Chapter 6: Louis, Grandmaster of Traditional Medicine

Words : 1775 Updated : Oct 17th, 2025

Nykomar Central Hospital. The best in Nykomar. To get the real story on her father's condition, Nala Jameson drove straight up to the hospital's main entrance and parked. She'd barely stopped the car when a young man in a white coat came striding out to meet her. His name was Yosef. He worked at Nykomar Central Hospital, and also had been Nala's high school classmate. Hospitals here were always packed; without someone on the inside, you could be waiting forever. On the drive over, Nala had messaged Yosef-even though they hadn't spoken in years-to ask for help. Yosef had had a crush on Nala since high school, so her sudden attention left him giddy and flustered. When family falls ill, a woman is at her most vulnerable; maybe-just maybe-this toad could land a swan. "Nala!" "Mr. Jameson!" Yosef greeted them warmly, then let his gaze linger on the tall man beside Nala. "And this is?" "I'm Nala Jameson's fiancé. Otto Nicholson." Otto introduced himself, not bothering to soften the blow. "What?" Yosef's jaw almost hit the floor. He'd heard the Jameson Group was in trouble recently, but even if the company collapsed, someone as talented and beautiful as Nala wouldn't pick a beggar-would she? He looked to Nala, hoping she'd deny it. Her expression stayed calm-a silent confirmation. If I'd known Nala wasn't picky, I should've tried my luck back in high school! Regret stabbed at him. Then a new thought: if a beggar had a chance, as an attending physician at a top hospital, didn't he have an even better shot? Just as Yosef was busy plotting how to replace Otto, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight. "Master Louis!" Yosef jolted. "Master Louis?" Nala followed Yosef's gaze and clapped a hand over her mouth. She recognized the elderly man walking toward them-though only from photos. Louis, Draconia's leading master of traditional medicine, a man said to be able to give late-stage cancer patients another decade of life, if not more. When Reid Jameson went to Frondoria for treatment, their first choice had been Louis. But Louis had stopped seeing patients ten years ago. The Jameson family had pulled every string and couldn't even get his phone number. Never in her wildest dreams had Nala imagined Louis would show up in little Nykomar today. With her father's life at stake, decorum meant nothing. As soon as she processed what she was seeing, she hurried to catch up to Louis, but before she could reach him, a man in black stepped out from behind the master. "Out of the way!" He swung his arm to block her. Caught off guard, Nala stumbled and nearly fell. Louis frowned, said nothing, and was about to keep walking when a hand clamped onto his shoulder. "You're just going to walk off like that?" Otto's voice cut in. "Nicholson, what are you doing?" Nala was mortified. "Standing up for you, obviously." Otto turned to Louis. "Tell your man to apologize to my fiancée. Right now." "He isn't my man," Louis said helplessly. "If he's not yours, why's he clearing a path for you?" "He asked me here to save someone. The case is urgent, so he's in a hurry." "Is that so?" Otto, always reasonable, let go at once. "Go save the patient first. I'll have a proper talk with this rude guy." Louis, clearly relieved, hurried into the hospital. "I don't have time for this!" The man in black snorted and swung a fist toward Otto's chest. The punch sliced past him as Otto slid aside. Then Otto extended a finger and tapped the man's arm. Instantly, the arm went limp-dead weight. "Since you don't look like the apologizing type, we'll call it square." Otto shrugged, almost bored. The man in black's face darkened. He'd spent over a decade on real battlefields without ever getting hurt. Freshly retired, and he'd been dropped by a nobody? If word got out, his old comrades would laugh themselves silly. He wanted to regain his dignity, but after weighing it, he let it go. When a pro makes a move, you know it immediately. Yes, he'd been careless a moment ago, but anyone who could disable an arm with a single finger was no ordinary opponent. More importantly, he had serious business to handle. If Master Louis ran into another hothead and got delayed, he'd be dead meat. Thinking that, he clenched his teeth, cradled his injured arm, and turned away. "Nicholson, could you stop settling everything with your fists? Do you even realize who you just offended?" Nala could have cried, and she rounded on the still self-satisfied Otto. "Who?" "Louis, Grandmaster of Traditional Medicine," Nala ground out. "I was planning to beg Master Louis to treat my father. Now look-you've messed everything up." "Yeah, Otto, you were way too impulsive." Yosef chimed in, then turned to reassure Nala. "Nala, don't worry. I'll explain to Master Louis. If he planned to see a patient, he still will." "You know Master Louis?" Nala latched onto him like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline. "My graduate advisor is a good friend of Master Louis. I've had dinner with him a few times." Yosef straightened his back, pride lighting up his face. Otto stirred up trouble; he would smooth things over. In this push and pull, Nala's heart would tilt his way. He was feeling pretty pleased with himself. "That's wonderful." Nala was thrilled, and didn't notice his ulterior motives. "You wait here. I'll find out what's going on." Right in front of Nala, Yosef made several calls. He quickly confirmed that Louis had come to Nykomar to treat an important figure who was staying in the VIP ward. "Let's go wait outside the VIP ward." "Otto shouldn't come. There was some unpleasantness just now. If he shows up, it won't help and might offend Master Louis." It was a flawless excuse, and Yosef left Otto behind. In the end, Nala and Yosef each took an arm and helped Reid Jameson upstairs, while Otto was left alone in the parking lot. The VIP ward. A thin man lay on the bed, taking shallow breaths. After a full traditional exam-looking, listening, asking, and taking the pulse-Louis gave a terse verdict: "The poisoning is too deep. There's no saving him." "Master Louis, please, isn't there anything you can do?" The middle-aged man at the bedside looked at him, pleading. "My abilities are limited. There's truly nothing I can do, unless…" Louis trailed off. "Unless what?" "Unless you can find my senior fellow disciple-the older apprentice who trained under the same master as I did. He created a Rejuvenation Technique that rebuilds the body's core and purges toxins. But he disappeared decades ago. I don't even know if he's still alive." Louis spoke almost to himself.

Chapter 6: Louis, Grandmaster of Traditional Medicine

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