Chapter Eighteen: Turning the Tables

The Great Rejuvenation Hand, recorded in the Medical Sage chapter of "A Certain Book," can restore a sliver of vitality to those on the verge of death. How much vitality is restored depends on the specifics of the dying person’s condition.

“Damn it, this is a mess. The Great Rejuvenation Hand requires true energy to function. Do I even have that in my body?” Qin Tian suddenly realized a rather awkward problem: the technique needed true energy, which only forms in the bodies of practitioners who have reached the entry-level grade.

The entry-level grade is divided into nine ranks, the foundation for martial artists and cultivators. Beyond that are the stages of Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Great Ascension.

Qin Tian pressed his hand to the patient’s forehead and began to channel the Great Rejuvenation Hand. To his surprise, he felt a warm current rise slowly from his lower abdomen, flow up his arm, and finally transmit through his palm to the patient’s forehead.

“I actually have true energy in my body? Looks like I need to study myself more carefully.” Qin Tian recalled how Old Man Kong had made him soak in various medicinal baths as a child and fed him all sorts of strange things—some as bitter as coptis, some quite delicious, like White Rabbit candy.

Qin Tian had only encountered the threshold of cultivation after reading "A Certain Book" and learned that martial artists and cultivators truly existed.

Once the true energy was channeled through the Great Rejuvenation Hand, it became something special. They could see the patient visibly improving: his complexion grew much rosier, his limbs relaxed, and even his expression eased, no longer so tense.

"This... this is a miracle! The patient is improving!" Some doctors stared wide-eyed, regarding Qin Tian as a genius.

“How is he? Is he better yet?” Lin Jian was visibly excited, praising Qin Tian for his extraordinary abilities—it was nothing short of divine.

“Wait, let me check.” Qin Tian wiped the sweat from his brow. It was his first time healing someone, and lacking experience, he had expended considerable energy.

In Qin Tian’s eyes, the patient turned once more into a skeleton; then flesh and blood slowly grew over it, the flow of blood clearly visible.

He saw that the black virus in the blood had noticeably diminished, though it had not been completely eradicated.

“He’s not fully recovered,” Qin Tian said, frowning.

“What now? Will you keep treating him?” Lin Jian asked.

“I’ll try again, but let me rest a bit,” Qin Tian replied.

Lin Jian nodded and poured a glass of water for him, even feeding him personally since Qin Tian’s hands were too exhausted to hold the cup.

Li Xiaohan stood nearby, his expression dark. Being upstaged by a young nobody like Qin Tian left him extremely displeased.

Still, he smirked quietly to himself; there were plenty of ways to deal with this kid.

After a short rest, Qin Tian performed the Great Rejuvenation Hand again. The patient’s color grew even more vibrant, his physical condition steadily improving.

Even the withered flesh regained a hint of elasticity, and the patient looked somewhat sturdier.

“I can’t go on, I can’t hold out any longer.” Qin Tian stepped back and collapsed into a chair.

Lin Jian waited until Qin Tian had caught his breath before asking, “How is it now?”

“Wait a bit, I need more time to recover,” Qin Tian replied weakly.

Qin Tian suspected that the Great Rejuvenation Hand consumed his own life force to replenish another’s—it was exhausting!

The patient’s face was rosy, but Qin Tian’s own face was now red as a monkey’s bottom, a slick layer of sweat coating his back.

He carefully examined the patient again and found that the black virus had decreased once more but was still not completely eliminated.

“It’s no use. I can’t cure him, only alleviate his symptoms,” Qin Tian said, frowning.

“Will his condition continue to deteriorate?” Lin Jian asked.

“It’s hard to say. If it does worsen, I should still be able to manage it, but we’ll have to wait for the expert team to arrive,” Qin Tian replied.

He regretted not having mastered his skills fully; otherwise, he might have been able to cure this mysterious virus.

“That’s all we can do for now. Once the experts arrive, as long as they identify the virus source and extract it to make antibodies, everything will be fine,” Lin Jian said. “Still, we need to isolate everyone. Don’t let anyone in or out of this building—prevent secondary transmission.”

“Understood,” Qin Tian nodded.

His greatest concern now was whether the beast that attacked was indeed the wolves, but that could only be confirmed once the patient regained consciousness.

From then on, Qin Tian barely left the ward, staying ready to stabilize the patient’s condition at any moment.

Several times, he nearly failed to pull the patient back from the brink of death.

Time slipped by, and two hours had passed. It was now nine o’clock at night, but the expert team had yet to arrive.

Qin Tian took off his gloves and played on his phone for a while. News media everywhere were reporting on the beast attacks, causing a severe public outcry.

If people learned that those bitten carried an unknown, transmissible virus, panic would escalate to unimaginable levels.

“Hm?”

Qin Tian looked up, hearing a commotion outside. Could it be the expert team had arrived?

If so, everything would be resolved.

Bang!

The ward door was shoved open rudely. Qin Tian frowned slightly—it was Li Xiaohan, accompanied by several people wearing ID badges, apparently government officials.

“Who is practicing medicine without a license here?” one of the badge-wearing officials stepped forward, expressionless.

Qin Tian sneered. He was alone in the ward—wasn’t this clearly directed at him? Yet they still feigned ignorance; how ridiculous.

“Kid, I hear you’re practicing medicine without a license. Come with us.” The official waved his hand, and two young men immediately stepped forward, flanking Qin Tian.

“Are you sure you want to arrest me?” Qin Tian asked with amusement.

“Hmph! Practicing without a license and still so arrogant—you must be taken in!” The official waved his hand.

“Kid, you’re nothing. Don’t try to play games with me!”

Qin Tian offered no resistance as they escorted him away. As he passed Li Xiaohan, Li whispered in his ear.

“Did I ever offend you?” Qin Tian asked.

“You really don’t know? Who do you think you are—telling people what to do here?” Li Xiaohan snorted.

“So, just because I stole your thunder and bruised your ego, you called the health bureau to arrest me?” Qin Tian glared coldly at Li Xiaohan.

“Isn’t saving the patient the most important thing? If I leave and his condition worsens, what then?” Qin Tian asked icily.

“That’s none of your concern. Even if he dies, it’s got nothing to do with you!” Li Xiaohan replied.

Fury blazed in Qin Tian’s heart—he had finally witnessed a true hypocrite.

All because his limelight was stolen, Li Xiaohan could turn a blind eye to the patient’s life and death.