Ye Kunlun nodded and said, "Duān Lóng Cǎo!"
As the words "Duān Lóng Cǎo" left his lips, the middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly. He asked sternly, "Did he send you here?"
Ye Kunlun knew that the "he" the middle-aged man referred to was the owner of the establishment in the underground city who refined the Marrow Washing Soup.
"Yes, it was him!" Ye Kunlun replied with a smile. "What should I call the boss?"
"You can call me Uncle Long," the man said, sizing up Ye Kunlun as if to gauge the truth of his words.
"Boss Long, that sounds like I'm taking advantage of you," Ye Kunlun said, accepting the scrutiny. After all, the man couldn't glean anything substantial from his appearance.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are Ye Kunlun, the young master of the Wu Jian Prison, aren't you?"
Uncle Long's face showed a look of realization.
Now it was Ye Kunlun's turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected the man to have guessed his identity.
"It is I," Ye Kunlun nodded and said, "Boss Long, name your price."
"I'm not selling!" Uncle Long immediately refused, seemingly unafraid of offending Ye Kunlun. "Even if he sent you, I won't sell Duān Lóng Cǎo."
Hearing this, Ye Kunlun chuckled. "I'm someone who particularly enjoys making deals. Why doesn't Boss Long state his conditions?"
Uncle Long looked deeply at Ye Kunlun. "The outside world says you kill without batting an eye and are an unreasonable brute. Now it seems the rumors are not to be believed."
Ye Kunlun shrugged, displaying a hint of helplessness. "Everyone has a mouth. I can't stop them from spreading whatever they wish. Boss Long, let's talk about Duān Lóng Cǎo."
Uncle Long's face showed a flicker of hesitation.
After a moment, he asked Ye Kunlun, "I heard you understand medicine?"
"A little," Ye Kunlun replied, showing uncharacteristic modesty.
"If you can help me save someone, I will give you Duān Lóng Cǎo for free. How about that?" Uncle Long responded.
"I like this deal," Ye Kunlun said with a smile.
For him, nothing was simpler than saving a life.
"I have one additional condition: regardless of the outcome, you are not to speak of this matter to any third party besides me!" Uncle Long cautioned Ye Kunlun. "If you are unwilling, you can leave now."
"I agree!"
Ye Kunlun saw no reason to refuse. No matter who the patient was or what their status, it had nothing to do with him. Moreover, for a physician, it was only right to protect patient privacy.
"Follow me!"
Uncle Long said, heading towards the inner courtyard. Ye Kunlun followed.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a study. Uncle Long gently tapped three times on a book on a bookshelf, revealing a hidden door.
"Come with me!" Uncle Long looked back at Ye Kunlun.
Ye Kunlun's expression remained unchanged. Given that Uncle Long possessed such a large estate in the capital and used it for growing herbs, his identity was undoubtedly extraordinary. A mere secret room was nothing to surprise Ye Kunlun. However, what followed truly astonished him!
Upon entering the secret room, Ye Kunlun detected a strong, almost pungent medicinal aroma. Additionally, there was a small teleportation formation. This piqued Ye Kunlun's curiosity about the patient's identity, as he detected several unusual medicinal ingredients within the acrid scent.
Uncle Long glanced at Ye Kunlun, noticing his furrowed brow, and said in a low voice, "Ye Kunlun, you can still back out if you wish."
"I must have Duān Lóng Cǎo!" Ye Kunlun unfolded his brow and replied with determination.
"I only detected the scent of ginseng sprouts and Heavenly Star, and I was merely curious about the patient's condition. Boss Long, there's no need to be nervous," Ye Kunlun added with a smile.
Hearing Ye Kunlun's words, Uncle Long's eyes lit up. "It seems you do know a thing or two. Then, can you guess what illness the patient has?"
"Ginseng sprouts and Heavenly Star are both extremely potent medicinal ingredients, and they must be over a thousand years old to be effective. For ordinary people, they are highly toxic. Therefore, the patient is a cultivator!" Ye Kunlun stated his deduction, looking at Uncle Long.
"Furthermore, when these two ingredients are combined, their medicinal effects target the Qihai, Shimén, and Guānyuán acupoints – key points on the Ren Meridian. Coupled with the other ingredients, the patient's Ren and Du meridians are likely dead or, in other words, their dantian has been crippled!"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Long's expression became quite vivid, and he looked at Ye Kunlun with shock. He hadn't expected Ye Kunlun to deduce so much from the scent of the medicines.
"However, there is another possibility: the patient has congenital stone meridians," Ye Kunlun said, his brow slightly furrowed as another possibility came to mind.
As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in Uncle Long's eyes. Ye Kunlun noticed his expression and smiled, "It seems my deduction is correct. The patient has congenital stone meridians."
"Not congenital stone meridians, but acquired ones!" Uncle Long calmed himself and explained to Ye Kunlun.
"Acquired? Poisoned?" Ye Kunlun frowned, contemplating what kind of poison could cause stone meridians.
Uncle Long shook his head and sighed. "The situation is rather complicated, and I can't explain it clearly in a short time. You can see for yourself."
Ye Kunlun nodded and asked no further questions. As Ye Kunlun stepped into the teleportation formation, Uncle Long retrieved a palm-sized jade pendant from his waist and placed it in a groove on the formation. In the next second, the teleportation formation activated.
In the blink of an eye, he and Uncle Long appeared in a spacious room. The room was decorated with ancient opulence and featured a large canopy. Through the canopy, one could vaguely discern a person lying within. Out of politeness, Ye Kunlun did not use his divine sense to probe the person. Moreover, he sensed that the room was filled with restrictions, which could easily be triggered without the owner's permission. However, through the canopy, Ye Kunlun felt a familiar aura emanating from the person lying on the bed.
"Uncle Long, did you bring someone?" a voice, neither male nor female, came from within the canopy.
"Yes, Ye Kunlun has a bit of knowledge in medicine, so I took it upon myself to bring him to try," Uncle Long replied to the canopy.
"Ye Kunlun?" Hearing Uncle Long's answer, the voice within the canopy became agitated. Then, Ye Kunlun saw the person within the canopy rise and walk towards him. Through the blurred shadow, it could be determined that the person was a woman. Uncle Long, standing nearby, clearly heard the excitement in her voice and looked at Ye Kunlun with surprise.
After a few steps, the person in the canopy stopped and said to Ye Kunlun, "You know how to take a pulse with a thread, right?"
Ye Kunlun replied, "Yes!"
"Then take my pulse with a thread and examine my physical condition," the woman said, returning to her previous calm demeanor.
Ye Kunlun said no more. He extended his right hand, and spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips, instantly forming a thread that passed through the canopy and wrapped around the woman's wrist! As her pulse beat, the spiritual energy thread trembled. In the next second, Ye Kunlun's face showed astonishment and delight. For in his mind, a beautiful figure emerged...