Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 141: The Self-Inflicted Injury Ploy

"Actually, Grand-uncle, you’re mistaken about that."

Wen Xinglu quickly explained, "Qingya doesn’t just know how to recite things from memory, she can write prescriptions! And they’re not just random scribbles, they’re actually effective. She once treated an old man in the village who’d been coughing for six months. After just five doses of her medicine, he was well enough to get back to work."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Yingzi immediately pulled the carefully folded prescription from her pocket and presented it with both hands.

Her fingers trembled slightly, a clear sign of her nervousness and excitement.

Afraid Wen Junyi wouldn’t look, she carefully flattened out the prescription and held it right before his eyes.

"That’s right! This is the prescription Qingya wrote for my dad’s liver disease. My dad took it, and he was skeptical at first, but after just three doses, he started sleeping soundly, and the yellow in his eyes faded. When he went back to the hospital for a follow-up, even the doctor said he was showing signs of improvement. It’s been almost a month now, and he can cook for himself again. He has a healthy color in his cheeks, too."

"Let me see that."

Wen Junyi took the prescription, his face cold and his tone dripping with disdain.

He was already irritated about a problem with his medicinal herbs, and now he had to listen to these women lavishly praise some young girl.

’There are far too many people casually writing prescriptions these days. Most of them just copy and paste, cobbling formulas together. They don’t even understand the properties of the herbs, yet they have the audacity to prescribe them. To my mind, people who pretend to know what they’re doing and prescribe medicine recklessly are doing nothing but harming others!’

’The wrong medicine for the wrong illness... at best, it delays proper treatment. At worst, it can cost someone their life.’

’Daring to treat patients when they haven’t even mastered the basics?’

’It’s absolutely reckless!’

’If this trend isn’t stamped out, Traditional Chinese Medicine will be ruined by this generation of impetuous youths.’

But when his gaze fell upon the prescription, he froze.

He first glanced at the primary herbs, then began to scrutinize it line by line, his brow furrowing ever deeper.

"Yingzi, Xinglu, you said... she really wrote this prescription?"

His voice was low, devoid of its earlier contempt.

Wen Junyi had been a TCM doctor his entire life, practicing for over fifty years. He had handled thousands upon thousands of prescriptions.

This prescription seemed ordinary on the surface, gentle and unremarkable, but the use of herbs was exceptionally skilled and masterful.

It contained one herb that even he himself rarely dared to use.

It was Vinegar Chaihu. Too large a dose would damage the body’s yin, but too small a dose would be ineffective.

In this formula, however, it was placed to affect the middle burner, supplemented and balanced by Atractylodes and Fuling, allowing it to soothe the liver without damaging the body’s upright qi.

But upon closer reflection, he realized its use was simply perfect—the masterstroke that brought the entire formula to life.

The entire formula seemed to come alive, its effect on the body’s qi mechanism clearly discernible.

He suddenly recalled a letter he’d received from his junior apprentice, Yang Shang, some time ago. Yang Shang had mentioned meeting a young person in a southern county who was exceptionally skilled at acupuncture.

This person could identify the location of an illness through observation alone, without even needing to take a pulse. Their needling technique was steady and precise, and a single insertion could relieve a patient’s pain on the spot.

At the time, he had been curious but had dismissed it as a likely exaggeration and hadn’t given it much thought.

Now, however, he was beginning to wonder.

’Could that person be her?’

’But how could someone who has mastered acupuncture also be an expert in herbal formulas?’

’It’s just too rare.’

’How could there be so many geniuses in the world?’

’Popping up one after another, and all concentrated in one little town?’

’Could this group have conspired together to trick me?’

’Perhaps they hired an expert to write the formula in advance, had her memorize it, and are now putting on this elaborate ruse?’

Song Qingya nodded calmly. "I did indeed write this formula. I looked at the herbs you had used previously and adjusted the combination based on the patient’s tongue coating and pulse. It’s all just things I’ve learned from ancient texts, borrowing from the experience of those who came before us. I would be honored by your guidance."

