In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 85 Sacrificing One's Own Share, The Little Beggar (Second Update, Please Read On)
Free things are often the most attractive.

As time went on and word spread, more and more people learned that three young disciples of the Emei Sect were providing free medical consultations and prescriptions at the western city gate, and that their medical skills were quite high, even surpassing those of the doctors in the city.

This also meant that when Gu Shaoan and his two companions returned to the west of the city, they saw even more people.

After paying for the wooden table that had been damaged that morning, Gu Shaoan had the wonton stall owner bring over a sturdier, but also heavier, wooden square table to replace it.

Thanks to the deterrent effect of making an example of someone in the morning, the queue for treatment in the afternoon was even longer, but the order was surprisingly good.

No one dared to make a fuss or push their luck by demanding money for the medicine. Even those whose eyes darted around would instinctively lower their heads when Gu Shaoan's calm and unfathomable gaze swept over them.

Gu Shaoan sat calmly and composed as he examined patients, his pulse under his fingers as clear and distinct as a stream.

Zhou Zhiruo focused intently on writing the prescription, her elegant handwriting leaping off the page, while Yang Yan moved among the patients, patiently guiding them and explaining simple and practical acupressure methods.

The three worked together more and more seamlessly, and their efficiency improved significantly.

However, just as Gu Shaoan finished writing a prescription for an elderly man who was panting, a slightly overweight middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a brand-new blue satin long gown, pushed through the crowd and walked to the consultation table, accompanied by two strong-looking assistants. He said with a smile on his face, "I am Liu, the manager of 'Huichuntang' in the city. I have met the young miracle doctor."

The middle-aged man clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his voice booming as he tried to drown out the surrounding noise.

Upon learning the visitor's identity, Gu Shaoan put down his pen, looked up at him, and said calmly, "Manager Liu, you're too kind. May I ask what brings you here?"

Seeing that Gu Shaoan, at such a young age, already exuded such composure, Manager Liu couldn't help but secretly admire him.

He then stepped forward, his voice carrying just the right amount of warmth and regret: "I see the young doctor working so hard here, putting in so much effort for these poor villagers. His dedication to healing the sick is truly admirable. However, this place at the city gate is dusty and noisy. How can the young doctor concentrate on his skillful treatment?"

He then changed the subject, pointing to a rather conspicuous three-story building not far away, which was none other than "Huichuntang," the premier pharmacy in Jiading Prefecture.

"Young doctor, please take a look. Although my clinic cannot be called a grand mansion, it is bright and clean, spacious and comfortable. There are many quiet consultation rooms in the clinic, and the doctors who sit in the clinic are all famous doctors in Jiading Prefecture and even Sichuan. In the past, there were always many patients seeking treatment, and it was common for us to earn hundreds of taels of silver a day!"

He paused deliberately, observing Gu Shaoan's expression out of the corner of his eye, and said in a more serious tone, "If the young divine doctor is willing, he may move to our hall to set up a clinic and practice medicine. This will provide the young divine doctor with an excellent place to treat patients. In return, our hall is willing to pay the young divine doctor seventy coins per consultation fee."

The surrounding noise quieted down considerably after Manager Liu deliberately made the announcement.

Seventy coins per person—this figure caused many poor people waiting in line to gasp in shock, their eyes revealing a complex expression of disbelief.

They might not even spend this much on a single doctor's visit and the cost of medicine!
At the speed at which Gu Shaoan diagnosed and prescribed medicine, he could treat hundreds of people a day.

In total, that amounts to seventy or even a hundred taels of silver per day.

How could the ordinary people around not be alarmed?
Many people looked at Gu Shaoan with envy, and when they thought of their own children who were about the same age as Gu Shaoan, they were immediately filled with resentment.

However, after learning the purpose of Manager Liu's visit, many people showed worry on their faces.

After all, if Gu Shaoan really accepted Manager Liu's invitation to take charge of Huichuntang, how could they still enjoy the convenience of free medical consultations?
Faced with what Manager Liu said, Gu Shaoan's expression remained unchanged, as calm as still water in an ancient well.

"I am honored by Manager Liu's high regard. However, what I am doing here is on the orders of my master from the Emei Sect to provide free medical care in the city. My intention is to do my part to help the poor villagers, to relieve them of the financial burden of medical treatment and the hardship of seeking medical care, and not to seek profit."

