After a long while of staring, Jungkook finally accepted that this child was serious, and this was not just a passing fancy.
After knowing each other for so long, he was well aware of her temperament. If she believed in something, she wouldn't give up on it so easily. She was very stubborn, to the point it was distressing.
The cold stern eyes softened slightly, and he backed out from the room-closing the door softly as he instructed Mrs. Zhang to stay silent so that Lisa could work in peace. He then proceeded downstairs with a softer gait than usual.
When Lisa came down, Jungkook was sitting by the window, holding a small ball in his hand. He would throw the ball out randomly after a while, and Haha would shoot off to chase after it, bringing it back to his feet-its tail wagging in delight.
Strangely, Jungkook's senses were sharp, as well as his gaze, and his whole body exudes a chilling aura. Sometimes, Lisa still felt some apprehension while in the same vicinity as him, but it seems that Haha was getting less afraid of him as time passed.
"You're down? Just in time for dinner then," Jungkook said when he saw her, placing the ball on the glass table and heading towards the kitchen to call for dinner.
Haha ran straight to Lisa's side, looking up to her with its big, round, shimmering eyes. Lisa's heart melted at the sight. Haha had been in a rich environment for almost a month. Adding on the fact that Mrs. Zhang would bring it for grooming every other day, Haha had completely transformed into a good pedigree dog. The fur on Haha was smooth and silky, like snow, which made people unable to resist the urge to touch it.
Dogs were intelligent creatures, they understood who was good to them, and it was precisely because of the occasionally kind gestures from the usually cold Jungkook that made Haha like this.
Lisa scooped him up in her arms, and stumbled a little at the weight. "Haha, if you gain another few pounds, I won't be able to carry you like this anymore."
Haha whimpered pitifully, glancing up at her, widening his already big, innocent eyes.
"Alright, alright, stop pretending to look so pitiful." Lisa scratched his ears, and seeing that dishes had been brought out, she let Haha down as she went to the kitchen to wash her hands.
Lisa would take Haha out for a few laps every day after dinner, but Jungkook had called for her today.
He looked at her, staring into her eyes-his expression solemn. "Why did you suddenly take an interest in medical studies?"
She had the talent in the medical field, but he was still worried. Among the people he knew, there were a few families that had ventured into medicine. Those people have been busy since they were a child to adult, going through mountains of books since a young age. Once they went into college, in addition to laboratory experiments, there were also theory classes. From time to time, they were also required to take up internships. Once they became doctors, they got even busier, and there was little time to rest. Sometimes, they would even be pulled away to attend to emergencies with just a phone call.
The profession of a doctor was good and all, and it was a job. But when things go wrong, the public wouldn't hesitate to throw their hurtful opinions at you.
In all fairness, it was not really a flattering profession to take up.
Thinking about how Lisa was usually quite laid back, Jungkook felt he had to properly discuss this issue with her.
"This is not something I took up on a whim, I just hope to have the ability to help my friends and family. I have the talent, right?" Lisa touched the bracelet on her hand unconsciously, thinking of Naeun and Soobin who were still in the intensive care unit. Both of them had looked to her like they were looking at a small sun. How could she let their lives end, when it had barely even started?
Seeing that Jungkook was unmoved, Lisa brought up Gookhwan's arm. Her observations wouldn't be wrong, Gookhwan had an injury on the arm that was hidden, and it hadn't gotten any better.
Jungkook raised an eyebrow. "It's difficult to turn an occupation into a professional career. The purpose of studying medicine is to save the world, and it's only valuable if you are able to specialize in the entire field. A person only had so much time in their life, and some live their lives never knowing what they were doing in the end. Do you really intend to let go of your other interests, like oil painting?"
He hoped that Lisa had the resolve, there were not many geniuses in the world, but there were even more people who ended up like the story of Shang Zhongyong, which talked about a genius who was brilliantly talented, but eventually becoming ordinary due to his slack.
Her family only existed to her in name, having them was like having none at all, so he hoped that he could give her a little more guidance in her life.
Lisa nodded without hesitation, if she didn't take a liking to it, she wouldn't have wasted so much time putting in the effort to read through the books. To be honest, this was the first time she had found a direction that she liked.
Of course, what she didn't say was that the thing she lacked the most was time. As long as she had the points, she basically had unlimited time in her hands. Not only that, the system had also released various growth type missions, so her interest was definitely higher than the average person.
