Chapter 142

Chapter 142

◎As Chaste as a Monk!!!◎

But for now, there was still one thing he hadn't dealt with. Until that was taken care of, he couldn't focus on the little one yet.

Meng Qi rubbed his belly and silently apologized to the little one, "Sorry, baby. Dad's best friend, your Uncle Boyuan, might be in trouble with his health. Dad can't just ignore him. Dad needs to have Elder Dong check on Uncle Boyuan first, then it'll be your turn. Good baby, forgive Daddy one more time. Dad loves you, but Dad really can't let anything happen to Uncle Boyuan."

Just as he finished this inner monologue, Meng Qi suddenly flipped over, kneeling on the bed, and before Wang Boyuan could react, he shoved Wang Boyuan toward Elder Dong.

Wang Boyuan whipped his head around to look at Meng Qi, his brow furrowing.

Meng Qi deliberately ignored Wang Boyuan's gaze and focused on explaining to Elder Dong, "Elder Dong, please check my brother first. Until I know what's wrong with him, I won't be able to relax. Even if you treat me first, it'll only be a temporary fix."

"Meng Qi, don't cause trouble!" Wang Boyuan shouted at Meng Qi in displeasure.

Kuang Hui was startled.

As Wang Boyuan's voice faded, Elder Dong calmly pushed aside Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming's hands. His bones were too brittle; if these two kept startling him and pounding on him, Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan might be fine, but he himself might end up unable to stand.

Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming exchanged a glance, both catching a hint of guilt in each other's eyes. Then they silently hid their "guilty hands" behind their backs and each took a small step back. But Kuang Hui was more of a gossip than Dong Jiaming. After retreating to a spot where he could pretend to be invisible, his pitch-black eyes darted around restlessly, shifting from Meng Qi to Wang Boyuan, then back from Wang Boyuan to Meng Qi... He probably couldn't figure out why. When he and Dong Jiaming were supposedly closer to Meng Qi, Qi Yun had suddenly become the one with the tighter bond with Meng Qi, even to the point of deep concern.

Could Ren Suiyi still be one hundred percent the child's biological father?

Kuang Hui shuddered at his own wild imagination, then pressed tightly against Dong Jiaming, not daring to speculate further, his eyes growing much more subdued.

Meng Qi was entirely focused on Wang Boyuan and didn't notice the subtle interactions between Kuang Hui and the Dongs. It was rare for him to see Brother Boyuan glaring at him like that, and it startled him so much that he instinctively flinched back. But soon he straightened his back resolutely, meeting Wang Boyuan's anger head-on, and said clearly, word by word, "Whether it's causing trouble or not, we'll know once Elder Dong takes your pulse. Right now, your credibility with me is almost in the negatives, Brother Boyuan! I only trust Elder Dong, not you."

"My own body..."

Wang Boyuan started to defend himself.

But at that moment, Meng Qi's eyes reddened as he looked at Wang Boyuan, his lips pressed tightly into a line, stubborn and pitiful. The panic in his eyes was almost tangible, crashing like a tidal wave toward Wang Boyuan's face, forcing back the words Wang Boyuan hadn't yet spoken.

In the end, Wang Boyuan sighed at Meng Qi, his face full of helplessness. He gave in.

Meng Qi burst into tears, and he asked Wang Boyuan in a voice only the two of them could understand, "Are you going back? What am I supposed to do if you leave?"

Wang Boyuan opened his mouth, then closed it again, ultimately giving Meng Qi no answer. Instead, he turned to face Elder Dong and extended his left hand, speaking gravely, "Please take a look at me, Elder Dong. Lately, I've been feeling very unwell. Besides the memory loss, I've also developed insomnia and auditory hallucinations. Often, in the dead of night, I hear someone calling my name in my ear, but when I open my eyes, there's no one around. I thought it was just stress, and that more rest would help. I didn't want to trouble you or scare Meng Qi, so I chose not to say anything."

