Foreboding Storm - Chapter 161

Physician Xuan lifted his head at the familiar address. As he expected, it was the old fool.

“Old Reehem, what’re you doing here?” He nonchalantly asked.

“That’s what I’d like to ask you. Why are you back? Weren’t you planning to stay outside for the rest of your life?” The Old Physician crossed his arms and stared down at the other.

“What is it to you? I can leave and return whenever I so desire.”

“You…! Do you think you can cure her? I’m warning you. You should just give up before embarrassing yourself in front of a crowd. The girl is poisoned and the poison is very severe and deadly.”

“Don’t concern yourself about that. As it just happens, I’ve encountered many such cases while traveling.”

Old Reehem scoffed and stood to the side. He wanted to see what the old fraud could accomplish.

Khan Tyron gently laid his sister on the ground and stepped back.

Under the tense atmosphere, Physician Xuan completed his examination and sighed.

“You’re sister is seriously poisoned. Not only is the poison deadly, but if not treated within 3 hours after the poisoning incident, there’s a high likely chance of her becoming paralyzed.”

khan Tyron’s face paled.

His sister’s poisoning was so severe? If even Physician Xuan, a well-known physician in the Amayan Empire couldn’t cure her, then…

No! I’m sure there’ll be someon who can help her! Definitely! After all, Physician Xuan is a doctor, but not a poison expert.

Khan Tyron refused to accept his sister had no hope.

Not only him, but the spectating crowd’s expressions fell as well when they heard the famous physician’s words. If even the great physician of the empire considered the poison deadly and serious, would she have a chance to survive this ordeal?

“Physician Xuan, can you treat my sister?” If the physician couldn’t, Khan Tyron decided to take her into the city and seek out a poison expert.

“I can’t make a promise that I’ll save her. Her condition is very critical. But I’ll try to extract the poison out of her system through acupuncture.” Physician Xuan pulled out a set of acupuncture needles.

Princess Qamari’s eyes pricked up as she watched the physician block the female’s heart and lung acupoints with record speed. Although quick, she felt he could’ve been quicker. To block those points and prevent the poison from spreading depended on the efficiency with which he blocked the acupoints.

Physician Xuan, completely immersed in the act of treatment, had no idea his acupuncture skills were being disdained by an 18-year-old girl.

He took out more needles and inserted them on various parts of the girl’s body, his skill and precision stunning the spectating crowd.

“As expected, Physician Xuan isn’t ordinary.”

“No wonder he’s known as the great physician that can even resurrect the dead. Such skill, such speed, only an experienced physician can implement it.”

“There’s hope for this girl yet. As long as Physician Xuan is successful in extracting the poison from her body, the girl will have a chance at life.”

Hearing the crowd’s unrestrained praises, Ruen’s lips curved in a proud arc.

As expected. With her Master’s prestige and presence, she can easily achieve her wish.

Her eyes swiveled to the anxious young master and a gentle smile spread across her lips.

“Young Master, don’t worry. My master is a skilled physician. He will definitely succeed in extracting the poison from your sister’s body.” She gently reassured him.

“Um!” Khan Tyron was too tense to give a proper response. At this moment, he only hoped the physician would succeed in treating his sister.

“You don’t need to worry. Master is…”

“Stop!”

The unexpectedly loud shout stunned everyone. The crowd blinked, then turned in the direction the shout came from to see the veiled girl from the city gate rushing towards Physician Xuan.

“Wh…what is she up?”

“She’s stopping the great Physician Xuan from treating the girl? Why?”

“I heard she’s a practitioner of medicine as well. Did she discover something wrong in the physician’s treatment?” A young, well-dress man curiously inquired when he saw the girl’s actions.

“Chee! You’ve got to be kidding me. A little girl barely past marriageable age discovering something wrong in the experienced and knowledgeable physician’s treatment? Bah! I say she’s up to no good. Fighting with the city guards wasn’t enough. Is she trying to pick a fight with the physician now?”

The crowd’s confused whispers soon turned to loud disdain and scorn as they looked at Princess Qamari like she was carrying the plague.

“Little girl, why are you holding my hand? Do you know your actions could cost a person’s life?”

“It’s because it’s a question of a person’s life that I’m holding your hand. Otherwise, I’m not interested in interfering in others’ business.” Princess Qamari slowly pulled back the man’s hand, sighing in relief only after ascertaining the girl was alright.

Physician Xuan blinked.

A question of a person’s life?

What did this girl mean by that? That he was endangering a person’s life?

“Little girl, are you implying that I’m endangering a person’s life? Don’t forget. I’m giving all my best into extracting the poison from this girl’s body so that I can save her life. After this last needle, she’ll regain color in her face as the poison leaves her body.”

“After this last needle, she’ll definitely regain color. However, instead of saving her life, you’ll be extinguishing the last chance she has at life.”

“Wh…What the he** are you spouting! I’m trying to save her life and you’re accusing me of killing her? Who the he** are you and what do you know about acupuncture? Little girl, you’d better step back. If something happens to this young Miss because of you, then you won’t be able to repent for your actions.”

Physician Xuan had completely lost his composer by now. A little girl no older than his apprentice dared to hold his hand and spout such nonsense?

“Qamari girl, what’s the matter? Why did you hold the physician’s hand? Is there a problem with the girl?” Old Reehem rushed to the Princess Qamari’s side and peered down at the unconscious girl.

Her condition looked stable to him. But since it was his genius that’d dared to hold the old fraud Xuan’s hand, he was absolutely certain that she must’ve spotted something wrong.

“What’s going on here? Why are you stopping the physician from curing my sister?” Khan Tyron was as puzzled as the rest of the crowd.

