Lin Chen sat down at his grandmother's bedside and said softly, "Grandma, let me take a good look at you."
The room had a faint smell of medicine and the unique scent of elderly people—that smell left from lying in bed year-round with little ventilation, mixed with the aroma of herbal medicine, impossible to tell whether it was bitter or astringent. The window was cracked open, morning breeze gently blowing in, lifting and dropping the curtain. Lin Chen moved the low stool closer, reached out to feel his grandmother's pulse. Her wrist was very thin, skin loose, veins faintly visible, feeling rather cool. He tried to be gentle, afraid of hurting her. Her pulse beat very slowly—he counted about fifty-some beats per minute, and it fluctuated in strength, occasionally seeming to skip a beat. He noted this in his mind, then looked up at her complexion—in the field of vision of the Qi Observation Technique, that grayish, decaying aura was clearer than yesterday. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Panic was useless; he had to proceed step by step.
His grandmother half-opened her eyes and responded vaguely. She didn't ask much, as if whatever he said, she believed. Over the years, she had raised Lin Chen all by herself, supported his education, sent him out of the town, yet never asked for anything in return. When she was sick, she endured as much as she could, not wanting to add to his burden. Lin Chen's heart ached, but he didn't dare show it on his face, afraid his grandmother would overthink. He placed his fingers on her pulse—under his fingertips was a faint and sluggish beat, occasionally with a barely perceptible pause. He silently counted in his mind, while following the Qi Observation Technique method, focusing his attention on his grandmother's complexion, breathing, and overall qi mechanism.
The two glances last night and this morning only had time to see "seriously ill" and "qi mechanism weakening"; now, sitting calmly and observing carefully, the cause and pathogenesis became clear layer by layer.
There were multiple hidden injuries in his grandmother's body. Some were in the lumbar spine—that was the root cause from standing and squatting for long periods during deliveries in her early years, from bending and exerting force. In the Qi Observation Technique's vision, Lin Chen could "see" the stagnation in that area, like a blocked pipe—qi and blood slowed down and sank when they reached there; over decades, the tendons and bones were worn and damaged, stasis accumulating deeper and deeper. Some were in the shoulders, back, and joints—being woken up in the middle of the night in the bitter cold, grabbing a thin jacket to go out, one delivery after another leaving her whole body ice-cold, hands and feet frozen numb. Wind-cold-damp evil crept into the tendons and bones time and again—tolerable when young, but when older, it all came calling, causing soreness and heaviness whenever the weather changed. Some were internal—insufficient heart qi, weak spleen and stomach. Delivering babies was work that drained both spirit and energy; when the mother cried out urgently, the midwife had to stay tense throughout, often dividing one meal into several eats, not caring whether it had gone cold or been reheated; over time, the spleen and stomach were damaged, their ability to transform and generate qi and blood weakened. The heart governs blood vessels, the spleen is the source of qi and blood production—both deficient, the body's qi and blood naturally couldn't keep up. Lin Chen "saw" the area around his grandmother's heart had weak and scattered qi mechanism, the spleen-stomach region was even dim and lifeless, like the final spark before an oil lamp burns out. Now over eighty years old, kidney qi had also declined—kidney governs bones and marrow, water reception and qi absorption; kidney deficiency causes waist and knee weakness, frequent nighttime urination, and even more severe shortness of breath. The five organs and six viscera were like an old machine—parts rusted, parts loose, no longer able to withstand much stress. These old injuries and deficiencies tangled together, manifesting externally as fatigue when lying in bed, poor appetite, spirit exhaustion, pallor, shortness of breath, sometimes accompanied by palpitations or dizziness. In the past, Lin Chen could only guess based on textbooks and folk remedies, treating symptoms not root causes; but now he had the Qi Observation Technique—disease location, disease nature, deficiency or excess, cold or heat—he could see seventy to eighty percent clearly. What remained was medication and conditioning—tonifying qi and nourishing blood, warming yang and dispersing cold, activating blood and unblocking collaterals, strengthening spleen and harmonizing stomach—none could be omitted, but also based on his grandmother's tolerance, proceeding slowly, not using strong medicine, otherwise deficient bodies unable to receive tonification would cause worse problems.
