A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

The greater Yang's reputation, the more medical requests were sent to the deep courtyards and mansions in the west of the city.

On this day, a man from the Wan family in the west of the city came in a sedan chair to summon Doctor Yang to see the patient.

Master Wan was the most prominent man in the western part of the city, owning several silk shops. He rarely opened his mansion gates. At this moment, the sedan chair stopped in front of Yang's shop, and people on the street craned their necks.

Yang Hu carried his medicine box and went with Aji.

This was the first time that the most prestigious family in the west of the city had ever set aside their pride to seek him out. Half a year ago, he was a traveling doctor from out of town who couldn't even get through the gates of the Wan family mansion.

Inside the Wan residence, with its red-lacquered gates, stone lions, and winding corridors, Yang Hu followed the steward inside while secretly observing the house and the people there.

Seeing a doctor is an overt matter, but the kind of people the wealthiest family in the western part of the city usually associates with are an covert matter.

The patient was Mr. Wan himself, in his fifties, slumped over the edge of the bed, his face contorted in pain.

"Dr. Yang," Wan Yuanwai said in a suppressed voice, pointing to the object in his ear, "I woke up last night and my left ear... I can't hear anything. It's buzzing, like it's stuffed with a lot of cotton. I can see people talking next to me, but I can't hear them."

I once saw an old doctor, a well-known otolaryngologist in the city. He shook his head and said that due to old age, his ear canals had closed up, and he had caught a chill at night. He was deaf, and even a miracle couldn't save him. He could only try to recuperate slowly.

Master Wan was indignant. At his age, with such a large family fortune, to suddenly lose hearing in one ear, unable to understand what others were saying, having to be dragged close and yelled at to even negotiate a deal—what was the point of living? What he feared even more was losing hearing in one ear today, then the other tomorrow, and the day after, until he was completely deaf!

He consulted all the famous doctors in the city, but to no avail. He heard that there was a doctor named Yang in the east of the city who could save even the King of Hell, so he swallowed his pride and went to him.

"Dr. Yang, young man," the steward said sarcastically from the side, "an ear ailment... but... cannot be compared to other ailments."

Yang Hu didn't answer. He first told Master Wan not to worry, then bent down to look at the ear and asked a few more questions: Did you suddenly become deaf or gradually? Does your ear hurt? Is the sound a buzzing sound or something else? What angered you these past two days?

I feel more confident now.

It's not deafness in old age, nor is it from the wind, but sudden deafness, which occurs when blood and qi rush into the ear canal and block the pathway.

Master Wan must have been upset about something lately, causing his blood to rush to his head and block his ears. Moreover, it was a sudden onset of deafness. However, as long as it can be treated, before the congested blood and qi completely block his ears, his hearing can be restored.

"This isn't Old Deaf!" Yang Hu said.

Master Wan's eyes lit up immediately. "He's not deaf! Then he can still be cured?"

"It's well treated," Yang Hu said. "Your ears aren't deaf, they're blocked. A rush of air blocked them, preventing sound from getting in. What have you been up to these past few days?"

Master Wan was taken aback, then sighed, "Yes. A few days ago, I argued with someone about a business deal for several days and didn't sleep well."

"The root of the problem is here," Yang Hu said. "It's an ear canal that's blocked with air. Once you clear the blockage, your ear will be fine."

Aji handed over the needles, muttering, "Master, they're both deaf, how can you tell the difference between old deafness and sudden deafness?"

"It depends on what kind of deafness you have," Yang Hu said as he performed the acupuncture. "Old-age deafness is a gradual process, where deafness slowly fades year by year, and both ears go deaf at the same time. Sudden deafness is when one ear suddenly becomes blocked overnight. It's caused by blocked blood and qi, not by a damaged ear canal. Damaged ear canal can't be cured, but blocked ear canal can be cleared. They may look the same, but they are actually two completely different conditions."

Aji seemed to understand but not quite, but he remembered the sentence.