However, she also planned to continue improving her oil paintings in the void space, so that it wouldn't be shown in front of Jungkook during the normal days, otherwise he might have something to say about it.
It wasn't like she would give up everything else if she pursued medical studies.
"Alright, then you can go ahead and take a look at Grandfather Yin's arm over the next few days," Jungkook said, seeing the determination in her face. He then turned around, taking his car keys before leaving the house.
Watching as he left her sight as fast as possible, Lisa rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She didn't know what he meant, but what couldn't be denied was that, with someone being so concerned about her life and her plans for the future, it actually felt quite nice.
***
This person who was recently immersed in being a 'nursing dad' was now at the Yin family house.
The Yin family guards recognized him, because Taehyung was afraid that these little guards would offend a great god, he had deliberately passed them Jungkook's photograph to ensure they knew who he was. This was to avoid these guards from being sent to their death without knowing who it was that killed them.
Jungkook had come over this time to meet Gookhwan, and he completely ignored Taehyung, who had come over to greet him.
Taehyung's hands were stretched out halfway before it retracted, with Jihyun at the side chattering away. "Oh, Jungkook is here. Take back the clothes that I just bought for Lili to try on! I'll need to send her a message on WeChat to try it on one by one, and to send me pictures."
Over the past few days, Jihyun's circle of friends had been bombarded by praise for Lisa. Once the woman had started boasting about this dazzling girl, she couldn't stop even if she wanted to.
This led to Young Master Yin's wondering, was he going to be sidelined no matter where he went?
Jihyun had never taken his photo to show off in her circle of friends, he was still her son by blood, right?
Gookhwan was sitting in his study, his hand holding a sleek brush with a weasel bristle. The tip of the brush was barely touching the paper, but he didn't write on it for a long time. If you looked closely, you would realize that the brush was shaking slightly. After a long while, he placed the brush down and let out a long sigh.
It was still not possible.
When Jungkook came in, Gookhwan was already seated at the low table, making a pot of tea.
He was old. His children as well as grandchildren were all independent and didn't cause him any worry, so he was able to be at peace with all this. He liked to spend his time among the flowers and plants, making tea and watching the birds, and it was a very leisurely life. When he saw the junior that he admired, he couldn't help but reveal a skill that he usually didn't show.
Making tea was a very technical skill. Jungkook took a sip, admiring Gookhwan's skill while affirming it at the same time.
Gookhwan chuckled at that, but he didn't forget the point of the visit. "You've come at a late hour, I'm sure it's not just to drink my tea?"
"Of course," Jungkook replied, putting down the cup, and shooting him a solemn look. "I'd like to know, Grandfather, if you've injured your right arm before."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Gookhwan raised his head in surprise, staring at him in slight shock.
Gookhwan had been sent out to the frontlines when he was just a teenager, the military medals hanging in his study were exchanged using his life and blood over and over again. At that time, he was the sharpshooter of the army, using his military strength, he climbed through the ranks and became commander when he was middle-aged. What soldier didn't have injuries? He had suffered a gunshot wound on his right arm-the bullet had impacted his bones. With the medical facilities in those times, it was impossible to fully mend an internal injury, and it left a lasting mark, and he wasn't able to use his arm fully until now.
Who would have known, the sharpshooter back in those days that had not touched a gun in twenty years, was because he was afraid.
Now, it took a lot of effort just to write a few characters. Don't even talk about the hundred steps to lift up a gun.
"How did you know?" Goohwan's eyes were slightly hazy, lost in nostalgia. Outsiders had seen his actions as abandoning the gun, but he had never even discussed this matter with his family. The internal injury was also only known to himself. With just a short amount of time, his junior had identified it, and he could only sigh at that. This was the first time he had discussed his injury with anyone, and he had calmed down so much from the time he had gotten it. "It has been many years since I've gotten this injury, I guess it won't matter even if I discuss it with you."
"At that point in time, the medical technologies were all not able to help. I've also tried to secretly look for the miracle doctor, Rong Seungwon. But this doctor was too secretive, and I didn't manage to get him on the line."
Jungkook hesitated a little after listening to Gookhwan's words. An internal injury wasn't easy to treat, adding on the fact that it had been many years since he had gotten the wound. If it was that easy to cure, then the old man wouldn't be in this state in the first place.
