Chapter 394: Chapter 391: Daring to Assert

Qin Liuxi was about to administer acupuncture, and Zhou Ning showed no embarrassment, freely removing her coat and lying down on the small couch set up in the private room. She curiously watched Wang Chuan, who was assisting by the side, and turned her gaze to Qin Liuxi.

“Master, your disciple must only be five or six years old, right? And she’s already learning medical skills from you? Can she understand?” Children from their families would still be clinging to their parents and knowing only play and fun at that age.

Qin Liuxi glanced at Wang Chuan with a smile and said, “Of course she cannot understand; she is only five years old and knows but a few characters.”

Wang Chuan bashfully lowered her head.

“But there is a saying, ‘one is influenced by what one frequently sees and hears.’ She doesn’t understand now, so she listens and watches by the side to accumulate experience, which will allow her to apply what she learns in the future.” Qin Liuxi seemed to be explaining to Zhou Ning but also seemed to be admonishing Wang Chuan: “If after many years, she remains completely ignorant, then she doesn’t have the aptitude and need not learn any further. Because medical skills require talent and practicing medicine demands precision; one must diagnose correctly to prescribe the right remedy. Even a small difference in the weight of the medicinal ingredients in a prescription matters and determines the efficacy of the remedy. Furthermore, there are mutual contraindications amongst herbs, and an increase or decrease of any single herb, or the dosage, could harm or even kill someone.”

She looked at Wang Chuan and said, “Hence, learning medicine requires even more patience and meticulousness, and no errors can be tolerated, for what she holds in her hands is a human life.”

Wang Chuan’s heart chilled, and she nodded seriously.

Qin Liuxi sterilized the silver needles one by one, and with a smile, she said to Zhou Ning, “She is a female disciple, and I very much hope she can inherit this mantle, so in the future, she can treat female patients like you who are too shy to see a male doctor.”

“Your virtue is noble,” Zhou Ning said with a look of respect.

Qin Liuxi prepared to select acupuncture points and said, “Then let’s begin.”

Zhou Ning was somewhat apprehensive, but before she could feel nervous, the silver needles had already swiftly entered her body. With shallow insertion and gentle lifting, Qin Liuxi manipulated the end of the needles, causing a sour swelling sensation at the acupoints.

The silver needles successively landed on the Shen Jue, Guan Yuan Qi Sea, and other acupoints, as if the vital energy was moving through her limbs and body like dragons and snakes.

Such skill in acupuncture could not be so practiced and formidable without years of dedicated training.

Zhou Ning looked at Qin Liuxi, her face earnest and focused. It was hard to imagine a young woman of her age possessing medical skills comparable to those old Imperial Physicians.

“How old are you?”

Qin Liuxi glanced at her and smiled, “I’ve just come of age this year.”

“You’re even younger than me,” Zhou Ning murmured, wondering how she had endured the tedium of learning medicine. Then she asked, “Do you always dress like this? If you didn’t make it clear, I really couldn’t tell you were a woman.”

“As a woman yourself, you know that for traveling or conducting affairs outside, it is much more convenient for men,” Qin Liuxi laughingly explained. “So, I won’t announce my true identity, but I also won’t hide it. Whether or not people can tell doesn’t matter to me, because being a man or a woman is all the same.”

Zhou Ning’s eyes sparkled: “Are all monks so carefree and at ease as you?”

“Not necessarily. There are always some monks who seem virtuous on the outside. And I’m the same; no matter how familiar we get, you can’t skimp on the consultation fee!”

Zhou Ning: “…”

She and Qin Liuxi looked at each other for a long moment, and Zhou Ning suddenly burst into laughter, her features brightening.

“That’s the way to laugh,” Qin Liuxi remarked. “A little lady like you shouldn’t wear such a gloomy face. You’ve got a long road ahead.”

Zhou Ning playfully retorted: “It seems you’re even younger than me, yet you put on such a world-weary guise.”

“Obviously, I am encouraging you to follow the Dao. When you go back, you could obtain a small God statue of the Grandmaster either from here or from Qingping Temple to bless you.”

