Half an hour later, after Aunt Sun fastened her lapel buttons with a flushed face, she looked at Lin Ning and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Ning Ge'er, you're amazing!"
Lin Ning smiled slightly and modestly, only replying "It's nothing, you flatter me," which made Aunt Sun let out a "pfft" of laughter before she started packing up the silver needles and medicine box.
Little Jiu Niang, however, was overwhelmed with excitement, and looking at Aunt Sun whose face now looked much better, asked, "Aunt Sun, are you really feeling better?"
Aunt Sun nodded repeatedly and said, "That nauseous feeling has dissipated quite a bit, and my head and chest don't hurt as much anymore. Xiao Jiu'er, your brother-in-law has such superb skill, it's incredible! Incredible!"
The moment these words were spoken, the first person to be stunned was Cui'er.
Earlier, when she saw Lin Ning tell Aunt Sun to take off her clothes, and Aunt Sun actually did so, she had already grown somewhat angry.
She had originally thought Lin Ning had some malicious intent, wanting to toy with the sick Aunt Sun—who knew it would actually... work?
How could this be?!
Using her fan-like large hand to scratch vigorously at her mountain-like head, snowflake-like dandruff flew about, and Cui'er's eyes were full of an unsolvable whirlpool of confusion.
Over the past two or three years, she had gone to Ink Bamboo Courtyard almost every day to fetch Little Jiu Niang back, so she saw Lin Ning almost every day.
In other words, she had watched Lin Ning grow up...
What kind of bad seed Lin Ning was, she knew better than anyone, though she was aware she was a bit slow herself.
But no matter what, he couldn't have gained this kind of ability in the blink of an eye, could he?
Little Jiu Niang could worship him simply with stars in her eyes, but Cui'er was considered an adult, so how could she get past this mental hurdle?
Perhaps noticing her inner turmoil, Lin Ning, having packed up his medicine box, glanced at her and said flatly, "Read more books. The books contain the ways of the immortals."
Hearing this, Cui'er's face instantly flushed into an awkward, Yao Ming-like expression.
Asking her to go kill a wild boar in the deep forest of the Back Mountain would be easy; asking her to read books, she might as well eat them...
Suddenly, Cui'er had a moment of realization—why had Lin Ning always been so arrogant before, so disdainful of people who only practiced martial arts without reading? So, was reading really that powerful?
Seeing that Cui'er's gaze toward him had gradually shifted from suspicion and confusion to awe and understanding, Lin Ning felt amused inwardly. He called out to Jiu Niang, who was just then taking candy from Aunt Sun's hand, "Do you want to stay here and chat with Aunt Sun for a while longer?"
Jiu Niang was unwilling—she still wanted to keep enjoying watching the miracles!
After bidding farewell to Aunt Sun, who enthusiastically wanted to keep them and praised Lin Ning endlessly, the group headed to the next household...
……
"Brother-in-law, why are you so happy?"
After leaving the Sun residence, Jiu Niang and Cui'er saw Lin Ning suddenly pause, then let out a chuckle of laughter, and Jiu Niang couldn't help but ask curiously.
Lin Ning couldn't quite hold back his smile, but he couldn't tell Little Jiu Niang that treating Aunt Sun this one time had actually earned him a full three merit points.
Truly, saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda!
Learning to enter the door of a profound-level martial art only cost three merit points.
For a moment, Lin Ning felt the giddy thrill of a poor man suddenly grown rich.
However, after calming down a little, he guessed that the Heavenly Dao's generous gift was probably related to how severe Aunt Sun's illness was.
By now, Lin Ning had somewhat come to understand the rules of the Heavenly Dao—what one received and what one gave were directly proportional, truly fitting the saying "the Heavenly Dao rewards in kind."
Aunt Sun's illness was severe, and saving her earned him three merit points.
As for the other people in the stronghold, they might not all be the same, since most of them had no health problems to begin with.
Even if someone had a headache or an upset stomach, curing it would earn maybe one merit point at best.
Still, having the chance to farm merit points well was already good enough.
Moreover, this was a slow but steady line of work, so he should be content.
Thinking of this, Lin Ning smiled at Little Jiu Niang and said, "Learning from Lei Feng and doing good deeds naturally makes one's heart feel joyful."
Jiu Niang thought this made perfect sense and nodded repeatedly, while Cui'er only grew more bewildered...
Aren't we mountain bandits?
Doing good deeds, happy?
Though her head was full of mush, seeing her cheerful brother-in-law and sister-in-law duo, Cui'er decided not to bother thinking about it too much.
She couldn't figure it out anyway...
……
After a morning of practicing medicine, visiting about ten households, treating six or seven patients, and accumulating six merit points, Lin Ning brought Little Jiu Niang back to Ink Bamboo Courtyard to have lunch with Aunt Chun.
"Ning'er, have you really become a divine doctor?"
Listening to Little Jiu Niang's mouth gushing with praise for her brother-in-law's medical skill, Aunt Chun went from disbelief to gradually growing suspicious.
