Chapter 824: Preparing Medicine

Chapter 824: Chapter 824: Preparing Medicine

The resident in charge followed closely behind, reporting on the high-fever patient: "Director Ju, the patient in bed 3 is in very stable condition. Since we administered 150 grams of raw gypsum the day before yesterday, his temperature has remained around 37 degrees. There hasn’t been any rebound or relapse, and his spirits are much better."

"Mhm." Ju Jiahong nodded noncommittally and pushed the door open to enter the ward.

He personally examined the patient. The pulse had shifted from its original surging state to a calm, steady rhythm.

The gloom that had weighed on Ju Jiahong’s heart for days completely dissipated. He even thought to himself that Li Xu’s suggestion of "250 grams" at yesterday’s exchange meeting had indeed been too extreme. Facts had proven that his steady approach of "150 grams" was the true King’s Way.

"We will consolidate it with another dose today. If the situation remains stable, stop the medication tomorrow and observe for a day. If there are no issues, we can consider discharging him on Friday," Ju Jiahong instructed.

"Thank you, Director Ju. You truly are a Divine Physician," the patient’s family thanked him repeatedly.

However, that peace only lasted a day and a half.

On the morning of the third day, the moment Ju Jiahong stepped into the department, he noticed Liu Haohui and the resident standing at the office door. Their faces were ashen, looking as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Did something happen?" Ju Jiahong’s heart skipped a beat.

"Director Ju... it rebounded," Liu Haohui said, his voice dry. "Around four in the morning, the patient suddenly erupted with a high fever again. His temperature spiked straight to 39.5 degrees. Furthermore, it’s accompanied by severe joint pain all over his body. He was rolling around in bed from the agony and even showed signs of convulsing."

A loud BUZZ echoed in Ju Jiahong’s mind.

In an instant, Li Xu’s stern gaze at the exchange meeting and his sharp assertion—"If the dosage is insufficient, the fire is bound to reignite from the ashes"—echoed wildly in his head like a curse.

Without another word, he practically sprinted into the ward.

The patient on the bed was flushed red. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his face. That familiar, scorching aura of Yangming excess heat washed over them, feeling even more ferocious than it had three days ago.

"Director Ju... save me... it hurts. My whole body feels like it’s on fire..." the patient weakly grabbed Ju Jiahong’s sleeve.

Ju Jiahong placed his fingers on the patient’s pulse. The throbbing sensation transmitted to his fingertips was like churning waves, like a towering tsunami.

This was a classic relapse of White Tiger Syndrome. Moreover, because the previous suppression had been insufficient, the pathogenic heat had developed resistance and was now counterattacking with a vengeance.

In this moment, Ju Jiahong finally realized his own arrogance.

He had originally thought 150 grams was "steady." Little did he know, in the face of an absolute enemy, sending an insufficient force was no different from a suicide mission.

"Director Ju, what do we do now?" the resident asked tremblingly.

Ju Jiahong closed his eyes, remaining silent for a full minute.

It was the longest minute of his medical career—a minute that shattered every ounce of his pride. When he finally opened his eyes, they gleamed with sheer resolve.

"Go, call the pharmacy. Use the original White Tiger Decoction recipe, but increase the raw gypsum dosage... to 280 grams!"

Liu Haohui’s head snapped up, staring at Ju Jiahong in shock.

grams! That was 30 grams more than the 250 grams Li Xu had suggested!

"Director Ju, isn’t this dosage a bit too staggering?" the resident stammered.

"If it isn’t staggering, it won’t be enough to suppress it," Ju Jiahong growled softly. "Three days ago, 250 grams was the right path. Now the pathogenic energy has mutated and grown stronger. We must use thunderous methods to settle this in one fell swoop. Go! I will personally sign the prescription. If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility."

The pharmacy was equally alarmed by the prescription, but under Ju Jiahong’s fierce insistence and signed guarantee, the medicine was finally brewed.

Ju Jiahong didn’t leave; he stood guard right there in the ward. He watched with his own eyes as the extremely thirsty patient drank every last drop of that large bowl of bitter, cold, yet hope-filled decoction.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Half an hour later, a miracle occurred.

The patient’s previously dry and burning skin began to grow moist. Soon after, an unprecedented "downpour" arrived.

"Sweat... he’s sweating!" a family member exclaimed.

Sweat poured down the patient’s entire body like rain, soaking his pillowcase and drenching the bedsheets. It was a sweat that radiated heat; it was the pathway for the pathogenic energy to finally escape.

As this profuse sweating came to an end, the patient’s body temperature—originally as scorching as a charcoal fire—dropped at a visible rate.

"It doesn’t hurt anymore... Director Ju, my body doesn’t hurt at all. I feel so light..." The patient let out a long sigh of relief. He looked as if he had just been fished out of a river. Though he was weak, the intense irritability between his brows had been completely swept away. That sense of clarity was something the 150 grams from a few days ago had never managed to achieve.

Stepping out of the ward, Ju Jiahong remained expressionless and silent. Liu Haohui followed closely behind him.

After walking for quite a while, Ju Jiahong finally stopped and said, "I was too arrogant and obstinate. That’s what caused the patient to suffer for two extra days." He then turned to the resident walking beside them. "Waive all of the patient’s hospitalization and treatment fees. Once you have the paperwork ready, bring it to me to sign."

"Understood, Director Ju," the resident acknowledged, hurrying off to process the paperwork. Although he didn’t entirely understand what prompted Ju Jiahong’s words, he could tell the director was not in a good mood.

"Disagreements during a consultation are just out of consideration for the patient. You don’t need to take it to heart, Director Ju," Liu Haohui consoled. It was obvious that this incident had dealt a heavy blow to Ju Jiahong. However, the man didn’t lose his composure and had immediately admitted his mistake.

"Dr. Liu, you don’t need to comfort me." A faint smile appeared on Ju Jiahong’s face.

For other doctors, making a similar mistake wouldn’t actually be considered a catastrophic error. Just as Liu Haohui had said, disagreements during consultations were simply doctors trying to figure out what was best for the patient. Given the circumstances, rejecting Li Xu’s massive dosage was merely an act of caution.

Authority always dictated who had a voice. In a hospital, the higher-ups were the experts and senior physicians. As a chief physician at Feng City Hospital, Ju Jiahong was higher in rank than Li Xu. Therefore, him rejecting Li Xu’s proposal out of caution wasn’t considered a major fault.

But because this had happened to Ju Jiahong, he wouldn’t view it as a trivial matter. In his eyes, committing such a mistake was a massive failure. That was why he had called himself arrogant and obstinate.

"I thought about it carefully just now, and what Li Xu said makes perfect sense," Ju Jiahong continued. "People say that the older and more experienced you get, the more timid you become. I really have tied my own hands by being overly cautious these past few years."

Liu Haohui gave Ju Jiahong a slightly surprised look. The fact that the director possessed this level of self-awareness actually made Liu Haohui respect him even more.