Ning Tao shifted his eyes and looked. A middle-aged man in white coat was walking towards them. Behind him were two young ladies, one in a nurse uniform, the other also in a doctor’s lab coat. Judging from her age, she seemed like a fresh intern from medical school. The expression in her eyes seemed curious, as she stared at Ning Tao. She was slim and attractive-looking.

The moment the three of them arrived, the atmosphere became awkward.

Su Shanshan broke the brief silence. “Doctor Ning, let me introduce them to you. This is my husband’s attending doctor, the best neurological specialist in this country, Tang Jianyi. This is his student, Shen Jiaqi.”

She did not introduce him the nurse. Perhaps she did not know her name, but the nurse did not seem important to her. After that, she introduced Ning Tao to them. “Professor Tang, Doctor Shen, this is Doctor Ning from Shan City. He has wonderful medical skills. He has traveled specially from Shan City to… ”

But before she could continue, Tang Jianyi interrupted her. “Colonel Su, I don’t agree to this.”

Su Shanshan immediately creased her brows. She obviously would like Ning Tao to treat her husband, but could not go against Tang Jianyi’s wish. After all, this was Diyun Hospital and her husband still in an ICU ward.

Ning Tao asked, “Why won’t you agree?”

Pride surfaced on Tang Jianyi’s face. “For no other reason than the fact this is Diyun Hospital and my own department. Mr. Meng Bo is also my patient. Who are you? What right do you have to treat a patient in my department?”

Ning Tao smiled. “Your department and your patient. Well, if you manage to cure Mr. Meng, I will turn and leave immediately. But since you can’t, don’t be a dog in a manger. Who do you think you are?”

“You— ” Tang Jianyi was so infuriated that he was at a loss for words. He had never expected this roving doctor to be so glib-tongued. He had put him down before the others, on this floor and this department. Nobody had dared to speak to him like this before!

Ning Tao said, “You—what? Go to one side. If you obstruct my treatment of Mr. Meng and he dies, I will say you have some ulterior motive in stopping me.”

Tang Jianyi felt as if he was drenched by a basin of cold water. If Meng Bo were to die in the ICU ward, and if he had stopped Ning Tao from saving Meng Bo, he himself would certainly be in serious trouble!

Ning Tao had long understood Tang Jianyi’s psychology. He continued. “Sister Su, according to my rules, I can only treat a patient alone without anyone else present. But this time, I will make an exception. You can come along with me. But forget the policemen and doctors. I don’t want anyone else to disturb my treatment. You won’t want anything untoward to happen during treatment, will you?”

“Okay, I agree to this. I’m already sick of reading notices of his critical condition.” Su Shanshan had made up her mind. These last words were directed at Tang Jianyi.

Tang Jianyi shrugged sheepishly. “Alright, Colonel Su. But I need to be upfront. I don’t know how this roving doctor managed to convince you, but since you have already decided, I won’t dissuade you. But you must write a letter of commitment. You must bring the patient outside Diyun Hospital for treatment. Once you are out, I won’t interfere with your treatment of Mr. Meng. But this is my department and I will certainly not allow you to.”

Su Shanshan gave a cold snort. “It’s not up to you to decide. If you obstruct us again, I promise you will be relieved of your duties once I make a call!”

Tang Jianyi instantly froze on the spot.

“Doctor Ning, let’s go in. The rest of you guard outside. Stop anyone from entering.” Su Shanshan gave her orders.

“Yes, madam!” The policemen all responded. Their actions were neat and uniform, their voices sonorous as one.

Su Shanshan pushed open the door of the ICU ward. Ning Tao carried his medicine chest and walked in.

Tang Jianyi said in a sinister tone, “I don’t care. I will let you fellows do what you like, even if it means him dying. You’re a cultured and knowledgeable lady. How could you trust in a roving country doctor…?”

Bam!

The door of the ICU ward closed.

Su Shanshan did not wish to hear more of his naggings.

Ning Tao finally saw Meng Bo on the hospital bed. His nose and mouth was covered by an oxygen mask, his eyes tightly shut. They did not seem to be opening at all. There were no visible wounds on his body and he looked fit and strong, but his face was pallid.

Ning Tao summoned the states of looking and smelling in his eyes and nose. He could not help but frown. The innate aura of Meng Bo was so weak as to be almost completely gone. He could only see faint signs of exhaled breaths on his oxygen mask. His breaths were extremely feeble.

“Doctor Ning, what do you think? Can you cure him?” The moment Su Shanshan saw her husband, her emotions instantly went a little out of control. She became flustered and worried.

Ning Tao said mildly, “Don’t worry, Sister Su. we came on time. Had we not, your husband would have died at midnight tonight.”

“Ah?” Su Shanshan was shocked.

Ning Tao said, “Please stand by the door and watch. Don’t make a sound or disturb my treatment. Can you do that?”

Su Shanshan nodded. She was now totally stupefied. She would do whatever Ning Tao asked her to.

