Chapter Fifteen: Grappling Hand to Hand

“Brother, do you think the young master might have...”
“Bah, bah, bah! Stop spouting nonsense!”
“Isn’t there a shaman healer around here? Where is the shaman? Where are they?”

Lin Zhaozhao had just arrived near the flower lantern stall when she heard those hurried and anxious voices ahead. Someone even mentioned a shaman healer. She furrowed her brows slightly and, wanting to avoid trouble while enjoying the spectacle, quickly stepped aside, leaving the wide path clear.

Soon, she saw three or four burly men rushing over anxiously. The leader, broad-shouldered and stocky, looked panic-stricken as he carried a boy of about nine years old.

By professional instinct—looking, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse—Lin Zhaozhao glanced at the boy. His face was bruised purple and black, and on his naturally drooping arm was a glaring snakebite wound, now blackened and swelling painfully.

The young apprentice from the Herbal Hall saw at once that this was beyond his ability to treat. He hurriedly said,
“Gentlemen, our Doctor Ma, who is usually on duty, was summoned by Lord Huang from the East City to treat his concubine and won’t be back soon. I’m the only one here to dispense medicine today. This... is truly unfortunate!”

The leader’s expression darkened with anger.
“If the attending doctor isn’t here, then what kind of medicine hall do you run? If it weren’t for your Herbal Hall’s reputation and Doctor Ma’s skill, why would we have rushed here at full speed?

I don’t care if it’s Lord Huang or Lord Lu! You get Doctor Ma here to treat my son, or I’ll tear this Herbal Hall apart!”

In the capital, where every inch of land was precious, the apprentice had seen countless nobles and was not easily intimidated. Smiling, he tried to soothe them,
“The East City is at least half an hour’s journey from here. Given the boy’s condition, perhaps you should take him directly to the Rejuvenation Hall in West City?”

“Don’t give me that nonsense! You think I don’t know? West City is at least half an hour away too! Do you think my son’s condition can wait?!”

Snake venom was no ordinary poison. Especially the one they encountered—black as night with a foul stench.

The more pungent the snake, the deadlier its venom. His playmate had died instantly from a single bite of a seven-step snake.

The young master’s survival until now was only because they had a detoxifying pill from a shaman healer, but the medicine only alleviated symptoms without curing the root cause.

“Well then...”

The apprentice was at a loss. The boy’s state was clearly critical, and he himself lacked the skills to treat such a grave illness. The other dispensaries had long ceased operations, unable to compete with the Herbal Hall.

Seeing how aggressive the men were, almost drawing their swords, the apprentice suddenly had an idea.

“How about this? When I studied under my master, I heard that for some snake venoms, if you suck out the poison immediately, it could save a life. If none of you have mouth wounds, maybe it’s worth trying. There might still be a chance for your young master.”

The leader’s eyes lit up, and he bent down to suck the venom. Suddenly, a crisp voice interrupted,
“Wait! Even if you have no wounds in your mouth, snake venom can spread rapidly through saliva into your bloodstream. Not only will it fail to save your young master, but you yourself could become poisoned.”

The man turned around, but saw no one.
“Who’s there? Who’s speaking?!”

Lin Zhaozhao, short in stature, said quietly,
“Why don’t you lower your head and take a look?”

When the man looked down, he was stunned to see a young girl wearing a veil hat standing before him.
“How old are you? Do you really understand medicine?”

In this profession, one couldn’t diagnose accurately without decades of experience.

If this girl truly knew medicine, she would have to be much older. Yet her height made her appear like a dwarf. Could she be a healer who couldn’t heal herself?

Fortunately, Lin Zhaozhao was unaware of his thoughts; otherwise, she might have been tempted to strike his knee.

Still, she stepped forward a couple of paces.

The men behind the leader immediately drew their swords.
“What are you doing?!”

Lin Zhaozhao looked at those blocking her—likely the young master’s attendants.

If she were her old self, she would have turned and left without another word.

But now...

These people looked wealthy, and she was mainly hoping to make a good deed happen.

She said firmly,
“I’m not here to do anything but remove the snake venom from your young master. I advise you not to stop me; otherwise, if the poison penetrates the vital organs and nerves, no matter how powerful the immortal who tries to save him later, he’ll end up with a crooked eye, a twisted mouth, and drooling!”

Her words stunned the group.

They had seen many snakebite victims survive by sheer luck, but often, without timely treatment or thorough venom extraction, the victims would become living dead, drooling uncontrollably.

They knew she was telling the truth.

“So, how do you treat this poison?” they asked.

Lin Zhaozhao’s method was simple:
“You’ll need two silver needles, a small sharp knife, a clean bowl for rice wine, and a tinderbox.”

“You can get these, right?” the man asked the apprentice.

The apprentice nodded quickly and fetched the required items from the Herbal Hall.

“Miss, can you start the treatment now?” the tall leader asked Lin Zhaozhao.

“No, no, you can’t!”

“Our young master is precious and noble. How can we let just anyone treat him? What if something goes wrong...”

The man knew treatment couldn’t be given lightly, but with no better options, they had to try everything.

Looking at the girl, with a large protective lock around her neck and jade bracelets on both wrists, she hardly looked like a charlatan.

Song Yao adjusted her veil. It had been a long time since she’d done acupuncture.

Her medical knowledge came from an old village man she had apprenticed under in her previous life.

Unfortunately, the old man was uneducated and uncertified, so she couldn’t officially practice medicine for money.

Helplessly, she became a white-collar worker, trapped in the relentless grind of a 9-to-9 job.

But this snake venom—she felt confident she could handle it with skill and the right medicine.

Meanwhile, not far away, from a restaurant balcony, a man in a purple robe fanned himself and watched Lin Zhaozhao with a smile.

“I wonder, who else in the capital could possibly neutralize the seven-step snake’s venom?”

“Huaian, do you think she’s bluffing, or does she really have the skill?”

“With that frail frame, if she makes a mistake treating someone, it won’t end well for the patient!”