~~~
“Your cooks are pretty good,” Liu Jin says between bites.
Although he is outwardly calm, the young child cannot help but feel somewhat nervous. It is the first time he has ever commanded someone to follow him. Furthermore, casual conversations are not something Liu Jin has much experience in. The only person Liu Jin can be said to be casual with is Xiao Nan, and even then, Liu Jin always makes sure to show Xiao Nan an appropriate level of respect.
As nervous as Liu Jin feels right now, however, it is not even close to what Xiao Heng is feeling. The son of the Branch Master sits in front of him. The smile on his face is stiff and probably hurts to maintain. His eyes are a little too wide and his back a little too straight. His skin is pale, sickly even.
“I thank you for your praise,” Xiao Heng says, inclining his head to him. The motion is too stilted to be natural. “However, I am sure the main sect has much more amazing cooks at its disposal.”
“I would not know.” Liu Jin shrugs and takes a sip of tea from his cup before continuing. “I do not really have much time to relax back home. Times like these are rare for me.”
Well, relax is not quite the right word, Liu Jin muses. Treating patients would definitely be more relaxing than this.
“Ah, is that so?” Xiao Heng takes a bite out of his food. The bite is small, minuscule. It is like he doesn’t dare eat too much in front of Liu Jin out of fear the child would change his mind and demand all the food for himself. Liu Jin finds it rather tiresome but knows there is no point in telling him to calm down. People rarely calm down when ordered to. He’d be more successful in telling him to stop breathing. “In that case, I am glad your stay here is bringing you a measure of peace.”
Liu Jin just nods and keeps drinking his tea. He immediately knows it was the wrong thing to do as Xiao Heng breaks into a sweat, most likely wondering in what way did he mess up. Liu Jin would like to tell him everything is fine and that he is not angry, but somehow, he knows that is not likely to do any good.
It is troublesome.
Having power and authority is troublesome.
An uncomfortable silence falls over the table. Xiao Heng chews and swallows loudly, most likely out of nervousness. He probably doesn’t even notice he is doing it, which is a good thing. Liu Jin does not want to imagine how much more nervous he’d be otherwise.
Finally, Liu Jin puts his cup down. “Xiao Heng,” he begins.
At the sound of Liu Jin’s voice, Xiao Heng’s body looks like it is torn between standing or bowing. For a moment, it almost looks like he is about to fall. Luckily, that doesn’t happen.
“Y-yes, do you require something of me, boss?”
Boss?
Liu Jin blinks but decides to put that matter aside for now. One problem at a time.
“I believe I already told you what I wanted to ask. Why did your father keep you away from us? For a visit such as this one, being introduced to the sons of the Branch Master should be the most natural thing. Instead, your father only introduced your brother to us.”
“Ah, n-no, my father did not keep me away per se…”
Liu Jin raises an eyebrow.
Xiao Heng looks away.
Liu Jin maintains his stare.
“My father has never been fond of me,” Xiao Heng admits. “Xiao Dong and I are brothers, but father has always favored him over me. He did not present me alongside my brother because he did not want me to take any attention away from him.”
“He did not want you to eclipse your brother?” Liu Jin asks, tilting his head to the side. At that, Xiao Heng lets out a bitter laugh. It is the most genuine sound the teen has made in Liu Jin’s presence.
“Not in a positive way, boss. I assure you. I am someone who was born with a sickly disposition. Due to that, my body is unfit for cultivation. Let me show you.” Xiao Heng closes his eyes and focuses. His Qi slowly becomes noticeable. “Do you feel it, boss?”
“I do,” Liu Jin says. “I feel it quite clearly.”
Foundational Realm, Fifth Level.
The weakest of the bandits Liu Jin met the other day had been in the Foundational Realm. Likewise, he has felt many people in New Moon Town who are still in the Foundational Realm, many visibly older than Xiao Heng. However, the bandits are bandits. The people of New Moon Town are the people of New Moon Town.
Xiao Heng is the son of the Branch Master.
Of the disciples Xiao Dong fought the other day, not a single one had been below the Eighth Level of the Foundational Realm. Xiao Dong, who is perhaps one year older than Xiao Heng, stands in the Inner Realm. As the son of the Branch Master, Xiao Heng should have access to the best resources this branch has to offer. For him to be only in the Fifth Level of the Foundational Realm at his age is nothing less than shameful.
Xiao Ding hid him out of shame.
“I see boss understands,” Xiao Heng says. “Had you paid attention to me that first night, you would have spent the whole time wondering how a failure like me could exist. You would have barely paid attention to my brother’s performance. My very existence makes my father look like a failure for not being able to make his son strong. It is natural for him to be ashamed of me.”
As Liu Jin frowns, Xiao Heng raises his hands and quickly adds. “Don’t misunderstand, boss. Father tried everything. When I was little, he tried lots of ways to raise my level, but it was all pointless. I could just barely climb to the Fifth Level of the Foundational Realm after years of effort. That is simply the fate I was saddled with.”
“It must have been hard growing up like that,” Liu Jin comments tonelessly, his gaze firmly focused on his tea. He can almost see the reflection of his childhood in the cup. Xiao Heng’s situation is not the same as his, but the similarities are enough to make Liu Jin uncomfortable.
“It was not that bad, boss,” Xiao Heng says, keeping his head low. “Eventually most people just started to ignore me. I grew used to that.”
