Jiu Qing politely shook hands with each person and exchanged greetings, leaving Qiu Ci as the final one.
“Hello.” Jiu Qing looked at his dazed appearance, the arch of his eyebrows shifting ever so slightly before the corners of his mouth curved upward into an attractive arc.
It was evident that he was in an exceptional mood.
Jinjiang Good Husband’s Manual: Occasionally give the other person a small surprise.
You weren’t expecting this.jpg
Jiu Qing extended his hand toward Qiu Ci, who remained completely blank, prompting Wu Feng beside them to teasingly chime in.
“Little brother Qiu Ci is staring so hard at a handsome guy his eyes are practically glued to him. Hahahaha.”
“Hello, I am Qin Jiu. Very pleased to meet you.” The warmth in Jiu Qing’s eyes and brows softened by another fraction.
Qiu Ci managed to regain his wits with great difficulty, though three of his souls and seven of his spirits were still missing. He asked in a daze, “Why are you here?”
The scene instantly fell quiet.
Only the live stream comments scrolled furiously.
“What the heck, what the heck, what the heck. These two people know each other.”
“Sob sob ahhhhh. A beauty’s friend is also a beauty.”
“Is seriously no one curious about how they know each other?”
“If the two of them are friends, though, why didn’t little brother Qiu Ci know this Mr. Qin was coming on the show?”
“From the very beginning, I felt like this Mr. Qin’s gaze was constantly fixed on little brother Qiu Ci.”
“The fox tails are showing. Mr. Qin’s gaze looking at Qiu Ci is way too tender.”
“There is definitely something fishy going on here.”
“Whoa, Mama forbids you from dating. You are still an eighteen-year-old child.”
“I am picking up little brother Qiu Ci and sprinting at a hundred-meter dash.”
“Though I say that, I used to wonder what kind of looks could ever match Qiu Ci’s god-tier face, but now I finally have a slightly more concrete understanding of it.”
“Beauties should match with beauties. What does it matter if they have the same gender?”
“Sister upstairs, if you put it that way, I am going to get excited. Hehe, hehe.”
“Logical analysis time: little brother Qiu Ci’s expression isn’t pure surprise or pleasant astonishment. He looks more like he completely didn’t expect Mr. Qin to show up here, completely dumbfounded.”
Qiu Ci truly was dumbfounded, only realizing what a foolish thing he had blurted out after the words were already spoken.
Wu Feng tilted his head up to look at this devastatingly attractive face exuding sexual tension, swallowed hard with difficulty, and immediately began trying to recruit him. “Does Mr. Qin have any plans to enter the entertainment industry?”
Wu Feng’s resources had always been exceptional. While that was partly related to his personal professional capabilities, another factor was that the entertainment agency he currently belonged to was owned by his family.
With a divine face like Qin Jiu’s, if he were willing to sign with their company, he would undoubtedly become another god of wealth.
Chen An chimed in with a teasing remark as well. “Mr. Qin’s face is indeed well-suited for the big screen.”
Setting acting skills aside, just looking at this face and this physique, there was zero doubt it would work.
The slight smile on Jiu Qing’s face remained unchanged as he gave a calm reply. “I currently have no plans to enter the entertainment industry.”
“True.” Although Wu Feng felt a tinge of regret, these matters ultimately depended on personal preference. Besides, judging by Mr. Qin’s bearing, he didn’t look like an ordinary person at all.
Which ordinary person could wear rough hemp garments and carry such an air of distinction?
“Right, do you two know each other from before?” Wu Feng teased further. “It looks like you really have no plans to enter showbiz.”
With a celebrity friend right beside him, there was no way it would ever be his turn to poach talent anyway.
What an oblivious guy.
The two of them knew each other, and Qiu Ci’s expression was exceedingly peculiar, making it hard for people not to let their imaginations run wild.
Living up to his title as the number one talk show host, Yang Xu smoothly stepped in. “It seems the production team’s confidentiality measures are truly top-notch.”
