Chapter Two: The Mountain Ablaze

Director of Pediatrics, Lin Tangguozhong, stood with furrowed brows, issuing a rapid stream of emergency orders.

“Lin Mei, go comfort the child’s parents and do your best to calm them. There’s no use in them making a scene here—it won’t help the treatment. If it disrupts the process, who’s going to take responsibility?”

“Li Ming, has the bacterial culture result come out yet? If it’s ready, bring it over at once.”

“Huang Shaoran, inform the rescue team to administer β-lactam antibiotics to the infected infants, and increase the dosage as needed.”

When Lin Qingyuan, the hospital director, approached with a group in tow, Tangguozhong hurried over to greet him, wiping the sweat from his brow, his face grave. “Director, the situation is dire. If we can’t come up with an effective treatment soon, I fear these children…”

“I understand. There’s a possibility it’s pediatric cholera,” Lin Qingyuan said. He believed in trusting those he had chosen; since he’d decided to let Qin Luo take charge, he would stand by the young doctor’s diagnosis.

“What? Cholera?” Tangguozhong’s eyes widened in shock. “How could it be cholera?”

“If the director says it’s cholera, then it is. Director Tang, stop wasting time. The director has invited a renowned expert from the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine—he’ll surely cure the children and perform a miracle,” Deputy Director Ma Youcai interjected, his tone laced with a hint of schadenfreude.

Lin Qingyuan ignored Ma Youcai’s pettiness and turned to give Qin Luo a firm pat on the shoulder. “Qin Luo, we’re counting on you.”

“Don’t worry, Director. But I’ll need an assistant,” Qin Luo replied, brimming with confidence.

He could sense that the elderly director was not entirely convinced of his abilities. If he didn’t project enough confidence, the man might reverse his decision on the spot.

Time was of the essence—there was no room for delay.

“What kind of assistant do you need? Just name anyone from the expert team and I’m sure they’ll agree,” Lin Qingyuan said.

Qin Luo glanced around and casually pointed to a pretty young nurse. “She’ll do.”

“Her?” Lin Qingyuan looked slightly surprised, but then nodded. “Very well.”

He turned to the nurse and said, “Go in with Dr. Qin. Do your best to cooperate with whatever he needs.”

Anything he needs? Qin Luo quickly cut off his wayward thoughts, cursing himself for being shameless.

“Yes, Director.” The nurse’s face turned pale with fear—she was well aware how terrifyingly contagious cholera was. But faced with the director’s authority, she dared not protest.

“It’ll be all right,” Qin Luo reassured her with a smile. Taking her hand, he pushed open the sealed glass door to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Many of the onlookers had come to see the spectacle. If even the team of experts couldn’t solve such a thorny case, how could this rustic-looking youngster possibly succeed? They watched through the glass wall, eager to see how he would perform inside.

Qin Luo pulled a rectangular silver case from his pocket and said to the nurse, “Let’s start with bed 001. Please bring me some disinfectant alcohol.”

The nurse responded quickly, handing him what he needed.

As Qin Luo sterilized his silver needles with alcohol swabs, he instructed, “Remove the infant’s clothes. I’m going to start needling.”

The nurse complied efficiently, following his instructions to the letter.

“Good,” Qin Luo said, and swiftly drove the silver needle into the acupuncture points at the infant’s chest—Heaven’s Prominence, Origin Pass, and Eagle’s Tail.

Deep and shallow, thrust and twist—he performed eighteen consecutive insertions, needles in and out with magical speed, as though performing a conjuring trick. The nurse assisting him was left dazzled by the display.

“All done. Cover the baby and prepare the next one at bed 002. Be quick. We don’t have much time.”

“That’s it?” the nurse asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes. Next.”

“O-okay.”

“My heavens… he’s using the Burning Mountain Fire technique?” Outside the glass, one of the elder TCM experts first looked tense, then cried out in amazement.

“Old Wang, what’s Burning Mountain Fire?” Ma Youcai asked irritably. Watching the young man’s needling, he had to admit it looked impressive.

“Burning Mountain Fire. It’s an ultimate skill of the Supreme Taiyi Needle!” the old TCM doctor replied excitedly, oblivious to the deputy director’s annoyance.

“Supreme Taiyi Needle? The needle technique of Zhang Qingshan, the Medical King of the Yongzheng era? Wasn’t that lost to history?” Lin Qingyuan, well-read and knowledgeable, recognized the legendary technique.

“If it was lost for so many years, how can you be sure he’s using it? He’s so young, there’s no way he could master such an advanced skill,” Ma Youcai challenged.

“There’s no mistake. I read about the Supreme Taiyi Needle in an ancient medical text. It uses needles one inch and six fen long, three lifts and three releases, finishing with the Phoenix Soars technique to nourish the body and dispel evil dampness,” the old doctor insisted stubbornly.