But thinking back to Lisa, who had been tirelessly researching in the past few days, to the point that she seemed to have forgotten to sleep and eat, Jungkook couldn't bear to let her down.
Even though she didn't say it, he knew that she was studying acupuncture for the sake of Gookhwan.
He knew of the doctor called Rong Seungwon. He was globally famous as a doctor, having a strange temperament, able to wrestle people back from the hands of death. Someone who was out of everyone's reach, and you would be lucky to catch a glimpse of him. He seemed to have good friends all over the world. No one would dare to go after the life of someone who would possibly be the one saving their lives in the future, after all.
Jungkook narrowed his eyes in contemplation. If she really crippled Gookhwan's hand, then he would find Rong Seungwon.
Others were helpless against the divine doctor, but he would find a way to do it.
"Grandfather, I want to ask a favor of you." Jungkook stood to move in front of him, bowing low to Gookhwan. "The child of my house has seen your injury, and she has bought countless medical books to study every day and night. She intends to diagnose and treat you, I hope that you will be able to agree to her treatment when the time comes. No matter what happens after, I will bear the responsibility. Don't put any of the blame on her."
Gookhwan wasn't about to throw the courtesy he was shown back to his face, and he hurriedly pulled Jungkook out of his bow. "I'm very happy that she has such a heart and intention, how could I place any blame on her?"
Jungkook had personally vouched for her, and requested a favor from him. Even if he was doing it for Taehyung, he would never refuse him.
But what made him shocked was that, for the sake of an unrealistic idea of a little girl, Jungkook was willing to personally come to ask for a favor from him. The young master of the Jeon family really was paying a lot of attention and concern for this child.
Master Yin's thoughts were running a mile an hour, but on the outside he remained calm and quiet. He was now satisfied from the bottom of his heart for the actions that Taehyung had made unintentionally, bounding the child to his house before anyone else had realized her potential and sought to do the same. It would seem that the Yin family will not be going downhill in the next hundreds of years.
It didn't hurt that he also approved of this doll of a girl.
After getting the agreement in words, Jungkook let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help the sudden whim that Lisa had, and so he could only retreat and head towards Gookhwan instead.
She was still a child after all, one who didn't consider things comprehensively. Didn't she think about the fact that the old man had no reason to hand over the treatment of his arm to a child? And what would happen if she complicated the matter instead of healing him?
And so this was the only thing he could do, setting up a safety net for Master Yin because of her.
Lisa wasn't aware that Jungkook had done so much for her without her knowledge, just that he hadn't been breathing down her neck about her studying the medical texts that she had gotten. Even Mrs. Zhang had not lectured her recently, only reminding her to take care of her body. Lisa still couldn't adapt to their concerns, so she opted to stay mostly in the void space to discuss the treatment methods with the system.
[Beauty Lisa, don't research anymore, I'll go to the shop and find if there are any treatment options there,] The system spirit said, holding a book in its hands. Its expression clearly said that it was bored of looking through the many books with Lisa, and its eyes lingered on her somewhat pleadingly.
Lisa was sitting in the void space, surrounded by mountains of ancient texts. She flipped through the one in her hands quickly, tossing it aside once she was done. With a quick thought in her mind, another book would float to her hands. "It's fine, go ahead and play your games, I'll continue to look."
The system spirit heard her words, but didn't reject the idea. It had already been by Lisa's side for two weeks, and she had been studying the medical books without sleep in those two weeks. The system spirit felt like it was quite useless in this endeavour.
[Then, I'll go ahead and play some games,] The system spirit said, disappearing immediately after from the void to play the game it had developed, Nine Heavens.
In the void, Lisa continued flipping through the medical books, reading book after book. The speed that she was reading at was very fast, almost as though she was looking at ten sentences in one glance.
Even for people who had high mental power, your brain and memory would also get tired after continuously working at full capacity like this. Lisa slowed down eventually, and she started to review each case study in the books. Every acupuncture point and needle pressure in the books were practised in her mind as she read.
Feeling that it was almost time, she left the void space.
Although countless months have passed in the void space, it was only a moment in reality. Lisa first took a bath, feeling the mental fatigue fade as she refreshed herself. She could feel her mental reserves building back up, expanding even further than usual. The system who was in the void space shouted at that, [Beauty Lisa, how is your mental power rising more again, this doesn't make sense in scientific terms!]
