Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 48

Su Mingyue’s extraordinary “observation-based diagnosis” skill in the flower hall was like a bolt from the blue, truly stunning the self-proclaimed “renowned doctors” present. In an instant, no one dared to underestimate this young woman; their gazes towards Su Mingyue shifted from initial contempt and doubt to deep apprehension and… an indescribable curiosity. And the instigator, “Old Brother Li,” after his hasty retreat, only added to the mysterious reputation of “Divine Doctor Su” in the hearts of these doctors.

Soon, the Du Mansion’s butler respectfully entered. He first bowed to the doctors in the flower hall, exchanging a few polite pleasantries, essentially thanking them for their tireless efforts in coming to consult for his master. He explained that the master was unwell and should not be disturbed too much, requesting them to return and rest, as their consultation fees would be sent to their residences later. The meaning of his words was clear: he was dismissing them.

Although the old traditional Chinese medicine doctors were still somewhat unwilling, firstly, they had just been stunned by Su Mingyue’s skill and knew they were inferior; secondly, the Du Mansion was a powerful family, and they couldn’t afford to offend them. They could only rise one by one and reluctantly bid farewell.

Finally, only Su Mingyue remained in the entire flower hall.

The butler walked up to Su Mingyue, his face adorned with an even more respectful smile. He bowed and said, “Divine Doctor Su, my master has an invitation. He said that his illness, perhaps… only a divine doctor like you can find a way to cure it.”

Su Mingyue smiled faintly, nodded, and without further words, followed the butler through several corridors to a bedroom that was extraordinarily luxurious but exuded an indescribable oppressive atmosphere. Inside the bedroom, calming incense was burning, but its fragrance seemed unable to completely mask another faint… decaying smell in the room.

Old Master Du, renowned as a “great philanthropist” in Tianjin, was now half-reclining on a sickbed adorned with silk and satin. His face was pale, his breath weak, and his eyes were tightly closed, as if he had fallen into a semi-conscious state. Standing by his bed were several trembling maids and the inconspicuous man who had previously spied on her on the street.

“Divine… Divine Doctor Su… you’ve finally arrived…” Old Master Du heard the movement and slowly opened his eyes, his voice so weak it seemed it could cease at any moment. “This old man… this old man’s old bones, I’m afraid… I’m afraid they won’t last much longer…” As he spoke, he coughed violently several times, a pitiful sight of someone critically ill and with little time left. His acting, if put in later generations, would probably be more than enough to win an award for best actor.

Su Mingyue watched Old Master Du’s “exquisite” performance, a cold sneer in her heart, but her face remained impassive. She merely said lightly, “Old Master Du, there’s no need to say more. Please allow this humble one to take your pulse first.” She did not, like other doctors, directly approach the bed to take Old Master Du’s pulse. Having lived for so long, how could she not see that this Old Master Du, seemingly gravely ill, was in fact full of peculiarities everywhere? The inconspicuous man who had been following him, seemingly respectfully standing by, actually stood with his feet neither together nor apart, his temples bulging high, clearly a martial artist, and… a master among them. The atmosphere in this room, seemingly sorrowful, actually concealed murderous intent. If she approached rashly, who knew what would happen? It was always wise to be wary of others, especially in such a den of dragons and tigers.

“Someone,” Su Mingyue instructed the maid nearby, “fetch a silk thread.” The maid was somewhat puzzled but quickly retrieved a roll of fine golden silk thread from a sewing basket. Su Mingyue took the thread, took one end, and said to Old Master Du on the bed, “Old Master Du, this humble one’s medical skills are shallow, emphasizing ‘sincerity brings efficacy.’ To show respect, it’s inconvenient to approach closely. Please tie one end of this thread to your wrist, and this humble one can perform a suspended thread pulse diagnosis for you.”

“Suspended thread pulse diagnosis?!”

At these words, everyone present, including the inconspicuous man who had been expressionless, showed expressions of disbelief! Suspended thread pulse diagnosis, wasn’t that a miraculous medical skill only found in fictional novels?! To be able to diagnose a person’s condition through a thin thread? This… this was too divine!

