Chapter 11 Obtaining the Medical Book
"Dr. Shen, Dr. Shen, please wait a moment." Hearing the panting voice, Shen Qingtang stopped and asked, "Grandma Chen, is there something you need?"
Grandma Chen pursed her lips, glanced at the several medical books Shen Qingtang was carrying, and as if she had made up her mind, said, "Dr. Shen, you are a good doctor. Thank you for saving my granddaughter and for refusing to accept money."
She licked her lips and carefully took out a book box from the bottom of the basket, saying, "I have a medical book here that should be very useful to you. I'll sell it to you for 20,000 yuan, okay?"
She seemed a little uneasy, and fearing that Shen Qingtang might misunderstand, she quickly explained, "Doctor Shen, I really don't want to cheat you out of your money. This 'Complete Collection of Ancient Prescriptions from Huangpu' is a medical book passed down from generation to generation in our family. It is definitely worth the price."
"It's a pity that no one in our lineage knows medicine. Rather than letting it rot and be burned as firewood, I'd rather give it to you."
Seeing the other person's nervous expression, Shen Qingtang didn't immediately refuse. This seemingly ordinary book box was surprisingly heavy. Inside was a thick ancient medical book, and the increasingly pristine paper at the back revealed the "efforts" of its later generations. She initially flipped through it casually, but her expression quickly changed as she realized the unusual nature of this ancient medical book.
His fingertips trembled slightly for a moment, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
This book, *The Complete Collection of Ancient Prescriptions by Huangpu*, is actually a work written by Huangpu Mi, a medical scientist from the Wei and Jin Dynasties! He was one of the ten most famous doctors in history, alongside Hua Tuo, Sun Simiao, and Li Shizhen, and had considerable expertise in acupuncture. He authored *The Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion*, which summarized the achievements of acupuncture before the Jin Dynasty and is the first monograph on acupuncture in Chinese history. He also authored *The Century of Emperors*.
Once upon a time, everyone thought that these medical treasures had been lost in the war, but no one expected that the Huangpu branch of the family would carry these books down from generation to generation. Later generations painstakingly studied and compiled them into articles, so that they could be passed down from generation to generation.
What shocked Shen Qingtang even more was that one of the pages specifically introduced the treatment method of the Thirteen Ghost Needles.
The so-called Thirteen Ghost Needles refer to certain deadly acupuncture points in the human body that are generally untouchable by ordinary people. However, a special group of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners possess extremely advanced acupuncture skills and can use unorthodox methods to treat and save lives, especially for patients with paralysis. This set of acupuncture techniques is known as the Thirteen Ghost Needles.
In addition, there is a rather domineering rumor about it—that if you get thirteen needles, you can come out unharmed even if you enter the gates of hell.
Therefore, the Thirteen Ghost Needles technique became increasingly mystical and exaggerated over time. Unfortunately, the orthodox lineage has long been lost to history, leaving only a few traces. Most of the current Thirteen Ghost Needles techniques are figuratively developed by later generations based on fragmented ancient Chinese medical texts. The therapeutic effects are questionable, and the needling method is extremely difficult to master, so it has gradually fallen out of favor.
But Shen Qingtang immediately conjured up a diagram of the acupoints in her mind, clearly marking how to use the needle, how much force...
At the same time, she realized that this must be the treatment she had been searching for to cure Brother Qin's legs. As long as she practiced diligently and continued to practice, she would surely be able to help Brother Qin stand up again.
Even though Shen Qingtang is usually not very emotional, she now felt like she had found something she had been searching for without any effort, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
She was determined to have this book!
Before she could speak, a soft voice suddenly came, saying anxiously, "Fifty thousand, Grandma will give fifty thousand."
"Just sell me this medical book."
The familiar voice made Shen Qingtang pause slightly, followed by the sound of high heels clicking. She looked up slightly, and a figure that was both expected and unexpected appeared in front of her—it was Shen Ruowan, the female protagonist of the original book.
