These words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere. The faces of the people who had been incited by Li Xingzhou changed slightly, and their gazes toward him shifted from suspicion to resentment.

Yes, no matter how you look at it, a counterfeit can't be better than the real thing.

They've lived all these years and have never heard of such a principle.

Then there's only one possibility: everything Li Xingzhou said was a lie!

The so-called Li family ancestral medicine recipe is all a scam!

If Xu Xinghe hadn't stopped them yesterday, they probably would have all used this harmful drug!

The man wasn't finished yet, he continued, "My dad eats and uses the exact same things as before, and he even washes his hands before applying the medicine. Comrade Xu's medicine works perfectly when applied directly, and he can still work without worrying about getting it dirty. Why did yours cause problems? I, Liu Laosan, swear here and now that if I'm lying, may my children be born without an anus!"

A commotion erupted in the crowd.

To give birth to a child without an anus is truly a vicious oath!

Li Xingzhou's face turned pale and then red, his gentle and refined mask shattered completely, leaving only the sinister look in his eyes.

These troublemakers don't understand medicine, but they know how to manipulate people's hearts!

Once this vow is made, even those who don't believe it will come to believe it.

Not to mention that Heilongjiang Province was always rife with supernatural and mysterious things.

The dean also believed it, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he watched the increasingly agitated villagers.

He had vaguely heard about Li Xingzhou and Xu Xinghe before, but he just took it as a casual overhearing and didn't pay any attention to it.

Who cares whose prescription it is, as long as it cures people.

Moreover, both of them were from Shanghai and had connections. He just wanted to do his job as the hospital director and didn't want to offend either side, so he simply turned a blind eye.

But right now, Li Xingzhou's medicine has turned him into this state!

Sores oozing pus, high fever, and coma—this isn't treating the illness; it's clearly harming the person!

"Stop arguing, get the old man to the hospital for emergency treatment first!"

"No!" The man blocked the oxcart, his eyes red-rimmed. "No one is allowed to touch my father until we give you an explanation! Dr. Li, were you doing this on purpose? Did you put poison in the ointment to harm people? You can't just carry my father in like this without getting to the bottom of this!"

Who knows if they'll survive if they're carried inside?

Once you actually get into the military, the nature of the matter will be completely different.

When the time comes, these doctors can easily make harming people appear as saving them with a few words.

They need to keep a close eye on things to prevent any mishaps.

The man sneered, "What exactly is going on with this medicine? For the sake of our village, I have to find out today!"

The surrounding villagers immediately echoed their sentiments; they were also concerned about this matter.

"Exactly! His medicine looks exactly the same as Comrade Xu's. Who would dare to use it now? What if we end up like this after using it?"

"Comrade Xu's medicine worked quite well for us before, but now... sigh, we really have no confidence."

"What if these two drugs are mixed together? We won't be able to tell the real one from the fake one!"

Even the soldiers guarding the door were somewhat moved, and subconsciously touched the chilblains on their hands that had just begun to heal.

Previously, Xu Xinghe's ointment had been very effective, but after this incident, seeing the redness and swelling on my hands gradually subside, I inexplicably felt a bit worried.

Could this improvement be just temporary?

What if it gets even worse later?

Surrounded by enemies, Li Xingzhou felt a sharp pain in his wrist, making his already pale face look even worse, but he was unable to defend himself.

He knew that this time he was probably completely finished!

The villagers became more and more excited as they spoke.

"What exactly happened? Give me a straight answer! Is this medicine safe to use?"

"We've also got chilblains on our hands. Are they never going to heal?"

"We've been working so hard because we heard you have medicine that can cure people."

Since their own safety was at stake, everyone's eyes were fixed on Li Xingzhou, as if trying to find the answer in his face.

Forced into a corner by this situation, the dean could only turn to Li Xingzhou and say, "What time is it? Are you still hiding things? Tell the truth right now, what's going on with this medicine? This is a matter of life and death!"

Li Xingzhou, however, acted as if he hadn't heard a word and didn't say a word.

From beginning to end, all he cared about was his own future and reputation.

