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

The business deal with Jichuntang was finalized within two days, and the "Female Doctor Su" that Boss Su had mentioned came to their door on her own.

On the day I arrived, there was a long queue outside Yang's shop. A simple sedan chair stopped at the alley entrance, and a young woman in her early twenties stepped out.

She wore a pale white cotton dress, her hair neatly styled in a bun, adorned only with a single plain silver hairpin. She was delicately pretty, but her eyes were exceptionally bright, revealing a shrewdness rarely seen in ordinary young women. It was the kind of gaze one could cultivate from years of managing a pharmacy and practicing medicine—the crispness of a merchant's daughter combined with the composure of a healer. She alighted from the sedan chair without announcing herself, merely curtsied to the waiting patients, and walked straight inside.

"Young lady, you have to wait in line to see a doctor," Liu Ye said, stopping her at the door.

The young woman stopped and smiled politely, "Sister, I'm not here for treatment. I'm from the Su family of Jichuntang. Today, I've brought a patient here to ask your divine healers for help."

Behind her, two servants were carrying a stretcher. Lying on the stretcher was an old man with a haggard face and withered appearance. The old man was breathing weakly, his cheekbones were high and protruding, and his skin was a layer of withered yellow skin that looked as if it would shrink down at any moment.

Yang Hu came out to greet him upon hearing the sound.

When Miss Su saw him, she was slightly taken aback, probably not expecting that this renowned physician, who was famous throughout the city, was so young. But she quickly composed herself and greeted him with a graceful bow.

"Dr. Yang, I am Su Qing." She got straight to the point. "This is the old manager of our pharmacy. He has been with my father for thirty years. About two months ago, he started to look like this. He is always thirsty and has tea in his hand. No matter how much he drinks, he is not quenched. He can still eat, but he is getting thinner and thinner every day and has no strength. He gets up at night one after another."

She paused, a hint of resentment flashing across her face: "To be honest, I also studied medicine under you for a few years, and the neighbors in town all call me 'Ms. Su the Physician.' I've been treating this old shopkeeper's illness for over a month, and I only think it's due to spleen deficiency and poor circulation, as well as a deficiency of both qi and blood. I've tried various prescriptions to strengthen the spleen and replenish qi and blood, but there's been no improvement whatsoever. I... I can't cure him."

This girl has a truly upright character; she can swallow her pride and say "I can't cure her" out loud.

Yang Hu stepped forward and took the old shopkeeper's pulse. The pulse was thin and rapid. He then examined the old shopkeeper's tongue; it was red with a thin, dry coating. He then asked a few more questions about the old shopkeeper's diet and daily life.

Su Qing stood to the side, watching intently, her eyes glued to the screen. She silently rehearsed every movement Yang Hu made. When she encountered something she didn't understand, her delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. This girl wasn't just there for show; she genuinely treated it as a lesson to be learned.

"Miss Su's attempt to treat this as a form of general weakness is a flawed approach," Yang Hu said slowly. "This old shopkeeper's weakness is not ordinary. It's diabetes."

"Diabetes?" Su Qing was taken aback.

"Exactly," Yang Hu said, emphasizing each word. "His body fluids are being scorched and tormented by a false fire every day. The water he drinks can't be retained; it leaks out in his urine in the blink of an eye. The food he eats can't be transformed into qi and blood; instead, it's consumed by that false fire, turning him into withered twigs. That's why he gets thirstier the more he drinks and thinner the more he eats. If you keep using warming tonics, it's like adding fuel to the fire; that false fire will only burn even more fiercely."

Su Qing was stunned. She had practiced medicine for several years, and while she considered herself diligent, she had never thought of this before. She pondered it carefully, and looking at the old shopkeeper's sallow face and ever-present thirst, she broke out in a cold sweat. Wasn't this exactly the case? She bit her lip in frustration. She had taken the old shopkeeper's pulse; she had examined his tongue. The same pulse, the same tongue, yet Yang Hu saw something she had completely missed. The difference wasn't in the skill of his hands, but in the ability to see through the surface and reach the root of the illness.

"This illness cannot be treated with tonics; the opposite approach is necessary." Yang Hu had already written down the prescription. "Use sweet and cold nourishing medicines to replenish the depleted body fluids and gradually clear away the burning internal heat. Also, avoid rich and greasy foods and take it easy to recover slowly."

Su Qing leaned closer to look at the prescription, and as she read, the light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter. Those few yin-nourishing and heat-clearing herbs, that exquisite combination and dosage—it was a method she had never heard of before, yet she understood it instantly. In her heart, she was completely convinced.

"There are a few herbs in this prescription, Divine Physician," Su Qing couldn't help but ask, "two of them are extremely difficult to find in the market. Most of the herbs sold in the market are of inferior quality." As she spoke, her eyes lit up, "This is something I can help with. All the herbs in our Jichun Hall are of the highest quality. From now on, Divine Physician, just tell me what medicine you need."

Yang Hu's heart skipped a beat. This girl not only knew medicine, but she also had an excellent understanding of the origins and quality of medicinal herbs in the city. This skill might be a useful asset for him in his future investigation of that lead.

After taking the yin-nourishing and heat-clearing prescription, the old shopkeeper's dry mouth gradually lessened within a few days. After another half month of treatment according to Yang Hu's prescription, he regained his energy, and his sallow face regained its color.

Su Qing personally visited to express her gratitude. This time, the arrogance on her face had completely vanished, replaced only by deep respect.

"I am truly impressed by Dr. Yang's medical skills," she said sincerely. "In the future, whenever I have any questions, I would like to come and consult you. I wonder if you would do me the honor?"

Seeing that she was intelligent, eager to learn, and sincere, Yang Hu readily agreed.

During their casual conversation, Yang Hu keenly noticed a lingering, unyielding sorrow between the young lady Su's brows. Several times she seemed about to speak but hesitated, and that sorrow clearly wasn't about the old shopkeeper's illness. Several times she almost spoke, but her gaze swept over the crowd queuing outside, and she swallowed her words, seemingly concerned about the potential for gossip.

"Miss Su," Yang Hu finally spoke, "it seems like there's something else weighing on your mind."

Su Qing stiffened, her grip on the teacup tightening. She looked up at Yang Hu's calm eyes, hesitated for a long time, and finally swallowed her words, forcing a smile.

"It was my fault for being so rude, Doctor. Please forgive me." She stood up, curtsied, and said, "These are just some household matters; I wouldn't dare trouble you with them. Farewell."

Watching her slightly flustered figure recede into the distance, Yang Hu's gaze darkened.

The "unspeakable troubles" that Boss Su mentioned that day, Su Qing's lingering melancholy, and the fact that beneath the glamorous facade of Jichuntang, the largest pharmacy in the city, there was clearly a shameful predicament hidden.

What is the root of that difficulty, and could it be intricately connected to the clue he is secretly investigating?

Yang Hu couldn't quite see clearly for the moment. But he had an inexplicable premonition: this upright and intelligent young lady, Su, and the enormous Jichuntang behind her, would sooner or later be drawn into this ever-expanding game of chess in some unexpected way. What he needed to do was to figure out the true nature of Jichuntang and the hidden difficulties of that young lady, Su, as soon as possible. In this border town where every step was fraught with pitfalls, the more he understood, the more chances he had to survive.

Night once again enveloped the rooftops of the border town. The direction of the grain store in the west of the town remained deathly silent, a silence that sent shivers down one's spine.