Shen Ruowan seemed to have just noticed Shen Qingtang opposite her, and said in a gentle tone, "Qingtang, what are you doing here?"
Shen Qingtang uttered two words calmly: "Buy books." Then, she looked at Grandma Chen and said, "Grandma Chen, I'll take the medical books. Did you bring your bankbook?"
Seeing Shen Qingtang ignoring her and making the transaction on her own, Shen Qingtang felt a little annoyed, but soon a gentle smile appeared on her lips as she advised, "Sister Qingtang, this ancient medical book is very professional. Most people wouldn't understand it even if they bought it. Why waste your money?" She seemed to be a good older sister who was truly on the other person's side, suggesting, "Why don't you just give it to me?"
Then she looked at Grandma Chen, took out a bank card and said, "Grandma, sell it to me, and you'll get 50,000 right away."
As a popular young actress, Shen Ruowan's schedule is always packed, and today is no exception. Besides catching up on some scenes from a slow-paced variety show, she also needs to strengthen her relationships with her fellow apprentices, especially Huang Linli's daughter, Ge Youan.
But for some unknown reason, a conflict suddenly broke out between the two, and the reservation at the popular restaurant had to be canceled. Just as she was about to drive away, she suddenly saw Shen Qingtang and a blue, tattered medical book in her hand.
Shen Ruowan wasn't actually interested in medicine; she would only buy medical books to pretend to know what they were. But that ancient medical book gave her a very different feeling.
She hadn't even seen the book title, yet her heart suddenly began to pound, a deep-seated longing spreading through her entire body.
want to.
She was quite certain that she really wanted to get her hands on that ancient medical book.
Even though she couldn't figure it out at all, she was still willing to offer a high price of 50,000.
Shen Qingtang suddenly felt annoyed by Shen Ruowan's arrogance. In fact, Shen Ruowan and Ge Youan were both arrogant people, but the former was too good at hiding it under her innocent face.
She looked at the other person coldly and said, "How do you know I'm useless?" She held the ancient medical book, her thumb unconsciously rubbing the cover pages. She was always detached from emotions and wouldn't give an extra glance to unimportant people. Apart from wanting to change the original owner's fate, she had no intention of competing with this female protagonist.
However, this book contained a method for treating Brother Qin's thigh injury, so she could not back down.
Even if the other party is a female protagonist with protagonist aura.
Grandma Chen waved her hand and said, "Fifty thousand is too much, twenty thousand will do." Her implication was that she was politely declining.
Hearing this, Shen Ruowan's smile faltered for a moment. She gently advised in a sisterly tone, "Qingtang, you don't know medicine. This medical book is practically useless to you. Why don't you let me make the most of it?"
Seeing that Shen Qingtang's expression was cold and she refused to back down, she changed her target and persuaded her: "Grandma, you may not know me, but I am Huang Linli's apprentice. I really need this medical book."
Her words were sincere and touching, and coupled with her consistently gentle appearance, Shen Ruowan was certain that the other party would respectfully hand over the medical book to her. However, she never expected that Ge Youan's use of Huang Linli's name had already aroused the resentment of many people.
Grandma Chen was one of them, so she snorted and immediately turned hostile, saying, "Well, another disciple of Elder Huang has arrived. There are so many swindlers these days."
"I would rather tear this medical book up than sell it to you." After saying that, he looked at Shen Qingtang with a hesitant look and said, "Doctor Shen, if you think the price of 20,000 is too high, you can give me 2,000 less."
She rubbed her fingers together, looking a little embarrassed, and said, "We still need to save up for Xiaohua's tuition, so we can't lower the price any further."
Hearing this, Shen Ruowan was furious. She couldn't buy it even at a high price, but Shen Qingtang was able to enjoy the treatment of being offered a price reduction.
But thankfully, the actor's expression only froze for a moment before returning to normal.
