The Martial Doctor-Chapter 62: Testing Each Other

"Mrs. Qin, morning! What brings you to my place today?" Lin Miao walked casually into his living room, greeting without much enthusiasm.

Qin Yanran didn’t seem to mind being disliked, she smiled slightly, leaned closer, and her chest incidentally brushed against Lin Miao’s arm: "Mr. Lin, do you find my visits too frequent?"

"A bit, someone might think Mrs. Qin has a special interest in me." Lin Miao touched his nose, maintaining a slight distance as he replied.

Punk, teasing me?

Heh, aren’t you the one teasing me?

Qin Yanran’s gaze provocatively flitted to a certain area of Lin Miao’s lower body, she giggled: "Mr. Lin, as you say, it wouldn’t be impossible. When will you come by to visit me? I’ll make sure to welcome you with good wine."

"Sure, but I’m not attracted to common beauties. If Mrs. Qin wishes to accompany me privately, I’d be up for it." Lin Miao said, after all, it’s just flirtation, you think I’m a naive boy?

It’s merely mutual probing.

With her practiced experience, Qin Yanran discerned, through his years of reading people’s faces, that this woman was still unmarried.

No wonder she’s self-indulgent.

After all these years, with no man around, it seems she’s feeling the loneliness of the boudoir.

As a man, it’s no loss to me; we’ll see how this "young lady" holds up.

Qin Yanran’s face still beamed with joy, yet a slight unnaturalness showed at the corners of her mouth and eyes; she asked herself, isn’t she attractive enough? There are plenty of men vying to join her, yet his words sound like she’s begging him.

"Alright then, if Mr. Lin serves me well, I’ll even give you Huaye Tower as a dowry."

"Really?" Lin Miao sneered inside, I don’t trust you one bit; if you don’t cut me down like Ding San’Er, that’d be good enough. But outwardly, he didn’t relent, knowing that women like Qin Yanran look down on you if you flattered them, yet if you acted tough, they wouldn’t dare harm you.

"Of course!" Qin Yanran nodded, it’s just a game of heartbeats, seeing who pushes the psychological line and collapses.

"Unfortunately, I already have my senior sister, and can’t allow anyone else in my sight. Leave such good offers for others." Lin Miao suddenly changed his tune, sounding regretful.

Punk, are you playing me?

Qin Yanran was quite upset but refused to show weakness: "You two aren’t married yet, anything’s possible."

"Qin Yanran, don’t harm my senior sister hoping to get to me, even if I die, I won’t yield to you."

Qin Yanran finally lost composure, his words were utterly shameless; as if she couldn’t find a husband and had to cling onto him?

Lin Miao laughed secretly within.

Let’s see how you respond.

"Last night, Liuli shared the method you transmitted on saving Mr. Song, and I promised to free him in three years." Qin Yanran, after all, wasn’t an ordinary woman, she hadn’t forgotten today’s purpose—sowing discord.

"Really, if my method can free Miss Liuli, it would be a worthy deed." Lin Miao chuckled.

"Are you admitting you taught Liuli how to save Mr. Song last night?"

"Did I say so?" Lin Miao nodded, "I did, Mrs. Qin, you’re planning to threaten to report me to the Medical Bureau, huh?"

"Aren’t you afraid? You’ve passed the written exam for the physician test but not yet the practical one. Even if you pass, obtain the license, there’s still a one-year assessment period; failing the bureau’s evaluation results in being unable to practice independently. This is the rule, am I correct?"

"Does this mean I’m practicing illegally? Evidence, please."

"You saved Shi Yin too?"

"I did, so what?"

"And you claim you aren’t practicing illegally!"

"Evidence, if you’re going to accuse me of illegal practice, there needs to be proof; the Medical Bureau wouldn’t act just on your words, right?"

"Mr. Lin, if I wish, Shi Yin and Liuli can testify; that’s enough."

"Recognizing illegal practice requires two conditions: one, the victim’s statement; if the involved parties don’t step forth to accuse, it can’t be validated. Two, there should be issued prescriptions identified as from illegal practice; only by meeting both can it be determined illegal. One alone isn’t sufficient. Mrs. Qin, you’d better study Da Li’s ’Medical Practitioner’s Professional Law’ carefully." Lin Miao sneered, lifting his teacup.

Qin Yanran’s face turned dark; she wasn’t familiar with these many requirements to recognize "illegal practice".

Serving tea, bidding farewell.

That means leave you shouldn’t stay here anymore.

"Whenever Mr. Lin wishes to visit Huaye Tower, Yanran will be ready to welcome you." Qin Yanran felt she lost face, she left with a line.

...

"Junior brother, why does Mrs. Qin have such strong hostility towards us?" Sun Youwei came from behind, curiously asking.

"That woman has psychological issues." Lin Miao hummed, "She tried to seduce me in person today, really shameless."

"What?" Sun Youwei covered her mouth, gasping.

"Senior sister, ignore it; in the future, she probably won’t have the face to come again." Lin Miao said, "Old as she is, still trying to rob the cradle, pfft!"

Sun Youwei couldn’t help but burst into laughter; junior brother surely dares to speak, even saying ’robbing the cradle’.

"Junior brother, that Mr. Su has locked himself in the room for almost a full day and night. He hasn’t eaten the meals we’ve sent him. Could something have happened?" Sun Youwei suddenly remembered why she had come looking for Lin Miao, but had forgotten after overhearing a rather shocking conversation.