In other words, neither party had any idea the other would be participating in this program.
This served as a disguised acknowledgment that the two of them indeed knew each other.
Things had reached this point; denying it further would only make it feel like they were protesting too much.
Amidst everyone’s back-and-forth banter, Qiu Ci finally recovered his stray souls and spirits. He instinctively reached up to cover his backside.
It was just a momentary gesture before he quickly snapped back to reality and shook hands with Jiu Qing.
“I didn’t expect you to show up on the show. You gave me quite a fright.” Qiu Ci feigned nonchalance, successfully covering up the foolish remark he had just made.
Jiu Qing’s smile deepened slightly. “Long time no see.”
Qiu Ci: “It really hasn’t been that long, considering we literally ate breakfast together at seven o’clock this morning.”
The live stream comments were a roaring storm.
“Are they seriously not going to explain how these two know each other?”
“Every detail of Qiu Ci’s life before his debut has already been dug up completely, and I never saw him have a handsome friend like this.”
“Could they have met after his debut?”
“Truth be told, Mr. Qin’s looks and that natural, effortless aura don’t look like an ordinary person at all.”
“Makes sense. If he were just an ordinary person with that kind of appearance, even without entering show business, there would still be news of him online. His background seems very mysterious.”
“So when exactly did they get to know each other?”
The show followed a format of live streaming combined with recorded broadcast, meaning the pacing didn’t need to feel too rushed. After the four regular guests and the special guest finished getting acquainted, they exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Proving himself worthy of being the mood-maker, Wu Feng asked the question viewers were dying to know. “How do you two know each other?”
Qiu Ci: “How was he supposed to answer that?”
Should he say that right after he was politely dismissed by the orphanage, having nowhere to go and sitting by the river feeling lost about his future, Jiu Qing suddenly descended from the heavens?
My friend, have you ever seen a handsome celestial being fall from the sky claiming to be a god?
Qiu Ci had.
In the end, Jiu Qing took over the conversation. “We met before Ah-Ci debuted. We haven’t had many opportunities to meet over the past two years.”
He effortlessly glossed over the matter with a light touch.
Fulfilling his duties conscientiously and keeping in mind that they were still recording a show, Yang Xu saw that the chatting had reached a natural stopping point and smoothly moved on to the process.
“Today, Qiu Ci drew the role of the Miracle Doctor, while Mr. Qin is a descendant of the Miracle Doctor’s disciple. Not only did he provide materials for the program, but he is also playing the role of the medicine boy today. Speaking of which, it’s quite a fated connection.”
“Indeed, indeed.” Wu Feng laughed. “Quickly now, Miracle Doctor, here is your wheelchair. Since someone is going to push you anyway, go ahead and sit down with peace of mind.”
Though helpless and amused, Qiu Ci climbed into the wheelchair. From this angle, he failed to notice the trace of nostalgia lingering in Jiu Qing’s gaze.
Some viewers in the live stream caught it, but the number was small and failed to draw widespread attention.
The director timely brought out the persona cards and mission cards. “From start to finish, the medicine boy only needs to remain by the Miracle Doctor’s side or follow the Miracle Doctor’s commands. As for the mission cards in your hands, please keep them strictly confidential and explore independently to restore your own stories.”
Chen An, who was just about to communicate with Yang Xu, immediately tucked his mission card behind his back, while Wu Feng darted three meters away in a flash.
Only the Miracle Doctor Qiu Ci stared at an entire card densely packed with text, running into a dilemma. “Director, we don’t need to hand these cards in, right?”
“Of course.” The director gave him an affirmative nod. “Please make sure to keep them safe. The subsequent live streams will be split into separate audio-visual feeds for everyone to explore roles and missions on your own.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “Remember, everyone, today is an immersive roleplay, so Qiu Ci can only spend the day confined to a wheelchair.”
Everyone: “……??”
