Chapter 481

**Chapter 481: The lazy Dare (1)**

### What happens if a patient dies during treatment?

It was a difficult question to answer.

“It depends on the situation.”

“How so?”

“Mmm…”

The Master of the Medical Hall pondered before speaking.

“If a doctor mistakenly kills a patient who could be treated, they cannot evade responsibility. But if the patient was beyond help and dies during treatment, then they cannot be blamed.”

The Master scratched his nose.

“Ambiguous cases are the most problematic. Since I’m also a doctor, I think holding a doctor responsible in those circumstances is excessive. After all, doctors are human too.”

“Mmm, that makes sense. Then…”

Wei Yanho pointed to the prostrate patients.

“Which category do these fall into?”

“…”

The Master of the Medical Hall closed his mouth like a clam. The answer was obvious, but for some reason, he felt he shouldn’t say it.

“Yes?”

At Wei Yanho’s insistence, the Master let out a groan.

What kind of question was that? It was evident without needing to be said.

“If I had to classify them…”

“If you had to?”

“…They would fall into the first category.”

“What was the first one you mentioned?”

The Master closed his eyes tightly.

*”What a cruel guy.”*

His determination to keep those words from coming out of his mouth was noticeable. He knew instinctively that he shouldn’t fall into his game, but he could no longer evade the question.

“They are patients who cannot be treated.”

“Oh?”

“But! No! But!”

The Master didn’t let go of his last thread of hope.

“Although there is no treatment yet, I firmly believe that I will be able to discover one.”

“So, there isn’t one right now.”

“…No, but that’s different!”

*”What the heck is this guy planning to do?”*

The Master trembled with unease. And those observing the scene also felt invaded by an inexplicable anxiety.

“Ehm… my lord.”

Jegal Munin, the only one who usually spoke with reason, was the first to intervene.

“What?”

“This seems to be a matter for doctors. Of course, it wouldn’t be strange for you to intervene, but wouldn’t it be better to leave it to experts? As the saying goes: *”Don’t wake a sleeping dog”*…”

“Experts?”

Wei Yanho turned his head and looked at the Master of the Medical Hall.

Under his gaze, the Master shuddered.

“Well, he’s right. This should be left to the experts. But that expert right now has no idea what to do.”

*Stab!*

Wei Yanho’s words pierced the Master’s chest like a spear.

“In the end, we’ll just be collecting corpses.”

*Stab!*

“Is a magical solution going to appear just by leaving them there? How is that different from waiting under a persimmon tree with your mouth open? Sure, they might get lucky and find a cure. But by then, the other persimmons will have already fallen.”

*Stab, stab!*

Under the relentless verbal attack, the Master repeatedly shuddered.

“I-I’m doing everything I can.”

“Everything you can?”

Wei Yanho put on an indifferent expression.

“In matters of life and death, what does “everything you can” mean? If the Master of the Medical Hall were to get sick, would you prefer to be treated by a quack who “does everything they can” or by a talented doctor who complains all the time?”

“…Obviously, the second one.”

“So, are you planning to wash your hands afterward saying, “I did everything I could” when they die?”

The Master closed his mouth.

So pressured, he had no answer.

“T-then… do you have any plan in mind?”

It was a desperate counterattack.

He said it with the certainty that Wei Yanho wouldn’t be able to find a cure that he himself hadn’t managed to discover. But the Master didn’t know: if he had known Wei Yanho better, he would never have said that. It was a mistake on his part, still ignorant of Wei Yanho’s true character.

“Hey!”

“No!”

Just when everyone was trying to avoid the worst-case scenario, Wei Yanho spoke calmly.

“Can I try?”

“…Huh?”

“I have an idea, but it’s something difficult to do alone. If you help me, I’d like to try it…”

“How?”

The Master of the Medical Hall looked around, trying to understand the situation.

*”Why are they looking at me with those faces?”*

Wei Yanho’s companions had expressions of complete horror. Even Mo San, the most serious of all, was clutching his bald head and shaking it desperately. The Master felt something crumbling inside him.

*”Did I make a mistake?”*

With a nervous face, the Master looked Wei Yanho in the eyes. He had a mocking smile. Too mocking for his taste.

“At least I need to know what method it is before answering.”

“That’s very reasonable. As everyone knows, I am an extremely reasonable person.”

“Sure you are.”

“As if that were true.”

Some murmurs of protest were heard, but Wei Yanho seemed to ignore them. Not because he despised them, but because he genuinely didn’t hear them, since he didn’t even turn around.

“So, that method is…”

Wei Yanho smiled maliciously.

“It’s something my master taught me.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm, although saying that “he taught me” is a bit weird, because that master is me. Well, I can’t say that I thought of it alone either… It’s complicated to explain.”

