Chapter Forty-Seven: All the Medicinal Ingredients Assembled

At first, when Ma Wu told Old Master Wu that he had less than a week left to live, Old Master Wu was still skeptical. After all, no one knew his own body better than he did, and lately, his health had been improving to the point where he almost felt ready to get out of bed.

However, only a few days after Ma Wu left, Old Master Wu’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Every night, his legs swelled and ached, and his heart felt as though it were being gnawed by a thousand insects—agony beyond words. Only then did he realize that Ma Wu’s words had been absolutely correct.

So when Ma Wu arrived as promised, Old Master Wu felt as though a savior had appeared. He knew that without Ma Wu’s intervention, he would likely be dead within days.

Listening to Old Master Wu’s words of despair, Ma Wu, surprisingly, did not offer comfort. Instead, he smiled easily and said, “Old Master Wu, there’s no need to worry. Since you’ve gathered all the medicinal herbs, even if you were to reach the end of your allotted years today, I could pull you back from the gates of death.”

Wu Ting nudged Ma Wu lightly, scolding, “Watch how you speak. And stop calling him ‘Old Master Wu’ all day. My father’s name is Wu Xin.”

Ma Wu nodded with a smile. “Old Master Wu Xin.”

Wu Xin waved his hand dismissively. “It’s of no consequence.”

He then instructed his subordinates, “Hurry up, bring in the herbs you’ve collected!”

Soon, the Wu family’s staff wheeled in several carts with the herbs, two of which held ice chests—specially prepared to store rare medicinal ingredients.

Accompanying the servants were a young man with a kindly face and an elder whose bearing was distinctly proud.

The moment the old man entered, Ma Wu sensed a faint but definite hostility directed at him.

What’s his problem? Looking for trouble? Ma Wu thought, but paid him little mind and opened the cabinets containing the herbs.

The herbs looked excellent, many still glistening with dew, emitting a faint, fragrant aroma.

Ma Wu nodded to Wu Xin. “Old Master Wu Xin, I’ve looked over these herbs. Both their age and preservation are excellent. I won’t bother checking the auxiliary herbs in detail—what matters most are the two main ingredients. If those are in order, I can begin your treatment immediately.”

With that, Ma Wu walked to one of the ice chests and opened it. Inside was a pale blue fruit, about the size of a small kumquat, glowing faintly.

As soon as he opened the chest, a rich, sweet fragrance filled the room. Wu Ting inhaled deeply, her nose keen. “Ma Wu, what is that?” she asked curiously.

Ma Wu gently prodded the blue fruit with a silver needle. It yielded slightly under the pressure, then bounced back—remarkably elastic.

Satisfied, he turned to Wu Ting. “This is an Iceberry, found only at the northernmost tip of Russia. It’s extremely rare. From what I can see, this Iceberry is at least three years old and has been meticulously preserved. Old Master Wu Xin must have gone to great lengths to obtain and transport it.”

Wu Xin smiled and waved dismissively. “A trivial matter, as long as the herbs are sound.”

Ma Wu nodded. “There’s one more.”

He walked to another ice chest, far from the first, and opened it. Inside lay a withered branch, about as thick as a thumb and more than ten centimeters long, utterly unremarkable—like a twig one might pick up off the street.

Yet, as soon as the chest was opened, a wave of searing heat washed through the room. The ice began to emit white vapor, even showing signs of melting.

Ma Wu regarded the branch in silence for a few seconds. Suddenly, the proud-faced elder sneered, “Young man, don’t ruin the herbs. If you expose the Golden Branch to air for too long, it’ll lose its medicinal properties!”

Ma Wu ignored him, still focused on the branch amid the swirling vapor. According to the basic medical knowledge he’d acquired from the system, the Golden Branch would not lose potency unless exposed to air for more than thirty seconds; only then would its efficacy begin to wane.

And the best way to judge a Golden Branch’s quality was to place it beside a heap of ice and observe the melting rate and the density of the vapor.

Ma Wu had learned this in theory but had never practiced it, so he was especially careful now, unwilling to tolerate any distractions.

The old man, feeling slighted at being ignored, barked, “Boy, can’t you hear me? You’re wasting precious herbs!”

A flicker of anger crossed Ma Wu’s face. He glared at the elder. “Old man, don’t throw your weight around. I’m here examining the herbs—what are you interfering for?”

Wu Xin, seeing the argument, quickly intervened, “Gentlemen, please. Both of you are trying to save my life—there’s no need to quarrel and spoil the harmony.”

He turned to Ma Wu and gestured toward the elder. “I forgot to mention, Brother Ma Wu, this is my previous attending physician, Li Li. He’s a renowned doctor from Province Y, and it took considerable effort for me to bring him here.”

Ma Wu shot Li Li a sidelong glance and smiled. “Is that so? Quite an illustrious reputation. As a physician, haven’t you learned not to interfere when another doctor is examining herbs? Where did you train?”

Li Li’s face stiffened. After a moment’s thought, he retorted, “Hmph! I only spoke up because I saw you about to ruin the medicine. I doubted you were a real doctor. At your age, how could you treat such a rare disease?”

“Ridiculous,” Ma Wu snorted. “All your years have gone to your head? You still judge a man’s skill by his age?”

Li Li snapped, “You’re outrageous! That’s the Golden Branch you just exposed to the air. The white vapor you saw was its potency evaporating. You’ve wasted such a precious herb, and you still call yourself a qualified doctor?”

After Li Li’s outburst, the Wu family members—most of whom knew little about herbs—looked at Ma Wu with skepticism.

Li Li had been with the Wu family for so long that everyone instinctively trusted him, and after that tirade, his argument seemed plausible.

Wu Ting, seeing that no one had faith in Ma Wu, grew anxious. She said to Li Li, “Dr. Li, perhaps Ma Wu is using a different method? After all, with many herbs, different techniques can yield different results.”

Li Li glanced at Wu Ting, hiding the contempt in his eyes. “That may be true for other herbs, but for the Golden Branch, there’s no such method—never has been.”

Wu Ting fell silent, biting back her next words. She knew little about herbal medicine, so she couldn’t help Ma Wu.

She moved to stand beside Ma Wu, her body language making it clear: no matter what anyone else thought, she supported him unconditionally.

Ma Wu waited until Li Li had said his piece and public opinion had clearly shifted to Li Li’s side before he finally spoke up. “Finished, old man? You can identify the Golden Branch and know that it loses potency when exposed to air—so you’re a doctor, I’ll grant you that.”

“But you’re an unqualified, half-trained one! Yes, the Golden Branch loses efficacy in the air, but only after a certain period. Haven’t you read the ‘Huangdi Neijing’? Does it not state plainly that only after exposure for more than thirty seconds does the Golden Branch begin to lose its properties?”

“Since I opened the chest, I’ve kept time precisely. From the moment I opened it to when I closed it, a total of just thirteen seconds passed. And you want to make a fuss?”

Li Li clearly hadn’t expected Ma Wu to retort so swiftly, even citing the ‘Huangdi Neijing’. His own knowledge of the Golden Branch was superficial at best—he had no idea about the thirty-second rule. Faced with Ma Wu’s facts, he was left speechless, stammering at last, “Then why did you open the chest at all? I—I know the Golden Branch only begins to lose potency after thirty seconds! But accidents can happen, can’t they? Best not to open it at all, right? I was only trying to warn you!”