Chapter 135: How Did You Know?

Unable to procure the necessary medicine at the commune, Xu Lin had no choice but to leave. She hadn't intended to visit the county seat, but it seemed she had no other option.

Upon arriving in town, she headed straight for Renji Hall. She had barely stepped inside, let alone reached the medicine counter, when Liu Huairen spotted her.

"Linlin! What brings you here?" Liu Huairen called out, waving his hand with a look of pleasant surprise. "Come, come quickly! There is a patient here who needs your expertise."

"Elder Liu," Xu Lin greeted him with a respectful bow before walking over briskly. "What kind of illness is it?"

"It’s a very strange case. I suspect poisoning, but I cannot identify the toxin." Liu Huairen led Xu Lin toward the consultation room, explaining the patient's condition as they walked.

They soon arrived at the room. Liu Huairen pointed to the patient, whose body was covered in raw, inflamed skin. "Take a look at his condition."

"Very well, let me see." Xu Lin approached the patient, her gaze falling upon his swollen, ulcerated face. Thick, yellowish pus oozed from the broken skin and spread everywhere—a truly repulsive sight. Xu Lin’s eyes traveled from his face to his neck, and finally down to his exposed ankles. Liu Huairen hadn't been exaggerating; there truly wasn't a single patch of healthy skin left on him. His clothes were soaked with the foul-smelling discharge.

"This condition has persisted for over ten days. At first, he sought treatment at the brigade clinic, but after that proved ineffective, he went to the commune hospital." Liu Huairen continued his account, noting that the patient had been referred from the clinic all the way up to the county hospital. Even the doctors at the county hospital couldn't treat him, which led them to try their luck with traditional Chinese medicine at Renji Hall. Yet, despite Liu Huairen’s best efforts, the condition had not improved—it had only worsened.

"Linlin, can you tell what’s going on?" Liu Huairen asked.

"Let me examine him." Xu Lin took the patient’s pulse. Perhaps it was the touch of her fingers against his raw skin, but the patient flinched.

"Does it hurt?" Xu Lin asked.

The patient rolled his eyes weakly, having no desire to answer; his gaze was filled with despair. Living like this was far worse than death.

"It hurts," Liu Huairen interjected. "His skin is extremely fragile and painful to the touch. Don't be fooled by how still he lies; that's because of the pain. It's manageable if he remains perfectly still, but any movement is unbearable. There isn't a single spot on his entire body that doesn't ache."

Manageable? Xu Lin thought the concept of "getting used to the pain" was harrowing. It was no wonder the patient looked as if he had lost all hope.

***

Xu Lin carefully checked the pulse, and soon her brows knit together. She detected a faint, familiar scent within the patient's pulse. Where had she encountered this before? She searched her memory. It hadn't been long since her rebirth, and it didn't take her long to realize what it was: the scent of the toxic spray. However, that spray usually targeted the nervous system, inducing a catatonic state. This patient showed no signs of mental decline; instead, his skin was the target.

Noticing the shift in Xu Lin's expression, Liu Huairen asked tentatively, "Have you figured out the problem?"

"Yes, a little," Xu Lin replied, pulling her hand back and quietly casting a cleansing charm on it.

"Can it be cured?" Liu Huairen asked. "If we can't treat it here, he will have to be transferred to a larger hospital."

"We can try. At the very least, I can stop the pain."

Xu Lin stood up and walked to the nearby desk. Liu Huairen quickly and attentively handed her paper and a pen. Seeing her begin to write the prescription, he let out a sigh of relief. As long as she was willing to prescribe, there was still a chance.

Liu Huairen leaned in to look at the list, his brow furrowing deeper as he read. "Are you planning to fight poison with poison?"

"Yes," Xu Lin replied, handing him the finished prescription. "I intend to have him soak in a medicinal bath, supplemented with acupuncture."

"Will that trigger a toxic reaction? We still don't know what kind of poison this is," Liu Huairen asked, clearly worried.

"It won't cause a reaction," Xu Lin said, leaning in to whisper into his ear, "Call the police immediately. I suspect he has been infected by poison gas left behind by the Japanese, or that he has come into contact with a laboratory or related materials they abandoned."

Liu Huairen’s pupils constricted in shock. "How do you know that?"

"When I was in Kyoto, my adoptive father was a spy. He once tried to harm me with a toxic spray. I memorized the scent of the spray and the pulse pattern it leaves behind."

"You... are you alright?" Liu Huairen hurriedly reached out to check her pulse, causing Xu Lin to chuckle softly.

"If I were in trouble, would I be sitting here?" She smiled, drawing her hand back and gesturing for him to attend to the matter.

Liu Huairen didn't waste another word and went to handle the task. As he reached the door, he asked, "Were you here to buy medicine?"

"Yes."

***

"Understood. I will have Little Lin come over; he can help you with whatever you need." With that, Liu Huairen disappeared. A short while later, Little Lin arrived to take the purchase list from Xu Lin.

With time to spare, Xu Lin looked at the patient and said, "I know you are suffering, but don't lose hope. This isn't a disease; it's poisoning. Once the toxin is neutralized, you will recover naturally without any lasting side effects. You must keep the will to live."

The patient rolled his eyes but remained silent. Xu Lin wasn't offended and said nothing more. She began to ponder whether this was merely a coincidence. Why would she encounter such poison gas here? She recalled Qian Li mentioning that Ning Xiaodong had snuck out of the educated youth dorm at night—could he have been searching for the gas? And what about Qin Fang? Was the search for the Xu family treasure just a cover for her pursuit of the poison gas? Thinking of the hidden strength Qin Fang possessed, that woman was certainly skilled at acting; she hadn't revealed her true capability yet. It seemed she hadn't been dealt enough setbacks.

Liu Huairen acted quickly. Once the herbs were gathered, he had the medicine boy start the decoction. He and Little Lin soon carried in a large wooden bathtub. Xu Lin moved to help, but Liu Huairen refused; he wouldn't let a young girl do such heavy lifting—he had his pride.

Xu Lin checked the time; it was already three in the afternoon. It looked like she would be returning to the youth dorm quite late today.

"While there is still time," Xu Lin said, "I’d like to make a call back to the brigade."

"There is a phone here. You can use it in the manager's office," Liu Huairen said, gesturing toward the office.

Before Xu Lin could leave the room, she saw Tu Hai rushing in with a team of officers.

"Educated Youth Xu, why are you here?" Tu Hai asked in surprise, peering into the consultation room.

"I came to buy medicine and happened to encounter this. The patient isn't in a state to speak, so you should start with his family," Xu Lin advised before heading out of the room and toward the manager's office.

Manager Bai smiled when he saw her enter. "Ah, Educated Youth Xu, is there something you need?"

"I'd like to borrow the phone," Xu Lin said, pointing to the device.

"Certainly, please go ahead."