"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
Frank expected George to awaken in under five minutes with his treatment, with the scarab eggs in his gut purged.He said ten minutes just so that he had time to spare—everyone's constitution was different, and it was his style to be conservative.However, it was soon ten minutes, but George was not showing signs of recovering, and his cheeks were still darkened.Frank checked the pill he made and eventually came to a frustrating conclusion. "Wait… Could they be lying to me?" If they were lying, his diagnosis would be inaccurate and his solution incorrect.If that was really the case, his treatment would be meaningless in a minor case, but George could get killed if it was serious.But before Frank could ask anything, Glen raised his wrist pointedly to check his Patek Philippe and shook his head."It's been twelve minutes, Dr. Lawrence," he said, emphasizing 'doctor' to add insult to injury. "How much longer do we have to wait?""Hehe…" Professor Roberts chuckled but otherwise
Even so, Frank decided to put in one last effort and said quietly, "I'm a healer, but I'm not omnipotent. I can't diagnose a patient without touching him, or when you're lying to me about his symptoms! It's Mr. Turnbull's misfortune to have a wife like you!"The last part was certainly a bombshell. Kendra leapt up to her feet instantly, leaping straight at Frank, ready to claw his face and eyes out."You vermin! Watch your mouth!" she screamed unreasonably. "I-I'll kill you! Glen, call in every man you have—I'll make him wish he was dead!"Glen did not stop her and was actually glaring at Frank. "Do you know what you just said?! Say it again, I dare you!"Frank met his angry glare, took a deep breath, and chuckled coolly. "You want to hear it again? Fine—I'll say it as many times as you want! Having people like you for family is why George Turnbull will die! You're all scum who would rather have your father and husband die!"Everyone was left stunned by Frank's outburst, and Glen
As Glen reared his chin at Frank hostilely, Titus strode up."Wait, Mr. Turnbull." He chuckled coolly. "Frank Lawrence can wait, now that Professor Roberts has seen how pointless Draconia traditional medicine is. Time to show Mr. Lawrence what proper experts can do—it won't be too late to kill him after."That was exactly what he wanted—to beat Frank physically and psychologically, just to wipe that smug grin off his face and make him kneel before him."Are you done talking?" Professor Roberts asked, already impatient."Yeah." Glen nodded. "Please help my father."Kendra snorted coolly. "See? The professor isn't making excuses for his failure, unlike that whippersnapper."At the same time, the Turnbulls and Lionhearts' retainers encircled Frank and did nothing else, since Glen would not go against Titus when he wanted the Lionhearts' help.Having had his orders, Professor Roberts opened his briefcase. Pulling a green tube from a cold storage case, he inserted it into a syringe w
"What?! Impossible… Impossible…" Professor Roberts was gaping, shaking his head and clearly not expecting that to happen to George.Even as he quickly rummaged through his briefcase, Glen asked urgently, "Professor Roberts? What's happening to my father?""I don't know… It's the latest serum our team developed, and it should kill the parasites, but not this…"Professor Roberts panickedly shoved a yellow tube into the syringe and shouted, "Get over here! Hold him down!"At Professor Roberts's call, Glen quickly beckoned for the retainers encircling Frank to hold George down even as he convulsed."Keep him steady!" Professor Roberts shouted even as he wiped the sweat off his brow and injected the yellow serum into George."Urgh…" George finally turned still and stopped convulsing or foaming black blood from his mouth."Phew…" Professor Roberts sighed, before wheeling on Frank, glaring as he bellowed, "It's all his fault! He interfered with my treatment! Feeding a patient some
"Hup!" Frank barked as he smacked his palm on George's chest, and a stream of green-black blood shot out like a geyser."Argh!!!" George screamed but soon relaxed as more blood gushed out.Frank then leveled an impassive look at Professor Roberts. "Your serum is an antibiotic. The earwig eggs inside reacted to it by hatching, and the larvae are now invading Mr. Turnbull's internal organs."His blunt words yanked Professor Roberts out of his shock, and he turned in disbelief toward Frank. "How did you—""I do stay in touch with foreign medical developments," Frank replied quietly. "I just don't use them because they're less effective."Eventually, the blood flowing out of George's chest turned red, and Frank tapped his body twice to seal the bleeding artery."Hup!" he bellowed and slammed his palm on the old man's chest."Bleurgh!" George coughed out a mouthful of viscous black blood."Frank Lawrence!""Whippersnapper!"Everyone in the room had stopped moving since they beli
