~~~

“Doctor, I truly can’t thank you enough!”

“Did I not tell you? Did I not say it? My friend is an amazing doctor!”

Old Man Gao’s laughter filled Liu Jianguo’s small clinic. The man’s prominent stomach strained against his clothes as he threw his head back and slapped Liu Jianguo’s shoulder.

“I am merely doing my job. There is no need to thank me,” Liu Jianguo replied to his patient. To his friend, he said, “Please, friend, you praise me too much.”

“Too much, he says.” Old Man Gao’s boisterous laughter filled the clinic once more. For a moment, Liu Jianguo worried it would wake up Liu Jin and make him cry, but his son was clearly made of sterner stuff than that. “As if there is any doctor in the outer districts that can equal him.”

It was amazing how things had changed in just a few months.

When Liu Jianguo had given Old Man Gao those pills, he had not thought much of it. He was merely trying to do some good for someone who had shown kindness to him. It wasn’t even that big a gesture. The pills had been cheap and easy to make. Compared to what he had been capable of before, those pills were nothing but garbage.

Had Liu Jianguo ever presented something like those pills to his master, he’d have been thrown out for such shoddy work.

However, that didn’t mean the pills were bad. On the contrary, the pills worked precisely as intended.

Liu Jianguo did not know when exactly had Old Man Gao taken the pills, nor did he know what had prompted him to trust the medicine prepared by a cripple. All he knew was that two weeks after he had given him those pills, the old man had shown up at his clinic and thanked him profusely.

“Truly our meeting was one blessed by the Heavens,” Old Man Gao had said. “That cough had been bothering me for months, and it had only gotten worse recently. Now, it’s all gone thanks to you!”

Liu Jianguo had refrained from mentioning Old Man Gao’s coughs would have gotten much worse if he hadn’t taken the pills. Lung diseases were a pain to treat, especially if allowed to grow.

All things considered, it was a good thing he’d met Old Man Gao when he did.

Liu Jianguo had tried to tell the old man there was no need to make a big deal out of it. Truth be told, he didn’t want to attract too much attention, and being thanked for preparing such a simple medicine was embarrassing for him.

However, Old Man Gao had no intention of just letting things end there. Before, he had been helping Liu Jianguo out of the goodness of his heart. Once he knew Liu Jianguo was not lacking in skills, he became a regular at the clinic and even brought his family to him.

People scoffed at Old Man Gao for relying on a cripple’s aid, but he did not let that bother him. Indeed, the old man’s decision proved right. Liu Jianguo was always able to solve every medical situation brought before him.

Then Old Man Gao started recommending him to whoever was willing to listen to him.

As it turned out, Old Man Gao had a wide net of friends. The same qualities that led him to befriend Liu Jianguo had also made him befriend dozens and dozens of people all throughout Eastern Port City. Old Man Gao would talk with anyone who cared to listen and was always willing to help out someone in need. It seemed as if there wasn’t a single person who disliked him.

Needless to say, the number of Liu Jianguo's patients started growing. His little clinic, which barely saw a handful of patients per week, suddenly started receiving new clients every day.

Sometimes they would come in the morning. Sometimes they would come under cover of night, afraid of being seen consulting a cripple. Sometimes, their ailments were common, and sometimes they required some thought.

Regardless, no problem was beyond Liu Jianguo’s medical skill, a fact which became increasingly apparent as he dealt with more and more patients. Word of mouth spread even more as his successes continued, and now Liu Jianguo had a healthy practice. It wasn’t much compared to the top doctors of the city, but it was more than enough for him and Liu Jin to sustain themselves.

Now, no one would have to wonder how he was getting all his money.

“I must agree with Old Man Gao, honored doctor. If not for you, then I’d surely have been in trouble tomorrow.”

The client Old Man Gao had brought this time was a disciple of the Xiao Sect that frequented his shop. He had suffered an injury during a spar that he hadn’t wanted to disclose to his peers. Completely natural as far as Liu Jianguo was concerned. No matter the city or the country, it was always the same. Disciples fought and competed against each other to reach the top.

From Outer to Inner to Core. The names sometimes changed, but it was all for the sake of gaining a position of privilege and power within the Sect.

“I won a spar against another Inner Disciple the other day, but I was wounded during the bout,” the disciple said, rubbing his now healed arm with wonder. His face was rather plain and easy to forget, except for his nose, which was quite large. “I couldn’t possibly let myself look weak, but my wound wasn’t healing quickly enough. If I had gone to the doctors that work for the Sect, the others would have known right away. Without your help, I’d surely have been in trouble.”

To not be able to trust his fellow disciples. Some would consider it sad, but to Liu Jianguo, it was proof of his potential. If he feared being targeted by other disciples, it was because he was strong enough to be considered a threat.

Unfortunately, that he had to resort to seeing someone like him meant he did not have many allies within the Xiao Sect just yet. A pity. Someone like him wouldn’t survive long unless he made the right friends. That was usually the way things went.

Unaware of Liu Jianguo’s thoughts, the disciple laughed. “I was worried since I had an important match coming up, but now I know I have nothing to fear. You might just have helped someone who will one day be a Core Disciple of the Xiao Sect, Doctor Liu!”

Liu Jianguo rather doubted that would be the case. Old Man Gao laughed.

“Be sure to thank Brother Jianguo then, won’t you? Make sure you tell everyone there is a doctor in the outer districts that’s just as good as the ones in the inner ones.”

“Please never say anything like that. I am rather fond of my head being attached to my neck.”

That was the sort of boast that would just get him in trouble. Liu Jianguo knew that sort of thing ended up needlessly escalating due to the foolish pride of people. He didn’t even have Qi, so that was not a risk he could take.

Perhaps thinking he was making a joke, Old Man Gao and the young man from the Xiao Sect laughed.

“Okay, Doctor Liu, I won’t make trouble for you, but I’ll be sure to visit you when I’m hurt. Look forward to it.”

“I am afraid I cannot look forward to such a thing. I am a doctor. If you come to see me again, it can only be because you’re not well. It might be good for my pockets, but bad for your health. If at all possible, I’d rather wish to never see you again.”

“Hahaha!” Old Man Gao slapped his knees and wiped a tear from his eyes. “Oh, Brother Jianguo! You really are the best!”

Liu Jianguo debated whether telling him that also hadn’t been a joke. He decided against it in the end.

He did owe Gao for his business picking up, and laughs didn’t cost a thing.