What does it matter to him whether these villagers live or die?

All he needs to do is protect himself.

Under the dean's repeated questioning, Li Xingzhou pursed his lips and finally spoke, "My medicine is absolutely fine. He must have done something to cause this."

"You're talking nonsense!" The man was completely enraged by his unrepentant attitude, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to rush forward. "I'll tear your stinking mouth apart today!"

The hospital director reacted quickly, reaching out to stop him. "Calm down! The most important thing right now is the patient's safety! Save the patient first!"

The man abruptly shook off his hand, a calculating glint in his eyes.

Actually, he had already consulted the village's barefoot doctor, who said that his father just had a high fever and was not in any immediate danger of dying.

We should take advantage of this incident to make a bigger scene so we can extort more money from this doctor surnamed Li.

At that time, not only will we have money to buy food, but we might even be able to arrange my younger brother's marriage.

He plopped down on the ground, shouting, "I don't care! I need an explanation today! I want to see the political commissar! I think you two are clearly in cahoots, conspiring to harm us ordinary people!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people shouted that they wanted to see the political commissar, and the scene became increasingly chaotic.

Li Xingzhou stood there, watching the situation spiral out of control once again, his face extremely grim, but he couldn't think of any way to salvage it.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Political Commissar Wang strode into the crowd, asking, "What's going on?"

Upon seeing him, the man immediately suppressed most of his tantrums and even straightened his back slightly when he stood up.

Bullying doctors and soldiers might not be a big deal, but the person in front of them is the real power holder in the military. It's best for ordinary people like them not to offend him.

"Political Commissar! You have to stand up for us!" The man's voice was trembling with tears as he recounted the whole story.

Finally, he wiped away non-existent tears, forcing his eyes to turn red. "Please, give me justice! This quack doctor can't be allowed to harm anyone else! And my father, he can't just die like this, what will my brothers and I do?"

Political Commissar Wang frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping over Li Xingzhou. "What exactly happened? Explain yourself."

Li Xingzhou gritted his teeth and repeated, "My medicine is fine; it's his own improper care that's the problem."

"Forget it, let's not argue about this for now." Political Commissar Wang realized that he couldn't get anything out of him, so he turned to the hospital director and said, "Go and check on the old man's condition first, and get him treated. That way, everyone can calm down. It's not a good idea to keep making a scene at the entrance."

The dean quickly stepped forward again to examine the festering frostbite, then examined the old man's eyelids. After a moment, he straightened up and shook his head. "Something's not right. This doesn't seem like a normal wound infection; it looks more like the wound has been enlarged due to drug irritation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Li Xingzhou. "Moreover, I'm certain this medicine is different from Comrade Xu's. I've seen the effects of Comrade Xu's medicine; it genuinely promotes wound healing. The fact that the wound is worsening shows that it doesn't have any healing effect at all."

The implication is that there's something wrong with Li Xingzhou's medicine!

These two drugs are definitely not the same.

Then Li Xingzhou was lying about the prescription. It really was the Li family's ancestral prescription. How could he be wrong?

The dean's words exposed his lies more effectively than any accusation!

Li Xingzhou's face was ashen, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

He still appeared aloof and unrepentant.

The man's anger flared up instantly. "It's you! You patted your chest and said your medicine was exactly the same as Comrade Xu's, and that's why my dad believed you! Now that my dad is like this, you have to take full responsibility! Not a penny less for medical expenses! If anything happens to him, our whole family will come to the military headquarters every day to mourn!"

Political Commissar Wang didn't want to listen to their argument anymore. Saving lives was the most important thing now; the truth or falsehood was secondary. "Then how do we treat them?"

The dean opened his mouth, "This... we should treat the wound first, wash away the residual irritating medication, and then apply a healing-promoting medicine. But the wound is too badly ulcerated, so surgery is necessary to drain the pus. Some of the necrotic tissue will probably have to be removed, otherwise it won't heal at all, and there's a high probability of infection later."

He paused, his voice lower, "Especially the little finger of my right hand and those toes, the infection is too deep, they can't be saved."