Chapter 54: Master Zhou’s Mysterious Illness

"I heard from my dad that Grandmaster Sun Simiao could also catch ghosts and exorcise evil spirits—is that true?" Su Muyu leaned in curiously.

"Do you really want to know?" Lu Feng teased her with a mischievous grin.

"Mm-hmm…" Su Muyu nodded eagerly, holding a bowl of sweet white fungus soup, her head bobbing like a pecking chick.

"Call me ‘good brother’ and feed me a spoonful of the soup, and I’ll tell you," Lu Feng bargained.

Before Su Muyu could decide whether to agree, Su Muqing, sitting beside her, exploded with indignation. She tossed aside her pillow and snapped, "Sis, you’re not allowed to call him that!"

"Call me what?"

"'Good brother!' You’re not allowed to—"

"Ah, my junior is so obedient," Lu Feng interjected, grinning as he accepted the title.

Su Muqing was momentarily stunned. After three seconds, she realized what had happened and lunged at him, shouting, "I’ll teach you, you shameless scoundrel, you rascal, you lecher!"

"You’re the one who wanted to say it, not me," Lu Feng replied with an innocent look.

"I don’t care! I’m going to beat you up!" Su Muqing, exasperated, raised her freshly bathed, soft and slender foot to stamp on Lu Feng’s face.

Lu Feng quickly caught her ankle and warned, "Hey, if you keep this up, you’ll expose yourself!"

"Expose yourself, my foot! Living with a pervert at home, I always wear safety shorts every day!" Su Muqing refused to believe a word Lu Feng said.

"But today, what you’re wearing seems a little loose," Lu Feng replied, his expression full of sly amusement.

Su Muqing froze for a moment, then hastily lowered her leg and ducked behind Su Muyu. She quickly lifted her nightdress to check, then spun around, her brows arched in irritation, and glared at Lu Feng. "How dare you lie to me!"

With that, she lunged at Lu Feng again.

Su Muyu hurriedly grabbed her sister and soothed, "All right, that’s enough. Senior brother was just joking with you."

"Who wants to play with him? I only play with you, hmph!" Su Muqing huffed, her prideful demeanor undeniable.

Su Muqing was pulled back onto the sofa by Su Muyu. Still curious, Su Muyu leaned in toward Lu Feng and asked again, "Did Grandmaster Sun Simiao truly have the ability to catch ghosts and drive out evil spirits?"

"They’re just legends. The old man told me that Grandmaster Sun dedicated his life to medicine, wrote the ‘Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces,’ and had some Daoist knowledge, but he never dealt in the supernatural," Lu Feng explained.

"Is that so? But when Old Su taught me the Surging Palm, he said Grandmaster’s palm technique could stir rivers and seas. Is that not true?" Su Muqing asked, puzzled.

"How old were you when you heard that?" Lu Feng countered.

Su Muqing tilted her head up to the ceiling, thinking for a moment before answering, "I suppose I was seven."

"You still believe ghost stories you heard at seven? I give up," Lu Feng rolled his eyes.

"Sis, did Old Su used to trick us a lot when we were little?" Su Muqing suddenly realized the truth.

"Call him Dad," Su Muyu corrected her.

"No way. If this rascal can call him Old Su, I’d be at a loss not to," Su Muqing refused to change.

Lu Feng watched Su Muqing, finding her rather amusing. He also knew she was a tomboy at heart—energetic and mischievous, often at odds with her father. But this was simply her way of expressing affection, something outsiders seldom understood. At first, Lu Feng had thought she and Su Dao’an didn’t get along, but that wasn’t the case at all.

…

Su Dao’an was a businessman, so he took the Zhou family’s affairs quite seriously. He had tried to find out what illness Old Master Zhou was suffering from, but no one could give him a clear answer.