The moment Wang Boyuan offered his wrist, Elder Dong had already placed his index and middle fingers on it. While listening intently to Wang Boyuan's detailed account of his symptoms, he carefully took his pulse.

As someone who had weathered many storms, Elder Dong's composure barely wavered at Wang Boyuan's almost mystical explanation.

But Meng Qi was different. He was terrified by Wang Boyuan's words. Without a second thought, he jumped off the bed, barefoot on the floor, and rushed to Wang Boyuan's side, pressing close to ask, "Who's calling your name? Is it... someone from here or..."

Wang Boyuan glanced at Meng Qi's feet and scolded him with a frown, "Get back on the bed!"

Seeing this, Kuang Hui quickly stepped in, pushing Meng Qi back onto the bed, and then thoughtfully found Meng Qi's shoes, placing them neatly by the bedside to prevent him from running around barefoot again.

Back on the bed, Meng Qi crawled from the headboard to the middle, stopping face-to-face with Wang Boyuan, and pressed on anxiously, "Who's calling you, Brother Boyuan? Is it Sister Qingyou and the others?"

Sister Qingyou, Wang Qingyou, was Wang Boyuan's biological sister.

If it were them, things would be serious! As he asked this, Meng Qi's heart nearly leaped into his throat!

But Wang Boyuan gently shook his head, denying Meng Qi's guess. "It's not them."

"Then who is it? It can't be the Black and White Impermanence, can it?" Meng Qi blurted out recklessly in his panic.

Elder Dong interjected with a smile, "Maybe he doesn't know whose voice it is either. Don't pressure him. With your relentless questioning, his pulse has gone erratic. I'll have to take it again."

"Sorry, Elder Dong. I... I'm just anxious. I'm afraid something will happen to my brother Boyuan." Meng Qi apologized to Elder Dong, his eyes drifting back to Wang Boyuan with a mix of frustration and helplessness.

Wang Boyuan kept his head down, his eyes fixed on Elder Dong's fingers taking his pulse, seemingly unaware that Meng Qi was still staring at him.

Elder Dong pretended to be disappointed and asked Meng Qi, "Do you doubt my medical skills?"

Only then did Meng Qi shift his attention back to Elder Dong, shaking his head frantically like a bobblehead. "Of course not! I... ah... forget it, I'll stop talking. Please, take his pulse first." After saying this, he crawled back to the headboard, leaned against the whitewashed wall, and fell silent.

Kuang Hui walked over, draped an arm over Meng Qi's shoulder, and stuffed a pillow behind his back.

"The pulse is thin and weak, rapid and urgent. Yin deficiency with blazing fire, disturbing the spirit. Phlegm and stasis blocking internally, emotional imbalance... All ailments caused by liver qi stagnation. Nothing serious. A few prescriptions to soothe the liver and regulate qi will clear the heat, and you'll be much better." Elder Dong said, lowering his right hand, looking from Wang Boyuan to Meng Qi, and then spoke earnestly, "You two really are true brothers. So young, yet both of you carry so many worries in your hearts, even more than this old man. That won't do, not at all."

Hearing this, Meng Qi sat up halfway again and asked nervously, "So you mean my brother, Brother Boyuan, isn't seriously ill? Then why does he say someone keeps calling his name in the middle of the night? Could it be that he's run into something unclean? Do you know how to exorcise it?"

Elder Dong laughed. "No, no. Trust in science. It's phlegm blocking the heart meridian causing mental confusion. Soothing the liver and clearing phlegm will do the trick." Then he teased, "Don't read too much into it. Since the founding of the nation, there haven't been any spirits causing trouble."

Never mind that Meng Qi had transmigrated into a story and still believed in science, of all things; Elder Dong's calm, confident demeanor convinced him completely. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled carelessly at Wang Boyuan. "See, Brother Boyuan? Nothing's wrong. From now on, don't hide your illness from the doctor. We've got a great doctor right here, so what's there to fear?"