"Alright, I’ll go check." Lin Miao nodded. For martial artists, reaching a bottleneck in training means they are just a step away from breaking through.

Yet how to take that step is uncertain. Some find it easy, while others might be trapped due to a Heart Demon, unable to break through.

Su Chen should be no older than twenty-five, but he has been extremely talented since childhood, excelling in martial arts and medicine alike.

He learned medicine from Ding Yixin, a renowned master in Lanzhou, and his martial arts skills are family heritage. Based on his visible aura, Lin Miao judged him to be at the Peak of the Bone Forging Realm, not yet having broken through to the Blood Fusion Realm.

The Blood Fusion Realm, also known as "Bone to Marrow Refinement," is the hardest step for a martial artist. Out of ten martial artists, it’s commendable if one manages it.

Closed-door training, fasting.

There’s a kind of Fasting Pill that can sustain someone for ten or fifteen days, which is a dream-come-true for martial artist training.

If disrupted during enlightenment, it’s highly disadvantageous. So, one must maintain momentum and successfully comprehend the techniques.

Lin Miao had only heard of Fasting Pills; he hadn’t seen them. Even with a prescription, they are difficult to concoct.

Su Chen, being a son of wealth, might have similar "medicines" with him, and during meditation, the necessary energy decrease allows a person to go long without eating, but what’s critical is the need for water...

Lin Miao stood outside the door for a brief moment, confirmed that Su Chen inside was still breathing, quite steadily, and determined there was no danger to his life, so he left.

As long as he’s fine, interrupting someone’s closed-door training is clearly not what friends do.

Anyway, there are three days left until the face-to-face examination. If in three days it’s still the same, perhaps he might have to enter the room and forcibly wake him up.

This "Medical Practitioner’s face-to-face examination" is a big deal.

During dinner, Miss Liuli arrived.

She is the master dancer at Huaye Tower and has daily duties, choreography and dance practice, not to mention leading performances.

Although she doesn’t need to serve wine or entertain guests, she earns a lot, but her expenses are also extensive, and as her fame rises, the redemption fee for her freedom escalates as well.

If one doesn’t strive for achievements, they risk being traded away or having their treatment downgraded, living a difficult life. But once fame is established, her value increases, and the cost of redeeming oneself becomes higher...

This is Miss Liuli’s current dilemma.

If Miss Liuli were willing to entertain guests, she would surely have a place among the Twelve Beauties, possibly already reclaimed her freedom, but alas, she is unwilling.

"Miss Liuli, your tower master came this morning and told me you exchanged the method I taught you for freedom after thirty." During dinner, Lin Miao spoke.

"Huh?" Miss Liuli instantly turned pale. She realized Qin Yanran’s cunning, unexpectedly so despicable.

"Mr. Lin, I did not tell Mrs. Qin the method you taught me." Miss Liuli set down her bowl and chopsticks, making a quick defense.

"I know, if you had, she wouldn’t have come and told me. Someone like her would certainly use what you learned from me to gain more, how could she directly reveal the relationship to cause me to be on guard against you?" Lin Miao could tell from Miss Liuli’s expression what had transpired.

Of course, women of the pleasure quarters have "Oscar-worthy" acting skills, so even true words he wouldn’t fully believe.

"Mr. Lin, my sister Liuli is very upright; she would never betray a friend." Shi Yin also voiced a defense for Miss Liuli.

"I want to know more about your tower master Qin. Mind telling me a bit?" Lin Miao chuckled.

"I don’t know much. Ten years ago, I was sixteen, had just debuted when the boss of our Qunfang Garden fell into great debt. The Garden and those of us with indenture contracts were to be sold to repay the debt. Because of my dancing skills, Mrs. Qin noticed me and promised that if I go with her, she would buy my contract, allowing me to perform without having to serve guests." Miss Liuli explained.

"Given your indenture contract, are you not subject to your owner’s disposal? Why didn’t your owner auction you to the highest bidder at that time?"

"The court mandates that valuable items like goods, properties, and lands can be auctioned, but those under indenture contracts cannot be bid on, except those penalized into slavery due to major cases." Miss Liuli explained.

Lin Miao understood that those who voluntarily sell themselves retain some rights. Although pitiful, having some rights is better than none.

But those demoted to slavery by the government have no rights, similar to goods that can be traded freely.

Usually, there’s no significant difference.

You say bidding is not allowed, but secretly prices can be offered, and owners may transfer to the highest bidder. What can you do?

"Mrs. Qin must have been young back then?"

"I don’t know her exact age at that time, but over the past ten years, she has hardly changed." Miss Liuli answered.

"Does she have others working for her, like elder assistants?"

"There was one called Mrs Long who succumbed to illness three years ago." Miss Liuli said.

"What is Qin Yanran’s background?"

"I don’t know, but judging by her accent, she seems to be from around Dingzhou. She’s never mentioned her past, or any family." Miss Liuli remarked.

"Did she ask you to tell her last night’s rescue method in exchange for your freedom after three years?" Lin Miao returned to the initial topic.

"Yes."

"Agree to it." Miss Liuli’s adherence to personal integrity and refusal to betray herself was reason enough for him to help her.

Anyway, it’s just a few words for him.

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