Chapter 90: Trouble Coming to the Door (Thanks to Deng Shaoxi for the reward)
Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Trouble Coming to the Door (Thanks to Deng Shaoxi for the reward)
"Then I’ll go mind the shop." Xiang Juan said after making another cup of tea for Lin Xi, "You stay here and wait for my grandfather to come back."
"Okay." Lin Xi took a slight sip, silently praising the tea for being quite good, but unfortunately, it was too hot right now.
After Xiang Juan went out, he lay back on the recliner, squinting for not even half an hour, when a commotion came from outside.
Lin Xi frowned, what was happening outside?
The noise grew louder and showed no sign of stopping, making him wonder if someone was causing trouble?
In this situation, he couldn’t sleep anyway, and he was also worried about Xiang Juan’s safety, as she was just a young woman after all.
When he went out, he found three strange men in the yard, and Xiang Juan was at a loss, looking anxious.
"Miss, could you give my brother some medicine, just anything would do." One of the men said nervously.
"Just something to suppress the poison for now, we can wait for your grandfather after that." Another continued.
"Yes, miss, don’t refuse us, if we wait any longer my brother won’t make it."
"...."
The three were dressed plainly but neatly, looking like ordinary people, of average build.
But if you looked closely, two of them had a hidden sharpness in their eyes, their short sleeves revealing well-developed muscles, their whole bodies seemed to hold an explosive power.
Their knuckles were especially calloused.
The other one looked somewhat listless, his face pale, if not supported by the other two, he probably wouldn’t be able to stand on his own.
"I’ve told you many times, I really can’t randomly give out medicine, and I’m not a doctor, I don’t know what medicine to give you."
"You should wait for my grandfather to return, ..."
Xiang Juan was helpless, she also knew the pale-faced man seemed unwell, and suggested, "Maybe you should go to the hospital?"
"My grandfather is just an ordinary Chinese medicine practitioner, he might not be able to cure him."
The two seemed not to hear Xiang Juan’s explanation; instead, they sat down on the long stone bench nearby, shaded by an osmanthus tree.
Lin Xi also walked over at this time, looking at Xiang Juan and asked, "What’s going on?"
"I was minding the shop outside, and they suddenly came. I told them my grandfather wasn’t here, but they wouldn’t listen and barged into the yard, ... ", Xiang Juan quickly explained.
Lin Xi was a bit curious when he heard this.
Xiang Juan clearly stated her grandfather wasn’t here, he was just an ordinary Chinese doctor, yet these three wouldn’t leave and wouldn’t go to the hospital, clearly something was off with them.
"How about I take a look at him?" Lin Xi suggested to the two, seeing that dragging it out like this wasn’t an option.
"You?" One of the men looked skeptical, thinking Lin Xi seemed even less capable than the young woman.
"Yes." Lin Xi nodded.
"What’s your relationship with Elder Xiang?" The other asked, as they had some knowledge about the Hundred Herbs Pharmacy.
"There’s no relationship right now." Lin Xi thought for a moment, then said, "I’m actually just like you, here to buy medicine."
"Then why are you making a fuss!" The initially skeptical man said unpleasantly, "Get lost, don’t disturb us."
"Aren’t you looking for a doctor?" Lin Xi remained still, a bit puzzled.
"Yes, but what’s it to you?"
"Because I’m a Chinese medicine practitioner!"
"You’re a Chinese doctor? Are you sure you’re not joking?"
"Brother, don’t bother with him, look at the third brother’s condition, he seems to be about to ... " The two no longer paid attention to Lin Xi, focusing instead on helping the poisoned man lie down, almost begging Xiang Juan to save him.
Meanwhile, Lin Xi stood aside, completely ignored by them.
"...." Lin Xi was a bit speechless.
Could you be any more blatant in ignoring someone?
Suddenly he felt a bit embarrassed, though others didn’t know his identity!
But they shouldn’t judge by appearance, really they’ll miss the chance to save him this way.
Not to mention that Lin Xi was once the Dark Night King, worshipped by countless mercenaries; of course, this had nothing to do with medical skills, just a random aside for bragging.
Most importantly, even Divine Doctor Zhang Huacheng of Chuzhou City had wanted to take Lin Xi as his apprentice, yet he was being so blatantly ignored.
"He’s been poisoned." Lin Xi said, but no one paid attention, as anyone could guess this much.
If it weren’t Elder Xiang’s courtyard, Lin Xi wouldn’t have meddled, but now he had to intervene. He said, "If you don’t save him now, he’ll be dead in five minutes."
This statement had an effect, as they all turned to look at Lin Xi.
"It’s the Seven-Step Smile poison, known as a chronic timed poison, as it leads to increasing weakness within half an hour of poisoning, eventually causing death by laughter!" Lin Xi continued, ignoring the two’s angry expressions,
"He’s been poisoned for twenty-five minutes, meaning he’s got five minutes left before he laughs himself to death."
When Lin Xi said this, the two originally furious men’s expressions changed instantly.
Whether or not Lin Xi’s diagnosis was correct, the precise timing of the poisoning made them half doubt and half believe.
After pondering it, they found nothing suspicious because only a few people knew about the poisoning.
Realizing it had come to this, they decided to try it out with an attitude of giving it a shot. It was better than doing nothing.
"Then we’ll trouble you with our third brother." One who seemed to be the leader cupped his hands towards Lin Xi.
"Sure, but let’s talk about the consultation fee first." Lin Xi originally just wanted to lend a hand, but since they didn’t believe him, well, then it should be an equal exchange.
"That’s no problem, just tell us the price."
Asking for a consultation fee was normal; if he didn’t, they’d actually think Lin Xi was a fraud.
So when Lin Xi asked for a consultation fee, they felt somewhat assured, at least more reliable.
"Five hundred." Lin Xi said. Previously, when he treated villagers at the foot of the mountain, he charged between twenty and fifty.
This time, since they were outsiders and doubted him, he decided to charge ten times the highest fee.
"What?" The three’s expressions weren’t good upon hearing this.
In today’s society, even a common cold could cost several hundred, even over a thousand in medication, and now their brother was severely poisoned, almost dead, yet he only charged five hundred?
"Is this really reliable?" They were quite skeptical now.
Seeing their expressions were off, Lin Xi frowned, thinking they found the fee too high.
"Alright, two hundred then." Lin Xi saw they didn’t seem wealthy but insisted on his principle, "No less than that."