Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 44 Zhang family father and son leave home

Summer in the mountains wasn’t as unbearable as one might imagine, especially at night. At noon, however, it was just like anywhere else—bustling. Not with people, but with cicadas.

The midday sun in Paigou Village beat down like a venomous snake. The villagers were either napping or eating watermelon in their air-conditioned rooms; it was difficult to find anyone outside.

The village committee, which had been bustling in the morning, returned to its initial emptiness after the free clinic ended. The shelters and benches had already been packed away.

However, the door to the clinic room was locked tight, with a sign posted on it that read, "In Treatment, Do Not Disturb."

The air conditioner unit hummed, pumping hot air outside. It should have been comfortable inside, yet faint, sharp gasps could be heard from the doorway. In reality, Wang Jian had set the temperature to a perfectly comfortable and cool level, certainly not cold enough to make someone gasp.

There was Cai Xing, lying shirtless on the table, his upper body—aside from his head—nearly covered in silver needles.

The sharp intakes of breath came from Cai Xing’s mouth, but Wang Jian was relentless. His eyes were focused, calmly and decisively finding the right spots to insert the needles. Once in, the silver needles didn’t remain still but oscillated at a specific frequency.

As the number of needles increased, the effect gradually reached a qualitative change. Through this incremental stimulation, Cai Xing’s bodily functions were engaged, and the heat drawn by the qi within him began to dissipate through the silver needles as conductors. This was why Cai Xing kept inhaling sharply; the physical sensation was simply too intense.

"Don’t move! It’s almost over. Just bear with it a little longer," Wang Jian said quickly, seeing Cai Xing’s reaction as he continued to insert the needles.

Cai Xing glared at him. Whenever a doctor says it’s ’almost over,’ it usually means there’s still a long way to go.

Cai Xing couldn’t be bothered to speak. The sensation had gone from a sharp, stabbing pain to an itch, and then to a wave of heat. That’s when things started to feel wrong. He could actually see the silver needles moving on their own, and they were getting hotter and hotter. He felt warmth spreading throughout his body—an experience unlike any he’d ever had.

This heat radiated from his heart, spreading through his entire body.

He started to sweat... and then beads of blood began to form around the silver needles.

Ren Yu drew a sharp breath. "This is not a needling technique I can learn." She was completely dumbfounded, feeling as if her medical studies had been for nothing.

Deng Xianhua heard Ren Yu’s mumble and felt the same way. He had only ever speculated about such techniques in theory. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he could only conclude that his own Acupuncture was a world apart from this. The two techniques weren’t even products of the same dimension. In the end, Deng Xianhua gave up on the idea of learning it. He found a small stool, sat down, and settled in to simply watch.

To Ren Yu, however, this action looked like the calm reaction befitting a master. Mr. Deng truly is a master, to remain so unfazed...

Her soft mumble made Deng Xianhua’s mouth twitch. Unfazed? Young people always overthink things. I’ve clearly given up because I know I can’t learn it.

The entire Acupuncture process lasted for over an hour.

Wang Jian was glad he had listened to Deng Xianhua’s advice to have Cai Xing eat lunch beforehand. This treatment session had significantly improved Cai Xing’s condition, but the agonizing process had nearly left him in a state of collapse.

Once Wang Jian announced it was over and removed all the silver needles, Ren Yu helped Cai Xing sit up. Seeing the dazed, as-if-reborn look on his friend’s face, Deng Xianhua couldn’t help but ask, "How... how do you feel now?"

"I finally made it through," Cai Xing sighed, then said with a wry smile, "I think I finally understand how a pig feels when it’s being slaughtered."

"I really don’t want to go through that a second time."

Deng Xianhua was speechless. Comparing himself to a pig was one thing, but this was only the beginning of the treatment. According to Wang Jian, he would need to come once a week. A week later, he would have to start taking a weekly dose of medicine in combination with Acupuncture. After that, they would adjust the rhythm and treatment method according to his specific situation.

As expected...

Wang Jian was still washing his hands when he heard Cai Xing’s lament. He turned his head and instructed seriously, "That won’t do. Once a week is the minimum; you can’t skip it. Go for a walk first. Your body isn’t as weak as you’re making it out to be."

Cai Xing was stunned. Doesn’t he think I know if I’m weak or not? If Lao Deng wasn’t holding me up, I’d want to lie right back down on the spot. After being treated like a pig on a spit, roasting for an hour, it would be strange if he wasn’t weak.

