Power and wealth bring fragrance

Mu Wanning Medical Clinic.

The clinic remained as simple as ever, with its doors and windows tightly shut, seemingly closed and out of business.

However, the backyard of the clinic is a completely different world.

In a small courtyard, several unknown herbs were planted in the four corners, lush and green.

In the center of the courtyard, there is an old sandalwood tea table with a set of purple clay teapots on it, bubbling away, steaming and filling the air with the aroma of tea.

Wei Yuan and Mu Wanning sat facing each other.

Mu Wanning wore a dark green silk cheongsam, the tailored fit of which perfectly accentuated her mature and voluptuous figure.

At the slit, a pair of long, beautiful legs encased in flesh-colored stockings sat crossed, their ankles slender, and their skin faintly visible beneath the stockings, exuding an indescribable charm.

Her mature charm carried a touch of natural allure, yet it was perfectly tempered by her cool and aloof demeanor.

Her long, black hair was loosely tied back, with a few stray strands falling at her temples, adding to her languid look.

"hiss."

Mu Wanning extended a fair, jade-like hand, her slender fingers pinching the handle of the purple clay teapot. With a slight flick of her wrist, a stream of amber-colored tea poured from the spout, landing precisely in the teacup in front of Wei Yuan without spilling a single drop.

The movements were fluid and skillful.

"You were just seriously injured, why are you in such a hurry to be discharged from the hospital?"

Mu Wanning put down the teapot, looked up at Wei Yuan, and her eyes, as clear as autumn water, held undisguised concern:

"What did the doctor say? Has the wound been treated properly? Has any internal organ been damaged?"

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a touch of the soft, melodious Wu dialect unique to women from Jiangnan, which was so soothing to the ears.

Wei Yuan picked up the teacup, blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and then waved his hand.

"Master's wife, please don't worry. Hospitals are just for IV drips and X-rays; they're completely useless. It's better to treat my injury myself than let them waste time and energy."

He said this casually, as if yesterday's thrilling battle was nothing more than a slip and fall on the way out.

Looking at his still somewhat pale face, Mu Wanning shook her head helplessly, but did not try to persuade him any further.

She now understands Wei Yuan very well.

He looks gentle and mild-mannered, but deep down he is more arrogant and tougher than anyone else.

Once someone has made up their mind, nothing can change it.

And... he's not wrong.

With Wei Yuan's medical skills, he is indeed far superior to those so-called experts in the hospital.

The two remained silent for a moment, the tea bubbling away, the courtyard so quiet that only the rustling of the wind through the leaves of the herbs could be heard.

Wei Yuan put down his teacup, his gaze falling on Mu Wanning, his brows furrowing slightly, as if he had remembered something:

"By the way, Master's wife, I heard from Qin Xiao that you went to the hospital yesterday too?"

Mu Wanning paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

"Yes, I went."

She responded with a flat tone.

"Then why did Qin Xiao say that after you heard his account of what happened, your expression suddenly changed, and you left without saying a word?"

Wei Yuan's gaze was fixed on Mu Wanning's face, his tone carrying a hint of doubt:

"Master's wife, has something happened?"

Mu Wanning raised her head and met Wei Yuan's sharp eyes, and was slightly taken aback.

She hadn't expected that Qin Xiao would tell Wei Yuan even such details.

After a moment of silence, Mu Wanning sighed softly, put the teacup back on the table, and let her gaze drift to the few herbs in the corner of the courtyard, her eyes becoming somewhat distant.

"It's nothing serious."

Her voice was a few decibels lower than before, carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue:

"I was just... startled when Qin Xiao told me you encountered a martial artist."

"A martial artist?" Wei Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Um."

Mu Wanning nodded, paused, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips:

"You should have guessed it by now; the kung fu I'm teaching you is a family secret."

Wei Yuan didn't speak, but listened quietly.

He knew that Mu Wanning was about to talk about a past she had never mentioned to anyone before.

"I come from a family of martial arts practitioners. I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, and my family is quite powerful. I should be considered a noblewoman from a wealthy family."

Mu Wanning's voice was light and airy, as if she were telling someone else's story:

"However, later, a terrible tragedy struck the family. Both my parents died, and I was poisoned, severing my meridians. All of the family's assets were taken away."

