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

In the depths of winter, snow fell one after another.

That day, just as dawn broke, a man carried an old man to see a doctor. The old man, surnamed Zhou, was an old peddler from the east of the city who carried goods on his back. He was being carried on his son's back, his legs dangling down, both legs swollen to about half a foot high, like two upside-down ladles, his trousers too tight to contain them.

"Dr. Yang, please take a look at my old man's illness!" The man placed him on a stool, wringing his hands anxiously. "His legs have been swollen for almost a month, and the pain is so bad he can't walk. He cries out in pain at night... Two doctors in the city said it's wind-cold affecting his bones, a chronic leg pain, and he won't survive. There's no cure..."

As the man spoke, tears welled up in his eyes: "My father has toiled and struggled for decades, traversing every street and alley of this city to sell his wares. I never imagined he'd suffer like this in his old age! The doctors all said he wouldn't make it and told us to accept our fate. But I really couldn't bear it. I heard there's a doctor named Yang on the east side of the city who can pull the dying back from the jaws of death, so I gritted my teeth and came to find you."

The old man's jaw was chattering, and he winced in pain when his son touched his knee.

Yang Hu squatted down, carefully examined the swollen knee, pressed it with his hand, and asked a few questions: Does it hurt more when it's cold or rainy? Does it hurt so much at night that you can't sleep? The old peddler answered each question.

Yang Hu understood. This wasn't some incurable disease caused by wind and cold; it was the result of years of carrying loads outdoors in wind and snow, where cold and dampness had seeped into the knee joints, causing swelling and pain. The ancients called this "crane knee wind" or "bi syndrome." The root cause was clear—cold and dampness. By expelling the cold and dampness and warming the meridians, the swelling in the knee would subside.

"It's not incurable chronic arthritis," Yang Hu said. "It's caused by years of exposure to cold and dampness, which has accumulated in the knee joints. Once the cold and dampness are expelled and the meridians are warmed and unblocked, the swelling will subside, and you'll be able to walk again."

"Really...you can really walk?" The man couldn't believe it.

Yang Hu stopped talking, first finding a silver needle and applying it to several places on the old man's knee, then heating mugwort leaves, while having someone bring a pile of hot sand, wrapping it up in a burlap sack, and bandaging it around the old man's swollen knee.

"Putting needles into such a swollen area and applying hot sand, aren't you afraid of burning yourself blind?!" The onlookers clicked their tongues in disapproval.

The onlookers were skeptical. His knee was so swollen that two doctors in the city said he wouldn't survive, yet this young doctor was applying acupuncture and hot sand. It all seemed illogical.

Yang Hu said calmly, "The swelling is caused by cold and dampness blocking the inside. Only warmth can dispel the cold and dampness and bring it out of the body. Simply applying cold things or strong medicines will only push the cold and dampness deeper, making the condition worse."

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the old peddler felt as if a stream of heat was seeping into his burning knees, and the excruciating pain slowly began to subside.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, really, it doesn't hurt much anymore." The old peddler was surprised and delighted.

Yang Hu used acupuncture and prescribed a dose of medicine to dispel wind and dampness, warm the meridians and disperse stagnation. He instructed him, "This kind of illness can't be rushed; it requires slow and careful recuperation. From now on, you must keep your knee covered and absolutely avoid exposure to cold and dampness! Also, you must not go out on cloudy or snowy days. Every day, you should boil water, apply hot compresses, and use fumigation. If you continue like this, your knee will be completely healed in a month or two. You'll be able to walk again!"

"One or two months?" The man asked, surprised and delighted.

"It can't be rushed," Yang Hu said. "This illness is the result of decades of accumulated cold and dampness, so of course it won't get better in a day or two. But as long as you have perseverance, it's much better than letting him lie on the kang (heated brick bed) waiting for his legs to rot!"

The helper, Aji, looked on blankly the whole way. When they got back, he couldn't help but ask his master how he could tell at a glance that it was cold and dampness obstructing the flow of qi instead of wind-evil.

