A slightly smaller villa, with a two-story European-style exterior, covered an area of over three hundred square meters. Numerous seasonal flowers were planted along the exterior walls, blooming fragrant in the cold winter. It seemed they were intentionally planted to mask some unpleasant odor.
Wan Yunting, Gu Yuanbai, Gu Sinuo and Gu Zichen, the Gu siblings, Sima Wentang and Sima Xuanyu, the father and son, along with Ouyang Liqun and Ouyang Zhihui, followed Ouyang Zhixin and the butler to this villa. Wan Yunting observed that the second-floor windows of the villa were tightly shut. Two maids stood at the main entrance on the first floor. Upon seeing Ouyang Zhixin approach, they stepped forward, "Master…"
Ouyang Zhixin nodded and then had a maid take out several masks, saying, "You should wear these."
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. Gu Yuanbai nodded to him as the maid offered the masks. He then accepted one. It appeared the patient with the "dead fish syndrome" was not in a good state. Even from the villa's entrance, he could faintly detect a foul odor of decaying fish.
"I don't need one."
Sima Xuanyu refused the mask offered by the maid. He glanced at Wan Yunting and said to Ouyang Zhixin, "A physician does not disdain a patient. To wear one would be disrespectful to the patient."
This remark was a jab at Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai for wearing masks!
Ouyang Zhixin looked at him calmly and waved his hand to the maid, saying, "Then come in with me."
With that, the group followed him into the villa's hall and proceeded directly towards the staircase. A maid wearing a mask greeted them at the foot of the stairs and led Ouyang Zhixin upstairs. Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai followed behind the Sima father and son, who were in turn behind Ouyang Zhihui and Ouyang Liqun…
Before they even reached the second floor, a faint, putrid smell of dead fish filled their nostrils, causing Sima Wentang and his son Sima Xuanyu to frown. They seemed to have underestimated the severity of Ouyang Zhixin's daughter's "dead fish syndrome"!
Ouyang Zhihui ahead had already put on a mask. Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai had not yet. But upon reaching the living room on the second floor, the foul stench of dead fish was even more pungent and irritating, akin to encountering a large patch of decaying fish on the seaside…
As they approached a room door, a maid gently pushed it open, unleashing a sharp, offensive odor that overwhelmed Ouyang Liqun, who quickly took out a mask and put it on.
"So smelly…"
Gu Zichen whispered. Gu Sinuo beside him immediately turned and glared at him, but Ouyang Zhixin ahead did not turn back or say anything…
Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai had already unwrapped their masks and put them on. However, Wan Yunting still took a deep sniff of the overpowering stench emanating from the room. This made Wan Yunting raise an eyebrow, thinking that Ouyang Zhixin's daughter's illness was indeed serious, no wonder even Elder Gu and the others couldn't help.
Perhaps accustomed to the smell, Ouyang Zhixin did not wear a mask. Ouyang Zhihui, Ouyang Liqun, Wan Yunting, Gu Yuanbai, Gu Sinuo, and Gu Zichen all wore masks.
The only awkward ones were the Sima father and son. They stood at the doorway of the room, the pungent odor so strong it made their heads ache. The father and son's faces turned green. They never imagined that Ouyang Zhixin's daughter's "dead fish syndrome" had reached such a severe degree; it was truly rare in the world.
No wonder Ouyang Zhixin had consulted countless TCM practitioners across China and doctors and experts worldwide for so many years without being able to cure his daughter's "dead fish syndrome."
"Come in."
Ouyang Zhixin turned to look at the Sima father and son, his gaze lingering on Wan Yunting. Every time he looked at this young man, he felt an inexplicable surge of excitement, thinking he must properly investigate this young man's background later to see if he was his long-lost child!
"Cough…"
Following into the dimly lit room, Sima Wentang and his son Sima Xuanyu coughed awkwardly. The stench made them feel nauseous and on the verge of vomiting, but they could only hold it in.
Ouyang Zhixin glanced at them and said calmly, "You should wear masks."
The Sima father and son looked embarrassed, but they shook their heads and forced themselves to say, "No need, Mr. Ouyang, we can manage."
Ouyang Zhixin said no more and asked the maid to turn on the room lights. Instantly, the spacious room was illuminated. A large bed with mosquito netting was the most striking feature.
The room was decorated in pink, with various ornaments related to young girls. A row of shelves by the bed held numerous perfumes, but they were still unable to mask the dead-fish-like stench emanating from the bed. The closer one got, the more intense the smell became, making it unbearable.
Ouyang Zhixin, accustomed to his daughter's scent, approached the bed and lifted the pink curtain. Inside, a woman with long, dark hair sprawled on the bed, hugging a doll. Her face was obscured, and it was unclear if she was awake or asleep. She was the source of the dead-fish-like stench.
"Fanmeng, are you awake? I've brought a doctor to see you."
Looking at his daughter, Ouyang Zhixin's eyes were filled with tenderness, brimming with affection and sorrow.
"Mm…"
The woman did not turn around, merely responded softly.
Ouyang Zhixin lowered the curtain and turned to face the Sima father and son behind him, saying, "Please come and examine her."