"Huichuntang is always bustling with customers; it has the resources to be rich and powerful, so there is no need for me to interfere."

These two simple sentences both highlight the essential difference and politely express refusal.

Hearing Gu Shaoan's response, Manager Liu sighed inwardly.

But there wasn't much disappointment on his face, as if he had expected Gu Shaoan's reaction.

His smile remained unchanged as he exclaimed, "Little Divine Doctor, you truly deserve to be a disciple of Emei. Your character is noble and pure. I admire you greatly."

At this point, Manager Liu changed the subject, saying, "Many years ago, when Huichuntang first opened, our hall also received the kindness of the Emei Sect. Now that we have encountered the young divine doctor providing free medical treatment to benefit the people, I am also moved and am willing to do my part."

As he spoke, Manager Liu turned to the crowd behind him and said, "Today, the Little Divine Doctor is offering a free clinic. Anyone who brings a prescription from the Little Divine Doctor to my Huichun Hall will receive a 50% discount on their medicine."

Manager Liu's "generous act" came suddenly, and Gu Shaoan was slightly taken aback when he heard it.

The people around Liu were instantly in an uproar when they heard what he said.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear what Manager Liu said? Go to Huichuntang to get medicine, it's half price! This could save you a lot of money."

"Good heavens! Manager Liu has shown incredible kindness!"

"This is wonderful! The little miracle doctor prescribed a prescription, and Huichuntang sells cheap medicine. Isn't this a blessing from heaven? Hurry up and go to Huichuntang to get the medicine."

The noise brought Gu Shaoan back to his senses.

He glanced at the excited people around him, then looked at Manager Liu in front of him.

Noticing the hint of smugness that inadvertently appeared on the other person's face, Gu Shaoan quickly realized the purpose behind the other person's actions.

After a moment's thought, Gu Shaoan smiled at Manager Liu and said, "Manager Liu's kindness has benefited the villagers. On behalf of the villagers, I thank you for your good deeds."

Shopkeeper Liu's smile widened, and he said repeatedly, "Young Doctor, you're too kind. It's just a small act of kindness, nothing compared to your hard work."

After saying that, he waved to the two waiters behind him who quickly ran to a nearby place. Soon they returned with two pots of hot tea and a plate of fresh fruit. They also borrowed a cleaner square table from somewhere and placed it to the side.

"Young doctor and the two young ladies have worked hard. This small tea and snack is just a token of our appreciation. It will help you soothe your throats so you can continue to help your neighbors."

After doing all this, Manager Liu cupped his hands in greeting to Gu Shaoan, nodded to the people around him, and left.

Those who had already obtained the prescription followed Manager Liu in a swarm, heading straight for Huichuntang.

Looking at this, Zhou Zhiruo couldn't help but smile sincerely and said softly, "I didn't expect that Manager Liu, although a businessman, would have such a kind heart."

Yang Yan pursed her lips and said, "I feel something's off. If they really had a kind heart to do this good deed, why would they have spent money to poach Senior Brother Gu to oversee things in the first place?"

Listening to their conversation, Gu Shaoan's calm smile deepened.

You can tell a lot about the two women's character from their reactions to things.

Zhou Zhiruo is intelligent, but naive and kind-hearted.

Having traveled extensively and gained more experience, Yang Yan, having previously been kidnapped by human traffickers, always approaches things with a degree of caution.

He sat down again, picked up his pen to write a prescription for the next elderly woman who had been waiting for a long time, and said in a calm voice that only they could hear, "He may not be truly virtuous, but he is certainly first-rate at being thrifty."

"what?"

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan were both stunned.

Even the old man who was waiting for Gu Shaoan to write the prescription looked at Gu Shaoan with a hint of surprise.

Gu Shaoan paused slightly with his pen, then looked up at the two of them: "Do you know how much a common pharmacy buys a single herb for, and how much it sells for?"

The two women shook their heads in unison; they had no idea about this.

Gu Shaoan said softly, "Take the most common licorice root, which is used most often in prescriptions, for example. Herbalists buy and sell it for only two or three coins per pound. After processing and drying, it is stored and packaged. The cost of one qian (a unit of weight) may be less than half a coin. But when it reaches the counter of a pharmacy and is sold to patients, they dare to ask for three or five coins, or even more, for one qian."

Although there is a medicine storehouse on Mount Emei, the medicines are inevitably incomplete.

