Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 52 - 052 Choice

Chapter 52: 052 Choice

"[Diagnosing ailments is the foundation of medical skills, accurately diagnosing the conditions of ten patients (3/10); Reward: Physical Constitution Three]"

After Lin Bai accurately detected the symptoms of three individuals, broke the Wild Wind Gang member’s cousin’s nose with a punch, and precisely stated their conditions, the quest progress stubbornly remained at three out of ten.

Lin Bai sighed and stood up, a hint of regret in his eyes. Well, it specified ten *patients*, not ten different ailments in a single patient. I suppose those few got lucky, he thought.

"An injury to the muscles and bones takes a hundred days to heal. Remember to take your medicine on time and get plenty of bed rest."

Apart from the surge of negative emotions, there was nothing more to be gained from them. After Lin Bai emotionlessly delivered his medical advice, he walked away with great composure amidst the curses of the injured men.

A doctor must never panic, no matter the situation. Only then can they offer comfort and instill confidence in their patients.

Although he wasn’t a real doctor yet, it was undeniable that Lin Bai already possessed the basic professional composure of one.

「...」

"That’s Zhou Jiang’s wound medicine. What is he doing with it?" The two Hidden Guards from the City Lord’s Mansion, who were secretly monitoring Lin Bai, were stunned by his astonishing actions.

"Is he pretending to be a doctor?" the other Hidden Guard stated impassively.

"Is there something wrong with his head?" the first Hidden Guard exclaimed, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"I already thought he was unhinged that day at the entrance of the Chef’s Divine Food Stall," the second Hidden Guard said. "Let’s go. Unhinged or not, we have to keep following him. We need to report everything he does, down to the last detail, to the City Lord when we get back. We can’t let the City Lord be deceived by this madman."

「...」

Lin Bai emerged from the narrow alleyways onto a main street.

A middle-aged man hurried past him. Lin Bai hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to block his path, stating firmly, "Sir, you have cavities!"

The middle-aged man stared at him, taken aback. "Are you crazy?" he retorted.

The quest progress didn’t increase.

Alright, so his teeth are perfectly healthy, Lin Bai mused. He looked the man up and down again, then added, "You also have athlete’s foot."

The middle-aged man looked utterly bewildered. He glanced nervously from side to side, took a large step back, then skirted around Lin Bai and fled as if on wings.

Watching the man’s retreating figure, Lin Bai gave an awkward smile. Now that there were no scoundrels to use as guinea pigs, accosting people on the street to guess their ailments really wasn’t a respectable way to do things! It’s far too inefficient.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Bai turned and walked back into the clinic, positioning himself beside the attending doctor.

The doctor was taking a woman’s pulse, his head down. "Young man, if you’re seeking treatment, please queue," he said without looking up.

"I’m not here for treatment," Lin Bai replied with a smile.

"Then get your medicine from the counter," the doctor said.

"I’m not here for medicine either," Lin Bai stated.

The doctor frowned and turned his head, about to scold the troublemaker, but his eyes fell upon a silver banknote Lin Bai was holding out. He paused, surprised.

Lin Bai placed the banknote on the table and, smiling, gestured. "Doctor, please continue with your consultations. I have no other hobbies; I just enjoy observing medical treatments. You can pretend I’m not here."

Gazing at the banknote on the table—a fifty-tael note—the doctor grunted and said no more. It’s too much money to get angry over.

"Your pulse is knotted and weak, you experience shortness of breath, aversion to cold, and chills. Mrs. Li, you have a deficiency of Qi and Blood. I will prescribe some tonifying medicine for you. Take it for ten consecutive doses, and you should recover," the doctor said, discreetly sliding the banknote under his sleeve. He intended to deal with this patient first and then address Lin Bai.

However, before he could write out the prescription, Lin Bai was already looking at the woman. "Ma’am, your pulse is knotted and weak, you experience shortness of breath, aversion to cold, and chills. You have a deficiency of Qi and Blood."

Mrs. Li stared.

The resident doctor was dumbfounded.

His quest progress increased by one.

Lin Bai’s face lit up. I knew it! he thought. There’s no System quest that can’t be exploited! Who says you can’t diagnose a patient a second time after someone else already has?

"PFFT!" Aunt Lee chuckled, giving Lin Bai a flirtatious wink. "Young man, if you’re looking for amusement, you should try the pleasure quarter, not a clinic full of sick people. If you’re really interested, why not come home with me, big sister? I’ll let you examine me to your heart’s content. Whatever ailment you name, I’ll have it..."

She’s quite old, yet still so provocative! With how she carries on, if she isn’t deficient, who is? Lin Bai mused.

