Hearing Jiang Chen's startling statement, Mu He was visibly stunned—his eyes widened, and his jaw slackened.
"What? How do you know that?"
Seeing the elder's reaction, Jiang Chen knew his guess had hit the mark.
"My master casually taught me a bit of traditional medicine, so I just know a little."
Mu He nearly lost his composure.
To accurately point out a deep internal injury at just a glance—and even determine when it happened? Even some of the most respected state-level doctors couldn't do that.
And yet here this young man stood, saying he only knew "a little" from a master who taught him casually.
Absurd.
Mu Xi, now setting aside her earlier hostility, hurried to explain:
"Thirty years ago, during the counter-offensive against Vietnam, my grandfather served as a deputy commander. On the Laoshan front lines, he was struck by shrapnel in the chest. He barely survived, but the impact left a serious injury on the left side of his heart."
"Over the past two decades, we've visited hundreds of top doctors across the country. All of them said the same thing—there's no cure. He's been relying on special imported medicine just to keep going."
Jiang Chen nodded in understanding.
Mu Xi stepped forward and asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes, "Mr. Li, since you could diagnose my grandfather's condition so easily, does that mean… you can treat it?"
Jiang Chen looked at her and paused.
He, the former Immortal Emperor of the Burning Sky Realm, might not be a villain, but he definitely wasn't some saint offering free charity.
Saving someone? Sure.
Saving someone for free? Absolutely not.
He smiled faintly and replied, "It's not impossible. But…"
That "but" made both Mu Xi and Mu He freeze.
Mu Xi, clever and quick-witted, immediately caught the implication. "Our Mu Family has some influence in Jiangnan—and even across most of Huaxia. As long as you can cure my grandfather, we'll agree to any conditions you ask."
"Really?" Jiang Chen raised a brow.
Mu Xi nodded earnestly, "Yes, anything!"
Jiang Chen held up three fingers. "Three conditions."
"What are they?" she asked, almost holding her breath.
Jiang Chen pointed at her with a faint smirk. "First, I want you—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Mu He's face changed drastically. He shook his head like a drum.
"No, no, absolutely not!"
He suddenly clutched his chest, coughing violently.
"Grandpa!" Mu Xi rushed to his side, supporting him with concern. "Don't get upset, calm down!"
Mu He held her hand tightly, his voice hoarse, "Xi'er, I'm already eighty-three. One foot in the grave. But you… you still have a long life ahead. You can't throw it away for this old man…"
Mu Xi bit her lip and turned to glare at Li Chen, her voice sharp, "Mr. Jiang, don't you think your condition is a little too much? Some things… like feelings, they can't be forced. Isn't that so?"
Jianh Chen chuckled and waved her off, "What are you talking about?"
"I was pointing at the jade pendant on your neck. As for you—"
His gaze dipped toward her chest, and he added, half-mocking, "Too small. I'm not interested."
"You—!" Mu Xi was so furious her voice caught in her throat.