“Now open your mouth,” the doctor ordered me. I did as I was told to get this examination over as quickly as possible.

My parents watched the doctor’s work in rapt attention as they awaited his verdict. They called him in immediately after my coughing fit subsided. Apparently the little blood on my hands was enough to warrant an emergency visit from the doctor, even at this late hour, despite my assurances. It was not even that much blood, but I could not persuade my parents otherwise and they called in doctor Francos, the wisest and most traveled doctor in the city of Jiaomay. He is an expert on many exotic diseases and strange conditions which could be found in our fair Empire, as he introduced himself to me.

He did not waste any time and immediately began his examination after he arrived and introduced himself, while my parents explained my sudden collapse and the circumstances of my return to my home. He listened keenly and offered his condolences, but his eyes did not react at the news in the slightest.

“I see,” he said and turned to my parents, ”I have examined young Miss as much as circumstances allow, but to gain further understanding of her condition I have to examine her more thoroughly,” he said to them.

I really wanted to get this examination over with as quickly as possible, so I took my tunic down. It was clear he wanted to examine me without my clothes.

He looked at me surprised, ”I don't think it is very appropriate for a man to see a young woman’s body without permission of her parents, young lady!” he reproached me.

“I am sorry for my rudeness, but the nurse who does these examinations is already at her home and thus I am forced to do it by myself, so beg your permission to examine the body of your daughter,” the doctor bowed towards my parents.

I rolled my eyes at these antics, but my parents seemed comforted by the doctor’s manners. I found it strange. If the injury was serious, there would be no time to get permission and the only way to discover if the injury was serious was to examine the patient. Why were they making so much fuss about it?

“Of course you can do so with me and Ellena present. We can surely protect our daughter’s good name and honor by acting as witnesses,” my father provided answers both to me and to the doctor, although my father’s statement still puzzled me.

“Can I undress now?” I asked them. It was clear there were subtleties I was missing, and I hoped this theater would not take much time. I seriously doubted a mortal doctor could help with my condition.

“Yes, please remove your tunic, that should be enough to finish my examination,” the doctor said to me.

I did as he bid me and he poked my ribcage, measured my pulse and thoroughly examined my belly. It was not the most pleasant experience, thanks to the sharp spikes of pain, which were triggered by the doctor’s prodding. It was clear my body was far from healed and the poking and prodding was certainly not helping the matters.

It felt like an hour, but the doctor finally stopped with his probing and allowed me to dress myself. I pulled my tunic back on and waited for the doctor’s diagnosis. I was genuinely somewhat curious, what would he cook up.

“As you can see your daughter’s honor and modesty were not touched in any way, shape or form,” he said to my parents.

“We appreciate your skill and effort doctor Francos, but what about our daughter? Is her condition serious? Is it related to her wound?” my father asked him.

The doctor put a hand on his chin, ”It is possible your daughter’s unfortunate wound triggered her condition, but her body is acting in strange ways. I can feel wounds all over her body and I am very sure, at least some of them are rather fresh instead of a few days old. It is truly a strange condition, which defies most of the dictates of common medicine and I am very sure it has potential to grow worse over time, if left untreated,” the doctor said. He was uncomfortably close to the truth.

“I have a solution to these issues. They are just after effects of my crushed cultivation, which will go away in time,” I said to him. I was not even lying that much, if the cultivation manual I had on the chair next to where I was sitting would pay off, or if another of the manuals, cultivator Li offered me, would grant me access to refined Qi. “You do not have to worry. I will soon be fit as a fish ” I said to my parents, but they looked unconvinced.

The doctor smiled at me and looked at my parents, “While I am sure young Miss Mei is knowledgeable. I have studied medicine in the Astera founded by famed cultivator San of healing blade to help the common man and learned secrets, which are hidden from many even the most learned. There I had studied conditions similar to these and the imbalance of Qi in one's meridians often causes them. I believe young Miss' condition is of a similar nature. There is a great overabundance of the Water Qi in her body causing these wounds to open and worsen her condition,” the doctor explained.

I looked at his ridiculous explanation. There was no way he could judge imbalance of Qi just from physical examination without help of potions or techniques. It was impossible for someone who did not reach a sufficiently high stage of their cultivation and the doctor was clearly not a cultivator. I also never heard of cultivator San the healing blade, which admittedly was not much of a point, but the library of the Fiery Peak sect was vast and included many life stories of famed cultivators. I also reached the stage of Earthly body to say I suffered from Qi imbalance was an insult, which I ignored, because it was clear the doctor was speaking from a position of ignorance. Nevertheless, someone who studied cultivator writing should know better.

