chapter 13 Sidetrack

The next morning, Noah Jiang got up on time to make breakfast. Cindy, dressed in her professional attire, came downstairs. When she saw Noah, wearing an apron and preparing breakfast in the kitchen, their eyes met. Noah Jiang smiled and said, "Breakfast will be ready soon."
Cindy showed no expression, treating Noah the same as always, barely looking at him. She took her bag and car keys and left, not planning on eating breakfast, and drove straight to the company.
Noah Jiang had long been accustomed to her attitude and took it in stride, especially after what happened the previous night. He knew she didn't want to face him.
Noah Jiang smiled, quickly ate some of the breakfast he'd made, and then rode his electric scooter towards Traditional Chinese Medicine Street.
After a short while, he arrived at Jiang Clinic. As he was unlocking the door, Ruth Chen ran out from Uncle Henry's Clinic next door and cheerfully called out, "Brother Noah, you're here. Have you had breakfast? I have two buns here. Would you like to eat?"
"I've already eaten."
Noah Jiang shook his head and smiled, pushed his electric scooter inside, and did a quick clean of the clinic.
A domineering Highlander zoomed in, and Oscar got out, calling out to Noah Jiang, "Brother, I'm here to pick you up."
"Alright, just give me a moment."
Noah Jiang knew that he had to continue treating Alfie Wang's daughter-in-law that day, so he went back to get his medical kit. After locking up the Jiang Clinic, Ruth Chen tried to accompany him, a look of concern on her face, "Brother Noah, I'll go with you."
"Ruth, come back."
Ethan Chen came out from the clinic, pulling Ruth Chen back and coldly huffing at Noah Jiang, "This is none of our clinic's business now. If he thinks he's capable, let him treat her. Whether it's life or death, it has nothing to do with us."
"Brother, how can you say that?"
Ruth Chen was unhappy. Ethan Chen coldly laughed and gave Noah Jiang a glare, "I didn't say anything wrong. Noah Jiang, if you get into trouble, don't drag our clinic into it."
Ignoring Ethan Chen's arrogant attitude, Noah Jiang rolled his eyes and got in the car. Oscar glared at Ethan Chen before driving off towards the outskirts of Traditional Chinese Medicine Street.
On the way, Oscar and Noah Jiang chatted idly. It didn't take long for the car to enter Yilin District and quickly arrived at a self-built house.
Alfie Wang and Jude Wang, father and son, were already waiting at the entrance, along with a group of their men, exuding a dominant aura.
As Noah Jiang got out of the car, seeing Alfie Wang and his son and their men made him a bit nervous. It was his first time interacting with such people.
"Young man, thanks for coming,"
Alfie Wang said, patting Noah Jiang on the shoulder and seemingly reading his mind. He continued, "All I ask is for you to treat my daughter-in-law. If you cure her, I’ll owe you a favour."
"No need for that. As a doctor, it's my duty to treat patients," Noah Jiang replied with a shake of his head and a smile.
"Very well, worthy of a renowned medical family," Alfie Wang said, nodding with appreciation.
However, at that moment, a sedan slowly approached. A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe got out. He had a stern face, upturned eyes, and a sinister smile. The first impression he gave was, "He doesn't seem like a good person."
"Master Liu, you're here," Alfie Wang said, his eyes narrowing slightly with a hint of menace.
"Mr. Wang, I heard the young madam was ill, so I came to visit," Thomas Liu replied with a grin.
"Thank you for making the trip, Master Liu."
Watching Thomas Liu, Alfie Wang had been waiting for his arrival, which was why he had asked Noah Jiang to come today.
"Now that everyone is here, let's go inside," Alfie Wang invited Noah Jiang and Thomas Liu.
Noah Jiang nodded and, after a brief glance at his fellow doctor, followed Alfie Wang into the residence.
Thomas Liu, with his triangular eyes, also sized up Noah Jiang and smirked, "So you're the traditional Chinese doctor who diagnosed the young madam's illness?"
Seeing the man initiate conversation, Noah Jiang responded calmly and nodded in agreement.
"Do you mind sharing which sect or school you studied under?" Thomas Liu's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, continuing to ask Noah Jiang.
Noah Jiang turned to smile at Thomas Liu, remaining silent. Then, he walked around Alfie Wang's courtyard, glancing left and right, commenting, "Mr. Wang, the Geomancy of this courtyard is quite good, isn't it?"
"Oh, young man, you understand Geomancy?" Alfie Wang turned around, looking surprised at Noah Jiang.
"Just a little,"
Noah Jiang nodded slightly, scanning the courtyard again and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this must be the 'Six Unions Townhouse Technique' from the 'Eight Revealing Technique'?"
"Sharp observation."
Watching Noah Jiang discern the Geomancy layout of the house, Thomas Liu proudly said, "This 'Six Unions Townhouse Technique' was personally set by me for Mr. Wang. Given Mr. Wang's zodiac, it integrates the six unions and eight trigrams. It promotes luck from all directions, wards off evil, and ensures safety for the homeowner."
"Safety!"
Noah Jiang murmured with a smile, uncertain if he said it intentionally or inadvertently.
Thomas Liu's sharp eyes glared, sneering at Noah Jiang, "Young man, don't be too arrogant. Do you doubt the effectiveness of my 'Six Unions Townhouse Technique'?"
Noah Jiang just shook his head and smiled without responding. Instead, he continued to observe other parts of the house.
"Hehe, after all, what can a young traditional Chinese medicine doctor know about the mysteries of Geomancy?"
