Upon seeing Xu Ping’an’s action, the lead, Zhao Pingzhi, stiffened.
Ultimately, he said no more and bowed to Xu Ping’an.
“In that case, we won’t disturb Physician Xu’s rest any further. Farewell.”
“I’ll see you out.”
Hearing this, Xu Ping’an inwardly thought, ‘Wise move,’ and stood up to see them off.
After all, they were from the Prince of Zhennan’s manor, a de facto emperor who held absolute sway in Nanzhou.
As a mere physician, he naturally wanted to avoid offending them as much as possible.
One person trailing behind Zhao Pingzhi grumbled:
“What kind of ‘divine physician’? I think he’s just a quack. He claims he can’t treat the patient without even seeing them. Maybe he has no real skill and just brags?”
At these words, not only did Xu Ping’an’s expression slightly darken, but Zhao Pingzhi’s face instantly contorted with anger, and he roared:
“Shut up!!”
The man immediately silenced, but his eyes and expression still held a hint of disdain.
Xu Ping’an didn’t care; after all, whatever the other party said wouldn’t affect him.
Although she didn’t fully understand the meaning, when Pei Qingxuan heard these words clearly directed at Xu Ping’an, she still felt uncomfortable, like someone was pricking her heart with a needle.
It wasn’t just heartache; it was also a suffocating discomfort, and even an inexplicable anger.
Ignoring the presence of strangers, she immediately stepped forward to retort:
“My husband is a divine physician, not a braggart!!”
Xu Ping’an was stunned.
This was the first time anyone other than his parents had stood up for him, and he was momentarily taken aback.
When he finally reacted, his gaze involuntarily fell upon the young girl’s beautiful face.
The timid, silly girl who had always hidden behind him was now like an enraged tigress, with furrowed brows and glaring eyes, her phoenix eyes even revealing a hint of killing intent.
These trained soldiers might not be sensitive to other things, but they were exceptionally sharp when it came to the aura of killing intent.
Zhao Pingzhi subtly shifted his steps, turning his body sideways, becoming wary of Pei Qingxuan.
The hands of the other few also simultaneously fell to the hilts of their long swords at their waists.
Xu Ping’an sensed something was wrong and quickly grabbed Pei Qingxuan’s soft hand.
She seemed to be looking for an opportunity to strike.
If he didn’t stop her now, and a fight really broke out in this small courtyard, he probably wouldn’t be able to continue living in Nanzhou and would have to flee.
At this moment, a surge of energy flowed in his palm.
This was not something emanating from his own palm, but rather flowing from Pei Qingxuan’s palm.
True Qi? Spiritual Energy?
In an instant, this thought flashed through Xu Ping’an’s mind.
Based on his current understanding, he felt that this world was like a “middle-tier martial world” – a low-level one where some powerful martial artists could fight against thousands, and higher-level cultivators were rumored to be able to move mountains and fill seas.
This world not only had cultivators, but the True Qi cultivated by martial artists was also a form of energy.
And those who could project this energy externally were either top-tier martial artists or cultivators.
Feeling the energy surging in his palm, striking his palm repeatedly, Xu Ping’an quickly extended two fingers and gently pinched Pei Qingxuan’s pulse point.
This instantly disrupted the flow of energy within her body.
Whether it’s True Qi or spiritual energy, the physical body is always the medium for using this energy.
And as long as it’s a physical entity, there will inevitably be some flaws.
Even the most perfect body’s energy flow must follow the body’s meridians.
Therefore, by pinching the pulse gate, this energy naturally cannot flow.
“Woo~”
With his gentle pinch, Pei Qingxuan suddenly whimpered, turning to look at Xu Ping’an, her large eyes filled with grievance and confusion.
“Husband?”
“Good girl, listen.”
Xu Ping’an pulled Pei Qingxuan into his embrace.
On one hand, he was afraid she would actually fight the others and offend the Prince of Zhennan’s manor, making it impossible for them to stay in Nanzhou.
On the other hand, he also detected other issues from Pei Qingxuan’s pulse.
Currently, Pei Qingxuan had just barely clung to life; the displacement of her internal organs and the reversal of her vital energy had not yet been addressed.
If she were to forcefully act now, before she even won the fight, the surging vital energy would be enough to rupture her internal blood vessels.
If things went badly, even her brain could be scrambled into a mush.
Moreover, the displacement of her internal organs wasn’t merely a change in their position, but rather that her meridians had detached from within the organs, creating a situation similar to ‘separation and displacement.’
With the meridians not in their correct positions, it was difficult to mobilize the life energy hidden within her internal organs.
Even if she forcefully mobilized it, it would only be self-depletion without replenishment.
By then, with all five internal organs failing, even immortals couldn’t save her.
He had painstakingly managed to temporarily sustain her life by using external skin and the medicinal materials provided by the system to infuse her kidneys with vitality.
If she were to act, this foolish girl might just die on the spot in the next second.
He suppressed Pei Qingxuan in his arms.
He wasn’t sure why, but once she was in his embrace, Pei Qingxuan immediately quieted down, her small face pressed tightly against his chest.
However, he had no time to dwell on this.
He turned to face Zhao Pingzhi and the others.
“General Zhao, my wife was impolite. I hope you will forgive her, seeing as she is a woman. I won’t see you out.”
“Mr. Xu, no need to be polite. I understand.”
Zhao Pingzhi didn’t detect any other issues.
He just waved his hand, signaling the others to lower their guard, then cupped his fists again and left without looking back.
The others also said nothing further and followed Zhao Pingzhi out of the house.
Watching their figures gradually disappear into the distance on horseback, Xu Ping’an finally let out a sigh of relief.
It was only when he reacted that he realized the foolish girl pressed tightly against his chest was sniffing constantly like a puppy, as if smelling something.
“What are you doing?”
Xu Ping’an’s face darkened, and he pressed her shoulders, pushing her away.
At this moment, the foolish girl’s pretty face was flushed, like a child caught doing something wrong by their parent.
“Husband… Husband smells so good, so I… I smelled more.”
“Ah?”
He smells good? He didn’t know that.
Looking at the girl, who didn’t seem to be lying, he raised his hand and sniffed himself.
“There’s no strange smell.”
Pei Qingxuan quickly shook her head.
“It’s not a strange smell, it’s… the fragrance of medicine.”
“The fragrance of medicine?”
So that’s it; that makes sense. Xu Ping’an nodded.
As a doctor, and a Chinese medicine practitioner at that, who deals with medicinal herbs every day, it was normal to have a medicinal scent about him.
The foolish girl behind him couldn’t help but ask:
“Husband could clearly save that person, why didn’t you say so?”
“How do you know?”