But after just a couple of steps, Cai Xing noticed something was different. His steps were more agile and powerful than usual, and his body felt much lighter. If Wang Jian hadn’t said anything, he would never have noticed these subtle changes.

For a moment, Cai Xing even thought he had become younger.

It was truly magical. Cai Xing had believed Wang Jian could help him, but he never expected the results to be so quick and so effective.

Without another word, Cai Xing pulled Deng Xianhua outside to feel the sun.

Standing outside the clinic, Cai Xing bathed in the heat waves and felt a genuine vitality surging through him. When he told Deng Xianhua about the feeling, Deng Xianhua simply wore an expression that said it was only to be expected. "You’ve underestimated Wang Jian’s Acupuncture." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Remember our discussion a few days ago about guiding qi into the body?" Deng Xianhua said with a sigh of wonder, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I’ve read about this concept in ancient books, but I always thought it was just part of Chinese medicine’s idea of the body as a microcosm—a rather abstract definition. They are figurative concepts, like ’excess heat’ or ’yin deficiency.’"

Cai Xing nodded, and Deng Xianhua continued, "But I never expected to actually see tangible qi on a needle."

Deng Xianhua left one thought unspoken. If qi can manifest physically, doesn’t that mean the Taoist Qi Cultivation Skill is real? For a luminary like Deng Xianhua, who had studied orthodox medicine his entire life, this was enough to overturn his fundamental understanding of medical science.

The two men stood in the courtyard for a while, contemplating the meaning of what they had just witnessed. They pondered what sort of monster this young acupuncturist was, and what kind of legendary recluse the transcendent master who taught him must be.

They remained at the clinic entrance, their gazes fixed on the distant mountains. After a long moment, Cai Xing suddenly muttered, "So... does this mean I could actually live a few more years?"

"What a stroke of fortune," Deng Xianhua remarked with a sigh, not answering directly.

...

After seeing Deng Xianhua and Cai Xing off, Wang Jian saw there was nothing else to do and decided to close up for the day. As usual, he posted a notice with his contact information at the clinic’s entrance in case of emergencies.

Wang Jian walked Ren Yu home first before heading toward his own house. This was likely to become his daily routine, an idea suggested by his sister-in-law. Of course, Wang Jian didn’t realize that after the scare of Xiao Yu going missing, his sister-in-law was terrified of it happening again, hence the request. Since they lived in the same village just a short walk away, it was no inconvenience. His sister-in-law had no objections, so Wang Jian readily agreed without making a fuss.

After walking her home, it was still early. The sky hadn’t darkened, and the sweltering heat of midday still lingered in the air.

Not far from the Ren family’s home, the Zhang family’s courtyard was visible. From a distance, Wang Jian saw two men pulling suitcases out of the house: Zhang Li and his father, Zhang Quan.

The moment he stepped out, Zhang Li pulled out his phone to make a call. Just as Wang Jian was watching, his own phone started ringing. A glance at the caller ID confirmed it was Zhang Li.

Instead of answering, Wang Jian simply waved his hand to get their attention.

"Hey, you’re done with work this early?" Zhang Li walked over, pulling his suitcase. He glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before saying with a smile, "What a coincidence, running into you right as I was calling. Perfect, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"You’re going to have to help look after Liping for a while..."

"What’s wrong?"

Zhang Li replied in a low voice, "Like I told you before, my dad and I are going to another province for a month... And you, you need to step it up. It’s been so long. How come you never come over to my place or see Liping? Are you going back on your promise to me?"

"No, not at all," Wang Jian started to say, but he could only manage a wry smile and assure him that wasn’t the case. "What are you two doing that you have to be gone for a whole month?"

"Just business. We have to collect a debt... It probably won’t be easy. We’re prepared for it to take at least a month; we’re in for the long haul," Zhang Li said in a low, somber voice. "Don’t worry, we won’t be back anytime soon."

"That’s not what I meant." Wang Jian waved his hand dismissively. He wasn’t worried about when Zhang Li would return. Given Li Liping’s current state of mind, he didn’t even need to be proactive. An early or late return wouldn’t change a thing. After all, that woman had already blown the horn for him. It was the first time he had experienced all its... intricate flavors. Now, faced with Zhang Li, his mind involuntarily conjured the scene from that day—the seductive way she had looked up at him was simply incomparable. With that image seared into his mind, here he was, ironically speaking to Li Liping’s husband. Zhang Li was completely unaware of what had happened, as Li Liping had done it behind his back. Wang Jian didn’t dare mention it, and instead, a peculiar thrill surfaced in his heart.