Chapter 126: Thanks to You

In the hospital room, Mu Lin brought a basin of water to give Elder Li a sponge bath.

Li Xue was giving Mrs. Li a simple wipe-down. Mrs. Li would be waking up tomorrow anyway, and she would have more thorough care from the maids at home.

But there was no telling how long Elder Li would be bedridden, so Mu Lin decided to do it himself.

He would be more meticulous.

Li Xue ducked out of the room. Seeing her grandfather's body was always a bit much for her.

Li Yinhe pursed his lips. 'These are things I, his son, should be doing. I can't believe I'm letting Mu Lin do them for me...'

He couldn't help but wonder, 'Have I been too hard on Mu Lin?'

Zhang Chunlei had just gotten off work. Instead of rushing home, he walked to the front of Elder Li and Mrs. Li's hospital room.

"Doctor Zhang!" Li Yinhe called out. "I haven't even had the chance to thank you properly! How forgetful of me!"

Zhang Chunlei waved his hand dismissively. "It was all thanks to my young friend Mu Lin. I can't take the credit."

Hearing Mu Lin's name in every other word from Zhang Chunlei left a strange taste in Li Yinhe's mouth.

Zhang Chunlei pushed the door open and went in. Li Yinhe followed respectfully.

When Mu Lin saw them enter, he immediately finished positioning Elder Li and covered him with the blanket.

The hospital air conditioning was quite cool, and the unconscious old man couldn't afford to get chilled. Mu Lin was being exceptionally thorough.

"Elder Zhang!" Mu Lin greeted Zhang Chunlei. "Thanks to you, Grandpa's condition is very stable! Mom's condition is also very good. She'll probably wake up tonight."

Zhang Chunlei was thrilled. "That's wonderful news! My young friend, this is all your doing! Here's my card. If you need anything, you can call me. My phone is on twenty-four hours a day!"

Mu Lin said, "Thank you for your kindness! I'll take it."

Zhang Chunlei smiled at everyone, then turned and left.

Li Xue let out a long sigh of relief. She felt completely awkward with Zhang Chunlei around, truly unable to do a thing.

After Zhang Chunlei left, she walked over to Mrs. Li's side and took her hand.

"Mom, when are you going to get better..."

Mu Lin said, "Weren't you listening? Mom will wake up tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow morning at the latest. She can be discharged after she wakes up."

Li Xue shot Mu Lin a sideways glance. "No one would think you're mute if you kept your mouth shut!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "Is that so?" His gaze swept over the hem of Li Xue's skirt. "Then who did you wear this for?"

Li Xue's face suddenly turned red, flushing all the way to her neck.

'Without Mu Lin, Grandpa and Mom would probably be dead by now.'

'Of course, she had just thrown on this short skirt last night when her mind was a complete mess.'

'She regretted it the moment she walked out the door.'

"It's not for you, anyway!"

Seeing the two bickering lovebirds inexplicably start arguing, Li Yinhe felt a massive headache coming on and quickly made his escape.

「In a villa on the outskirts of the city.」

"Doctor, I found the Celestial Sunflower!" a travel-worn, white-haired old man exclaimed, rushing into the villa.

An old man with white hair but a youthful complexion extended his hand to Liu Yiming.

Liu Yiming excitedly presented the Celestial Sunflower to the old man with both hands. "Gently..."

The physician shot Liu Yiming a look. After practicing medicine for so many years, did he not know the principle of handling things with care?

Liu Yiming knew he had misspoken and quickly apologized.

"My apologies. My anxiety has made me muddle-headed. It was a slip of the tongue!"

"No matter," the physician said, raising the Celestial Sunflower over his head to let it bathe in the sunlight.

The Celestial Sunflower's leaf-like petals shimmered with a splendid luster.

"Excellent! This is a top-grade Celestial Sunflower. It will be exceptionally effective at dispelling the cold poison in Miss Liu's body!"

The doctor said slowly.

"That's wonderful!" Liu Yiming let out a long sigh of relief. 'That bastard Mu Lin was talking nonsense after all,' he thought.

This Celestial Sunflower was a specialty from the peak of Crane Cloud Mountain in the suburbs. When Liu Yiming was young, he used to climb the mountain to practice his martial arts and knew this flower was common at altitudes above a thousand meters.

When Divine Doctor Liao said they needed to procure a Celestial Sunflower from an auction, Liu Yiming immediately told him he knew where to find one.

"Going to an auction would take a lot of time, and I was afraid it would delay Yifang's treatment."

Divine Doctor Liao wasn't the type to only trust medicine from an auction house. If a viable alternative was available, he would use it.

