Seeing that the situation had calmed down slightly, and after having kicked over that cauldron of so-called “miracle medicine” earlier, Gao-Yuan felt there shouldn’t be any further immediate danger. He quickly turned to the old woman and asked, “How is your daughter doing?”

The elderly woman stammered, “She’s... she’s bleeding heavily; she’s almost... almost gone.”

Gao-Yuan’s expression grew more urgent. “Where is she? Take me to her, quickly!”

“She’s at home,” the woman replied, standing up hurriedly and stumbling as she led Gao-Yuan back to her house.

Turning to Li Shengli, Gao-Yuan called out, “Bring the wheelbarrow over here! You see that small bag? Make sure you grab it. It’s got the life-saving medicine in it.”

“Oh!” Despite the pain from his injuries, Li Shengli wasted no time. He jumped down from the wheelbarrow, grabbed the small bag, and hurriedly pushed the cart to follow them.

The group of “immortals” exchanged uneasy glances. Seeing the suspicious looks from the villagers, their nerves frayed. They all turned toward their leader. the head “immortal.”

The head “immortal,” still nursing a bloody nose, winced and then hissed through his teeth. “Let’s go and see what’s happening,” he said, motioning for his group to follow.

So, these pretenders, acting as if they possessed divine powers, followed along as well.

The villagers, after a moment of hesitation, also followed. After all, one was a miraculous doctor, and the others claimed to be immortals—this was bound to be a spectacle.

Before long, they reached the old woman’s house.

The elderly mother rushed inside, crying out, “Xian’er, I brought the doctor! Xian’er, my child...”

Her voice trembled. and then her cries grew louder, filled with despair.

Gao-Yuan hurried inside and saw the midwife trembling, covered in blood, staggering out of the room in a state of shock.

The moment he entered, he saw a large basin of fresh blood near the door.

On the bed lay the woman in labor. Her eyes were closed, her face deathly pale—white as paper—and she had already slipped into unconsciousness. Her mother was at her bedside. sobbing, but no matter how much she cried, her daughter showed no sign of responding.

The in-laws were also gathered inside the room, a newborn baby girl wailing loudly in a corner.

Everyone was in shock, lost, and bewildered.

A young man, likely the woman’s husband, was kneeling beside her, sobbing uncontrollably, his face streaked with tears and snot.

The mother-in-law, holding the newborn, was standing at a distance, too afraid to approach the bed.

The old woman kept crying, “I brought the doctor for you! I brought him! Xian’er, wake up! Look at your mother, please!”

The heartbreaking cries filled the room, and soon, the mother-in-law also broke down in tears. saying, “It’s no use, dear. Xian’er... Xian’er is already gone.”

“No, no!” The old woman turned frantically to Gao-Yuan, pleading, “Doctor, please, Doctor Gao! You must take a look!”

Gao-Yuan hurried forward and felt the woman’s limbs—they were ice cold.

The mother-in-law sobbed, “She’s cold. There’s no breath left in her.”

Gao-Yuan checked for any sign of breathing—there was almost none.

Li Shengli, having just arrived at the doorway with the wheelbarrow, saw the scene unfold and was momentarily frozen with shock. “Is she still alive?” he thought. “She’s already gone, isn’t she?”

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The mother-in-law wiped her tears and continued, “She passed away right after you left. Now, there’s no pulse either. Her body is as cold as ice. She’s gone.”

Gao-Yuan felt for her pulse on both wrists—there was no movement, not even a flicker. All six pulses had vanished.

The old woman’s face turned ashen, drained of all colour. She collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up no matter how hard she tried. Crawling toward Gao-Yuan, he pleaded, “Doctor Gao, they say you’re a miraculous doctor. You must find a way to save my daughter!”

The mother-in-law, still crying, said, “Dear, Xian’er is already gone. Not even a miraculous doctor can save her now. Only the gods can bring her back.”

As if on cue, the so-called “immortals” arrived.

“Blessings from the Immortal Lord,” the head “immortal” stepped forward with a flourish, though the sight of his swollen, bruised face clashed with his supposed divine status.

