“And as for this prescription…”
Su Jiuyue tapped the tattered page with her fingertip, a playful smile curling at her lips.
“This is the formula for Bone-Penetrating Wind-Expelling Decoction, isn’t it? It’s used to treat cold-dampness that has invaded the bones and caused necrosis of the meridians.”
Qin Guohua, who had been casually listening just moments ago, shot upright as if he’d seen a ghost. Even when his reading glasses slipped crookedly down his nose, he forgot to straighten them.
“Y-You… how do you know that?”
Ignoring his shock, Su Jiuyue casually picked up the fountain pen on the table and swiftly wrote several additions to the prescription.
“It’s missing a guiding herb. This formula works on the lower burner, so you need Achyranthes root to guide the blood downward, plus three qian of Clematis root to unblock the meridians and relieve pain.”
Her pen suddenly paused.
Then she drew a bold line through one ingredient.
“But… this aconite is the wrong choice. If the goal is to restore devastated yang energy, aconite certainly works—but it’s far too drying. After taking this medicine, didn’t the patient’s leg pain improve, only for him to start suffering from night sweats and a red tongue coating?”
Qin Guohua’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The teacup in his trembling hands shook so violently that water spilled all over his pants, yet he didn’t even notice.
“Amazing! Simply incredible! That’s exactly what happened! The old commander started having night sweats after taking the medicine. I’ve been troubled over it for half a month!”
He snatched the completed prescription from Su Jiuyue as though it were priceless treasure.
“Brilliant! Replacing aconite with cinnamon twig—while its yang-warming effect is slightly weaker, it opens the yang and transforms qi while eliminating the excessive dryness. And pairing it with Clematis…”
He slapped the paper excitedly.
“That’s the finishing touch! Absolutely brilliant!”
Beside him, Zhao Man stood frozen, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
She wanted to insist it was just a lucky guess.
But seeing Old Master Qin’s almost fanatical excitement, the words simply wouldn’t come out.
That slap to her pride…
Really hurt.
Su Jiuyue capped the fountain pen with a crisp click.
She lifted her eyes, looking past Zhao Man and straight at Qin Guohua.
Then she suddenly asked an unrelated question.
“Old Master Qin… your lower back starts hurting every day at exactly three in the afternoon, doesn’t it?”
Still absorbed in studying the prescription, Qin Guohua abruptly looked up.
“You… you can even diagnose my illness?”
“Not only does it hurt, but it’s accompanied by tinnitus. Every time the pain flares up, your lower back feels freezing cold down to the bone. Even a hot-water bottle can’t warm it.”
Her tone remained calm, yet every word struck like a nail.
Zhao Man could no longer contain herself.
“What nonsense are you talking about? My teacher is in excellent health! I personally handle all of his annual medical reports. He’s never had anything like that! Stop pretending to be some miracle doctor!”
Su Jiuyue merely smiled.
“Whether I’m pretending or not… why don’t we find out?”
She turned to Huo Zhixing.
“Mind if I borrow your place for a moment?”
Huo Zhixing gazed at her deeply.
There was curiosity in his eyes.
And unmistakable pride.
He raised his chin slightly in silent approval.
This is my territory—but today, you make the rules.
Without another word, Su Jiuyue extended her hand toward Qin Guohua.
“Old Master Qin, did you bring acupuncture needles? May I borrow them?”
Completely convinced by now, Qin Guohua immediately handed over his portable needle case without hesitation.
Su Jiuyue withdrew a three-inch silver needle.
With a flick of her fingertip against the handle—
Bzzz—
The needle vibrated gently, emitting a faint humming sound.
The lazy, relaxed air around her vanished instantly.
In its place was an almost frightening focus.
At that moment…
She was no longer the delicate young bride.
She had become a master physician who held life and death in her hands.
“Lie face down.
Expose your lower back.”
Qin Guohua obeyed instinctively.
The needle flashed.
No unnecessary flourishes.
Fast.
Precise.
Ruthless.
First needle—
Mingmen.
Second—
Shenshu.
Third—
Zhishi.
The three needles entered at different depths.
Holding the needle handles, Su Jiuyue began rotating them with an incredibly mysterious rhythm.
The air around the needles seemed to shimmer.
“W-What…”
Unable to see his back, Qin Guohua nevertheless felt it clearly.
A stream of warmth flowed into his body through the needle tips.
The icy, bone-piercing pain that had tormented him for years melted away like snow beneath the blazing sun.
This wasn’t warmth on the skin.
It came from deep inside his bones.
“Burning Mountain Fire?!”
Qin Guohua cried out in shock and instinctively tried to turn around.
Su Jiuyue immediately pressed him back down.
“Don’t move.
The qi hasn’t finished circulating.”
This time Zhao Man fell completely silent.
Her face turned deathly pale.
As a practitioner herself, she knew exactly what she was witnessing.
Burning Mountain Fire!
A legendary acupuncture manipulation long believed lost.
Even her teacher—who had devoted his entire life to Chinese medicine—had only grasped a fraction of its essence.
He had never reached the realm where the needle enters, qi arrives, and warmth surges through the body.
This village girl…
What kind of monster was she?
This was like a max-level expert walking into the beginner’s zone and effortlessly wiping everyone out.
Fifteen minutes later, Su Jiuyue removed the needles.
Qin Guohua sat up and cautiously twisted his waist.
His face lit up with wild joy.
Ignoring all dignity, he bent and stretched several more times.