Liu Jin’s eyes narrow minutely. It is a lie. Liu Jin recognizes it instantly. People don’t just ignore. They talk. They mock. They belittle. They bully. That is how most people act in response to a situation like this. Normally, being the son of the branch master would be enough to offer Xiao Heng some protection, but if even his father is ashamed of him then…
In more than one way, Liu Jin is fortunate that Xiao Nan has always looked out for him.
“Stand up,” Liu Jin says suddenly.
“Eh?” Xiao Heng blinks in confusion.
“Your body is suffering from an affliction. That is what you just explained to me, yes? I happen to know a few things about medicine. I would like to check your condition with my own eyes. That is all there is to it.”
“Ah, boss, I am flattered, but my condition is really complicated. A bunch of doctors already looked at me and-”
“Stand. Up.”
Xiao Heng does so at once.
“Good.” Liu Jin stands up and makes his way behind Xiao Heng. “Do not move. If possible, do not speak.”
Xiao Heng nods.
This is better, Liu Jin thinks to himself. Treating people as patients is far more comfortable than treating people as people.
Closing his eyes, Liu Jin places a hand on Xiao Heng’s back. His breathing is uneven. That is the first thing he notices about him. Many would dismiss it as a result of his nervousness, but Liu Jin knows better. Focusing, Liu Jin sends a weak pulse of Qi through Xiao Heng’s body.
“Eh, boss?”
“Silence,” Liu Jin says. The snap Xiao Heng’s jaw makes as he closes it is made all the more audible by how quiet the room is. Liu Jin closes his eyes and focuses on the way his Qi echoes inside Xiao Heng’s body. It is a technique taught to him by Old Jiang. If Xiao Heng were stronger, it would not be so effective. However, at just the Fifth Level of the Foundational Realm, the resistance his body offers is minimal. Liu Jin’s Qi harmlessly echoes inside Xiao Heng’s body, revealing to him his meridians, his muscles, and his organs.
And just like that, Liu Jin understands what is wrong with him.
“I see,” Liu Jin says, taking a step back. “The problem is in your lungs.”
“Boss?”
“You can sit now,” Liu Jin says he starts around pacing around the room. His eyes are open, but they look inward. He thinks back to the many medical books he has read and his many lessons with Old Jiang and his father. “You were born with an unfortunate obstruction in your lungs, but not in an immediately noticeable way. Rather, your deformity alters your breathing just enough to hinder the way you circle Qi through your body during cultivation. Some people are said to get half the results for twice the work. In your case, I’d say you get a tenth of the result for ten times the work.”
Satisfied with his conclusion, Liu Jin nods to himself as he stops pacing.
“I… see,” Xiao Heng says. His sadness is plain to see. His eyes look down. “I always wondered what it was exactly. I… I thought if I knew what it was, I could fix it. Guess, I know now. A tenth of the result for ten times the work, huh? I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with that.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Huh?”
“I never said your condition was untreatable,” Liu Jin tells Xiao Heng, crossing his arms. “It is not even a particularly complicated problem.”
At least, not compared to some of the things Old Jiang has taught him about.
Xiao Heng’s face transforms upon hearing Liu Jin’s words. Hope dominates it for a moment before caution tries to claim it back. The two war against each other on his face. It is the face of a man who has been given hope yet does not want to believe it. He does not want to face disappointment. He does not want to be raised up only to fall even harder than before.
That is fine by Liu Jin.
“Is that… are you really serious, boss? Can you heal this one?”
He has no intention of giving a patient false hope.
“Naturally. Just show me where you store your ingredients.”
~~~
“Boss, can you really do it? Can you?”
“Yes,” Liu Jin replies for what feels like the hundredth time. He supposes he cannot blame Xiao Heng for being so eager, but he does wish he would be quiet for a minute. Going through all the medicines and herbs stored in this place is time-consuming as it is.
The two are currently in the branch sect's storage. It is where all the special pills and herbs gathered over the years are kept. Naturally, there were guards at the gate, but they parted for Liu Jin the moment they saw him, letting the two inside.
“Boss, I am sure our stores aren’t good compared to what is available at Eastern Port City so-”
“It is fine,” Liu Jin cuts in. The only reason he doesn’t roll his eyes is that he is busy using them to identify all the herbs stored.
The New Moon Town Branch has a relatively good selection of herbs and other ingredients. It is poor compared to what Liu Jin has available at the clinic, but these people do not have access to Poison Fang Canyon. When he factors in that detail, the variety of goods stored speaks well of the branch sect’s wealth.
Four Star Blossom.
Blood fungus.
Venomous Wolf Fang.
“It is all here,” Liu Jin says as he takes the ingredients.
“It is?” Xiao Heng asks with so much hope it is painful to watch. “Then can we… will you?”
“I will prepare the medicine in my room,” Liu Jin says. “You can follow me if you want. Just promise to be quiet.”
“Of course, boss!”
As the two exit the storage, Liu Jin notices there are suddenly a lot of servants moving around the house.
“Is there supposed to be something happening today?” He asks.
“I do not think so unless...” Xiao Heng trails off. Realization dawns on his face. “She must be coming to visit!”
“Who?”
“My brother’s fiancée, boss! Hu Meili! If there is this much movement, she must have come here.”
~~~