Lin Ning smiled and said, "Xiao Jiu'er is exaggerating quite a bit. I'm still far from being a divine doctor. I previously read some books my mother left behind, explored on my own for a long time, and also received Grandpa An's teachings, which is how I can handle some simple ailments."
This wasn't entirely modest talk—like Aunt Sun's illness, though severe, it couldn't really be considered a difficult or complicated case. If Doctor An hadn't been so advanced in age and unable to easily perform long-needle treatments, Aunt Sun wouldn't have had to suffer for so long.
As things currently stood, Lin Ning's standard was indeed an ordinary one.
It was just that although he wasn't especially masterful in any one area, he made up for it by being well-rounded—internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics had all reached the realm of Minor Accomplishment, and he was especially precise in grasping common ailments.
Add to that the Medicine King Valley's unique needle technique, the Nine Absolute Needles, which he had reached Minor Accomplishment in and which had a wondrous, fortune-like effect, and Lin Ning's ability to treat ordinary illnesses was elevated considerably, surpassing most doctors of the Jianghu.
Though he spoke modestly, Aunt Chun was still delighted and said, "Even so, that's incredible. You're still so young, and in the future you'll surely catch up to Doctor An... They say having many skills never hurts, and for Ning'er to have this kind of ability, and to even be learning to treat people's illnesses, you've truly become more sensible!" As she spoke, she used her chopsticks to pick up a large piece of braised pork belly and put it into Lin Ning's bowl, saying, "Eat more, quickly, so you'll have the strength to learn more and do more."
As she spoke, she didn't forget to also pick up another piece of braised pork belly and put it into the bowl of Jiu Niang, whose little mouth was already pouting.
Good feelings toward her brother-in-law were one thing, but the braised pork belly couldn't be his alone to enjoy!
After praising Lin Ning for a while longer, Aunt Chun suddenly said, "Tomorrow is Little Jiu's birthday. Ning'er, you mustn't forget. Little Jiu may be young, but she treats you, her brother-in-law, so affectionately!"
Hearing this, Lin Ning was stunned inwardly—he truly didn't "remember" what day tomorrow was.
Glancing at Jiu Niang, who was busy pretending she hadn't heard while her two little ears stood straight up, he laughed and said, "How could I forget that? Even if I forget my own birthday, I couldn't forget Xiao Jiu'er's."
Hearing this, Jiu Niang was overjoyed and could no longer hold back. She raised her face, which was blooming with a smile like an apple flower, and laughed loudly, "I haven't forgotten Elder Sister's, Brother-in-law's, or Aunt Chun's birthdays either! Elder Sister's is on the first day of the first month during Major New Year, Brother-in-law's is on the twenty-third of the twelfth month during Minor New Year, and Aunt Chun's is the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of the eighth month! They're all important days, and I remember them all!"
Seeing how cute she was, Lin Ning felt a playful urge rise in him and exclaimed in mock "alarm," "Aiya, this is bad, I've forgotten which day Little Jiu's birthday is! What do I do? Which day is it, exactly?"
Hearing this, Jiu Niang froze for a moment, furrowing her little brows and staring nervously at Lin Ning, hoping he would quickly remember, until she caught the hint of a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth and realized she'd been teased. She jumped down from her chair in a huff, burrowed into his arms, and started twisting and squirming, "Brother-in-law is fooling me, Brother-in-law is fooling me!"
Aunt Chun said, both amused and exasperated, "Alright, that's enough, you're getting oil everywhere! Careful with the oil! All day long, what little free time I have goes to washing clothes for you two little troublemakers, and you're still being naughty!"
Hearing this, Jiu Niang lowered her head, glanced at the oil stain on Lin Ning's clothes, stuck out her tongue, and quickly climbed down.
She sat back down in her seat with a sweet, ingratiating "hehehe" laugh, and the family warmly finished their lunch.
……
After finishing lunch, Lin Ning and Jiu Niang helped Aunt Chun wash the pots and dishes, rested for a while, and then set off on their afternoon journey of farming merit points.
However, although Qingyun Village was one of the Thirteen Greats of Canglan Mountain, with a population of several hundred—and even over a thousand counting the outer areas—not many people were willing to let Lin Ning check their pulse and treat their illnesses.
Especially once they heard that Lin Ning would, for now, only treat women and children...
Not many people believed him to begin with, so they simply chose not to bother with the trouble of him.
Lin Ning didn't force the matter either. After all, Doctor An was now quite advanced in years and could no longer treat many people, so when the villagers eventually had no other option, the day would come when they'd come knocking on his door of their own accord.
Today he'd farmed a full ten merit points—already an unexpected surprise!
As dusk fell, Lin Ning held the small hand of Jiu Niang, who was riding on Little Gray's back, and together they made their way back to Ink Bamboo Courtyard.
These past few days, Wu Niang hadn't been home, so naturally Jiu Niang couldn't be left to stay home alone, and so she'd come to Ink Bamboo Courtyard to stay with Aunt Chun.