Thomas Liu looked down on Noah Jiang and turned to Alfie Wang, saying, "Mr. Wang, let me check on the young madam's condition first."
"Please do."
Alfie Wang nodded. His daughter-in-law, Luna, was brought home yesterday. Her condition stabilized, but she was resting in her room, still showing a dark aura on her forehead.
"Young man, aren't you coming in to have a look?" Alfie Wang turned his head, noticing Noah Jiang still standing in the courtyard, seemingly searching for something.
"No need. As I've mentioned earlier, to treat her, we need to start from the root of the illness," Noah Jiang replied.
"I bet you're clueless, probably don't even know what ailment the young madam suffers from. Don't make wild claims at such a young age!" Thomas Liu, stepping into the room, couldn't resist hurling one last insult at Noah Jiang before entering.
"Oscar, please entertain our young friend here. I'll go inside and check," Alfie Wang smiled at Noah Jiang, gave a nod to Oscar, and then followed Thomas Liu inside.
Noah Jiang nodded and began to pace around the courtyard, seemingly looking for something.
The reason he didn't quarrel with Thomas Liu was that he felt Liu was not a good person and probably practiced some shady arts. Noah Jiang didn't want to offend such people over trivial matters.
He was here solely to treat patients.
"Brother, can you really cure all ailments?" Oscar, walking beside Noah Jiang, asked tentatively.
As they strolled through the courtyard, Noah Jiang replied, "No doctor would claim to cure every ailment without first diagnosing it."
"That illness... can you treat it?" Oscar's face reddened, hesitating to voice his concerns.
"What illness? Be specific," Noah Jiang turned and said, focused on diagnosing the root cause of the young woman's ailment.
Oscar, gritting his teeth, blurted, "It's a man's problem!"
Noah Jiang paused, looking at Oscar with surprise, "Syphilis, gonorrhea, or HIV?"
"Damn you, I don't have HIV!" Oscar said, visibly irritated.
Noah Jiang shrugged with a bitter smile, "Then I would need a female instead. Haven't even held my wife's hand for so long..."
"Sigh, it's syphilis," Oscar admitted, looking distressed.
"Oh, let me take a look first," Noah Jiang nodded.
"What? You need to physically examine it? Can't you just prescribe medication directly?" Oscar widened his eyes, clutching his crotch defensively.
Noah Jiang gave him a look, "Illnesses vary from person to person. Normally, dosages are set for the average person. Given your build, I need to assess the extent of your condition before diagnosing and prescribing medication."
“Should've said so earlier, here.”
Brother Oscar looked around to ensure no other brothers were present, then quickly revealed it for Noah Jiang to see.
Noah Jiang peeked, and immediately looked at Brother Oscar with a weird expression, wanting to say something.
At that moment, Alfie Wang and his group came out and shouted, “Brother Oscar, what are you doing?”
“Ah, nothing, nothing.”
Brother Oscar hurriedly pulled up his pants, shaking his head in embarrassment.
Speaking about this man's condition was truly difficult; mentioning it could only bring shame.
Alfie Wang approached, and Thomas Liu followed. With disdain in his triangular eyes, Thomas Liu sneered at Noah Jiang, “Young man, seems you’re just a traditional Chinese doctor after all.”
Noah Jiang smiled without responding to the arrogant Thomas Liu and continued to observe the courtyard. Suddenly, he noticed a lychee tree in the western corner.
“Mr. Wang, the young madam's ailment is due to an evil spirit entering her body. Later, I will draw a couple of talismans and perform a ritual to expel the negative energy. She will recover,” Thomas Liu told Alfie Wang.
To Thomas Liu, Noah Jiang was just a traditional Chinese doctor, so he didn’t take him seriously.
Alfie Wang responded noncommittally and then turned to Noah Jiang, asking, “Young man, what did you find?”
“Why plant a lychee tree there?” Noah Jiang pointed to the lychee tree near the western wall.
Alfie Wang paused, also looking at the lychee tree, asking, “Does this lychee tree have any effects?”
“It doesn’t really have an effect. However, the location of this lychee tree is a bit peculiar,” Noah Jiang said with narrowed eyes, smiling.
However, Thomas Liu, clearly annoyed, mocked, “Young friend, do you even understand geomancy? This lychee tree is the focal point of my Six Unions Geomancy technique, the most crucial point. Which part of it is perculiar?”
“Honestly, I don’t know much about geomancy, but I can diagnose illnesses!”
Noah Jiang smiled and walked towards the lychee tree. Alfie Wang, a bit puzzled, felt that he might have found something.
Thomas Liu's eyes looked sinister. Seeing Noah Jiang approach the lychee tree, he quickly followed, “Young man, since you don’t understand Geomancy, stop talking nonsense here. Mr. Wang, this is a Six Unions Geomancy setup I've painstakingly designed for your house, especially this lychee tree. If it’s damaged, it will directly affect the fortune of this house. So, don’t let someone who doesn’t understand ruin it; I won’t be responsible.”
Alfie Wang raised an eyebrow. Even though he knew of Noah Jiang’s impressive medical skills, he was still skeptical about these mysterious Geomancy techniques.
“It’s just a lychee tree, is it that serious?”
Brother Oscar, not understanding the situation, casually picked a lychee fruit, peeled it, and prepared to eat.
However, Noah Jiang swiftly grabbed the lychee. Brother Oscar was startled, “What are you doing?”
Holding the peeled lychee, which revealed its lustrous flesh emanating an unseen dark aura, Noah Jiang smirked and turned to Alfie Wang, “Mr. Wang, this lychee tree is sick!”