~~~

Liu Jianguo raised an eyebrow.

“Again?”

“Sorry, doctor. You know how these things go. Well, no. You’re a doctor, so you probably don’t know much about how these things go, but trust this one in that this is fairly common.”

Liu Jianguo carefully bandaged the young man’s torso as the young man laughed to himself. Truth be told, he knew exactly the sort of thing the young man was talking about.

It had been a couple of months since Old Man Gao had brought the young man from the Xiao Sect to him. Since that time, the young man had become a regular at his clinic, always coming to him after suffering injuries.

“It’s like this, doctor. My friends and I had a problem with a minor clan. It should have been a simple matter, but it turned out they were friends with someone from a distinguished school who were in turn subordinates to the Yun Sect, and well…”

“Things escalated.”

“Indeed,” the young man nodded solemnly. ”In the end, we were able to solve things in a way that let everyone keep face, but it was still a violent affair.”

Contrary to Liu Jianguo’s prediction, the young man seemed to have thrived in the Xiao Sect. He had either managed to make the right friendships, or the right friendships had managed to find him. He was still just an Inner Disciple, but his position in the Xiao Sect seemed to have stabilized. No longer did he come to his clinic as a result of injuries received from conflicts with his fellow disciples.

Now he came to him due to conflicts with other Clans and Sects.

“I am glad you did not die,” Liu Jianguo said frankly. “Still, I cannot help but notice you no longer require my services. Certainly, the Xiao Sect must have better doctors than I.”

When his position in the Xiao Sect had been uncertain, hiding his injuries from his fellow disciples had been common sense, but now there was no merit to it. Liu Jianguo was not foolish enough to believe the young man whose injuries he was bandaging had no enemies. Such a thing was impossible, but his position in the Xiao Sect should be secure enough to go to their doctors instead of him.

“Doctor Liu, don’t say things like that. I know how efficient the other doctors are, and they cannot possibly compare to you. In fact, you can say my status in the Xiao Sect right now is because of how quickly you can heal my injuries compared to everyone else.”

“Please, do not praise me unduly.”

“This one doesn’t lie. I swear it is the truth. In fact, if it were the honorable doctor before me treating the Patriarch, his illness would most likely be gone by now.”

Liu Jianguo blinked and looked up as he finished bandaging the injury. “Illness?”

Was the leader of the Xiao Sect ill? He did not recall hearing anything about that.

The young man from the Xiao Sect looked at him with wide eyes. “You do not know? It’s all anyone has been gossiping about!”

“I do not make it a habit of listening to gossip,” Liu Jianguo said, making an effort to not roll his eyes.

“Then let me be the first to tell you, Doctor Liu,” the young man said, somehow taking Liu Jianguo’s words as an invitation to gossip. “The truth is that even us Inner Disciples don’t know the full story. I think not even Core Disciples know.”

Then he shouldn’t be talking about this.

“What this one does know is that no one has seen Patriarch Xiao Zheng for a while. It has been almost two months now. He hasn’t left the main house in all that time.”

Liu Jianguo furrowed his brow. Two months? Why would that be a cause of concern?

Even for a Cultivator in the Heaven Realm, a full year of closed-doors training was not unheard of. Why would not seeing this Xiao Zheng for a few months cause concern?

“Rumors are that he’s sick,” the young man explained. “Apparently, all our medical personnel has been going in and out of the main house as of late. The servants are all deeply worried.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I heard some people saying they saw Doctor Wu going into the main house.”

“Doctor Wu?”

“Doctor,” the young man looked surprised. “Could it be that you have never heard of Doctor Wu? He’s widely acknowledged by everyone as the best doctor in the city! Even someone from the Xiao Sect like me cannot just show up at his doorstep and expect to be treated. Only the elite among the elite can afford his services.”

“You will have to forgive my ignorance. I do not make it a habit of leaving the outer districts. The inner districts ill-suit a simple man like me.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.” The young man nodded vigorously. “That makes sense. Regardless, I am saying that if they brought the best doctor in the city, then surely our Patriarch must be seriously ill.”

“I would not pay much attention to rumors,” Liu Jianguo said, “But if they have already called upon the services of such a doctor, then I do not see how my meager skills can be of help.”

“Well, that may be so. Still, it would be nice, wouldn’t it? If Doctor Liu could heal a man Doctor Wu couldn’t, his reputation would surely shoot through the roof. Why, I might even get some credit for bringing in Doctor Liu to the Xiao Sect! Sounds good, right?” The young man laughed to show it was only meant as a joke. Liu Jianguo smiled.

“Please, do not joke like that. Such things are surely above my station.”

Unbeknownst to Liu Jianguo, the rumors the young man from the Xiao Sect had brought him were more than simple rumors, and in just a few weeks, those rumors would become public knowledge.

His and Xiao Zheng’s paths would undoubtedly cross.

~~~