"Zheng… what is going on there?" Li's jaw dropped to the ground when they saw group of crowds gathered at Zheng's Healing Hall. Why did they all gather here? Are they here to cause a problem?
"Excuse me, why are you gathered here?" Zheng said with nonchalant expression.
"We are here to see you." An old man among the crowd stepped forward and greeted them.
"See him? Are they a patient?" Yang Yue wondered if every single one of them were a patient. What on earth is happening today?
"Well, come on in." Zheng invited them into Zheng's healing hall after he opened the gate.
"I haven't seen a place such as comfortable as this."
"There are words around that he had taken all kind of patient and successfully treated them all."
"Hey, are you sure that we can trust him? I mean he is too young to be a physician." The crowd spoke to each other as Zheng, Yang Yue and Li began to prepare the room.
"Eh?... um… when did he become so popular that customer began to wait for him. Have you notice that whenever people are around, we don't feel that mysterious aura from him?" Li whispered to Yang Yue.
"Mister, can you come here?" Zheng called the same old man from earlier to step forward. "Tell me how can I help you."
"Uhm… I have been feeling dizzy lately." Said the old man as he sat on the chair across a table.
"did you have any life-threatening injuries before?" asked Zeng as he pressed and examined the old man's pulse.
The old man nodded.
"When I was young, I used to be in in city guard." Said the old man. "One day, there was a master who practiced forbidden technique. He lost his sanity and caused havoc in the city."
"Along with a captain, 20 city guard were deployed to stop him. In that fight I was the only survival with severe wound that I had to sleep for a whole month."
"It was due to that injury that you are now feeling dizziness."
"What! How can an injury from years ago cause me this dizziness now?"
"That injury has slowly but definitely caused blockage in your meridian. And now, your meridians are clogged preventing Qi from reaching your head which leaded to dizziness."
"So, how can I be cured?"
"I'll prescribe you meridian cleansing pill. But before that I need to perform some acupuncture on you."
Zheng stood up from his chair and walked into the private room. After ten minutes, he returned to the old man.
"Everything is ready, can you follow me in this room."
Inside the room, the old man could smell the fresh scent of a burning incense, a clean mat laid on the ground. As instructed, the old man laid on the mat, his spinal back naked and facing the ceiling.
Zheng took out a bunch of silver needles and cleansed with his own qi, then he precisely inserted the needles in major meridian nodes, guided by his own spiritual energy. Later, Zheng channeled his qi through the needles dispersing the blockage and later he carefully removed the needle and checked for his instability.
"It's all done." Said Zheng. "how are you feeling?"
"My body is feeling light and I no longer feel that weird sensation."
"First part is done, now you have to take some pills for a week to cleanse your meridian." Said Zheng as they stepped out from the private room.
"So? Who's next?"
None of the crowd there stepped forward, yet Zheng didn't say anything but he calmly went and sat on his table.
A little later, a young girl walked to him and the first thing she noticed about the girl was her heavy breathing.
"What happened to you, little sweetheart." Zheng bend over to the girl with cheerful expression. "where are your parents?"
"My name is Xuan, Mist…" before the girl could complete her sentence, she fainted right in front of him. Before the girl hit the floor, Zheng managed to hold her and laid her on the floor.
The crowd rushed over to check on the girl. Zheng noticed the girl had pale complexion and cold sweat all over her face, immediately he knew what was happened to the girl.
Amidst the chaotic crowds, suddenly Zheng slightly lifted the girl's robe and revealed a bite mark on her ankle. "What's that mark?" the crowd erupted in shock.
"That's a snake bite…" Zheng muttered, eyes narrowed. He swept his spiritual energy over her ankle, feeling the poison in her qi. "a venomous one."
"Quick! Get me the purification herbs." Yang Yue and Li rushed to get herbs, jade needle and heating lamp.
Zheng knelt beside the girl, placed his hand over her ankle and examined again. Without wasting a sec, Zheng quickly prepared an antidote, gently lifted the head and fed her the antidote.
Zheng gathered his Qi around his palm and pressed it against her ankle. As the antidote started taking affect and his qi guiding the venom away from the meridian, the girl screamed and twitched her body as she felt immense pain.
"Hold her!" Zheng commended Li and Yang Yue. Sensing the urgency, Zheng pressed a needle into the acupoint below the ankle, safely purging the venom. Slowly, the chaotic qi began to settle and then finally Zheng withdraw the needle.
As the girl lost his conscious, Zheng let out a sigh of relief. "She's stable now… Do any of you know her?"
The crowd stared at each other as no one recognized the girl.
"It's miracle that she managed to come here on her own." Said Zheng.
"Was the venom very strong?" asked Yang Yue.
"It was spirit-grade snake venom," replied Zheng. "Even the adult has low chance of surviving the venom."
Suddenly, the girl's breathing became even and her complexion returned to normal. She slowly opened her eyes, meeting Zheng's gaze, "Th… thank you…" she said, her voice shallow and barely audible.
Zheng helped the girl to sit up and handed her a cup of water.
"What's your name? sweetheart." Zheng asked, his voice soft and warm.
"Xuan, my name is Xuan." Replied the girl. "I was looking for my parent when the snake bit me."
"And who are your parent?" asked Yang Yue.
"We travel from place to place, selling our product." Said the girl.
"Li, can you help find her parents?" Yang Yue requested him to accompany Xuan.
When the crowd saw Xuan walk away, they started to believe in Zheng and applauded him with appreciation.