"I wouldn’t presume to offer guidance."

Wen Junyi set the prescription down, his tone much softer.

Wen Junyi knew perfectly well that even he might not have been able to come up with a more suitable formula.

This formula was not only effective but also prudent, taking into account the patient’s age and frailty rather than blindly pursuing an aggressive, rapid cure.

He remained suspicious; after all, there were far too many scams these days.

But his interest in Song Qingya had grown considerably.

Wen Junyi slowly sat down, lifted his teacup, blew gently across the surface, and took a small sip.

"Let’s do this. I won’t make things difficult for you. It wasn’t easy for you to come all this way. I’ll give you three problems. Let’s see if you can solve them."

"Alright."

Song Qingya stood perfectly straight, her voice steady and showing no hint of withdrawal.

The others standing nearby frowned, especially Yuan Juan, who looked quite displeased.

Her brow was furrowed, her lips pressed into a tight line, and her eyes darted back and forth between Song Qingya and Wen Junyi.

She was clearly upset, feeling that this test was too sudden and that Wen Junyi was deliberately making things difficult.

’You shouldn’t use a young person as a guinea pig in a situation like this.’

"What kind of trouble are you stirring up now, you old coot? Didn’t you say you stopped giving these tests ages ago?"

Yuan Juan’s tone was direct, laced with obvious reprimand.

She remembered perfectly well that Wen Junyi had said with his own mouth that he would no longer set up entrance exams or tests; whether he took on a disciple or not would be purely a matter of affinity.

But now he was suddenly pulling out a pen and paper. Wasn’t he just going back on his word? 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’His questions weren’t something any ordinary person could answer.’

’Wasn’t it obvious he didn’t want to accept her?’

Everyone present knew how difficult Wen Junyi’s problems were.

He had once posed a problem that three seasoned TCM practitioners had debated for three full days without reaching a consensus.

Furthermore, his questions often concealed incredibly subtle diagnostic traps, where the slightest misstep could lead to a complete misdiagnosis.

For an ordinary person, never mind writing a formula, even understanding the question itself would be a struggle.

Yuan Juan took Song Qingya’s hand and whispered, "Don’t pay him any mind, Xiao Ya. Grandma will find you a better master, one who’s definitely better and kinder than this stubborn old man of mine."

Her hand was warm, and she kept her tone as gentle as possible, afraid of hurting Song Qingya’s feelings.

Her heart truly went out to this child, who was so sensible at such a young age it was almost painful to see.

’She could study under anyone, so why insist on Wen Junyi?’

’The man has a peculiar temper, too many rules, and is always testing people at the drop of a hat. Who could possibly stand it?’

Song Qingya had always been well-liked by her elders, a fact she was well aware of and an advantage she never wasted.

Having grown up surrounded by elders, she knew exactly when to smile, when to be demure, and when to offer a kind word.

She wasn’t flashy, but she always managed to leave a good impression at the most crucial moments.

It was a sense of propriety honed over many years.

With her bright eyes and her earnest, well-behaved expression, one look from her was enough to nearly melt the heart of Yuan Juan, who had no granddaughter of her own.

"Grandma Yuan, I understand your kind intentions. You’re worried about me and afraid I’ll be treated unfairly. But I still want to give it a try."

Song Qingya’s voice was soft, but every word was firm.

She looked at Yuan Juan, her eyes filled with both gratitude and resolve.

’Some paths, you have to walk yourself.’

"Oh, you child..."

Yuan Juan opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but she swallowed the words before they could escape.

’I don’t know where Yingzi and Xinglu found this gem,’ Yuan Juan grumbled to herself, her gaze shifting to Yang Yingzi. ’It’s one thing for her to be so skilled, but she’s such a sweet-talker, too. She dares to accept a challenge, yet she can also coax people into supporting her wholeheartedly. Truly a rare find.’

Wen Junyi had already picked up his pen and finished writing the three problems.