With the barrel finished, only the details were left to be done.

  Su Xiaoxue was very excited to help up since she had never done anything like that before. She enjoyed busy work.

  The barrel for the medicinal bath, as well as the other supplementary facilities, took them a day and a half to finish.

  “Do we just have the patient sit in there, fill the barrel with medicine, and heat the barrel from below?” Su Xiaoxue asked.

  “That is roughly how the process will be carried out,” Wang Yao said. “There are still many other things to take care of first.”


  The medicinal bath process included extensive pharmaceutical knowledge and healing techniques. The concoction of the medicinal solution, temperature, and patient’s condition, along with steaming it, boiling it, or even cooking it, had to be considered. It was not just a simple notion of having the patient sit in it and be done with it.

  “I shall watch from the side then,” Su Xiaoxue said.

  “No problem,” Wang Yao replied with a smile.

  In the Valley of Thousands of Medicines, thousands of miles away……

  Miao Zhengnan, who had recently returned from Lianshan County, was finally cured of his condition.

  “Sir.”


  “How do you feel?” Miao Xihe asked. “Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?”


  “No, I’m fine now,” Miao Zhengnan replied.

  “That’s good to hear,” Miao Xihe said.

  Miao Qingfeng showed up shortly after he said that.

  “I’ll excuse myself, Sir,” Miao Zhengnan said.

  “Sure, rest well,” Miao Xihe replied.

  “Is there anything you need from me, Sir?”


  “Get someone to take a look at things over at that village,” Miao Xihe said. “It can’t be someone from our place.”


  “Do you mean that tiny village in the north where Wang Yao is?” Miao Qingfeng asked.

  “Correct.”


  Miao Xihe had been able to learn a thing or two about the doctor. That man was a famous young doctor in the village, and he had excellent healing skills. His reputation was up in the clouds. He even had quite a number of people from far away seek treatment from him. It was just recently that Miao Xihe had learned about the young doctor, who was all the way in the north. That area was not part of Miao Xihe’s territory, so his people had only been able to gather a little information.

  “Alright, I’ll get to it right away,” Miao Qingfeng said.

  In the southern mountain of that northern village, thousands of miles away……

  Smoke was billowing from a pot. The fragrance of herbs wafted everywhere.

  Wang Yao was cooking medicine inside his clinic.

  The wood was steadily burning. The medicinal soup in the multifunctional pot for herbs was brought to a boil. He had extracted the medicinal properties of several herbs out, which would be added to the solution later.

  Wang Yao did not need to check the color of the soup. He was able to tell how well the medicines were cooked or if he needed to add wood to the fire solely from the scent of the solution.

  “What kind of medicine are you cooking?” Su Xiaoxue asked.

  “Mainly the ones to consolidate the corporeity, and two other herbs for strengthening the muscles and tendons,” Wang Yao said.

  When they last met in Jing, the young man from the He family had been seriously ill. Being afflicted with such an illness meant that he had to stay in bed most of the time. If he sat up, he was not able to move very much. Living creatures needed movement to feel alive. If a person refrained from moving for prolonged periods, circulation worsened and blockages happened throughout the body. It made a person constantly feel lethargic, which, in turn, worsened their health. That young man needed his corporeity consolidated before anything else. The medicine to be used had two main ingredients.

  The Polygonum Vine strengthened muscles and meridians.

  The Iron Plum Blossom, which looked like plum blossoms made of iron, strengthened tendons and bones.

  Those two magic herbs mainly served to strengthen the body as a whole. That was especially important since the young man’s problem lied within his bones.

  Of course, nimbus was also included, which was hardly found anywhere else outside of the southern mountain. Wang Yao was already capable of incorporating a certain amount of the nimbus into the medicinal solution, which had mystical purposes as well.

  “Is this illness of his difficult to treat?” Su Xiaoxue asked.

  “Definitely, and it will be rather time-consuming,” Wang Yao replied.

  The illness was considered terminal in terms of modern medicine because there was no way to truly get rid of it. Unlike malignant tumors, which quickly spread and claimed a patient’s life, this illness did not spread. Regardless, it still rendered the patient unable to live a normal life for as long as they lived. Their lives might have been not well-lived, but there was a possibility of living a long life.

  “As long as there is still hope, it’s better to spend more time on it,” Su Xiaoxue said.

  She immediately recalled how she had been bedridden a few years ago. She had been in a lot more pain than that young man was, but she had made it through like a butterfly emerging out of a cocoon. She was now living a life that she had not even dared to dream about in the past.

  She believed that it was possible for that young man as well.

  Wang Yao only cooked one medicine throughout the morning. This was the most crucial time. It was when the life force and Yang aura were thickest.

