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There weren't many people in the ward; there were only a handful in total.

There was the sick General Li, along with his wife, and the girl who had been speaking with General Li before. Beside them stood a female military doctor who had been there all along and a military-clad man standing as straight as a flagpole. Of course, there was no shortage of various medical devices in great numbers.

This was a senior officer's ward, so it was quite spacious. If it had been a regular ward, the influx of so many people would have definitely felt crowded.

Though there were many people, the atmosphere was not lively.

Why was that?

No one could be in high spirits faced with such a situation.

Even General Li, who wore a smile on his face, had a trace of desolation that Qin Fang could read. He was a strong soldier, but not a Saint who could view everything with detachment. His emotions were showing through.

Qiao Zhenfei was accompanying General Li in conversation, while Li Yang was keeping company with Qin Fang.

But Qin Fang had no interest in just standing around uselessly, wasting precious time, when he could be doing something helpful. He wanted to understand General Li's condition as soon as possible.

If it was treatable, he would definitely find a way to save him!

But if it was untreatable, then they would have to proceed with the hospital's plan to amputate.

Yet if they resorted to that course of action, there was no doubt General Li would have to leave the military that he had loved and devoted his life to—a loss for both him personally and the military, a pity indeed.

"May I have a look?"

Qin Fang greeted Li Yang; as a stranger here, he couldn't just take action without permission.

"Uncle Li, this is my friend Qin Fang. He masters an Acupuncture Secret Technique..."

The ward was spacious, but there weren't many people, and they were all within earshot. Qiao Zhenfei, who was speaking with General Li, naturally overheard Qin Fang and promptly relayed his words to the general in bed.

What needed to be said didn't require many words, just enough to communicate the intent.

General Li was slightly taken aback. Although he had an open mind, he had a stronger desire for a speedy recovery to return to the military, so he wasn't resistant to different treatment methods.

But inside the hospital, it was important to follow the doctors' arrangements. As a soldier, he deeply cared about such rules; matters of expertise needed to be judged by professionals.

Hence, General Li didn't nod immediately but looked towards the female military doctor beside him.

The young female military doctor wasn't much older, clearly younger than Qiao Zhenfei and about the same age as Li Yang—mid-twenties.

Being able to practice medicine at such an age was quite impressive. In a civilian hospital, physicians this age would typically only be interns, yet she already held responsibility for such an important ward, which indicated a high level of competence.

"Xiao Xuan, what do you think?"

General Li asked with a look, while Li Yang beside Qin Fang asked aloud, their familiarity evident in his address.

"Traditional Chinese Acupuncture?"

The female military doctor's face showed a hint of skepticism, yet her eyes cast a clear disdain, "Uncle Li, my personal advice is that it would be better not to try it lightly..."

However, her response dimmed the expressions of Qiao Zhenfei and Li Yang, who both looked visibly disappointed.

"Xiao Xuan, Qin Fang's Acupuncture Secret Technique is really powerful. Let him take a look, perhaps..." Qiao Zhenfei seemed to know the female military doctor too and immediately spoke up to persuade her.

"Sir, may I ask if you have a medical license?"

The female military doctor didn't respond to Qiao Zhenfei but turned to Qin Fang and asked seriously.

It wasn't until that moment that Qin Fang clearly saw the woman who had so readily dismissed his skills—a face like a melon seed, flawless beauty without a touch of makeup, quite a radiant presence. It was unexpected to find such a delicate flower, but her expression was somewhat too cold.

What surprised Qin Fang the most was the pride and disdain in her eyes, as if she were a swan looking down upon him as if he were a... toad.

"Er... how did I become a toad!"

The thought flashed through his mind, leaving Qin Fang quite frustrated.

"No, I'm not medically trained..."

Qin Fang was indeed honest, simply shaking his head to indicate that he wasn't medically trained despite Elder Ma's strong desire to snatch him from Cai Pingyuan's grasp and have him learn the Medical Arts.

Hearing Qin Fang's response, the contempt in the unnamed beautiful female military doctor's eyes intensified. Then, she turned to General Li on the bed and said, "Uncle Li, he doesn't even have a medical practitioner's license. Allowing him to treat you is far too dangerous, and I am against it..."

