Chapter 16: Don’t Panic—It’s Not a Big Deal

With the stockings removed, Lin Wuming began carefully inspecting his junior sister’s condition.

Just as Doctor Ma had said, her knees were almost completely shattered.

It was, without a doubt, a serious injury.

But Doctor Ma wasn’t some quack coasting through life—injuries of this level were still within his ability to heal.

And yet, he hadn’t chosen to treat her himself.

As for why… Lin Wuming didn’t really know.

What he didn’t realize was—Old Ma wasn’t just anyone.

Once hailed as a Medicine Immortal, he hadn’t taken action for over ten thousand years.

If he tried now and failed to fully heal the girl, it would ruin his legacy and his pride as a senior cultivator.

And in that sealed domain where the Heavenly Dao was restricted, where he couldn’t even draw on a sliver of spiritual energy, it was true that he couldn’t treat her meridians.

So he simply left it all to his “cheap disciple.”

Even though the kid hadn’t studied long, he learned incredibly fast.

He had already grasped 70–80% of Ma’s healing techniques—enough that even the current Valley Master of Shennong might not measure up to him in terms of pure skill.

Technically speaking, if you counted seniority, the Valley Master should probably call Lin Wuming… Grandmaster.

And just as Ma had expected, once Lin Wuming started the actual treatment, he found himself surprised.

Shattered knees?

Honestly—not that big of a deal.

He applied the prepared medicinal paste to her knees, found the precise spot, and pressed a finger directly into the center of the joint.

“Mmngh—!”

The sudden surge of pain drained all color from He Yingying’s face.

She let out a muffled gasp, gritting her teeth, but never once cried out.

‘Just pain. That’s all it is. So what?’

Lin Wuming glanced at her.

He had intentionally not warned her how much this would hurt.

And it wasn’t the kind of pain you could just grit your teeth through.

His fingers moved swiftly—deft and precise, like plucking strings on a zither.

Each press passed over the injured joint, his touch deceptively light, like wind skimming water.

But each strike was full of hidden force, dispersing the medicinal energy deep into the tiniest cracks in the shattered bone.

He Yingying was in too much pain to speak.

Even drawing a sharp breath felt like a luxury.

The agony was so overwhelming that her nerves had almost gone numb—but the medicine had a cooling, stimulating effect, reawakening her pain receptors again and again.

It was a near-torture, like hell itself.

The girl’s mouth hung open, but no sound came.

Her tears and snot flowed uncontrollably.

But Lin Wuming paid no attention.

He was fully focused on the treatment, as if trying to see through her flesh and glimpse the broken joints within.

Old Ma had once said: true healing meant turning decay into miracles.

The ingredients Lin Wuming used weren’t expensive.

But when combined properly, they became a miraculous bone-rebuilding remedy.

The only issue was that the medicine couldn’t penetrate on its own.

It needed help—his job was to channel it in with just the right amount of force.

Too little and it wouldn’t be effective; too much and it would go to waste.

Every tiny detail could make or break the treatment.

Truthfully, Lin Wuming wasn’t that confident—he had little practical experience.

That’s why he’d bought more medicine than necessary, just in case.

But now, it seemed that had been unnecessary.

After carefully studying the Basic Vitality Cultivation Technique and successfully forming his core, Lin Wuming was surprised to find that his understanding of Old Ma’s medical teachings had deepened.

Things that once felt vague or difficult now came easily.

As a result, the treatment went more smoothly than expected.

Finally, he pressed upward from the back of her knee.

Her legs reflexively curled inwards—painful, but with a strange tingle that made her feel even more embarrassed.

But before she could dwell on that, she suddenly noticed something shocking—

Her knees… bent.

It still hurt.

A lot.

But… they moved.

There was no longer that sharp, grinding, bone-splintering agony she’d felt every time before.

Could it be… healed?

Her mind, fogged from the earlier agony, was now completely blank.

Even the Imperial Royal Physician would have needed several days of treatment for such a wound.

And even then, it would require months of rest before she could walk again.

But now—

This was on the level of a living Medicine Immortal.

Even the famed Shennong Valley Master might be no better.

“Don’t move.”

Her senior brother’s voice came from beside her.

She instantly froze.

She had already thought him amazing—but now, she realized she had vastly underestimated him.

Not only was he a peerless cultivation genius, likely unmatched in forty thousand years—he also had medical skills that rivaled the legendary Shennong Valley Master.

‘Just how many secrets is this man hiding?’

Lin Wuming examined her knees one last time, running his fingers over every joint.

Finally, he let out a long breath and nodded with satisfaction.

“All done. Rest like before for the next two or three days. After that, you can begin light activity. At most, a week—and your legs will be completely healed. As good as new.”

He Yingying wanted to thank him.

But remembering her tear-and-snot-covered face, she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.

The pain still lingered.

She had endured nearly an hour of hellish torment without uttering a single scream…

She couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Her lip trembled, and then—

“Waaah—!”

She broke into tears.

At first it was soft sobs.

Then full-blown wailing.

It was an emotional outburst—a release of the pain she’d endured, the wrongs she’d suffered, the embarrassment of her appearance, all tangled together.

Tears she’d been holding in for over a decade finally erupted all at once.

The weight of everything she had endured spilled over, and she cried like a heartbroken child.

The princess—who had always carried herself with grace and dignity—now wept like a little girl.

Lin Wuming stared, at a complete loss for what to do.

He could only sit quietly at the edge of the bed, watching her cry.

At least… judging by this reaction, she probably wasn’t all that grateful to him.

Right?

Lin Wuming started to feel unsure.

He had a creeping sense that he really didn’t understand what was going on in his junior sister’s head.

But it should be fine… right?

After all, he’d built up plenty of resentment earlier.

She should hate him by now.

Not only had he said those shameless things before treatment, he’d also put her through excruciating pain.

Even if she felt grateful, it would only be a tiny bit.

‘Don’t panic. Don’t panic. It’s probably fine…’

Just as he was trying to reassure himself—

He Yingying suddenly sat up, threw her arms around him, and hugged him tightly, pressing her not-fully-developed softness firmly against his chest—and cried even harder.

‘…Probably fine… right?‘