185 Living in Hell

The patient's condition was the most serious Wang Yao had ever encountered. Her illness was the most difficult to treat so far. Given his current ability, Wang Yao was not confident in curing her at all.

Treating her illness was like reviving a dead tree or a skeleton. It was too difficult, as difficult as walking on the narrow path to Sichuan.

"Doctor, my daughter..." said a middle-aged woman softly.

One herbal pill saved the life of a person who nearly died. This was not just magic.

Xue's family actually had given up on Xue. But Wang Yao gave them hope again. It was like a drowning person grabbing a life-saving straw.

How exciting it would be for a desperate person to see hope! No one would know the feeling if they didn't experienced it.

"She is beyond cure!" said Wang Yao.

However, just these four words were like an exceptionally heavy load falling down on Xue's family members. Wang Yao's words almost smashed their hope.

"Do you have any ways to save her?" asked Dr. Chen.

"I don't know at this stage." Wang Yao shook his head. Wang Yao's answer surprised Dr. Chen.

"What do you mean by you don't know? You either have a way to save her or not. How can you say that you don't know?" said Dr. Chen.

"I need to think about it," said Wang Yao.

"Okay," said Dr. Chen.

"Can I see her wounds?" asked Wang Yao.

"Of course," said Dr. Chen.

The medical gauze which was used to cover Xue's body was lifted. Wang Yao could see Xue's skin which could no longer be called normal skin. Her skin was full of oozing ulcers. Some areas were rotten to the core where Wang Yao could see her bones. The was scar tissue everywhere, too. They were like mother earth being invaded by a flood, or a jungle on fire. It really shocked Wang Yao.

What kinds of wounds are they?!

Wang Yao didn't expect to see what he had seen. He took a look at Xue's face. Xue was still in a coma.

She must have suffered a great deal by having this wicked disease! It must be great torture to live like this, and it is a miracle she's still alive.

Wang Yao admired Xue's strong will and perseverance. Normal people couldn't suffer the pain brought on by the ulcers all over the body.

Wang Yao didn't say anything after seeing Xue's skin. Although he knew about Xue's condition through reading medical notes brought by Guo Sirou, he just realized how difficult it would be to treat Xue's disease after seeing her with his own eyes. Her condition was definitely amongst the most difficult-to-treat diseases. It was as bad as cancer.

"Let's go outside and let Xue rest." Wang Yao stood up.

He had temporarily kept Xue's life and had a fairly good knowledge of Xue's condition. But, he hadn't come up with a treatment plan. There was no point in staying here.

"Okay," said Xue's mother.

Xue's parents walked Wang Yao out of the room. Dr. Chen continued to stay in the room. He sat next to the bed and checked Xue's pulse. He looked very focused.

"Dr. Wang, what's next?" asked Xue's mother.

"I need to find a quiet place to settle first," said Wang Yao calmly.

"I have arranged a place for you. Please come with me," said Chen Boyuan who had been waiting outside.

There was a car outside the house. Xue's parents and other family members walked Wang Yao to the door. The car then took Wang Yao to a place only a couple miles away from Xue's house.

"This is...?" Wang Yao was surprised to see a small, quiet cottage in front of him.

He was in Beijing where an inch of land was worth an inch of gold. How much was this cottage worth!?

"How do you like this place?" asked Chen Boyuan.

"I'll be here alone?" asked Wang Yao.

"Yes." Chen Boyuan had become very polite to Wang Yao as he knew Wang Yao had successfully kept Xue alive. Wang Yao was the savior of Xue's family, the most respectable guest. Wang Yao was even a better doctor than Dr. Chen. He was as rare as the hair of a phoenix and the horns of a giraffe. Chen Boyuan thought he must treat Wang Yao with great care.

"How luxurious!" said Wang Yao softly.

Prestigious families are really different!

"Please come in," said Chen Boyuan.

Wang Yao pushed the door and entered the garden of the cottage. Trees and flowers were planted in the front garden which looked antique. Wang Yao guessed the cottage was resemblant of the Ming or Qing Dynasty.

"Hello, Uncle Chen." A very good-looking girl came out of the room and walked towards them.

"Hello, Ying, this is Mr. Wang, our important guest. He will stay here for a while. Please treat him well," said Chen Boyuan.

"Sure, not a problem. Hello, Mr. Wang," said Ying with a smile. She showed her two dimples and two impacted canine teeth when smiling, which looked quite lovely.

"Hello, and this is...?" Wang Yao looked at Chen Boyuan in confusion.

"She will be responsible for your meals and things of your daily life. She can also help you with other matters if required. You just need to let her know," said Chen Boyuan.

"Thank you, but I can take care of myself." Wang Yao shook his head.

He was just an ordinary person, so he didn't need a servant.

"This is the least we can do for you. Call me if you need me." Chen Boyuan turned around and left without lingering. He left the car outside the cottage with the car key still inside.

Then Ying led Wang Yao to the rooms of the cottage.

Wang Yao thanked Ying and told her that he could manage himself. It was uncomfortable for Wang Yao to be with a stranger in the room.