Su Dao’an found this odd. After all, there were only a few diseases nowadays that were truly difficult to treat. Aside from those of a private nature, there weren’t many illnesses that needed to be kept secret. Old Master Zhou was over seventy and from a prominent family—there was no way he could be suffering from anything unspeakable. The matter seemed suspicious.

A few days later, Zhou Fuqu sent someone to call Su Dao’an, hoping Lu Feng could come and examine Old Master Zhou.

When Su Dao’an mentioned this to Lu Feng in person, Lu Feng asked just three words: "Where’s the invitation?"

"Don’t be so particular," Su Dao’an tried to persuade him.

"Just look at Zhou Fuqu’s haughty face. You know their family is difficult to deal with. If they can’t even send an invitation, I absolutely won’t go," Lu Feng insisted on principle.

Left with no choice, Su Dao’an relayed Lu Feng’s words to Zhou Fuqu, who, somewhat annoyed, sought out other famous physicians.

A week later, the Zhou family seemed increasingly anxious. Fang Huijuan came to Su Dao’an several times, hoping for his assistance.

Su Dao’an, too, wished Lu Feng would pay a visit, but Lu Feng stuck firmly to his principles: no invitation, no visit. Seeking medical help was seeking medical help; putting on airs was not to be indulged.

After three more days, the Zhou family appeared nearly desperate. Zhou Fuqu had no choice but to bring the invitation herself to Su Dao’an, unable to stomach directly seeking out Lu Feng.

Upon seeing the invitation, with his own name written on it, Lu Feng acknowledged that since the other party had lowered their pride, he could now go.

After Su Dao’an and Zhou Fuqu agreed on a time, the next day Su Dao’an had his assistant drive him and Lu Feng to the Zhou family’s residence to examine Old Master Zhou.

…

Originally, Old Master Zhou lived at a country estate, but for the sake of treatment, he had moved to Yuangjing Mountain.

Assistant Chen drove the Phaeton into Yuangjing Mountain, parking in the Zhou family villa’s garage.

After Lu Feng and Su Dao’an got out, a servant led them to the main hall.

Madam Zhou came out to greet them. Upon seeing Su Dao’an and Lu Feng, she naturally took Su Dao’an’s hand and said, "Doctor, you’re finally here. Fuqu said you might not be willing to come."

Su Dao’an smiled modestly and stepped aside to introduce Lu Feng. "This is the physician."

Madam Zhou paused, sizing up Lu Feng. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed even younger than her own daughter.

"Well…"

"Don’t worry, this is the doctor who cured Miss Fuqu’s minor ailments," Su Dao’an assured her.

"What kind of miracle doctor? Let me see what all this fuss is about."

Just then, a slightly arrogant voice came from upstairs. Looking up, they saw a young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight descending the stairs, his gaze full of skepticism as he scrutinized Lu Feng and Su Dao’an.

"So this is the so-called miracle doctor my cousin mentioned?" The young man circled Lu Feng, sneering, "Can’t even grow a full beard, yet dares to swindle money? And my cousin actually believes him. She must be out of her mind."

"Lu Yang! Fuqu is your cousin. How can you speak like that?" Madam Zhou scolded, clearly annoyed.

"Mother, don’t mind him. Is there ever a time he doesn’t target me?" Zhou Fuqu, too, now came down the stairs.

…

Lu Feng had no interest in listening to the Zhou family’s internal squabbles; he found them unbearably tedious. He cut in, "Where’s the patient? Take me to see him."

Madam Zhou was about to lead Lu Feng and Su Dao’an upstairs when Lu Yang stopped them. "Wait! You bring just anyone into our home. If he can’t help Grandfather, that’s one thing, but what if he makes things worse? Who will take responsibility?"

"We’re all here to help Grandfather, aren’t we? Didn’t you also bring in that foreign doctor?" Zhou Fuqu shot back.

"The Dr. Parnier I hired is the most renowned neurologist from America, with full medical credentials. And this man you found? Does he even have a medical license?" Lu Yang challenged.