Liu Ergou's words left Leng Shasha speechless.

Damn it, he's playing word games with me. And the worst part is, I have nothing to say back.

Just as Leng Shasha was about to get angry, Liu Ergou spoke again.

"Shasha, take it easy," he said. "Your problem is minor, and it'll be simple for me to solve. The urgent matter right now is Zhu Qiushui!"

"To put it bluntly, the worst that can happen to you is some facial damage, and you can always throw money at the problem to fix your skin. But Qiushui's issue is a matter of life and death! That's something no amount of money can buy back. It's a life on the line, Shasha. Please try to understand."

Since Liu Ergou had put it that way, Leng Shasha couldn't argue any further. She could only agree with a huff and sit down on the sofa to listen to what he had to say about Zhu Qiushui's condition.

"Qiushui, your condition is quite stable at the moment. You can rest easy for a year, at least," Liu Ergou explained.

Hearing this, Zhu Qiushui couldn't help but ask, "What about after a year? Will my condition get worse then? And what exactly is this illness? Er Gou, can you please explain it to me in detail?"

Zhu Qiushui's barrage of questions left Liu Ergou momentarily unsure where to begin.

"Ahem, Qiushui, please calm down and listen. I'll answer your questions one by one," he said. "First, regarding your first two questions: you will experience the first onset of your illness in a year. After that, your condition will progressively worsen until... until the end. As for what your illness is..."

Liu Ergou paused, deep in thought. After a long moment, he continued, "From a Western medicine perspective, I don't know what it's called. After all, I practice traditional Chinese medicine. But from my perspective, your illness is related to your meridians. Essentially, your meridians will gradually atrophy. Your body will grow weaker and more fatigued, until in the later stages, even a strong gust of wind could knock you over."

Before Zhu Qiushui could respond, Leng Shasha burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Er Gou, if you're going to scam someone, could you at least invent a more believable disease?" Leng Shasha said with a laugh. "You're talking about meridians? This sounds like something out of a wuxia novel! What's next? Are you going to tell us that Qiushui will be fine as long as she unblocks her governor and conception vessels? And I suppose you're the only one who knows how to do that, right?"

Leng Shasha's words made Zhu Qiushui's eyes go wide. Her gaze toward Liu Ergou was now tinged with suspicion and wariness.

Liu Ergou, however, remained perfectly calm, his expression unchanged.

"Ah, Shasha, what am I supposed to do with you?" he said, shaking his head with a helpless look. "To call you a frog in a well would be too harsh. But you need to understand what traditional medicine is. It's about Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. The concepts it contains are vast and can't be explained in just a few words. The art of Chinese medicine is profound and extensive; even I wouldn't dare claim to have mastered it completely. Yet here you are, viewing the world from the bottom of a well, making assumptions about it based on your own limited perspective. Don't you think that's a bit shortsighted?"

After saying his piece, Liu Ergou fell silent, sitting there and watching Leng Shasha quietly.

Zhu Qiushui, on the other hand, nodded repeatedly in complete agreement with his words.

Under Liu Ergou's steady gaze, Leng Shasha grew flustered within minutes. She started looking everywhere but at him, unable to meet his eyes. Head bowed and lips pouted, she said indignantly, "Look at you, Er Gou! Why are you being like this? I was just saying a few words because I don't understand. Why are you lecturing me? If you just explained it, then I would understand!"

Liu Ergou smiled. "I wasn't scolding you, Shasha. I was trying to reason with you. It's okay to ask questions if you don't understand something, but you shouldn't just spout nonsense. You're lucky I'm good-tempered. If you'd said that to someone else, you might have been kicked out."

Zhu Qiushui immediately chimed in, "I agree with Er Gou on that! I've seen things like that happen before when I was a kid!"

Hearing this, Leng Shasha couldn't help but roll her eyes.

That Zhu Qiushui... can't she tell who her real friends are? Why is she taking his side?

Seeing Leng Shasha sitting silently with her head down, Liu Ergou decided to ignore her and turned his attention back to Zhu Qiushui.

"Qiushui, to be honest, I find your situation quite tricky," he began. "How about this, I..."

To his complete surprise, just as he was speaking, Leng Shasha, who had been silent, suddenly piped up again. "Wow, Er Gou, you find this disease tricky? Does that mean your skills are limited? If that's the case, then I'm taking Qiushui to a hospital!"

Leng Shasha's simple remark made Zhu Qiushui, who had just calmed down, begin to panic all over again.

A smug smile appeared on Leng Shasha's face as she looked at Liu Ergou.

His reasoning was simple. Since Liu Ergou had dared to embarrass her, she saw no reason not to cause trouble for him. The thought made her feel incredibly pleased with herself.

She stood up, sat down beside Zhu Qiushui, and grabbed her arm.

"Let's go, Qiushui! We're going to the hospital for a checkup. We're not listening to this little rascal Er Gou anymore!"

Without giving Zhu Qiushui a chance to speak, she started pulling her by the arm, determined to drag her away.

Liu Ergou simply sat there, watching the scene unfold without any intention of stopping them, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Within a couple of minutes, Leng Shasha had managed to drag the reluctant Zhu Qiushui all the way to the villa's entrance.

Just as they were about to step out the front door, Liu Ergou, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.

"If you go to the hospital, Qiushui, think it over carefully. Western doctors don't understand things like Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, or meridians. To them, your condition will most likely be diagnosed as terminal. The 'you might as well go home and get your affairs in order' kind. With me, there's still a glimmer of hope. With them, you're just waiting to die. That's all I have to say. The choice is yours."

Liu Ergou's blunt words left both Leng Shasha and Zhu Qiushui frozen in place.

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