Her voice trembled slightly, but quickly regained its composure:

"I managed to escape by sheer luck, changed my name, and hid in this small town, where I opened this little clinic, and twenty years have passed since then."

"For the past twenty years, I thought those people had long forgotten me, and that I could live out the rest of my life peacefully like this."

"But yesterday, when Qin Xiao talked about the behavior of those assassins... I was immediately reminded of what happened back then. I thought... it was my enemy who had found their way here."

At this point, Mu Wanning gently shook her head, a self-deprecating smile appearing on her face:

"So I rushed back last night and checked around, only to find that there was nothing unusual going on with my old rivals. I guess... I was just being paranoid."

Silence fell over the courtyard once again.

Wei Yuan looked at Mu Wanning's charming yet slightly forlorn face and felt a jolt in his heart.

Only then did he realize that his seemingly gentle and weak teacher's wife had such a thrilling past.

No wonder...

No wonder when she taught me martial arts, she repeatedly reminded me that "fortune and misfortune are in one's own hands" and warned me that "the path of martial arts is fraught with danger at every step; if you can avoid it, then don't."

At that time, he thought that his teacher's wife was just saying it casually.

Looking back now, every single word was a lesson she learned through blood and tears.

However, this is ultimately Mu Wanning's private matter.

She was unwilling to say more, so Wei Yuan didn't ask any further questions, but simply kept the matter firmly in his mind.

Regardless, Mu Wanning was his teacher's wife who had taught him.

Mu Wanning's affairs are his affairs.

Once this matter is resolved, if there is time, Wei Yuan would like to help Mu Wanning understand the past grievances.

He simply picked up his teacup, drank the remaining tea in one gulp, then put the cup down, looked at Mu Wanning, and said in a deep voice:

"Master's wife, let bygones be bygones."

"But remember one thing."

His gaze was firm and solemn:

"If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know. No matter who it is or what it is, I'll be there for you."

Mu Wanning raised her head and met Wei Yuan's earnest eyes, feeling a slight warmth in her heart.

She looked at Wei Yuan's handsome face, which exuded composure and responsibility, and a gentle smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"good."

She responded softly, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible sob.

……

The two sat for a while longer and drank a few cups of tea.

Mu Wanning broke the silence first, changing the subject as she took a list from a wooden box beside her and handed it to Wei Yuan:

"Oh, by the way, I've prepared all the medicinal herbs you requested."

"Three century-old ginseng roots, two snow lotus flowers, one thousand-year-old he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum), and dozens of other auxiliary herbs, all selected according to your prescription, are the best quality."

Wei Yuan took the list, glanced at it, and nodded:

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Master's wife."

"So... do you want to start now?" Mu Wanning asked.

"Let's start now." Wei Yuan nodded without hesitation. "Injuries wait for no one; the sooner we recover, the better."

He paused slightly, a rare look of embarrassment crossing his face, and scratched his head:

"However... I'll still need to trouble you, Master's wife, to perform acupuncture treatment on me later."

Mu Wanning was taken aback.

Then, as if she remembered something, her beautiful face flushed bright red.

She remembered a few months ago.

At that time, she suffered a stroke due to her terminal illness and was on the verge of death. It was Wei Yuan who risked his life and used his extraordinary acupuncture skills to extend her life.

And that treatment...

Both of them were completely naked in order to make it easier to perform the needlework.

Even after all this time, the memory of that intimate scene of skin touching and breaths mingling still makes Mu Wanning's heart race and her face flush.

She secretly glanced at Wei Yuan.

But Wei Yuan also looked uncomfortable, his gaze drifting elsewhere, not daring to meet her eyes.

Clearly, he also remembered that time.

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became somewhat ambiguous.

Mu Wanning took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart, and nodded as if nothing was wrong:

"……good."

His voice was softer than usual, and carried a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

……

After finishing their tea, the two moved to a side room in the backyard.

The side room wasn't large, but it was kept very clean.

In the very center of the room stood a large wooden tub, about half a person's height, filled with hot water. The steaming water vapor enveloped the entire room in a hazy mist.

Wei Yuan walked to the wooden tub and began to take out the medicinal herbs one by one from a large medicine box next to it.

Centuries-old ginseng, snow lotus from the snowy plateau, millennium-old he shou wu...

