Wearing a white coat, a man strode straight to the bedside and after a quick examination of the child, exclaimed urgently, “This child is in critical condition! Instead of bringing him to the hospital, why did you run to this traditional Chinese medicine clinic?”
The child’s father was taken aback by this statement.
Leo’s expression darkened. What’s wrong with this guy in the white coat? Where did he come from?
“Who are you?” Leo questioned coldly.
“I’m a doctor from a nearby hospital, here to save lives!” The man acted like it was the most natural thing in the world.
He hurriedly instructed the child’s father, “Quickly take your child to our hospital. We can treat him there. This new clinic isn’t reliable.”
Leo understood now.
This damn guy is trying to steal business!
The child’s father was now flustered, hearing the man in the white coat’s words, he was about to lift his son from the bed.
Leo stopped him promptly, saying, “Don’t move him. I can save him!”
“Are you kidding? The child is barely breathing. This traditional medicine shop of yours has no modern equipment. Can it save lives?” The man in the white coat showed anger on his face. “If this child dies here, you’re intentionally killing him!”
“What if I bring the child back to life? What will you say then?” Leo’s gaze turned icy.
The man in the white coat was momentarily taken aback by Leo’s gaze but retorted, “That’s absolutely impossible!”
Watching the two argue, the child’s father was torn between them, not knowing what to do in his already panicked state.
“Then let me show you something passed down through generations. Keep your eyes wide open!” Leo said in a low, serious tone. He took out a silver needle and began to administer acupuncture on the child’s body.
The man in the white coat was named Stan Morse. He barged in due to his extreme distrust of traditional Chinese medicine.
Stan graduated from medical school and even studied abroad for three years. He was currently the chief doctor in a private hospital.
He had an obsessive passion for Western medicine and believed that the treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine had no scientific basis and were merely deceiving people. This was why he had rushed in to prevent the child’s father from getting his son treated in this clinic.
Stan sneered, “My eyes are wide open. I want to see how you can bring someone back to life with a few needles.”
Seemingly sensing something was amiss, more and more people began to gather in the medicine clinic.
After Leo finished applying the needles, a total of nine, utilizing the “Life-Restoring Needle” technique from the “Nine Extreme Mystical Needles,” known for its detoxification and life-saving effects.
Witnessing Leo’s skillful needlework, Stan’s eyelids twitched. He had seen acupuncture from traditional Chinese medicine before, but the technique Leo was using seemed even more proficient than that of some seasoned traditional Chinese doctors.
However, deep down, Stan still couldn’t believe that a few silver needles could revive a child at the brink of death. As soon as the child stopped breathing, he would report it immediately and have the relevant authorities shut down this shop.
After about thirty seconds, the child’s body suddenly trembled, his head tilted, and he vomited a mouthful of black blood, followed by continuous retching…
Leo acted quickly, placing a trash bin on the ground.
A nauseating smell spread as the vomiting subsided.
Once it was over, the child slowly opened his eyes, looking at his father, his lips twitching.
This sight greatly moved the child’s father. He quickly grabbed his son’s hand and asked Leo, “Doctor, is my child alright?”
While removing the silver needles from the child’s body, Leo replied, “There’s no life-threatening danger anymore. I’ll write you a prescription. Get the medicine from the pharmacy according to the prescription and let your son take it continuously for three days. Then there shouldn’t be any issues.”
The child’s father fished out a handful of change from his pocket, ready to give it to Leo.
“No need for money.” Leo declined, then took a piece of paper and a pen to write the prescription. After finishing, he handed it to the man. “Go get the medicine.”
The man expressed his gratitude and left the medicine shop with his son after obtaining the prescription.
“This young doctor is really skilled. He managed to save a poisoned child,” someone commented.
“I thought this was Dr. Davy’s place. How come there’s a new doctor?” another person wondered.
“I heard Dr. Davy transferred the ancestral clinic to a young divine doctor. It must be this young man.”
“It seems that traditional Chinese medicine is still remarkable. Originally, I planned to visit a nearby private hospital for treatment, but now I might give this place a try.”
Stan had silently left. He watched the bustling scene inside and thought to himself, “Let’s see how things unfold.”
What was once a rather quiet medicine shop had now turned lively after the disturbance, with people lining up for consultations. Leo suddenly found himself busy attending to patients.
Time slipped away like sand through fingers, and before they knew it, several days had passed.
Today was Sunday.
At a stall outside Fortune Store on the Antique Street, Martin’s face was red with anger, holding an antique painting in his hand. He snapped, “This painting isn’t the one I was going to buy. You must have switched it behind my back!”
The shop owner, with a goatee and vintage black-framed glasses, replied calmly, “The painting in your hand is the one you showed interest in earlier. Goods sold by this shop are nonrefundable and nonexchangeable. Even if the painting is fake, it’s your own misjudgment. It’s not our concern.”
“You…” Martin’s temper flared as he looked at the shop owner’s nonchalant demeanor. “You sold me counterfeit goods disguised as authentic ones and have the audacity to claim your store is innocent!”
Sophia, standing beside him, quickly tried to pacify the situation. “Dad, don’t get too worked up. This store specializes in passing off fakes as real items. We should call the police.”
The shop owner remained unfazed, maintaining an air of fearlessness. “Feel free to call the police if you want. Everyone in the antique business knows the rules. When the police arrive, I’ll counter with a defamation charge against you.”
Martin’s anger caused him to start coughing. “And to think that this store is an established name on Antique Street – utterly shameless!”
The shop owner, unperturbed, still looked like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. Well, go ahead and scold all you want, and if you want to return the painting, it’s just not happening.
Amid the crowd, Leo squeezed in and said to Martin, “Dad, I’d like to take a look at this painting.”
“Leo? What are you doing here?” Sophia was surprised by Leo’s appearance.
“Leo, you know about antique paintings?” Martin remembered when they had dinner, Leo had recognized that the porcelain cup Max had given him was fake and had handed him the antique painting.
Leo took the antique painting, unfolded it in his hands, and carefully examined it.
The painting was about a meter long and around fifty centimeters wide, a very common ink landscape painting.
The ink was relatively light, the overall composition was well-balanced, with an elegant and free-flowing style. At a cursory glance, it was indeed hard to determine its authenticity.
Looking at the seal in the lower right corner, it was a bit blurry, but Leo could still make out the seal characters-Zhao Mengfu.
“Shop owner, it’s widely known that Zhao Mengfu is renowned for his horse paintings, and his most famous work is the ‘Drinking Horses in Autumn.’ Judging from the overall style of this painting, it’s unlikely to be his work. How much did you sell it to my Dad for?” Leo easily discerned the painting was a fake.