Lin Chen withdrew his hand, organizing in his mind what he had just observed. If he had a good formula—like those formulas in the system store with century-old ginseng and snow mountain reishi—perhaps he could stabilize the situation faster; but currently he had nothing, so he could only fall back on using ordinary herbs to form a formula, first tonifying qi and nourishing blood, strengthening spleen and calming the spirit, supporting the most deficient areas, then step by step unblocking stasis and dispersing cold-dampness. He quickly went through the formulas he had learned and the folk remedies his grandmother had used before, cross-referencing with the "diagnosis" given by the Qi Observation Technique, gradually forming a preliminary plan: use Four Gentlemen Decoction as the base, add astragalus to tonify qi, angelica to nourish blood, sour jujube seed to calm spirit, then supplement with small amounts of cinnamon twig and chuanxiong to warm and unblock blood vessels. The medicinal properties were mild, suitable for the elderly, and should all be available at the town pharmacy. But he still wasn't satisfied—if he could get formulas or herbs from the system store, even just one or two as guides, the effect would be much better.
"Grandma, you rest first. I'm going to get some medicine." Lin Chen tucked the blanket around her, got up, and left the room.
Back in his own room, he closed the door and sat on the bed for a moment. The sunlight outside was getting brighter, shining on the earthen wall, making the mottled marks clear. He took a deep breath, calming himself, then sank his consciousness into his mind and opened the system store. Since the Qi Observation Technique had already given a diagnosis, the next step was finding medicine. What could be obtained in town, he would use; what wasn't available in town or had better effects, he would have to rely on the system.
In an instant, the dazzling list unfolded before his eyes.
Medicinal herbs section: Centennial Ginseng, Snow Mountain Reishi, Nine-Death Resurrection Grass, Blood Lotus, Dragon's Beard Root, Purple Heart Vine... Each had a price below—some "Funds × 10,000," some "Reputation × 1,000," some requiring both. Lin Chen glanced at his column: Funds 0, Reputation 0. He smiled wryly, continuing to scroll down. Formulas section: Life-Extending Pill, Nourishing Origin Decoction, Marrow Washing Formula, Qi-Tonifying Blood-Nourishing Pill, Spirit-Calming Mind-Anchoring Powder... The descriptions stated efficacy, applicable symptoms, usage and dosage, some even noting "can greatly improve constitution" and "extend lifespan." Lin Chen clicked on the details for "Nourishing Origin Decoction," seeing the words "harmonizes qi and blood, cultivates primal qi, extends lifespan," and his heart nearly skipped a beat—wasn't this exactly what his grandmother needed? But looking further down, the exchange requirement: Reputation 10,000, Funds 5,000. He read it word by word, confirming he hadn't misread, then quietly closed it. Acupuncture classics section: Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles, Taiyi Divine Needle Fragments, Five Element Acupuncture... Each was outrageously expensive. Equipment section: Spirit Jade Needles, Medicine Cauldrons, Alchemy Furnaces... Unthinkable. He clicked through all the categories he could access and found that even the cheapest tier—like a simplified version of some "Common Qi Tonic Powder"—still cost Reputation 500 or Funds 200. There was also a "Beginner Nourishing Origin Pill" formula, description reading "suitable for long-term conditioning of the chronically ill and weak," but the exchange requirement was also Reputation 3,000. Lin Chen stared at those lines for a long time, as if looking more would reduce the numbers. He tried clicking on the "Acupuncture" category, seeing "Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles," "Taiyi Divine Needle Fragments," each outrageously expensive, but the descriptions said "can treat difficult and complicated diseases," "can save critically ill people." If he learned one of these, would his grandmother's illness have a cure? But he couldn't even afford the cheapest medicinal herbs, let alone acupuncture techniques. Finally he closed the store and flipped in his mind to the "Tasks" category. The description was clear: complete treatments and gain reputation to trigger tasks. Meaning, he had to first let people come to him for treatment, cure a few people, spread his reputation, and only then would the system assign him tasks and give rewards. No shortcuts, only step by step.
