Standing outside the closed guesthouse, the servants and maids gritted their teeth every time they heard Mu Jiao Long's pained groans. Mu He and Mu Yu rushed up with two actual doctors in tow.
Mu He demanded, "What are you doing outside? Why don't you stay inside and take care of da gongzi?"
A maid replied quickly, "Lao He, the young guest is taking care of gongzi's injury right now. For privacy, he kicked us out."
Inside, Mu Jiao Long gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He turned to Wang Changming, speaking through the pain. "How many stitches have you sewn me?"
"Ten…" Wang Changming answered calmly.
"How many more?"
"I don't know. As many as it takes to close the wound. Your wound is not a small wound."
Mu Jiao Long hissed. "Do it quickly!"
Wang Changming's patience frayed. "I try to be as fast as I can."
Mu Jiao Long groaned again. "Hey, how many wounds have you treated?"
"Many."
"How many required you to use needle and thread?" Wang Changming looked up at Mu Jiao Long, biting his lower lip. "Tell me how many?"
Wang Changming finally admitted, "You are the first one."
Mu Jiao Long roared in pain. "What?!" He screamed.
After sewing sixteen stitches, Wang Changming finally cut the last thread. He cleaned the wound, applied ointment, bandaged it, and carefully fixed Mu Jiao Long's trousers.
Wang Changming wrapped Mu Jiao Long's belt around him and began to tie it. He looked at the family head, knowing Mu Jiao Long was deeply unsatisfied. "Mu gongzi, your pain tolerance is very strong."
Mu Jiao Long grabbed Wang Changming's belt and angrily pulled him closer. Wang Changming lost his balance and fell onto Mu Jiao Long. Wang Changming quickly wrapped his arms around Mu Jiao Long's head, and Mu Jiao Long's left arm involuntarily wrapped around Wang Changming's waist.
After a moment of charged silence, Mu Jiao Long spoke. "Your heart beats too fast. Are you okay?"
"Mu gongzi, your heartbeat is also very fast," Wang Changming noted.
Mu Jiao Long shoved Wang Changming away. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Forget it. Open the door."
"Mu gongzi… I want to ask you something," Wang Changming said quickly.
"What?"
"Can I stay here to study medicine? I heard that Mu's family is the best doctor... I want to be a student."
Mu Jiao Long was dismissive. "We don't teach it to others. Forget it and leave. I will tell Lao He to give you some money."
"I don't want your money," Wang Changming insisted.
"You don't have to beg anymore; it is a waste of time."
"Would you be so heartless as to not teach medicine to someone who desperately wants to learn it?"
Mu Jiao Long laughed bitterly. "I don't know anything about medicine."
"You are the head of the family, so why don't you have medical skills?"
Mu Jiao Long smirked. "I'm not interested in medicine. Also, the one who knows about medicine is a very rigid person. He follows the old tradition and refuses to change. It is a a waste of time trying to convince him."
Wang Changming pressed his luck. "What if I can persuade him to teach me?"
"You won't be able to do it."
"Are you going to bet with me?"
Mu Jiao Long smiled, the challenge accepted. "Well, if you can persuade him to teach you, I will agree."
Wang Changming rushed forward and hugged Mu Jiao Long happily. "Thank you very much!"
Mu Jiao Long tried to push him away. "Hey, let go of me... restraint."
Later, sitting in the guest room by a table, Wang Bo spoke with concern. "Gongzi, if Chief Wang knows that you are running away, he will be sad." He looked at Wang Changming. "I am sure Chief will be looking for us."
Wang Changming said, "Then let him look for us. I will take the time to study as much as I could."
Wang Bo sighed and said, "Then we will have to stay quiet and not expose ourselves." He looked at Wang Changming. "Gongzi, why do you not want to be a martial artist but instead you want to be a yisheng?"
Wang Changming smiled at the burning candle, his gaze resolute. "I don't want to involve myself in the martial arts game of fame. I want to do what I love." He looked up at Wang Bo. "And I like to help people. I don't like the way the martial artists look at each other."
