Chapter 396: Collapsing Doctor Muhong (Part 2)

It didn't take long before Physician Mu Hong entered, led by an elderly man.

"Greetings, Patriarch Lin and Patriarch Ji!" Mu Hong bowed with clasped fists, his expression calm, showing no undue deference despite their high status.

"Master Mu, please help my son..." Lin Ruotian hastily requested.

"Rest assured, I'm here!" Assuring them, Mu Hong maintained a stoic expression, walked a few steps to Young Master Lin Lang and Young Master Ji Mo, then knelt down to examine them carefully.

Although this world lacked the "pulse-taking" of traditional Chinese medicine, it possessed the fundamental diagnostic methods of observation, listening (and smelling), and questioning. Even with the patients unconscious and unable to answer questions, as a three-star physician, he could still determine the general situation.

"How is it?" Seeing him observe for a long time without speaking, Lin Ruotian couldn't help but inquire. Lin Lang was his only son, always doted upon, and his current state made Lin Ruotian more anxious than anyone.

"The injuries are quite severe, inflicted by a powerful external force. If my guess is correct, the person who injured him is likely skilled in body cultivation!" After a thorough examination, Mu Hong exhaled, stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said indifferently.

When cultivators fought, they typically used true qi, which often resulted in internal injuries such as damaged meridians or organs. However, in this case, the dislodged teeth, fractured bones, and torn flesh clearly indicated external force. Such injuries would be caused either by a powerful body cultivator or a savage beast.

"A body cultivator?" Lin Ruotian frowned. He hadn't heard of any grandmaster-level body cultivators in Tianwu Royal City. Feeling puzzled, he still looked over with concern: "Master Mu, do you have a way to treat him? If not... I could arrange a consultation or... invite President Liu to take a look!"

"Relax, it's just a minor external injury, nothing serious!" Seeing the doubt in Lin Ruotian's tone and the mention of President Liu, Mu Hong's face darkened, and he waved his hand dismissively. Previously, he had been highly esteemed in Tianwu Kingdom's medical community, with no one daring to question him. Ever since President Liu appeared, everyone seemed to have doubts, which greatly frustrated him. Was it that no one could heal but President Liu?

"Then we'll trouble you, Master!" Hearing that treatment was possible, Lin Ruotian and Ji Feng both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mm." Without further ado, Physician Mu Hong flipped his wrist, producing a jade bottle in his palm. With a gentle shake, the liquid medicine flowed out, slowly dripping onto Lin Lang's exposed skin.

*Sizzle!* Upon contact with the medicine, countless bubbles immediately appeared on the wound, and the previously torn flesh visibly healed at a rapid pace.

"Incredible..." Seeing such obvious results, Lin Ruotian and Ji Feng's eyes lit up simultaneously. Truly worthy of a three-star physician; his methods were extraordinary!

"This is a unique medicinal liquid I formulated myself. It has miraculous effects on external injuries. Any wound that comes into contact with it will heal quickly, regenerating flesh and muscle; it's truly marvelous..." Seeing their shock, Physician Mu Hong nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he saw Lin Ruotian standing still, stunned.

"No, Master Mu, look..." Noticing Lin Ruotian's strange expression, Mu Hong followed his gaze and immediately froze. The wound that had just healed was tearing open again, even wider than before, and fresh blood continued to flow out. For example, if the wound was originally two fingers wide, after treatment, it not only didn't improve but became three fingers wide and started bleeding.

"What's going on?" Having just boasted that his medicine was a unique formula, such an incident made Mu Hong's face darken. He hurriedly poured the liquid medicine onto another area.

*Rip!* Just like before, the newly formed muscle tore open again, becoming even more gruesome.

"This isn't right..." Unexpectedly, such a bizarre change occurred. Flipping his wrist, Physician Mu Hong took out seven or eight more medicinal liquids, pouring them onto several different wounds.

However, these medicinal liquids, which previously had miraculous effects on external injuries, behaved just like the first one he used: they showed initial effect but soon caused the wounds to tear open again. Lin Lang, who had been peacefully bleeding less moments ago, was now not only not cured but bleeding more and more, his wounds growing larger, and his face turning paler.

"Master Mu, please... stop!" Seeing him take out a dozen more bottles and jars, intending to test them one by one, Lin Ruotian trembled and hastily intervened. Lin Ruotian thought, *Master Mu, I asked you to heal and save a life, not to kill... If you keep treating him like this, I'm afraid he'll die from excessive bleeding before he's even cured!*

"Relax, I know what I'm doing!" His face darkening, he cut off Lin Ruotian. Physician Mu Hong quickly tested all the medicines he had on hand, after which his brows furrowed tightly, and his expression turned unpleasant. After trying all the medicinal materials, Lin Lang's breath was now faint, not far from drawing his last.

"What exactly is going on?" Lin Ruotian's lips trembled. Though his son was severely injured before, he at least seemed alive. Now, after half a day of treatment, he was getting worse and worse, on the verge of death, which filled Lin Ruotian with frustration, yet he couldn't express his anger. President Liu had ruined his plans, and he deep down didn't want to interact with him; otherwise, he wouldn't have directly invited Physician Mu Hong. If this former president couldn't solve it, he truly wouldn't know what to do.