He didn’t get angry. "Ma’am, you’re too old and not my type. Do you happen to have a daughter at home..."

Hearing their inappropriate exchange, the doctor coughed heavily. "Young man..."

"Doctor, if you find this unsuitable, please return my money. I’ll find another clinic," Lin Bai said, no longer paying attention to the amorous Aunt Lee, and reached for the banknote under the doctor’s sleeve.

The doctor flinched, his tone shifting abruptly. "If you wish to learn diagnostics, then watch attentively and remain silent. When the next patient arrives, I will diagnose them first, and then you may do so again."

"Thank you, Doctor," Lin Bai quickly replied.

Indeed. Now that he’d found the right method, he was getting closer and closer to becoming a true doctor.

「...」

"Nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, thin white tongue coating—these are symptoms of a wind-cold affliction."

「...」

"Lower back and knee soreness and weakness, feverish sensation in the five centers, irritability, and restlessness—these are symptoms of kidney yin deficiency."

「...」

Perhaps the doctor in the clinic regarded Lin Bai as an apprentice passionate about medicine. After accepting the silver banknote, he tacitly allowed Lin Bai to feign diagnosing patients, even to act as a human repeater.

Lin Bai seized the opportunity to grind quests in the clinic for the entire day:

[Identify ten kinds of herbal medicine; Reward: Physical Constitution One]

[Write your first prescription; Reward: Physical Constitution One]

[Take your first pulse; Reward: Physical Constitution Three]

[Help a patient prepare a qualified herbal remedy; Reward: Herbal Medicine Identification Knowledge]

[Give the terminally ill patient the warmest care; Reward: Technique of Observing Qi]

[Personally gather twenty kinds of herbal medicine; Reward: Basic Pill Refinement Technique]

「...」

As dusk settled, Lin Bai had completed all the available quests in the clinic. His Physical Constitution had reached a value of ten. The tangible effects were that, even without using Inner Strength, his physical power was increasing, and his vision, hearing, and sense of smell had all become much sharper.

This was especially true after he was rewarded with the Technique of Observing Qi. From five meters away, he could clearly discern whether someone was genuinely ill.

Ultimately, the Peerless Divine Doctor System’s quest line stalled on herb gathering. It turned out the System didn’t recognize herbs collected from the clinic’s medicine chests.

It seems I’ll have to venture outside the city for the next quest, Lin Bai concluded.

To his surprise, the reward for the herb-gathering quest was Alchemy, not traditional medical skills like acupuncture or massage.

But considering I’m in a xianxia-style game world, it makes sense, Lin Bai rationalized. Compared to traditional diagnostic methods of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, Alchemy is much more in line with the game’s setting.

It wouldn’t be logical for a Player, injured by a monster, to merely get a splint, return to drink several doses of herbal decoctions, and then lie in bed recuperating for two or three months. Instantly effective Pill Medicines were probably more in line with the game’s setting.

Both Daoist Qing Feng and the doctor from the City Lord’s Mansion who had treated Zhou Jiang had used ready-made Pill Medicines for internal injuries.

The resident doctor in this clinic is likely just an NPC to introduce beginners to the medical profession. Once healers in a party leveled up, they would probably all switch their profession to Alchemist. Following this logic, there will likely be specialized healing Spells or Immortal Techniques later on. Otherwise, during large-scale battles, a healer who could only concoct pills would be utterly useless.

The road ahead is long and arduous!

Rejecting the doctor’s offer to stay, Lin Bai walked out of the clinic, his dissatisfaction with the Peerless Divine Doctor System reaching its peak. Useless System! he fumed internally. There’s absolutely no way to automate tasks! Only an idiot would waste time on one quest after another!

In comparison, the other Systems are far superior.

In just one day, the negative emotion tree had produced another Spirit Fruit.

The Everything Has Shortcomings System’s quest had also completed automatically, and the Seven Injury Hands technique was successfully acquired.

With the chef and shop assistant provided by Song Qing, the Cooking God System completed several more tasks. All twenty-one knife techniques were rewarded to Lin Bai.

However, the next reward became Spoon Skill, and the quest required Lin Bai to personally cook a dish.

Just like the God Doctor System, the Cooking God System had also removed itself from any automated processes, demanding Lin Bai’s personal involvement.

And so, Lin Bai decisively ignored the Cooking God System’s new quest, resolving to banish it to the back of his mind.

With so many Systems, choices and sacrifices must be made. A true man’s ambition is to make his mark on the world. Even if he dedicated his time to the God Doctor System, he couldn’t let himself be confined to the Chef’s Divine Food Stall as a mere cook. He doesn’t make a living from his culinary skills, so what’s the point of mastering them? To impress women?