Chapter 2: The Lifesaving Straw

  Ba Jitian was shocked, what shocked him was that if this young man could really cure his illness, then wouldn't the hope of saving his own life be cut off along with him.

  The thick and simple Shen Hou next door was also surprised.

  What shocked him was: I, the number one famous doctor, couldn't cure this illness, but you, a mediocre doctor, an unknown little brat, actually claimed to be able to cure it!

  It's definitely nonsense.

  Shen Hou Pu sneered, "Shi Wei, you and your master are a pair of mediocre masters. Everyone in the medical community knows that. How is it that after spending a night in jail, your skills have improved dramatically? Were you so scared of being beheaded that your brain suddenly became enlightened?"

  Shen Houpu is tactfully saying that Shi Wei is talking nonsense in his letter.

  Shi Wei smiled at him and said, "It's really as Shen Lang said, I was beaten with a board a few days ago, suddenly enlightened, and gained a lot of insight into the way of medicine. Ba brother's illness, I can cure it."

  Shen Hou's face grew increasingly gloomy, and he said disdainfully, "Well, you'd better tell me then. What exactly is his illness, and how do you plan to treat it?"

  Shi Wei said slowly, "Brother Ba's tongue pulse is normal, indicating that the disease is in the skin and collaterals, not involving the internal organs. The sudden onset of the disease, unless it is due to blood stasis in the collaterals, how else could it be? With such severe itching and pain, it should be caused by wind-phlegm. Shen Langzhong, do you agree with my diagnosis or not?"

  Shi Wei's medical jargon sounds mysterious, and Ba Jitian, an outsider, listens to it as if in a fog, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. However, Shen Houpu, an insider, listens to it with perfect clarity.

  He secretly pondered, combining what Shi Wei said with Ba Jie Tian's illness, and suddenly his expression changed drastically.

  The look of shock was as if they had encountered the most unimaginable thing in this world.

  "How is this possible... how can this be..." Shen Hou Pu was so shocked that he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

  Seeing Shen's expression, Shi Wei knew he was shocked by himself and couldn't help but reveal a few points of pride: "Ba brother's illness has been recorded in the Bencao Gangmu, and Shen Langzhong actually doesn't know, it's really strange."

  Shen Houpu came back to his senses from the shock, and said in a daze: "Ben Cao Gang Mu? Whose medical book is that? How come I've never heard of it?"

  Seeing Shen's reaction, Shi Wei was shocked and suddenly remembered that he had been carried away by his own pride and said something he shouldn't have.

  "Ben Cao Gang Mu" is a great treasure of traditional Chinese medicine, but it was written in the Ming Dynasty, whereas this is the early Northern Song Dynasty, with a time difference of nearly 700-800 years. If Shen Houpu had heard of it, he would have seen a ghost.

  "Shen Langzhong, you've been practicing medicine for thirty years, yet you haven't even read the 'Ben Cao Gang Mu', no wonder you don't know how to treat Ba's illness. I think it's better for you to close your clinic and go back to studying medical books."

  Shi Wei's brain turned quickly, and he deliberately made a mistake, then sarcastically criticized Shen Houpu again.

  "You, you——"

  Shen Houpu was so angry and embarrassed that he was speechless for a moment, his eyes wide with rage.

  It's no wonder, medical practitioners, such as "Shang Han Za Bing Lun" and "Huang Di Nei Jing", are must-read medical classics, but the ocean of medicine is boundless, and countless medical books have been passed down from ancient times to the present, not every famous doctor can read all the medical books.

  Shen Houpu thought that the book "Ben Cao Gang Mu" was an unknown medical book written by his predecessors, and he had never read it before. However, in front of Shi Wei, a younger generation, he felt greatly embarrassed.

  Xie Luo crossed over Shen Hou Pu, Shi Wei turned his gaze to the delighted Ba Jitian and said: "Brother Ba, I wonder if we can borrow some pen and paper from the prison head, so that I can write a prescription for you."

  Ba Jitian hurriedly called out loudly and then softly, summoning Lao Tou Chenpi to come over, making a fuss about wanting brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

  Although Chen Pi felt strange, he had often received benefits from the fishing gang before, so he didn't treat Ba Jitian like an ordinary prisoner, and could only complain while ordering his men to make arrangements.

  A moment later, paper and pen were delivered to his cell.

  Shi Wei picked up his pen and wrote a poem in an instant:

  Ephedra 2 qian, cicada shell 2 qian, earthworm 2 qian, white mustard seed 2 qian, scorpion 2 qian, centipede 3, Polygonatum 10 qian, Luffa 30, Cnidium 1 qian, decoct in water for a long time, let cool, take before dusk.