“That can't be right,” I said to the doctor, but he ignored and spoke over my objection to my parents

“Luckily, I can prepare a medicine that will ease her symptoms until her body's natural processes restore their inner balance and allow her body to heal naturally. I can prepare this concoction and if the ancestors will look at us favorably and young Miss Mei uses the medicine diligently her condition will surely pass as a bad dream.” he explained to my parents.

“This is ridiculous. I can take care of this problem by myself!” I raised my voice.

“Mei Silverhand, do not be disruptive! Doctor Francos is wise and knows what he is talking about. We shall abide by his advice and you shall be as fit as a fiddle.” My mother reprimanded me.

I closed my mouth. Further arguments would be pointless and rude to boot. I had no way to convince my parents about the truth, unless I wished to explain to them what was wrong with me, which would mean revealing my condition.

“It is okay. We are all familiar with the brashness of the young. There is no need to be harsh with them. They are simply not wise in the ways of the world. That is after all what parents are for,” the doctor joked.

My parents at least had the decency to not laugh at this joke and offered only a polite chuckle.

“How swiftly can you prepare this medicine?” my father asked.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I can begin working immediately, but I will have to procure some rare ingredients, which will take a few months,” he explained, and I perked up. If I was lucky, I would get back in shape before he could begin his ministrations, but he swiftly dashed my hopes as he continued his pitch, ”I do not recommend this course of action, because if young Miss’ condition is left untreated it will certainly worsen.”

“Then how can we speed up this process?” my mother asked, looking at me worried, while I could only watch the so-called doctor work on my parents.

“I could reach out to traveling merchants and dealers, who could expedite this process but they require payment upfront and sadly I have depleted my finances while helping those less affluent with their ailments and until my other clients pay I am short of the necessary coin,” he explained to my parents who really should have known better.

My father frowned for a moment but then nodded with a resigned expression “You do not have to fear, good doctor. I will take care of any monetary needs you will have in getting the necessary medicines. Just visit my office in the morning, where we will finish our deal”

“I thank you for your generosity, generous lord. I will do as you bid. In the meantime, my advice for the young miss is to not overextend her body and spend time in environments rich in fire Qi.” the doctor said and bowed to my parents.

“We are thankful for your advice and will act accordingly,” my father said to the doctor.

The doctor left us to sort ourselves out. I looked at my father.

“You know, that he did not know about my condition,” I said to him.

“Mei, doctor Francos is a very studied man, and the elites and other doctors of our city respect him greatly. I do not believe that he could be wrong. He was able to find and create an effective cure for Anya Woodshield who was suffering from thin blood since she was young. He is a capable expert,” my father calmly explained.

“He accused me of having a Qi imbalance like I was a neophyte barely a year in the sect. The very idea is ridiculous,” I pointed out, but my father was not cultivator and did not understand control and understanding of Qi in one’s body were prerequisites for even coming close to entering the Earthly Body stage.

“I know you achieved many things, but how sure can you be, that the wound which ended your path did not cause your current condition,” he asked me once more, being infuriatingly reasonable.

“I will get better. My condition is just a minor inconvenience,” I pointed out.

My mother looked at me sadly, ”Mei, I remember when you broke your arm and walked around telling no one for half of a day because it was not a big deal. You are bad at recognizing how bad of a shape you actually are.”

“I am not that bad,” I defended myself, but I did not look into my mother’s eyes as I said that sentence. I remembered the incident and the pain rather well. The reason for my actions was simple. I did not want to disturb the discussion with the important visitor that day, I could hold it in, but I failed and cried in front of everyone. It was rather embarrassing.

“You are, Mei. Can you see how it makes me and your mother concerned?” my father asked me as he looked at me sternly.

I wanted to argue further, but no words came to me. My mother was correct. My parents were right to be worried. I was sick, yet it was clear the doctor was using them.

“The doctor still does not have a clue,” I tried to argue, but even to me it sounded feebly and I did not persuade my parents in the slightest.

“Mei you are knowledgeable about the ailments of cultivators, but you said it yourself. You are no longer one of them and they highly recommended doctor Francos to us. HIs knowledge about many exotic diseases and conditions is vast. I believe he has an understanding of your condition. His medicines are certain to not harm you and his skill is nearly as certain to help you,” my father reasoned with me.