Qiu Ci was equally dumbfounded. “Does that mean I can only let Jiu, I mean, Mr. Qin push me around?”
“That is correct.” The director answered with utmost seriousness and responsibility. “According to the historical records, the Miracle Doctor himself suffered from a severe illness and relied entirely on a single medicine boy to attend to his side.”
Fully committed to playing his role, Jiu Qing walked to the back of the wheelchair and grasped the handles. “Let’s go, my esteemed Miracle Doctor.”
His tone was gentle and lingering.
Qiu Ci’s earlobes instantly flushed burning red. He strongly suspected Jiu Qing was flirting with him in plain view of everyone, yet he possessed zero evidence.
The live stream chat went completely wild as well.
“Ahhhhh, my esteemed Miracle Doctor.”
“Oh my lord, does this Mr. Qin genuinely not realize how easily misunderstood those words are?”
“I am drawing in a sharp breath of air. Mr. Qin’s smooth moves are off the charts!”
“Good grief, he is flirting me to death.”
“The little brother’s ears are completely red. Holy crap, could the little brother have woken up to romance so early in life?”
“Did you guys notice that slip of the tongue earlier when Qiu Ci asked the director if he really had to let Mr. Qin push him? He started to say a character starting with the sound of wine.”
“Hiss~ They already knew each other beforehand, which means they might have some kind of nickname or pet name for each other. Jiu-jiu? Brother Jiu, Jiu-er?”
“What the hell is Jiu-er?”
Once everything was set, the live stream split into four separate screens, allowing viewers to select a single feed or watch all four simultaneously.
General Chen An, Prefect Yang Xu, and the patient Wu Feng had each departed on their respective ways.
Jiu Qing also pushed Qiu Ci forward as they set off.
This was a small town—not particularly large and sparsely populated. There were quite a few people dressed in ancient period costumes walking along the street; they were undoubtedly background extras.
Being pushed around by someone left Qiu Ci feeling thoroughly ill at ease. Even though he knew this was mere roleplay, had literally anyone else pushed him, he wouldn’t have felt nearly this awkward.
To this moment, he remained in a daze. How on earth could Jiu Qing, an actual deity, possibly be a descendant of the Miracle Doctor’s disciple?
It defied all logic. The only explanation he could fathom was that Jiu Qing might have genuinely known this Miracle Doctor in the past, perhaps even being the one who provided the plague-curing medicinal formula to him in the first place.
That didn’t quite add up either.
Delving deeper into his thoughts, he recalled what Jiu Qing had once told him: deities were prohibited from excessively interfering with mortal destinies, as doing so would trigger karmic repercussions and alter a mortal’s predetermined path—a rule that applied to him as well.
For instance, Jiu Qing actually possessed numerous ways to make him an overnight superstar in the entertainment industry, but Jiu Qing could not casually intervene in mortal fates or abuse divine spells at will. To help him debut in the entertainment industry, Jiu Qing had to follow normal human procedures.
First came the acquisition of S Entertainment, the company he was currently signed to. Although the behind-the-scenes boss was Jiu Qing, Jiu Qing refrained from over-exercising control over the company’s operations, merely providing him with convenience so that no one would make things difficult for him or snatch away his resources.
Yet even that raised questions. If Jiu Qing intended for them to undergo dual cultivation, regardless of whether he ultimately refused or managed to explain his stance, his entire life had already undergone massive upheaval because of Jiu Qing, meaning his fate had shifted long ago.
Upon careful reflection, it seemed Jiu Qing’s supposed rules contained a glaring loophole.
Therefore, could the discovery of the plague cure by that ancient Miracle Doctor have been connected to Jiu Qing in the first place?
Unable to hold back any longer, though mindful of the camera crew trailing behind them, Qiu Ci carefully gathered his thoughts and spoke up. “How come I never heard you mention before that you’re a descendant of the Miracle Doctor’s disciple?”
