「Jiayue River, on the Dragon Gate Boat.」
Zou Feng truly hadn’t expected to be arriving here for the second time, still in a wheelchair.
After boarding, Bian Yixia personally led him to the room where Vice Gang Leader Xiang Kang was recuperating.
"I imagine you’ve already guessed that Uncle Xiang’s injuries aren’t actually minor..." Walking ahead with her hands clasped behind her back, Bian Yixia always gave off the impression of a little girl trying to act mature.
Zou Feng followed behind, with Zhao Tianhu helping to push the wheelchair.
"Miss, are Boss Xiang’s injuries really that troublesome?"
"You don’t need to worry too much. Just do your best to treat him. Even if you can’t cure him, no one will hold you accountable."
"But if you do cure him, it will be a great achievement, and I promise you’ll be well-rewarded!"
After saying this, Bian Yixia even thumped her flat chest with her fist, as if to show that her word was her bond.
Zou Feng, of course, knew that as the Gang Leader’s eldest disciple, Bian Yixia’s age was definitely not as young as she appeared.
’I just don’t know her exact age, but there’s no way she’s on the level of the Celestial Mountain Granny.’
But with things having developed this far, Zou Feng felt like he was in a predicament he couldn’t back out of...
His original intention was to show off a few tricks and get transferred to a rear-line position so he wouldn’t have to fight to the death with the Ten Directions Sect on the front lines anymore.
But Xiang Kang was a Seventh Grade Expert, and his injuries were clearly very troublesome.
This also meant that Vice Gang Leader Xiang wouldn’t be so easy to fool.
So, if Xiang Kang thought he was just a half-assed amateur, then even if he wasn’t held responsible, his chances of getting transferred to the rear line would probably be nil.
Furthermore, Xiang Kang’s injury was something that could affect the balance of power between the three major gangs of Yuan Guang County. They said he wouldn’t be held responsible, but if Xiang Kang suddenly croaked because he couldn’t withstand his injuries, the situation would become very awkward.
At that point, even if Bian Yixia kept her promise and didn’t cause him trouble, what about the other people in the gang, and the Gang Leader’s other disciples?
’But I’m already here. It’s useless to think about all this nonsense. I’ll just have to do my best.’
"Uncle Xiang, I brought a brother whose medical skills are quite good!"
Arriving at the door, Bian Yixia first called out loudly.
In a moment, a maid opened the door.
Normally, Zou Feng wouldn’t pay any special attention to someone else’s maids.
But this maid was so stout, weighing no less than two hundred and twenty pounds, that Zou Feng couldn’t help but sneak a couple more glances.
Upon entering the room, he was greeted by billowing steam.
In a large bathtub big enough for five or six people to soak in together, Xiang Kang was submerged with a frown, only his head showing.
Clearly, he was taking a medicinal bath.
Zou Feng could even roughly identify some of the medicinal herbs used in the bathwater by their scent.
And there were five maids in total, waiting around on standby.
Every single one of them was broad and sturdy, exceptionally stout "treasures."
Seeing this, Zou Feng was only slightly stunned for a moment before his expression returned to normal.
’There are always people who find plumpness beautiful. Compared to Wang Xingjian’s particular tastes, this is actually quite normal.’
"Uncle Xiang!"
"Greetings, Boss Xiang!"
Bian Yixia and Zou Feng approached the tub one after the other to pay their respects.
"Xiaoxia, you’re here..." Xiang Kang first let out a long, turbid breath before slowly opening his eyes. "This brother... if I recall correctly, you must be the new Incense Master who just joined the gang, Zou Feng, right?"
It seemed that even though Zou Feng hadn’t made a special effort to greet him at the previous gathering, Xiang Kang had already remembered him.
"Boss Xiang, where exactly are you injured?" Zou Feng replied before immediately inquiring about his condition.
However, just one look at the expression in Xiang Kang’s eyes was enough to know he didn’t hold out much hope for Zou Feng’s medical skills.