*”What the heck is this crazy guy talking about?”*

His master was himself, but he couldn’t have thought of it alone?

The Master of the Medical Hall began to seriously consider whether they should examine Wei Yanho’s head before treating the patients.

“Please, explain it to me more clearly.”

“Ah, sure. You see, the problem with these people is that they have no energy, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If they had energy, they could recover, but since they don’t have it, they can’t… So, we just need to stimulate their energy, right?”

“…Yes, but…”

The Master tilted his head, confused.

It’s not that he didn’t understand Wei Yanho’s words. The problem was that they were too obvious.

*”Does he think we haven’t tried?”*

The Master frowned.

If someone else had said that, he would have reprimanded them immediately. But the Wei Yanho he knew, although unpredictable, wasn’t stupid.

There had to be an intention behind his words.

“But you know that injecting them with energy is impossible. Their meridians are damaged. If we try to introduce energy, their channels will collapse and burst. At a minimum, they will suffer internal deviation, and in the worst case, their bodies will explode completely.”

“Right.”

“I don’t think you’re ignoring that.”

“No, of course not. But I heard something interesting: *”If there is no road, make one”*.

“…What do you mean by that?”

Wei Yanho smiled.

“Energy doesn’t just flow through the meridians. It can be introduced even if they are damaged.”

“Of course. The human body has the *Three Vessels*. If we send energy through them, we could circulate it. But, young Wei…”

The Master spoke firmly.

“The *Three Vessels* are usually blocked by impurities. Do you know what the process of clearing them so that energy flows is called?”

“Eh… I knew it, but…”

“It’s called *”Breaking the Cocoon and Washing the Marrow”*.

The Master’s face was implacable.

“It requires numerous medicinal herbs and the help of a master. Even so, it’s impossible if the *Three Vessels* have solidified with age. Are you planning to perform that process on them?”

Before Wei Yanho could answer, the Master continued quickly.

“It’s impossible. First, we can’t gather enough herbs. Even if we get a master, not even the resources of the Tang Family would be enough. With external help, perhaps we could raise the money, but even collecting all the herbs available in the market wouldn’t be enough to create an effective treatment.”

“Eh…”

“And second, their bodies wouldn’t withstand the process. It requires a master capable of controlling energy with precision and taking their time to do it meticulously. If we rush, we would shorten their lives, and if we delay, they would die sooner. So that method isn’t viable.”

Wei Yanho replied indifferently.

“I don’t plan to use that method.”

“…Huh?”

He shrugged.

“I said I don’t plan to use it. Even if we met those two conditions, I wouldn’t. This isn’t a problem that is solved only here. If it breaks out in another place, it would also have to be solved there. It’s not something that is fixed by curing a few. We need a fundamental solution.”

“Then, why…?”

“I thought of something. There is a medicinal herb in this world that can inject energy regardless of whether the meridians are destroyed or the *Three Vessels* blocked.”

“Does something like that exist!?”

The Master’s eyes widened like saucers.

If that were true, it would be revolutionary. A herb that could stimulate energy even with destroyed meridians would be the cure for these patients.

“Does it have no side effects?”

“It has some minor ones. But it’s better than dying, right?”

“You’re right.”

All treatments in the world have side effects. But if the benefits outweigh the risks, it should be tried. With eyes full of expectation, the Master asked:

“But… does such a herb exist? I’ve never heard of it.”

“You’ve heard and seen it many times.”

“…Huh?”

Wei Yanho smiled maliciously.

“That’s why I asked for your help.”

“… ”

The Master’s face filled with unease.

*”Something doesn’t add up here…”*

“Excuse me, but could you tell me the name of that herb? You say I know it, but I can’t imagine what it is.”

“Calling it a “medicinal herb” is a little inaccurate. Well, let’s say…”

Wei Yanho scratched his head and continued:

“It’s not difficult to get. The complicated thing is using it. Besides, this is the place with the most reserves of that “medicine” in the world. Hehe.”

“… ”

The place with the most reserves in the world?

Where?

In the Tang Family?

Could it… could it be…?

“C-could that “medicine” be…?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yanho smiled broadly.

“The Tang Family dominates the art of poison. Whether the meridians are broken or the *Three Vessels* blocked, poison seeps through the smallest gaps where herbs cannot reach. Its broad spectrum of action, without distinguishing between ordinary people and martial artists, is something to be grateful for. So, how about we discuss what poison to use?”

“… ”

A smile appeared on the face of the Master of the Medical Hall.

So, he wanted to use poison.

Poison.

On those patients.

In other words…

The pure admiration for such a brilliant idea boiled inside him until it burst out of his mouth.

“GET OUT OF HERE, LUNATIC!”

The roofs of the pavilion trembled.