"Brother-in-law, do you think Elder Sister will come back tomorrow?"
Jiu Niang, who had rarely fallen silent for a while, suddenly raised her little face and looked at Lin Ning, asking eagerly.
Hearing this, Lin Ning smiled slightly but didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Xiao Jiu is worried about her elder sister's safety, not whether she'll be back tomorrow, right?"
Jiu Niang nodded silently, her big eyes looking at Lin Ning growing a little moist.
Lin Ning gently stroked the little bun of hair on her head and smiled, saying, "Rest assured. Your elder sister isn't as simple as what you see or think. She's smarter than the vast majority of people in this world, her martial arts is stronger too, and her disposition is more resolute."
These words weren't purely meant to comfort Jiu Niang. Over the past two days, Lin Ning had gone through the memories of his former self, Lin Xiaoning, once more, and had come to feel more and more that this fiancée of his was truly extraordinary.
Not only was her talent for martial arts stunningly brilliant, but even her wit, strategy, and disposition were all top-tier.
After she broke through all seventy-two life-and-death acupoints across her body and became a first-rate expert, she hadn't publicized it for all to know. In the entire Qingyun Village, only the severely wounded Tian Hu and Fang Lin knew.
And after Tian Hu died of his severe wounds, only Fang Lin alone knew.
When Sand Sea Stronghold launched their massive attack, facing a situation where two enemy first-rate experts were besieging Hu Dashan, she had continued to hold back, not revealing her true martial arts, until she found an opportunity to quietly approach Sand Sea Stronghold's Third Leader. Only then did she stop concealing her skill—she struck out with a single sword, tapping seven acupoints in succession, and slew Sand Sea Stronghold's Third Leader, Sun Zhentian, piercing his heart with a single strike.
Sand Sea Stronghold had originally assumed that both the Dragon and the Tiger of Qingyun Village were dead, leaving only a bear behind, and that with their two first-rate experts working together in a siege, they would surely be able to annihilate them in one stroke.
They never expected that Qingyun Village would produce this female Heavenly King, Tian Wuniang, and in the end, their plan failed just short of success.
In Lin Ning's view, the key to that battle was the target Tian Wuniang chose to assassinate and the timing of the assassination—truly a stroke of brilliance beyond words.
Sand Sea Stronghold's Great Chieftain, Yu Pengcheng, was also a first-rate expert, but his martial arts was more than a notch above Sun Zhentian's.
Even among first-rate experts, there could be vast differences.
Opening seventy-two life-and-death acupoints versus opening one hundred and seven life-and-death acupoints—that was a difference between clouds and mud.
Tian Wuniang could catch Sun Zhentian off guard and slay him with a single sword strike, but she might not necessarily be able to do the same to Yu Pengcheng. If she'd chosen the wrong target, and the battle had fallen into a stalemate, then even if she'd ultimately won, it would only have been a pyrrhic victory.
Choosing Sun Zhentian over the enemy's Dragon Head, the Great Chieftain—this kind of judgment revealed her disposition.
And Tian Wuniang had been able to watch the stronghold under attack, watching many of the stronghold's people get wounded or even die, all just to seize the right moment...
This kind of forbearance and willpower was something the vast majority of men could hardly possess.
But it had produced a remarkable effect.
The moment Sun Zhentian died, the situation between Sand Sea Stronghold and Qingyun Village instantly flipped, with the two first-rate experts now besieging Yu Pengcheng alone.
Though Yu Pengcheng was enraged to the point of madness, in his shock, he didn't dare take on two opponents at once—especially with a completely unfamiliar female Heavenly King whose strikes were even fiercer than Hu Dashan's.
Yu Pengcheng couldn't even spare a thought for Sand Sea Stronghold's elite Yellow Sand Army, and fled alone in haste, causing Sand Sea Stronghold heavy losses, while Qingyun Village won a great victory.
This battle not only settled the chaos in Qingyun Village after the deaths of both the Dragon and the Tiger, but also firmly established Tian Wuniang's prestige as the village's number one leader—no one dared question it anymore.
From this, one could see the depth of Tian Wuniang's disposition and the breadth of her wit and strategy.
After Lin Ning embellished and dramatized this matter in the style of a legendary story script and told it to Jiu Niang, he saw Jiu Niang's little face looking at him with a strange expression.
Though he couldn't see behind him, he could still sense Cui'er's ox-like eyes staring at him with astonishment.
But thinking about it, it made sense—the former Lin Xiaoning's feelings toward Tian Wuniang could no longer simply be described as dislike; it was clearly deep loathing and bitter resentment.
Who could have guessed that now, he would end up describing her in such a manner...
Though he didn't say it outright, the admiration in his tone was impossible to hide.
Little Jiu Niang, riding on Little Gray's back, no longer looked dejected at all, and even started winking mischievously at Lin Ning, "Brother-in-law, you've finally seen how good my elder sister is? Keep it up, keep it up! Elder Sister said you two will get married next year, and we'll finally all be able to live together!"
……
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