The hall had never been this quiet. After Adrian’s defiant words-“Your judgment means nothing to me“-the entire gathering held its breath.
Dr. Lander’s face was dark as thunderclouds. His reputation his authority, his pride–everything had been challenged before hundreds of witnesses. If he didn’t crush Adrian here, his name would become a laughingstock.
The presiding elder cleared his throat, his voice booming over the crowd. “This is the Medical Conference, not a marketplace for insults. If grievances exist, they shall be resolved by the traditional method.”
A ripple went through the crowd.1
“The medical duel…” someone whispered.
Adrian’s brows lifted slightly. He had read of such things in the knowledge granted by the ring, but this was his first time seeing one firsthand.
Dr. Lander turned, his voice cutting like a blade. “Then let i be a duel. Before this entire assembly, we shall test our skill and prove who truly understands medicine.”
His disciples erupted in cheers. “Master will crush him!”
“That boy won’t last a round.”
“Let him be exposed for the fraud he is.”
Catherine’s face went pale. She leaned close to Adrian, whispering urgently. “You don’t have to do this. Grandfather can refuse on your behalf—”
Adrian shook his head, calm as ever. “He challenged me. If back down, no one here will ever take me seriously again.”
“But he’s the most feared physician in the city!” she insisted. “He has decades of experience—”
“And I have something he doesn’t.” Adrian’s eyes glinted, steady as steel. “Truth.”
Her breath caught. Something about the way he said it sent a shiver through her chest.
The elder raised his hand. “The duel shall be held here, before this assembly. Both physicians will be given a patient chosen at random, and each shall diagnose and treat under the watch of all present. The patient’s recovery will speak for itself.”
The hall buzzed with anticipation. To see Dr. Lander display his mastery was privilege enough. But to pit him against this unknown youth? The air itself trembled with tension.
Servants rushed off. Moments later, two patients were brought forward, each suffering from ailments chosen to test skill and knowledge. One was a middle–aged man with shallow breathing and a faint blue tinge to his lips. The other, a woman clutching her stomach, her face twisted with pain.
The elder gestured. “Each of you will choose one. By lot.”
A coin was flipped. Dr. Lander won the toss and chose the man. Without hesitation, Adrian stepped toward the
woman.
“Begin.”
Dr. Lander knelt by his patient, confident and commanding His hands moved swiftly, fingers pressing at the pulse. His voice carried as he spoke his findings, every word calculated for the crowd.
“This is a case of long–term heart weakness. The pulse is erratic, the blood sluggish. The treatment requires
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warming the yang, stimulating circulation, and fortifying the heart with my unique prescription.”
He wrote swiftly on a scroll, passing it to his disciple with a flourish. “Prepare the formula.”
The crowd murmured appreciatively. It was precise, authoritative, everything they expected.
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Meanwhile, Adrian knelt quietly by the woman. He took her wrist, his eyes narrowing. His touch was feather- light, but his focus so sharp it seemed the world had vanished around him.
The woman groaned, clutching her abdomen. Adrian’s gaze traveled down, then he pressed a point near her navel. Instantly, her entire body jolted.
Gasps rippled through the hall.
“What is he doing?”
“That’s reckless–pressing random points without care!”
“Does he even know what he’s looking at?”
Adrian ignored them all. His voice was calm, steady.
“The pain in your stomach… it strikes mostly at night, doesn’t it? It twists like knives, worse after you eat something cold?”
The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “Yes! Exactly that! No one else could ever describe it so clearly!”
A wave of astonishment passed through the crowd. Catherine’s lips parted. Even her grandfather, seated behind her, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Adrian continued, his tone crisp. “This is not a simple stomach illness. It’s a parasite, hidden deep in her intestines. Left untreated, it would eventually consume her strength and kill her within a year.”
The hall erupted.
“A parasite?”
“Absurd!”
“How could he know that just from touching her wrist?”
Dr. Lander sneered loudly. “Childish nonsense. Parasites? If such a thing existed, any half–trained physician could detect it. He’s guessing wildly!” 1
Adrian raised his head, meeting his gaze calmly. “Then watch closely.”
From his sleeve, Adrian produced a single silver needle. He held it between two fingers, his movements precise and deliberate. With a swift motion, he pierced a point just below the woman’s ribs,
The woman gasped, then screamed–but moments later, a hudder ran through her body. Her stomach convulsed violently.
And then-
Something writhed.
The entire hall leaned forward as, to their horror, a thin, worm–like creature forced its way from her mouth, twisting and thrashing before collapsing onto the floor.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then–chaos.
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“Gods above-!”
“It’s real!”
“He actually drew it out–he was right!”
Catherine clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes wide with shock and awe. Her grandfather’s brows lifted high. Even the presiding elder, normally stoic as stone, leaned forward in disbelief.
The worm writhed once more, then stilled. The woman, pale and trembling, let out a shaky laugh of relief. “The pain… it’s gone. It’s really gone.”
All eyes swung to Dr. Lander.
His face was rigid, but the fury in his eyes burned. His patient was still coughing weakly, showing no sign of recovery yet. Meanwhile, Adrian had just pulled a living parasite from his patient in front of the entire hall.
Whispers surged through the crowd, sharper than daggers.
“Dr. Lander… failed?” 1
“And the boy–he succeeded, with nothing but a single needle!”
“This… this is history. No one’s seen a technique like that in decades.”
Dr. Lander slammed his palm onto the table, the sound cracking like thunder. “Tricks!” he roared. “Sleight of hand! This is a conference of science, not street performances!”
But his voice was drowned by the murmurs rising louder and louder. For the first time, the mighty Dr. Lander was no longer the center of respect. It was Adrian.
The presiding elder stood, raising his hand for silence. His gaze swept the hall, lingering on the still–twitching parasite at Adrian’s feet.
“Enough,” the elder declared. “What we witnessed cannot be denied. The patient was cured. The evidence lies before us. This duel is decided.”
Gasps and cheers erupted. Half the crowd still couldn’t believe it. The other half looked at Adrian with new eyes— eyes of respect, fear, and curiosity.
Adrian simply retrieved his needle, cleaned it calmly, and slipped it back into its case. His voice was low but steady.
“There was no trick. Only truth. Medicine is for saving lives not for inflating egos.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