  "Take this prescription and take the medicine for five days, and your illness will be temporarily relieved. However, it won't be long before the symptoms recur, and by then there will be no cure. The only way to completely eliminate the disease is for me to use my family's acupuncture technique to treat you continuously for a month or two."

  Shi Wei handed the prescription to Ba Jitian, and sighed with a hint of regret: "It's just a pity that I'll be gone in a few days, and I won't be able to cure your illness, Brother Ba. Your illness will only get worse, and in less than two months... Alas!"

  Shi Wei's sigh was like a sharp blade, piercing deeply into Bai Jie Tian's heart.

  Ba Jitian is somewhat capable in Dangtu County, but he's not powerful enough to cover the sky with one hand and be all-powerful.

  If Shi Wei were just an ordinary prisoner, it would be easy to bail him out with the connections he has in the yamen.

  But the problem is that Shi Wei is currently a dead prisoner with the crime of "colluding with the enemy", and wanting to get someone like him out would require even the county magistrate to pull strings with the provincial government, let alone Ba Jitian, a small leader of a fishing gang.

  However, if they can't rescue Shi Wei, their own lives will also be lost, and they won't be able to see the King of Hell. With their lives at stake, how can Ba Ji Tian bear to give up this chance to survive?

  "This matter is really troublesome, unless..."

  Ba Jitian's face was filled with worry, stroking his whiskers in deep thought, when suddenly a glimmer of inspiration flashed across his eyes.

  Just as he was about to speak, Chen Pi came in from outside and knocked on the prison door, saying: "Shen Langzhong, your young master has already met with County Magistrate, old Ba. Your fishing gang also sent someone just now. The county magistrate has an order to release you all, but be warned, after you leave, don't cause any more trouble."

  Shen Hou Pu is a wealthy man with a fortune of tens of thousands, and he's also the number one famous doctor in the area. He's considered to be a person of great importance. Although Ba Jie Tian is a bit of an outsider, the fishing village and the government have always had an unspoken understanding. Now that they've both sent people over, it's clear that they're here to offer bribes to the county magistrate.

  When the county magistrate of Dangcheng, Mr. Yuanda, was in power, everyone knew that he would take bribes indiscriminately, and now he deliberately detained them in order to extort money; once the money is received, they will naturally be released.

  Shen Hou Pu Ba couldn't wait to leave early, and without saying another word, he hastily left this unlucky place. However, Ba Ji Tian was not in a hurry to leave and instead wanted to stay for a while longer.

  Chen Pi said with a smile: "I say, Old Ba, are you addicted to being in prison?"

  "I get along quite well with this Shi Langzhong, I'd like to chat more, you can make an exception just this once." Ba Jitian refused.

  Chen Pi was taken aback, looked at Shi Wei and seemed to understand something. A hint of disdainful smile appeared on his face: "Old Ba, you can't be thinking of letting this little quack doctor take a look at your illness? That's laughable! Even Shen Langzhong, such a renowned physician, couldn't cure it. What can this little quack do? I think you'd better not rush to seek medical attention and just leave quickly."

  Ba Jitian focused on treating the illness, didn't have the energy to bother with him, so he called in his own men from outside the prison and gave them some low-voiced orders.

  Chen Pi was right next to them, and Ba Jie Tian said something that he heard clearly. A smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Since Old Ba is willing, it's no big deal to stay a bit longer. After all, I'm on duty tonight. If you're interested later, we can have a few more cups together."

  Shi Wei couldn't hear what Ba Jie Tian said in the corner, but judging from Chen Pi's attitude, it was probably Ba Jie Tian who told him to go and arrange for some benefits for this prison head, so he changed his tune so quickly.

  The prison returned to calm, and Ba Jiantian said with a serious face: "Shi Langzhong, since you can save my life, I should keep you out. However, you must know that the crime you committed is treason, and if you want to wash away this crime, you must ask our Fishing Village's Bear Master to take action."

  After hearing Ba Jiantian's words, Shi Wei's heart really let out a sigh of relief. Everything was just as he had initially expected, and the hope of turning his life around was right in front of him.

  However, Shi Wei was not entirely optimistic, and from the tone of this Mr. Ba, it seemed there was more to come.

  It turned out that Ba Jitian changed his tone: "I'm just helping a small person inside, and the bear boss won't spend a lot of money or use his connections to rescue you from prison unless you have value for our bear boss, worth him spending a lot."

