The bureau leader, in front of everyone, kept heaping praise on the Zhangzhuang Joint Clinic. He was determined to set them as a shining example for others. "People are always talking about difficulties—how is it that Zhangzhuang Clinic manages to overcome every challenge? It all comes down to attitude!"

The more the leader praised them, the darker the faces of the other doctors became.

But the Zhangzhuang Clinic staff remained blissfully unaware.

Li Shengli didn't care in the slightest. He completely disregarded the others.

As for Zhao Huanzhang and Shen Congyun, they still hadn't had their fill of the praise and paid no attention to anyone else.

It was at this moment that a person came running from afar, shouting, "Hey, hey, has Dr. Gao returned? Has Dr. Gao returned?"

Everyone turned to look.

"Isn't that Liu Sanquan?" Li Shengli asked, unsure.

Gao-Yuan furrowed his brow slightly and stepped forward. "Could something have happened?"

The bureau leader quickly stopped his praise and looked towards the runner.

Liu Sanquan hurried over and said, "Ah, Dr. Gao, you're finally back!"

Gao-Yuan asked, "What's going on? Did something happen?"

Liu Sanquan pointed behind him and said, "Zhang Yuancai's youngest son has had a severe nosebleed that won't stop. It's been bleeding for half the day, and they can't control it. When I heard you were back, I rushed over to get you to take a look."

Gao-Yuan asked Again, "How is the child now?"

Liu Sanquan replied, "He's stable for now, but if we can't stop the bleeding soon, it could become dangerous."

Gao-Yuan nodded, understanding the situation. He turned to the bureau leader and said, "Director, we have a patient waiting for us. We need to head over immediately."

The bureau leader said, "Oh, that's fine, that's fine. Saving lives comes first. You go ahead—"

Before he could finish, a voice suddenly emerged from the group of visiting doctors. "Why don't we go with them? It would be a good opportunity to learn from Zhangzhuang Clinic’s advanced medical practices."

As soon as this was said, the others began to stir in agreement.

The bureau leader's face darkened a little.

But Gao-Yuan didn't mind and said, "Sure, let's all go."

With that, Gao-Yuan strode ahead, and the others hurried to keep up.

The person who had instigated things sidled up to Dr. Li Runyu and said, "Dr. Li, we've been hearing about their excellent work for a while now. Will you show off some of your skills too? I heard people saying that Zhang Yuancai's grandson had meningitis and was lucky to have Dr. Gao treat him. If it had been you, well, who knows if he would've made it."

Hearing this, Li Runyu snorted coldly and said, "Meningitis? Please, it was just bad luck that I was out that day. Otherwise, would I have let that young upstart steal? the show?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Got it." The instigator, having achieved his goal, quickly moved aside.

A group of people hurried back to the clinic. Zhang Yuancai was anxiously waiting at the door. When he saw Gao-Yuan, he rushed over and said, "Dr. Gao, please take a look at my little Huzi."

"Alright," Gao-Yuan replied as he hurried inside.

Zhang Yuancai then noticed the officials standing nearby. "Oh my!"

Looking behind them, Zhang Yuancai gasped again. He hadn't expected all the prominent doctors from the county to come as well. For a moment, he wasn't even sure if it was his mischievous son who was ill or if some high-ranking official was here for treatment.

Gao-Yuan quickly entered the house, where Zhang Yuancai's wife and mother were anxiously waiting. A little boy, about five years old, lay slumped in a chair.

Grandma Zhang was wiping her eyes as she tried to stop her grandson's nosebleed. No matter how she stuffed his nose or tried to stop it, the bleeding wouldn't stop.

When she saw Gao-Yuan enter, she hurriedly stood up, panicking. "Doctor, please help!"

Gao-Yuan raised his hand, signaling for her to remain calm. He stepped forward to examine the child, and Zhao Huanzhang quickly moved to his side.

The visiting doctors all squeezed inside, with Li Runyu being pushed to the front by the crowd.

Shen Congyun had originally planned to wait for the leader, but to his surprise, the bureau leader had already moved to the front. How could he fall behind now? Shen Congyun quickly began squeezing through the crowd, determined to stand beside the leader.

"Move, move, move!"

The doorway was already cramped, and his shifting created an uproar of displeasure.

But Shen Congyun didn't care, wriggling through like a worm.

"Do you expect me to move for you too?"

A voice suddenly rang out beside him. Shen Congyun looked up and immediately felt a chill in his spine.

It was the stern-faced, cold-eyed Dr. Yan Qiao, an esteemed traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

Like a deflated balloon, Shen Congyun froze in place, unsure of what to do.

…

Up front, Gao-Yuan asked, "How long has the bleeding been going on?"

Grandma Zhang replied, "It started before lunch. We thought it would stop after a little while, but it hasn’t. We’ve tried everything—packing the nose, using cold water to cool his forehead, washing his face—nothing has worked."

"The more blood he lost, the more worried we got. We rushed him here, but only Liu Sanquan was around. He wanted to treat him, but when I heard you were coming back today, I told him to wait."

Gao-Yuan glanced at Liu Sanquan, who awkwardly smiled. It seemed his credibility was low in Grandma Zhang's eyes.

Gao-Yuan examined the child. The boy was pale, listless, and slumped in the chair. Blood-stained cloth was stuffed in his nose, but blood was still seeping through. The little boy weakly glanced at Gao-Yuan before his eyes dove again.

The doctors in the back were observing closely.

"He's been bleeding for most of the day. This must be serious. How are you not even a little worried?" someone asked Li Shengli.

Li Shengli chuckled. "This? You think this is serious?"

The others looked at Li Shengli with disdain. He was young but certainly had a flair for boasting.

Li Shengli didn't bother to explain further. He had seen worse cases, far more severe than this.

Gao-Yuan stepped forward to check the boy's pulse. After touching the child’s hand, a look of doubt crossed his face. He checked the boy’s hands again, his confusion deepening. Then he asked the child, "Open your mouth. Stick out your tongue."

The boy stuck out his tongue, and Gao-Yuan saw it clearly—pale and weak.

Gao-Yuan immediately understood. He stood up and told Liu Sanquan, "We need to strengthen Yang, dispel Yin, warm the channels, and stop the bleeding with Si Ni Tang."

"Huh?" The doctors in the back were stunned.

"Si Ni Tang? It's not like the child’s life is at risk, is it?"

"I’ve been practicing medicine for years, and this is the first time I’ve seen someone treat a nosebleed with Si Ni Tang."

"Ha! No wonder they're considered advanced. Their treatment methods must be advanced too."

The doctors sneered upon hearing Gao-Yuan’s decision.

Zhao Huanzhang, standing next to Gao-Yuan, cautiously added, "Dr. Gao, we must be careful. We must be careful."

Gao-Yuan was speechless. Every time he returned, Zhao Huanzhang, who could be as fierce as a bear, reverted to a timid cat, spouting nothing but caution.

Gao-Yuan frowned and looked at the group of doctors. "Who was it that said Si Ni Tang can’t treat nosebleeds? Step forward!"