But different from the others, he was strung tight with nervous fear. His sister’s treatment was stopped before it could be completed. He was worried the delay would cause her condition to turn for the worst.

Therefore, he felt anger and fear broil inside him as he glared at the audacious girl getting in the way of her treatment.

“You know her, Old Reehem? Chee! No wonder she held my hand. As expected, every one of your associates is nothing but trouble and a nuisance. On second thought, you haven’t instigated her to mess with my treatment, did you?” Physician Xuan’s expression turned suspicious. The two knew each other and he suspected they conspired to discredit him.

“Peh! Why would I endanger an innocent’s life just to have a spout with you?” The Old Pharmacist felt resentment and hatred well up in his eyes. Which eye of the fraud saw him instigate the girl? He clearly stood to the side during the other’s entire treatment process.

“Heh…who knows? Every one of your actions never had a reason other than benefiting yourself. Tell the truth. Did you send this girl?”

“What!? Hold on! My sister isn’t out of danger yet. Are you people using her as a bargaining chip to fight out your private games? I’m warning you, if anything happens to my sister because of you three, then don’t blame me if I hold you accountable!”

How ridiculous! His sister was still fighting for her life. And yet, these people actually dared to fight over her?

His eyes turned red with rage and he resentfully glared at the veiled girl.

Just wait. If anything happens to my sister, I’ll make your life he**!

The physician and pharmacist instantly froze. This was a naked threat.

Now if anything happened to the girl, whether it was their doing or because of the poison, they’d never be able to extract themselves from her death.

Their hearts tremble and they went silent.

Princess Qamari lifted her head and met the angry glare of the young man. She understood his situation and present state of mind. His sister was on the brink of death and needed medical treatment. But people argued over her motionless body.

For their outrageous behavior, he must feel like slapping them across the face. So she didn’t take offense at his resentful glower.

Then she turned to Physician Xuan with an icy glare.

The grey-haired man instantly shivered when he caught the frosty eyes of the girl.

Da**! Wasn’t she just a little girl? How did manage to release such a fierce aura?

The spectating crowd and nearby city guards sensed the shift in the girl’s aura as well. Their faces widened in shock and disbelief.

How was this the aura of a young lady?

It was more fit to call her a young majesty.

The left guard felt a cold sweat slide down his back.

“Th…this…she didn’t release such a piercing aura before. Was she restraining herself?” It was only now the left guard realized how close he’d come to seeking his own death.

His gaze shifted to physician Xuan who’d turned pale as a corpse under the full force of her overwhelming presence and smiled with glee.

Princess Qamari felt angry but held herself back from slapping the old physician across the face. “You call yourself a great and experienced physician. Then how could you not know that while the Nei Guan point opens the chest, the poison the girl is afflicted with can cause her to suffocate if you seal it?”

“The Nei Gu…you…do you know acupuncture?” Physician Xuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

How the he** does this girl know about acupuncture? No one in the empire even uses it anymore!

“Qamari girl, is what you said true? Will sealing that point cause the girl to suffocate?” Old Reehem’s heart trembled in shock.

Did his genius girl also know about acupuncture? Doesn’t this mean he’d basically hit the jackpot by hiring her a year ago?

The rest of the crowd’s expressions held the same disbelief as they looked at the little girl.

“I don’t believe it! My Master is a widely known great physician. How can he make a mistake in treating a patient? This unknown girl comes up and says such nonsense? She is discrediting him with a hidden agenda.” Ruen’s eyes turned red and tears pooled in their blue depths.

She had full confidence in her Master’s ability. The girl was definitely slandering him!

Princess Qamari glanced at the immature girl and sneered.

“Oh? I’m discrediting your Master with a hidden agenda? Then why don’t you ask your Master if what I said is right or wrong?”

At these, Old Reehem, Khan Tyron, and the rest of the crowd’s attention went back to Physician Xuan to find shocked speechless.

While his apprentice was defending his credibility, he’d been going over his calculations. When he found out the big mistake he’d almost made, his heart froze in fear.

“Why isn’t Physician Xuan saying anything?”

“Could it be the girl was right? Did he almost kill the young lady?”

“How can this be? I thought Physician Xuan was the great physician of the Amayan Empire. How can he make such a life-threatening mistake? If the girl wasn’t around, and if she hadn’t stepped up when she did, then wouldn’t the young lady have died under his hands?”

“The most frightening part about this isn’t the fact that he’d almost made a mistake that could’ve cost a person their life. It’s the fact that even after he makes such a mistake, none of us would’ve known about it.”

The spectators drew in a breath of cold air, their astonishment and fear clearly reflected in their eyes.

Khan Tyron felt his surroundings spin and he slumped next to his sister’s body.

His sister had almost died!

Physician Xuan’s heart sunk.

He’d made a mistake in treatment. But that wasn’t so bad when compared with him blatantly admitting his mistake through his actions.

In a moment of shock, he’d admitted his mistake by freezing like a statue before the entire crowd of Amayan civilians.

After today, it was a given that his fame would be smeared.

His eyes turned red and he glared at the culprit responsible for his current predicament.

“Heh…you say that I’m making a mistake by blocking the Nei Guan acupoint. But if I don’t do that, then it’s a given that the girl will still die. The poison has already spread to most of her organs and important body parts. Her heart is the only place with any possibility of saving until the cure for the poison is produced. Whether I block the acupoint or not, no one can save this girl. But since you consider yourself a great physician, why don’t you treat her yourself?”

Since she tarnished his hard-earned reputation, he couldn’t be blamed for picking on a little girl.

He wanted to see her leave in a more pathetic state than him!