Therefore, on his way back to Emei from Wudang, Gu Shaoan stopped in Jiading Prefecture to buy some medicine to take back to the mountain, as he was naturally familiar with the prices of these medicines. He paused, his gaze sweeping over the prescription on the table: "Huichuntang's medicine prices are among the highest in Jiading Prefecture, always quite high. Previously, when I got medicine at Huichuntang, it should have been three copper coins per tael of white peony, but they sell it for five copper coins here, much higher than the market price."

"Offering a 50% discount may sound like a sacrifice, but in reality it's just a reduction in profits. For many common medicinal herbs, even after a 50% discount, the profit margin is still far higher than the cost of purchase."

Gu Shaoan turned his gaze toward Huichuntang, "Those who were hesitant about the price of medicine or couldn't afford to go to Huichuntang at all will definitely do their best to get medicine now because of this rare discount. The old medicines that couldn't be sold in the past and the stockpiled medicines can all be cleared out smoothly under the guise of 'doing good'."

"Not to mention, these people who flock here with my prescriptions will surely bring back news of today's free clinic. Word of mouth will spread that the exquisite prescriptions of the Emei disciples, combined with the 'kindness' of Huichuntang's medicine, how can we not become famous and have a full house of customers?"

He summarized: "By giving up a small portion of the inflated profits that shouldn't have been earned, I not only attracted potential customers who should have been drawn to my free clinic, but also established a great image of 'benevolence and skill' in the name of Emei, and cleared out the inventory—killing three birds with one stone. It's called a win-win situation, but in reality, I used my free 'free clinic' signboard to give him a huge, profitable 'advertisement'. This move seems like doing good, but in fact, it's profit-making. And a huge profit at that."

Zhou Zhiruo's cherry lips parted slightly upon hearing this, her clear eyes filled with disbelief.

She never imagined that such a seemingly generous act of kindness could conceal such shrewd calculations! This gave her a feeling of her innocent trust being shattered, leaving her with mixed emotions.

Yang Yan's almond-shaped eyes widened, her eyebrows furrowed, and she angrily said, "This is outrageous! This guy actually made a fortune off our free clinic. He's just trying to gain fame and fortune."

Finally, Yang Yan looked at Gu Shaoan as if she had remembered something, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Then why didn't you expose him just now, Senior Brother?"

Gu Shaoan gestured for Yang Yan to calm down, as he had already written the prescription for the old man and given him a few instructions.

After the old man reluctantly got up and left with the prescription, Gu Shaoan looked at Yang Yan, who was still sulking, and Zhou Zhiruo, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"In this world, it is difficult to fathom one's heart, but one can see clearly through one's actions. Regardless of what Manager Liu is scheming in his heart, his shop sold medicine to those in need at half price today. Compared to other affordable pharmacies, it cost less money to get medicine, and it also gave many poor villagers who originally could not afford medicine or were about to give up treatment the opportunity to buy the medicine they needed at half price."

Gu Shaoan's gaze swept over the figures who were excitedly rushing towards Huichuntang: "This is the real benefit that has come to the people. Their hearts may be for profit, but their actions are righteous."

He gave a slightly meaningful smile, "Moreover, by using my Emei name, isn't he also helping me to promote the effectiveness of this free clinic further and wider, so that more patients can truly get the life-saving medicine on their prescriptions?"

"From the public's perspective, for the benefit of the people, it's alright to just say it casually."

"The hearts of people in the martial world are unpredictable, but at this moment, it is good to let the aroma of medicine fill the city gate and let more people in this world hear the sound of healing."

After Gu Shaoan's explanation, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes also showed a belated clarity.

"Junior brother, you know so much."

While admiring Gu Shaoan, she also felt that human nature was complex.

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain. The martial world is made up of people, and where there are people, there will be scheming and calculation. These are inevitable things. But everything has two sides. If you handle things well, there will naturally be benefits."

"In the future, when you look at things, don't just look at the surface. Think more deeply so that you can adapt to changing circumstances and avoid being taken advantage of by people with ulterior motives, so that you don't do bad things with good intentions."

Yang Yan's anger gradually subsided. She looked at Gu Shaoan's calm profile, her beautiful eyes sparkling as if they contained two tiny stars.

Although Gu Shaoan was young, he was incredibly experienced and thorough in handling matters.

Sunlight streamed onto the small free clinic stall at the city gate, and the air was filled with a faint scent of medicine, ink, and dust.

