He was a top student at Sunshine High School, known by many at the school, but he did not know this girl.

When Samuel Thompson spoke, the girl who had been a bit lively just a moment ago suddenly became reserved—this was the natural suppression of a top student over an underachiever: “Are you here for a consultation or to buy medicine? I’ll call my grandpa out right away.”

Before Samuel Thompson could answer, the girl Kelly had already walked into the room and called out, “Grandpa, someone’s here.”

“Hmm.”

A voice came from inside, and an elderly man, looking to be around sixty and dressed in a long robe, walked out.

Samuel Thompson glanced at the old man.

Though advanced in age, the old man’s energy and blood seemed quite steady, and his eyes shone with vitality, indicating robust health. He was likely someone with a decent understanding of health preservation, and such people were generally not fame-seekers.

The old man came to the main hall counter, put on a pair of reading glasses that were sitting there, and looked Samuel Thompson up and down. He seemed to sense something extraordinary about him, and his eyes lit up: “Young man, you look quite healthy. Judging by your appearance, you don’t seem ill. Is there something wrong?”

Samuel Thompson placed his swollen right hand on the counter: “I suppose it counts as an injury from being struck. Could you please take a look, doctor?”

“Huh?”

Kelly, standing to the side, cried out when she saw Samuel Thompson’s right hand, red and turning purple: “That’s a serious injury! Shouldn’t you go to a big hospital for a checkup?”

The old man, however, examined Samuel Thompson’s right hand carefully, then looked up with a serious expression: “Young man, this injury doesn’t look like it was caused by being struck by an object. Rather... it looks like you were hurt by someone using hidden force.”

“The doctor knows about hidden force?”

Samuel Thompson was a bit surprised.

“I’ve treated thousands of people over the decades, and I’ve seen similar injuries before, so I made a point to learn about it. Besides... medicine and martial arts are closely related...”

The old man paused for a moment: “As far as I know, every expert who has mastered hidden force is considered top-tier locally. In cities where martial arts aren’t popular, there aren’t even any hidden force experts. You’re so young—how did you get involved with such a formidable person and get injured by hidden force?”

“Hidden force?”

Samuel Thompson didn’t respond, but Kelly interjected curiously: “Grandpa, is that the hidden force those martial arts masters talk about in the streets? Do such martial arts experts really exist?”

“Experts certainly exist, but they’re extremely rare. And with the rise of technology and the dominance of firearms, many martial artists have gone into hiding. As martial arts declined, they became even less known. Over time, people your age see it as a joke and dismiss it.”

“There really are martial arts experts? I’ve never heard you mention them, Grandpa.”

The girl Kelly looked as if she’d discovered a new world, full of curiosity: “Are there things like the Nine Yin Manual or the Dugu Nine Swords? What about the Six Meridian Sword or the Sunflower Manual?”

“What are you talking about? The martial artists I’m referring to are nothing like the martial arts masters you mentioned.”

The old man waved his hand, unwilling to argue further with the girl, and turned to Samuel Thompson: “Go fetch my silver needles. I need to promote blood circulation and remove stasis for this young man. Otherwise, if it drags on, his whole hand could be ruined.”

Samuel Thompson’s expression grew a bit tense: “Is hidden force really that dangerous?”

He could only feel pain and numbness in his palm, with poor blood flow, but hadn’t realized it was this serious.

“Hidden force, as the name suggests, is a force that’s concealed. Not only is it hard to defend against when delivered, but its destructive power is also subtle and hard to detect. At first glance, it may not look much different from a heavy blow, but it targets the energy and blood, damaging blood vessels and nerves. You were hit by hidden force less than twenty-four hours ago, otherwise, your right hand would already be gradually going numb. If you waited three days, you’d completely lose sensation, and after a week, you’d need an amputation. Otherwise, the necrotic blood entering your circulatory system would cause secondary harm, and losing your arm wouldn’t be out of the question.”

Looking at his right hand, Samuel Thompson gained a deeper understanding of how terrifying hidden force could be.

It seemed the old man had experience treating hidden force injuries. After a round of acupuncture and massage for Samuel Thompson, he gradually felt the numbness in his hand subside a bit, replaced by a faint tingling sensation.

An hour later, the old man finally finished treating him and prescribed a set of medicinal herbs.

“Fortunately, young man, you have some understanding of internal force yourself, so the hidden force injury isn’t too severe. Otherwise, I might not have been able to save your hand... Go home, decoct the herbs, soak your right hand, and don’t use your right hand too much for the next week. In about ten days, you should recover.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Healing people is my profession.”

The old man waved his hand and added, “You saw that I used several precious herbs in this prescription, which are quite valuable. Including the cost of supplementary herbs, acupuncture, and massage, the total comes to three thousand.”

Three thousand...

That number made Samuel Thompson’s hand freeze for a moment.

“I only have one hundred and twenty on me.”

“One hundred and twenty? That won’t do.”

The old man shook his head: “And we don’t do credit here. Call your parents and have them send some money over.”

“How much is the consultation fee if I don’t need the herbs?”