「11:30 AM. A restaurant in Tianhai City.」

Zhang Qiming looked at Xu Ke with some restraint. "Mister Xu, good afternoon!"

This was the first time Zhang Qiming had seen Xu Ke since their conflict at the hospital entrance. It had to be said, facing a Sage Healer of acupuncture made Zhang Qiming extremely nervous. The accomplished are the masters! This man is a top-notch senior!

Xu Ke sat opposite Zhang Qiming, while Wang Wu stood behind him. Although Xu Ke invited Wang Wu to sit, Wang Wu refused his request. Left with no choice, Xu Ke could only dine with Zhang Qiming.

"Dr. Zhang, good afternoon. My apologies for the trouble last time," Xu Ke said with a smile.

"Not at all! It was my duty," Zhang Qiming replied with a smile.

"This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Dr. Zhang," Xu Ke said, retrieving a paper bag from under the table.

Seeing the paper bag, Zhang Qiming's expression changed. He shot to his feet, holding up a hand to refuse. "No, no, I can't accept money."

Having spent so much time in hospitals, Zhang Qiming instinctively assumed Xu Ke was like any other patient trying to slip him a red envelope as a thank-you gift, hence his immediate reaction.

But Xu Ke stiffened and said reflexively, "Uh… it's not money!"

Zhang Qiming was speechless, his hand hovering awkwardly in the air.

Knowing he'd made things awkward, Xu Ke quickly pushed the bag forward. "But I believe this will be far more useful to you than money."

Hearing this, Zhang Qiming paused, then subconsciously took the paper bag and pulled out a sheet of paper from within. His expression instantly shifted from curiosity to shock. His breathing grew heavy, and his entire body trembled with excitement.

He shakily set the paper down, his lips trembling. "Mister, Mister Xu, isn't this gift too precious?!"

Xu Ke smiled. "It's not precious at all. What matters is that it can help you."

On his way over, Xu Ke had been wondering what would be an appropriate way to thank Zhang Qiming. He knew that Zhang Qiming was an upright man who revered only medical skill, making a monetary gift pointless. The doctor wouldn't like it, and he certainly didn't need it.

So, he had thought of a prescription—or to be more precise, a complete treatment plan.

When he had treated Xiao Jie, Xu Ke had noticed that Zhang Qiming had a few problems of his own. His mental state was somewhat unstable, and there was a clear issue with his wrist, evidently an old injury. Neither of these conditions was conducive to learning acupuncture. Therefore, Xu Ke decided to help Zhang Qiming resolve these problems first, before they discussed any training.

On the paper he gave Zhang Qiming was a set of movements—wrist exercises, you could call them—along with two prescriptions: one to stabilize his mental state and one to treat his wrist. In addition, the bag also contained the necessary medicinal herbs.

"But this…" Zhang Qiming's lips trembled. He knew just how precious this gift was.

"It's nothing. We're friends," Xu Ke said with a smile.

Hearing this, Zhang Qiming clenched his fist, then relaxed it, his gratitude finally finding voice. "Thank you. Thank you!"

These problems had plagued him for a very, very long time, but Xu Ke's prescription was perfectly tailored to solve them. This was more than enough to prove Xu Ke's selflessness in sharing his knowledge, not to mention his exquisite medical expertise.

"Let's eat," Xu Ke said with a smile, changing the subject. This was merely a gift to thank Zhang Qiming for playing along last time; it was nothing worth mentioning.

"Alright." Zhang Qiming nodded firmly, burying the gratitude deep in his heart rather than putting it into words.

Once their emotions had settled, the two finished ordering their food.

Zhang Qiming spoke up. "By the way, Mister Xu, the mother and son you saved three days ago, Qin Ya and Xiao Jie, are still recovering in the hospital. Qin Ya woke up yesterday afternoon and immediately filed a request with the hospital to find you and express her thanks. However, I wanted to ask for your opinion first, so I told the hospital staff not to disturb you."

"Is that so?" Xu Ke's eyes shifted slightly. "Are her injuries serious?"

"Because the airbags deployed in time, she wasn't seriously injured. She was likely in shock, however, which is why she slept for two days. She's in recovery now."

"And Xiao Jie?"

"Xiao Jie is doing even better! With your skills, not even King Yama could claim him!" As Zhang Qiming said this, a look of shared honor shone in his eyes. He had witnessed Xu Ke's needlework with his own two eyes. After such a miracle, how could anything possibly be wrong with Xiao Jie?

Standing behind Xu Ke, Wang Wu recalled the scene and couldn't help but make an odd expression. Weren't you the one objecting the most vehemently back then, Dr. Zhang?

Hearing Zhang Qiming's praise, Xu Ke gave a small smile and said, "Since they're still resting, there's no need for them to look for me. Please help me keep my identity a secret, Dr. Zhang."

"Of course!" Hearing Xu Ke's words, Zhang Qiming nodded. Since Xu Ke didn't want his identity revealed, he would respect his wishes. However, he also knew that with the Qin Family's resources, it was only a matter of time before they found Xu Ke. Although the hospital hadn't released any information, once Qin Ya was fully lucid and saw the Tianhai news reports about Xu Ke, she would easily connect the dots.

Afterward, the two of them began their meal.

Halfway through, Xu Ke remembered something. "By the way, Dr. Zhang, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Please, go ahead," Zhang Qiming replied.

"I'd like to ask about Elder Master Zhou's illness. Have you ever examined him?" Xu Ke chose his words carefully.

At his words, a look of surprise flashed in Wang Wu's eyes, quickly followed by a sigh. He could guess why Xu Ke was asking about this. It was all to help the Young Miss in her struggle against the Ye and Huang families.

"I have examined him," Zhang Qiming nodded, frowning as he recalled the details. "Elder Master Zhou's mental state is very poor. He has no appetite, and he can barely sleep… He came to our hospital for a full examination, but it was no use. The problem is that all his test results are normal, yet we can't find the cause of his deteriorating mental state. In the end, our hospital's panel of experts could only conclude that his time has come."

Zhang Qiming said this with a helpless sigh. After all their tests with advanced instruments, they had to fall back on fate.

Hearing this, Xu Ke's brow furrowed. The hospital's instruments couldn't find a single thing wrong, yet the man had no appetite and was completely listless… What is going on?

"Have many other doctors gone to see him?" Xu Ke asked again. He wanted to see if he could gather any clues from his peers to prepare himself. The last thing he wanted was to attempt a treatment only to fail spectacularly.

Zhang Qiming nodded. "The Zhou Family is a medical dynasty themselves. They've held consultations with expert panels and had examinations by Sage Healers of traditional medicine. They even invited specialists from abroad, but no one could find anything."

At this, Zhang Qiming sighed again. "Their family has been in this field for generations, yet in the end, they're powerless to help their own."

Xu Ke sighed as well, feeling a wave of melancholy at his words. It was a sad fate, indeed—to spend a lifetime as a doctor, only to be tormented by illness in old age.

Zhang Qiming then spoke again. "Mister Xu, are you thinking of going to see the Elder Master?"

Xu Ke nodded.

Zhang Qiming frowned. "But the Zhou Family, right now…"

Just then, a crisp, angry female voice cut in. "Our Zhou Family doesn't welcome you!"

Xu Ke instinctively turned his head at the sound of the voice, his gaze hardening when he saw who it was.

Zhou Yi Yi.

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