Chapter 3: Ancient Massage Technique

"Grandpa!" "Father!" The Hopkins family watched in shock as Timothy endured the blows, tears streaming down their faces.  Then they turned on Magnus, shouting in anguish. "Magnus, you beat my grandfather to death! Even if he wouldn't let you call off the engagement, you didn't have to be so vicious!" "Magnus, you're a murderer!" "Grandpa!" The Hopkins family erupted in fury and grief, curses mixing with wails.  Even the renowned physician Nolan wore a tense, grave expression.  Moments ago, he had thought Magnus's skills exceeded his own. But now, it seemed Magnus knew nothing of medicine. Yet, no ordinary person could hit that spot between the shoulder blades so precisely. Suddenly, Nolan recalled an entry in an old medical tome—a miraculous therapy that blended massage with martial arts conditioning and trauma treatment.  It was called the Ancient Massage Technique. "Could it be..." Startled, Nolan blurted, "Everyone, don't cry. Mr. Kendall was indeed treating Mr. Hopkins a moment ago." "The technique he used is called Back Heart Massage. It targets the area between the shoulder blades to expel stagnant blood. What the medical tome describes matches almost exactly what Mr. Kendall did." At this, Charles, Judith, and the rest froze, then turned to Magnus, doubt in their eyes.  Could there really be a medical art so forceful? Magnus offered a mild smile.  "Dr. Jameson, you're knowledgeable. Please bring me a basin." At his words, Nolan shivered all over.  So his guess had been correct. Magnus truly knew the Ancient Massage Technique.  He hurried over with a basin and set it before Timothy. Without hesitation, Magnus hammered his fist into the upper middle of Timothy's back again. Thump! After taking that third blow, Timothy's eyes snapped open.  Pain twisted his face.  He gagged and spat a mouthful of black blood into the basin. The blood was in the form of oddly shaped clots, both large and small, foul-smelling and pungent.  Anyone could tell it had been building up inside him for years. "Huff..." After spitting the blood, Timothy drew deep breaths, again and again.  The grimace melted into pure, unguarded relief.  "That feels so good. I haven't breathed this easily in ten years." He was drenched in yellowish, acrid-smelling sweat.  Clearing the blood seemed to have opened his major meridians, and the sweating flushed out other toxins as well.  The change in his complexion was immediately apparent. A moment before, he had looked beyond saving.  A heartbeat later, he seemed reborn. At the sight, Judith, Nolan, and everyone nearby gasped in amazement, then looked at Magnus, disbelief flickering across their faces.  This ordinary-looking man truly knew medicine. Magnus remained composed.  He instructed them to pour out the clotted blood, then said, "Mr. Hopkins's old internal injury flared up. I had to save him first and explain later." Hearing that, they understood.  Magnus hadn't been causing trouble. He had been hurried to save a life.  As the saying goes, act first, explain later. "We didn't expect you to have this kind of skill." "So we misjudged you..." Remembering how they had treated Magnus just moments ago, the family's faces flushed with shame.  Judith, especially, lowered her head in mortification. Magnus gave a cool smile and said to Timothy, "Your internal injury is basically resolved, but you should rest and use food as medicine. With a dietary prescription, you'll be fully recovered in a week." He wrote out a dietary prescription and handed it to Nolan.  "I'll leave the follow-up care to you." Nolan read it. The handwriting was neat yet fluid, imbued with Immortal Energy, alive with spirit.  More importantly, the methods and dosages, as well as the pairing of herbs and food, were exquisite.  From this single sheet, Nolan realized Magnus was not only skilled in iron-body massage.  In other branches of medicine, he had to be formidable. Magnus was a prodigy in medicine. Nolan stepped forward and bowed slightly in respect, his face etched with awe.  "With one technique, you cured the internal injury that tormented Mr. Hopkins for ten years. I used every skill I had for years and still couldn't resolve it. I'm ashamed." Magnus remained even-tempered. "My treatment played its part, but without your medical care watching over Mr. Hopkins all these years, he would have passed away long ago. As for credit, Dr. Jameson, yours outweighs mine." At that, Timothy and the Hopkins family turned to Nolan with deeper respect.  Nolan was moved to tears.  He had known Timothy for years and cared deeply about his illness.  Yet as Timothy aged, the sickness worsened.  Even with hands that could pull people back from the brink, Nolan had found himself powerless.  He carried the healer's burden.  Unexpectedly, Magnus fulfilled his wish and refused to take all the credit, even giving most of it to Nolan.  How could Nolan not be touched? Growing sentimental, Nolan congratulated Timothy.  "It's enviable that the Hopkins family has such an outstanding son-in-law." "Hahaha!" Timothy burst out laughing, his fondness for Magnus plain to see.  The rest of the family felt awkward, unsure how to face him. Judith drew a steadying breath and approached Magnus.  "We misunderstood you just now and almost delayed Grandfather's treatment. That was my fault. I apologize. I'm especially grateful you cured him." With that, she bowed deeply to Magnus. Her initiative left the others incredulous.  The proud CEO actually apologized? Only Magnus felt a surge of satisfaction.  He also noticed Judith was bold and decisive, a woman with real backbone.  But as she bowed, her loose neckline gaped, and her chest was suddenly visible. He hadn't meant to look, but Judith's figure was striking.  Those pale, sculpted curves filled his vision. He couldn't help but look. The Kirin Kidney's fire inside him flared of its own accord. "Hmm?" Judith saw his eyes glaze over and realized she hadn't fastened her collar.  He had gotten an eyeful.