Chapter 105: Cold Syndrome

With that, Xue Yang turned and walked out the door. Mu Lin quietly followed him.

Xue Yang turned his head to look at Mu Lin. "Vice Team Leader Mu, is there something you need?"

Mu Lin said, "Has something happened to someone in your family?"

Xue Yang's eyes widened in a glare. "Mu Lin, have you no decency? I just scolded you people a little. Do you have to go and curse my family over it?"

Mu Lin tilted his head. "Did I curse them into existence? It's clearly been going on for a while now, right? Someone not feeling well, or something like that?"

Xue Yang's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Mu Lin. "Could it be that Vice Team Leader Mu knows my younger sister?"

'So someone in his family *is* in trouble,' Mu Lin thought. 'And it's Xue Yang's sister.'

"I don't. But her symptoms are already manifesting on you."

Mu Lin's words made Xue Yang even more anxious.

"Don't tell me Vice Team Leader Mu enjoys prying into people's private lives?"

'What is he thinking?' Mu Lin thought.

"It's like this. I dabble a bit in medicine. By looking at your complexion, I could tell there was something wrong with your health. But since you don't have any symptoms yourself, I guessed that someone in your family might be sick, and it's being reflected in you."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it!" Xue Yang excitedly grabbed Mu Lin's shoulders and shook them again and again.

"Can you help my sister?"

'I might as well refer him to Divine Doctor Zhao,' Mu Lin thought.

"Well, I have a connection with Divine Doctor Zhao of the Holy Medicine Hall. I can make an introduction, but he's a bit picky about his patients and only takes them if they're referred by an acquaintance. Why don't I take a look at her first, and then I'll introduce you?"

Xue Yang was so excited he nodded repeatedly. "I understand! Then I'll have to trouble you, Vice Team Leader Mu!"

Mu Lin turned and asked Li Xue for time off, planning to go home with Xue Yang that evening.

"Manager Xue's sister has a strange illness? Alright, you can go. But don't you dare go treating people recklessly. If something comes up, find Divine Doctor Zhao and let him handle it!"

Mu Lin nodded repeatedly.

'He didn't want to get involved in this trouble either. It would depend on what kind of illness it was.'

'If it's a normal illness, I'll let Divine Doctor Zhao handle it. That way, he won't blame me for stealing his business.'

'If it's a strange illness, I might not know how to treat it anyway. In that case, Little Sister Xue will just have to pray for good luck.'

「After work, Mu Lin followed Xue Yang home.」

"My sister's condition is really strange. You can see her getting weaker and weaker right before your eyes, but her hospital check-ups show nothing is wrong. Isn't it tragic?"

Mu Lin comforted him, "Don't worry. We have Divine Doctor Zhao. It'll be fine."

The apartment looked like a newly purchased, move-in ready unit, and it was very pleasant to look at.

But the moment Mu Lin stepped into the room, he felt waves of discomfort wash over him.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was.

"Brother!" Xue Yang's sister, Xue Xi, emerged, supporting herself against the wall.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in bed and not walk around?"

Xue Xi managed a smile, but her lips were as pale as paper. "If I don't move now, I'm afraid I won't be able to move at all soon. Brother, who is this?"

Xue Yang introduced him. "This is my colleague. He knows Divine Doctor Zhao and wants to see your condition before introducing you to him."

"Divine Doctor Zhao? But aren't his medical fees incredibly expensive?"

Xue Xi's expression changed the moment she heard the name.

"You've got your brother here. I've earned quite a lot these past few years. It's definitely enough to pay for your treatment."

Mu Lin also added, "Divine Doctor Zhao's fees depend on the person. He charges the wealthy a lot, but ordinary people much less. The rumors you hear circulating are about the prices for the rich, which of course scare everyone to death."

"With my recommendation, you can rest completely assured!"

Only then did Xue Xi's expression relax a little. "If that's the case, then I can relax."

Mu Lin said, "There's no time to lose. Miss Xue, please hold out your hand. I'm going to check your pulse."

Xue Xi looked at Mu Lin suspiciously. "Didn't you say you were taking me to see Divine Doctor Zhao? Why are you checking my pulse?"

Mu Lin said, "I dabble in medicine myself. I'll take a preliminary look to assess the situation. That way, when we see Divine Doctor Zhao, it'll be easier to explain things to him."

Xue Xi immediately cried out, "No! I want Divine Doctor Zhao to check my pulse himself! What if you get it wrong?"

This was the first time Mu Lin had ever encountered a situation like this.

He was a bit inexperienced in handling it.

Seeing his sister act this way, Xue Yang knew she had been hurt by all the quacks she'd seen recently, which was why she was so guarded. His heart ached for her. He said, "Sister, Mu Lin probably has some real skill. I didn't even tell him about your condition, yet he guessed you were sick just based on his own judgment."

