Divine Level Witch Doctor

A few Jinling Zhao Clan Members took the stage with stands, cloth curtains, and other items. They quickly set up two small booths, shrouded on all four sides by the curtains, with only a narrow slit open on the side facing Zhao Yuan and Zhao Yangqiu.

These were the ’Curtain Houses’ Zhao Dezhu had mentioned. Their purpose was to hide the patient from view, forcing a diagnosis to be made solely through the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique.

After the Curtain Houses were set up, Zhao Yangqiu turned to look at Zhao Yuan and said with feigned magnanimity, ”Young man, do you know the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique? If not, I can go easy on you and let you use the regular Pulse Diagnosis Technique for our duel. That way, no one can say I won unfairly!”

Obviously, Zhao Yangqiu had not only heard what Yang Jingbo and the others had said earlier, but he had heard it very clearly.

Zhao Yuan smiled, politely declining Zhao Yangqiu’s ’kind offer,’ and said, ”What a coincidence. I happen to have learned a little of the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique. I’ll just be showing off my rudimentary skills before a master, so please, feel free to give me some pointers.”

”What a braggart!” Zhao Jingrou, who was sitting on the sidelines enjoying the show, sneered. ”You think *you* know the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique? The Pulse Diagnosis Technique is already the hardest of the four diagnostic methods, let alone the suspended silk pulse diagnosis technique, which is several orders of magnitude more difficult! Even in our Jinling Zhao Family, no one from the younger generation knows it. For a poor loser from the sticks like you to claim you do... you’ve got some nerve!”

Zhao Yuan had zero goodwill for this spoiled brat, and he shot back, ”Just because you can’t do it, that just means you’re stupid. Don’t assume everyone else is as stupid as you.”

”How dare you!”

To be called stupid in front of so many medical Great Gods and reporters... Zhao Jingrou was absolutely livid. She was about to rush forward and ’have a discussion’ with Zhao Yuan using her fists and feet.

Zhao Dezhu grabbed her just in time and snapped, ”Did you forget what I told you? Sit down!”

At the same time, he lowered his voice, saying, ”The way I see it, this kid is deliberately trying to provoke us. The moment one of us loses control and lays a hand on him, he’ll immediately throw himself on the ground and play the victim! If that happens, our reputation will be in the mud, and the medical duel won’t have to continue. My dear daughter, you absolutely must control your temper. Don’t fall for this brat’s scheme!”

Those with a twisted mind see the worst in everything, and Zhao Dezhu was a perfect example.

Zhao Jingrou thought it over and decided her father had a point. She shot Zhao Yuan one last vicious glare before sitting down and ignoring him completely.

Meanwhile, the patients for each side were brought out and entered their respective Curtain Houses.

According to the pre-arranged rules, for this Pulse Diagnosis Technique duel, each side would provide a patient for the other to diagnose. Victory would go to whoever was faster and more accurate.

Zhao Yuan’s patient had been brought over from West Hua Medical University’s affiliated hospital by Ma Guotao. The patient was quite cooperative, having been promised that all his medical expenses would be waived after the duel.

The patient was a man in his sixties, his body very frail. He wore a surgical mask, making it impossible to see his complexion and thus preventing any diagnosis through Observation. Once inside the Curtain House, he sat down on a chair, perfectly still and silent. The crowd could only faintly discern his silhouette against the curtain wall.

The patient provided by the Jinling Zhao Family, in contrast, was a young boy of eight or nine. Like the old man, he also wore a mask. After entering the Curtain House, he sat down, but he couldn’t stop fidgeting and looking around, as if he had ADHD.

Once the patients were in position, Zhao Dezhu turned to Li Heping, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, ”Elder Li, would you please tie the red threads to the two patients?”

Li Heping was a neutral third party, and a highly respected figure in the medical community. He was the perfect person to tie the threads, as his involvement would leave no room for suspicion from either side.

”Of course.” Li Heping nodded, graciously accepting Zhao Dezhu’s request. He took the red threads from a member of the Jinling Zhao Clan, went into the Curtain Houses, and tied one to each patient’s wrist.

After Li Heping had returned to his seat, Zhao Yangqiu turned to look at Zhao Yuan and asked, ”Young man, will you go first, or shall I?”

Zhao Yuan replied politely, ”Please, you first. It will be a good chance for me to learn from you.”

”Fine. Then I’ll show you how it’s done!” Zhao Yangqiu accepted without any show of modesty. He stepped forward, took the red thread that extended from the slit of the Curtain House in his left hand, and placed his right index, middle, and ring fingers upon the thread. Closing his eyes, he held his breath and quieted his mind, beginning to analyze the pulse.

The reporters in the audience went into a frenzy.

The highly anticipated medical duel had finally begun!

And it was kicking off with the legendary suspended silk pulse diagnosis! It didn’t get any more high-level than this!

Reporters with still cameras snapped away, CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!, while those with video cameras immediately got several feature shots of Zhao Yangqiu, including close-ups of not only his face, but his hands as well!

If the Jinling Zhao Clan Members hadn’t been there to maintain order, keeping them from getting too close so as not to disturb Zhao Yangqiu’s diagnosis, the reporters would have likely rushed forward and shoved their cameras right in his face and on his hands to get the perfect shot.

In addition to these traditional journalists, there were also a few reporters on site who were live-streaming the event.

They filmed on their smartphones while quietly interacting with the comments scrolling across their screens.

One pretty and stylish female streamer was speaking to her audience: ”Hey everyone, the first round of the medical duel is underway! Type 1 in the chat if you think the Noble Family’s doctor will win, and type 2 if you think the poor boy Zhao Yuan can pull off an upset...”

Instantly, the chat was flooded with a stream of 1s, with only a few scattered 2s drifting past.

Almost no one was betting on Zhao Yuan, and the live chat reflected this.

”He’s up against Zhao Yangqiu, are you kidding? There’s no way Zhao Yuan can win! If you don’t know who Zhao Yangqiu is, look him up online. I guarantee you’ll piss your pants!”

”Are the people spamming 2 brain-damaged? I’ll say it right here: if Zhao Yuan wins, I’ll livestream myself eating shit!”

”To the guy who promised to eat shit, I’ve got the screenshot. Don’t be so absolute. What if Zhao Yuan actually wins? Stranger things have happened!”

”There is absolutely no chance of an upset in this!”

”You guys think this suspended silk pulse diagnosis is legit? It feels so hocus-pocus to me. Hope it’s not some scam like those ’qigong masters,’ right?”

While the livestream chat was buzzing with activity, the venue itself was deathly quiet. No one dared to speak above a whisper, afraid of disturbing Zhao Yangqiu.

More than ten minutes later, Zhao Yangqiu opened his eyes. He released the red thread and announced in a resonant voice, ”I have a complete understanding of the patient’s condition!”

Zhao Dezhu was overjoyed. He quickly urged, ”Third Grand-uncle, please tell us the results of your diagnosis.”