Chapter 17: Poisoned
“Miracle doctor, what’s so secretive about this matter?”
“Chairman Hu, I only know a little medicine. Please don’t keep calling me ‘miracle doctor’—I truly don’t deserve such a title.”
“What’s the harm? You saved my daughter’s life. In my eyes, Hu Sihai, you are a miracle doctor.”
Hu Sihai’s words were tinged with emotion, and his sincerity shone through.
“Chairman Hu, the reason I asked you up here is precisely because of this.”
“What’s wrong? Didn't she recover? Or is it that you find today's banquet unsatisfactory?”
“Not at all. For someone like me, to attend such a lavish banquet is already a stroke of great fortune. Truthfully, the banquet is secondary—I mainly wanted to see you, Chairman Hu. In fact, it seems there’s still a hidden toxin in Hu Nan’s body.”
“Toxin? Are you saying Hu Nan has been poisoned?”
“Yes.”
Hu Sihai’s face darkened, and his body trembled ever so slightly.
He never imagined that his precious daughter would be poisoned.
If an outsider had uttered such words in front of him, Hu Sihai would likely have thrown the person into the river to feed the fish. Yet these words came from Zhang Shen, which made his skin crawl.
Hu Nan had grown up by his side, and Hu Sihai cherished her dearly—it was inconceivable that she could be poisoned.
Zhang Shen could see the doubt in Hu Sihai’s expression.
“Chairman Hu, you may have Hu Nan come up so I can examine her again.”
At his words, Hu Sihai told Shen Feng to bring the young lady upstairs.
Hu Nan, still innocent and inexperienced, was delighted at the banquet, blissfully unaware of any lurking poison in her body.
When Zhang Shen saw Hu Nan arrive, he asked her to lie flat on the sofa.
Hu Nan did not understand why the elder brother who had saved her before suddenly wanted her to lie down, but one word from her father, Hu Sihai, made her comply.
“Listen to the miracle doctor, daughter!”
Hu Nan lay straight on the sofa.
“Extend your hand.”
Zhang Shen placed his index and middle fingers on Hu Nan’s wrist. Within seconds, his brow furrowed tightly.
Seeing Zhang Shen’s expression, Hu Sihai grew anxious and edged closer to ask.
“What’s wrong, miracle doctor? Why do you look so grave?”
“It’s just as I suspected—Hu Nan has indeed been poisoned.”
“That can't be! Perhaps you should check again?”
“Has Hu Nan ever shown symptoms of weakness or absent-mindedness?”
Zhang Shen probed gently.
“You’re right—exactly as you described. We went to the hospital; the doctor said it was just poor sleep, advised more rest, so we didn’t pay much attention.”
“I see. This toxin has a long incubation period. At first, those are the typical symptoms, which makes it difficult to notice. It was only that sudden incident at the restaurant that caught my attention, though I didn’t have time to say much then.”
“In that case, I trust you have a solution, miracle doctor.”
“That’s not too difficult. The toxin in Hu Nan’s body is called Ghost Flower. This flower is actually a rare medicinal herb, but since Hu Nan is still a maiden, the clash of its effects caused the toxin to spread.”
Zhang Shen paused and continued, “Let me test with a silver needle first.”
He took out a silver needle and gently pricked Hu Nan’s tender arm. Seeing the blood that flowed was bright red, he said to Hu Sihai, “The toxin has not yet invaded the vital organs. I’ll treat it now with the needle.”
Then Zhang Shen took eight silver needles from his bag, arranging them by size and length.
Though Hu Sihai knew acupuncture was an ancient method of healing, the thought of these needles being used on his own daughter made his heart ache.
“Nannan, don’t be afraid!”
Zhang Shen understood Hu Sihai’s concern as a father.
“Chairman Hu, please don’t worry.”
He then inserted the eight needles into Hu Nan’s forehead, arms, and the soles of her feet, each with varying actions, speed, and depth. The needles shimmered and swayed in Hu Nan’s body.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Shen removed the needles and said, “It’s done!”
“So quickly?”
Hu Sihai couldn’t believe it. Just moments ago, his daughter was poisoned, and with eight needles in a matter of minutes, she was cured?
“Rest assured, Chairman Hu. If your daughter feels unwell again, come straight to Shunyi Lane’s Storm Internet Café to find me.”
With that, Zhang Shen packed away his needles.
Seeing this, Hu Sihai felt it best not to say more.
He asked his wife to look after Hu Nan, and personally escorted Zhang Shen downstairs.
“Today I truly owe you, miracle doctor. One day, I’ll visit you to express my gratitude.”
Zhang Shen replied, “You’re too kind!”
Yet inwardly, he thought differently. His home was only big enough for one—what would happen if the whole Hu family came visiting?
“By the way, may I ask where you work, miracle doctor? I could donate some medical equipment to your hospital.”
Truthfully, Zhang Shen didn’t mind the question, but he didn’t even have a medical license—how could he apply to a hospital?
“Well…”
Seeing Zhang Shen falter, Hu Sihai realized things might not be so simple.
Just as he was about to press further, Jiang Muyun came running.
“Hey! All the medicinal herbs you asked me to prepare for Zheng Ke have arrived—they’re at the sanatorium now.”
No one was more excited by this news than Zheng Tiande, since it meant his daughter could be saved.
Zheng Tiande hurriedly dragged Zhang Shen outside, not even stopping to bid Hu Sihai farewell.
But it was understandable.
Zheng Tiande told the driver to head straight for the Shunyi Lane sanatorium. The driver drove as if the road was empty, and within minutes, they arrived.
Jiang Muyun leapt out of the car and raced into the sanatorium.
Inside, a nurse held a large box.
Jiang Muyun saw the sender’s name: Xing—she knew instantly it was her elder brother who had prepared the herbs. As she was about to leave, the nurse stopped her.
“Wait, you have a letter as well. It was delivered by a woman. She said you should read it alone.”
“What a strange person.”
Jiang Muyun had no time to ponder this. The most important thing was to treat Zheng Ke immediately. As for the letter, that could wait until later.