"A fart?" The head of the hall twitched. "What crazy old woman is this?"
He said this without paying any mind to Madam Wang, clearly deeming her mentally unstable. He then turned to A Jiu.
"This prescription must be handed over, or you will not be allowed to stay in Nanming City."
"Do you get to decide that?" A Jiu, seeing Granny Wang's venomous tongue holding the fort, felt less scared than before.
"Jiu'er." Liu Cai'er finally came to her senses and pulled A Jiu into the courtyard.
Madam Wang, ignoring everything, sat cross-legged on the ground. Several elders watched with furious disbelief.
"Jiu'er, in Nanming City, his words carry as much weight as an official decree. After all, he can simply find an excuse not to treat patients at the Yi Zhuang and have us all driven out of the city."
A Jiu blinked. "Sister-in-law, what should we do? My grandma's mouth is just sharp, she wouldn't actually cause trouble with it, would she?"
"How about this, you give me some of that medicated water you made. At worst, I'll demonstrate at the Yi Zhuang again, and this time I'll find more witnesses."
Liu Cai'er didn't want to escalate the situation. Being driven out of the city at this time would mean becoming refugees.
"No," Madam Wang said, though her eyes were closed, she was clearly aware of everything.
Liu Cai'er and A Jiu exchanged a look, feeling awkward. But Liu Cai'er didn't understand Madam Wang well at this point and could only look to her.
"As I said, I can cure it with a fart, with nothing at all. If you give that good stuff to these yellow-mouthed brats, wouldn't that be a waste?"
"Yellow-mouthed brats?"
"How dare this old woman speak like that?"
"You..."
The hall master's face could no longer remain composed. This old woman looked to be in her fifties or sixties, while he was eighty-three. How could he be insulted as a yellow-mouthed brat?
The hall master, angered to the point of tightly closing his eyes, took several deep breaths before lowering his voice.
"What sect or school do you belong to, Medical Venerable? Do you have any sect's unique skills?"
Madam Wang snorted, her gaze exceptionally disdainful. After a long pause, she didn't hear him introduce himself.
Her expression seemed to say, 'Do you even deserve to know?'
The old fellows immediately became agitated and muttered to each other. "This shrew has a big mouth."
"I think she's just crazy."
"My grandma is not crazy," A Jiu interjected.
She used to think her grandmother was a bit off, but most of what she said came true, and her personality hadn't changed for the worse.
"You're not suffering from hysteria, claiming that a fart can cure diseases?" The hall master felt it was undignified to say the word "fart," but he forced himself to say it.
"If you don't believe me, bring some patients tomorrow. I'll show all you little brats how I cure diseases. Unlike you, who can't cure illnesses and still come here to embarrass yourselves. Hmph... I can't be bothered to argue with you brats."
Madam Wang pointed her finger at each of them in turn.
Little brats? Cubs?
The hall master felt a surge of blood welling up in his chest, his legs almost giving way.
"Hall master, take care of yourself."
Several people solicitously stepped forward to support him and whispered, "If necessary, we can bring some patients tomorrow."
"Let's go."
The hall master coughed violently as he stepped over the threshold.
Seeing this, Tongzi finally relaxed his stiff body and quickly went to reattach the door panels one by one.
"You scared me to death, Sister Cai'er," Tongzi said, patting his chest.
"From now on, when I don't speak, you are not to speak out of turn," Liu Cai'er's face darkened.
Earlier that morning, she had felt that A Jiu was right. If their unique skills were easily given away, how would she protect herself in the future, and how would she salvage the reputation of the Hualan Medical Hall?
But Tongzi's meddling had almost ruined everything.
"Sister Cai'er, I was just afraid they would torture you. They can sever your tendons, and you wouldn't be able to practice medicine for life."
As soon as these words were spoken, A Jiu gasped. The Medical Ethics Hall had the right to use private torture.
So, the boasting her grandmother did yesterday would ultimately be exposed? A Jiu looked at Madam Wang, squatted down, and tugged hard on her arm to help her up.
"Grandma, look at you, you've bragged again. What will we do tomorrow?"