Old Master Du lay on the bed, a hint of surprise flashing in his cloudy eyes. He had thought that this female physician’s medical skills were merely a bit more advanced than others, but he hadn’t expected her to possess such a near-“supernatural” ability! He couldn’t help but secretly mutter to himself: This little girl is indeed very slippery! She’s even so cautious when taking a pulse! However, he then thought, This is good too. The more miraculous she is, the more it proves she has true abilities. As long as she can cure his illness, or… become his perfect “supplement,” then what does it matter if she’s a bit cautious?

Thinking this, Old Master Du nodded to the maids beside him, signaling them to comply. The maid carefully tied one end of the silk thread to Old Master Du’s withered wrist. Su Mingyue, holding the other end of the thread, retreated several steps away. With her eyes slightly closed, her index and middle fingers joined, she gently rested them on the taut golden silk thread.

For a moment, the entire bedroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s gaze was focused on Su Mingyue’s fair, jade-like fingers, gently resting on the thread.

Su Mingyue appeared to be taking his pulse, but in reality, a wisp of pure spiritual energy had already silently entered Old Master Du’s body along the silk thread. Although she couldn’t activate her spiritual eye under everyone’s gaze, with her current cultivation, examining the physical condition of a mortal (even a half-human, half-demon) in this manner was more than sufficient.

The moment the spiritual energy entered his body, Su Mingyue’s heart jolted! She could clearly feel that Old Master Du’s internal body was utterly chaotic! His five internal organs were in an extremely decayed state, and his life force was draining away at a rate far exceeding that of ordinary people! This perfectly matched what she had seen earlier through “observing qi.”

But what shocked her even more was that she discovered that around Old Master Du’s abnormally pulsating heart, a complex and evil… demonic power was entrenched! That demonic power seemed to be constantly eroding his life force, strengthening itself, and was also the root cause of his physical decay! However, this demonic power was tightly suppressed by an elusive layer, which was why it hadn’t manifested during the day. If not for this direct spiritual energy probe, even a highly cultivated Daoist might find it difficult to detect. No wonder… no wonder he was able to conceal his aura so well before. It turned out that he carried some kind of magical artifact or talisman that could suppress demonic qi!

Su Mingyue understood in her heart. This Old Master Du indeed had a problem! And a big one! However, she was still somewhat confused. From the pulse, although this demonic power was complex, it seemed… it did not originate from a single demon. It was as if… he had devoured the powers of many different demons and then forcibly merged them, ultimately leading to this terrifying backlash. Truly a… greedy fool! Su Mingyue snorted coldly in her heart.

After a moment, Su Mingyue slowly opened her eyes and released the fingers holding the thread.

“How is it, Divine Doctor Su?” Old Master Du, seeing that she had finished taking his pulse, immediately asked impatiently, his tone filled with anticipation. The servants nearby also nervously watched Su Mingyue, awaiting her diagnosis.

Su Mingyue looked at Old Master Du’s face, filled with “anticipation” and “pretense,” and a meaningful smile curved her lips. She didn’t rush to give the diagnosis. Instead, she slowly asked in return, “Old Master Du, before this humble one gives the diagnosis, may I ask you a question first?”

“Oh? Please speak, Divine Doctor.” Although Old Master Du was somewhat displeased, he patiently said.

Su Mingyue’s clear eyes fixed on Old Master Du’s, and she slowly spoke, word by word:

“May I ask, Old Master Du… where did you hear that demonic elixirs can cure illnesses?”

At these words, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck! Old Master Du’s face, which had been wearing a somewhat sickly smile, instantly froze! His pupils sharply contracted, and his eyes were filled with unbelievable shock and… an undisguised panic!

She… how could she know?! No! Impossible! The matter of demonic elixirs was his biggest secret. Besides him and the few trusted aides he had already silenced, no one else knew! How could this little girl… how could she possibly discern this secret with just a single thread?!

And the inconspicuous man standing by, upon hearing Su Mingyue’s words, also changed drastically. He instinctively tightened his grip on the short dagger hidden in his sleeve, his eyes revealing clear killing intent! The atmosphere in the entire room instantly dropped to freezing point!

Su Mingyue, however, paid no attention to their shocked reactions. She looked at Old Master Du’s face, slightly twisted by terror, and continued in her clear, yet somewhat mocking tone:

“Old Master Du, forgive this humble one’s bluntness.”

“This… this is not an illness.”