“Is there any particular practice for offering to a God statue?”

Qin Shu, who was by the side, was a little anxious. This unmarried young lady was asking about how to offer to a God statue; if this got out, could it affect her prospects of marriage?

“You just need to worship devoutly, it would also help to read some Taoist Scriptures, which are conducive to cultivating the mind and nurturing one’s nature,” Qin Liuxi said. “The Daoist Room that your elder brother went into just now has runes inscribed by me personally; you can go there to seek Enlightenment and nurture the spirit.”

This sounds rather mystical.

Qin Liuxi performed the acupuncture, gently massaged her lower abdomen, and said, “That will do.”

Zhou Ning came back to her senses. Just like that, she was better? She got up from the couch, and exclaimed softly, feeling the warmth in her lower belly.

“Go back and take the herbal soup, and come back the day after tomorrow for another round of acupuncture,” he instructed.

Zhou Ning went silent for a moment and asked, “How long do I have to take the medicine?”

“At most ten days if slow, and perhaps not at all if quick,” Qin Liuxi replied. “There’s only one thing, you must not worry or overthink, maintain regular daily routines, there’s no need for too refined a diet, but it should also be regular.”

At most ten days if slow, and perhaps not at all if quick.

Zhou Ning found it somewhat unbelievable. Which doctor would dare to make such a claim?

Walking with slightly unsteady steps, she followed Qin Liuxi out of the private room. Seeing that Zhou Wei had not come out yet, Qin Liuxi asked Wang Chuan to invite him.

Zhou Wei had been all ears to the movement in the next private room, but after entering the Daoist Room – simple in decor with runes inscribed and a faint fragrance of calm water incense lit – and staring at the runes for a long time, he seemed to enter an ethereal and intangible realm. His breathing became extremely subtle, his body and mind relaxed as well. The problems that once baffled him seemed to suddenly become clear, providing him with a different perspective.

This mystical experience greatly astonished Zhou Wei until Little Ya, called Wang Chuan, came to fetch him, and he abruptly returned to reality.

Upon hearing that the consultation was over, a jolt went through Zhou Wei’s heart, as he was annoyed with himself. Engrossed in the private room, he had unwittingly forgotten about his sister’s consultation.

If anything unexpected had happened and he was none the wiser, wouldn’t he regret it immensely?

Zhou Wei warned himself inwardly, stepping out of the Daoist Room with a hint of annoyance, he hurriedly called out to Zhou Ning, “Little sister, how did it go? It was my fault, I actually lost myself in that Daoist Room.”

Zhou Ning was surprised and said, “The Grandmaster mentioned that Daoist Room is quite suitable for Cultivating and seeking Enlightenment. It seems to ring true; did elder brother really get lost in it?”

Zhou Wei nodded, but his expression was somewhat diminished, he frowned and said, “That Daoist Room has its mysteries, I don’t know…”

He had forgotten about the outside world while in it. If the other party had intended to do anything, he would have been vulnerable to their moves.

Losing alertness was a matter of life and death.

“Having heard elder brother say so, I am now curious to go and seek Enlightenment myself,” Zhou Ning said with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

Not until then did Zhou Wei notice something different about his sister. He took a step back and scrutinized Zhou Ning. Was it an illusion, or did he feel that the heavy gloominess around her had dissipated?

Zhou Ning in front of him, though still a bit pale, appeared better than before. Her eyes were bright, and her demeanor seemed more composed and graceful.

“Little sister, what did the Grandmaster say about your illness?” Zhou Wei tentatively asked.

Zhou Ning revealed a smile and replied, “Elder brother, the Grandmaster said that my illness, at most within ten days, perhaps even in half that time, will be healed.”

Zhou Wei’s eyes widened. Just boasting, right?

He looked at Qin Shu, who also nodded.

Zhou Wei was somewhat astonished. If it’s true what the person said, wouldn’t her medical skills be even more profound than those of the Imperial Physicians in the Palace?