Zhao Yuan was unaware of the stir he had caused.
The next morning, bright and early, he left the school and took a bus to the wholesale herbal medicine market.
Standing on the crowded bus, Zhao Yuan pulled up the Information Leaf to pass the time. This time, he didn't rush to study new concepts from the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Instead, he began to read the medical cases at the back with relish.
What were known as Medical Cases was the term ancient physicians used for patient records. In addition to symptoms and treatment methods, they also contained analysis and debate on the causes and mechanisms of a disease. Reading more Medical Cases could improve a doctor's clinical experience. That way, when one encountered a similar disease, they would have a way to handle it and wouldn't be helpless.
Of course, at Zhao Yuan's current level, his improvement would be limited no matter how many Medical Cases he read. As a first-year university student, his major coursework had only covered foundational subjects like the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Normal Human Anatomy, and Medical Ancient Texts. He hadn't taken any clinical courses at all. Even within the Inheritance Seed, he had only just learned the Essence and Qi Theory and the Yin Yang Five Elements Theory.
He was reading the Medical Cases purely for the novelty, to broaden his horizons.
'Wu Peng is a Witch Doctor who's lived for tens of millions of years. The Medical Cases he left behind must have recorded countless strange and curious illnesses.'
Just as Zhao Yuan had guessed, the Medical Cases did indeed record all sorts of peculiar illnesses. Moreover, besides treatments for humans, these cases also contained numerous records of treating Demon Ghosts and Exotic Beasts.
'No way. Do Demon Ghosts and Exotic Beasts really exist in this world?' A chill ran down Zhao Yuan's spine, and he couldn't help but shiver. He soon came to terms with it, though, muttering to himself, "Well, since even Cultivators exist, I guess it's normal for Demon Ghosts to be around too."
He stopped letting his imagination run wild and continued to flip through the Medical Cases.
Although he couldn't understand the case analyses for the time being, reading the bizarre cases as if they were legendary tales wasn't boring in the slightest. In fact, it was quite interesting.
With the Medical Cases for company, time passed quite quickly.
A little over half an hour later, the bus stopped outside the wholesale herbal medicine market. Zhao Yuan dismissed the Information Leaf, fought his way through the crowd, and got off.
The wholesale herbal medicine market, located in the Lotus Pool area of Rongcheng City, was enormous. It wasn't just people from the Shu Region who came to procure herbs; people from other nearby provinces also frequented the market to buy and sell, making the place bustling and lively.
The moment he stepped into the wholesale herbal medicine market, a rich, fragrant aroma of herbs washed over him. Zhao Yuan first strolled around to get a general idea of the prices, then found a shop and presented his shopping list.
However, the moment the shopkeeper saw his list, they shook their head and refused him.
With no other choice, Zhao Yuan tried several other shops, but the result was always the same: outright rejection.
It wasn't because the herbs he wanted were particularly rare, but because the variety of items and the quantities he needed were just too small.
Crafting Soul-Stabilizing Incense required a total of twelve different medicinal herbs. Zhao Yuan was short on cash, so the quantity he could buy of each was limited. To the wholesale merchants, such a small order was just small potatoes; they couldn't be bothered.
"If you only need this little, why come to the wholesale market? You can get all this at any pharmacy outside," a shop clerk said as he handed the list back to Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan gave a wry smile.
Buying these herbs at a regular pharmacy would be much more expensive than at the wholesale market. The difference in price might be nothing to these shops that raked in money hand over fist, but to Zhao Yuan, it was several days' worth of living expenses.
'I was hoping to save some money, but it looks like that's not happening now.' Stepping out of the shop, Zhao Yuan sighed and turned to leave the wholesale market.
Just as he reached the main entrance, a shrill, miserable wail suddenly echoed from deep within the market, giving everyone who heard it a terrible fright.
"Who's crying? That sounds terrifying!"
"Is that even a person? It sounds more like a Ghost wailing!"
"That sound nearly scared me to death! My legs are still shaking."
"That's nothing! I think my heart stopped!"
"What in the world is happening? Why would someone cry in such a horrifying way?"
The startled crowd broke into discussion, all of them craning their necks, curious to find the source of the wail.
The clerks in the nearby shops, however, looked completely unfazed.
One of the more talkative clerks explained, "That's Boss Fang's youngest daughter from Zhencao Hall. Poor kid. She came down with some strange illness. Starting last month, she has an episode every seven days. Each time it flares up, her stomach swells up as big as a water tank, and she's in agony. But when the episode is over, everything goes back to normal. Boss Fang has taken her to countless hospitals and seen many famous doctors, but nobody can figure out what it is. They've run endless tests, and they all come back normal..."
"What? A strange illness like that exists?"
"Her stomach swells up and then shrinks back down on its own? And all the tests are normal?"
"What a bizarre disease. That's a first for me."
"Could it be gastrointestinal bloating? Or maybe ascites?"
"Obviously not. If it were that simple, why would she still be sick after seeing all those famous doctors?"
The people who frequented the wholesale herbal medicine market all knew a thing or two about medicine and were generally knowledgeable. But even they couldn't figure out what kind of strange illness Boss Fang's daughter from Zhencao Hall was suffering from.
'An episode every seven days. During the attack, her abdomen swells like a tank and the pain is unbearable. When it passes, she's completely normal...' Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, 'Why do those symptoms sound so familiar?'
He quickly remembered where he had seen it. A similar condition was described in one of Wu Peng's Medical Cases.
A disease Wu Peng had named Viper Gu Syndrome!
The so-called Viper Gu was a special and extremely rare parasitic Gu. Once a host was infected, without the proper treatment, both humans and animals would suffer immense torment. In the end, they were either driven mad by the weekly attacks or had their body's essence completely drained by the Viper Gu, dying from the depletion of their qi and blood!
'Could Boss Fang's daughter from Zhencao Hall really be suffering from the bizarre Viper Gu Syndrome recorded in Wu Peng's Medical Cases?'
Zhao Yuan immediately began walking toward Zhencao Hall.
It wasn't his style to stand by and do nothing when he could help.
If Boss Fang's daughter had any other illness, Zhao Yuan's current skill level would be completely useless. But if she really was suffering from Viper Gu Syndrome, then he was absolutely confident he could cure her!
After all, Wu Peng's Medical Cases contained a detailed record of the treatment method for Viper Gu Syndrome. With that in hand, it was like playing a video game with a detailed strategy guide. How could he possibly fail?