My father was wrong about the expertise of the doctor, but he was correct about one thing. The regimen the so-called healer proposed would not harm me. I still held enough control of my Qi to balance any negative side effects and I did not know how to persuade my parents. Last time I tried to explain cultivation theory to them their eyes glazed over and they smiled politely, nodding and smiling, but it was clear they were humoring me.

I was not confident I could explain to them why the doctor was wrong and if I stumbled on the truth, it would be a catastrophe. It was annoying, but the most optimal option was to accept the treatment and hope my work with the manual would pay off. If it did, everything would be okay. My parents could believe the quacks cure worked, if not I would have to make a good excuse and visit cultivator Li for another manual.

“I will undergo the doctor's treatment, but I will still try to fix myself,” I offered a compromise.

“That is fair, but you must consult the doctor first. He is an expert and will certainly offer you a valuable opinion,” my father said, his eyes were uncompromising.

“That is fair,” I agreed to his terms. The doctor was nearly completely ignoring me beforehand. I was sure he would not have a problem with young Miss. medicine and, if he had, I would just have to get sneaky.

“Perfect, will you have a dessert?,” my mother smiled.

I yawned, ”No, I think I will go to my room and do some light reading. Do I still have a room?” Normally it was not a question, but I was suddenly unsure. I asked my parents many times when I visited to repurpose my chambers for a different purpose. I did not expect I would ever return and visitor’s quarters were good enough for me.

“We told you. You would have a place to stay with us for as long as we were alive. Your chambers are exactly as you left them the last time you visited,” my mother said, her tome bore no questions.

“Then I will go there and retire.”

“Take a good nap. It will be good for your health,” my father said.

“I will help you get undressed. Sadly, we do not have a maid ready for you. I will get you one in the morning.” My mother looked at me embarrassed of her failings.

“Thanks, but I do not need help with undressing. These clothes are easy to get out. I doubt I will even need a maid,” I said, but for some reason this innocent remark upset my mother.

“You will have a maid, young lady. Every maiden of standing has one and I will not have my daughter go without one.,” she uttered with a voice sounding like the Emperor's messenger delivering a verdict of doom. Even my father was surprised at my mother’s insistence since he looked at her speechless.

“Okay,” I said and walked out of the room swiftly. The walk to my room was not exciting. I was walking through wooden unlit corridors. I nearly got lost in the maze of the same looking hallways, but luckily my memory did not fail me and so I had to backtrack only once.

I opened the doors and looked at my new old home. It was the same room I remembered from my last visit, but as I looked at the place which would be my abode for the future. I saw things I ignored the last time I was here.

The room was unchanged since I left for the Fiery Peak sect. The only thing which changed was the bed. It was not significantly bigger than the bed seven years old me needed, but the rest of the room was the same.

The dressing mirror which looked so big to the child me was now perfect fit for the needs of a young woman. The small boxes full of jewelry were still in their place, even though I did not open them for the whole time. Few large candles were lit lighting the entire room. I remembered looking into that mirror and talking with my mother as she was looking at the maids preparing me for the day.

Impulsively I walked through the room looking at the old tapestries depicting various Spirit Beasts and towards my wardrobe. It was a rather long journey. My room was significantly larger than my old place in the sect and the carpet was much softer than the bare ground and bamboo mats I was used to.

I opened it and saw a bunch of robes fit for a seven years old. I remembered wearing those clothes to family gatherings and dinners. They were always too tight and often rather itchy, but the food was rather nice and it was fun to talk with the others. Their names escaped me, but we had so much fun running around and causing mischief. I smiled as I sat down on my bed.

I wondered what had happened to them. We were always talking about future husbands, best clothing and the newest toys.

Speaking of toys, I looked into the shelf next to the bed. It was still full. There was the magical horse who whinnied into the night and my old cultivator toy amongst many dolls, which were given to me on my birthdays and which I had to keep proudly displayed to show my appreciation of them, even though I would never have time to play with them at all.

I looked around the mementos of my childhood and just sat there for a long moment. This was my life until the wandering cultivator discovered my talent for cultivation and I have departed to the sect and the path towards immortality which opened before me. I never meant to return here, and the room reflected that. It was a strange painting of life I lived.

I was back home, and in the morning I would have work to do.