Now, holding the Celestial Sunflower, he was thrilled. "Rest assured, Miss Yifang's illness can be cured!"

"That's wonderful news, Divine Doctor Liao! My entire family's hopes are resting on you!"

Although the Liu Family had practiced martial arts for generations and was quite powerful, girls were rare. As such, Liu Yifang was treated like the apple of their eye, cherished and protected.

To prevent her, a non-practitioner, from being targeted by their enemies, they had even bought her a house in the Anhua City District as a cover.

Otherwise, Liu Yifang would never have made friends like Xue Xi.

So when Liu Yifang fell ill, they were truly beside themselves with worry.

They spared no expense to find Doctor Liao.

"You flatter me. Saving a life is a greater deed than building a seven-story pagoda. If you are happy, I am happy," Doctor Liao said. Thinking of the Liu Family's generous reward, he couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Naturally, he quickly composed himself and resumed his serious, calm expression.

He walked over to Liu Yifang and said with a solemn expression:

"This might be a little painful. If you're afraid of pain, I can prepare an analgesic potion for you, but the effectiveness of expelling the cold poison will be much lower. Do you want me to prepare it?"

"No!" Liu Yifang's gaze was resolute. "I want to be completely detoxified, without a single trace left behind!"

Doctor Liao was taken aback. He had worried Liu Yifang would be afraid of the pain and had already prepared the pain-relieving potion. Now it seemed his efforts were wasted. "Very well, then. Let's begin immediately!"

He took out a silver needle and had Liu Yifang roll up her sleeve, revealing her fair wrist.

Liu Yiming waved to his son, the family Patriarch Liu Qizhou, signaling that they should leave the room.

If they were to disturb Doctor Liao and interrupt the treatment, it would be disastrous.

"Dad, don't worry. I'm sure Doctor Liao can cure her. His title of 'Doctor' was bestowed by Mayor Hu himself; it's not just some casual title."

"Sigh, I'm just worried. What if what Divine Doctor Zhao said comes true..."

He had invited Divine Doctor Zhao a year ago, but Divine Doctor Zhao had flatly refused.

Because this illness was not that simple.

"This cold poison is self-sustaining within the body, like a living thing. You cannot use brute force against it; it requires a complex and targeted approach. My skills are lacking, and I am incapable of such a delicate procedure. Therefore, I dare not proceed. Please, Patriarch Liu, find someone else."

After saying this, Divine Doctor Zhao turned and left, but his words were firmly etched in Liu Yiming's mind.

Liu Qizhou said, "That Zhao fellow is no good, always being mysterious and pretentious. Dad, we martial artists have a basic understanding of medicine. Poison is poison. How can it be spoken of in such convoluted terms?"

"If I ever run into that Zhao again, I'll beat him to a pulp to let off some steam!"

"Stop it! Regardless, he is a famous doctor in Nanjiang Province. If one of the powerful figures he's treated overhears your reckless talk, you'll be in for a world of trouble you can't handle, you know that?"

Liu Yiming, afraid his son would suffer for his words, said hastily.

Liu Qizhou pouted. "You're exaggerating! Today, Yifang's best friend recommended a doctor to me, said he was the one who cured her cold poison."

"But that doctor refused to treat Yifang, saying it was because Huo Tianqi offended Zhao Yang. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Liu Yiming said, "Watch your mouth. If all Liu Family disciples had your temperament, we wouldn't even last two years, let alone be a century-old family."

Liu Qizhou looked completely unconcerned. He held his head high and strode out.

"Dad, call me when it's over. Just listen to me, Doctor Liao will definitely succeed!"

Liu Yiming stood there, shaking his head and sighing. This child was so vexing.

A short while later, Liu Qizhou returned. "Dad, you should go rest. I'll wait here. Yifang can't come out and not find her father."

Liu Yiming's beard bristled and his eyes widened. "So it's okay for her to come out and not find her grandfather? We'll wait together!"

They waited until the moon was high in the western sky. Finally, the door opened.

Doctor Liao emerged, his forehead covered in sweat.

"It's done! She drank all the potion, and the cold poison has been completely expelled. It won't be long now—a half-month at most, or as little as two or three days—and Miss Liu will be on her feet again."

Liu Qizhou was ecstatic. "Dad, what did I tell you? Doctor Liao is the true Divine Doctor of our time! Those other hacks are nothing but useless clay pots!"

Liu Yiming said, "Doctor Liao, whatever you ask for, I will give it to you!"

In truth, Doctor Liao had already received a great deal. Liu Yiming had paid so much for his granddaughter's sake that the doctor almost felt undeserving.