"Shut your mouth! This is the Divine Doctor our Li Family went to great lengths to invite. He's a renowned physician with a prestigious reputation throughout all of Nanjiang Province. He's saved countless lives and has the benevolent heart of a true healer. Who are you to question him? A brat with a buzz cut who crawled out of who-knows-what corner. You're utterly clueless!"
Li Xue also added resentfully, "This is the Li Family home! You're a stranger, yet you just waltzed upstairs in someone else's house. Have you no upbringing at all?!"
Even Li Xue's naturally soft and sweet voice couldn't mask the hostility in her words. She was furious.
'This Mu Lin... he's so uncivilized. I wonder what his parents taught him. Or maybe the whole family is just like that.'
Li Yinhe looked at Li Xue and gestured with his chin. "Take him outside. Have someone watch him. Don't let him come back up and disturb the Divine Doctor."
Just as Li Xue was about to agree, the Divine Doctor beside them raised a hand. "Never mind. I'm not so narrow-minded. If he wants to watch and try to learn my techniques, then let him. It's not as if this is some secret art."
He shot Mu Lin a smug glance before turning back to the unconscious man on the bed. "A healer must be benevolent. It's best he sees how I bring Elder Li back. Perhaps it will keep him from being so rash and arrogant in the future and interfering with other doctors' work."
His words were layered with condescension, all but grinding Mu Lin's face into the floor.
Li Yinhe shot Mu Lin several venomous glares, then turned back and said politely to the Divine Doctor, "Then we'll have to trouble you to continue the treatment, Divine Doctor. The rest of you had better stay quiet. Otherwise, I'll make him wish he'd never been born."
The Divine Doctor nodded. He picked up another, even more slender silver needle and began to methodically probe different acupoints.
Mu Lin fought the urge to stop him several times but ultimately held his tongue. 'This man might have some skill, but this Acupuncture Technique isn't right for the current symptoms.'
'Those first few needles, combined with these new ones... even if Elder Li wakes up, his Qi and Blood will be far weaker than before. His constitution will be in tatters.'
'Fortunately, I still have a way to fix this.'
Half an hour later, the Divine Doctor put away his needles. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, composed himself, and said with a light chuckle, "There. Elder Li will wake up on his own in a few hours. Prepare some congee with red dates. He'll still be very weak, so feed him a little when he wakes."
Li Yinhe was so excited he was nearly incoherent. "That's... that's wonderful! Thank you for saving him, Divine Doctor!"
Just then, Mu Lin's fingertips twitched. An extremely fine, short Golden Needle flew into the side of Elder Li's calf and vanished without a trace.
The Divine Doctor shot Mu Lin a sardonic look. "It's my duty. As long as Elder Li wakes up, all is well. But young man, you should learn not to make thoughtless comments about things you don't understand."
The patient on the bed stirred, his eyelids fluttering before slowly opening. Without the slightest trace of weakness, he asked,
"What... happened to me?"
Li Yinhe and the others were both overjoyed and stunned.
"Dad!"
"Grandpa!"
The Divine Doctor was stupefied.
'How... how is this possible? How could he wake up so quickly?'
Mu Lin watched the old man on the bed and smiled faintly.
Li Xue exclaimed excitedly, "The Divine Doctor truly lives up to his name! You're a miracle worker!"
Although the so-called Divine Doctor was still a bit dazed, he wasn't about to expose something that brought him so much credit. He could only stroke his white beard and feign composure.
"It seems Elder Li's constitution is much better than I initially assessed. That must be why he recovered so quickly."
Li Yinhe rushed to his father's side. "Dad, how are you feeling? You gave us the scare of our lives."
Elder Li looked at the people gathered around him and gestured for Li Yinhe to help him sit up. With a perceptive touch, Li Yinhe's wife quickly placed a soft pillow behind his back.
"I feel much better than I did before I collapsed. I have the Divine Doctor to thank for that. Otherwise, these old bones would have been paying a visit to King Yama."
"You're too kind, Elder Li. As long as I'm here, I would never let such a thing happen."
While speaking, Elder Li's gaze fell on the unfamiliar face of Mu Lin. "And who might this young friend be?"
Li Xue jumped in, her voice dripping with disdain. "Grandpa, that's the guy. He says his name is Mu Lin. He just showed up at our door holding half of a jade pendant."
Elder Li's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement as he stared at Mu Lin. He was so worked up he couldn't catch his breath and broke into a fit of violent coughing. He took two sips of warm water from his daughter-in-law, calmed down, and then asked urgently,
"Young man, your... your master... is he well?"