And soon after Frank spoke, George woke up, coughing violently while he looked blankly around himself."Father!""George!"Both Glen Turnbull and were delighted to see him wake up.On the other hand, Titus was left pursing his lips as his expression contorted."Hmph."Snorting, he said nothing else as he led his men out of the room."Titus, wait…" Zac Turnbull had just come in and was left watching as Titus left, as Glen promptly snapped at him, "Go, Zac! Stop Titus—it's all thanks to him bringing Professor Roberts, or our father would have been put through so much pain!"Without a word, Zac looked past Frank to chase after Titus, asking him to stay with an awkward smile.On the other hand, Professor Roberts did not leave with Titus.In fact, he was staring in confusion at Glen and said, "What are you talking about, Mr. Turnubll? Mr. Lawrence was the one who saved your father, not me.""No, you did," Glen said quietly, looking past Frank as well. "My father would still be
Frank was not only the smart guy out there in the whole right world. In other words, Mr. Creston had that in mind too!He was helping because he had felt insulted after Frank flexed on him earlier, and Dani was still useful to him—for now.When she handed over the company, however, he would not hesitate to kick her out! On top of that, he would make sure that she took the fall for all the dirty deeds they did together.In the end, she would not even be able to defend herself, while suffering lawsuits and public condemnation!Even so, she said, "I understand now. But it's never too late—I swear I'll change if you give me a chance!"Frank simply turned to Zein. "Actually, this man had the right idea—if he gave you a chance, who would give him one?"We're all adults here, so act your age. I'm sure you understand how a good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.""I get it!" Dani quickly said. "You don't have to keep me around, just—""No!" Frank snapped and crushed her left hand und
Dani was under the impression that even if the goons were not the best, they were on the cusp of reaching that level anyway.It turned out to be just her wishful thinking—when against the truly powerful, she was a lamb at the mercy of the butcher's knife, no matter how many people she brought! "To be honest, I'm curious as to what you're thinking." Frank snorted as he strode up to Dani. "Why dump a man who loves you dearly for some prick you don't even know? Being abused in that state and still thinking that you'd chosen wisely—do you actually have a brain?"Seeing her launching, he knew she was not listening, and he tore her ear off!The horrific pain jolted Dani to her senses, and she was left clutching what remained of her ear as she stared at the seemingly handsome man.She was under the impression that Frank would let her live even if she lost, but it was once again wishful thinking.He would kill her, and savagely at that!And she was certainly right, since Frank had ne
Drunken Moon quickly shook her head. "Don't worry about rewarding us. Nothing's better than getting you back on your feet. Did you know that you looked just like a zombie when I saw you again? You really gave me a scare there."Zein chuckled. "Can't help it—I really had no idea what I could do against them, so I could only flounder. But with this man recovering my mother's ashes, it's over for them."Turning to Frank, he nodded. "Don't worry, brother—I'm no ingrate. I'll definitely make this worth your while."Frank shook his head too.It was a simple thing for him to do, and he had volunteered in the first place. Why leverage grace for trinkets?Even as the thought crossed his mind, someone kicked open the door, and soon, a dozen goons stormed inside. With their black tank tops, machetes, and muscular figures, they were clearly not to be trifled with.And they were led by none other than Dani herself, striding inside like a queen, as if she had everything under control.Zein
"Argh!!! This place is haunted!!!"Horrified, Dani clung to Mr. Creston, eager to earn his comfort.Contrary to her expectations, Mr. Creston was much more knowledgeable and pushed her away, growling, "There's no such thing as haunting, only reckless brats. So tell me, who are you, boy?"Frank smirked. "I'm surprised you're that knowledgeable. But to be honest, who I am doesn't matter—what matters is that you're a subhuman piece of shit!"Then, as Mr. Creston and Dani looked on, the box of ashes vanished.While Dani screamed again, Mr. Creston was ready to call for help when he felt someone seizing his throat, and he could not make a sound."Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you—I'll just make sure your reputation would go up in smoke before you go to jail. That's the best either of you could hope for."As Frank's voice became distant, Mr. Creston could move again and promptly slapped Dani across the face.Amusingly, she did not get upset from that. In fact, she hung her head