  If there hadn't been the slightest chance of that bear helping out, this guy with the surname Ba wouldn't have wasted his breath like this. As soon as he said it, Shi Wei understood the implication behind his words.

  Shi Wei remained expressionless, only smiling faintly and saying: "Apart from my medical skills, I have no other remarkable abilities. From what Brother Ba said, could it be that the leader of your noble organization is also afflicted with a strange illness?"

  "That's not the case." Ba Jie Tian shook his head and said, "Our master is strong and healthy, but he has a younger sister who suffers from a serious illness. If Stone Lang Zhong can cure her disease, our master will spare no expense to clear your name, even if it means bankrupting the family."

  This one and only lifeline, Shi Wei had to pretend to be able to cure it even if he couldn't, but at this critical moment, he couldn't show too much eagerness, or else Ba Jitian would have his suspicions.

  "I don't know what symptoms Miss Xiong has, or how she got them. Brother Ba, you might as well tell me, so I can at least get a general idea and decide whether there's any hope of treating her." Shi Wei was excited in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm as usual.

  Mentioning this old matter, Ba Jiantian couldn't help but sigh: "That was still five or six years ago. At that time, I helped another gang in a bloody battle, and the entire family of the Bear Gang's leader was killed, leaving only this one younger sister alive. However, due to the shock, she contracted a mental illness. Over these many years, the Bear Gang's leader has invited countless famous doctors, but none have been able to cure her illness."

  "Ah, so it was a shock that caused her to go mad." Shi Wei's memories flashed before his eyes, countless similar cases from ancient times to the present. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled and said: "Miss Xiong's madness is not due to brain trauma, which is an unfortunate blessing in disguise. In this case, I have a 70% chance of curing her, but it will still take some time."

  Upon hearing Shi Wei's words, Ba Jitian was overjoyed and leapt up, exclaiming excitedly: "With your assurance, I can rest easy. Please ask Shi Lang to endure a few more days in prison while I go speak with our leader about this matter."

  Ba Jitian made up his mind and immediately wanted to get out of prison.

  After seeing him off, Shi Wei finally let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

  Thinking that he had unexpectedly escaped death, his heart was filled with wild joy.

  Unexpectedly, he sat down with a thud, just touching the wound on his buttocks, and suddenly felt a sharp pain.

  He sucked in a breath and turned sideways, touching his buttocks, and found blood on his palm. He hadn't expected that in the heat of the moment, he had actually burst open the wound.

  At this time, Chen Pi, the head of the prison, sent Ba Jie Tian back and was still holding a basket in his hand, which was filled with watermelons, pears and other fruits.

  He looked suspicious and said: "Young man, what exactly did you say to Old Ba? He even let his men bring you fruit."

  "There's nothing much, I just gave Ba Ye a prescription to cure his illness."

  Shi Wei replied casually, after all, it's not good to make a big fuss about this kind of thing.

  "How about you?"

  Chen Pi sneered and laughed, "Lao Ba has already crippled several famous doctors for that illness, do you think you can cure it? I think you're afraid of death to the point of madness, speaking nonsense to deceive Lao Ba."

  Chen Pi, this small role, Shi Wei didn't bother to explain much to him, but thinking of the wound on his butt, he couldn't help but laugh and say: "Whatever Chen says is whatever. It's just that my butt wound has cracked open, I want to make a prescription, I'd like to trouble Chen Yao to help grab a few herbs, don't know..."

  "In a few days, your head will hit the ground and the wound on your butt won't matter. Just bear with it, in a few more days you'll never feel pain again." Chen Pi impatiently threw the bamboo basket outside the fence.

  Shi Wei was furious when he suddenly smelled a crab flavor in the air, which was probably the bribe that Ba Jie Tian had just sent to the despicable prison head.

  He glanced at the fruit in the basket, his eyes deep in the darkness, and a hint of weirdness flashed across them. Shi Wei said, "I'm injured and shouldn't eat these things. If Master Chen doesn't mind, take them all away."

  Chen Pi Ba couldn't help but do so, and immediately picked up the basket again, with a stern face saying: "It's impossible for me to go catch medicine for you, but adding a few more mantou to your meals is no big deal."

  "Thank you, Master Chen, for taking care of me." Shi Wei bowed his hands in gratitude and said, "I'm also a doctor, after all. If Master Chen has any illness, please don't hesitate to come find me."

  "Damn it! I'm perfectly fine, stop cursing me..."

  Chen Pi scolded and left, his mouth already chewing on the fruit that should have belonged to Shi Wei.

  Looking at that plump back, a cold smile appeared on Shi Wei's face.