Lin Chen exited the store, sat on the bed for a while, staring at a crack in the ground. The sunlight outside had moved an inch, shining on that crack, making that black line glow. He suddenly remembered when he was little, his grandmother held his hand walking on the field ridge, saying, "Xiao Chen, in this life, if you can help people, help them, don't calculate." He didn't understand back then, but now thinking about it, his grandmother had lived her whole life that way—delivering babies, treating illnesses, giving folk remedies, never charging. Whose child had a fever, she would simmer a bowl of ginger soup; whose adult twisted their waist, she would massage a few times and apply some herbal paste. She said, we're all neighbors, see each other every day, help if you can. But now she was sick, and he couldn't even afford good medicine for her. He clenched his fist, pressing down that sour feeling. Can't cry. Crying won't help. He had to find a way. Check-in, get medicine, treat patients, accumulate reputation, accumulate funds... step by step, eventually he would cure his grandmother. He had to believe.
Not satisfied. Hope was right in front of him, yet separated by an invisible wall. But just sitting there was useless. He took a deep breath, reopened the system interface. Check-in, tasks, store—check-in was once daily, he hadn't checked in after activating the system yesterday; tasks waited for triggers; store couldn't be relied on for now. At least use today's check-in first. The description clearly stated: check in once daily, randomly obtain rewards, which could be funds, herbs, reputation, or could be techniques, formulas, or other items. What if something useful came out? Even just one hundred yuan, he could get a few more herbs in town; what if he got a formula or medicine, even better.
Lin Chen no longer hesitated, clicked the "Check-in" button in his mind. His fingers by his side tightened slightly, as if that could give him some strength. What would happen after checking in? What would he get? Funds? Herbs? Or something else? He didn't dare hope too much, as long as there was something usable. Even just one hundred yuan, he could get a few more herbs; even just a bottle of ordinary medicine, he could try the effect. Since the system existed, it wouldn't just give him the Qi Observation Technique and be done with it. He had to believe.
The interface glowed slightly, the familiar mechanical voice sounding in the depths of his consciousness. He held his breath, waiting for that "Congratulations, host"—no matter what was given, from this moment on, he would use every bit of the system's gifts where it mattered most. His grandmother was his first patient, and also the person he had to cure. As long as she could still eat, sleep, and look at him, he still had time to find more patients, earn more reputation and funds, then exchange for better medicine and stronger medical skills. The Qi Observation Technique had already given him a pair of "eyes," able to see where the illness was, where the qi was blocked; next was using medicine to unblock and tonify. Medicine could be obtained in town, or later exchanged from the system; formulas could be composed by himself, or wait for system rewards. But the premise of everything was that he had to take action—treat illness, build reputation, check in, do tasks. This path starts from this check-in. Lin Chen stared at the interface, his heartbeat clearly audible in the quiet room.
He suddenly remembered yesterday when he was moving cement in town, the foreman casually asked him, "Hey kid, I heard you're studying medicine? Why not find a hospital job?" He just smiled at the time, didn't answer. Not that he didn't want to answer, but didn't know how to answer. Say couldn't find a job? Say grandmother was sick and he couldn't leave? Say the family was so poor they couldn't even afford medicine? Those words stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single one. But if the system could really help him turn his life around, one day he would proudly tell everyone: he was a doctor, he could treat illness, he made a living by his own skills. Lin Chen collected his thoughts, his gaze falling again on the check-in button in his mind. No more hesitation.