Ning Tao came to the hospital bed and took out the ledger of bamboo slips from the medicine chest, placing it on Meng Bo’s arm with the intravenous drip. He thought the drip would hinder the process and conveniently pulled it out.

“Doctor Ning… ” Su Shanshan gasped loudly, but she shut her mouth after these words. She dared not speak out to disturb Ning Tao.

Ning Tao grabbed Meng Bo’s wrist and injected some special spiritual power into his body. He steadied Meng Bo’s heartbeat before picking up the ledger of bamboo slips and unfurling it.

Contents hovered on the ledger of bamboo slips: Meng Bo, born 1984, the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. A fearless man who belittles kindness. His first virtue: being filial to his parents, worth 10 merit of good intention points. His second virtue: defending his country, worth five merit of good intention points. His third virtue: being respectful of his wife, worth two merit of good intention points. However, as a human being, he does not fear heaven. Traveling through the firmament twice, worth 14 sin of evil intention demerit points. His total merits after subtracting his sins: three merit of good intention points. Prescribe him a merit of good intention prescription pact. Expend his merits to ensure his safety.

Surprise and bafflement arose in Ning Tao’s heart. What surprised him was that a hero like Meng Bo had only three merit of good intention points. What baffled him was him discovering another source of sin. “Traveling through the firmament” was no different from manslaughter, worth seven sin of evil intention demerit points!

“Visiting outer space means you do not fear Heaven. Does that mean human beings must remain forever confined on earth?” Ning Tao’s mind was pondering this question. He found it impossible to understand.

Such a sin meant that Heaven was a prison and the earth was a huge cage. Did that mean human beings on earth were like convicts? That the Almighty Providence was treating them like chickens and ducks in confinement?

“Doctor Ning?” Su Shanshan could not help but call him. She seemed to be reminding Ning Tao.

Ning Tao turned back and glanced at her. She instantly shut her mouth.

Ning Tao collected the ledger of bamboo slips and reached for a porcelain vial.

This porcelain vial held the third-version Ancestor-seeking Elixir. It could treat total paralysis and mental illnesses. It was indeed appropriate to test it on Meng Bo.

Although Ning Tao had never used it to treat totally paralyzed or psychiatric patients, judging from results from the ledger of bamboo slips, he was certain it would work. But the ledger of bamboo slips merely gave him a very vague guideline to the dosage. It merely said, “Be careful of the dosage used.” It did not provide a precise amount. This would test Ning Tao’s skills.

Ning Tao put on silicon gel gloves and removed the wooden stopper. He used a Sacred Needle to extract a tiny amount of the third-version Ancestor-seeking Elixir powder. Then he pried open Meng Bo’s mouth and sprinkled the powder in. After that, he re-inserted the wooden stopper to ensure the elixir odor would not dissipate.

The Ancestor-seeking Elixir powder immediately dissolved upon entering his mouth. It turned into a stream of energy, coursing into Meng Bo’s body.

Suddenly, Meng Bo kicked his leg!

“Meng!” Su Shanshan was feeling both worried and agitated. She forgot Ning Tao’s instructions and hurried to his bedside.

Ning Tao berated her. “Get away!”

“I… ” Only now did Su Shanshan remember Ning Tao’s orders. She frantically stepped back.

Ning Tao was totally merciless. “I mean get out of this room!”

Su Shanshan implored. “Doctor Ning, I was wrong. Please let me stay. I… won’t say another word to disturb you, alright?”

But Ning Tao pointed at the door of the ICU room and said coldly, “If you want your husband to recover, please leave this room at once!”

Su Shanshan hesitated for a moment and finally said nothing. She left the ICU room.

Actually, even if Su Shanshan had not lost control of her emotions and disturbed his treatment, Ning Tao would still make her leave after Meng Bo’s reaction. This was because not everyone could survive contact with the Ancestor-seeking Elixir—even its odor. He did not want Meng Bo to recover and Su Shanshan become a new demon. Those new demons under him would most likely be refused treatment by Sky Clinic. Death would be their eventual fate.

The ICU room was completely quiet.

Meng Bo did not react again. His spasmodic kick seemed to be an illusion.

Ning Tao observed Meng Bo’s changes with his state of looking. Meng Bo’s innate aura seemed to be improving. He was no longer in danger of dying. Ning Tao was not worried now. As he observed the man, he thought to himself, “Tang Zixian must not have asked me to treat Meng Bo simply because he is a hero. She wants to see something with her own eyes. She has been studying the formation of the Feminine-moon people. Could Meng Bo have discovered something similar on the moon?”

Once he thought of this, Ning Tao had an idea. He took out his Blade of the Solar Eclipse from the medicine chest and went to the bedside. With one hand pressing down on Meng Bo’s head, he used the blade to shave Meng Bo’s hair.

A doctor shaving the hair of a patient. Most would suppose he was preparing for a brain surgery. But Ning Tao was only shaving Meng Bo’s hair. As he did so, snowflakes started to flutter on the Whisperer on his left wrist…