“However, it’s said that the Supreme Taiyi Needle requires inner energy to drive the needles. Does this young man know qigong?”

“Heh, just look at how sickly he appears—how could he know qigong? Maybe it’s just the form. We’ll see after the results,” Ma Youcai scoffed.

Inside the intensive care unit, Qin Luo was unaware of the debate raging over his needlework. He focused all his energy on needle insertion and withdrawal.

His previously pale face was now devoid of all color, sweat beading on his forehead and trickling down his cheeks in rivulets—he looked utterly exhausted.

“Dr. Qin, let me wipe your sweat,” the nurse said shyly, holding out a clean white towel.

“Thank you,” Qin Luo replied, nodding as he continued sterilizing the needles.

The nurse gently wiped his face, her heart fluttering as she watched this handsome young man demonstrate such miraculous skill. In that moment, she forgot all about the contagiousness of cholera.

“Only two more left,” Qin Luo panted. By then, he had treated thirty-four children in a row.

Acupuncture was physically and mentally exhausting. The points had to be accurate, the speed fast, the technique clever, and, above all, the force precisely calibrated for each point.

Moreover, the old TCM doctor had been right: the Supreme Taiyi Needle required inner energy. Qin Luo, though he had trained in Daoist health exercises and body cultivation, still struggled to sustain the energy needed for more than thirty applications of the technique.

“Dr. Qin, please rest a moment,” the nurse urged, her face full of concern.

“There’s no time,” Qin Luo shook his head. “No parent wants to lose their child.”

“But—”

“Remove the clothes from bed 035.”

“All right,” the nurse agreed, helpless.

Qin Luo gripped his right hand with his left to steady it, preventing it from trembling from exhaustion. Then, once more, he inserted the needle into the next infant, who was wailing and struggling from the viral torment.

It was with the nurse supporting him that Qin Luo finally emerged—after treating the last two children, he was completely spent.

No sooner had he stepped out of the neonatal ICU than a crowd rushed over.

“Qin Luo, how did it go?” Lin Qingyuan grabbed his hand anxiously.

“Are you asking me or the infants?” Qin Luo smiled.

“Both, I suppose. How are the children?” Lin Qingyuan replied.

“They’re out of danger,” Qin Luo announced. “Licorice root—four fen; Chinese angelica—two fen; rock salt—three fen; a pint and a half of fermented water. Simmer over a low flame. In half an hour, feed it to them.”

“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful,” Lin Qingyuan repeated.

Ma Youcai had been about to voice an objection, but a new thought struck him. He forced a smile, came over, and clapped Qin Luo heartily on the shoulder. “A hero among the young! You’ve really surprised us. You saved thirty-six children and thirty-six families, and preserved the hospital’s reputation. On behalf of the Affiliated Hospital of the University of Traditional Medicine, I thank you. I may have spoken harshly before, but it was only out of concern for the children. Please don’t take it to heart. I apologize for what I said.”

Ma Youcai knew the media had been closely following the case. When the story broke, Qin Luo would naturally become the hero. Better to befriend him now and have him say a few kind words in interviews than to be on bad terms.

“An apology? Why not offer three cups of wine as a forfeit?” Qin Luo replied with disdain.

“What kind of attitude is that? How can you speak to me like that?” Ma Youcai was so angry he nearly spat blood. This brat refused to accept his olive branch.

“What attitude?” Qin Luo smiled. “Are you my superior?”

“…”

“Do I need anything from you?”

“…”

“If neither, then why should I be polite to someone like you?” Qin Luo pointed at Ma Youcai’s white coat. “If a doctor can’t save lives, he should take off that coat. Don’t tarnish it.”

He had long been fed up with this deputy director. If not for the urgency of saving lives, he would have argued with him already. People like this, who cared for nothing but promotion and wealth, valued nothing else—not even the most precious life.

It was precisely because of such people that patients began to misunderstand the medical profession, which should have been noble. A doctor without medical ethics deserves no respect from their peers.

“You… you…” Ma Youcai’s face twitched as he pointed at Qin Luo, speechless with rage.

Lin Qingyuan was surprised by how forceful Qin Luo could be, given his mild appearance—he was not one to suffer the slightest loss. Nevertheless, he was pleased to see Ma Youcai put in his place.

Seeing Ma Youcai about to explode, Lin Qingyuan intervened with a smile. “Qin Luo, you’re exhausted. Go and rest. Leave the rest to us.”

“All right,” Qin Luo replied. He truly was at his limit. As his vision darkened and he began to collapse—

Ah!

Lin Qingyuan quickly spread his arms to catch him.

A man’s embrace… how terrifying!

And so, an unexpected scene unfolded.

Just as he was about to fall forward, Qin Luo suddenly halted mid-motion, then, in an astonishing 180-degree turn, toppled straight into the arms of the beautiful nurse behind him.

Soft, gentle, warm—like a mother’s embrace.