The hall fell into complete silence.
No one expected such a beautiful, delicate girl to snap back with that kind of blunt insult, but the word "Pig" was… well… they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Aurelius froze.
This girl… this little girl… dared to insult him in his face?
"You… You little brat... Clearly, you were never taught proper manners. Does your mother not teach you any respect?"
He was so used to bullying everyone that being slapped verbally left him angrier and more flustered.
But Zora did not even blink.
Her eyes darkened, turning cold and sharp like a sword, before she snapped back at him.
"How old are you?" she said, voice filled with disdain. "And what gives you the right to interfere in my business?"
She took one step forward, and her aura surged explosively in the next instant.
At once, a heavy, oppressive pressure filled the hall.
"You want discipline? I'll discipline you."
The tiny figure suddenly seemed to tower over the arrogant man.
Everyone watching sucked in a breath.
This girl
She was no ordinary physician.
Her aura alone crushed half the room.
"Who… who is this little girl?" someone whispered.
"Her aura is incredible and quite oppressive. I've never seen anything like it."
"The guards brought her in themselves… maybe she has a powerful background?"
"Aurelius always wanted revenge after being expelled. Now that he saw the palace doctors helpless, he came here to show off. A good slap to him… Haha..."
As murmuring filled the room, Aurelius's face flushed with rage. Being insulted by a girl barely fifteen was more than his pride could stomach. And twice… he couldn't bear it anymore.
"You little bi*ch..."
With a snarl, he lifted his hand, clearly intending to slap Zora across the face.
Zora's frown deepened at his act. She was ready… more than ready to teach this arrogant pig a lesson, but then Rolant suddenly stepped forward and caught Aurelius's wrist midair.
"Aurelius," Rolant snapped, fury burning in his aged eyes, "you are still an elder. Do you have no shame? Would you strike a junior in front of all of us? Have you lost all sense of measure?"
The tension spiked instantly.
The memory of expelling Aurelius from the hospital still burned in Rolant's mind. Seeing the shameless man return now, gloating and arrogant, only rekindled his hatred.
Aurelius jerked his hand violently, throwing off Rolant's grip. "I am no longer under that hospital's roof. You have no right to lecture me."
The two men glared at each other, ready to explode into a fight.
Before they could, Zora stepped in, her voice continued to be icy and sharp. "You said I'm just a child who doesn't understand medicine," she said, raising her slightly, "so tell me. Can you cure the Prince?"
Her tone mocked him openly, like she was asking whether a chicken could fly.
Aurelius chuckled smugly.
He wouldn't fall for such a simple provocation.
"If I can't cure him, then you definitely can't..."
"What if I cure him?" Zora asked, lips curving into a slow, confident smile.
"As if..." Aurelius scoffed loudly.
"You've learned a bit of useless scrap and think you're a physician? Unless the sun rises from the west… it's impossible."
Despite Aurelius's ridicule, Zora did not even blink. "Since you're so certain," she said lightly, "why don't we make a bet?"
Aurelius narrowed his eyes. "What bet?"
"If I cure the Prince," she said, her eyes bright with arrogance, "you will pay me one hundred thousand gold coins and apologize to every doctor here."
Gasps erupted around them.
One hundred thousand gold coins.
A lifetime of savings.
No one here would dare to gamble that amount.
But Zora stood as if she already held the winning hand. Her confidence was bright and dazzling, her presence so sharp it felt like a blade slicing through the air.
Aurelius's face twitched.
He wanted to agree instantly
But when he heard the number, the bold words stuck in his throat.
One hundred thousand gold coins… even if he sold every asset he had, he still couldn't gather that much easily.
And yet, why did he feel intimidated by a fifteen-year-old girl's gaze?
Rolant was completely stunned. He had thought Zora was just another desperate physician… but this bet was wild.
It's just outrageous.
"Little girl," he said quickly, "one hundred thousand gold coins is no small matter. Don't let this fellow anger you into saying nonsense."
His concern was real.
He knows Aurelius' personality very well. If she lost, Aurelius would crush her ruthlessly and bleed her dry.
But Zora only smiled, touched by his warning. "Mister," she said softly, "I have my own measure."
Then she turned her eyes back to Aurelius and mocked him, "What's wrong? Are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid," Aurelius snapped instantly, his pride exploding at her words. "How could I possibly be afraid of a little girl like you?"
Since she insisted on losing, he would simply collect his winnings.
"If YOU lose," he sneered, "you will kowtow before me, at my feet with your head touching the floor and apologize."
The surrounding doctors sucked in sharp breaths.
This is too much.
Apologizing with just kneeling is already considered disrespect, but kowtowing… it was utterly humiliating and disgusting to some extent, as only slaves would do that.
This man was truly despicable, taking revenge on a child in such a vulgar way. Moreover, it is a girl...
"Aurelius, how shameless can you be?" Rolant shouted angrily.
Aurelius only snorted. "Rolant, this has nothing to do with you. Instead of meddling, worry about keeping your job once I cure the Prince."
Zora didn't even frown.
"Fine," she said calmly before Rolant responded. "I promise that I will do whatever you want. But if you lose, don't worry, I won't ask you to kowtow."
After a pause, she added with a mocking smile, "You see… I don't think you can kowtow with such a belly enough to carry triplets..."
Everyone's faces changed.
She agreed too quickly and even mocked him back.
Wasn't she too confident? No… It's arrogance…
Who is this lady?
Most of them had lost hope already. They didn't believe Aurelius could cure the Prince, but they also didn't believe this unknown little girl could either.
"Prepare yourself," Aurelius said triumphantly, clenching his fists. "You'll be kowtowing, very soon."
The Zora's lips curved upward.
"We'll see," she replied calmly. "Don't choke when you kneel."
*
Aurelius strutted into the inner hall, his fat stomach jutting out proudly as if already victorious.
He had waited on purpose and only entered after every doctor had failed so that he could shine the brightest in front of the palace. In his mind, he was already imagining the glory of "the man who saved the Prince," imagining Rolant kneeling in regret, imagining all the hospitals fighting to invite him back.
Behind him, Zora stepped into the dormitory with unhurried steps, as calm as if she'd already seen the ending.
"Master… is this pig really capable of curing Philip?" Black whispered, worry flickering in its round eyes. If Aurelius did manage to heal him… then their entire plan will go to waste.
But Zora simply smiled. "The poison was made by me. Except for me, no one under heaven can solve it."
She wasn't boasting.
The scorpion venom she developed was something she had tested, refined, improved, and mastered herself. Even the elders in her past life had tried to detoxify it and failed.
For the doctors of this era who hadn't even heard of… solving it was impossible.
It was just laughable for this fat pig to think he could cure the prince.
White started dancing in excitement on her assurance. "That means we win a hundred thousand gold coins for free. By the way, Master, how will you deal with that arrogant pig later?"
Zora's eyes narrowed, a sly light gliding through them.
"Just the loss of one hundred thousand gold coins is enough to break him. And he has already dug his own grave in front of all these people."
She glanced toward Aurelius's back. "He insulted everyone here. If he fails, he will not just lose his money. He'll lose his face, his reputation, his career. He'll be the laughingstock of the entire medical world."
Black blinked. "Does he not have a brain?"
"No," Zora replied calmly. "There are always idiots who cannot be judged with common sense."
Ahead, Aurelius finally reached Philip's bed, but the moment he looked down, his swagger froze.