It was superstition, as even fools knew that reincarnation was not real. But the richer they were, the more superstitious they got.Still, Drunken Moon said, "I'll get your mother's ashes back."Zein signed. "Thanks for the offer, but it's too dangerous. And she'd really do it if she's pushed too far."Drunken Moon would not want to bother Frank since this was her friend's problem and not hers, and he was not obliged to help. However, she honestly did not want to let people like Dani strut and leveled a pleading look at Frank.She simply did not know that Frank was always eager to help, and he had to agree that Dani was too sickening to be left at large.Putting a hand on his chest, he assured Zein, "Just tell me where the urn is. I'll definitely recover it for you."Zein was rubbing his brow as he said, "The people you're dealing with aren't as simple as they appear."Frank chuckled. "That applies to others too."And with those words, he disappeared.Zein—who had been lou
As Frank and Drunken Moon chatted, a thirtyish man opened the door. His tailored suit was draped lopsidedly, and stubble grew all over his chin.On top of that, there were wide dark circles under his eyes, both of which were bloodshot."Drunken Moon?" His eyes lit up when he realized who it was, but only for a second as his gaze soon dulled again.Drunken Moon turned to Frank. "Allow me to introduce you to a friend, Lugh Frankton. Lugh, this is my friend Zein Dunham. You can just call him Zein."After the men shook hands, Zein ushered them inside and made them tea.Then, he curled into himself as he sat on a couch, looking miserably insomniac."You don't look like yourself," Drunken Moon pointed out, puzzled. "Did you suffer some sort of trauma?"Zein smiled wryly. "You never know what could happen to you, I guess. Live and let live."Drunken Moon looked around and realized that all of Zein's wedding photos were gone.In fact, anything that had to do with Dani Farron, Zein's w
Damn their horrible luck! They would not be in this situation if Lanky Man was not eager to get himself a wife!Meanwhile, as Frank and Drunken Moon left, the latter giggled and asked, "Hey, could you come along while I visit a friend? It's rare that I can be out and about, so I'll just treat this as a holiday. That means I should properly unwind instead of going back right away."Frank nodded. He had nothing else to do anyway and followed Drunken Moon to a luxurious residential area.They could have entered directly, but since Drunken Moon did not know which house her friend lived in, she asked the security guard, "Do you know Zein Dunham? I'm a friend. Would you happen to know where he lives?"Though Drunken Moon was very polite, the security guard studied her from head to toe before scowling in contempt. "You can't go in without an appointment, lady, and I definitely can't give you any resident's address either—I'd get fired."Stepping out of the security shack, Drunken Moon ap
Lanky Man could not help flashing a thumb-up at Frank.However, the gesture changed just as Frank was not watching—with a flash of blue light, countless needles rained down on Frank!Nonetheless, Frank did not move.The needles continued toward him before clanging loudly as they came to a stop near him, as if striking a wall.Lanky Man could not help being stunned—that was his killing stroke, and he launched it at Frank when he let his guard down.However, the kid was somehow able to cast some barrier that nullified his attacks. What the hell was that even?!"Curious, aren't you?" Frank asked just then. "I'm sure the people you butchered would've been curious about your powers too. Now that the tables have turned, I must ask—has it ever crossed your mind that you're the same as them?"At those words, Lanky Man's knees buckled and he dropped to his knees.It was only natural that he imagined his defeat, but not one this pathetic.Frank never even broke a sweat, but nothing work
Despite Drunken Moon's agility, a needle struck her in the left shoulder after she dodged them multiple times.Gritting her teeth in pain, she smirked. "I'm surprised you're this strong."Lanky Man laughed. "It's not just you—I don't know why I'm this good either."Ever since I was a child, every person I've met, regardless of age or sect, could never win against me. It's really a pain being so strong—normal folk really wouldn't catch my eye, so I was hoping you'd change your mind, priestess."Drunken Moon sighed. "Then it's a shame that you've run into someone you shouldn't, or you might really have gotten your chance at showing off."And with those words, she chanted her incantation.Soon, blue light converged and formed a human silhouette.It was naturally Frank himself in the flesh!Even as Frank studied his own body, he actually found it interesting—in a way, he was able to teleport.In that case, would he not be making bank if he worked as a courier or pizza boy?"Who a