Mu Lin nodded. "He is very well. He asked me to deliver this letter to you."
With that, Mu Lin took a thin book from his travel bag. He removed an envelope from within the book and presented it to the old man with both hands.
Elder Li clutched the envelope, his hands trembling with emotion. He said "good" three times in a row. "Good! Excellent! Good!"
Suddenly, he announced, "Young Mu Lin, tomorrow you and Li Xue will go register your marriage. The wedding will be held within two weeks—no, within one week."
"Dad, what are you talking about?"
"Grandpa, have you lost your mind?!"
After questioning his father, Li Yinhe heard Li Xue's outburst and turned to rebuke her sharply. "Li Xue!"
Elder Li slammed his hand on the bedside cabinet. "What? You think I'm old and useless now? That my words carry no weight?"
Li Yinhe's face flushed, then paled. "Dad, of course not. It's just... isn't this decision a bit too... besides, this boy... they aren't a suitable match."
Elder Li let out a heavy snort at Li Yinhe and ignored him, turning instead to Li Xue. "Xue'Er, are you going to disobey your grandpa too?"
Li Xue was completely against it and desperately wanted to refuse. 'But,' she thought, 'Grandpa only just woke up. What if I break his heart and he collapses again?'
She could only remain silent.
Mu Lin, standing to the side, showed little emotion, but inside, his mind was reeling.
'I thought Elder Li would be just like the rest of the Li Family—that he'd look down on me with disgust, thinking I was some toad lusting after a swan, trying to worm my way into a connection with them. I never imagined the outcome would be Elder Li himself rushing to marry off his precious granddaughter to me.'
He couldn't help but size up Li Xue. 'She's in her early twenties, with a delicate yet curvy figure and exquisite features that could be either sweet or commanding. She radiates an aura of wealth... Hmm, marrying her wouldn't be so bad.'
'As for her temper... it's not unbearable. I can always tame her later.'
Li Xue glared at Mu Lin, feeling wronged. 'That disgusting pervert! Where is he looking with those lecherous eyes? I really want to have him thrown out.'
If Mu Lin knew what she was thinking, he would have cried foul.
'Still,' Mu Lin thought, 'that glare of hers... it really does make your heart flutter.' He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
"Then it's settled. I'll have the driver take you to register the marriage tomorrow at eight in the morning." Elder Li had made his final decision. After resting for a moment, he wanted to get out of bed for a walk.
Elder Li lifted his legs, swung them over the side of the bed, and stood up.
However, this series of movements dislodged the Golden Needle Mu Lin had secretly embedded in his calf, shifting it away from the acupoint.
Suddenly, the color drained from Elder Li's face. His body went limp, and he began to collapse uncontrollably. Beads of sweat the size of peas broke out on his forehead, streaming down like rain.
"Grandpa!"
"Dad."
It all happened so suddenly.
Li Yinhe scrambled to catch Elder Li, shouting frantically as he helped him back onto the bed, "Divine Doctor! Quick, see what's wrong with my father!"
Elder Li's face was now a deathly, bloodless white, completely different from before.
The Divine Doctor rushed forward to take his pulse. After checking it repeatedly, he stammered in confused panic, "E-Elder Li's Qi and Blood... how could it be in such chaos? This..."
This second sudden turn of events was something the so-called Divine Doctor had not anticipated at all.
He quickly opened his case of silver needles again, forcing himself to calm down as he steadily began applying them to Elder Li. This time, however, no matter what he tried, the pained expression on Elder Li's face didn't change in the slightest.
Suddenly, Elder Li coughed up a large, uncontrolled mouthful of blood, splattering it all over the Divine Doctor's right hand as he worked.
"Dad!"
"Grandpa!"
Everyone panicked—everyone except Mu Lin.
If they weren't still relying on the Divine Doctor, Li Xian, the family's head, would have already been demanding answers.
The Divine Doctor's eyes darted about in a panic, and large beads of cold sweat dripped from his brow. His hands moved in a flurry of remedial actions, but the old man's condition made it clear that it was all for naught.
Elder Li's body suddenly began to convulse violently again. His legs shot out, stiff as a board, as if he were having an epileptic seizure.
The Divine Doctor stopped, his hands frozen in mid-air. As if all hope was lost, he announced,
"I... I am powerless to help. I'm... I'm sorry." 'After today,' he thought, 'my lifelong reputation will be in ruins.'