Chapter 31 Shut Up, All of You!
Quack, stop!
Lin Mu’s words made everyone’s face change dramatically. Was he speaking to the Divine Doctor, Sun Tianyang? This guy was unbelievably audacious!
"Boy, are you looking for death?" Sun Tianyang stared at Lin Mu coldly. He had already tolerated this kid for some time, but now he was being called a quack? This was the ultimate humiliation! Lin Mu didn’t have to call him a Divine Doctor, but he would absolutely not tolerate being called a quack!
Liu Zijian’s heart sank.
"Scoundrel!" Mr. Ning roared in fury. "Apologize to Master Sun at once! If you don’t, I’ll stake my life on keeping you here today!"
Lin Mu was simply too arrogant, too bold. But he paid them no mind, his gaze fixed solely on Sun Tianyang.
Trembling with rage, Sun Tianyang pointed a finger at Lin Mu. "Boy, I have tolerated you again and again, but do not push your luck!" he seethed. "Such arrogance, such ignorant conceit!"
"Pushing my luck? Arrogant and ignorant?" Lin Mu said flatly. "I think the ignorant one here is you. You don’t even grasp the most basic principles of pharmacology, you haven’t even taken a pulse, yet you dare to administer treatment recklessly? How dare you call yourself a Divine Doctor?!"
Sun Tianyang’s face flushed crimson with anger. "You dare say I don’t know the most basic pharmacology?"
Sun Tianyang hailed from the prestigious Medicine King Family and was exposed to traditional Chinese medicine at the age of three. At a young age, he was already deeply versed in pharmacology. He had even published specialized works that enjoyed high status both at home and abroad, earning him the title of Divine Doctor. To suggest he didn’t understand pharmacology was the greatest possible insult!
Mr. Ning chimed in, "Boy, you have no idea what’s good for you! Do you even know who Master Sun is? His pharmacological treatises are considered among the best in the world! Countless renowned medical scholars, both here and abroad, study his work! And you have the gall to say Master Sun doesn’t understand pharmacology?
"Who do you think you are, disrespecting Master Sun like this? Apologize! Now!" Mr. Ning was about to explode with rage. Lin Mu was too damn arrogant!
Steward Fang sneered, "This kid is like a newborn calf that doesn’t fear the tiger. He knows nothing and just spouts nonsense!"
Liu Zijian also spoke softly, "Elder Brother Mu, Master Sun’s medical skills are world-renowned. It’s really not right for you to speak to him like this."
I can’t believe it, he thought, a seed of dissatisfaction planted in his heart. After all these years apart, has Elder Brother Mu become this arrogant? It’s not that I don’t trust him, but in the field of medicine... Master Sun is second to none! No one would dare claim to be first!
Lin Mu wasn’t angered by Liu Zijian’s words. After all these years, they don’t know who I am anymore, he thought to himself.
Lin Mu looked at Sun Tianyang and said, "If you call yourself a Divine Doctor with such a poor grasp of basic pharmacology, then I can only imagine how many medical practitioners you’ve led astray! A quack who gloats about his publications, taking pride in what should be a source of shame! Your conscience must have been eaten by a dog!"
"Boy, you are far too arrogant!" Sun Tianyang said coldly. "I don’t care if you call me a Divine Doctor or not. But calling me a quack and accusing me of harming countless medical practitioners... now you’ve truly angered me!
"Do you know what it means to observe, listen, inquire, and feel the pulse? Do you understand the harmony of hardness and softness, the balance of Yin and Yang? Do you know the saying, ’When the five elements are in discord, not even the gods can save you’?
"You know nothing, and today, I am going to teach you a lesson!"
What Sun Tianyang spoke of were the fundamental principles of using herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Treatment always emphasized balance: of Yin and Yang, of the Five Elements, of hard and soft properties. Every herb had its own nature, and to misuse them without understanding their attributes was the height of irresponsibility toward a patient. It was as commonly understood as the fact that a balanced diet of meat and vegetables was healthier for the body. Moreover, the Way of Medicine was so vast and profound that no one would dare claim to understand it all.
But Sun Tianyang had that confidence.
"No matter how eloquently you speak, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a quack!" Lin Mu scoffed. "Sun Tianyang, two hours ago, you used Shiming Flower, Golden Beetle, and Gut-break Grass, along with goji berries, Honeysuckle, and almond seeds. You boiled them on high heat for fifteen minutes, simmered them on low heat for an hour, and then returned to high heat to reduce the liquid. You were to take this concentrated decoction in three doses. You’ve already taken two. The final dose requires both Five-leaf Grass and Seven-leaf Flower, which must be preserved in a unique environment. That’s why you came to Hundred Herbs Hall, isn’t it?"
Sun Tianyang, who had been about to erupt and teach Lin Mu a lesson, froze as if struck by lightning.
This was because what Lin Mu had said was, without any deviation, completely accurate.
In the medical world, legends told of divine doctors who could identify the components of a decoction by its aroma alone. But that was only possible with potent, fragrant concoctions, and even then, they could only identify the main herbs. Many ingredients with faint or nonexistent scents were impossible to discern, let alone discerning the entire brewing process and dosage instructions from a mere scent.
Furthermore, Sun Tianyang had showered and changed into fresh clothes before coming here, reducing any lingering scent on his body to an imperceptible level.
And yet, Lin Mu had identified everything, flawlessly.
Two of the herbs involved were completely colorless and odorless.
Not only had Lin Mu identified them, but he also knew the brewing time and methods, and he was even perfectly clear on how the final dose was to be taken.
What an incredibly acute sense of smell! How intimately must he understand pharmacology! To what degree does he grasp the Way of Medicine?!
Sun Tianyang’s face was a mask of shock, tinged with a hint of fear.
𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Lin Mu continued, "Following your method, you won’t get better in a month. In fact, you’ll feel even worse. In two months, your meridians will atrophy and your blood will flow in reverse. In three months, the poison will have spread through your entire body, and you will die as your organs rot away!"
"That’s absolute nonsense! A complete fabrication!" Mr. Ning, having managed to stop the bleeding in his leg, struggled to his feet and glared at Lin Mu with cold fury. For Lin Mu to humiliate Master Sun this way was the ultimate sign of disrespect. To him, Master Sun was both a mentor and a friend, a man he revered as an elder!
"Kid, if you don’t apologize to the Divine Doctor right now, I might just have to kill you today!" Steward Fang snarled with a vicious grin.
The crowd erupted in a chorus of condemnation. "Liu Zijian, this ’brother’ of yours seems hell-bent on dying! Not even the Heavenly King himself could save him now!" They all demanded that Lin Mu kneel and apologize. Mr. Ning looked ready to attack. A Divine Doctor of his generation, a titan of the medical world, was being humiliated by some young punk. It was an insult they simply could not stomach.
However...
Sun Tianyang suddenly roared, "All of you, shut up!"