His sudden appearance startled everyone in the room. His demeanour seemed somewhat out of place for someone claiming to be a celestial being.

The head “immortal” looked down at the woman on the bed and then pulled out a small bottle from his robe. “This woman has already returned to the realm of the immortals,” he declared. “No mortal means can bring her back. Only this elixir of immortality preserves her body from decay. After she has journeyed through the immortal realm for seven days and nights, she will naturally return.”

The mother-in-law, hesitant yet hopeful, asked, “Can she really be saved?”

The old woman, too, looked anxiously at the “immortal” leader.

He nodded slightly. “I see you are fated to receive this gift. I will bestow the immortal elixir upon you, free of charge.”

The old woman’s face lit up with joy, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. Just moments ago, they had demanded money, and now they were offering it for free? She could hardly believe it. “Is this... is this really true?”

The head “immortal,” sounding resolute, raised his voice for the crowd outside to hear. “Of course! We seek only to build a good reputation, to accumulate good karma by helping those in need! Once she drinks this elixir, in seven days, she will return to life.”

The old woman hesitated, unsure whether to accept it. But with no other options left and having already fallen into utter despair, what choice did she have?

Li Shengli, however, cursed under his breath, “Seven days? She’ll start to rot in seven days!”

The head “immortal” snapped back, “Ignorant fool! This is an immortal elixir!”

“Immortal, my ass!” Li Shengli cursed and, without warning, threw a punch right at the "immortal's.” nose.

With a loud “crack,” the man’s nose was completely broken.

The head “immortal” fell flat on his back, stunned that this young man would attack him so mercilessly.

Li Shengli wasn’t finished. He jumped forward and landed two more punches on the man.

The rest of the “immortal’s” followers rushed forward to attack Li Shengli.

Even though Li Shengli was exhausted and already injured, he fought them off with every ounce of strength he had left.

Inside and outside, everyone was too stunned to react.

Initially, many had doubted the “immortal’s” elixir, but seeing him get knocked down so easily left everyone in disbelief. How could a divine being be so weak?

Just as the fight escalated, Gao-Yuan, who had been examining the patient, shouted urgently, “Stop them! If they hurt the doctor, who will save the patient?”

The crowd hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, the young man kneeling by the woman’s side let out a loud wail and, like a mad bull, charged at the group, grabbing everyone and throwing them out the door, including himself.

Li Shengli was thrown out as well, but with his battlefield instincts, he quickly rolled back to his feet and tackled one of the “immortal” apprentices to the ground.

The others rushed to help, and another brawl ensued.

At that moment, loud voice called from outside, “Let go of Doctor Li!”

It was the mother of the sick child from earlier. She had rushed back and brought her husband with her. The moment they saw Li Shengli being beaten, they jumped in to help. After all, Li Shengli had just saved their son’s life—there was no way they’d let him get hurt now.

The woman shouted for the other villagers to help.

Since most of the villagers were related, and seeing how these so-called “immortals” were acting more like common thugs, they finally intervened. Outside, they quickly gained control of the situation.

Meanwhile, inside the house, the patient’s pulses had completely vanished. Gao-Yuan drew on his knowledge of ancient medical practices for saving critical patients. If there was no pulse at the wrist, he needed to check the three-foot pulses—Fuyang, Taichong, and Taixi—to assess the qi of the stomach, liver, and kidneys.

Gao-Yuan quickly ran to check the foot pulses.

Fuyang, no pulse.

Taichong, no pulse!

Taixi, faint... barely there.

Gao-Yuan felt his scalp tingle. Even though

He had experienced many severe cases in his past life; he had never seen anything quite like this.

No wonder the mother-in-law kept saying the woman was gone—she had crossed far beyond the threshold of death.

People often described critical conditions as having "one foot in the grave." But this woman? Her entire body had crossed through the gates of the underworld, with the gates already halfway closed behind her, leaving just the slightest sliver open!

Gao-Yuan's hair stood on end. He shouted at the top of his lungs, with all the desperation in his voice: “Li Shengli! Bring my lifesaving pouch inside, now!”