Heavenly Physician

After seeing off Huang Jingji, who thanked them a thousand times over, Lianshan Xin returned to the clinic and asked of his own accord, "Father, you said all that to Huang Jingji on purpose, didn't you?"

"What?"

"The cultivation method, the pills, and your treatments-Huang Jingji can't get around me for any of them. With those, I can keep him completely under my control."

Lianshan Jingcheng shook his head. "Everything I said was a course of treatment from a physician's perspective. You're overthinking it."

Lianshan Xin smiled. "Father, refusing to admit it isn't a good habit."

The prickly-but-secretly-caring act was already out of meta.

People who never opened their mouths had to swallow their grievances themselves.

Fortunately, Lianshan Xin could see the finest autumn hair.

"Father, have you been holding back your best medical skills instead of teaching them to me?" Lianshan Xin changed the subject.

He could tell that, even with his cheat this time, his medical skills had only tied with Lianshan Jingcheng's.

What he did not know was that he had lost even with his cheat.

Before he activated his see-through vision, Lianshan Jingcheng had already noticed something wrong with Huang Jingji.

The "wonderful news" he had whispered about privately with He Miaojun was precisely that Huang Jingji was infertile, yet had children and grandchildren filling his house.

It was simply too difficult to tell the person concerned something like that.

Although Lianshan Jingcheng had seen through everything, he was not Lianshan Xin. He had chosen to treat silence as golden.

Lianshan Xin's accusation made Lianshan Jingcheng laugh in anger. "How many times have I taught you medicine since you were little? Have you ever taken it seriously? You only cared about Corpse-Dissolving Water, making poisons, and poisoning people. You never bothered learning the proper medicine I taught you."

Lianshan Xin argued, "Father, my time is limited. I have to practice martial arts and study. If I learn medicine too, I really can't split myself into enough people to manage it all. I can only pick and choose what I learn."

His cheat gave him see-through vision, not clones. He really did not have enough time.

"Deep down, you just think medicine isn't important," Lianshan Jingcheng grumbled.

Lianshan Xin did not deny it.

"A lesser physician heals illness; a great physician heals a nation. Xin, you underestimate medicine."

Lianshan Jingcheng worked hard to restore his paternal authority, even invoking an outsider to elevate his profession. "You should know that even among the nine Great Grandmasters of the Nine Heavens you just joined, one is called the Heavenly Physician. Whether at court or beyond it, his standing is every bit as high as the Heavenly Sword's."

Lianshan Xin shook his head. "The Heavenly Physician is a recluse within the Nine Heavens. Apart from His Majesty, even ordinary members of the imperial family might not be able to summon him. He devotes himself entirely to studying medicine. Impressive, certainly, but I can't follow that sort of person's example."

Naturally, Lianshan Xin knew the Heavenly Physician's reputation. After all, he was Lianshan Jingcheng's idol, as well as a towering monument in the hearts of physicians across the world.

For someone studying medicine, reaching the Heavenly Physician's level meant their life had not been lived in vain.

Rumor in the martial world had it that the Crown Prince and his mother had once waited outside the Heavenly Physician's door for an entire snowy day. The Crown Prince had even knelt at one point, but the Heavenly Physician had never opened his door.

He had merely sent someone to relay a message: "Without a Millennium Snow Lotus, the Crown Prince's frailty is beyond human power to remedy."

Even after that, the Crown Prince and his mother had not dared retaliate in the slightest. They had even had to thank him.

Because the Heavenly Physician had saved the emperor's life.

Twice.

That alone guaranteed the Heavenly Physician's unshakable position in Great Yu.

However, the Heavenly Physician rarely appeared in public and never took part in struggles for power or conflicts in the martial world. Most of the time, one could almost feel as though this Great Grandmaster did not exist.

The Nine Heavens contained a tangled web of factions. Even if Lianshan Xin did not know all the inside details, that much was something he could figure out with his backside.

And with a reclusive master like that heading the Heavenly Physician's faction, Lianshan Xin would never join it, no matter how strong it was.

"The Heavenly Physician saved His Majesty's life twice, so he has earned the right to be a reclusive master. I don't have that seniority or those achievements. I'd ruin myself trying to imitate him. Dad, you picked a completely inappropriate example."

"Rotten wood cannot be carved." Lianshan Jingcheng was furious. "Get yourself to the academy."

Even invoking his idol had failed to make his son show the slightest respect or admiration. Lianshan Jingcheng could not accept that.

Lianshan Xin could not help laughing.

His father was acting rather like a celebrity fan.

"All right, all right, the Heavenly Physician is amazing. But with a track record like his, I couldn't copy him even if I wanted to."

Where was he supposed to find two chances to save the emperor's life?

"Unless you're the Heavenly Physician, Father. Then I really could just lie back and take it easy. I certainly wouldn't force myself to suffer when I didn't have to."

Everything Lianshan Xin said came straight from the bottom of his heart.

And so his gaze was utterly sincere.

Lianshan Jingcheng smiled at Lianshan Xin. "What are you hoping for?"

Lianshan Xin said, "..."

I knew those 'I only discovered my family was rich after growing up' plots were all science fiction.

After eighteen years together, day in and day out, even Lianshan Xin's powers of observation had failed to uncover any sign that his family was rich.

That probably meant they really were broke.

Abandoning his fantasies completely, Lianshan Xin tilted his head skyward and heaved a long sigh.

Then, brimming with energy again, he walked out through the doors of Spring Revival Hall.

If his parents were not working hard enough, he would have to throw himself into the grind.

Watching Lianshan Xin recover his fighting spirit, Lianshan Jingcheng shook his head helplessly.

"Why has Xin become so suspicious of everything since joining the Nine Heavens?"

He Miaojun came out from the back room and handed Lianshan Jingcheng a pastry.

As she ate, she grumbled, "I said he shouldn't casually join an organization like the Nine Heavens. Everyone says their people suspect absolutely everyone. I used to think it was just a rumor, but now it seems to be true."

Lianshan Jingcheng replied helplessly, "It really might be an occupational hazard. First he suspected you of being the Demon Cult's leader, and just now he was probing my medical skills... My medical skills have always been quite good. Xin has already settled right into the Nine Heavens' atmosphere, starting by investigating his family. Those rumors about the Nine Heavens in the martial world now seem not merely true, but understated."

The Nine Heavens had a poor reputation both at court and beyond it.

Now, He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng's prejudices had only deepened.

"My dear, do we usually put a lot of pressure on Xin?" Lianshan Jingcheng scratched his head.

He did not feel he had ever expected his son to become a dragon.

He Miaojun shook her head. "Before, Xin wasn't good at martial arts, and his studies were only average. We never criticized him or put any pressure on him."

"Then where did all this ambition come from?" Lianshan Jingcheng could not understand it.

He Miaojun fell silent for a moment, then said guiltily, "It must be because of my health."

"But you're already much better now, my dear."

"The hidden danger of the Millennium Snow Lotus has already manifested in Xin. This is the price of curing me. Husband, I'm the one who harmed him."

Lianshan Jingcheng immediately said, "Don't worry, my dear. As far as I can see, Xin is taking it as sweet as honey. Beyond his devotion to you, I think he's unwilling to settle for a quiet life in his very bones. We... should do our best to shield him on his journey."

"That's all we can do. It's a pity there's so little we can help him with."

"We'll do what we can."

The two reached an understanding.

Meanwhile, Lianshan Xin received word that Qi Shiyun was in the midst of a breakthrough.

He promptly shuddered.

Oh no. The secret was about to come to light.