Aurelius's furious words had barely left his mouth when Rolant stepped forward and positioned himself between the two men.
His expression had turned completely cold.
"Aurelius," he said, his voice carrying the authority of someone who had finally run out of patience, "if you refuse to apologize today, I guarantee you won't walk out of the Eastern Palace."
There was no anger in his tone now.
Only a warning.
The princess's illness had placed the entire Imperial Hospital under enormous pressure. For three days, the palace physicians had struggled to find a way to save Vanessa, knowing that every failed treatment brought them closer to facing the Emperor's wrath.
Then Aurelius had arrived.
He had insulted the physicians, disrupted the medical hall, attempted to administer a useless medicine, and nearly wasted the precious time they had left.
Rolant had tolerated him long enough.
He wasn't going to tolerate him any further.
Aurelius stiffened.
His lips moved, but no words came out.
His pride told him to refuse.
His instincts told him otherwise.
He knew what would happen if he continued making trouble inside the Eastern Palace. His reputation had already been damaged beyond repair, and if he openly defied the palace physicians after everything that had happened, the consequences could be much worse than losing a hundred thousand gold coins.
Rolant saw the hesitation in his eyes.
He raised one hand.
"Guards."
The response was immediate.
Several palace guards entered the chamber in full armor. Their footsteps rang against the floor as they approached, each of them carrying an unmistakably imposing presence.
Aurelius's face changed.
Rolant pointed toward him.
"Aurelius has caused a disturbance within the Eastern Palace. Take him away and prepare the cell."
"Wait!"
Aurelius's voice cracked.
The word came out much louder than he intended.
Rolant's raised hand stopped.
His gaze settled on Aurelius.
The mention of a cell had finally broken through the man's stubbornness.
Aurelius swallowed.
His pride felt like a stone lodged in his throat.
But there was nothing left to do.
"I..." He clenched his fists, then slowly lowered his head. "I apologize."
The room remained silent.
Aurelius's shoulders had slumped, and all the arrogance he had displayed earlier had drained from his face.
Someone in the crowd quietly said, "Louder."
A few people immediately suppressed their laughter.
Aurelius's fists tightened.
He took a deep breath, his belly rising with the motion, and then shouted at the top of his lungs,
"I'M SORRY!"
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
Several physicians finally broke into laughter.
Aurelius's face turned crimson.
He couldn't endure another second.
He spun around and hurried toward the exit, moving so quickly that he nearly stumbled over his own feet.
No one stopped him.
Rolant simply watched him leave.
Aurelius had humiliated himself thoroughly enough today. More importantly, after this incident, he would have little courage left to cause trouble within the Imperial Hospital again.
Once Aurelius disappeared from sight, Rolant turned back toward Zion.
The coldness in his expression vanished, replaced by genuine respect.
"Physician Zion, don't worry about the wager. I'll have someone keep an eye on Aurelius. He won't escape his obligation."
He paused.
"When he pays, the full one hundred thousand gold coins will be delivered directly to Origin Medical Hall."
Zion smiled.
"Then I'll have to thank you, Mister Rolant."
That saved him a considerable amount of trouble.
Chasing someone through the city to collect a debt wasn't exactly how Zion wanted to spend his time.
Rolant had dealt with the matter himself, and that was more than enough.
Before Zion could leave, however, the physicians surrounding them began approaching one after another.
Their attitudes had changed completely.
The suspicion and disdain from earlier were gone.
Now, every face carried curiosity and admiration.
"Physician Zion, where did you learn acupuncture?"
"Was the Twitching Technique really passed down to you?"
"Could you explain how you controlled the needles?"
"Would you be willing to discuss the technique with us sometime?"
The questions came one after another.
Zion remained patient, answering what he could without revealing anything he didn't wish to share. He accepted their congratulations and exchanged a few polite words before finally finding an opportunity to excuse himself.
The attention was flattering, but it wasn't what he had come to the palace for.
He had achieved what he wanted.
More importantly, he had gained something far more valuable than Aurelius's money.
A reputation.
Zion stepped out of the Eastern Palace.
The afternoon sunlight fell across the palace grounds, warm against his face after the cool interior.