Wang Boyuan forced a reassuring smile back at Meng Qi. But judging by his expression, he was clearly less optimistic than Meng Qi.

Meng Qi, however, now blindly trusted Elder Dong. Seeing that Wang Boyuan was still frowning after the diagnosis, he tried to brush it off and not dwell on it. After all, he had his own worries too! Everyone had flesh and blood and a soul—who could truly have a pure heart? He couldn't even do it himself, so how could he force someone else to have a completely empty heart?

After dealing with Wang Boyuan's issue, Meng Qi quietly patted his belly twice and thought to himself, Your turn, baby. Wake up and listen to Elder Dong's wise words. You need to learn and follow along, got it? We'll work together—you welcome a bright, new life, and I'll do my best to lead us through this strange and magical world. Come on, keep up with Dad. Let's charge forward together!

With this thought, Meng Qi felt a surge of energy coursing through him, as if he'd had a shot of adrenaline. He fixed his burning gaze on Elder Dong and took the initiative. "Elder Dong, you said earlier that 'don't panic when things happen' is the first thing you wanted to remind me of. So, are there a second and third thing you need to tell me?"

Elder Dong shot Meng Qi a look of approval, as if to say, "This kid is teachable." It lifted Meng Qi's spirits, making him feel a bit proud, and he sat up even more attentively to listen.

"I've heard you've been studying traditional Chinese medicine theory with Qingjiang for a while. Let me test you: what does TCM consider the foundation of life?" Elder Dong asked Meng Qi with a smile.

Meng Qi clearly knew the answer. He straightened his back even more, his eyes sparkling with confidence, and replied, "TCM believes that 'essence' is the foundation of life. 'Essence' is stored in the kidneys, governing reproduction and growth..."

Elder Dong wasn't really testing Meng Qi's grasp of TCM theory; he was just using the question to lead into the second thing he wanted to say.

As soon as Meng Qi started, Elder Dong interrupted him with a smile, first praising him, "You've got a solid foundation. Keep it up." Then he shifted gears to his main point. "The kidneys store 'essence' and govern reproduction, but due to the differences in male and female body structures, the demand for essence varies greatly. Men rely on essence to solidify their vitality—abundant essence means a strong body. Women rely on blood to nourish their spirit—ample blood means vibrant energy. So, since ancient times, men have trained their essence, and women their blood. But you are a special case; your need for both essence and blood is greater than the average person's... So, what I'm about to say, you must remember well."

Meng Qi immediately sat up straight and proper.

Wang Boyuan couldn't help clenching his fists, worried sick for Meng Qi.

In fact, before Elder Dong revealed what he was about to say, not just Wang Boyuan, but the other two in the room were also worried for Meng Qi.

Elder Dong's expression turned serious, and he spoke in a deep, earnest tone to Meng Qi, "For other couples, intercourse is permissible three months into the pregnancy. But you need to both consolidate your essence and nourish your blood—your body can't handle it. I hope that from today until you give birth, you'll learn to restrain yourself and not have those thoughts."

Meng Qi: ...

What thoughts? When had he ever had such thoughts? Don't put words in my mouth, okay...

"With hormonal changes in your body, having needs is normal. No need to be embarrassed. Grandpa just wants you to control this urge and not seek momentary pleasure at the cost of your foundation." Elder Dong's face was stern, not mocking or teasing Meng Qi.

But Meng Qi was still flushed with embarrassment from Elder Dong's words, wishing he could disappear into a hole. And he swore he heard Kuang Hui snickering at him. He imagined Dong Jiaming and Wang Boyuan's expressions must be just as funny...

Yet, under Elder Dong's concerned gaze, Meng Qi had no choice but to respond. Flustered, he nodded like crazy, "I understand, Grandpa. Don't worry. I won't... do anything like that. Right now, I'm as chaste as a monk!"

Ah, he shouldn't have woken the little one. This conversation was really not for kids...