Wang Bo sighed, his expression softening. "Gongzi, I raised you from the day you were born, how could I not understand you." He reached out and took Wang Changming's hand. "As long as it can make you happy, I will always be by your side."
Wang Changming smiled warmly. "Thank you, Lao Bo." He stood up and walked to Wang Bo. "Lao Bo, go rest."
"Gongzi, I am a servant, I will sleep on the floor," Wang Bo insisted.
"Lao Bo, I respect you as an elder, and you are not allowed to sleep on the floor," Wang Changming countered firmly.
Wang Bo slowly stood up, shaking his head. "Fine... fine... there is no point in arguing with you."
Early in the morning, a servant knocked on Wang Changming's door. The maid informed him, "Wang gongzi, your breakfast is ready, and da gongzi asked you to help change his dressing."
Wang Changming grabbed his medicine box and followed the maid to Mu Jiao Long's room. He found Mu Jiao Long still in bed. Wang Changming sat down next to the bed, lifted the quilt, and began rolling up Mu Jiao Long's pants. "Looking at your expression yesterday, I thought you would never ask me to take care of your wounds anymore," he teased.
Mu Jiao Long sighed. "I have no choice... Ah Lan is not home. You have to treat my wounds and wait for Ah Lan to come back."
"Who is Ah Lan?" Wang Changming asked while cleaning the wound.
"Of course, it is your future master, as long as you can persuade him to teach you," Mu Jiao Long replied. He looked at the strikingly handsome young man. "At the same time, you can learn medicine from Yu shushu."
Wang Changming finished wrapping the thigh. "If I want to learn the Mu acupuncture technique, would you allow it?"
"The Mu acupuncture technique can only be taught to the Mu family. It's too bad," Mu Jiao Long said with mock regret.
"Why is it too bad?"
Mu Jiao Long smiled suggestively. "Unfortunately, you are a man. If you are a woman, then it should be fine. If you are a woman, you can marry into Mu's family and learn the Mu acupuncture method." He chuckled, teasing him. "Unless you dress up as a woman and marry into Mu's house."
In a fit of pique, Wang Changming tightened the dressing around Mu Jiao Long's leg severely. Mu Jiao Long groaned in pain. "You are such a bastard... you don't even have the heart of a yisheng at all..."
Wang Changming glared at him, refusing to back down. "Fine, if you accept me as your wife, I will marry you in a woman's clothes." He tightened the dressing one more time.
Mu Jiao Long roared and instantly grabbed Wang Changming by the collar, throwing him onto the bed. He pinned Wang Changming down, his body pressing against his. He lowered his head, his voice a low growl. "Well, if you promise to be my wife, I will marry you. Now give your husband a kiss." He lowered his head further, intending to tease Wang Changming with a kiss.
Wang Changming quickly blocked Mu Jiao Long's chest with his left arm, preventing him from closing the distance. "Alright, I give in... you won." He felt Mu Jiao Long's face pressing closer. "Mu gongzi, you can let go of me now."
Mu Jiao Long saw Wang Changming's red cheeks and smiled. Every time Wang Changming blinked, he felt his heart take flight, his chest growing heavier, and the pounding impact getting louder. He lowered his head, a million emotions mixing in his mind. He wanted to ask if Wang Changming felt the same, but the only words that left his mouth were, "Wang gongzi... how old are you?"
The strange question caught Wang Changming off guard. "Seventeen... Mu... Mu gongzi. Your jade is pressed on my thigh."
Mu Jiao Long was confused. "Jade?" He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip hard. He turned to his left and curled into a fetal position. "Sorry... thank you for the dressing change. You can leave now."
Wang Changming got out of bed. "Mu gongzi, are you okay when you lie like that?"
Mu Jiao Long replied, muffled. "Yes... get out, why are you still standing there?"
"How ungrateful..." Wang Changming muttered. He picked up his medicine box and walked out of Mu Jiao Long's bedroom.
Mu Jiao Long slowly turned around and watched the front door where Wang Changming had disappeared. He lifted the blanket and looked down at his crotch. He murmured, "You are really truly ungrateful."