"Observe the swelling, the burning sensation, and whether the pain worsens in rainy or snowy weather," Yang Hu said. "Wind evil has no shadow, but cold and dampness blocking the way will take shape. The knee is like a frozen ditch; when the water is frozen and doesn't flow, it stagnates and becomes swollen. You can use something hot to boil it open and thaw it, allowing the water in the ditch to flow freely, and the swelling will naturally decrease. Acupuncture, moxibustion, and hot compresses are all used to boil the water in the ditch."

Aji seemed to understand, but he took it to heart.

A few days later, the old peddler's son came to the clinic again. This time, the son didn't let him carry him in. The old man walked in slowly, step by step, leaning on his cane. Although his legs were still a little numb, it was a world of difference from the day his legs were so swollen that he couldn't walk.

The old peddler held Yang Hu's hand, expressing his endless gratitude. He said that if it weren't for Doctor Yang, his legs would be crippled, and his whole family would have no way to survive.

The old peddler, leaning on his cane, stood in the clinic and told everyone he met that Dr. Yang had given him a leg and a chance to live! People crowding at the door looking for a doctor heard this and remembered Dr. Yang's shop even more.

Yang Hu examined him again and still told him to apply more compresses and take good care of himself, and that keeping warm was the most important thing and he should not be careless!

Because he was a poor vendor carrying goods on a shoulder pole, Yang Hu only charged him for the medicine and explained the methods of fumigation and hot compresses clearly, without charging him more than a few strings of silver.

The old peddler's family thanked him profusely and tried to give him their only string of cash, but Yang Hu refused to accept it.

Those two doctors who said there was "no hope" for you and your family were forced to accept your fate didn't dare to leave the house for many days!

Other doctors in the city who had previously said "there's no hope" or "I've resigned myself to fate" all gave a thumbs up when they mentioned Yang's clinic in the east of the city.

The news quickly spread throughout the eastern part of the city!

"Old Zhou's knee injury, swollen like a gourd, was beyond saving by all the doctors in the city. But after a few acupuncture needles and a few doses of medicine, Doctor Yang actually brought him back on his own, leaning on crutches!"

"Absolutely! He could tell at a glance it wasn't wind-evil, but rather cold and dampness stagnation. His insight is unmatched..."

Night, backyard.

Lu Yan poured Yang Hu another cup of hot tea. As he recounted the story of the old peddler who had come in with a cane earlier that day, she said with great enthusiasm, "His leg was so swollen he couldn't walk, but you, young master, brought him back."

"Find the root cause where the illness is!" Yang Hu took the tea she offered. "Others are afraid of the 'hopeless' label and give up early on. But as long as you find the source of the problem and resolve it, the patient can still walk."

As Lu Rou did her calculations, she listened to him say this: "Willow leaves return from the snow, leaving behind a wild animal." Meanwhile, Qin Ying sat by the window, facing the candlelight, wiping her half-new, half-old knives. The charcoal was glowing red, but even under the warm lamplight, Yang Hu felt an indescribable sense of unease.

In the rented house across the street from the Zhao family, someone had been keeping an eye on things lately, but at some point, those onlookers disappeared. As for the west side of the city, although there was still no movement, Yang Hu had a bad feeling.

Logically, this should be good news.

But this is too eerie... It feels like the moment before a heavy snowfall, when the sky is covered by dark clouds and even the air seems to stand still...

The light that had always been on across the street had gone out these past two days. Liu Ye had checked several times, but even the unfamiliar faces who rented the place were nowhere to be found.

Zhao Yanei, who has been holding back and refusing to let go, must be about to give up, right?

Moreover, in the Zhao family's house in the west of the city, that old fellow who hides in the shadows and dares not show himself will probably play an important role in the ongoing battles.

Yang Hu stared at the snow outside the window, remaining silent for a long time.