Walking at a leisurely, unhurried pace, Jiu Qing understood his underlying meaning. “We simply never happened to discuss these matters before.”
Once again, he deflected the question effortlessly with a light touch.
Qiu Ci muttered under his breath, “That explanation was as illuminating as a box of rocks.”
Jiu Qing let out a soft chuckle. “Let’s go, time to tackle our mission. We can chat more later if there’s a chance.”
“Oh, alright then.” Qiu Ci knew this wasn’t the appropriate venue for a deep conversation anyway.
With no explicit hints provided for the mission, Jiu Qing pushed him around in a wide circle, questioning a few costumed extras along the way, only to receive nonsensical answers completely off the mark.
That meant they were on the wrong track, yielding zero progress so far.
Having run into General Chen An midway, who already had several armored extras following behind him, it was clear the general had found his proper direction.
A wave of frustration washed over Qiu Ci. He picked up his instruction card once more to study it carefully, eventually forming a faint train of thought. “Are there any pharmacies or traditional Chinese medicine clinics in this town?”
“There are.” Jiu Qing instantly pivoted the wheelchair, steering him in the opposite direction.
Centuries ago, this small town had managed to produce a Miracle Doctor X, and the soil here was indeed well-suited for cultivating medicinal herbs. To this day, a significant number of farmers still made their living cultivating traditional Chinese medicine.
Since the legendary Miracle Doctor X had taken on disciples, establishing a lineage, and given that this was a town dependent on herb farming that had once produced a Miracle Doctor, the presence of a traditional Chinese medicine clinic in town was only logical.
All of the above was purely Qiu Ci’s conjecture.
A few minutes later, Qiu Ci and Jiu Qing stood staring at each other in front of a mottled wooden door, particularly noting the five steps of weathered, antique-style stone stairs leading up to it.
Tilting his head up, Qiu Ci checked the signboard reading Zhengtian Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic. This was definitely the right place, so why had traditional medicine declined to such a desolate state nowadays?
Jiu Qing offered an explanation. “The foot traffic in this town isn’t high, and for minor colds and ailments, people nowadays are still more willing to take western medicine tablets. As traditional medicine has evolved to the present day, its primary role is less about curing acute illnesses and more about health maintenance and conditioning the body.”
Enlightened, Qiu Ci nodded in realization, then peered through the doorway. Oh, there was an elderly man dressed in ancient attire inside, along with a few fixed-position recording cameras.
That meant they hadn’t come to the wrong place.
“Quick, let’s go inside.” They had finally found the right direction.
Feeling a surge of excitement, Qiu Ci completely forgot the director’s instructions.
Since he wasn’t allowed to stand up from the wheelchair today, the moment he attempted to rise, Jiu Qing promptly pressed him back down into the seat.
Qiu Ci protested, “Is it really necessary to be this strict? A wheelchair can’t even get up these stairs!”
The final syllable of his exclamation pitched sharply upward, blending terror with sheer disbelief.
Turning his head, he realized Jiu Qing had actually lifted the entire wheelchair—him included—suspending them mid-air.
With absolute stability, Jiu Qing carried them up the stairs and set him down gently. The entire sequence of actions was executed in one smooth motion without even drawing a single heavy breath.
Jiu Qing stated simply, “The director said you aren’t allowed to walk on the ground.”
Qiu Ci: “……”
The live stream chat erupted into a frenzy once again.
“Holy crap, Mr. Qin’s strength is off the charts.”
“That wheelchair is wooden; a conservative estimate puts it at fifty or sixty pounds, and Qiu Ci weighs around 120 to 130.”
“Meaning this Mr. Qin lifted nearly two hundred pounds without changing expression.”
“Maximum boyfriend energy right there.”
“You can tell that the muscles underneath Mr. Qin’s clothes… hehe, hehe.”
“That is one hundred percent sexy.”
Lending steadily on the ground, Qiu Ci felt his entire body going numb. He spoke with a slightly mournful tone, “Next time, can you give me a psychological warning first? At least give me a heads-up!”
