Chapter 7
Author: The_Juice
last update2026-08-12 11:42:21

Lily's chest rose and fell weakly.

Adrian sat beside her, his eyes fixed on every breath she took.

Only a few hours ago, he had been holding her lifeless body in his arms. He had watched her take her final breath and thought his entire world had ended.

Now, she was alive.

Her pulse was still weak, but it was steady.

Adrian reached out and gently held her hand.

"Lily..."

He whispered her name as though he were afraid she might disappear again.

Behind him, Elias checked Lily's pulse for the third time.

His expression remained astonished.

"This is unbelievable."

Adrian looked up.

"What is?"

"Her recovery."

Elias shook his head.

"Even if she had received immediate emergency treatment after her injuries, I wouldn't expect her condition to stabilize this quickly."

He looked at the twenty-three acupuncture points Adrian had treated.

"Your technique saved her life, but her body has suffered severe trauma. She still needs medicine to repair the damage."

Adrian nodded.

"I know."

He already understood that.

The knowledge inherited from Sage Physician Cassian Hale was becoming clearer with every passing moment.

He knew how to treat Lily.

He only lacked the necessary ingredients.

Adrian reached for a piece of paper and a pen on the nearby table.

His hand moved rapidly.

One herb.

Then another.

Then another.

Within minutes, he had filled the entire sheet with a complicated prescription.

Elias took it from him.

His eyes widened as he read the list.

"These..."

He looked at Adrian.

"Some of these herbs are extremely rare."

Adrian nodded.

"I need them."

Elias continued reading.

"This won't be cheap."

Adrian's hand unconsciously moved toward his pocket.

He pulled out his wallet.

A few crumpled bills lay inside.

He counted them silently.

Not even enough to buy one of the more expensive herbs on the list.

His face became awkward.

After everything that had happened today, he had almost forgotten how little money he had left.

He had spent the last three years working at the hospital without receiving a proper salary.

The Sterling family had treated every meal and every place he slept as though they were charity.

And now, after Lily had been thrown out of the hospital, he didn't even have enough money to buy the medicine that could keep her alive.

Elias noticed his expression.

"You don't have to worry about the money."

Adrian looked up.

"I'll provide the herbs."

"I can't accept that."

"It's nothing."

"No."

Adrian shook his head firmly.

"I don't want to owe anyone."

Elias stared at him.

After a moment, Adrian pushed the prescription toward him.

"Get ten portions of every herb."

"Ten?"

Elias was stunned.

"Yes."

Adrian pointed at the paper.

"And you can keep this prescription."

Elias's fingers tightened around the paper.

"You're giving this to me?"

"It's payment."

For several seconds, Elias didn't speak.

He knew better than anyone that the prescription in his hands was probably worth far more than the herbs Adrian was requesting.

If he could study it carefully, it might completely change his understanding of certain medical treatments.

Yet Adrian had handed it over without hesitation.

"Mr. Adrian..."

Elias's voice became unusually respectful.

"Thank you."

He immediately turned around and left.

Less than an hour later, he returned carrying several packages.

"I personally selected everything."

He placed them carefully on the table.

"Please check them."

Adrian opened the packages one by one.

The moment he smelled the first herb, he knew it was excellent.

He examined another.

Then another.

Although he had never physically handled some of them before, the medical knowledge inside his mind allowed him to identify their quality immediately.

"These are good."

Elias smiled.

"I made sure of it."

Adrian separated the herbs into portions.

Then he walked toward a small medicine-preparation machine in the room.

Elias followed closely.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing the medicine."

Adrian began sorting the herbs.

Elias immediately took out a notebook.

He had learned his lesson.

If Adrian was willing to teach him something, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

Adrian placed the first herb into the container.

"Not yet."

Elias stopped him.

"Why?"

"The order matters."

Adrian added another herb.

"Some need to be heated first."

Another.

"Some must be added later."

He adjusted the temperature.

"The temperature matters too."

Elias rapidly wrote everything down.

"Temperature, sequence..."

"And timing."

Adrian glanced at him.

"Remember all of it."

Elias nodded repeatedly.

"I will."

The preparation continued for nearly an hour.

When Adrian finally opened the container, an extraordinary fragrance immediately filled the room.

Elias inhaled.

His eyes widened.

"What is that?"

He leaned closer.

"I've never smelled medicine like this before."

Adrian looked inside.

Dozens of small black pills rested at the bottom.

"Mini Rejuvenating Pills."

"Pills?"

Elias stared at the liquid surrounding them.

"I thought you were preparing a herbal decoction."

"It's a pill-forming technique."

Elias's expression changed.

"A pill-forming technique..."

He had heard of such ancient methods but had never actually witnessed one.

Adrian crushed one of the pills and mixed it with water.

