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

The more renowned the legendary doctor of the eastern part of the city became, the more resentful some people in the city felt.

The first to become restless was Dr. Jin, the renowned resident physician of Huichuntang in the north of the city. This Dr. Jin had practiced medicine in the city for over twenty years and was once considered one of the best; whenever someone fell ill, Huichuntang was the first place they thought of. But ever since Yang's clinic in the east of the city became famous, his business had become increasingly deserted. Seeing his business snatched away by a young man in his early twenties, he had long harbored a deep resentment.

One day, something happened in the city. In the Qin family in the south of the city, the old man suddenly started vomiting blood, one sip after another, staining half of his pillow and bedding red. The family panicked and called for Dr. Jin from Huichuntang. Dr. Jin examined his pulse and diagnosed it as lung damage from overwork, prescribing a mild tonic. However, after taking the medicine, the bleeding not only didn't stop, but gushed even more violently.

Seeing the situation was bad, the quack doctor's eyes darted around, and he came up with a plan to frame someone. He said to the Qin family with a stern face, "The old man's illness was originally easy to cure. The problem is that a few days ago, he tried to save money and got some medicine from Yang's shop in the east of the city. My prescription was ruined by that Yang's medicine, which is why the bleeding couldn't be controlled. If anyone is to blame, it's that quack doctor's medicine that's harmed him."

Upon hearing this, the Qin family was skeptical, but seeing the old man gushing blood and barely breathing, they lost their composure. Rumors quickly spread throughout the city that the "miracle doctor" of the east side had killed someone with his medicine, and those who had previously flattered him now cowered in silence. The city was abuzz with discussion. Some, always envious of Yang's business, seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, saying that this quack doctor was bound to cause a death sooner or later; others, who had received favors from Yang Hu, were half-believing, half-doubting, worried for him, but dared not speak out. The reputation of the "miracle doctor" of the east side was about to be tarnished by this "medicine-induced vomiting of blood" incident.

The youngest son of the Qin family was a man of his own mind. He remembered that Yang Ji in the east of the city had cured so many difficult and strange diseases, so he gritted his teeth and decided to invite Yang Hu over as well, wanting to get to the bottom of things face to face.

When Yang Hu arrived, the old doctor was sitting by the bedside, looking heartbroken. Seeing Yang Hu enter, he sneered, "Oh, the main character has arrived. A mere greenhorn dares to treat human life like a game? The old man's bleeding only stopped after taking your Yang family's medicine."

Yang Hu ignored him, stepped forward to check the old man's complexion, and then looked at the prescription written by Dr. Jin. His brows furrowed.

He took the pulse, which was strong and rapid; then he looked at the blood that had been vomited, which was red and thick. He asked the Qin family a few more questions: Before the old man vomited blood, did he often feel a burning sensation in his chest, a bitter taste in his mouth, a dry mouth, and get angry easily?

The Qin family members all agreed, saying that the old man had been anxious and stressed about family matters, which was exactly the case.

Yang Hu then understood the situation.

This isn't some kind of overexertion damaging the lungs. It's clearly a buildup of heat in the stomach and liver, so intense that it's forcing blood to gushed out of the mouth instead of flowing properly. This is called "blood heat running rampant," it's real heat, not deficiency. The proper treatment for this is to clear the heat, cool the blood, and subdue that upward-flowing heat. But this Dr. Jin, instead of treating the real heat as deficiency, prescribed a warming and tonifying medicine—this tonification is like adding fuel to the fire; the fire burns even brighter, and the blood gushes out even more violently.

"This blood in the old man wasn't caused by the medicine from my Yang family," Yang Hu said, turning around and enunciating each word with a cold expression. "It was this Dr. Jin who mistook the heat syndrome for a deficiency syndrome and forced it out with a dose of warming tonic. If he had been any later, this man would have lost his life to this 'harmful medicine.'"

"You're spouting nonsense!" Doctor Jin's face turned ashen, his fierce words masking his inner weakness.

"Are you just spouting nonsense? The prescription is right here, and the pulse diagnosis is right here." Yang Hu waved the prescription in his hand. "Several of the herbs in this prescription are just adding fuel to the fire. The old man is already full of heat, and you're just adding more fuel to the fire. How can you stop the bleeding? You've ruined his life, and now you're blaming me? Do you think everyone in this room is blind?"

The old doctor was rendered speechless by the rebuttal, cold sweat rolling down his forehead. It turned out that after more than twenty years of practicing medicine, he had become accustomed to relying on his seniority and experience, diagnosing illnesses solely based on old knowledge, and had long since refused to put in the hard work of careful examination. This symptom of vomiting blood could involve both deficiency and excess, cold and heat, but he was too lazy to differentiate, treating it all as a deficiency and prescribing tonifying remedies. This time, he had run right into Yang Hu's trap.

Yang Hu stopped looking at him and immediately wrote a prescription, using some medicine to clear the stomach, reduce internal heat, cool the blood, and stop bleeding. He then took out silver needles and applied them to several acupuncture points to guide the rising heat downwards. His technique in applying the needles and preparing the medicine was steady and experienced, without the slightest sign of panic. Although the Qin family members did not understand medical principles, seeing his confident demeanor, their hearts, which had been in their throats, inexplicably calmed down a bit.

The Qin family watched with bated breath as the bowl of dark medicine was forced down their throats. After about half an hour, the gushing blood gradually slowed and eventually stopped. A sliver of color returned to the old man's deathly pale face. After two more days of treatment, not only had the bleeding stopped, but the old man was also able to eat half a bowl of rice porridge, something he hadn't been able to manage in the past two days. The entire Qin family was deeply grateful to Yang Hu, preparing generous gifts to express their thanks. They, however, were filled with rage and hatred for the quack doctor Jin, who had almost caused their death and then tried to frame them.

The room fell into a deathly silence, then erupted into chaos. Qin's youngest son knelt down with a thud: "The divine doctor is alive! We listened to slander and almost killed my father!" The old man on the bed caught his breath, his cloudy eyes filled with the lingering fear of surviving a close call. He tremblingly raised his hand, pointed at the doctor, and was so angry that he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the doctor slipped away unnoticed, looking disheveled, and disappeared without a trace.

Once the news spread, the rumors in town immediately reversed. Everyone said that the old doctor Jin was jealous of talent and ability, that he had ruined a patient and then tried to frame the miracle doctor, and that he had no medical ethics; on the other hand, the young miracle doctor in the east of town was not only highly skilled in medicine, but also saw through the schemes and traps set by others. Those who had previously cowered and echoed him now all changed their tune, vying to speak up for Yang Hu, saying that they had known all along that the miracle doctor was truly capable. Several prominent families in town secretly took note: this young miracle doctor was not only highly skilled in medicine, but his eyes and his shrewdness were also beyond the reach of ordinary people; they would have to be more careful when dealing with him in the future.

After this incident, the reputation of the legendary doctor in the east of the city not only didn't decline but actually rose, and he truly established himself in the city, so no one dared to have any wicked thoughts anymore.

Nighttime, backyard. Lu Yan refilled Yang Hu's tea and said softly, "The taller the tree, the more the wind blows. He's only just started to show his face, and someone's already getting restless and trying to trip him up."

"Those who openly sabotage us are nothing to fear." Yang Hu held his teacup, his gaze darkening. "What I fear are those who lurk in the shadows, never showing their faces. The whole city is watching us; there are our envious colleagues, but there are also... other kinds of people."

Qin Ying was tidying up the worn-out dagger under the lamp when she heard this and looked up. She knew better than anyone who Yang Hu was referring to as "someone else." Beneath the bustling city, that hand, lurking in the shadows, had never moved an inch.