The room was spacious, and the decoration was simple and nice with good taste. Some of the furniture looked quite old.

How am I going to treat Xue's disease? Wang Yao thought.

Wang Yao started to think of a treatment plan for Xue after sitting down.

"Dr. Chen, how is Xue?" asked Xue's mother.

Inside Xue's house, her family was concerned.

"Well, she's out of danger for now," said Dr. Chen.

"Really?" exclaimed Xue's mother.

"Yes, according to her pulse, she should survive for another seven days," said Dr. Chen.

"Seven days? What will happen after seven days?" asked Xue's mother.

"You have to ask that Dr. Wang you invited here and see if he can do anything to save Xue," said Dr. Chen.

"I heard from Boyuan that he won't stay here for more than two days," said a middle-aged man.

"Two days?" Dr. Chen shook his head.

"What?" asked the middle-aged man.

"I don't think he will be able to cure Xue within two days unless he is a god!" said Dr. Chen.

"Dr. Chen, what do you think of Dr. Wang?" asked the middle-aged man.

"I'm not sure how good he exactly is as a doctor, but he definitely is not a lousy doctor. His herbal pill almost brought Xue back from death. I've only seen such wonderful pills twice in my whole life," said Dr. Chen. "No ordinary doctor would possess such wonderful herbal pills. Maybe he will figure out a way to cure Xue."

"Then we should try to keep him here a bit longer," said Xue's mother.

"We've made a promise before he came," said the middle-aged man. "According to Boyuan, he lives like a recluse and stays on the hill all the time. He doesn't like to be disrupted, let alone to be forced to do anything against his will."

"Can you change his mind with affection?" asked Dr. Chen with a smile.

...

Inside a quiet cottage, Wang Yao looked at the trees in the garden and forgot where he was.

Internal organs, meridians, bones, skin...She is sick inside out. I have to save her life before treating the ulcers. Saving her life is my priority. A prolongation pill is magical, but how long will its effects last on her? Wang Yao had no idea. He had never had a chance to test it.

It seems I should use that herbal formula almost suitable for everyone first.

Wang Yao decided to use Regather soup to consolidate Xue's corporeity.

The quality of air in Beijing was not very good, which was known by everyone. Wang Yao thought the sky in Beijing was much less blue than the sky in his village. It started to get dark already at 5 pm. It was still bright in Lianshan at this time of the day.

The air is too polluted here. It is not good for your health to live here for too long.

Wang Yao looked around and saw the tall buildings which almost touched the clouds in the sky.

Such an international city full of buildings was surely lacking a sense of nature.

While Wang Yao was standing in the garden and looking around, Chen Boyuan came back.

"Mr. Wang, Xue's parents, invite you for dinner to express their gratitude," said Chen Boyuan.

"Thank them for me, but I prefer to eat here," said Wang Yao with a smile. He didn't like social dinners. The food might not be tasty, and he wouldn't feel comfortable having dinner with people he was not familiar with.

"It's just a simple dinner. What do you think?" Chen Boyuan was not sure what else he could say.

"Okay, by the way, I need a favor," said Wang Yao.

"How can I help?" asked Chen Boyuan.

"I have a list of herbs here that I need. Could you please buy them for me?" said Wang Yao.

"No problem." Chen Boyuan had a quick look at the list then turned around and left. He informed Ying that Wang Yao was going to have dinner before leaving.

Xue's parents invited Wang Yao to have dinner at a private restaurant located on a quiet street.

"Dr. Wang, thank you for saving Xue's life," said Xue's mother.

The girl who had been lying in bed and suffering pain from a horrible disease was called Su Xiaoxue. Her father was an elegant gentleman, and he had fair skin. He had a square forehead and bright eyes. Her mother was also an elegant woman. She looked well-educated. Wang Yao guessed that she was from a big and prominent family.

They were very nice to Wang Yao, making him feel like home, so Wang Yao didn't feel uncomfortable while having dinner. Sure enough though, Su Xiaoxue's parents didn't forget to ask Wang Yao about their daughter's disease.

"I will try my best," said Wang Yao. It was all he could say for now.

"Thank you so much! Let us know if you need anything," said Su Xiaoxue's mother.

"Sure," said Wang Yao.

Ying drove Wang Yao back to the cottage after dinner, and Chen Boyuan had bought all the herbs and items on the list Wang Yao gave to him.

Wang Yao needed herbs, firewood, and clay pot. Wang Yao had all the herbs for Regather soup ready at night.

Beijing was still very much alive at night.

Conversation continued in Su Xiaoxue's house.

"How is Xiaoxue?" asked one of Su Xiaoxue's family members.

"Her life was saved, but she is still quite ill..." said a family friend.

"It's good enough to keep her alive. But sometimes, I wonder whether it is a good thing to live like that," said another family friend.

"Su Xiaoxue's family invited a young doctor here. I heard that doctor is very good!" said a servant.

"A young doctor?" asked another servant.

"Yes, but we shouldn't talk about it. Our master had told us not to!" said the previous servant.

"I see," said the other servant.