"You could rise in strength too, if you were like me," Lisa said as she took a towel to dry her hair, walking towards the mannequin in her room as she did. She took her time examining it, trying to find the most suitable spot to inject the needle.
She had never seen Gookhwan's arm with her own eyes, and so she didn't know how the condition in his arm was. She could only study similar examples and ponder over each case, and she would probably need to make changes when she was looking at the real thing.
***
Lisa hadn't been able to study through all the ancient texts in the void space, before she caught off guard by being called to the Yin family house.
Jihyun had gotten Taehyung to make the call, and naturally, Jungkook was also invited along.
"In just a while, you'll be able to take a look at Grandfather Yin's arm," Jungkook said to her, driving the car into the sea of people.
The words were soft, but it felt like it had been screamed into her ears. Lisa squeezed the phone that she held in her hands, her eyes turning to him, and it was clear the uneasiness that was in them. "This... wait a minute?"
This was her first hands on experience, without the system's diagnostic, and it was completely based on her own strength. Disregarding the uneasiness in her heart, she hadn't been able to prepare herself after so long, and was expected to start just like that?
Jungkook tried to reassure her after seeing her in this state. "Don't worry, just take a look at it, he won't blame you or anything for that."
Like Gookhwan, the both of them were not holding out much hope from the bottom of their hearts. Unlike Gookhwan however, Jungkook was worried that she would be beaten down by this failure, being more afraid that she was really serious about going down the path of medicine.
The Yin family household was lively as ever, especially Jihyun, who had prepared a lot of new clothes for her, inquiring about her health. Lisa knew that she had also gotten a hold of Mrs. Zhang's phone number, asking after her physical condition every day.
Even without the system notification, she could feel the feelings of concern and warmth.
The her that had a chance to do this life over again, was really lucky.
Lisa calmed her heart in determination, following Jungkook up the stairs. The Yin family wasn't aware of Gookhwan's injury, and she had no intentions of letting it slip out.
The others were told that the old man had something to discuss with them, and didn't pay much attention to it. Taehyung was holding the remote in his hands and watching the TV, and even told Lisa to hurry up and join him when she was done.
Jihyun told her to come and drink some soup later once she was done, and hearing this, Lisa almost lost her footing and slipped.
Why was it that she couldn't avoid soup no matter where she went?
Jungkook bit his lip, fighting the smile that was threatening to stretch on his face.
***
Gookhwan had entered his study after he finished eating. Usually he would take a walk in the gardens and watch the birds play, but today he was waiting for a child to come and treat him. It was a bit insane, but he was actually looking forward to it?
Letting out a sigh, Gookhwan raised his right arm, and his heart sank again. It's been a few decades, and even if there was a chance of being healed, it definitely wouldn't be in the hands of a doll-like child.
The hope in his eyes was extinguished with that thought, but he put on a smile again as he looked at Lisa gently. "Go ahead and perform your treatment. I'm alright, and I won't blame you if anything happens."
Lisa solemnly looked over his arm, she knew that the two of them in the study didn't believe in her, but she didn't care. The most important thing for her was whether or not the arm of Gookhwan in front of her could be saved. She inspected the muscle around the injured area, and probed it with a little chi to look deeper into it, her concentration centered on the arm she held.
Seeing the look of concentration on her face, Gookhwan and Jungkook breathed lightly, in hopes to not disturb her concentration.
The recovery of Gookhwan's arm was already considered to be good. Generally, when the bullet penetrates the body, it would leave a hole in the tissues underneath the muscle, which would have a great impact when it healed over. If the bullet goes through the bones, that part of the body was basically useless then. The fact that Gookhwan was still able to move his arm and that his family had never realized his arm was injured for decades, that extent of recovery was already considered to be a miracle.
After inspecting for a while, Lisa had discovered the problem.
When his arm was injured by the bullet, it had burned the meridians around it, completely stopping the flow of energy. The cracks in his bone had also not healed, making it impossible for him to control his arm fully.
Knowing the extent of the injuries made treatment a lot more simple, and she took out her golden needles, placing it on the table with a wave of her hand.
"I'm starting the treatment," Lisa said, looking into Gookhwan's eyes. Once she had his approval, she picked up a needle.
From the moment the golden needle was in her hand, her entire demeanor changed. Her gaze sharpened with a distinct fire, and her hands moved quickly and smoothly. Every needle fell accurately onto the points, each wrapped in a slight amount of chi, breaking through the blocked meridians.