Gu Shaoan calmly sat down to see patients, his pen moving swiftly and gracefully. In the distance, a long queue had already formed in the direction of Huichuntang, the noisy voices mingling with gratitude for the "discounted medicine" and praise for the "little miracle doctor," all drifting in the afternoon breeze of Jiading Prefecture.

As the sun began to set, it slowly lengthened the shadows of the city walls, yet the line of soldiers in front of Gu Shaoan showed no signs of shortening.

Just as one patient got up and left, another figure stood in front of the table.

However, instead of sitting down as before, this person stood in front of the table and stretched out his wrist in front of Gu Shaoan.

The wrists should be snow-white, but at this moment they are covered with dirt, and some bruises can be faintly seen.

Gu Shaoan raised his eyes and quickly scanned her body, which was trembling slightly from the pain. His gaze lingered for a moment on the tear in her sleeve, which was clearly caused by a strong rip and was not yet fully healed, as well as on the mud and dark scabs on her trousers. Then he moved his gaze to her face.

Judging from his age, he should be around eleven or twelve years old, not much different in age from Gu Shaoan and the others.

Although her face was covered in dirt, it couldn't hide the porcelain whiteness that shone through in some areas and on her neck.

A delicately shaped nose and thin, tightly pressed lips.

He was like a candle flame flickering in the wind, struggling yet stubborn.

As the little beggar approached, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan were also drawn to the lingering scent of blood on him.

In Gu Shaoan's gaze, the little beggar's disheveled hair framed his face as he scanned his surroundings, his expression tense and anxious.

Like a wounded lone wolf, they are wary, cold, and deep, yet their eyes cannot hide a hint of vulnerability revealed by their pain.

"Run for your life?"

With a thought popping into his mind, Gu Shaoan raised three fingers and placed them on the little beggar's wrist to take his pulse.

"hiss--"

However, the moment his fingers touched the little beggar's wrist, Gu Shaoan could clearly feel the hardness of the little beggar's arm and hear the sound of someone gasping for breath.

A few breaths later, Gu Shaoan's brows furrowed slightly.

The pulse was extremely disordered, like boiling oil or water.

Two completely different types of true qi and a rich internal force were clashing and colliding wildly in her weak meridians.

A chilling, icy aura lingered near the Fengshi acupoint, carrying a heavy, malevolent energy that constantly and subtly but viciously cut and pierced the surrounding meridians.

This is clearly some kind of vicious method that targets the meridians, inflicts continuous and intense pain, and erodes willpower!

The other type is the complete opposite, as violent as fire, mainly located above and below the Tianjing acupoint, capable of causing a strong burning and tearing sensation.

In addition to these two types of true energy, there is also a rich, resilient, and powerful internal force, like a tenacious candle flame in winter protecting the little beggar's meridians.

Two kinds of true energy were injected into his vital points. Even an ordinary adult would find it difficult to endure the torment caused by the two kinds of true energy. Yet the little beggar in front of him was able to endure it. Such a temperament made even Gu Shaoan take a second look at the little beggar.

"Just who is this little beggar? How could he attract two experts to inflict such torment upon him by injecting their true energy?"

Gu Shaoan remained calm and composed, his expression as serene as ever, but his fingers, which were taking his pulse, subtly infused him with internal energy.

The internal energy entered the body like the softest silk thread, quietly slipping into the little beggar's eight extraordinary meridians.

Gu Shaoan's internal energy combines the characteristics of both the "Emei Nine Yang Skill" and the "Wudang Nine Yang Skill," being both fierce and domineering, yet also gentle and mild, making it remarkably effective in treating internal injuries.

Feeling the warm, sun-like sensation flowing through her body, the little beggar's taut, bowstring-like body visibly trembled. A fleeting look of astonishment and disbelief flashed across her cold, wary eyes.

However, this faint calm lasted for less than three breaths!
The moment Gu Shaoan's internal energy flowed into the little beggar's body, the cold, sharp, and poisonous true energy within the little beggar's body suddenly erupted.

It was like being thrown into boiling oil and then cold water, or like a ferocious beast invading its territory; it suddenly and violently rebounded.

Immediately afterwards, this cold and vicious force, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, suddenly surged back through Gu Shaoan's fingers as he took his pulse.

Almost instantly, the fingertips of Gu Shaoan's fingers resting on the little beggar's wrist were covered with a layer of visible frost.

(End of this chapter)