He then took out silver needles and inserted them into several acupoints around Wan Yuanwai's ears, as well as several acupoints on his hands and legs.

The otolaryngologist prescribed a remedy for catching a cold from exposure to wind, but instead he was inserting acupuncture into the ear and prescribing a remedy for soothing the liver and regulating qi. The people attending him were all on edge.

"The ear ailment is treated by pricking the hands and feet," the butler frowned.

"The air in the ear canal is blocked. Let it out," Yang Hu said. "Once the air flows freely, the blockage will be gone. This illness cannot be rushed. Before the blockage completely closes, insert a few needles and it will slowly open. If you delay for a few more days, the blocked blood and qi will completely block the ear canal, which will be troublesome."

He also told Master Wan to get angry less often, because anger hurts more than just this one part.

Master Wan agreed, and he came every other day for acupuncture, followed by medication and massage at home.

There was no change for the first two days, and he was very anxious, fearing that he might really become deaf. Yang Hu told him not to worry, that the blockage wouldn't be cleared up in a day, and it would take several days to unblock it.

After four or five days, sound gradually began to enter that ear. First, the buzzing sound subsided, then one could vaguely hear people talking, and finally, it was no different from a good ear.

Master Wan was overjoyed and held Yang Hu's hand, thanking him repeatedly, saying that it was Doctor Yang who had saved his ear.

The otolaryngologist who had been sentenced to deafness was so ashamed upon hearing the news that he dared not leave his house for several months. Some of the doctors in the city who had previously said that there was no cure for the disease now praised Yang's clinic in the east of the city.

Mr. Wan came to see the doctor several times, and each time he returned, he was more energetic than the last time. Later, he was able to talk to other people in the hall, and he almost burst into tears while holding Yang Hu's hand.

The news spread to the respectable families in the west of the city within a few days.

"The otolaryngologists in the city all said that Master Wan was deaf, but Doctor Yang cleared it up with just a few needles..."

"The most amazing thing is that he can tell at a glance that it's not just old deafness, but a blockage in the air. Isn't that incredible? Both are deaf, but he can tell whether it's a blockage or a real malfunction!"

Master Wan was a respectable man. He generously thanked him for the consultation fee and even gave him two bolts of fine silk, saying that he would not hesitate to ask if Doctor Yang needed anything in the future.

Evening, in the backyard.

Master Wan thanked Yang Hu for the consultation fee and the silk, which Yang Hu then handed over to Lu Rou to be recorded in the accounts. He also took out half of it to help the poor families in the west of the city.

Lu Yan carefully put away the items with the lamp, then grinned and said, "Young Master, nowadays, even a prominent family like Master Wan in the west of the city can invite Doctor Yang to their door."

"The treatment is for the ears, just like the treatment for Old Master Zhou's belly and Qin Xiaoliu's face. Wherever the disease is, you have to look for the root cause there. Just because others think it's incurable, does that mean it really can't be cured?" Yang Hu said.

Lu Rou was also calculating on an abacus, carefully recording today's consultation fee and the two bolts of silk. She also listed the half that had been given away separately. Liu Ye brought over a pot of hot soup. Qin Ying sat beside her, wiping her worn-out knife.

Looking at everyone in the courtyard, Yang Hu felt a surge of warmth in his heart. But beneath that warmth lay an indescribable feeling.

His reputation grew, and the wealthy families in the west of the city welcomed him with open arms. This was certainly a good thing, but the wider the doors opened and the more eyes were watching his courtyard, the greater the danger he faced.

Having been in the city for more than half a year, he has gone from being a wandering doctor whom no one knew to being Doctor Yang of the East City, a position that no one dares to touch in the west or east of the city—the higher he climbs, the more hidden arrows will be thrown at him from below.

After taking a sip of hot water from the teapot in his hand and looking at the dark night outside, he knew very well that there was a secret hidden in this courtyard that was more important than fame, and that some eyes were watching him.