The two brothers entered with thoroughly bewildered faces. Qin Jingzhou pointed to the coffee table in the living room. "Wait there." He went to the small cabinet outside the bathroom and rummaged around. As expected, he found some disposable gloves and disinfectant wipes. Returning to the living room, he tossed the wipes to the guy in the wheelchair. "Wipe yourself down."
The wheelchair guy looked at the packet of wipes in his hand and blanked out. "Wipe my whole body... One pack probably isn't enough."
The tall guy covered his face. His buddy was a total looks-chaser in the late stages. He wasn't doing anything out of line, he just couldn't help but go soft-spoken in front of beauties... But looking at it now, his buddy was more than capable of going soft. Damn, the more he thought about it, the more worried he got.
Qin Jingzhou put on the gloves, his tone as flat as ever. "Wipe your wrist clean."
The wheelchair guy suddenly got it. "Oh! Oh!" He vigorously wiped down his wrist and then laid his arm out on the too-low coffee table.
With a gloved hand, Qin Jingzhou pressed his wrist. "Glioma... The operation was done well, but damaging the cortex was unavoidable."
The wheelchair guy grinned. "Uncle Cheng, you're spot on!"
The tall guy glanced at his now clearly excited buddy, but said nothing. He was genuinely shocked. It wasn't a secret in their circle that his buddy had a glioma, but he didn't think this homebody, who'd been out of the loop for years, would be able to just say it outright.
Qin Jingzhou picked up his phone, typed a few lines, and handed it to the wheelchair guy. "Have your assistant buy all this."
The wheelchair guy pulled out his own phone, snapped a picture, and immediately sent it to his assistant. He couldn't suppress his excitement. His voice even trembled a little. "Is it... actually treatable?"
Qin Jingzhou lounged back lazily in his chair. "If not, did you come all this way just to crash my place?"
The tall guy sneaked another glance at his buddy and lowered his head, staying as quiet as a mouse.
The accompanying bodyguard wanted to chime in, but as soon as he caught his boss’s icy stare, he wisely shut up.
While they waited for the assistant to return with the goods, Qin Jingzhou poured himself a glass of water and searched "Gu martial master" on his phone.
To practice medicine you needed a license; the Medical Practitioner Certificate in this world was extremely hard to obtain. The original host was a Media University graduate with no connection to medicine at all. But that didn’t mean Qin Jingzhou couldn’t use a loophole.
For example, the note under "registered Gu martial inheritor" spelled it out plain as day: providing paid health treatments for others was perfectly reasonable and legal.
Truth be told, Qin Jingzhou could easily see through all the scheming that filled both the original host's and his son’s lives. Yet in this world, the strength he could use was very limited. If he didn’t want to upend the table and break all the rules, he had to prepare in advance for the Lu family.
Even a behemoth like the Lu family, with assets nearing a trillion, had things they wouldn’t dare oppose head-on. The Huaguo officials and the directly governed Gu martial association ranked at the top of that list.
As for how to get certified as a "registered Gu martial inheritor," the official website of the Gu martial association made it sound simple. As long as you weren’t an infamous criminal, if you could condense true qi and briefly explain your lineage, you were good to go.
Just then, the system spoke up. "Brother Zhou, I did a search. There are fewer than a thousand public Gu martial masters, but Gu martial heritage in this world was never really cut off. So the officials know a fair bit about Gu martial. At least, the tech for detecting true qi is pretty mature now. As soon as you put out some, they can identify your school. If the true qi leans dark or evil, the authorities will absolutely keep a close eye."
Qin Jingzhou understood. "I'll make up a lineage tonight. This time, I'll just play it as ‘Ling Healer Transmission.’ Besides, the original host's got a pretty cold, aloof face. As long as I stay true to myself, I don’t need to bother with any persona."
"The original host’s face is full-on superior to the world, and paired with that tall, pale vibe right now—who knows how many people have this as their XP!" The system snickered. "Brother Zhou, you've saved people a bunch of times, but it's your first time full-on being a doctor."
Qin Jingzhou put his phone down. "Mm."
By the time he’d just about finished crafting a “Ling Healer” heritage in his head, the wheelchair guy’s assistant finally showed up laden with bags.
The tall guy and the bodyguards eyed the new, unopened acupuncture needles and a half-case of medical alcohol with complicated feelings. They had to buy this stuff on the spot... How untrustworthy was this guy, really?
But they didn’t know things that would really make them question reality were still to come.
Qin Jingzhou rummaged through the bags and boxes. "Everything’s here." He instructed the wheelchair guy, "Go wash your hair, dry it, and come back."
The wheelchair guy remained energetic. "Hurry up and push me to the bathroom!"
