Chapter Sixty-Seven: Hua Tuo is Stunned

Huo Qubing?

Hua Tuo did not answer. He stared at Huo Qubing for a few moments, then turned his gaze back to Liu Bei.

"Lord Liu, though you claim you are not ill, from what I can observe, Lord Liu is quite seriously unwell."

Even though the man before him exuded an imposing heroic aura, and the noble demeanor between his brows moved even Hua Tuo, he was no fool. The Champion Marquis Huo Qubing had passed away at a young age back in the sixth year of Yuanshou, three hundred years ago. How could he possibly appear in the thirteenth year of Jian'an?

At this thought, Hua Tuo sighed softly.

He assumed that Lord Liu must have been overwhelmed with frustration over the unrealized ambition of restoring the Han Dynasty, ultimately contracting hysteria.

Conditions of this nature were the most difficult to treat, belonging to the realm of illnesses of the mind. As the ancient saying went, an ailment of the heart required a medicine of the heart; only by finding the right method could the hysteria be dispelled.

Just as Hua Tuo was pondering how to help Liu Bei cure his hysteria, Liu Bei introduced Hua Tuo to Huo Qubing.

"Champion Marquis, this is the renowned physician of our Great Han, Master Yuanhua."

Huo Qubing scratched his head, clearly unfamiliar with Hua Tuo.

"A renowned physician?"

Huo Guang, standing behind Huo Qubing, stepped aside to look at the man Liu Bei had introduced.

Although advanced in age, he was in high spirits, and his benevolent expression made him look just like an ancient immortal.

Seeing Huo Guang lean out from behind Huo Qubing, Liu Bei inquired of Huo Qubing, "Champion Marquis, may I ask who this is?"

"My younger brother, Huo Guang. Surely Xuande has heard of him."

Huo Guang!

Liu Bei had not merely heard of him; Huo Guang's great name was as resounding in his ears as Huo Qubing's.

Huo Guang, the Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief who led the Western Han Dynasty to its zenith!

Liu Bei immediately looked upon him with deep respect, and the way he gazed at Huo Guang changed entirely.

"Huo Guang?"

Hua Tuo likewise looked toward the teenager who was barely over ten years old.

This was bad.

He had no idea what kind of place this eatery was. Not only did it house Huo Qubing, who believed himself to be the Champion Marquis, but also Huo Guang, the Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief. What was to be done?

Should he advise Lord Liu to leave this place in haste?

"Champion Marquis, is the proprietor present?"

"He is."

Hearing Huo Qubing's affirmative reply, Liu Bei turned to Hua Tuo beside him and said, "Master Yuanhua, the person I mentioned to you earlier is right here."

At this moment, the corners of Hua Tuo's mouth turned downward; clearly, he held little hope for this excursion to the eatery.

With Huo Qubing and Huo Guang here, would Emperor Wu of Han be next?

Watching Liu Bei's retreating figure as he entered the country-style restaurant, Huo Guang asked Huo Qubing beside him, "Elder brother, who is this Xuande?"

"Huo Guang, this is the seventeenth-generation grandson of Prince Liu Sheng of Zhongshan whom your elder brother has told you about. The era he lives in is three hundred years after our Great Han. Now that he has arrived, we shall be able to reach the late Eastern Han Dynasty in due course."

The Great Han three hundred years later. The seventeenth-generation grandson of Prince Liu Sheng of Zhongshan.

Although Huo Qubing had explained all of this previously, Huo Guang still felt utterly astonished.

As soon as Liu Bei and Hua Tuo stepped through the doorway, Hua Tuo curiously sized up the eatery before them.

"Lord Liu, is this the eatery you spoke of?"

"Indeed, Master Yuanhua."

Hua Tuo remained silent.

It now seemed that Lord Liu's illness was inextricably linked to this very eatery.

As they ventured further in, they caught sight of Liu Ju snapping pictures with a click in the courtyard.

"Master Yuanhua, this is Liu Ju, the Crown Prince of the Filial Martial Emperor of our Great Han."

Hua Tuo was already numb.

Judging by what he had seen so far, this appeared to be a case of collective hysteria.

This could well be the greatest challenge of his entire medical career.