He took a slow breath and allowed himself a small smile.
"Today was quite profitable."
One hundred thousand gold coins from the wager.
And there was still the Emperor's reward for curing the princess.
His eyes brightened slightly.
'More than two hundred thousand gold coins.'
That amount was enough to purchase a considerable supply of cultivation resources.
It would also give him a much better chance of reaching a higher realm before the royal grand hunting competition.
White, perched near his shoulder, wagged its tail enthusiastically.
"Master is amazing!"
Black immediately joined in.
"Master, can we have meat today? Big meat."
Zion laughed.
He reached up and lightly flicked each of their little heads.
"Of course. Today, I'll treat you both to something spicy and delicious."
The two furballs immediately became excited.
For once, their priorities were perfectly aligned.
Money could wait.
Meat could not.
***
Two days later, the results of Zion's treatment were impossible to ignore.
Under Rolant's careful supervision and the prescription Zion had provided, Vanessa's condition improved at an astonishing rate.
The swelling continued to recede, her breathing returned to normal, and the terrifying pain that had tormented her for three days gradually disappeared.
By the end of the second day, the princess had recovered completely.
The news spread throughout the Imperial City almost immediately.
The princess's strange illness had left the Imperial physicians helpless for days.
Yet a young physician from a newly opened medical hall had arrived at the palace, revived a lost medical technique, and saved her life.
The story spread from one street to another.
Then from merchants to nobles.
From servants to adventurers.
Within a remarkably short time, almost everyone in the Imperial City knew the name.
**Zion of Origin Medical Hall.**
The young physician who had revived the lost art of acupuncture.
The Physician who had saved the Imperial Princess.
The miracle Physician.
And the reaction toward Origin Medical Hall changed overnight.
The same medical hall people had laughed at only days earlier was suddenly overflowing with patients.
People lined up outside before the doors opened. Patients argued over appointments. Wealthy families sent invitations and offers, hoping to persuade Zion to visit their estates personally.
What had once been an empty medical hall had become one of the busiest medical establishments in the entire Imperial City.
Inside Origin Medical Hall, Eirik stood near the entrance and stared at the crowd outside.
For a long while, he didn't say anything.
Only a few days ago, this same hall had been so quiet that he could hear every footstep.
Now, people crowded the street outside.
The noise of conversation drifted through the doors, mixed with requests for appointments and arguments over who had arrived first.
It was difficult to believe.
But perhaps the strangest part wasn't the sudden success of the medical hall.
It was remembering the young physician who had stood in this very place when nobody believed in him.
Eirik remembered Zion's calmness when there had been no patients.
He remembered how confidently the young man had chosen the name Origin Medical Hall.
He remembered wondering whether such confidence was simply youthful arrogance.
Now he understood.
It hadn't been arrogance.
Zion had known exactly what he was capable of.
Eirik's cheeks warmed slightly at the memory.
When Zion entered the hall, Eirik immediately turned toward him and bowed deeply.
"Physician Zion, I truly didn't expect your medical skill to be so profound. I was blind before. I hope you won't take my earlier doubts to heart."
Zion waved a hand.
"Brother Eirik, there's no need to dwell on it. I understand why you doubted me. Besides, you've already helped me considerably."
Eirik straightened.
He finally understood why Zion had been able to reject the Imperial Hospital's invitation without hesitation.
For most physicians, the Imperial Hospital represented the highest level of status they could hope to achieve.
For Zion, apparently, it was merely another place.
Eirik looked toward the crowded entrance.
"I thought I was helping you when you first opened this place. Now it seems you're the one helping me."
Zion smiled.
"Don't say that. If you hadn't helped me when I first opened the medical hall, things would have been much more troublesome."
His gratitude was sincere.
Eirik had been one of the few people willing to offer assistance before Zion had any reputation at all.
As they continued talking, White quietly tugged at Zion's sleeve.
"Master, buying cultivation resources will be much easier now."
Black immediately added,
"And enough for meat."
Zion looked down at the two furballs.
White's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Black's expression was equally serious.
Zion couldn't help laughing.
"You two really are gluttons."