"Hello, what do you want?" Daniel Harper asked, his tone cautious. He wasn't eager to deal with these strangers. Just minutes ago, he had copied one of their skills, and if they discovered that—especially if it was a unique technique—things could turn ugly fast.
His mind drifted to those old martial arts novels he'd read as a kid—stories where someone stole a master's technique, only to have their abilities crippled and their life ruined. The image wasn't comforting.
The older man in a gray coat seemed to sense Daniel's guarded demeanor but didn't take offense. Instead, he smiled warmly. "Young man, I just saw you adjust that patient's bones. The massage technique you used—it's exactly like ours. Who was your teacher?"
Daniel scrambled for an answer. "You mean my bone-setting method? Oh, I learned that from… a traveling doctor."
"A traveling doctor?" The old man's brow furrowed, and after a pause, his expression brightened. "Was he tall, white-haired, with a dignified air but still full of energy?"
Daniel cut him off quickly. "No, no. The man who taught me was scruffy, kind of reclusive. Missing an eye… and also a finger on his left hand."
The old man's eyes widened. "What? Is that true?"
"Yes… absolutely," Daniel replied, feeling a bit guilty. What are the odds that the nonsense I'm spouting actually matches someone real?
Another man, dressed in a traditional brown suit jacket, turned to the gray-coated elder. "Uncle Mason, do you recognize this teacher he's talking about? Sounds like someone you know."
Mason nodded gravely. "Not his teacher—his teacher's senior. Young man, you and I, we belong to the same lineage."
Daniel froze. Oh, come on… really?
"Come, let's speak privately," Mason said, leading Daniel toward a large oak tree. Under its branches, two older men were playing chess.
Mason gestured for Daniel to sit. "Tell me, how did you meet your teacher? How is he now?"
Daniel wove his story. "Four years ago, right after I finished high school, I met him in a small town. He was being hassled by a group of kids, so I stepped in and gave him some food. He offered to teach me some healing techniques and breathing exercises. We trained together for about two months… then I haven't seen him since."
Mason wiped at the corner of his eye. "There's no mistake. Your teacher was Lucas Gray—the younger brother of my own master, Nathan Gray. But Lucas… made mistakes. He lost his left eye, cut off one finger in penance, and left our school. We've searched for him for years, but never found him. I can't believe you've turned up."
The old man smiled suddenly. "Let me introduce us. My master Nathan had three apprentices: my elder brother Paul Howard, my second brother Victor Quinn, and me—Mason Gu. That makes you my junior. At present, both my elder brothers have passed away, so I'm the most senior in our sect, the Healing Sage School."
Daniel tried not to groan. Great. Now I'm family.
Mason went on. "This is David Howard, my late brother Paul's only son."
David bowed formally. "David Howard greets Uncle Daniel."
Daniel waved his hands quickly. "No, no—don't bow—" But as soon as his palm brushed David's sleeve, the familiar mental prompts appeared:
Primary Healing Arts skill detected. Copy?Primary Tier 1–3 Conditioning method detected. Copy?Primary chess skill detected. Copy?Intermediate calligraphy skill detected. Copy?
Daniel didn't hesitate. He copied them all, immediately upgrading his healing skills to an advanced level. His conditioning method, however, he decided not to upgrade just yet—he didn't want to reveal too much.
David still insisted on bowing, citing "rules of the Healing Sage School." Mason only smiled and said, "You're already at Tier 3 Conditioning without direct guidance—remarkable. No wonder Lucas chose you."
Mason continued, "My second brother Victor Quinn has two apprentices, but they're not in this province. As for me, I have two apprentices here—Ethan Cole and Charles Winters. Ethan's son, Liam, is also training under us."
When Mason introduced Liam, the young man stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Liam Cole greets Uncle Daniel."
Daniel's scalp prickled. Liam was clearly older than him in appearance, yet calling him "uncle." Still, when Daniel shook his hand, more prompts flooded in:
Intermediate Healing Arts skill detected. Copy?Primary Tier 1–4 Conditioning method detected. Copy?Primary chess skill detected. Copy?Intermediate calligraphy skill detected. Copy?
Again, Daniel copied everything—upgrading Healing Arts to a master-level tier, calligraphy to advanced, chess to intermediate.
Inside, he was reeling. With master-level Healing Arts, I can handle nearly any disease on Earth… though some, like cancer, still need spiritual energy—and I'm only at Tier 3 Conditioning right now.
Daniel glanced at Liam and paused. His trained eye picked up a hidden problem instantly. "Liam… you have a serious condition."
Liam blinked. Mason frowned. "Junior Brother, you can see it directly? Even I couldn't tell."