Holding his phone and walking around the courtyard, Liu Ju also spotted Liu Bei and the other man just entering the door.

"Uncle Xuande."

Liu Ju skipped over to Liu Bei joyfully.

Liu Bei's arrival meant he would be able to travel to the late Eastern Han Dynasty, which naturally filled him with immense happiness.

"Little Ju, do you know where the proprietor is?"

"Elder brother is inside the house. I'll go call him right now."

"Elder brother! Elder brother!"

"386, 387, 388..."

Zhang Bo was happily counting gold beans inside the room when Liu Ju's shouts startled him so much that his previous count was completely ruined.

With a silent sigh, he pulled out a piece of cloth to cover the gold beans, and then Zhang Bo walked out the door.

"Little Ju, what has hap... Lord Xuande."

"Proprietor."

"Lord Xuande, you should have only returned to the Eastern Han period for about three days, why are you here?"

Zhang Bo's gaze then fell upon Hua Tuo standing beside Liu Bei.

"And who might this be?"

"Proprietor, this is Master Yuanhua."

Yuanhua, wasn't that Hua Tuo's courtesy name?

In other words, the person before him was none other than Hua Tuo.

Liu Ju, watching from the side, had naturally heard of Hua Tuo's reputation; this was a famous figure from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He immediately pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of Hua Tuo.

While Zhang Bo was sizing up Hua Tuo, Hua Tuo was likewise examining the young man before him.

As soon as he entered, he had noticed the extraordinary nature of this eatery, and now, meeting its master, he felt even more astonished.

Although decades had passed since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the people were still suffering amidst destitution.

Aside from high-ranking officials and nobles, he had almost never seen anyone among the common folk whose vitality appeared so robust.

Now that he knew the man was Hua Tuo, they could get straight to the point.

"Master Yuanhua, please."

Zhang Bo led Hua Tuo to a stone table, upon which the imperial edict still rested.

"Lord Xuande, this is the edict given to you by His Majesty."

Zhang Bo handed the edict to Liu Bei.

"An edict?"

"His Majesty?"

Just as Zhang Bo finished speaking, Liu Bei and Hua Tuo reacted in two entirely different ways.

Liu Bei took the piece of silk and curiously unfolded it.

Before long, a look of stirred excitement emerged on Liu Bei's face.

Hua Tuo looked with lingering curiosity at the excited Liu Bei, feeling somewhat baffled.

"Lord Liu, could this 'His Majesty' be Emperor Liu Xie?"

"Master Yuanhua, you may take a look."

With that, Liu Bei handed the edict to Hua Tuo.

Hua Tuo accepted the edict with a questioning look and gazed at the characters inscribed upon it.

Moments later, a look of shock overtook his face.

It was utterly unbelievable.

An edict given to Lord Liu by the Filial Martial Emperor.

How could this be possible?

The Filial Martial Emperor had been dead for over three hundred years.

Hua Tuo shook his head quite straightforwardly.

"Master Yuanhua, do you find it hard to believe?"

"Forgive me, but I find it difficult to credit."

At this, Zhang Bo was not particularly surprised.

As a physician, Hua Tuo naturally ought not to believe in such unfathomable ghosts and deities.

"Master Yuanhua, if I told you I came from later generations, you likely wouldn't believe it either. However, the method of verification remains quite simple; it only requires the Champion Marquis to take you on a trip to the Western Han Dynasty."

A trip to the Western Han? Hua Tuo glanced at Liu Bei, who was staring at the edict with the corners of his mouth pulled nearly up to his ears, and felt that things were becoming increasingly mystical.

"Of course, during this time, we can certainly exchange insights on medical arts."

Hua Tuo cast a rather surprised look at Zhang Bo; he had not expected that the master of this eatery was also a physician.

To exchange and learn was, naturally, a wonderful thing.

For instance, he had once studied the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases authored by Zhang Ji, the Administrator of Changsha, and had derived profound inspiration from it.

"Which aspect of medical insight does the proprietor wish to discuss?"

"Master Yuanhua, do not be impatient. Just give me a moment."

With that, Zhang Bo returned to the house and brought out a small booklet.

Inscribed upon the cover of the booklet were several prominent characters:

Barefoot Doctor Manual.