Chapter 129: Divine Doctor Shi Tianqi

At this moment, Ye Chen felt a bit displeased.

He came here to give Song Wanting face; otherwise, with his identity as the young master of the Ye family, what qualifications did a mere Song family member have to invite him over?

Song Wanting was also somewhat angry and said, “Brother, there are some things you may not believe, but you must show respect!”

Song Rongyu snorted coldly, “Respect? I only respect those masters with real talent and knowledge. As for the flashy con artists, they are not worthy of my respect!”

After saying this, he pointed to the old man beside him and proudly introduced, “This is the renowned divine doctor Shi Tianqi from Jiangnan, along with his granddaughter.”

Ye Chen looked up and was slightly taken aback.

The two of them, one old and one young, looked like a pair of grandfather and granddaughter.

However, their attire was clearly different from those around them.

The old man was over sixty, wearing a long robe made of green bamboo fabric, with a pair of old-fashioned black-rimmed reading glasses, a long white beard, and eyes that sparkled with wisdom, clearly a practitioner.

The girl standing beside him was about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in a loose student-style qipao, with short bangs that framed her face, bright eyes, and a radiant smile, exuding a cold, classical aura.

However, Ye Chen paid more attention to the girl’s appearance because in Jinling City, he had rarely seen anyone whose beauty could rival that of the “first beauty,” Xiao Churan.

Compared to Xiao Churan, this girl had a sharper gaze and an air of arrogance, making her seem difficult to approach.

Noticing Ye Chen looking over, Shi Tianqi nodded slightly, while the girl remained icy and expressionless.

Song Rongyu then said to Song Wanting, “Sister, the person you found looks to be just over twenty. He may not even have fully memorized the theories of yin and yang, the five elements, and temperature, yet he dares to call himself a master. If this gets out, people will laugh at our Song family for being so foolish as to not believe in medical science and instead trust in superstition!”

Song Rongyu’s words were sharp and directly aimed at Ye Chen, leaving Ye Chen astonished. How did he become a fraud?

At this moment, Song Rongyu turned to the old man and cupped his fists, saying, “Shi Lao, my sister is being unreasonable and has sought help in desperation. Please do not hold it against her.”

Shi Tianqi humbly replied, “Youth does not necessarily mean a lack of real talent and knowledge. Mr. Song need not doubt this young friend so much.”

Song Rongyu sighed and said, “Shi Lao, you may not know, but my sister has a habit of seeking help from dubious sources and has often been deceived.”

Song Wanting’s expression turned ugly, and she blurted out, “Brother, what do you mean by that?”

Song Rongyu retorted, “Did I say something wrong? I heard you were deceived by a so-called feng shui master from Hong Kong before, and you still haven’t realized it?”

“You…” Song Wanting felt a bit embarrassed.

The incident with “Master Lai” was indeed a personal blunder; she never expected to be fooled by a con artist from Hong Kong. Fortunately, Ye Chen was present; otherwise, she would have been in big trouble.

However, Song Rongyu clearly did not know Ye Chen’s abilities, which is why he dared to speak so boldly in front of him.

At this moment, Song Rongyu turned to Ye Chen and said, “Kid, I don’t know how you managed to deceive Wanting, but don’t think you can fool the Song family. This Shi Lao has been a court physician for three generations. You, a mere wandering fraud, I advise you to leave quickly to avoid suffering!”

Song Wanting’s face turned exceptionally ugly, yet she couldn’t find a reason to refute him. After all, Ye Chen did look too young, and that alone made it hard for people to trust him. If she continued to bring up Ye Chen’s feng shui abilities, it would only give him more material to work with.

However, she did not expect Ye Chen to remain very calm, smiling as he said, “Hehe, it’s fine. A small person like me is just here to observe and will not disturb this esteemed healer in treating patients.”

“At least you know your place.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man came out of the house and said, “Wanting, Rongyu, your grandfather is not doing well!”

Shi Tianqi quickly asked, “Where is Old Song? Please allow me to take a look!”

“In the back courtyard, please follow me,” Song Rongyu quickly led the grandfather and granddaughter toward the back yard.

Song Wanting hurriedly pulled Ye Chen along to follow.

Everyone arrived at a luxurious, classical room in the back courtyard, where an elderly man on the verge of death lay on a large bed made of huanghuali wood.

The old man’s complexion was haggard, his face like gold paper, and his brows tightly furrowed, as if he were enduring immense pain.

Shi Tianqi immediately said, “Old Song’s condition is critical. Please allow me and my granddaughter to begin treatment right away.”

Song Rongyu hurriedly said, “Shi Lao, please take action!”

Shi Tianqi nodded but did not personally administer treatment. Instead, he stood by the bed and directed the young woman to take action.

On the bedside table, there was a set of silver needles, and the girl was already using the needles on Old Song.

Her technique was extremely skilled, even better than that of many seasoned traditional Chinese doctors with two or three decades of experience. It was no wonder that despite her youth, the Song family trusted her to treat them.

This young woman was indeed striking, not only beautiful but also possessing a hint of heroism in her demeanor. In terms of both appearance and temperament, she could be considered exceptional.

However, Ye Chen was not focused on the girl’s looks but rather on her internal energy.

He could tell that when this girl was inserting the needles, she was able to use a bit of true energy in conjunction, making her somewhat of a kindred spirit.

According to the records of the “Nine Mysterious Heavenly Scriptures,” there are five branches of classical Taoism in China: Mountain, Medicine, Fate, Appearance, and Divination.

In the practice of these five branches, there is always some true energy involved, which can be considered a form of cultivation.

Ye Chen could see at a glance that Shi Tianqi and his granddaughter were descendants of the “Mountain” branch.

The Mountain branch primarily focuses on medicine, learning medical skills before martial arts, and then combining both.

However, even if Shi Tianqi and his granddaughter practiced both medicine and martial arts, they were still ordinary mortals, and the true energy they could wield was limited.

Ye Chen, on the other hand, had transcended the ordinary through the transformation of spiritual energy, his physique far surpassing that of an ordinary person, making him an existence that the five branches of Taoism could not compare to.

The “true energy” cultivated by the five branches of Taoism, while only a word apart from Ye Chen’s “spiritual energy,” was actually worlds apart, differing significantly in quality.

To put it simply, it was the difference between coal and diamonds. While both originated from the same source, coal could only serve as fuel, with limited energy and low value, whereas diamonds were the essence refined from vast amounts of energy, incredibly hard and worth thousands of times more.

Many practitioners of the five branches of Taoism spend their entire lives hoping to cultivate even a trace of “spiritual energy.”

Because once one possesses spiritual energy, even just a little, it can greatly enhance their cultivation and achieve the goal of longevity.

However, 99% of disciples from the five branches of Taoism will never cultivate even a hint of spiritual energy in their lifetime…