Heaven knew that the moment he felt himself lifting into the air, he had almost screamed out loud.
Jiu Qing chuckled again. “If I had warned you in advance, wouldn’t you still have been lifted up in the end?”
So what difference did a warning make? Besides, this wasn’t the first time it had happened anyway.
Entering the gates of the medicine clinic, Qiu Ci was lifted once more to clear a high doorsill, revealing that the interior architecture was exceptionally vintage.
Seated in the center of the clinic was a venerable-looking old man with white hair and a white beard, who leisurely stroked his own beard. “Are you here for a consultation? Please take a seat.”
Qiu Ci rolled forward. “No, elder sir, is there any mission here for us?”
The veteran practitioner smiled warmly. “Young man, I can see that your legs and feet are in poor shape, and your complexion looks rather subpar. Whatever you have to say, let’s talk after the consultation.”
Qiu Ci: “……”
Having weak legs was required by the program, and having a bad complexion was the result of stage makeup.
Did this production team actually hire a real traditional Chinese medicine doctor for roleplay?
As the old saying went, since they were already here, they might as well see it through.
Perhaps this was part of the old doctor’s script.
With that thought in mind, Qiu Ci obediently extended his wrist.
After taking his pulse, the veteran practitioner maintained an unconcerned expression. Without asking where Qiu Ci felt uncomfortable, he stated directly, “The young man has been under a lot of stress lately, hasn’t he? Your nerves are rather tightly strung.”
He was referring to Qiu Ci’s actual state, not the character he was portraying.
Qiu Ci offered an awkward, sheepish smile, thinking to himself that his stress would be through the roof too if he had a handsome immortal trying to drag him into dual cultivation every single day.
In the live stream, many of Qiu Ci’s mom-fans and older-sister-fans expressed deep heartache, convinced that the recent controversy over forgetting lines had taken a heavy toll on him.
The veteran practitioner continued, “Overall, the young man’s physical constitution is quite exceptional. Nowadays, it’s rare to find a young person who stays up late and keeps irregular dietary habits yet still manages to maintain a body as healthy as yours.”
Qiu Ci smiled, silently crediting the strange elixirs and unknown fruits Jiu Qing had fed him over the years. When he was little at the orphanage, his health certainly hadn’t been anywhere near this good.
After finishing the pulse diagnosis, the old doctor offered a few words of earnest advice, playing his part with utmost conscientiousness while Qiu Ci listened attentively.
The old man and the youth actually chatted quite harmoniously.
After a short while, the veteran practitioner raised his head again to look at Jiu Qing. “Would this gentleman care to have his pulse checked as well?”
Before Jiu Qing could respond, Qiu Ci jumped in to block the suggestion. “He doesn’t need to. He is… my medicine boy.”
“Oh? A medicine boy?” The old doctor stroked his beard. “Does that mean you are also a physician?”
Finally returning to the main topic, Qiu Ci nodded and spoke with earnest dedication according to his persona. “I spent my youth studying medicine in the mountains and achieved moderate success. Recently, hearing that a plague was ravaging the lands below, I specifically descended the mountain to investigate.”
The elderly doctor wore an exaggerated expression of skepticism. “Oh? Such a youthful physician? When this old man was your age, I was still merely an apprentice.”
“Every word this junior speaks is the truth,” Qiu Ci replied neither servilely nor overbearingly. “Were it not for the raging plague, this humble one would never have chosen to leave the mountains.”
The old doctor nodded in acknowledgment, then added, “In that case, this old man must test you first. If you turn out to be a mere quack, wouldn’t you end up harming the patients?”
Author’s Note:
Yesterday, an elder in the family was hospitalized, so recent update times will be moved to nine o’clock in the evening. Six o’clock in the afternoon was a bit too rushed.
Thank you to all the little cuties for your support and understanding. Leave comments to win red packets!
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