“Although she altered her face, you didn’t look carefully at her hands. They’re fair, soft, long, and slender, clearly a girl’s hands. Look at her eyes too. If you pay attention, there are plenty of clues.”
Song Bingqing explained her observations one by one. Originally, she had not been certain either. But seeing Jiang Chan take her pulse without any hesitation had confirmed it.
Jiang Chan generally observed propriety. Yet such a proper person had taken her pulse directly without the slightest concern. Any other doctor would have covered her wrist with a handkerchief first, but this one had not cared at all.
That had strengthened Song Bingqing’s certainty. The small details she noticed afterward made her even more convinced.
Jiang Chan had never posed as a man before, and she had made no particular effort to conceal herself. It was only natural that her disguise was exposed. Song Bingqing was simply too clever. After one meeting, she had almost seen right through her.
The Song siblings returned home. Song Bingqing had said she would persuade Song Qin to let Jiang Chan treat her, and she meant it. The next day, the whole Song household crowded into the clinic.
Song Bingqing’s mother had died young. Song Qin had raised her as both father and mother. He had devoted more care and effort to her than anyone. She was as precious to him as his own eyes.
Now his cherished daughter was receiving treatment. How could he not be there to watch? Her physical foundations were so poor that, however many methods Jiang Chan possessed, she could only begin by strengthening her body so it could withstand the medicines later.
During this period of strengthening her health, the Song father and son had their own work to do. Many of Jiang Chan’s prescriptions replenished vital essence and tempered the body. They required large quantities of precious herbs.
Fortunately, the Song family had substantial wealth and connections. For an ordinary household, Jiang Chan would already have devised another approach.
Their home was not far from the clinic, only about the time it took to drink a cup of tea by carriage. To care for Song Bingqing properly, Jiang Chan took her two young disciples to visit every morning, then spent the rest of the day on her usual affairs.
After two months of painstaking effort, the Song father and son finally gathered all the herbs she needed. By then, Song Bingqing’s complexion had improved considerably under her care. She no longer became breathless after only a few steps.
“We’ve replenished some of her qi, and her internal organs are gradually regaining vitality. I’m more confident about the next treatment now. Tomorrow, we’ll change the prescription and begin the next stage.”
Jiang Chan withdrew her hand and gave a definite answer to Song Qin’s and Song Qiyu’s expectant gazes. Both beamed. Song Qiyu, entirely unlike his unhappy manner at their first meeting, poured out compliments.
Watching her father and brother act foolishly, Song Bingqing smiled faintly. She was happy too. After so many years of disappointment, when she had nearly lost hope, Heaven had suddenly told her she could still recover. How could she not be happy?
Inside the room, Jiang Chan and a young maid serving Song Bingqing prepared for a medicinal bath. Song Qiyu personally carried in bucket after bucket of hot water, filling the room with steam.
Standing beside the tub, Jiang Chan added herbs in a particular order. The water soon turned a sickly green that looked rather unnerving.
After delivering the hot water, Song Qiyu stood to one side. Jiang Chan tested the medicinal liquid with her fingers, then jerked her chin toward him. “Out!”
Watching him leave as though someone were chasing him, Jiang Chan relaxed her expression slightly. “Undress and get in. If it hurts later, endure it. Whatever you do, don’t faint. If you lose consciousness, the medicine’s effect will be greatly reduced. You need to soak for an hour.”
Song Bingqing nodded. “I understand.”
With the maid’s help, she lowered herself into the medicinal bath. Jiang Chan brought a chair over and sat beside the tub. Whenever the water began cooling, she used internal energy to reheat it.
Within minutes, fine beads of sweat covered Song Bingqing’s forehead. At first, she had felt nothing. But after soaking a few minutes, as her hands and feet warmed, it felt as though tiny ants were burrowing into her body.
Initially, she could bear it. Later, the discomfort grew worse and worse. Alongside the itching came all kinds of pain in her meridians, and she could not suppress a muffled groan.
It hurt terribly. Watching her face twist, Jiang Chan said calmly, “Every medicine has some toxicity. You’ve taken decoctions continuously for years, and many toxins have accumulated in your body. First, we need to clear them from your internal organs. This process is painful.”
“Your meridians are badly blocked too. They’re naturally thin and weak. This medicine will widen them, so once you recover, you’ll be healthier than an ordinary person.”
Song Bingqing forced a smile. “I understand. The more it hurts now, the better things will be later. I can endure this much pain.”
Jiang Chan sympathized. She had a fair idea how much it hurt. Although this medicinal bath looked ordinary, it was already comparable to the cultivation world’s Marrow-Cleansing Pills. How painful was marrow cleansing?
It was remarkable that such a frail woman could endure it. Her body had truly held her back. Otherwise, how could a girl like this have remained unknown, confined to her inner chambers?
“You’re truly impressive!”
As the bathwater gradually turned black, Song Bingqing leaned against the tub, her face covered in sweat. Jiang Chan lifted her onto a nearby couch.
The medicinal bath was only the beginning. What followed was more important. It had merely cleared the toxins from Song Bingqing’s body. The acupuncture that came next would activate the trace of innate qi within her. This step was crucial.
Jiang Chan drew out the silver needles. In an instant, Song Bingqing looked like a hedgehog.
Her personal maid, Xiaohuan, covered her mouth. Doctor Xianyue’s hands were so fast. In a mere blink, her young mistress had been covered in needles?
Sweat covered Jiang Chan’s forehead. Granny had taught her this technique, the Thirteen Life-Seizing Needles. This was her first time using it, and it consumed tremendous concentration. Its name meant snatching a life back from the King of Hell. Without exceptional medical skill, it could not be performed.
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