ll wondered what items would cost over 30,000 yuan for a ritual to exorcise ghosts and dispel evil spirits. Moreover, he had just inspected the room but didn’t detect any ominous presence or ghostly e...Chapter 115: Sparring

After hearing Xiao Yu's words, Wei nodded without speaking and continued driving towards the antique city. Upon arrival at the antique city, there had been significant changes at the corner where a large落地玻璃had been removed, with renovations underway at the entrance. A traditional northern-style door frame was taking shape.

Xiao Yu and his group bypassed the ongoing renovation to enter the premises. The room was rectangular in shape, approximately seventy square meters. The ceiling had already been completed, and basic renovations were being carried out; once finished, they could start operations after moving in the necessary items.

Inside there was also a small ten-square-meter room for rest. As Xiao Yu approached the room entrance, Fang Yuan emerged from it with a smile upon seeing Xiao Yu and Wei: "Little Brother Xiao, Young Master Jun, you've arrived! How do you like it Does it meet your expectations"

Xiao Yu nodded as he inspected the place, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Fang. I am very satisfied. However, please note that I will pay the market rent."

"Heh heh, I knew Xiao Brother would be this way," Fang Yuan said with a smile, adding, "don't worry! This is company property; we won’t charge you less!"

Xiao Yu nodded in response. Deep down, he thought it wasn’t that he was aloof but rather that owing favors to others was the hardest thing to repay and could lead to unseen karmic debts if not addressed properly. Of course, if there was a transaction involved between two parties, this would be different.

After inspecting the premises, Xiao Yu began making phone calls; his medicine cabinets were already made and waiting for him to pick up.

Xiao Yu hung up the call after learning that the goods could be delivered within an hour. Before he knew it, a delivery truck arrived.

Watching as brand-new medicine cabinets were unloaded from the vehicle, Xiao Yu felt satisfied once they had been set in place. The renovations would take several more days to complete.

Satisfied with the neatly arranged medicine cabinets and drawers, Xiao Yu nodded contentedly; these items would be his constant companions moving forward.

The days went by, and the renovation of the storefront was almost complete. Xiao Yu came to Mr. Zhang's hundred-year-old signboard shop again. Upon entering, he noticed his own signboard placed right in the center of the room. The board was ancient yet grand, and Xiao Yu nodded in satisfaction, feeling an immense sense of nostalgia. After nearly a century of silence, Xiao Family's Wansheng Hall would finally shine anew under his stewardship.

"Doctor Xiao has arrived! This is your signboard. What do you think Are you satisfied" Just as Xiao Yu was quietly reflecting on the board, Old Mr. Zhang's voice came from beside him.

Xiao Yu turned to see Old Mr. Zhang smiling at the signboard with evident satisfaction.

"Mr. Zhang’s craftsmanship is truly unparalleled! The reputation of a hundred years isn't unjustified!" Xiao Yu was also very pleased, as the essence of his own calligraphy had been well captured on the board.

Xiao Yu and two employees from Mr. Zhang's shop carried the signboard downstairs and helped him install it. Xiao Yu bought some red cloth to cover the signboard until the opening day when he would unveil it.

Now, the shop only lacked medicinal herbs. Xiao Yu took out his phone intending to call his senior brother, Yue Zhongji, but thought better of it and decided to go there himself.

Xiao Yu hailed a cab and arrived at Renhetang Hall. He went straight to the traditional Chinese medicine department where four or five people were queued up in front of Yue Zhongji's consultation desk. Yue Zhongji was currently taking someone’s pulse. Upon seeing Xiao Yu, he nodded without saying anything and continued his examination. Xiao Yu did not interrupt Yue Zhongji but stood beside him watching how he took pulses and treated patients.

Xiao Yu observed the patient standing by. As a good TCM practitioner, mastering the four diagnostic methods of observation, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation is essential. However, nowadays, if one can master even one method and excel at it, they could be considered a grandmaster. The fundamental difference between a national-level expert and a grandmaster lies in their grasp of these basics; only after mastering them can one possibly become a national-level expert.

The patient Yue Zhongji was seeing was a man in his thirties with one hand on the table allowing Old Yue to take his pulse, while his other hand covered his stomach, revealing an expression of discomfort and suffering.

After finishing the pulse-taking, Old Yue put down the man's hand, pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen to write out a prescription. But upon seeing Xiao Yu standing beside him, he paused in surprise. He had only witnessed Xiao Yu’s acupuncture skills before, which were deeply infused with the essence of the Xiao family’s acupuncture techniques and even contained some innovations. However, he hadn't seen anything else from Xiao Yu, so he assumed that such a young man would have little time to spare for other aspects given his prowess in acupuncture.

"Junior brother, come over and take a look!" Old Yue put down the brush with a smile and pointed at the patient as he invited Xiao Yu.

Despite having some intentions to test Xiao Yu, Yue Zhongji mostly wanted him to gain practical experience. Additionally, he intended to identify Xiao Yu's weaknesses and provide guidance accordingly.

