Chapter 44: Treatment Requires Undressing

Ye Xi's mind was filled with endless doubts, and she grabbed Ye Tian's right hand, inspecting it thoroughly, trying to find any trickery.

"How about it, still dare to show off in front of your brother?" Ye Tian looked at Ye Xi with a face full of pride. As a child, he was outmatched by Ye Xi, and although he had grown stronger, he still felt awkward about actually fighting his sister.

This often became a subject of Ye Xi's ridicule, but now he finally had his moment of triumph.

"Brother~"

With a soft and sweet call that could make anyone envious, Ye Xi began to act coquettishly towards Ye Tian.

If it were anyone else, they might have given in to such charm, but Ye Tian, who had spent more than a decade with Ye Xi, was immune to this tactic, and unimpressed, he said:

"Say what you want to say, don't play these tricks."

"Hmph! Heartless brother!" Ye Xi pouted unhappily. Although she expected Ye Tian's reaction, she still expressed her displeasure before curiously asking:

"Brother, how did you do it? I've trained hard for more than a decade and can't even blow over a paper cup."

"Trained hard?" Ye Tian feigned surprise. Her sporadic Wing Chun practice, hardly amounting to two hours a week, could hardly be called diligent.

"Brother!" Ye Xi's cheeks turned red with dissatisfaction, and she slowly reached for Ye Tian's waist, her intentions clear.

"Alright, alright!" Ye Tian quickly relented, saying:

"It's a bit complicated. I'll tell you everything when we get home. Don't worry, I've encountered a great fortune. Money and your illness will no longer be a problem."

"My illness can really be cured?" Ye Xi suddenly perked up. She thought Ye Tian's previous words were just to comfort her, but his recent display completely overturned her thoughts.

What kind of opportunity could transform an ordinary person, who knew nothing about martial arts, into someone with abilities that even Mrs. Liang couldn't achieve in her lifetime, within just a few months? If such miraculous things could happen, perhaps her illness really could be cured.

Facing disease and death, how many people could remain indifferent, especially a 17-year-old girl like Ye Xi?

She had stomach cancer. Apart from the financial burden of treatment, the process involved chemotherapy and even partial stomach removal.

Which 17-year-old girl could truly disregard all this and be utterly fearless?

Her previous indifference and carelessness were just to prevent Ye Tian from worrying, a facade to ease his concerns. Even her recent playful behavior was mostly exaggerated to reassure her brother.

But now, hope had suddenly appeared for her seemingly hopeless illness, like sunlight breaking through dark clouds, illuminating her gloomy heart.

Ye Xi's beautiful eyes fixed on Ye Tian, her face filled with hope, fearing that this newfound hope might vanish with just one word from him, plunging her back into despair.

"When have I ever lied to you? But..." Ye Tian saw the expression on Ye Xi's face and again felt conflicted.

He was acutely aware of Ye Xi's hopes. Seeing her suffer from her illness always filled him with guilt.

Although the Dog Food System would eventually yield a reward that could cure her illness, seeing Ye Xi's hopeful expression, he couldn't bear to make her wait any longer.

"But what?" Ye Xi's heart skipped a beat, nervously looking at Ye Tian, fearing it was just a false hope.

"If... I mean, if!" 

Ye Tian, seeing his sister's anxious expression, felt a pang of pain in his heart and said through gritted teeth:

"If the treatment requires you to remove all your clothes and involves hand contact, and not doing so means waiting a very long time, maybe forever, what would you choose?"

"I would rather wait, no matter how long it takes." Ye Xi replied without hesitation, but soon added with a flushed face, "Unless... unless it's a female doctor or you, brother. No one else."

"Me? I can?" Ye Tian was slightly stunned, not expecting such a response from Ye Xi.

"Brother, the person who can cure my illness... it's not you, is it?" Ye Xi's face turned strange as she looked at him.

Cancer, a disease even the most advanced medical technology of the Great Xia Empire couldn't cure, only treatable through surgery and chemotherapy, extending life at best. A stomach couldn't withstand multiple surgeries.

Her brother was claiming he could cure such a terminal illness. Ye Xi knew her brother well, especially regarding matters related to her. He wouldn't say this without being absolutely sure.

Before, Ye Xi wouldn't have believed it, thinking it was some quack remedy. But Ye Tian's recent display was too extraordinary, and the apple still on the floor testified that it was not

 an illusion. This made Ye Xi believe that no scammer could impart such abilities to a martial arts novice in just a few months.

"This... it is indeed me, but the method of treatment is a bit... special!" Ye Tian's face turned red, not knowing how to face the situation. The treatment method, derived from a risqué source, made him feel embarrassed, especially in front of his sister.

"Let's wait a bit longer. I promise I'll find another way in at most half a year."

"Does the treatment really require undressing? Brother, why is your face so red? Are you embarrassed? Hehe..." Ye Xi, seeing her brother's embarrassed expression, laughed:

"You've seen and even touched me before, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Nonsense!" Ye Tian, flustered and angry, knocked on his sister's forehead, saying, "That was when we were kids. Now that we're grown up, it's not the same."

"What's the big deal? Others naturally can't, but you're my brother!"