Staring at the blood splatter and remains sticking to the wall, Zac sighed. "Build a cenotaph for Mr. Ziege. It's only thanks to him that I'm alive.""Mr. Turnbull…"The Turnbull family bodyguards watched as Frank left and whispered into Zac's ear, "Are we just going to let him go to Turnbull House? Your brother gave express orders not to let him get in touch with Ms. Turnbull, not even through phone calls… Ms. Blue is clearly going against that, so shouldn't we punish her per family law?""Family law?" Zac shook his head, chuckling ironically. "We'd all be dead if not for Frida Blue. If there's anyone who needs to be punished…"Yonca's lofty face appeared in Zac's mind right then.-Soon, Frank arrived at Turnbull House in Frida's car.As expected of one of the Four Families of Morhen, they certainly lived differently—somehow, their furnishings and houses were a class above the Jankos.Marble statues, artistic works, and expensive vases lined the courtyard and hallways, each o
"Agree, my ass!" Frank snapped at Glen even as the Turnbull family bodyguards watched. "When did I make a deal with Vicky? She called me to see her, and helping your father is a matter of convenience. I get to decide, so don't think you Turnbulls can ride on Vicky's request!"Anyone being snapped at like that would never react well, and that certainly applied to Glen Turnbull, the head of one of the Four Families of Morhen.The only one who did that last time was his own father. Barring that man, every outsider had been reverent to him, even directly kowtowing. Even the head of the Lionheart family and the Sorano family had to show him due respect.And Frank was snapping at him in his house? Who did he think he was?!"Watch your mouth! I dare you to speak in that manner with Mr. Turnbull again!" The Turnbull retainers strode up at Frank just then, each of them Ascendant rank and hired with a king's ransom.They even had an elder from the Martial Alliance among their ranks."R
An elderly retainer remained impassive as he growled, "Why waste your breath? Just kill him and be done with him.""I agree." Another retainer in his fifties nodded in agreement. "Don't blame us, brat. Blame your tactlessness and refusing the olive branch Mr. Turnbull extended!"However, just as they were ready to attack, the doors to the reception hall opened."Eh?"Frank, Glen and his retainers all turned to find a man with short hair striding in, his eyes flashing murderously.And it was none other than Titus Lionheart himself."I warned you never to show up in Morhen, didn't I?" He smiled. "Well, now that you're here… prepare to die."He was escorted by several Ascendant rank elites, one of whom had reached peak Ascendant rank.In an instant, the pressure was suddenly on Frank and he was caught on the backfoot."W-Where's the patient? I'm busy," someone spoke in inarticulate Draconian just then. A middle-aged balding foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes strode in jus
Frank scowled and barked, "I won't say a word if you're insulting me alone, but you are insulting Draconian tradition, and I must set the record straight."He learned medicine from Mystic Sky Sect, and it was the most orthodox and oldest discipline in Draconia. And what were the medicine men from abroad doing while Draconia medicine was already saving lives? Their solution for clubfoot back then was amputation, and without anesthetic, leaving the patient's up to fate! And now they were belittling Draconian tradition?However, Frank's reaction was exactly what Titus wanted.He had certainly been humiliated in Riverton, and had not the guts to tell his family what happened.But now that he ran into Frank in Morhen, he would properly show him.He would return his humiliation at Frank's hands by a hundredfold, and hurting his pride was just the first step.As the heir of the Lionhearts, he had seen as many maladies as healers. Even Abel Loggins—the best healer in Morhen—only amount
Frank was silent for a moment before nodding and agreeing to it.This was obviously the Turnbulls' bottomline, and they were ready to snap if he kept pressing his luck.And he was certainly unlucky today, running into Titus Lionheart and his Ascendant rank retainers—he did not have the advantage if a fight started.Still, meeting Vicky would have to be done for now, since he had questions for her anyway.Glen was clearly relieved that Frank was playing along too.The details from Zac suggested that Frank was actually Ascendant rank… Even peak Ascendant rank.If they really drove him over the edge, things would really get out of hand."Where's the patient… Can 't you hurry?" Professor Roberts snapped impatiently right then, clearly unaccustomed to the messy diplomacy of Draconia."The professor's right. Come on, my father's more important." Glen nodded.Having come to an agreement, Glen had his people get a car to take everyone to a building at the edge of the Turnbull Estate.
"What…" Frank frowned. "Examination is vital in Draconian traditional medicine, and gloves aren't a part of it. I need direct contact to examine the patient's body temperature, skin texture, and other details to properly diagnose him—""Shut up!" Kendra clearly could not stand his long-winded explanation, almost spitting out her dentures. "Put those gloves on, or get out of here! We never asked for you! Some hillbilly like you doesn't get to touch my husband—I care for hygiene even if you don't!"Frank almost snapped at Kendra's outburst.He had every intention to help George, but his family repeatedly harassed him, clearly having no intention to let him live!"Hmph."He snorted, but decided to bear with it and put on the gloves for the sake of seeing Vicky."Now, now, Mr. Lawrence." Titus chuckled even as he put on the gloves. "You don't get to blame those gloves if you misdiagnose Mr. Turnbull.""Draconian traditional medicine doesn't even observe proper hygiene. How scandalou
"No rush." Frank rubbed his chin as he continued, "If it's deer musk, it'd be mixed with water, no?""Nothing you said was right!" Kendra lost all patience and strode up at Frank, pointing at him as she snapped, "Get out of here and stop wasting our time!""Why don't you just give up already?" Titus Lionheart added gleefully."That's right—you should leave," Glen agreed, posturing himself as head of the Turnbulls. "We won't stop you, but you don't get to mention Vicky ever again or set foot in our house, you hear?"Frank narrowed his eyes but eventually nodded. "I have an idea of what Mr. Turnbull has been infected with. The symptoms started a week ago, catalyzed by deer musk which he consumed frequently, and not in solid form…"Taking out the needles he always carried with him, he looked around at everyone and said, "I will now perform acupuncture. If the information you've given me is right, Mr. Turnbull will wake up soon.""Stop it!" Glen snapped, frowning. "Don't bother forci
Glen then leaned in to speak into his mother's ear, saying, "This is also our chance—we can pin blame on Frank so that Vicky hates him, and we have more reason to stand against him."Kendra's frown eased right then, and she nodded. "Good. We will go with that!"Frank could hear them whispering to each other and knew right away what they were intending.Though he did not care, he was still frustrated nonetheless.If Kendra had allowed him to touch her husband in the first place, he did not need to resort to tricks to get the details from them, and he would have been able to diagnose George more accurately.Still, he had deduced that George was infected by an earwig from the South Sea. It was not a particularly profound technique, but once the earwig's eggs were consumed, the eggs would hatch into larvae with certain medicine or martial techniques. With that, the larvae would reproduce within the victim's innards, building hives and eventually devouring their insides clean.At