The clinic stayed open through the afternoon as followers returned for follow-up checks. Bai brought water from the clean cistern and set the barrel beside the shaded benches. Ning organized the queue by arrival time, not by who had paid for a handout. Anyone who had symptoms could sit, take water or ask for a private examination.
A young cultivator approached the desk and kept his eyes on the floor. “Will the clinic tell my family I came here?”
“Not without your permission,” Qinghe said. “The medical record is separate from the assembly’s rule review. The public warning does not name patients.”
He considered the answer. “I practiced twice.”
He had not told his family because they believed the clinic had already warned people. He thought admitting he tried the page would make them think he had ignored them. Qinghe said the clinic was not collecting names for discipline. He could decide whether to tell them and whether his experience could be included in the anonymous count. He agreed to the medical record but not the public count yet. “I want my family to know I’m safe. I don’t want them to hear it from someone reading the notice.” Ning said she could deliver a short message that he was under observation and would speak to them himself when he was ready. He chose that option. The clinic would keep his symptoms in the treatment file and omit his name from any public report.
