Fever

"Uncle-Master, is it really necessary?"

Su Ziyang looked at Xuhui's constipated expression and made a comment.

"Do you know the saying, 'A dog's belly can't hold two ounces of sesame oil'?" Xuhui said, touching the old book on the table, making a completely unrelated remark.

"I know that phrase, but it seems a bit out of place with what we're saying."

While complaining, Su Ziyang also wanted to take a look at the books in Xuhui's bag.

Xuhui grabbed a handful of books from the table. "What do you do when you can't take your eyes off them?"

Holy crap... is it really that serious?

Su Ziyang blurted out a curse word without thinking.

"What do you know?" Xuhui wrapped the ancient books tightly in the bundle again, then put the bundle into his bedroom.

After putting the books away, Xuhui patted Su Ziyang on the shoulder. "I'm the kind of person who gets itchy if I don't use what I've learned. My father-in-law knows this about me, that's why he said that to me! Because he knows that if I learn something, I'll definitely use it. I can't possibly keep it to myself!"

After hearing what Xuhui said, Su Ziyang finally understood why Xuhui had said that a dog's belly couldn't hold two ounces of sesame oil; he was actually making fun of himself.

"Uncle-Master, do you think you're being petty?"

Su Ziyang's statement was somewhat off-topic, which surprised Xuhui.

Don't you think you're being petty?

Su Ziyang looked at Xuhui's expression and repeated himself.

Xuhui frowned and looked at Su Ziyang: "Where am I being stingy?"

"I just wanted to look at your book, but you wouldn't let me look at it. What else is that but being stingy!"

"I thought you meant I was short of food and drink for you. You scared me." Xuhui's expression relaxed considerably.

"No, not really. It's just that they won't even let me read a book, how stingy." Su Ziyang said this with a rather arrogant tone.

"Ziyang, let me ask you. Who do you think is the person who lies between life and death, between living and dead?"

Xuhui suddenly became serious.

"Are you a doctor?"

Su Ziyang wasn't quite sure, and said something hesitantly.

"Yes, it's a doctor. Doctors save lives; they pull people back from the brink of death. So the medical profession is very special."

Su Ziyang had never seen Xuhui smoke before, but when he got to this point, Xuhui suddenly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and lit it.

Xuhui continued, exhaling a puff of smoke, "The profession of mage is even more unique than that of doctor. The world is divided into yin and yang. If a doctor stands at the boundary between Yin and Yang, then a mage is someone currently in yin, looking towards yang."

"Many of the things that monks deal with are unseen by ordinary people. Dealing with yin-related things for extended periods of time is very taxing on the body."

"Ah!"

After Xuhui finished speaking, Su Ziyang exclaimed in sudden realization.

"I understand, Uncle-Master. If that's what you mean, then we can just stop learning altogether."

Su Ziyang is a very direct person, so he might as well just refuse.

"Sigh, there are always things that need to be done!" Xuhui took a deep drag, stubbed out the remaining half of his cigarette in his hand, and threw it into the trash can.

It's that same old saying again: there are always things that need to be done.

Su Ziyang had heard this phrase more than once; it had come from different people, but it always conveyed the same meaning—inheritance.

There is a famous four-line poem by Zhang Zai in history. "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."

Many people can probably say these four sentences, but the real "Four Virtues" are not as simple as a sentiment expressed on social media late at night.

It takes real dedication and hard work to achieve that.

Even though Xuhui really didn't want to work in this industry, he gritted his teeth and took on the responsibility in order to ensure its continuity.

"So—Uncle-Master, why didn't you let me look at your book just now?"

The tense atmosphere was instantly shattered by Su Ziyang's vengeful and abrupt question.

"Damn it, everything I just said was for nothing."

Xuhui rolled his eyes at Su Ziyang, then turned and went into the kitchen to prepare the dishes.

"If you don't want me to watch, then don't watch. Why are you cursing?"

Su Ziyang rolled his eyes at Xuhui Xuhui from behind, then turned and went into Xuyang's bedroom.

"Uncle Yang, how are you feeling?"

Su Ziyang was quite concerned about the effects of this so-called Yin Arrow.

"I'm feeling a bit better, but I still have a slight headache. Could you take my pulse again?"

Xuyang lay half-reclined on the bed. The black ink on his thigh had dried, but Xuyang still didn't put on his pants, afraid of rubbing the talisman off.

At Xu Xuyang's request, Su Ziyang gently placed his hand on Xuyang's wrist.

The previously deep and weak pulse suddenly changed; it remained deep, but its speed suddenly became incredibly fast.

After feeling it for a while, Su Ziyang removed his hand from Xuyang's wrist. Then, Su Ziyang rubbed his fingertips to improve his finger dexterity once again before placing his hand on Xu Yang's wrist again.

"Uncle Yang, do you have a fever?"

Su Ziyang stared at Xuyang and asked.

"I don't feel anything." Xuyang gently moved his body and touched his forehead.

"Wait a minute, I'll go get the thermometer."

Su Ziyang returned to the living room, took out a thermometer, and then took Xuyang's temperature.

As expected, Xuyang's body temperature had soared to thirty-nine degrees Celsius.

Xuhui stopped cleaning up the vegetables and ran straight into the room to check on Xuyang.

"Why do you have a fever!"

Xuhui touched Xuyang's head and found that it was indeed burning hot.

"Where do you feel unwell?"

"I don't feel anything too bad, just my head feels a bit uncomfortable."

Xuyang shook his head, indicating that he didn't have any special feelings.

"Give him some Anruike first," Xuhui suggested, staring at the somewhat troubled Su Ziyang.

"OK."

Su Ziyang couldn't figure out why Xuyang suddenly had a fever, so he didn't dare to make a decision rashly and could only give Xuyang some antipyretics to see how it went.

Xuyang took the fever reducer, lay back down in bed, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes to rest.

"Uncle-Master, Uncle Yang suddenly developed a fever. Could it be related to this talisman?"

In the living room, Su Ziyang voiced his doubts. Since Xuhui had just said that specialized tasks should be handled by specialized people, it was best not to speculate on things that were even more mysterious than traditional Chinese medicine.

"I think I'll call my father-in-law; I don't really know much about this either."

Xuhui picked up his phone and dialed his father-in-law's number.

"Dad, after you left, Eryang started having a fever. Is this normal? Or was it expected that he would have a fever after you drew the talisman?"

Xuhui's words caused the old man on the other end of the phone to fall silent for a moment.

"That shouldn't be the case. Even someone with a fever should have their temperature drop after using my talisman. How come they got a fever instead!"

The old man remained silent for a while before giving Xuhui an ambiguous answer.

"Okay. I'll think of something! You should rest first, Dad."

"Why don't you come pick me up again, and I'll go check on things again?"

"Alright!"