Watching the overjoyed parents, Xu Ze sighed quietly. While the child had been temporarily revived, the prolonged cardiac arrest—over ten minutes without oxygen to the brain—meant the risk of brain damage was extremely high. The boy might end up in a vegetative state or with severe cognitive impairment.
Shaking his head, he turned to the parents and spoke gravely: “He’s stabilized for now, but you need to get him to a hospital immediately for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It might help restore some brain function. We can’t be sure how much damage has been done, so don’t delay.”
The couple, still elated, nodded fervently at Xu Ze’s stern instructions. The father scooped up the child while the mother grabbed the IV bag Xu’s father handed her, and they hurried toward the door.
Only as they reached the threshold did the man remember something. Turning back, his eyes brimmed with gratitude. “Dr. Xu, thank you—really. I’ll come back later to pay for the treatment.”
Xu Ze waved him off. “Don’t worry about that now. Just go. The priority is seeing how much he can recover.”
“Right, right—we’ll go now. But we will pay you back for saving our son!” With that, the man rushed out with his wife and child.
The onlookers, watching the family leave in relieved haste, murmured in awe. “Those two must have done some great deeds in a past life. For a drowned child to come back after so long—it’s a miracle.”
Soon, the crowd swarmed around Xu Ze and his father, showering them with praise, their earlier skepticism long forgotten.
Xu Ze, however, wore a wry smile. “He’s alive for now, but what comes next is anyone’s guess.”
“Huh? Why? The boy’s breathing, isn’t he?” someone asked, baffled by Xu Ze’s lack of triumph after performing what seemed like a medical miracle.
Xu Ze sighed. “Breathing, yes. But after being without oxygen for so long, there’s a high chance of severe brain damage. Whether he’ll recover fully depends on luck now. It’s… not a happy outcome either way.”
The crowd fell silent, the weight of his words sinking in. Dr. Xu had pulled off the impossible, but the reality was grim. Still, their admiration for him only grew. Even that smug Dr. Hu had admitted defeat earlier, slinking off when it became clear Xu Ze had succeeded where he claimed it was impossible.
As the clinic gradually emptied, Xu’s father sat back, gazing at the first commendation banner his son had ever received, now hanging proudly on the wall. Back then, he’d thought it was just a fluke—a lucky save. But today had proved otherwise. His son, still only a third-year medical student, had real skill. With a few more years of experience after graduation, he’d undoubtedly become an exceptional doctor.
He’s already surpassed me, Xu’s father mused, pride swelling in his chest. Our family finally has a true physician—one who’ll bring honor to our name.
…..
With the crowd gone, Xu Ze finally relaxed. Glancing at the clock—still only 4 p.m.—he headed upstairs to meditate.
After dinner, struck by nostalgia for the old streets he hadn’t wandered in ages, he decided to take a walk. Telling his mother, he strolled out with Qing’er by his side.
Chengtang’s old quarter, with its decades-old buildings and even a few ancient wooden houses, held countless memories from Xu Ze’s twenty years here.
“It’s been so long since we’ve done this,” Xu Ze remarked, gazing at the familiar storefronts.
Qing’er nodded, tilting her face toward the starry sky. “Three years, right? Since you started university.”
“Three years,” Xu Ze echoed, chuckling. “Back then, you were still a little girl clinging to my sleeve. Now look at you—a beauty with half the town chasing after her.”
“Ge!” Qing’er flushed, stomping her foot in mock outrage.
Just as Xu Ze opened his mouth to tease her further, his phone rang. His father: patients were waiting at the clinic, specifically asking for him.
Hanging up, Xu Ze sighed. “We have to head back. Patients.”
Qing’er giggled. “I knew it! After that stunt you pulled today, your reputation’s skyrocketed. Of course people are lining up for you now.”
…..
Back at the clinic, several patients were already seated. Xu’s father beamed. “A-Ze, these folks came looking for you last time, but you’d already left for school. Now that they’ve heard you’re back, they rushed over. Do your best.”
Xu Ze nodded calmly. Last time, he’d fled because he lacked confidence. Now? There wasn’t much he couldn’t handle.
The first patient was a middle-aged woman wheezing heavily, supported by her son.
“Dr. Xu,” the young man said anxiously, “my mother’s had asthma for years. Medication helps temporarily, but it always relapses. Can you… see if there’s another way?”
Xu Ze skimmed the medical records—diagnosed at Xingda First Affiliated Hospital, no less—then listened to her lungs with his stethoscope.
Diminished breath sounds, no obvious rales. Heart rate normal, rhythm steady.
“Activate X-ray透视,” he commanded silently.
The system complied, and the woman’s chest became transparent before his eyes. Hyperinflated lungs, no shadows or lesions. Just classic asthma—no infection.
Modern medicine could only manage symptoms, not cure it. But the advanced techniques Xiao Dao had taught him? Those could.
He hesitated. Drawing attention by curing “incurable” diseases as a student was risky. But with hopeful eyes fixed on him, he made his decision.
“It’s a tough case, but I’ll try.”
The son’s face lit up. “Dr. Xu, if you can cure her, money’s no object!”
Xu Ze smiled faintly. “Help your mother to the treatment room.”
Once inside, he gestured to the bed. “Lie down. We’ll start with acupuncture.”
The son’s enthusiasm dimmed slightly. They’d tried acupuncture before—with no results. But then he remembered: this was the doctor who’d revived a dead child today.
Maybe his acupuncture is different.
And so, with quiet determination, Xu Ze prepared his needles.