"Based on my judgment, Young Master Lin Lang's injuries are not merely external; I'm afraid... he has also been poisoned!" Mu Hong hesitated for a moment, then slowly stated.

"Poisoned?" Lin Ruotian was taken aback. Could it be that the person who attacked his son was also a poison master? Otherwise, ordinary poisons would be almost useless against a grandmaster-level expert.

"Precisely! This poison is very peculiar, and I don't recognize it. However, there's no need to worry too much. I'll use my true qi to try and force it out shortly. Once the poison is gone, his wounds shouldn't tear open anymore and will heal quickly!" Physician Mu Hong continued. After testing several types of medicinal materials, he finally confirmed that the patient must have been poisoned. Otherwise, medicines that worked perfectly fine on others wouldn't cause repeated complications with Lin Lang. However, there were countless types of poisons, and since he wasn't a specialized poison master, he couldn't identify it.

"Then we'll rely on you, Master Mu!" Lin Ruotian quickly nodded.

"Mm." Responding, Mu Hong helped Lin Lang sit up, then sat cross-legged behind him, placing his palm against Lin Lang's back. A stream of true qi slowly flowed into him. Expelling poison from others required special methods, which, as a three-star physician, he had specifically studied and was very familiar with. His true qi explored along the patient's meridians, inch by inch.

"It's here..." Soon, the location of the poison was found, and his eyes lit up. Once poisoned, the toxin would travel throughout the body via the meridians. To expel it, one first had to locate it; otherwise, no matter how many methods were used, they would be futile.

"Young Master Lin Lang cultivates the Lin family's technique, and the true qi I cultivate belongs to a different school, making them incompatible. I just need to control my true qi to envelop the poison and force it out of his body..." Having found the location, Mu Hong wasn't excited; instead, he became more vigilant. When a patient is poisoned, it means the poison has merged with their true qi and body. To expel it, one's own true qi must be of a different nature from the patient's. Otherwise, if the true qi merged, not only would it be impossible to expel the poison, but one could easily become infected oneself, making the effort counterproductive. Lin Lang's Lin family cultivation technique was completely different from his own, like oil and water. As long as he was careful, it should be easy to expel the poison from the body.

True qi slowly flowed. Physician Mu Hong cautiously controlled it, letting it gently touch the venom. Just as he intended to expel the substance, *sizzle!*—it was instantly like a match meeting gasoline. The venom seemed contagious, instantly burrowing into his true qi.

"What?" His pupils contracted. Before he could react, he saw his palm rapidly turn black, and the potent poison immediately spread upward, entering his arm.

"This... this... how is this possible?" His face turned pale, and Mu Hong nearly went mad. He had seen potent things before, but never anything this potent! In the past, he had personally helped people resolve Grade-2 poisons. Under normal circumstances, as long as the true qi was compatible with the patient's, it would be difficult for it to threaten other people's true qi... After all, as long as true qi was not from the same origin or school, it would generally repel each other and be difficult to merge! What on earth was this? How could his true qi ignite like dynamite the moment it touched it?

"Oh no, it must be... this poison contains an even purer form of true qi, one that can be compatible with any true qi..." A flash of insight, recalling something recorded in a medical text. For it to rapidly merge with his true qi and transmit the poison, there was only one possibility: the true qi of the poisoner was extremely pure, capable of perfectly merging with his own true qi, leaving no room for resistance.

"It's over..." His body swayed. He failed to detoxify the patient and instead poisoned himself... Mu Hong felt like crying but had no tears. Just moments ago, he had been thinking of treating the patient well, leaving a good impression on the Lin family, thoroughly proving himself, and letting everyone know that he, Mu Hong, was not to be underestimated and was in no way inferior to President Liu. And now this situation... What kind of mess was this!

Flipping his wrist, he hastily took out an antidote pill and placed it in his mouth. Just as he felt a slight relief, he saw Lin Ruotian approach with an anxious expression, touching him: "Master Mu, what happened? What's wrong with you...?"

"Don't move..." He was already forcibly suppressing the spread of the poison. With the touch, his true qi could no longer be controlled. The poisoned true qi broke through the constraints in his arms and spread throughout his entire body. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, Physician Mu Hong's body swayed, and he could no longer stand.

"The poison in his body is strange..." Before he could finish speaking, his vision went black, and he fainted.

"Physician Mu..." Seeing the dignified three-star physician, the former president of the Physicians' Guild, directly faint, Lin Ruotian and Ji Feng were both dumbfounded. Can someone tell me what just happened? Physician Mu Hong, weren't you here to treat injuries? How did Lin Lang's injuries get worse with your treatment...? Not only that, but your own face turned completely black and you fainted—what is that supposed to mean? Treating someone's injuries, only to get poisoned and faint himself... Mu Hong, didn't you just solemnly declare, "Rest assured, I'm here"? Rest assured? With this level of performance... I'm anything but reassured!