Shen Qingtang waved her hand and said, "No, I just thought it was too low." The value of this ancient medical book is immeasurable. She looked directly at the other person and said, "Grandma Chen, I can only give you two hundred thousand right now. Can you accept that?"
"Two...two hundred thousand?" The old lady repeated with difficulty, her mouth seemingly burning with saliva. She swallowed hard and quickly waved her hand, saying, "Dr. Chen, two hundred thousand is just too...too much."
Shen Ruowan's face darkened as well. She had thought that her asking price of 50,000 was high enough, but Shen Qingtang casually asked for 200,000.
Even though they've practically severed ties with the Shen family, how come they're still so rich?
She forced a smile and said, "Qingtang, don't be angry with me. How could a medical book be worth two hundred thousand?"
Shen Qingtang ignored Shen Ruowan's words and solemnly said, "It's worth it."
Putting aside the fact that this book is Huangpu Mi's own work, it also contains a detailed record of the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Doctor.
Compared to the cost of curing Qin Guanlan's legs, a mere 200,000 yuan is an incredibly good deal.
Shen Qingtang didn't give Grandma Chen any excuse to refuse, and took her straight to a nearby bank, where they completed the transaction and transfer directly.
Grandma Chen counted the numerous zeros on her bankbook, her eyes reddening and moist, but she couldn't hide her excitement as she said, "This old woman has never seen so much money in her entire life."
"Dr. Shen, you are such a good person. From now on, our whole family will be able to live a good life."
Shen Qingtang patted her on the shoulder, "This is what you deserve."
Grandma Chen smiled, took out the book box again, patted it in a few places, shook it a few times, and said, "Doctor Chen, I hope you can keep this set of gold needles safe for the Chen family."
She wasn't originally planning to take it out, but... well, Dr. Shen is just too kind.
A mechanism popped out from the bottom of the unassuming book box. She pressed the password, and the middle compartment extended out.
Inside was a complete set of gold needles, some as fine as cow hair, some as thick as a club, some as long as a meter, and some as short as a millimeter... In addition, there were metal sheets of various shapes, all tightly wrapped in fine, smooth brocade cloth, and were very well preserved.
A glint of light flashed in Shen Qingtang's eyes. No wonder she felt something was so heavy back then; it turned out there was such a treasure hidden inside.
However, because the ancient book was too thick, she didn't think about it too much. It's conceivable that if Grandma Chen hadn't told her, she would never have discovered this secret.
Therefore, she nodded solemnly and promised, "I will, Grandma Chen."
With this set of golden needles, mastering the Thirteen Ghost Needles is only a matter of time.
Looking at the mugwort in the basket on Grandma Chen's back, Shen Qingtang asked with concern, "Grandma Chen, are you going to sell this mugwort to the pharmacy?"
The old woman nodded and said, "That's right, this can sell for twenty yuan. I'm going to Tongji Pharmacy."
Hearing this, Shen Qingtang couldn't help but wonder, "Isn't there a Renxin Pharmacy nearby? Are there really such big differences in the prices charged by different pharmacies?" Renxin Pharmacy is just one kilometer away, while Tongji Medical Clinic is two kilometers away. Why go to such lengths?
The old woman waved her hand and said, "There's not much difference, it's just that Renxin Pharmacy is about to close down, so they don't accept many patients."
Shen Qingtang's heart skipped a beat, wondering why her own pharmacy had suddenly gone out of business.
She frowned and pressed, "Why is that?"
The old lady was grateful for Shen Qingtang's generosity and naturally answered all her questions without reservation.
It turned out that the manager of Renxin Pharmacy was jealous of talent and drove away all the doctors who worked there. With fewer people going there for treatment, there was naturally no profit.
"Is that so?" Shen Qingtang said in a low voice, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, but what came to mind was the large batch of medicinal herb purchase orders that the other party had sent last month.
If the company is going to go bankrupt, why are they still ordering so much stock?
She wandered around Renxin Medical Clinic and, apart from noticing that the pharmacy across the street was under renovation, she didn't see anything unusual.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