  “It’s done.”


  Wang Yao put the solution inside a porcelain bottle.

  After the eighth day of the New Year, more patients started showing up at the clinic.

  Two cars with license plates from Jing drove into the village early that morning.

  A few people got out of the cars. They were carrying quite a few things as they walked into the clinic.

  “Dr. Wang, Xiaoxue.”


  “Good day, Auntie,” Su Xiaoxue eagerly greeted the people.

  “Good day, have a seat.”


  The teenage young man still looked pale and lethargic. Ever since he had been afflicted with the disease, his family had sought treatment everywhere. All the flames of hope in him had been gradually extinguished. He dared not perform any high-intensity exercises. He did not even run or jump. Even a minor fall caused his bones to break. He was like a flower entirely incapable of standing against the harsh conditions of the world outside that needed to be meticulously cared for in a sheltered environment. He found such a life to be meaningless and had enough of it. He now thought death was a release for him.

  Wang Yao meticulously checked the young man’s body.

  “Well, he’s slightly better than when I last saw him,” he said.

  “Really? I don’t feel any better,” the young man quipped.

  “Xiao Rui,” his mother called out from behind him.

  “It’s fine.” Wang Yao smiled. “That bit of improvement is something that was probably not able to notice.”


  “Ms. Zhao, I need to elaborate my treatment plan to you before proceeding from here,” Wang Yao said.

  “Alright, sure, Dr. Wang.”


  Wang Yao told the middle-aged woman the treatment plan that he had drafted.

  “Alright, we’ll do whatever we need to do on our side to help,” the woman said. For years, she had been going to many places to treat her son’s illness. They had seen many renowned doctors. If a person started to spend enough time around the sick, or was sick themselves, the person started to gain some knowledge about medicine and healing,. As such, she was rather familiar with medicinal practices. However, the mystical treatment plan Wang Yao had put forth was something she had never heard of.

  “Alright, we can begin treatment in the morning,” Wang Yao said. “Your son’s treatment will take longer to complete.”


  “We can wait,” the woman replied.

  “That is great.”


  Wang Yao went to prepare the medicinal bath. He dumped huge amounts of herbs into the barrel according to a planned ratio. The water was collected from the eastern mountain. A little bit of ancient spring water was added to the mix before the water was brought to a boil.

  “Come, drink this first.” Wang Yao gave the young man a bowl of medicine that he cooked beforehand.

  Shortly after taking the bowl, the young man downed the entire bowl without the slightest bit of hesitation.

  He had been taking all sorts of medicines for many years, be it solid, liquid, or patches. He had taken so much medicine that he had gotten used to the variety of tastes they brought.

  That bowl of medicine was warm. It did not taste particularly weird.

  “Alright, lie down,” Wang Yao said.

  The young man lied down. Wang Yao quickly used some special methods to stimulate the young man’s main meridians and pressure points before proceeding with acupuncture.

  He did not hesitate while applying the needles. He stuck them in and adjusted them in a manner that only those who were learned in the art would have been able to tell what was going on. In his case, only experienced Chinese medicine healers very versed in the art would have been able to tell how impressively good he was with the needles.

  “Alright, time for the bath,” Wang Yao said.

  The medicinal bath felt rather hot.

  “Oww!” The young man frowned as he dipped himself inside it.

  It was scorching.

  “Bear with it. The temperature feels rather frightening, but it won’t harm your body.” Wang Yao dipped his hand in it and tested the temperature.

  “Yeah.” The young man nodded.

  “Let’s get on with it.”


  “Here’s some water,” Wang Yao said. Have him drink some every 10 minutes or so.”


  “Sure, leave it to me,” the middle-aged woman said.

  Wang Yao continued to adjust the bath’s temperature time and again, ensuring that the temperature remained within the appropriate range to ensure he made the most of the treatment. These baths took a long time to work. It took hours to finish the whole session in the bath. He had been attending to only that one patient throughout the day. It was getting close to 4 p.m. by the time they were done.

  “Alright, the first session is complete,” Wang Yao said. “The second one will be in three days.”


  “Noted,” the middle-aged woman replied.

  She had made accommodations for them before she came. The mother and son would spend some time in the village. They were not going to return to Jing until the young man was considerably better.

  “Thank you, Dr. Wang,” the middle-aged woman said.

  “Don’t mention it.”


  Such a unique treatment plan meant that it was very costly. That was especially so since Wang Yao had used five different magic herbs.

  The medicines were highly effective. The young man felt very warm after emerging from the bath. It was the kind of warmth that was felt inside and out. It made him felt as if he was standing in a comfortable breeze.