“Alright… I’ll give you a couple of acupuncture needles, and you’ll be fine…” Looking at the old woman’s pitiful expression, Xu Ze nodded, took out a silver needle from his pocket, and said to her.
Seeing the long line of patients still waiting behind her, Xu Ze was focused on treating each patient as quickly as possible. For a simple case like the old woman’s sprained back, the faster, the better…
He had the old woman lift her clothes at the back and lean over the examination table. Locating the Houxi and Geshu acupoints on her lower back, he used an alcohol swab from the table to briefly disinfect the areas. Then, he quickly inserted two silver needles precisely into the points.
The old man beside them stared intently as Xu Ze inserted the needles, muttering to himself, “Looks like Houxi and Geshu… if they’re accurately placed, these two points are quite effective for lumbar sprains. This young doctor really has some skill…”
But what happened next left the old man even more astonished. Xu泽 gently flicked the ends of the needles… twice.
Seeing this, the old man frowned deeply, thinking with some irritation, “For this kind of Qi and blood stagnation, the flicking method isn’t very effective. He should use the scraping method…”
“Well, this young doctor is good, but still has some shortcomings…” Just as he was sighing to himself, the old man was startled because Xu Ze only flicked the needles, waited a moment, and then smoothly pulled them out, saying to the old woman, “Alright, your back is fine now.”
The old woman was taken aback for a moment, then cautiously twisted her waist. A look of joy spread across her face: “It doesn’t hurt… is it really healed?”
She twisted a couple more times, and it truly seemed painless. Overjoyed, she exclaimed, “It’s healed! It’s healed… it really doesn’t hurt anymore!”
The crowd, who had watched her hobble in holding her back, were all amazed. “Doctor Xu’s acupuncture is truly remarkable! That old lady could barely move just a moment ago, and now, after just two needles, she’s fine! Little Doctor Xu really lives up to his reputation!”
Amidst the applause, the old man beside them stood dumbfounded. “How is this possible? How can it be possible? How could just two needles cure her? Can the flicking method really have such an effect?” He just couldn’t understand it. In his decades of experience, he had never seen anything like it.
Xu Ze, naturally not noticing the stunned old man nearby, simply said to the old woman with a smile, “Alright, be careful not to strain it again next time. Next!”
Hearing him call for the next patient, the old woman hesitated for a moment, then looked at Xu Ze and asked, “Doctor Xu, that… how much for the acupuncture?”
Xu Ze looked up at her, smiled, and said, “These two needles were free. Next time you need them, I’ll have to charge.”
“Ah? You’re not charging? That’s not right…” The old woman felt a bit embarrassed and started to reach for her purse, but Xu Ze stopped her. “Forget it, forget it, really, it’s fine. I just gave you two needles, it wasn’t any trouble. Go on, go on…”
“Well… thank you so much, Doctor Xu. You are truly a kind person, and you will surely be rewarded for it…” The old woman showed a genuine smile. She really didn’t have much money on her. Not insisting further, she respectfully thanked Xu Ze and left.
Seeing Xu Ze not charging the old woman, the old man’s gaze grew even more surprised.
After seeing the old woman off, Xu Ze quickly continued with the next patient. He saw three or four more in a row, with the old man watching intently the whole time. The look of astonishment in his eyes deepened, and inwardly, he was slowly beginning to nod in approval.
Through these patients, although the old man wasn’t very clear on some aspects of Western medicine, he could see that Xu Ze truly had genuine skill. Moreover, in many areas, like acupuncture, Xu Ze’s results even surpassed his own. It seemed this young man wasn’t just a product of hype, as he had initially thought.
“I didn’t expect to encounter such a formidable doctor while out for a stroll. Truly, there is always a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond the people…” The old man sighed softly, stood up, and prepared to leave.
He had only taken two steps when he saw a few people pushing through the crowd outside, heading towards the clinic.
Seeing the uniforms they wore, the old man couldn’t help but frown. What were these people from the Health Supervision Institute doing here?
Meanwhile, Xu Ze also noticed several people entering. He looked up, and his own clear brows furrowed slightly. He sighed inwardly, “Just as I feared, a tall tree catches the wind… someone has reported me.”
“Are you Xu Ze?” The leader, a man in uniform, looked at Xu Ze, then at the surrounding patients, a strange glint flashing in his eyes before he asked.
Xu Ze smiled calmly and nodded. “Yes, I am Xu Ze.”
