Emergency Patient

Facing the sorrow and fear of serious illness, the joy of recovery, and the love felt when a mother gives birth… hospitals really are emotional hotspots.

They contain almost every kind of emotion. And when there are conflicts between doctors and patients, things get even more intense.

Merritt bought some breakfast from a nearby shop and took a cab to the First People's Hospital.

When he stepped out of the taxi and walked into the outpatient building, he felt a chill run down his spine. The place was packed.

He wasn't there for treatment. He came to collect emotions. So, he didn't register and just walked straight toward the consultation rooms.

The hallways were crowded with waiting patients. Small rooms lined both sides, and each room had one or two doctors seeing patients. Merritt stood by, watching and waiting.

But...

As time passed, Merritt's excitement started to fade.

Every now and then, a patient would come out of a consultation room, showing all kinds of emotions. Some felt fear or sadness after hearing about a serious illness. Some felt joy when what they thought was something scary turned out to be no big deal.

But Merritt was confused. These emotions, which should have been everywhere, were nowhere to be found. Were these people all numb?

He had been able to absorb emotions that morning. So why was it different now?

Maybe the Heavenly Desire Pearl only restored his energy and wasn't actually that powerful. Maybe it couldn't help with cultivation like he thought.

Merritt waited in the hallway until noon. The outpatient doctors took their lunch break, but he hadn't collected a single emotion.

His excitement was gone.

"This is such a scam," he muttered in frustration.

He was angry. "Forget it! There's no such thing as shortcuts. I should just focus on practicing martial arts."

He walked out of the clinic building, planning to catch a cab back to his hotel.

Honk... Honk…

Suddenly!

A loud noise echoed as an ambulance came to a sharp stop outside the clinic. The doors burst open and several medical staff rushed out.

At the same time, a gurney was rolled out from the clinic. Urgent voices filled the air.

"What's the patient's condition?" a doctor ran out of the building and asked the medical team.

"A steel rod has pierced through the rib area. Initial check shows possible spleen damage. The rod hasn't been removed, and there's a high risk of major internal bleeding!"

"The patient's blood pressure and pulse are falling!"

"Dr. Salvador! The heart rate is dropping fast!"

While Dr. Salvador got details from the ambulance crew, others lifted the patient onto a surgical gurney. Then, all of a sudden, there was a loud gasp from someone nearby.

The patient, already unconscious, pale, and breathing rapidly, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The situation had just turned dangerously worse.

"Massive hemorrhage! Hurry! Get them to the emergency room!" Dr. Salvador shouted.

"Don't die… don't die…"

A girl in a white coat was using professional emergency techniques, performing CPR on the patient lying on the gurney.

As she pressed down hard with both hands, she shouted, "Hold on! Just a bit longer! We're almost at the operating room… You're going to be okay!"

She wasn't the kind of girl who would catch your attention right away, but she had a gentle and lively charm.

An oval face.

A high nose bridge.

Her long hair was tied into a bun, revealing a slender, snow-white neck. From her outfit, it was obvious she wasn't a nurse, but a doctor who had come along with the patient.

For doctors, age usually meant experience and skill, but she looked way too young to have either.

But...

Her eyes were full of urgency, and her voice trembled like it was her life on the line, not the patient's.

Just stepping out of the clinic, Merritt saw this scene and it threw him back to years ago...

Back then, he wasn't the leader known as Azure Dragon. He was just a regular member of the organization.

During a mission, he got seriously injured, and a young girl had shouted in the same way, "Don't die! Please… hold on! Stay alive!"

"He won't make it to surgery," Merritt said, stepping forward quickly.

"Who are you? Get out of the way!"

Director Salvador was both shocked and furious.

As the chief surgeon of the First People's Hospital, he knew how serious every second was.

This man clearly wasn't one of them, and his sudden interference could completely change the patient's fate.

Merritt ignored him. He suddenly pulled out a bag like it appeared from thin air and shoved Director Salvador aside.

He opened the bag.

Inside, over twenty silver needles of different lengths were arranged neatly.

With a sharp look in his eyes, Merritt took out a needle and moved with lightning speed.

Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin — Xuehai Point!

Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang — Geshū Point!

Neiguan!

Zhongwan!

Ximen!

One by one, the silver needles were inserted quickly, leaving all the medical staff frozen in shock. Director Salvador, who had been shoved aside, rushed back just as Merritt was putting away his needle pouch.

"The bleeding will slow down a lot," Merritt said while placing the pouch into his inner pocket. Without even turning around, he added, "Don't take these needles out until the bleeding has completely stopped, or he'll definitely die. After that… whether or not he survives is up to your skill."

"Director Salvador! The patient's pulse is stable!"

"Heart rate and blood pressure are rising!"

"Hurry!"

Director Salvador, completely stunned, stared at Merritt's back as he walked away. But there was no time to think about it.

"Get him to the operating room! Move, move, move!"

Beep!

The red light above the operating room, which had been on for four hours, finally turned off. Director Salvador, soaked in sweat and looking totally exhausted, walked out.

As he stepped out, he was met by an elderly couple and a middle-aged woman. All of their faces were full of worry and fear.

The elderly woman and the middle-aged woman had tears running down their faces, and the old man looked seriously tense.

"How's my son?"

"Doctor, my husband…?"

"Don't worry," Director Salvador forced a tired smile. "The patient's condition is stable now. His life is no longer in danger. You can finally relax."

"Thank you, doctor! Thank you so much!"

The elderly couple and the middle-aged woman let out a collective sigh of relief, their eyes filling with tears again, this time from overwhelming gratitude.

"You shouldn't thank me, but rather..."

Director Salvador trailed off, his mind drifting to the face of the handsome young stranger who had shown up earlier.

Leaving that mysterious sentence hanging in the air, Director Salvador slowly walked back to his office, completely drained from the emergency surgery.

When he entered, it felt like all his strength had left him. He collapsed into his chair.

A few minutes passed.

He pulled an empty medicine bottle out of his pocket and held a silver needle between his fingers, mumbling to himself, "Acupuncture… Traditional medicine… That's incredible."