Entering the room.
Ye Qiu saw an old-fashioned rosewood bed against the wall, an elderly man lying on it, his face ashen, eyes tightly shut.
Old Master Qian!
One glance, and Ye Qiu could tell Old Master Qian was in critical condition.
Then.
His gaze swept the room, spotting two elderly men in their sixties or seventies standing by the bedside.
The one on the left wore a black robe, his face lean. The one on the right wore a gray long shirt, slightly plump.
As Ye Qiu stepped in, both men’s eyes fixed on him.
Li Chunfeng’s heart jolted. This is Ye Qiu?
No way!
At that moment, Qian Jinglan hurried to the bed, tears streaming down as she looked at the unconscious Old Master Qian.
“Dad, I’m back.”
She knelt, kowtowing three times to the comatose old man, then stood, clutching his frail, bony hand, choking out, “Dad, I’m sorry I came back so late.”
“I’ll never leave you again.”
“Dad, please wake up soon…”
Seeing this, Qian Bowen and Qian Weidong turned away, wiping tears.
“Old Zhang, this is Ye Qiu?” Nie Xue Liang asked Zhang Jiuling, eyeing Ye Qiu.
Zhang Jiuling nodded, introducing them to Ye Qiu, “Little Ye, let me introduce these two old fellows.”
“Pharmacology master Li Chunfeng.”
“Orthopedic master Nie Xue Liang.”
Even without the introduction, Ye Qiu had guessed their identities.
“Junior Ye Qiu greets the two seniors. Hello!”
Ye Qiu politely saluted, bowing slightly to both.
Li Chunfeng said, “Little Ye, we’re colleagues. No need for such formality.”
“Senior Li, you’re mistaken,” Ye Qiu said earnestly, “You’re not just my seniors, but revered national medical sages. For decades, you’ve saved countless lives. As a junior meeting you for the first time, I should bow—it’s only right.”
A glint flashed in Li Chunfeng’s eyes. This kid’s medical skills are exceptional, he’s polite, humble—a rare talent!
Nie Xue Liang laughed, “Little Ye, you don’t know how often Old Zhang raves about you in my ear. I’m tired of hearing it, but I’m thrilled to meet you here today.”
“Meeting three seniors here delights me too,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.
Li Chunfeng suddenly said, “Ye Qiu, I’ve seen you before.”
“Oh?” Ye Qiu had no recollection, asking, “Where did Senior Li see me?”
“On the highway.”
Li Chunfeng explained, “When Professor Qian sent for me to come to Su Hang, we passed a car accident. A truck driver was badly hurt. I was about to help, but when I pushed through the crowd, a young man was already treating him.”
“That was you, right?”
Ye Qiu remembered—on his way back from Dalong Mountain to Jiangzhou, he’d saved a truck driver. What a coincidence that Li Chunfeng had been there.
“Yes, that was me.”
He added apologetically, “Sorry, Senior Li. I was focused on saving him and didn’t know you were there, or I’d have greeted you.”
“No need to apologize. I only stayed a moment before leaving,” Li Chunfeng said kindly, “Little Ye, watching you treat that driver, I saw your medical talent. Would you like to study pharmacology with me?”
What’s this?
Trying to take me as a disciple?
Ye Qiu was taken aback.
Li Chunfeng continued, “The Li family has practiced medicine for generations, excelling in pharmacology, producing many famed doctors. My ancestor Li Shizhen is a legendary sage of medicine.”
“Little Ye, if you’d learn from me, I’d teach you everything I know.”
“And…”
“And me,” Nie Xue Liang jumped in, “I’m an orthopedic expert. Little Ye, if you’d study with me, I’d pass on all my skills.”
“Old Nie, no offense, but your skills can’t teach Ye Qiu,” Li Chunfeng said, “You know, that day he used the Heaven-Mending Hand to set that driver’s bones.”
“You know what the Heaven-Mending Hand means, right?”
“Tell me, can you do it?”
Nie Xue Liang froze, incredulous, “Little Ye, you know the Heaven-Mending Hand?”
Ye Qiu nodded, “A bit. I’ve only mastered eighteen of the moves, not all of it.”
Nie Xue Liang’s eyes nearly popped out.
The Heaven-Mending Hand, an unmatched bone-setting technique with thirty-six moves, long lost to time.
He couldn’t do a single one, yet Ye Qiu had half of it down.
After the shock, Nie Xue Liang felt a pang of regret.
“Finally meet a medical genius, and I can’t take him as a disciple. What a pity!”
Li Chunfeng smiled, “Little Ye, what do you think?”
I haven’t thought about it at all.
Ye Qiu felt torn, unsure how to decline Li Chunfeng, when Zhang Jiuling spoke up.
“Old Li, now’s not the time for this. Let Ye Qiu check on Old Qian first!”
“We got caught up introducing you and forgot to mention—Ye Qiu’s Old Qian’s grandson.”
Oh?
Li Chunfeng and Nie Xue Liang were surprised.
“Mom, step aside. I’ll check on Grandpa,” Ye Qiu gently pulled Qian Jinglan away.
Wiping her tears, Qian Jinglan said, “Qiu’er, you have to save your grandpa.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll do my best.”
Ye Qiu gave her a reassuring look, then sat by the bed, taking Old Master Qian’s pulse.
As he did, Zhang Jiuling said, “Old Qian’s pulse is faint, coming and going. Very odd.”
Nie Xue Liang added, “The strangest part is, even with the three of us examining him together, we couldn’t find the cause.”
Li Chunfeng said, “No external injuries, no signs of poisoning, yet his vital signs keep fading. It’s the first time I’ve seen anything this bizarre.”
Three minutes later.
Ye Qiu released Old Master Qian’s pulse.
He stood, bending to inspect the old man’s tongue, pupils, and other areas.
Still no cause.
As the three medical sages said, no poisoning, no injuries—just vital signs slipping away.
Ye Qiu frowned slightly, quietly activating his Heavenly Eye. In the next second, he saw a mass of black deathly aura gathered at Old Master Qian’s brow.
Beyond that, his skin was covered in black, curse-like patterns, interwoven densely, radiating an evil presence.
Ye Qiu’s heart jolted.
“It’s a curse!”
