chapter 9

Upon hearing this, Simon felt embarrassed.

He had originally asked Leonard to come out of retirement, and Leonard had sent his disciple to treat his wife, which Simon was already grateful for.

Although the girl was indeed a bit young, her reputation in recent years had been built on her medical skills. She had just arrived, and now James was bringing another doctor, which made it seem as though Simon didn't trust her abilities.

Elena felt apologetic too. She held Lillian's hand and gently patted her hand to comfort her.

Though Simon was displeased, he still felt the need to show respect to his brother-in-law, so he said, "James, I've already invited a traditional medicine doctor. If your friend doesn't mind, why not sit down and have some coffee?"

James was taken aback for a moment, then laughed dismissively, "Simon, you're too old-fashioned. Who still believes in traditional medicine these days?"

"Traditional medicine? How could traditional medicine treat Mrs. Carter's condition?" Larry also laughed, pushing up his glasses. He glanced at Elena and coldly added, "I'm afraid her leg's condition is not something that can be treated by a few needles for show."

"Yeah, Simon," James continued, "Where's the traditional medicine doctor you invited? Let's hear how he plans to treat it."

Lillian's expression immediately became colder. She didn't mind James inviting someone else to treat Elena. After all, he was Elena's brother, and as long as the illness could be cured, she couldn't object.

But their attitude toward traditional medicine was disrespectful, their words dripping with disdain and superiority, which made Lillian very displeased.

Simon's face turned awkward, but he didn't respond to them. Instead, he sincerely apologized to Lillian, saying, "Ms. Harrington, I'm sorry, James meant well, wanting to cure my wife. Please bear with any offense."

James froze in shock and exclaimed, "Simon, the traditional medicine doctor you're talking about is not this young lady, is it?"

Larry also looked incredulous. They had expected that someone of Simon's status would have invited an elderly doctor for traditional medicine, or at least someone they could recognize, and then maybe they would show them some respect and let them try treating the patient.

But the young girl standing before them was only in her teens! They found it hard to believe that she was truly a doctor, let alone the traditional medicine expert Simon had personally invited.

"Yes," Simon nodded, not wanting to say much more.

James had indeed been rude, and Larry was a bit arrogant; neither of them liked the situation.

"Dr. Larry, since you think traditional medicine can't cure Mrs. Carter's illness, what do you plan to do?" Lillian, undeterred by their opinions, smiled faintly and calmly asked.

Larry didn't expect Lillian to take the initiative. Seeing her so composed, he toned down his disdain a bit.

"Mrs. Carter's leg injury is a result of a car accident, leaving her muscles weakened and unable to support her, causing her to be unable to walk. In essence, it's muscle atrophy," Larry said with confidence. "This year, we've developed a new drug that's already in use. The seminar I attended today was about this drug, and I brought some along. Just one injection, and it will work immediately."

James nodded repeatedly from the side. Simon and his wife's eyes brightened, clearly impressed, as Larry had correctly described the cause and symptoms.

Unexpectedly, Lillian gave a slight smile and said, "You've got the cause and effect mixed up."

Everyone was stunned.

"Mrs. Carter's leg was indeed caused by a car accident," Lillian explained, "But the root cause is not in the leg, it's in the brain."

Lillian calmly continued, "Mr. Simon, did your wife ever have brain surgery? Did she experience chills after the operation?"

"Yes, she had surgery. Because the caregiver wasn't attentive, she did get sick after recovery," Simon answered.

Lillian nodded. "Before the surgery, her brain nerves were already compressed, causing slight damage. Afterward, she caught a chill, and it invaded her body, causing stagnation in her blood and leading to muscle atrophy in her leg. Mrs. Carter's illness can only be cured with acupuncture and traditional medicine. Modern medicine won't work."

"Heh!" Larry couldn't help but scoff. "Spouting nonsense at such a young age isn't good. Has traditional medicine really run out of practitioners, or do even young girls like you now dare to deceive people?"

"If you don't believe me, how about we make a bet?" Lillian wasn't angry, just smiling as she asked.

"A bet? How do you want to bet?" Larry wasn't about to back down.

"If your medicine can cure Mrs. Carter, I'll apologize and admit that traditional medicine is inferior to modern medicine. How about that?"

"Sure," Larry said with a smile, convinced it was a one-sided bet. In his mind, if he couldn't cure Elena, there was no way she could either.

Curious about her motive, he instinctively asked, "And if I lose, what condition do you have?"

"The Whitmore family," Lillian's condition surprised everyone. "If you lose, you must introduce me to the Whitmore family."