qin Zhengyang. Huang Yong found it peculiar, given Xu Chunliang and Mei Ru Xue’s relationship; he should have a better grasp of the situation than himself.

Xu Chunliang hung up and pondered whether to contact Mei Ru Xue. After hesitating for a long time, he finally sent her a message, which went unanswered, as if it had sunk into the ocean. When he boarded the ferry, he sent another message, informing Mei Ru Xue that he would visit her at the beginning of next month.

The beginning of next month would already be next year!

Xu Chunliang started to realize that Mei Ru Xue might never return to Hu Shan Town. Although her photo still hung on the bulletin board of Hu Shan Town Government, drastic changes had undoubtedly occurred over the past month.

Xu Chunliang realized he didn’t know much about Mei Ru Xue, her family, or her entire being.

Mo Han had warned him the first time she saw Mei Ru Xue, hinting that as a descendant of the red aristocracy, her family wouldn’t permit their relationship. If they insisted on being together and the Qiao family deemed them unsuitable, he would be in danger.

Though Xu Chunliang didn’t fully understand the danger Mo Han referred to, from Mei Ru Xue’s sudden departure to the near loss of contact now, he sensed the powerful influence of the Qiao family.

Upon returning to the branch, Xu Chunliang first surveyed the surrounding storefronts and saw that many non-compliant auxiliary structures were being dismantled. This large-scale rectification was not solely targeting their hospital; numerous storefronts in town were changing to uniform facades, funded by the town government.

According to the approved hospital plans, many sections of the courtyard walls exceeded legal limits. The notice from the town was to strictly comply, return all illegally occupied areas, and convert the courtyard walls to conform to regulations by switching to greenery or fencing from solid walls.

Before Xu Chunliang’s return, Zhang Haitao had already investigated; this comprehensive wall renovation involved the entire town and wasn’t an act of deliberate troublemaking.

The non-compliant walls were clearly labeled for removal within three days. If they couldn’t complete it within the deadline, the town would implement forced demolition, with all consequences borne by them.

Upon learning of the situation, Zhang Haitao reported immediately to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang, having superiors, reported the situation to Deputy Director Yuan Peiqiang rather than Zhao Feiyang. Xu Chunliang had his reasons; if this matter wasn’t handled well, responsibility would follow, yet in the face of a favorable situation, he’d rush ahead. When encountering trouble, of course, he’d first push it onto the leader he found disagreeable.