Then he carefully helped Lily swallow it.

For several moments, nothing happened.

Then Lily's breathing gradually became smoother.

The pale color on her face slowly faded.

Her pulse strengthened.

Even some of the bruising around her body began to recede.

Elias stared in disbelief.

"This..."

He stepped closer.

"Her condition is improving."

Adrian finally relaxed.

"Her life is secure."

Elias looked at the remaining pills.

Each one was priceless.

Adrian picked up three.

"These are for you."

Elias immediately shook his head.

"I can't accept them."

"You helped me today."

"But these..."

Elias swallowed.

"These are probably worth more than everything I own."

Adrian placed them into his hands anyway.

"Then consider them payment for your help."

Elias stared at the pills before carefully putting them away.

"Thank you, Mr. Adrian."

His voice was filled with genuine admiration.

For the first time, Elias was certain of one thing.

The young man standing before him would not remain ordinary for long.

If Adrian continued on this path, his name would eventually shake the entire medical world.

Night slowly descended over Eastcliff.

Adrian remained beside Lily.

He barely moved.

He watched her breathing until it finally became steady.

Only then did he allow himself to lean back.

His exhaustion hit him all at once.

He looked at Lily sleeping peacefully.

For the first time in years, he felt a strange sense of relief.

He had saved her.

His little sister was alive.

She was the only family he had left.

And now, no matter what happened, he would never allow anyone to take her from him again.

His thoughts suddenly turned toward Evelyn.

Adrian stared at his phone.

It was almost eleven.

He hesitated.

He had called Evelyn countless times that day.

She had ignored every single call.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from trying once more.

He dialed her number.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then someone answered.

"Hello?"

Adrian froze.

That wasn't Evelyn's voice.

His grip tightened around the phone.

"Who are you?"

The man chuckled.

"I'm not Evelyn."

Adrian's face immediately darkened.

"Where's my wife?"

"Your wife?"

The man's laughter grew louder.

"Oh, you mean Evelyn?"

Adrian's heart began pounding.

"Where is she?"

"She's taking a shower."

"A shower?"

"Yeah. She just finished exercising."

Adrian's expression changed.

"Why do you have her phone?"

The man paused deliberately.

Then he laughed.

"Why do you think?"

Adrian's breathing became heavier.

"Where are you?"

"In her room."

Silence.

The man's voice became smug.

"She's in the bathroom. We're staying in the same room tonight."

Adrian's fingers trembled.

"Why are you in the same room as my wife?"

The man laughed.

"You're a married man, aren't you?"

"What happens between a man and a woman in the same bedroom at this hour?"

Adrian's face became pale.

"Who are you?"

"You really want to know?"

The man's voice became mocking.

"I know exactly who you are."

"You're Evelyn's useless husband."

Adrian's jaw tightened.

The man continued.

"Three years of marriage, yet you couldn't even become a real husband."

He laughed.

"Do you even know how beautiful your wife's body is?"

Adrian's entire body went rigid.

"Shut your mouth."

"Why? Did I hurt your feelings?"

"You—"

The call suddenly ended.

Adrian immediately called Evelyn.

No answer.

Again.

Nothing.

Again.

Still nothing.

He kept calling.

His hands became numb.

His heart felt as though someone had driven a knife through it.

Eventually, his phone died.

The screen went completely black.

Adrian remained motionless.

For three years, he had endured the Sterling family's humiliation.

He had convinced himself that Evelyn was simply indifferent.

That perhaps she would eventually accept him.

That perhaps his patience would mean something.

But now...

Everything suddenly made sense.

She hadn't been busy.

She had simply never cared about him.

Adrian slowly lowered his phone.

His grief began turning into something else.

Anger.

He looked at Lily sleeping peacefully.

"I endured everything because I thought I had no choice."

His hands slowly curled into fists.

"But that's over now."

The jade pendant beneath his clothes suddenly became warm.

Adrian remembered the knowledge he had inherited.

The miracle he had performed.

The Divine Physician System.

A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

[Current Medical Points: 100.]

[Medical Exchange Function Unlocked.]

[New Growth Path Available.]

Adrian stared at the words.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He no longer needed the Sterling family.

He didn't need Evelyn's approval.

He didn't need anyone's pity.

He needed strength.

"Evelyn Sterling..."

His eyes became cold.

"And the entire Sterling family..."

"You looked down on me because I was powerless."

Adrian stood beside Lily's bed.

"Then I'll become powerful enough to make every one of you regret it."

The screen of his dead phone remained black.

But something inside Adrian had finally awakened.

Tomorrow, Eastcliff would still know him as the worthless son-in-law of the Sterling family.

They just didn't know that the worthless man they had spent three years trampling on had finally begun to rise.

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