25 – The Merit of the Old Doctor

In the end, Old Zhao was carried away by his two sons amidst the scolding of his old wife.

Old Doctor Chen gave him acupuncture and prescribed some medicine. By the time Old Zhao went back, he already looked much better.

Once Old Zhao’s family left, the villagers, with no more excitement to watch and not daring to disturb Old Doctor Chen further, began to disperse.

“Ah Qing, are you leaving?” Wang Da’an asked Lu Qing.

“Huh, Lu Qing, what are you doing here? Is Xiao Yan here too?”

At this moment, other villagers noticed Lu Qing and Xiao Yan standing in the corner.

“I was here all along; it’s just that everyone was concerned about Uncle Zhao’s condition and didn’t see me,” Lu Qing replied with a smile, “Brother Da’an, you all go ahead. I have some matters to ask Grandpa Chen.”

“Ask for guidance?” Wang Da’an then noticed the book in Lu Qing’s hand and suddenly realized, “Are you learning from Old Doctor Chen?”

“Yes, I’m learning a bit about herbs from Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing did not deny it.

Hearing this, the villagers were surprised.

Lu Qing was held in such high regard by the old doctor?

After the initial surprise came envy.

The old doctor’s medical skills were well-known, capable of reviving the near-dead.

Many people had seen Lu Qing’s previous severe illness, only to be cured by the old doctor’s prescription.

Earlier, Old Zhao had fallen into the water, and it was said that his face had turned ashen, and he wasn’t breathing anymore.

Then, Old Doctor Chen just did some massages and brought him back to life.

These medical skills were nothing short of miraculous.

Now Lu Qing had the fortune to learn medicine under the old doctor. No wonder everyone envied him.

However, despite their envy, the villagers knew that such things couldn’t just be envied into happening.

Learning medicine is obviously not easy, and it’s likely that one has to be very smart to even get started.

Didn’t they see Lu Qing holding a book? In their village, the characters everyone recognized combined wouldn’t fill a basket.

Only Lu Qing had learned some characters due to his grandfather’s teachings when he was young.

Perhaps that was also a reason why Old Doctor Chen valued Lu Qing.

Thinking of this, many villagers’ jealous thoughts eased a little.

Because they knew, even if such a good thing happened to them, they wouldn’t be capable of handling it.

An older villager came forward and patted Lu Qing on the shoulder.

“Good job, Lu Qing. You must study well under the old doctor and strive to learn all his skills!”

The sudden encouragement left Lu Qing a bit stunned.

He really wanted to say that he was just learning some herb knowledge from Old Doctor Chen.

But seeing the earnest look in the elder’s eyes, he could only nod: “I will do my best.”

Even after the villagers had all left, Lu Qing still felt a bit confused.

He had thought that the villagers would be envious and jealous of him learning medicine from the old doctor.

But what he saw was different.

The villagers were indeed envious and jealous, but not as much as he had imagined.

Rather, amidst their envy and jealousy, they genuinely hoped he could learn the old doctor’s medical skills.

Lu Qing didn’t like to suspect others with malice.

But he also knew that people’s hearts were unpredictable, and sometimes jealousy came without reason.

“Are you feeling puzzled?” Old Doctor Chen came to Lu Qing’s side.

“What?” Lu Qing was bewildered.

“You don’t understand why the villagers hope you can learn my medical skills?” Old Doctor Chen smiled.

Lu Qing nodded; indeed, he didn’t quite understand.

Could the old doctor know the reason?

“Lu Qing, do you know how many doctors were there in the nearby villages when I settled down in this village?”

The old doctor didn’t directly answer Lu Qing’s question but instead asked back.

Lu Qing shook his head.

When the old doctor came to the village, the original host was still young and didn’t have many memories of this.

“None at all.” The old doctor gave an answer that surprised Lu Qing a little. “Before I came to this village, there were no doctors in the nearby villages.”

“When villagers fell ill, for minor ailments, they would randomly gather some herbs they recognized and brew them into a decoction to drink. Or they would go to a midwife or a faith healer to get some medicine. For the rest, they would just endure. Only when they couldn’t endure any longer would they go to the city to seek medical help.”

“But most serious illnesses in this world develop from minor ailments. By the time one couldn’t endure any longer and went to the city for medical help, it often turned into a serious illness.”

“Serious illnesses are hard to cure. Even the city physicians can’t guarantee a cure for every disease.”

“Besides, living in the city is not easy, let alone seeking medical help.”

“Even if the city physicians could guarantee a cure, the high medical costs would be beyond what ordinary villagers could afford.”

“Therefore, for ordinary villagers, a serious illness often meant their lives were coming to an end.”

“Before I came to the village, many people in the surrounding villages died from illnesses every year.”

Lu Qing recalled that, indeed, there seemed to be funerals every year in the village before the old doctor arrived.

“Back then, when I was traveling and came here, I saw many people in the nearby villages suffering from illnesses and unable to get medical help. Out of sympathy, I decided to stay and give these villagers a chance at life.”

“I didn’t expect that I would stay for ten years.”

“In these ten years, I can’t say I saved countless lives, but at least the villagers here, when they fall ill, have a place to seek medical help and won’t let minor ailments turn into serious illnesses.”

Lu Qing was shocked by what he heard.

According to the old doctor’s words, in the past ten years, he indeed ensured the safety of the area and could be seen as a living Buddha here.

“So that’s why everyone hopes I can learn medicine from you, so I can treat people in the future?” Lu Qing asked.

“That’s right, probably everyone is terrified of the days when there was no medical help available.” The old doctor nodded.

“But isn’t there still Grandpa Chen?”

“But I’m already very old.” The old doctor said.

“Although I rarely walk around the village, I occasionally hear people discussing in private what they would do if I suddenly died, where they would go for treatment if they fell ill.”

Lu Qing: “…”

He thought of the old doctor’s identity as a cultivator.

Those villagers who made such remarks would definitely not have thought that an old man would have such keen hearing.

Now Lu Qing finally understood why everyone urged him to study hard while they were envious and jealous when they saw him learning medicine from the old doctor.

It turned out that everyone was afraid of the past days without a doctor.

They were scared that if one day the old doctor was no longer there, they would return to the old ways.

“Grandpa Chen, are you angry?” Lu Qing asked.

“What do I have to be angry about?” Old Doctor Chen laughed. “This is just human nature, and besides, I am indeed very old, almost halfway into my grave.”

But I see that you are still very healthy.

Lu Qing thought to himself.

He remembered the red light that emanated from the old doctor’s body.

“Lu Qing, you are a wise child. Do you understand what everyone meant just now?”

“I’ve understood a bit.” Lu Qing nodded.

“Then, are you willing to learn medicine from me?”

The old doctor suddenly asked.