The tall guy finally lost it. "Old Qin, did you forget you had craniotomy surgery?"
Qin Jingzhou’s deep voice sounded again. "Find a hotel and wash up yourself."
The tall guy had reached his limit, fist raised, but suddenly his gaze fixed, and he froze.
Because a flame, half the length of a finger, was quietly burning at Qin Jingzhou’s fingertips.
The tall guy swallowed with effort, forcing back what he was about to say. The bodyguards all took three steps back, neatly lining up behind their boss.
Qin Jingzhou picked up a long silver needle, held it over the flame. The shining needle gradually took on a faint, golden sheen. "If you’re not back before the golden needle’s effect ends, I’ll take it as you’re not interested in treatment."
The tall guy grabbed his buddy's wheelchair and rushed out in a hurry.
There was a budget hotel right across the street from the complex—at a time like this, these heirs wouldn’t dare to be picky.
Sure enough, not even thirty minutes later, the duo returned and knocked on the door again. This time, though, the knocks were much more polite.
Qin Jingzhou opened the door and let them in, then, still wearing gloves, flicked through the wheelchair guy's hair. It looked like a gesture of distaste, but he was just finding the right spot and, with a deft hand, drove the needle in... The wheelchair guy had his guard totally down, so the soul-searing pain crashed over him before he was ready. He cried out, burst into tears and snot, and broke into a cold sweat that soaked through his clothes.
The tall guy was shocked, lunged instinctively, but before he could speak, the wheelchair guy grabbed his arm. Following the look in his buddy’s eyes, he saw... the sudden curl of his buddy’s left foot...
His buddy was supposed to be paralyzed below the waist!
Forget him, even the assistant and bodyguards were dumbfounded. After that came wild joy, and following that, a jolt of lingering fear.
Qin Jingzhou sat on a chair by the window, lit a cigarette, and his expression, coldly beautiful as it was, warmed a notch.
Everyone present suddenly felt, “I get why Miss Lu wants to marry this guy! If it were me, I’d run to tie the knot too.”
Once the pain had eased, the wheelchair guy—keen to look good as a cooperative patient in front of Uncle Cheng, at least compared to his buddies—forced out a grin. "They just didn't know your abilities, Uncle Cheng. Please don’t hold it against them."
Qin Jingzhou nudged his glasses up. "I rather like seeing you all out of your depth."
Everyone: ...
Alright. If you say so.
An hour later, Qin Jingzhou pulled out the now-dim silver needle and sat across from the wheelchair guy. "Call your parents here, let’s sign an agreement."
The wheelchair guy’s appearance was a mess, but his spirits were soaring. He immediately responded, "I'll call them right now." He called his dad directly. "Dad, I found a miracle doctor! One treatment and my left foot can move! Hurry, you and Mom come over! I’ll send you the address!"
He was so happy he couldn’t even string words together.
The tall guy, even more considerate, filmed a short video of the newly-mobile foot and sent it to both parents.
Less than an hour later, the wheelchair guy’s parents arrived, assistants and bodyguards in tow, hauling big and small boxes, all stuffed with precious herbs.
To be able to prepare all this in under an hour showed just how “well-stocked” this family was.
The wheelchair guy demonstrated his “toe flex” in front of his parents. His mother wept for joy, his father only smiled, but there was light in his eyes.
Qin Jingzhou waited for the family to calm themselves before speaking at an unhurried pace. "One million per session." He pointed to the boxes. "If you pay in herbs, there’s a discount."
No one there was stupid enough to try to bargain with a miracle doctor.
But the wheelchair guy cut in ahead of his parents. "Uncle Cheng, they’ve always said if I can be cured, they’ll spend every cent we have! Please don’t be polite! If you hold back, how will we dare ask for your help again?"
His father gave the back of his head a gentle smack. But both the look on his face and his gesture said, “Well said.”
His mother wiped her tears, then, without hesitation, gave his ear a little twist.
Qin Jingzhou lit another cigarette. "You’re my first patient since completing my cultivation, so this is a bone-fracture-level discount." With that, he pulled out an A4 sheet he’d just written on. "All of you look at this. Reading it means you agree."
Everyone looked closely. Goodness, there were only four words on the paper: "Keep your mouth shut."
The wheelchair guy hesitated. "This..."
Qin Jingzhou didn’t explain, because they’d understand the true meaning of “keep your mouth shut” soon enough.
As the group exited the building and headed for their car, the tall guy received a message from the second male lead. "Well? How did it go?"
He replied with just one line. "Get lost, you bastard. Crawl if you know what’s good for you." Then, without hesitation, he deleted and blocked the guy in one go.