Chapter 8: Unique Prescriptions

"Finnley Greenwood! You don't have a medical license. Giving prescriptions is illegal. I can call the police and have you arrested!" Apollo's face went rigid, his tone rising in threat. "Do you really want to go back to prison? I can help with your court case." "Practicing illegally? Is that what you're talking about?" Finnley replied. He pulled a medical license from his pocket and let it catch the light in front of Apollo, a poised smile on his lips. "What?!" Apollo stared at the green booklet stamped with the gold national emblem. His words caught in his throat. His eyes went wide, disbelief flooding his face. "A medical license? You got your license back?!" "How is that even possible?"  Apollo clearly remembered that the Traditional Medicine Law stated anyone whose license was revoked due to a criminal conviction couldn't reapply for two years. Thinking of Finnley's sentence, Apollo froze. He whipped out his phone, opened the National Examination Website, and quickly searched for this year's medical licensing exam information. The listed exam time was this morning. So Finnley had gotten the license just this morning. Isabelle looked at the license in Finnley's hand, disbelief etched on her delicate features.  She knew today was the day of the medical licensing exam.  She also knew the unspoken rule.  After revocation, the pass rate for retaking the license was basically zero.  No one had ever broken that rule. And Finnley had done it? "This license has to be fake!" Apollo suddenly rallied, forcing the panic surging in his chest down.  How could someone take the test in the morning and receive their license that afternoon?  Even if Finnley somehow passed against all odds, the results wouldn't be out instantly, let alone the license itself. Apollo finished speaking and immediately dialed a number, determined to get confirmation and expose Finnley's lie on the spot. The call connected. "Apollo?" came a voice. "I was just about to tell you something." A familiar voice answered. It was Raymond, the Health Bureau official Finnley met that morning. They knew each other. Finnley's smile turned amused. "Listen to me first!" Apollo hurried on.  "Can you look up our hospital's former doctor, Finnley Greenwood? Did he take today's medical licensing exam? Are the results out? Did he come to your office to get his license?" "What I wanted to tell you is exactly that. Finnley lucked out. He was released from prison yesterday, took today's medical licensing exam, and, believe it or not, he passed. The license is already done." Apollo heard nothing after that. His mind went blank, and he hung up on instinct. Finnley had actually passed the medical exam. He looked up slowly at Finnley, at that sunny, mocking smile and the green booklet in his hand. His face twisted like he'd just swallowed something foul. "Everyone, take out your phones and record this." Finnley slid the license back into his pocket and stopped wasting breath on Apollo.  He addressed the patients clustered behind him. They'd been waiting for this.  They rushed to pull out their phones, opened their Notes app, and some even started recording audio or video. "You can't..." Seeing that, Apollo snapped awake and tried to stop him. Finnley gave him no chance and began. "Hemorrhoids can show up as bleeding after a bowel movement, or bleeding before a bowel movement." "For bleeding after a bowel movement, use 0.4 ounce licorice, 2 ounces dried rehmannia, 1.4 ounces atractylodes, 1.4 ounces prepared aconite, 1.7 ounces gelatin, 1.7 ounces scutellaria, and clay from the stove, about half a pound." "Boil eight bowls of water down to three, and drink warm, twice a day." Finnley deliberately slowed down so every patient could get it down. "For bleeding that comes first, use 1.8 ounces of red beans and 1.8 ounces of angelica." "Grind those two into powder and take with warm water. One tablespoon each time, three times a day." Finnley finished, then turned to Apollo with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "These two prescriptions aren't they the same ones you give your patients?" What did that mean? The patients, busy jotting notes, and Isabelle as well, all stiffened and looked at Apollo, suspicion rising. Isabelle suddenly remembered that two years earlier, Finnley had been a renowned physician, performing impressive cures for a wide range of illnesses. People used to say he treated hemorrhoids exceptionally well.  Apollo only became known for treating hemorrhoids after Finnley went to prison. Finnley had spelled everything out. Apollo's shoulders slumped. His face went pale.  Ignoring the looks around him, his eyes fixed on Finnley, seething with hatred. Finnley saw the hatred, and a thought flashed through his mind. "Am I punishing a wrongdoing?" To test the idea, he raised his voice to the patients. "Please help spread the word about these two prescriptions. Hemorrhoids are miserable. If you can avoid surgery, avoid it. The wider this spreads, the fewer people have to suffer." "Don't worry, we'll get the word out," the patients answered one after another. Apollo's face went even paler, drained of all color. He was about to be transferred to Skoeland Traditional Medical Hospital.  Finnley's public release of the prescriptions would affect him, but not fatally.  Yet if these two prescriptions were widely spread and reached hemorrhoid patients across the state, how would he make a name for himself there?  Finnley was cutting off his future. Just then, a golden thread shimmered out of Apollo and drifted toward Finnley. "Merit Golden Thread!" His eyes lit up. His hunch was correct. He punished the wrongdoing. The thread looked exactly like the one that had appeared on Genevieve. The moment he touched it, it burrowed into his palm and sank into his body. Finnley didn't absorb it.  He guided the thread down into his energy core and sealed it there. He'd save it to treat that patient with advanced lung cancer, then turn the tables in court. At that moment, another golden glow appeared. A second thread rose from the crowd of patients gathered at the clinic door. "Was this merit for helping patients?"  Delight widened his eyes. He lifted his right hand to catch the drifting Merit Golden Thread, stored it in his energy core, and his smile deepened. That sudden thread gave him an idea.  If helping patients earned merit, why not do more?  "If that's not enough, I've got more." Acting on the thought, he addressed the eager patients again. "A paste made from Sophora seeds can also treat hemorrhoids. "You'll need Sophora seeds, calcium hydroxide, and fresh rehmannia." "First, peel the Sophora seeds, toast them dry, and pound them into powder. Strain the juice from fresh rehmannia and set it aside. Heat the cooking oil, add an appropriate amount of flour, and stir until smooth. Then, remove it from the heat. That makes a paste." "Next, simmer the rehmannia juice over low heat, add the Sophora powder, then the calcium hydroxide, and keep stirring. When it comes to a boil, add the prepared paste. Continue simmering, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Pour into a jar and seal." Finnley explained each step in careful detail, afraid he might miss anything. He wanted the Merit Golden Thread, but he also genuinely wanted to help these patients. "If that still isn't enough, I've got more," Finnley continued.