The three old men whispered among themselves, their curiosity mingled with scepticism.
Zheng smiled, projecting calm authority. "Please wait here. I'll take each of you one by one and gladly treat you."
His bold and confident voice left the three old men momentarily dumbfounded.
"Heh… he seems very confident. But I hope he won't lose that confidence in front of me," muttered one of them, a subtle challenge hidden in his words.
After few minutes, Li opened the door and took a seemingly drunk man as the first customer from the crowd.
When the crowd outside saw his condition, they unanimously thought that he was there to cause a problem.
"Could he really be a patient?"
"just looking at his expression, it seems like this man will cause a problem here."
"I hope that he doesn't cause any problem here, I had to postpone my duty just so that I can have my mother treated today."
"Who's next? We are running out of time here."
Some of the crowd were getting impatient from waiting. Just waiting there and watching the sun drop slowly made their heart itch, wishing that it would be their turn.
As for those who already received the treatment, some stayed inside the room clearing the tabs, while other waited in line see Zheng.
"How are you feeling now?" Zheng asked one the customer.
"it was… unbelievable… I never thought anyone would heal me."
"do you feel any pain now?"
"A little bit."
"on the scale on 1 to 10, what's the pain you feel now."
"Scale? How can I possibly put a scale on it? I can't possibly put up a number on this pain."
"0 as no pain and rising up to 10, where 10 could be like cutting your finger."
"Oh- then I could say the pain level is around 2."
"Good… then I'll write you prescription."
The place quickly became chaotic. Soon, the number of the crowd dropped to its half.
An hour quickly passed.
Zheng lifted his eyebrow at t the queue outside his healing hall. There were at least another 10 figures standing outside the healing hall. How did I get so many customers in last two days? He believed that he didn't do anything to stand out or gain popularities.
The only answer he could think about was that the customer from other days might have spread the news of that he managed to save a girl from venomous snake bite.
Another few hours passed.
Li closed the door after inviting another patient. "There are only four left," he said softly- one genuine customer and the three old men.
Zheng nodded. His mind already calculating the time. Although exhausted, he was determined to treat each and every patient there. Each patient he had treated today reminded him the very foundation of his maters teaching.
The next patient was a young man with a bandaged arm. The wound had festered slightly, but it was still manageable. Zheng cleaned the injury carefully, applied medicinal paste, and wrapped it again with fresh cloth.
"You're lucky you came early," Zheng said. "Another few days and the infection would have spread."
The young man swallowed nervously. "I thought it would heal on its own…"
"Not all wounds are visible on the surface," Zheng replied calmly.
Finally, the fourth remaining customer walked in, only living the three men standing outside the healing hall.
A frail woman walked behind Li, her figure thin and trembling slightly. When Zheng noticed her, she awkwardly and hesitantly hid behind Li.
"Can you step forward, miss?" asked Zheng.
The frail woman slowly stepped forward, each step she took toward Zheng, it was heavy like an infant learning to walk.
Zheng studied her quietly. Her pulse was weak, her qi depleted.
"You've been ill for a long time," he stated.
She nodded. "Umm... no healer was willing to treat me."
Zheng exhaled a sigh of disbelief and closed his eyes briefly as he felt her pulse again. There was a faint irregularity—subtle, but present. It required careful, long-term treatment, not a quick treatment like he had done with other patients.
"I don't know how to break it down to you but," he said honestly. "But the thing is you'll require some time to be fully cured."
Hope flickered through her frail body.
"Master! Please help me… please save me, I'll visit as many times as required and I'll pay any amount master say."
"I don't know what to say but… tomorrow, I will be leaving for capital."
Zheng's word pierced woman's heart like knife slicing a butter.
"Ma-mas-ter! How can you do that to me." Tear rolled out of her eyes like a waterfall.
"Please, stop!" Zheng handed her a handkerchief as he comforted her. "I don't know for how long I'll be gone but I'll definitely return."
"Master! Does that mean you will help me?"
"Yes, I will help you." Zheng replied with a serious look. "but you will have to take some medical herbs, I mean without a fail."
"Thank you, Master." The frail woman forced her body and bowed before Zheng.
As he began preparing a specialized formula, Zheng realized something. Word of his abilities would continue to spread. More people would come. With that came responsibility, pressure, and perhaps even unwanted attention- un beknown to him, they were already standing outside his hall.
After the frail woman left the hall. Li reminded that there was still some customer left.
"Zheng! The last three customer wants come in together."
"Let them come…"