Daniel nodded solemnly. "It happened when his training went wrong. His life force flow in the lower core was disrupted… he's lost his, uh… male function."
Liam's face flushed red, but his eyes were desperate.
Daniel said quietly, "Through acupuncture, I'm 90% sure I can restore it. If you're willing, I'll try."
Liam dropped to one knee. "Thank you, Uncle, for even considering it."
Daniel agreed. "We'll need a quiet place. I live in a dorm at the university—no proper setup."
David immediately offered, "Come to my home. I'm a professor at the School of Medicine. I have all the acupuncture equipment we'll need."
Daniel followed him to a spacious three-bedroom apartment decorated in a warm, antique style. Wasting no time, he set to work in a spare room. Mason and David watched closely, their eyes widening as Daniel's needlework danced with precision.
Mason gasped. "So that's the technique Lucas must have taught him… no, some of these are entirely his own."
For twenty minutes, Daniel worked methodically, adjusting each needle with surgical precision. His fingers moved with the calm certainty of a master craftsman—pressing here, twisting there, letting the faint hum of life force guide him.
Finally, he withdrew the last needle, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Liam, it should be restored now."
At first, Liam only felt a gentle warmth in his lower abdomen. He looked uncertain, but Mason's sharp voice cut in. "What are you waiting for, boy? Your uncle just spent a great deal of spiritual energy to fix you. Show some gratitude!"
Liam's eyes went red as he dropped to both knees. "Uncle… you've given me a second life. I'll never forget this."
Daniel waved it off lightly. "We look after our own. Even if you weren't part of our school, I'd still help someone in need."
Still, he added cautiously, "To be honest, Mason, I don't know much about this 'Medic Sage Sect' you keep talking about. The techniques I use don't even have official names. It's possible there's been some mistake—so if I turn out not to be your uncle's apprentice, I hope there'll be no hard feelings."
Mason chuckled warmly. "Junior Brother, even if you aren't Lucas's student, your skills are undeniably those of our sect. With talent like yours, I'd call you 'uncle' myself if I had to."
Daniel grimaced. "Please don't."
The room filled with laughter, the tension easing. David brought tea, and soon they were chatting like old friends. They played a few rounds of Go. Mason and David were considered strong amateurs, but Daniel dismantled them with casual ease—his moves precise, elegant, and merciless.
An hour later, Liam returned from a quick errand, walking with a spring in his step and a grin that practically glowed. He tried to keep a straight face, but Daniel caught the gleam in his eyes and gave him a knowing look.
Yeah, Daniel thought, if I'd been waiting years for that to be fixed, I'd be testing it first thing too.
From then on, Liam treated Daniel as not just an uncle, but a savior.
"Brother," Mason said at last, "you're a rare genius. Medical skill, chess skill—you surpass us in both."
Daniel smiled faintly. "I have some errands to run. We'll meet again for dinner tonight."
David insisted, "My son and daughter-in-law will be back this evening. Please, join us." Mason agreed, adding, "We return to the capital tomorrow—it would be good to share a meal before we part."
Daniel accepted. They exchanged numbers before he left for his dorm, where his roommate immediately remarked, "You look different today—healthier, brighter."
Daniel just smiled, keeping the morning's events to himself.
When Daniel returned to the dorm, it was only nine o'clock. His roommate, Gabe, was halfway through a plate of cold breakfast buns. He squinted at Daniel.
"You look different today, man."
"Different?" Daniel asked, touching his face without thinking.
Gabe tilted his head. "Yeah. Your skin looks healthier. Not the pale, indoors-all-day white. More like… actually healthy. You're glowing. Don't tell me you finally got lucky with someone elegant?"
The mention of "Elegant" made Daniel's jaw tighten. His eyes shifted toward Lewis's empty bed.
Lewis, their other roommate, had been spending most nights at his girlfriend's place but occasionally crashed here. Today, though, he wasn't in sight.
"Forget about that," Daniel said, shaking his head. "We should start apartment hunting. This is our last weekend—if we don't move, the school will force us out."
Gabe stuffed the last bun in his mouth and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Just let me finish—"
The door swung open, and Lewis stepped in. His expression was sour, his voice sharp. "Daniel, what's going on? Emily's been trying to reach you all morning. I came here straight from her place."
Daniel stayed silent, his face unreadable. He moved to sit on the stool by the window, forcing his breath to stay calm.
His phone, lying on the desk, was still set to silent mode. A glance at the screen told him the account "ElegantBaby" had sent dozens of messages—none of which he'd opened.
He wasn't ready to read them. Not yet.
The room was quiet except for the faint buzz of his phone, the morning light slanting through the blinds, and the steady beat of his heart.
Some debts could be repaid in dollars. Others… took a little more creativity.
And Daniel Gray was just getting started.