No one expected June to honor her bet out loud. She hissed through clenched teeth, “Happy now, Lee?” “You could’ve just said it once and the rest another time. I mean, it’s not a chance I get every day.” Kaze shook his head in regret. June was arrogant and short-tempered, but she was quite outspoken. She would hold up her end of the bet in front of an audience. The crowd gave them funny looks. It was bad enough that June admitted that Kaze owned her ass. June was about Kaze’s age. After what had happened, the public began to gossip about the nature of their relationship. “Young people today are so open-minded.” “Shh! She’s Dr. Wright’s student.” Faced with multiple voices, June turned red. She wanted to sink into the ground. She realized that she had been reckless. June scoffed and took Sasha from Kaze before walking into Herbal Spring. The study of medicine was physically demanding. It was not surprising that June could carry Sasha without breaking a sweat. “
“A Bishop with a privileged upbringing? Is she from Edenbrook?” Kaze was surprised that June, a young member of the upper crust, would work tirelessly to study medicine with Holfman. This was more than a hobby. It would take decades to find success in this career path. With a talent such as hers, June might be able to shorten the time length to make a splash in the medical community. Holfman smiled without a word. His answer hid in his silence. He got up and retrieved a few ingredients from the pharmacy before putting together a pale-yellowish liquid. “All done, Dr. Wright,” June came out of the room and said. Holfman, with the newly made medicine in hand, followed June into a consultation room in the back. Kaze stayed close behind Holfman, but June quickly came in the way and blocked him from entering the room. “What are you doing? “Dr. Wright went in to help the girl. “But you’re just being a creep.” While changing Sasha’s clothes, June was equipped with enoug
“Take it easy, young lady. It’s just a physical examination. I’ll be applying this medicine on your back.” Ignoring the squabble between Kaze and June, Holfman carried the medicine and dabbed some onto the cotton swab before applying it to Sasha. Sasha shivered nervously, her head hanging low. She murmured, “K-Kaze, can you help me instead?” “I’ll do it, Sasha,” June said. Sasha was hesitant and reluctant, but she was not the type to refuse. It took everything in Sasha just to ask for Kaze’s help in front of Holfman. Furrowing his brows, Kaze said indifferently, “I’ll do it. She’s timid, and after the earlier fright, she gets nervous with strangers.” June scoffed without another word. Judging by the handprint on Sasha’s face, June could piece together what might have happened. June was not pleased that Sasha trusted Kaze more than her. Heck, June even helped Sasha with a change of clothes. “Thank you, Kaze.” Sasha was relieved. “Here you go, Kaze.” Not takin
Legend had it that consuming all nine seeds of Nine Phantom Lotus would allow the person to attain nirvana. Of course, it was just a nonsensical tale. June had read ancient texts on medicine. While Nine Phantom Lotus possessed life-extending properties, it was not capable of resurrecting the dead. Still, its healing potential was undeniable. The seeds of Nine Phantom Lotus were not suitable for all to consume, though. Recklessly consuming the lotus seeds could lead to organ failure and a gruesome death.“How can Nine Phantom Lous grow on Sasha?” June found it unbelievable. Having been raised in a noble family and having devoted herself to the study of medicine, she considered herself knowledgeable about all medical texts. Yet, what she saw defied everything she knew. Kaze frowned. He initially suspected that Sasha was targeted since she lived near Akasha Village. Kaze figured someone had secretly tattooed her as part of some kind of cult ritual. However, the situatio
“How will the lotus be retrieved? Would it put Sasha in danger?” June asked nervously. Despite her hot temper, June was kind-hearted. Holfman scowled. “What do you think? The lotus seed is embedded in Ms. Spoon’s heart, becoming one with her.“I believe even the best surgeon can’t remove the lotus without risking Ms. Spoon’s life.” The answer could not be any more obvious. Sasha would die once the lotus was removed. Even God could not save her. Sasha could not keep up with what Holfman was saying before. However, she understood what would become of her. Her eyes welled up in despair. Sasha, a young woman in her prime, was robbed of a chance to experience life. Feeling bad, Kaze asked grimly, “Is there any hope for her at all, Holfman?”“Even God can’t save her.” Everybody’s hearts sank at Holfman’s response. It was the truth, though. As the lotus took over a decade to grow in a human body, the plant and Sasha were one by now. It would be impossible to remove
As Kaze spoke the specific terms as if he was reciting off a restaurant menu, both Holfman and June were shocked. “T-Those are the thirteen mnemonics for the Ghastly Thirteen Needles! Based on the difference in acupuncture needles, there are thousands of combinations for this set of techniques. “I only know a few of them. How did you know all thirteen of them?” Holfman’s lips were shaking as he asked in excitement. He was not a specialist in acupuncture but when he heard Kaze recited the mnemonics of the long-lost technique, Ghastly Thirteen Needles, he could barely stay calm. He did not doubt Kaze at all because he knew a few of them, which matched the sequence that Kaze just recited. June looked at Kaze as if he was a ghost. “H-How did you know the Ghastly Thirteen Needles?!” She no longer doubted Kaze but found it difficult to believe. “When I was on the foreign battlefield, I led an exploration team to excavate the ruins of the Ghastly Doctors,” Kaze explained. “Y
June grunted. “Support him? More like he’s supporting me!” Despite her little grumble, she quickly pulled out a new set of needles and disinfected them. Unlike the normal acupuncture needle set, which had 108 needles, June’s set consisted of 360 needles of varied sizes and lengths, all crafted from gold. Kaze knew the woman was also a professional, so he stopped bickering and concentrated on the task in hand. After Sasha and June were both ready, Kaze started to give instructions from the side. “This one, here. Thin needle. Here, longer and thicker. Here…” June was skilled in acupuncture. As soon as Kaze gave his instruction, the golden needle was already poked into the precise spot on Sasha’s body. Her hands were steady and precise, showing no hesitation at all. She was so fast that her hand movements started to look blurry. Her confidence peaked as she performed the technique. Soon, Sasha’s body was covered with golden needles. June continued poking, pulling, an
Kaze nodded knowing that Sasha was a girl who knew how to show gratitude. June was too weak to speak. Seeing June’s exhausted expression, Sasha felt both guilty and worried. “June, giving me acupuncture every day must be so draining for you. Don’t worry—I’ll work hard to earn money and pay you back.” Everyone laughed at the girl’s naïve words. Money was meaningless for a treatment of this level. It was about saving lives, not money. If June wanted to get paid, even the wealthiest families would have to pay a fortune for such a peculiar treatment. Kaze did not want the girl to feel pressured, so he waved and said indifferently, “You don’t need to pay her back. I’ve already paid for you. All I need you to do is stay here and receive your treatment.” “Huh? You paid…” Sasha looked at Kaze blankly. She heard their conversation earlier and neither of them talked about money. Kaze had a glance at June and then explained with a smile, “I’ve taught her the Ghastly Thirteen