“Hmm…” The man in uniform nodded, then flashed his credentials briefly in front of Xu Ze. “We’re from the Health Supervision Institute. Someone has reported you for illegal medical practice. Please show us your physician’s practice license.”
Xu Ze smiled lightly and shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t have a physician’s practice license yet.”
“You don’t?” The man in uniform raised an eyebrow slightly, then sighed. “Well then, that means the report is substantiated. You have violated the National Practicing Physicians Law and the Medical Institution Regulations. Please come with us to await further action.”
Meanwhile, across the street from the Xu Family Clinic, a few people watched Xu Ze being surrounded by the health inspectors, smirking sinisterly.
One of them chuckled quietly, “This kid really thought he could act arrogantly in Chentang just because he can treat a couple of ailments. Once he’s dealt with today, let’s see if he dares to be so reckless here again.”
“Hmph, exactly. This kid is too clueless. Bringing in all these people to create a buzz has cost us business for the past two days. If we don’t deal with him, how are we supposed to work here?” another snorted with a laugh.
“Right, right… dealing with him this time will make sure he has no peace for at least the next couple of years,” a third agreed with a sinister smile.
Outside the clinic, many onlookers drawn by the commotion heard the man in uniform say he was taking Xu Ze away. The crowd became agitated. They surged forward, angrily surrounding the health inspectors, demanding to know what crime Xu Ze had committed by saving people, and why he should be taken away.
“Exactly! Doctor Xu has saved so many people, cured so many patients, and he just treated someone for free! Why are you trying to arrest him?”
A woman waiting to see Xu Ze pushed her way forward, pointing angrily at the leader and cursing, “You lackeys! Those shady clinics outside, you don’t go after them, but you come after Doctor Xu! You must have taken money from those people. I know they’re jealous because Doctor Xu is stealing their business!”
The health inspectors hadn’t anticipated such strong public support for Xu Ze. The moment they spoke, they were surrounded.
The leader looked at the angry, surging crowd and didn’t know what to do. There were only three of them, surrounded by at least a dozen people, and more seemed to be gathering outside, looking furious.
Seeing the crowd grow, the man in uniform cursed the people who had tipped him off for not clarifying the situation. Now he was in this awkward spot. He’d deal with them later, but first, he had to defuse this situation. Getting beaten up by this mob would be a terrible injustice.
He quickly explained loudly, “Please, don’t misunderstand! This is a legitimate law enforcement action. We are here to investigate a complaint we received!”
Hearing his explanation, the crowd only grew angrier. “Hmph! You definitely took money from someone to cause trouble for Doctor Xu! If you take him away, who will treat us?”
“That’s right! Just try to touch Doctor Xu today… none of you are leaving!”
Just as the three health inspectors were panicking, Xu Ze sighed, furrowed his brow slightly, and called out clearly, “Everyone, please calm down! These officers are just doing their duty. Please disperse and let me talk with them.”
Hearing Xu Ze’s words, the crowd quieted down. However, someone still looked at him worriedly and said, “Doctor Xu, they were definitely paid to come after you. I just saw Doctor Hu and a few others lurking suspiciously over there. They must be behind this!”
Hearing this, Xu Ze gave a faint smile and said, “Don’t jump to conclusions, everyone. These comrades from the Health Supervision Institute are only carrying out their responsibilities. Don’t worry, please make way. Let them come in. This is just a misunderstanding. Let me talk with them, and it will be resolved shortly.”
Hearing Xu Ze’s confident tone, the crowd thought that just crowding around wasn’t a real solution anyway. These were government officials, after all; no one really wanted to physically confront them. Since Xu Ze seemed so confident, they parted, creating a path for the three men to enter, but then gathered at the doorway, watching closely.
They were determined: if these men still tried to take Doctor Xu away, they would block the door and prevent them from leaving.
The three health inspectors, relieved to have a path, quickly walked over to Xu Ze. Under the polite guidance of Xu Ze’s father, who had hurried over, they sat down on a few chairs inside.
Holding the hot tea Xu Ze’s mother brought them, they took a few calming sips, steadying their still-racing nerves. They then looked at Xu Ze, who still wore a calm, faint smile.
The three of them now regarded Xu Ze with a hint of respect. Despite his youth, he clearly commanded significant authority here.
The leader, after a couple more sips of tea, hesitated slightly but eventually put down his cup. Clearing his throat, he looked at Xu Ze and said, “Doctor Xu… please cooperate with our investigation. As it stands, you have indeed violated the Practicing Physicians Law and the Medical Institution Regulations…”