Unlike Wang Xingjian, who was a Ninth Grade and whose weak constitution couldn’t handle potent tonics, thus preventing him from rashly taking Elixirs to heal, the Seventh Grade Xiang Kang didn’t need to be so cautious.
Therefore, Xiang Kang had certainly already taken some high-quality Healing Elixirs.
Unfortunately, the result was plain to see: they were utterly useless.
With even Healing Elixirs being ineffective, Xiang Kang found it very hard to believe that the medical skills of a Ninth Grade Incense Master could get him back on his feet.
But out of respect for Bian Yixia, Xiang Kang sat up in the tub.
Zou Feng immediately saw a dark red Palm Seal starkly visible on his left chest.
Just looking at this Palm Seal was enough to make one’s heart palpitate.
"Uncle Xiang was hit by the Ten Directions Sect’s ’Great Compassion Hand.’ This Palm Skill... is so vicious!"
’I’ve never heard of this thing before,’ Zou Feng thought. ’From the name, it should be a Righteous Skill, but since it’s from the Ten Directions Sect, it definitely has nothing to do with the Righteous Dao.’
"This Palm Skill... it’s poisonous?"
Zou Feng wheeled himself closer and, sure enough, caught a whiff of a scent distinct from the surrounding medicinal aroma.
Xiang Kang nodded. "The poison is very potent. I have to constantly circulate my Inner Qi to suppress it. Otherwise, I suffer the agony of ten thousand ants gnawing on my body."
"Furthermore, this poison has also blocked my Yang Qi, rendering me... unable to perform as a man."
As he said this, the expression on Xiang Kang’s face was even more pained than before.
It was as if he cared more about his impotence than the pain of ten thousand gnawing ants.
With a long sigh, Xiang Kang looked at the "treasures" attending to him, his face full of guilt.
Meanwhile, Zou Feng was exclaiming inwardly, ’What a vicious Yang Wei Palm Skill!’
’Why do I get the feeling this thing is the nemesis of my Chaos Finger skill?’
’And if I could learn this "Great Compassion Hand," couldn’t I first get my opponent all fired up, then hit them with a palm strike to extinguish all their passion and desire!’
’It would be like heating an iron rod red-hot and then immediately plunging it into ice water. Just how intense would the resulting sensation be?’
’Two poisons with completely opposite effects creating a chemical reaction inside an enemy’s body... wouldn’t they just explode?’
’The Great Compassion Hand... I really want to learn it!’
As a Poison Cultivator who specialized in Palm Skills, Zou Feng truly coveted the Great Compassion Hand.
’Great compassion, severing passion and desire, purifying the six roots of sensation, leaving one without want or craving... truly, it is merciful enough!’
"Zou Feng, do you have a way to expel the poison?" Seeing Zou Feng staring blankly, Bian Yixia asked.
Zou Feng finally snapped out of his daydream about the Great Compassion Hand and said, "This subordinate will naturally do his best to try!"
He said this with immense confidence.
If it were any other kind of injury, Zou Feng, being a half-assed doctor, really wouldn’t have been confident.
But this was a poison injury. In this area, he was second to none.
The best part was that the Poison of Confusion should, in theory, counteract the poison of compassion.
However, Zou Feng certainly couldn’t just directly apply his finger technique to the spot where Xiang Kang was struck.
As a doctor, he had to go through the proper procedures.
First, the four methods of diagnosis—observation, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation—were unavoidable.
Then, after a moment of thought, he rattled off a dozen or so medicinal herbs.
Bian Yixia immediately had someone fetch them, and Zou Feng brewed them on the spot.
Soon, he had brewed a large bowl of Detoxification Soup, which he had a maid feed to Xiang Kang.
After drinking it, Xiang Kang assessed the effects for a moment and said bluntly, "The effect is mediocre!"
’A Seventh Grade is really not that easy to fool...’
Zou Feng cleared his throat and said, "Boss Xiang, the soup alone is indeed not very effective. It must be supplemented with this subordinate’s acupuncture techniques!"