"Even though he's definitely not as amazing as Divine Doctor Zhao, it's not like he's unskilled. Just let him take a look, okay?"

Xue Xi looked at Mu Lin. "Really?"

Mu Lin said,

"I can't give a 100% guarantee, but I'm at least 90% confident."

Xue Xi did a quick mental calculation. She had seen dozens of doctors recently, all of them quacks. Their success rate was zero.

'Mu Lin was claiming 90%. That was worth a shot.'

Xue Xi sat down at the dining table and extended a weak hand to Mu Lin.

Xue Yang turned to go make dinner.

Mu Lin placed his fingers on Xue Xi's wrist. The moment he touched her, he felt an icy coldness.

It was accompanied by a stinging sensation.

Her pulse was very faint, as if it were trapped beneath a glacier, unable to let the blood flow.

'This is the result of cold energy eroding her from the outside in,' Mu Lin determined. 'She isn't the source of the cold energy.'

He withdrew his hand and said to Xue Xi, "Among your friends, is there anyone with an extremely weak constitution, someone who makes you feel cool even in the summer just by being near them?"

Xue Xi said, "Yes, yes! My best friend! She wears a padded jacket even in the middle of summer, and she never sweats. She's bedridden all year and can barely move. It's really comfortable being with her in the summer; you don't even need to turn on the AC."

'Did Mu Lin really figure that out just from his examination? He didn't investigate beforehand?' Xue Yang was stunned.

'But Mu Lin doesn't even know Xue Xi, so how could he possibly know her best friend?'

Xue Xi asked, "Can you introduce her to Divine Doctor Zhao, too?"

Mu Lin shook his head. "Divine Doctor Zhao can't cure your illness."

Xue Xi's pupils contracted in shock. She was utterly stunned.

'Didn't he just say Divine Doctor Zhao could definitely save me? I can't believe that after checking my pulse, he's saying it's incurable.'

'What's going on?'

Xue Yang grew anxious as well and pressed, "Why not?"

If it weren't for the fact that he and Mu Lin were on decent terms and he knew Mu Lin wasn't the type to mess with people, he would have thrown him out already.

"He can't, but I can," Mu Lin said.

He said it with a bit of a dramatic pause, but it did nothing to put the Xue siblings at ease.

'You can? What makes you think you can?'

"Mu Lin, speak clearly. What do you mean, you can do it but Divine Doctor Zhao can't?"

Mu Lin said cheerfully, "Because I know how!"

Xue Yang frowned. "You? Forget it!"

"Alright then. Find someone more qualified!"

Mu Lin immediately withdrew his concern, his tone indifferent.

'Since Xue Yang doesn't trust my treatment plan, I'll just let him be.'

With that, he turned to leave.

But Xue Xi said earnestly to Mu Lin, "Brother Mu, please wait! I'm entrusting my illness to you!"

'Mu Lin just insulted our family, and you can tolerate that?' Xue Yang was dumbfounded.

Mu Lin said calmly,

"I never charge money to treat patients and save lives. It's up to you."

"Alright, it's settled then. But I don't have my silver needles with me today, so let's just eat for now. I'll come back tomorrow to treat you."

'It's free, so what can you say? Even if it's just for comfort?' Xue Yang thought about it and found it acceptable.

After everything was settled, Xue Yang brought out the food.

The three of them had a simple meal. Afterward, Mu Lin gave a couple more instructions, such as telling the siblings not to spend too much time together and for the sister to drink more hot water.

As Xue Yang walked Mu Lin out of the apartment, he couldn't help but ask again, "Mu Lin, are you really sure about this? If you end up making my sister worse, I'll fight you to the death."

Mu Lin said, "If any other doctor in the world saw this illness, they would just advise more exercise and drinking more hot water. But we both know this has nothing to do with exercise or hot water anymore."

"You haven't been feeling well recently either—you're drowsy, you feel cold, and you're irritable. Do you really think 'drinking more hot water' can cure that?"

Xue Yang was helpless. He said, "Let me walk you out then."

Mu Lin waved his hand. "No need. If you have the time, assign some more work to our team. They're very capable now; they just lack a chance to put it into practice."

Mu Lin walked straight into the darkness, his cool and confident silhouette leaving Xue Yang speechless.

Back home, Mu Lin pushed open the door. Elder Li was already asleep, and Li Xue was watching TV.

"How did the patient visit go?"

Mu Lin replied, "I have to go again tomorrow. Hopefully, I can solve it once and for all. It's a chronic illness that's going to be a massive undertaking."

Li Xue just "oh"-ed. "Mom left some steamed buns for you. They're in the pot."