"Elder... Sir, is my illness difficult to treat" Upon seeing that Elder Yue did not announce the diagnosis and instead asked another person to examine him, the patient became worried. Although this other individual appeared young, the patient knew that doctors usually sought multiple opinions for severe cases. Therefore, upon hearing that Elder Yue wanted someone else's input, he flashed an even more pitiful smile than before and spoke hesitantly.

"Haha, don’t worry, it’s nothing serious! Today my apprentices and I are practicing our medical skills here; thus both of us will diagnose you!" Elder Yue waved his hand and smiled reassuringly at the patient.

“Free clinic… so there won't be any charge for medicine” When he heard about the free clinic, the man paused before asking.

"Hahaha... As it's a charitable service, of course, everything is free!" Elder Yue laughed heartily in response to the man’s question.

Hearing that this was a free clinic and medicine would be provided without charge, both the man and those waiting in line were taken aback but soon broke into smiles. They thought it was fortunate that they could get expert medical advice and medication for no cost, not minding at all if more doctors had to examine them.

Some of them immediately called their family members about this when they learned it was a free clinic. To these individuals, Elder Yue paid no mind; instead he instructed the young assistant who often accompanied him: "Little Liu, go get another table and chair."

The apprentice behind Elder Yue nodded upon hearing his words and proceeded to fetch a new table and chair, though inwardly feeling envious that despite following Elder Yue around diligently, he had never received any guidance from the elder. In contrast, Xiao Yu who had only met Elder Yue once seemed to have become his disciple; now it looked like Elder Yue would personally instruct him.

When Xiao Yu heard what Elder Yue said, he was initially surprised before understanding his intention. He then bowed respectfully and waited for the apprentice to bring over a chair so that he could sit down to examine the patient. After returning to the small rest room, Elder Yue took out a set of stationery tools and placed them near Xiao Yu who straightened his clothes and focused on the man.

When the man extended his hand, Xiao Yu grabbed it and carefully felt his pulse. Realizing what Elder Yue expected from him, he became much more attentive in his examination; this time, he spent an unusually long period checking the patient's pulse for two full minutes before releasing his hand. Subsequently, he scrutinized the symptoms displayed on the man’s face.

Noticing the red blood vessels in the patient’s eyes and the cracks at the corners of his mouth, Xiao Yu was now clear about what ailed him. He then picked up a brush pen and started writing down the diagnosis with swift strokes.

Since Professor Yue had already seen this patient before, he picked up his pen to write the prescription as soon as Xiao Yu finished examining him.

The patients waiting in line behind them were curious when they saw both of them writing prescriptions and stopped queuing. They stretched their necks out to watch the two men prescribe medicines.

Professor Yue's handwriting was powerful yet graceful, but he wasn't slow at all. The resilience could be seen in his strokes even though these patients didn’t know much about calligraphy. It was obvious that Professor Yue’s penmanship was fluid and natural, leaving a pleasant impression on the viewers.

When everyone turned their gaze to Xiao Yu's handwriting, they were immediately captivated by it. As Xiao Yu moved his wrist lightly, beautiful characters leaped onto the paper with an elegance as if flowing clouds and running water. The speed was even faster than Professor Yue’s.

Even though these people had no knowledge of calligraphy, they felt immersed in Xiao Yu's handwriting. It not only brought them a sense of beauty but also seemed to cleanse their minds. Dark thoughts appeared to be blown away by a gentle breeze and dissipated into the air.

"What beautiful handwriting!" Someone yelled from behind the crowd, and the rest nodded in agreement.

Professor Yue remained unmoved despite hearing praises for Xiao Yu's penmanship. Only after both of them put down their pens did he turn around to look at Xiao Yu’s prescription. Although he had seen it before, Professor Yue couldn't help but praise: "Every time I see my younger brother's handwriting, I feel like all the years I've spent practicing calligraphy have been in vain."

"You overestimate me, Brother. Your handwriting is powerful yet flexible, achieving a perfect balance of hardness and softness, which is truly admirable!" It was Xiao Yu’s first time seeing Professor Yue's penmanship; it impressed him as much as his grandfather's had. This was the best calligraphy he had seen from anyone other than his grandfather.

Xiao Yu couldn't tell before, but after recalling his grandfather's handwriting, which was powerful yet carried an implicit aura of violence and malevolence (even though it was deeply concealed), he could now feel a hint of it since integrating Zhong Kui’s memories.

Xiao Yu and Professor Yue placed their prescriptions side by side on the table to examine each other's work. While Professor Yue intended to learn from Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu aimed at learning from his strengths as well. After all, the Yue family had dedicated nearly a hundred years across two generations to studying medical skills that had started in the Xiao family but evolved into something unique.

The two men nodded after examining each other's prescriptions. Their diagnoses were almost identical: both of them identified an inflamed liver and spleen, bloated abdomen, and constipation.ng what the old Taoist said, the corpse driver was slightly stunned as well. He hadn't expected there to be another cultivator here and thus glanced at both Xiao Yu and this old Taoist.Seeing that the...