Chapter 12 Exceptional Medical Skills

Ava brewed the herbs for an hour and brought it over for Lance to drink.

Though still extremely weak and barely conscious when woken up, Lance felt slightly better than before.

A few hours later, nearing noon, Xavier was amazed to see that after just one bowl of the medicine, Lance's complexion had significantly improved. His color had returned and he seemed much more alert, and the fever had vanished.

He no longer appeared frail and weak.

"Mr. Mercer, it's wonderful! You've finally woken up!" Xavier exclaimed.

Ava, equally astonished, had previously doubted Miss Jones's acupuncture skills.

She curiously asked, "Mr. Mercer, are you sure you don't feel any discomfort?"

Lance took a sip of water and shook his head. "No, I feel much better."

Due to his chronic illness, he had always felt a stifling pressure in his chest, but now that pressure had mysteriously lifted, leaving him feeling lighter than ever. He took a deep breath, feeling unprecedented relief.

In the past, whenever his condition flared up, he sought help from Old Hughes. While the treatments were effective, they had never worked this well.

He couldn't help but ask Xavier, "What medicine did I take this time? It's very effective."

"I'm not sure, Mr. Mercer. Ava has the prescription."

Looking around and noticing Old Hughes wasn't present, Lance asked, "Where is Old Hughes? Did he prescribe this medicine?"

Xavier hesitated, unsure how to respond. After a moment, he answered, "Old Hughes is not here right now. He had to step out. It wasn't him who treated you this time, nor did he prescribe the medicine."

Lance was taken aback, wondering who in the pharmacy could have better medical skills than Old Hughes.

"Then who did?"

"Well—" Xavier was unsure how to introduce Deanna. He looked around but didn't see her.

Deanna had left earlier and hadn't returned.

"Ava, where is Miss Jones?"

Ava, equally puzzled, replied, "She must have left."

Despite their long explanations, they hadn't conveyed who had treated Lance.

Lance frowned, about to ask more, when the door burst open with a bang.

"Lance! How is he?" The newcomer, out of breath and visibly worried, was none other than Old Hughes, who had hurried back.

"Old Hughes! You're finally back!" Ava exclaimed, realizing the situation.

Earlier, she had left Old Hughes a message when she couldn't reach him by phone: Mr. Mercer is in critical condition, chronic illness relapsed, situation urgent. Old Hughes, return immediately.

Considering the distance, it was impressive how quickly he had returned. Clearly, he had rushed back as soon as he got the message.

"Lance?" Old Hughes was stunned to see Lance looking well and energetic, sitting on the bed.

He was utterly bewildered.

"Old Hughes, I'm fine now," Lance assured him.

The three of them looked at each other, unsure how to explain what had happened.

Curious, Old Hughes sat down by the bed. "Lance, Ava's message said your condition was critical. You look perfectly fine now. What happened?"