I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The waiter brought over the herbal soup.

"The medicine is here!"

Zhao Zian looked at Zhang Shan.

"Go and feed it to your mother."

"Hey, hey!"

Zhang Shan took the bowl of medicine.

Holding his mother by the back of her neck, he scooped up a spoonful of the medicine and fed it to the old woman.

"Mother...I've taken my medicine...I'll feel better after taking the medicine..."

The medicine entered through the old woman's mouth.

Just as I swallowed it, something strange happened!

"Cough...cough cough...cough cough cough!"

The old woman arched her back and let out a deafening cough!

"See! I told you so!"

Dr. Wang was heartbroken.

"She's too weak to take tonics! She's too weak to take tonics! You're not saving her, you're killing her! The old lady's vital energy was already as fragile as a spider's web, and she was only kept alive by those few acupuncture needles you gave her. Now you're forcing such a potent medicine down her throat, isn't that just adding fuel to the fire and cutting off her fuel supply?"

"It's over! It's really over! This old lady is going to die from his treatment!"

The onlookers were also frightened.

"What a tragedy! How could a perfectly healthy person endure such torment!"

"I knew it! There's no such thing as miraculous medical skill; a few needles and you can bring the dead back to life? It's all a lie!"

"Poor Zhang Shan, his mother is probably...sigh!"

Zhang Shan was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

"Zhao... Zhao Gongfeng... my mother... she..."

Zhao Zian remained completely unmoved.

"puff-"

The old woman spat out a mouthful of something!

It was a thick, foul-smelling black phlegm.

It was less like phlegm and more like a semi-congealed blood clot.

The old woman's violent coughing stopped abruptly.

Her eyelids twitched a few times, then she opened them.

Her eyes were initially somewhat cloudy and blank.

But soon, those eyes found their son.

"Shan...Shan'er..."

"Why... are you crying...?"

Zhang Shan's mind went blank.

It took him a full three breaths to react.

"Mother! Mother! You're awake! You're really awake! Waaah... You recognize me!"

Dr. Wang stood there, as if struck by lightning.

Having practiced medicine for decades, he boasts of being well-versed in medical principles and having read extensively from various pharmacopoeias.

Only today did I realize that I was nothing more than a frog in a well, only seeing the sky from the bottom of the well!

He walked up to Zhao Zian and gave him a deep bow at a ninety-degree angle.

"Mr. Zhao... Mr. Zhao!"

"This old man...this old man was blind and could not recognize a true immortal! I was very offensive and my words were impolite, almost ruining your important mission to save people! This old man...deserves death!"

As he spoke, he actually tried to kneel down.

Zhao Zian reached out and offered a helping hand.

"Dr. Wang, you're exaggerating. Doctors have the heart of parents; you were just thinking of the patient. What crime have you committed?"

Dr. Wang was overcome with emotion and tears streamed down his face.

"Sir, your skills are divine and beyond the comprehension of ordinary doctors! I have practiced medicine all my life, and only today do I realize that there are always higher levels of knowledge and more skilled practitioners! I implore you, sir, to set aside past grievances and allow me to serve you, even if it is only to listen in for a short while, I would be more than willing to do so!"

He's... asking to become an apprentice!

The renowned doctor of Jishetang Hospital actually wants to become an apprentice of a young man!

Zhang Shan settled his mother down and helped her lie down.

He knelt down heavily in Zhao Zian's direction!

After bowing three times, he raised his forehead, which was covered in bloodstains.

"Miracle doctor! Living bodhisattva! Your kindness in saving my mother is greater than heaven and earth! I, Zhang Shan, have no way to repay you! From this day forward, my lowly life belongs to you! I am willing to be your ox or horse, your slave or servant, to go through fire and water, even unto death!"

Zhao Zian smiled.

"Get up, everyone."

"You are a filial son."

"The Classic of Filial Piety says, 'Filial piety is the root of virtue.' You have gone to great lengths to save your beloved mother, seeking medical help and even spending all your family's wealth. Just now, in your desperation, you kowtowed and wept blood, a true expression of your feelings that heaven and earth can bear witness to. It is a blessing for the old lady to have a son like you."

The neighbors present all witnessed it.

In order to treat his mother's illness, Zhang Shan did sell the last of his family's possessions.

Besides taking care of his elderly mother, he would work at the docks every day to earn a few copper coins to buy medicine.

Who doesn't know about this filial piety?

Zhao Zian then changed the subject.

"I saved her, firstly as a doctor's duty, and secondly out of admiration for your filial piety. If you truly wish to repay me, then take good care of your mother, allowing her to live out her remaining years in peace and comfort. This is the best way to repay me. As for the idea of ​​becoming a slave or servant, do not mention it again."

He reached out to help Zhang Shan up.

Zhang Shan choked up.

"I understand! Thank you for your guidance, Doctor Zhao! I will certainly take good care of my mother!"

They reassured Zhang Shan.

Zhao Zian turned his gaze to Doctor Wang.

"Dr. Wang."

"The sinner... the sinner Wang Mengde is here!"

Dr. Wang practically shouted it out.

The surrounding people held their breath.

Everyone wanted to see how they would deal with the old doctor who had almost ruined everything.

Should they reprimand them? Humiliate them? Or simply kick them out of Jishetang?

Zhao Zian walked up to Doctor Wang.

"What crime has Dr. Wang committed?"

Doctor Wang looked at Zhao Zi'an.

"A doctor should have a benevolent heart, and even more so, integrity. We are complete strangers, yet you saw my unorthodox acupuncture techniques and domineering use of medicine, harbored doubts, and spoke out to stop me. This precisely proves your integrity."

"Your words and actions stem from your adherence to medical principles and your responsibility to your patients. If I were not a skilled doctor but a quack, your words could have saved the old lady's life. This would be a great merit, how could it be a sin?"

Dr. Wang was stunned.

The surrounding people were also stunned.

Yes... what if Doctor Zhao really is a fraud?

Isn't Dr. Wang the only one with a conscience?

Throughout his life, Dr. Wang considered himself to be of high moral character and adhered to principles, but this also offended many people.

He was ridiculed by his peers as a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard.

"gentlemen……"

"Old man...Old man..."

"The path of medicine is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind."

Zhao Zian interrupted him.

"Only with doubt can we move forward. Our debate today is not about right or wrong, but about medical principles. If all doctors in the world could be like Dr. Wang, not blindly believing or following, daring to debate and question, that would be a blessing for the medical community and a boon for all people."

"Therefore, there's no need to mention the apprenticeship formality again. The path of medicine is vast, and those who are skilled are given priority, regardless of age. You and I are both at Jishetang, and from now on we are colleagues. If there are any difficult or complicated cases, we can discuss them together, exchange ideas, and verify our findings. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than a formal master-disciple relationship?"

Doctor Wang stared blankly at Zhao Zi'an.

He bowed deeply to Zhao Zi'an once again.

This time, however, it was a ceremony for peers to discuss friendship.

"Mr. Zhao... your magnanimity is truly admirable! I... have learned a great deal!"

After dealing with the incident at the gate, Zhao Zian returned to his backyard.

He took out several medicinal herbs he had picked from the herb field.

A three-leafed frost grass, a half-foot-long section of purple blood vine, and a blazing sun fruit.

The little fox stared at the Sun Fruit in his hand, its nose twitching constantly.

"Little one, are you craving something sweet?"

Zhao Zian chuckled softly.

"This isn't a snack for you. Stay put and wait until I finish refining the pill. Maybe I can give you a piece of pill residue to try."