The bones would usually heal on their own, but Gookhwan was old and his body had begun to shrink, so there was no possibility of healing it.
However, veins and muscle could be healed, and Lisa's chi had magnificent vitality. It swam through Gookhwan's body and quickly repaired the cells on his arm where the needle had gone in.
It was obvious that Gookhwan felt a change in his arm, he knew his own arm the best, after all. In this moment, the pulsing of his arm was amplified by a few times, echoing in his ears. He slowly turned to look at his arm, his eyes clearing up as he turned his attention to what was happening.
The arm had always felt slightly numb and paralyzed all year round, and he couldn't move it properly, but now there was a slight feeling of pain throbbing in it.
"I..." Gookhwan's eyes clouded over, a slight tremble could be heard in his voice. For years, he had been trying to avoid this reality.
He grew up holding a gun in his hand, and the gun had accompanied him through those countless thrilling days, it was his closest partner. After his arm injury, he was never able to pick up the gun again, locking it away in a safe, deliberately trying to make himself forget. However, there was a part of his mind which could never do so.
Did the pain that had returned to his arm indicate that there would be a day in his remaining lifetime, that he would be able to pick up the gun again?
Gookhwan's eyes were slightly glossy when he looked at Lisa, and slightly red-rimmed. "This...I..."
He struggled for words for what seemed like half a day, but nothing could come out of his mouth, but there was hope in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Although there is nothing to be done for the crack in the bones, but it will be fine for doing calligraphy." Lisa had drained all the strength and energy in her body for this, and also she was mentally exhausted after the effort, she mustered up a smile to hide her fatigue. She glanced at the paper laid out on the desk, her gaze softening.
Managing to calm his overwhelming emotions, Gookhwan took note of Lisa's complexion, and reached out to support her in concern. Knowing that she had exhausted herself for his sake, and not knowing how much research she had had to do before reaching this stage, he was deeply touched by her effort. "Alright, alright. Come, sit down and rest."
Regardless of whether the treatment had worked, the intentions and feelings behind her actions were enough to completely move him. From now onwards, Gookhwan would truly acknowledge her as his god granddaughter from the bottom of his heart, and it would not be due to any benefit that she would bring to the family.
Jungkook held Lisa, supporting her weight, not knowing how to feel about the entire thing. Looking at her weary state, he could only sigh again, and couldn't bear to criticize her at this moment.
Lisa had exhausted herself mentally by forcefully clearing his veins, and her mental state was not great. She could only lean against Jungkook, softly asking him to write out a prescription.
"Grandfather Yin, I'll take her back first." Jungkook said as one hand held onto her, and the other wrote down what she said. His lips were pursed tightly, his eyes narrowed sharply as the hard expression slid onto his face.
With Gookhwan being blessed by Lisa for such a huge favor, it was only natural for him to have Lisa stay the night in Yin Manor. On top of that, she was also under the Yin family name, staying here a night would be an obvious choice of matter.
However, looking into the pair of cold, distant eyes, Gookhwan was unable to say anything along those lines, and could only urge Lisa repeatedly to not overdo it before they left.
"Oh, Lili, remember to come back on the sixth, the day of the banquet!"
Lisa nodded obediently, but Jungkook didn't linger too long, sweeping her away after that.
She had completely exhausted her mental reserves, and could only rest to recover it slowly, he couldn't do anything much for that.
Seeing her pale face made his heart tighten, so he could only smoothen out his expression and not say a word.
Sitting on the passenger seat, Lisa closed her eyes to rest. She had already gotten used to Jungkook's indifferent expression, and she didn't feel that anything was wrong for a while, until she heard his deep voice speaking.
"You're very suited for the profession of a doctor," Jungkook said, looking straight into her eyes, his expression easing a little to show some warmth.
When she was treating Gookhwan, he had felt the vitality in her chi, and he couldn't help but be moved by her determination. Her mental power was also naturally strong, the profession of doctor seemed like a profession that was created for her.
Perhaps, she could even compare to Rong Seungwon in the future? In this moment, even he was anticipating whether or not a day like that would come for her.
Jungkook narrowed his eyes slightly, the doubts in his heart being confirmed little by little. Lisa was becoming stronger as the days passed by, and he was grateful and happy for it, but worried at the same time. Sometimes, great power came with great responsibilities, and that was one of the reasons he had never told her about the current situation of the ancient martial arts world.