Each and every one of them is a rare medicinal herb that would drive the medical community crazy.

But Wei Yuan acted without the slightest hesitation.

He picked up the century-old ginseng, and with a slight squeeze of his fingers, he crushed the entire ginseng into powder, which he then casually scattered into the wooden bucket.

Next came the snow lotus.

He clasped his hands together, held the two snow lotuses between his palms, and rubbed them slightly. The snow lotuses turned into a pool of pale blue liquid, which dripped into the bucket through his fingers.

He used his palm to pulverize the thousand-year-old he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) into powder, which he then sprinkled evenly onto the water surface.

He used different methods to process each medicinal herb.

Some were crushed, some were juiced, some were shaken into powder, and some were even refined directly with internal force.

The movements were skillful and fluid, clearly indicating that they had done it countless times.

As the medicinal herbs were added one by one, the color of the water in the wooden bucket began to change.

First it was pale yellow, then it turned dark brown, and then...

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Bubbles surged on the surface of the water, and the color grew darker and more intense.

In just a short while, the entire bucket of hot water turned into a pitch-black mass, thick as ink, emitting a strong medicinal smell that made people shudder.

Wei Yuan, however, seemed unsurprised.

He took off his coat, then his shirt, revealing his upper body.

Mu Wanning stood to the side, looking at Wei Yuan's body, her pretty face flushed red again.

Wei Yuan has an excellent physique.

It's not the exaggerated muscles you get from working out in a gym, but rather the streamlined muscles honed through years of martial arts training.

With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, full chest muscles, and clearly defined abdominal muscles, his physique is like a marble sculpture, every line exuding power and explosiveness.

However, his bronze skin was crisscrossed with numerous scars.

Each dish seems to tell a thrilling story from the past.

Mu Wanning's gaze lingered on Wei Yuan for a moment, her heart pounding like a drum.

Whether it was from the heat in the room or from embarrassment, her charming face grew increasingly red, almost to the point of being dripping with moisture.

"Master's wife?"

Wei Yuan turned his head and saw Mu Wanning standing there, a hint of confusion on her face.

"what?"

Mu Wanning snapped back to her senses, quickly lowered her head, and dared not look at Wei Yuan again; her voice trembled slightly.

"N-nothing... You should go inside quickly, the water's getting cold."

Wei Yuan nodded without thinking much, quickly took off the rest of his clothes, and stepped into the wooden tub.

"hiss."

The moment the black medicine reached above his chest, Wei Yuan couldn't help but gasp.

A surge of scalding heat rushed into my body through every pore.

The feeling was like countless red-hot needles piercing my body at the same time—painful, numb, swollen, and burning.

But he gritted his teeth, remained silent, and slowly sat down, letting the medicine submerge his neck, leaving only his head exposed.

Mu Wanning took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the panic and shyness in her heart.

She knew that now was not the time to let her mind wander.

Wei Yuan's injuries were severe.

If medication and acupuncture are not used to treat the condition in time, it may leave hidden injuries that will affect future martial arts training.

She walked to the wooden shelf to the side and took out a set of silver needles from a brocade box.

This set of silver needles, varying in length and thickness, gleamed with a faint, cold light under the lamp.

Mu Wanning picked up the longest silver needle, and with a slight exertion of force in her fingertips, the tip of the needle actually emitted a faint silver light.

She walked to the wooden tub, looked at Wei Yuan, whose head was the only part of his body protruding from the tub and whose face was flushed red from the medicine, and said in a deep voice:

"Relax your mind, guard your dantian, and do not resist the effects of the medicine."

"I'm about to begin."

Wei Yuan closed his eyes and nodded slightly.

Mu Wanning took a deep breath and flipped her wrist.

The Southern Dipper generates nine needles; the needles are then inserted.

"call out!"

The first silver needle was precisely inserted into Wei Yuan's Baihui acupoint.

Then came the second one, the third one...

Her movements became faster and more steady.

One silver needle after another fell like raindrops, precisely piercing the major acupoints all over Wei Yuan's body.

As the silver needles were inserted, the dark liquid in the wooden tub began to slowly rotate, forming a small vortex.

A visible black mist rose from the medicinal liquid, enveloping Wei Yuan entirely.

Inside the room, only the bubbling sound of the medicine and Mu Wanning's slightly rapid breathing could be heard.