"How do you know of the Nine Suns Rejuvenation Needle technique?"
Kael Renforth's casual remark made Dr. Chou's eyes narrow in shock.
How could this man know of the Nine Suns Rejuvenation Needle, an ancient art from the Records of the Imperial Mind, passed down as a family secret through generations? It was a technique unseen by outsiders, guarded like a treasure.
But the most unsettling detail?
Kael hadn't even witnessed the procedure yet had identified the method flawlessly. Not even Dr. Chou himself could have made such an accurate deduction from mere observation.
Who was this man?
Dr. Chou's chest tightened. This was no ordinary bystander. Kael's insight clearly surpassed his own.
The realization stopped him mid-treatment.
"Master is working! Stop interfering!" Dr. Chou's young apprentice snapped, glaring at Kael. "You keep disrupting him—what's your real motive?"
The apprentice wasn't alone in his frustration.
"Who do you think you are? A doctor? Get out of here!"
"Stop delaying! Let the master save her!"
"Lyria, why are you letting him stay?"
Amid the chaos, Dr. Chou observed silently. He saw a family blind to Kael's exceptional understanding of medicine, treating him with disdain instead of awe.
"Please, wait."
For the first time since his arrival, Dr. Chou spoke directly to Kael.
"You, young man—how do you know of this technique?"
"The Nine Suns Rejuvenation Needle," Kael began, his voice calm but firm. "It harmonizes yin and yang, revitalizes energy flow, strengthens meridians, and restores vitality. 'When righteousness resides within, no evil can enter.'"
Dr. Chou's eyes widened.
Word for word—perfectly recited from the ancient text.
Could Kael have studied the Records of the Imperial Mind? Impossible!
"However," Kael continued, "this technique is unsuitable here. The ailment isn't in the lungs or heart—it resides in the brain. Stimulating the flow of blood with this method would only exacerbate her condition, accelerating the damage."
Dr. Chou froze, his decades of medical experience unraveling before this revelation.
He had missed it.
Kael was right.
The diagnosis was astonishingly precise, surpassing anything Dr. Chou had encountered in his career. This man wasn't just a scholar of medicine—he was a master.
"You dare speak against a renowned doctor like Dr. Chou?" Trista hissed. "Kael Renforth, it's people like you who bring nothing but bad luck to this family!"
Lyria hesitated. For years, she'd overlooked Kael's quiet brilliance, but now… was he truly capable of such mastery? She found herself wanting to believe him.
"I think we should hear him out," she said softly.
Eldrin Denvair scoffed, his contempt for Kael spilling over. "Lyria, you've lost your mind! Since when does Kael Renforth know anything about medicine? And now you're siding with him?"
He jabbed a finger toward Kael. "You caused this crisis, Kael! It's your curse that brought us to the brink of disaster!"
"Enough!"
Kael's voice cut through the room like a blade, silencing the bickering. His gaze was cold, his demeanor steady.
"I have spent years fighting for this family's future. While you bicker and point fingers, I work to save lives. And now, in this moment of need, you refuse to act with reason."
His words hung heavy in the air, striking at the heart of the family's accusations.
Chou's apprentice, still simmering with disbelief, stepped forward. "Talk is cheap, Kael. Have you ever healed anyone? Performed surgery? You're just a fraud with a silver tongue."
Dr. Chou raised a hand, silencing his apprentice.
"No."
The doctor's voice carried the weight of a thousand revelations.
"He's not just a healer—he's something far greater."
The room fell into stunned silence. For the first time, the family began to see Kael in a new light—one that could not be ignored.