Things like acupuncture were also common in this world. When Zou Feng had been plotting his transfer to the rear line, he had already had a set of silver needles custom-made.
"Then give it a try!"
Xiang Kang was clearly getting tired, but he knew that if he didn’t let Zou Feng try, Bian Yixia would definitely not let it go.
Of course, Zou Feng didn’t actually know any acupuncture. But as a Martial Artist, he had a deep understanding of the human body, so he wasn’t worried he would "needle" Xiang Kang into having any problems.
To put it bluntly, the acupuncture was just a front.
His real goal was to coat the tips of the needles with the poison generated by his Chaos Finger skill and then stick them into Xiang Kang.
"Boss Xiang, please forgive this subordinate’s offense!"
After all, this was his own unique needling technique, so it was only natural to start cultivating before applying the needles.
Thus, Zou Feng openly began cultivating, then brushed his middle finger over the tip of a needle.
A moment later, with a steady, precise, and ruthless motion, he stuck the needle right into the center of the Great Compassion Hand’s Palm Seal.
"GHOOOO..." Xiang Kang apparently hadn’t expected Zou Feng’s needling technique to be so sharp, and he let out a series of strange cries from the piercing.
It couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t that a Seventh Grade Martial Artist’s pain tolerance was poor, but that Zou Feng’s treatment method was, in fact, fighting poison with poison.
The reaction produced by two counteracting poisons was so intense; it was a wonder Xiang Kang didn’t leap up right then and there.
Seeing Xiang Kang drenched in sweat from the pain, his mouth wide open in an "O" shape as he cried out, Bian Yixia hurriedly asked, "Uncle Xiang, what’s wrong?"
Xiang Kang raised a hand and pounded his forehead. "The pain is killing me!"
Fortunately, Zou Feng immediately applied a second needle.
This time, he had adjusted the poison, focusing primarily on an anesthetic effect.
"AHHH—"
Like welcome rain after a long drought, the pain immediately subsided by more than half, letting Xiang Kang breathe a long sigh of relief.
Now Zou Feng was even more certain of his plan. He continued to apply needles one after another, fighting poison with poison while using anesthetic to relieve Xiang Kang’s suffering.
Soon, the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed. Zou Feng wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled out all the silver needles.
Looking at Xiang Kang now, the color in his face made him look like a completely different person compared to just a moment ago.
Even the dark red Palm Seal from the Great Compassion Hand had faded considerably, the mark becoming very faint.
"Zou Incense Master, what exquisite needling technique!" Xiang Kang exclaimed in admiration.
’Being praised for my "needling technique" always made me feel a bit awkward.’
"Boss Xiang, there is still some residual poison in your body. This subordinate will need to apply the needles once a day, supplemented with the Detoxification Soup, for a period of consolidation before you can fully recover."
After all, this was Zou Feng’s first time trying to fight poison with poison, so he couldn’t guarantee that Xiang Kang was completely cured.
At this point, Xiang Kang was completely convinced that Zou Feng had real medical skills. Hearing this, he said cheerfully, "Then I’ll have to trouble you!"
"You’re too kind, Boss Xiang. It is this subordinate’s duty."
Bian Yixia also came closer, her eyes wide. "Uncle Xiang, are you really better?!"
It was obvious that although she had been the one to recommend Zou Feng, deep down she hadn’t held out much hope, merely treating it as a last-ditch effort.
Xiang Kang smiled. "Don’t worry. I am indeed much better."
"It’s that miraculous?" Bian Yixia turned to Zou Feng and pleaded, "Zou Feng, then you should give me a few pokes too! I’ve been feeling like my body has developed quite a few problems from training recently!"
’This isn’t something you can just poke on a whim...’
Zou Feng quickly made an excuse, "Miss, I’d have to make a diagnosis before deciding if needling is appropriate. If there’s no major problem, applying needles could actually be counterproductive."
’This time I just happened to encounter a poison I could counteract. It doesn’t mean I’ve actually become some kind of acupuncture master.’