"Wait... wait a minute,"

Qin Fang was puzzled. When had the ability to treat illnesses been tied to having a medical license? Moreover, why did the female military doctor's words sound so off?

"This elder sister..."

The crowd couldn't help but reveal strange expressions at his address. Qiao Zhenfei, Li Yang, and even the silent girl all responded alike, and so did General Li and his wife. But Qin Fang, seemingly oblivious, continued speaking.

"First of all, I won't deny that I lack a medical license. I truly didn't study the arts. Second, treating General Li is about helping a friend to the end and showing personal respect for General Li, which has nothing to do with you. Third, I only said I would look at General Li's condition, not that I would treat it... does looking require your approval as a doctor?"

Indeed, Qin Fang was irritated by the female military doctor who looked down on him too much. He came here in good faith to help, without any ulterior motives.

In the mouth of this female military doctor, however, he was made out to be some sort of Martial World scam artist, faced with complete disdain. Anyone would undoubtedly feel quite uncomfortable in this situation.

"You..."

The female military doctor, named Xiao Xuan, was suddenly at a loss for words in the face of Qin Fang's three points. Angrily staring at Qin Fang, she wanted to retort but seemed unable to find any solid ground to stand on.

Yet, she couldn't swallow this insult, almost wanting to smash Qin Fang's face into pieces.

What she found most unbearable was Qin Fang calling her "elder sister"...

"Am I that old?"

Any woman cares greatly about her appearance, especially beautiful ones, who are most sensitive and intolerant of being told they look old. Qin Fang's use of such a term to address her undoubtedly made her quite upset.

"Xiao Xuan, stop arguing. Let the young man have a look..."

Fortunately, General Li stepped in at the critical moment. He had no particular opinion of Qin Fang and originally thought of him as just a young person Qiao Zhenfei knew. Now, he found Qin Fang rather interesting and couldn't help but agree with Qin Fang's words.

"But..."

The female military doctor wanted to say more, but General Li waved his hand, signaling her to stop. At this moment, the previously silent girl came over and led the female military doctor aside.

"Thank you, General Li..."

Qin Fang was quite polite, giving a fist salute to General Li—an action he had grown accustomed to, having just participated in the Martial World conference, where such a comparatively quaint gesture was used in greeting instead of shaking hands like modern people...

"Please..."

General Li was broad-minded and returned the gesture, then pointed towards his legs covered by blankets which had long lost sensation, hanging limply like two stone slabs.

Qin Fang nodded, approached the bedside, and pulled back the blanket to reveal General Li's legs. Because they needed treatment, the legs were bare without trousers, revealed directly upon lifting the blanket.

Hisss~~~

Though Qin Fang had braced himself, seeing the current state of the legs still made him gasp in surprise.

Normal human legs are flesh-colored, but these were as if soaked in ink, having turned completely black, or more precisely, a purplish-black.

If these legs weren't physically connected to General Li's body, Qin Fang would never believe they belonged to a human. They looked more like two charcoal sticks, devoid of any flesh color, entirely purplish-black, even down to the blackened nails on all ten toes, creating an eerie sight.

With a flick of his wrist, a Silver Needle appeared in Qin Fang's hand, pre-arranged in anticipation. Alerted by Qiao Zhenfei, he prepared the Acupuncture needles and a special box for them, which now came in handy.

Qin Fang didn't touch the areas spreading upwards but instead used the Silver Needle to prick the tip of General Li's big toe, coaxing out a small trace of blood.

"Black blood..."

The blood, too, was purplish-black, looking just like ink. Qin Fang's brow furrowed in response.

Not just there, Qin Fang used the Silver Needle to draw blood samples from several locations on General Li's legs, but the results were the same, all turned purplish-black, no exceptions.

Qin Fang didn't make a sound, merely picked out a drop of the black blood and held it in his palm, then stared at it quietly, looking rather abnormal.

Qiao Zhenfei and Li Yang were both somewhat surprised by Qin Fang's sudden change, but seeing his focused expression, they refrained from disturbing him recklessly.

In fact, Qin Fang was indeed surprised, not by the blood's color change but because he suddenly realized General Li's leg condition wasn't due to some nerve-decay illness but had another cause. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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