"Cough…"
Sima Xuanyu simply could not tolerate the stench, but he nodded and reluctantly stepped forward. A maid beside them helped lift the curtain and mosquito netting. He looked at Ouyang Zhixin's daughter lying on her side in the bed and said, "Let me take your pulse first."
The woman said nothing, extending her right hand. She still did not turn around, her hair covering her face, obscuring her features…
What emerged was a fair, jade-like hand. Sima Xuanyu was taken aback, unable to comprehend how such a delicate hand could emit such an offensive odor.
Sima Xuanyu, recovering his senses, suppressed the urge to vomit. He quickly opened his medical kit and took out a pulse pillow. However, the woman was lying on her side, making it impossible to place her hand on the pillow. Sima Xuanyu hesitated, then reached out to gently hold the woman's outstretched right hand, his three fingers resting on her wrist to feel her pulse.
Sima Wentang stood beside him, his face contorted with discomfort. He deeply regretted his earlier bravado and wished he had worn a mask.
Even Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai, Gu Sinuo and Gu Zichen, wearing masks, were still being stimulated by the stench to the point of nausea. Even without taking her pulse, one could imagine the severity of Ouyang Zhixin's daughter's "dead fish syndrome."
As Sima Xuanyu took the pulse, no one in the room spoke. Ouyang Liqun, wearing a mask, stood beside Ouyang Zhihui. He glanced back at Wan Yunting…
Wan Yunting sensed his gaze and turned to look at Ouyang Liqun. Their eyes met. Ouyang Liqun offered a polite smile.
Wan Yunting smiled and nodded slightly. They shared a look of mutual understanding without speaking.
"Alright."
A moment later, Sima Xuanyu released the woman's wrist. She immediately withdrew her hand beneath the covers, still not turning around. Perhaps she was afraid of facing strangers.
After all, suffering from such a strange illness for so long would undoubtedly alter anyone's spirit and personality, making them less than normal.
Sima Xuanyu quickly got up and moved away from the bed. He turned to Ouyang Zhixin and said, "Mr. Ouyang, your daughter's condition is indeed severe. She is the most serious case of 'dead fish syndrome' I have ever seen. However, rest assured, the medicated bath I mentioned earlier will definitely be effective for your daughter's illness."
Ouyang Zhixin remained expressionless. He did not respond to Sima Xuanyu, then turned to Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting and asked, "Dr. Gu, would you like to take my daughter's pulse?"
Sima Wentang raised an eyebrow beside him but said nothing.
Gu Yuanbai turned to Wan Yunting and asked, "Xiao Wan, do you need to take the patient's pulse?"
Wan Yunting shook his head slightly and said, "Given the patient's condition, there's no need to take her pulse to know her illness is extraordinary."
Ouyang Zhixin looked at him and asked, "Do you have a solution then?"
Sima Xuanyu's gaze immediately fixed on Wan Yunting. He frowned slightly and shook his head at Ouyang Zhixin, saying, "I'm sorry, I can't think of a way to treat your daughter's illness at the moment!"
Hearing this, Sima Wentang felt relieved. He was genuinely worried that Wan Yunting might have a cure for Ouyang Zhixin's daughter's illness. He then smiled and said, "Since that is the case, Mr. Ouyang, let my son try the medicated bath treatment for your daughter."
Seeing that Wan Yunting had no solution, Ouyang Zhixin felt a sense of disappointment. He nodded to Sima Wentang and his son, signaling them to try the medicated bath treatment for his daughter.
Gu Yuanbai, standing beside Wan Yunting, felt a touch of disappointment upon hearing that Wan Yunting had no solution either.
If Wan Yunting could have cured Ouyang Zhixin's daughter's "dead fish syndrome," he would have gained some fame in the capital, which would have made Sima Wentang hesitant to openly confront them at the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Conference.
But now, with Wan Yunting unable to help and Sima Wentang bringing his son Sima Xuanyu to treat Ouyang Zhixin's daughter with a medicated bath, if this medicated bath proved effective and his daughter was cured by Sima Xuanyu, then Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting would be in a very passive position at the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Conference.
Now that Sima Wentang and his son Sima Xuanyu saw that Wan Yunting was unable to help, a smile played on their lips. They saw no need to make any more sarcastic remarks. They said to Ouyang Zhixin, "Mr. Ouyang, I will have someone deliver the medicinal ingredients immediately. I will begin the medicated bath treatment for your daughter now."
Ouyang Zhixin nodded and instructed the butler to cooperate with Sima Xuanyu. He then turned to Ouyang Zhihui, Ouyang Liqun, Gu Yuanbai, and Wan Yunting and said, "Alright, let's go outside."
Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai nodded and followed them out of the room, going downstairs to the first floor. Only when the dead-fish-like stench had somewhat dissipated did they remove their masks and exhale with relief…
The Sima father and son, after seeing Ouyang Zhixin lead Wan Yunting and the others out, quickly asked the butler to get them two masks. Relieving themselves from the irritating stench, they finally felt somewhat at ease.
The room was simply too foul; to stay a minute longer would have forced them to vomit…