Chapter Forty: The Same Prescription

“Damn, that kid really has a sharp tongue. Daring to offend Brother Hua—he must be tired of living!”
“Let’s eat first. Once Dr. Nie treats Brother Hua, we’ll go catch him and give him a proper lesson!”
“Alright, we’ll take care of it this afternoon! Let me see what nonsense that kid wrote… Well, well—one tael of dried tangerine peel, two taels of codonopsis, three qian of atractylodes, five dried earthworms…”
One of the men with bleached yellow hair peered curiously at the piece of paper Su Zheng had slapped on the table and started reading aloud.
“Ha! This is all just a con—does he really think he’s some kind of prophet? Bullshit!”
Yellow-Hair finished with a snort, crumpled the paper into a ball, and tossed it under the table.
“Brother Hua, no need to be angry. Let’s have a drink—this one’s for you!”
As soon as Su Zheng left, Wei Lao’er forced a smile and started fawning over Hua Li, offering him drinks. The others quickly lost interest in the matter, and the atmosphere grew lively as cups clinked and laughter filled the room.
Halfway through the meal, a servant led a young man inside.
It was Nie Feng, apprentice to Luo Huichun.
Recently, Luo Huichun had been making frequent trips to the capital to treat an important patient. After accompanying his master once, Nie Feng decided to stay behind and manage the clinic.
“Haha! Dr. Nie is here—come, sit with us, have a drink!”
Hua Li’s face lit up with delight at Nie Feng’s arrival, warmly inviting him to sit by his side.
Nie Feng wore an air of arrogance. In his master’s absence, he had enjoyed all the privileges that came with Luo Huichun’s reputation—even those who once acted lofty would greet him with smiles and enthusiasm.
“Thank you, but I’ll pass on the wine. I have to visit the Chamber of Commerce later to treat the secretary general. Let’s take care of your illness first.”
Nie Feng replied coolly.
He had certainly heard of Hua Li’s name and knew that if his master were here, he likely wouldn’t have come at all—Luo Huichun despised Hua Li’s ways and avoided dealing with such people.
That Hua Li had just claimed to be friends with Luo Huichun was merely a ploy to test Su Zheng; in truth, he had never even met Luo Huichun.
With Luo Huichun away so often, Nie Feng had been tempted by the high consultation fees and secretly taken on a number of high-profile patients, hoping to make a fortune.
“Excellent! Dr. Nie, you’re truly worthy of being Master Luo’s top disciple—decisive and efficient, just like your master. Let’s start the treatment, then!”
Hua Li set down his glass and extended his arm for Nie Feng to feel his pulse.
After three or four minutes, Nie Feng withdrew his hand, frowning and shaking his head slightly.

“Dr. Nie? Is it… nothing serious?”
Hua Li grew nervous at the sight, his voice deep with concern.
“Hmm… it’s a bit tricky.”
Nie Feng pretended to deliberate, dragging out his words. In truth, he had found nothing seriously wrong with Hua Li’s health, but for the sake of a hefty fee, he had to put on a good show. These people were ripe for the picking—since he’d encountered them, he intended to take full advantage.
Having trained under Luo Huichun since childhood and always being treated with respect wherever he went, he had grown conceited, believing he could easily outmaneuver these seasoned types.
“So how should it be treated?” Hua Li, unaware of Nie Feng’s intentions, pressed with a grave expression.
“Let me think…” Nie Feng deliberately kept him waiting and didn’t reveal his plan right away.
“Ah Biao, where’s my bag?”
Hua Li seemed to remember something and signaled for his yellow-haired subordinate to fetch his bag.
He then took out a black card. “Dr. Nie, there’s three million on this card. If you can cure my back pain, it’s all yours!”
With a smack, he tossed the card in front of Nie Feng.
Nie Feng was overjoyed, though he kept his expression in check. After a moment of theatrical contemplation, he finally said,
“Here’s what I’ll do—I’ll write you a prescription specifically for your back pain. It will completely cure the problem. This is a secret formula my master developed after years of research. I guarantee its effectiveness.”
“Then I thank you, Dr. Nie.” Hua Li’s expression calmed, but a cold glint flickered in his eyes as he glanced at Nie Feng.
Engrossed by the three million, Nie Feng failed to notice the look in Hua Li’s eyes. He quickly took out paper and pen from his medical kit, wrote a prescription, and handed it over.
“Follow the instructions on this prescription: decoct the herbs for two hours each day and take the medicine for five days. You’ll be completely cured!”
He announced with satisfaction.
Hua Li said nothing but took the prescription and scanned the list of herbs. His face grew oddly stiff.
“Director Hua, these are all common Chinese medicinal herbs, but combined in this way, they’ll have remarkable effects. There’s no problem treating your back pain—ha ha…”
Seeing Hua Li’s strange expression, Nie Feng thought he doubted the prescription and hurried to explain.
“Ah Biao, where’s that piece of paper from earlier?”

Hua Li ignored him and instead glanced at his subordinate.
He had overheard some of the herbs when Ah Biao read out Su Zheng’s prescription earlier, and now, seeing the same herbs on Nie Feng’s list, he grew curious and wanted to compare both prescriptions more closely.
“Uh, Boss Hua, I threw it away already!” Ah Biao said, puzzled by why his boss was suddenly interested.
Noticing Hua Li’s frown, he quickly bent down to retrieve the crumpled paper from under the table and handed it over.
Hua Li carefully compared the two prescriptions—the names and dosages of the herbs, as well as the instructions for decoction—and his face grew rigid.
Aside from a different order, every herb and amount was exactly the same on both!
“They’re… the same?!”
Hua Li couldn’t help but mutter in shock.
His words stunned everyone in the room.
Su Zheng’s earlier remarks echoed in their minds, and the look on each face became one of amazement.
It was unbelievable—he really could predict exactly what prescription another doctor would write. That kind of skill had to be on another level altogether!
“Lao Er! Call that Su guy right now—hurry!”
Hua Li suddenly remembered Su Zheng’s claim that no one else could cure his illness, so he quickly ordered Wei Lao’er to contact Su Zheng.
“Brother Hua, I’d already sent someone to deliver Dr. Su just now. He probably hasn’t gone far. Should I have the driver wait for a bit, and we can go over to him?”
Wei Lao’er’s face was a mix of admiration and joy.
Having witnessed the whole thing, he understood that Su Zheng’s diagnosis and prescription must have been spot on.
His respect for Su Zheng deepened, and he even felt that Su Zheng’s medical skills were on par with Luo Huichun’s.
If only he knew that even Luo Huichun was willing to call Su Zheng his grandmaster, he might well faint from shock.