The nagging ache that had haunted him for years…
Was completely gone.
“M-My girl… no… Doctor Su!”
So excited that he could barely speak, Qin Guohua straightened his clothes—
Then actually prepared to bow to her.
“The accomplished are worthy of being teachers! I admit defeat before your Burning Mountain Fire technique! May I ask who your master is? I… I’d like to study under you… or at least exchange medical knowledge with you!”
If word of this got out…
The entire military district would be thrown into chaos.
A grandmaster of traditional Chinese medicine…
Wanting to become the disciple of a village girl barely in her twenties?
Zhao Man wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground and disappear.
Every sarcastic remark she’d made earlier had come back like a boomerang.
And slapped her squarely across the face.
Just as Su Jiuyue was about to answer—
A tall figure suddenly stepped between them like an immovable mountain.
Huo Zhixing stood in front of her expressionlessly, looking at Qin Guohua.
“Old Master Qin.
That’s going a bit too far.
Are you trying to put her on the spot?”
Then he glanced back at Su Jiuyue.
His tone was overbearing and utterly unreasonable.
“Besides, even if you did that… who would believe it?”
What a joke.
If those old men found out just how capable his wife was…
Would his home ever know another peaceful day?
Qin Guohua choked on his words.
Seeing Huo Zhixing’s fiercely protective attitude, he finally realized his own mistake.
He sighed softly.
Looking at Su Jiuyue, now half-hidden behind Huo Zhixing, he lowered his voice.
“My girl… your acupuncture technique…”
“…it’s almost identical to that of the miracle physicians from the Ghost Doctor, which disappeared more than twenty years ago.”
Su Jiuyue’s heart skipped a beat.
Outwardly, however, she looked completely innocent.
“Old Master Qin, what’s this ‘Ghost Doctor’? I’ve never heard of it. I only learned these techniques from a wandering doctor when I was little. Could he have belonged to some sect?”
Seeing her genuinely puzzled expression, Qin Guohua believed her.
After all, she was only twenty.
She shouldn’t have any connection to the old grudges from back then.
He asked no further questions.
Instead, he took out a gleaming set of silver needles from his bag and handed them to her.
“I’ve kept this set for forty years.
Take it as my wedding gift to you.
A treasured sword belongs in a hero’s hand.
Leaving these with an old man whose eyesight is failing would only waste them.”
Su Jiuyue wanted to decline.
But Huo Zhixing spoke first.
“When an elder gives you a gift, you don’t refuse it.
Take it.”
After Qin Guohua and the thoroughly humiliated Zhao Man finally left, silence returned to the living room.
Once the door closed, Su Jiuyue looked down at the silver needles in her hands.
Cold sweat quietly dampened her palms.
Had she acted too impulsively just now?
The mention of the Ghost Doctor reminded her of the terrified face of the original Su Jiuyue’s mother before she died…
And the warning she had repeated over and over.
“Jiuyue… promise Mother.”
“Unless you have absolutely no other choice…”
“Never reveal that acupuncture technique in front of outsiders.”
“Unless…”
“You’ve met the person who can protect you for the rest of your life.”
Still lost in those unsettling memories, she suddenly found herself enveloped by a tall shadow.
Step by step…
Huo Zhixing approached until she was trapped between the sofa and his broad chest.
“What are you thinking about?”
“So lost in thought?”
He leaned down.
His gaze settled on the conspicuous button at her collarbone.
His voice was low and husky, carrying a dangerous hint of amusement.
“Mrs. Huo…”
“Wearing my clothes around everywhere…”
“Are you hinting that…”
“…it’s time for me to collect a little interest?”
Bonus Scene: The Proper Way to “Collect Interest”
Scene: After seeing Old Master Qin off, the study door clicks shut behind them.
Supporting himself against the door with one hand, Huo Zhixing looms over Su Jiuyue, his tall frame completely enclosing her. The usually icy look in his eyes now burns with restrained heat.
Huo Zhixing gently brushes her flushed earlobe with his thumb.
“You looked pretty impressive just now, didn’t you? Talking about Burning Mountain Fire and the Ghost Doctor without batting an eye.”
He smiles faintly.
“So why are your hands shaking now that you’re standing in front of me?”
Su Jiuyue presses her back against the door, her voice soft and trembling.
“I was treating a patient… Commander Huo… don’t stand so close. It’s… it’s too hot.”
Huo Zhixing lets out a low chuckle before burying his nose against her neck, inhaling the calming fragrance that always surrounds her.
“Too hot?”
“Perfect.”
“I’m feeling pretty restless myself.”
“You borrowed my name to intimidate people earlier.”
“Shouldn’t we settle the account now?”
Su Jiuyue hurriedly reaches into her pocket.
“I have money… I’ll split the consultation fee with you…”
Huo Zhixing catches her small hand and presses it lightly against his moving Adam’s apple.
His voice grows hoarse.
“Darling…”
“I’m not short on money.”
“My insomnia is acting up again.”
“What I need…”
“…is a human pillow to coax me to sleep.”
“Since you’re such a miracle doctor…”
“You’ll have to take responsibility for curing this heart ailment tonight.”
Su Jiuyue blinks.
“…Just sleeping?”
Huo Zhixing lightly nips the corner of her lips, his words muffled by the closeness.
“That depends…”
“…on whether your medicine works well enough to keep me on my best behavior.”
“Now be good…”
“Open your mouth…”