Chapter 9 Josh Is Cured

• “Finish it. It’ll work right away!” Despite Harvey’s calm and collected look, his words sounded like a joke to Victor and the rest of the crowd.
• “You’re really crazy! Director Bruce just said he’ll need three months to fully recover, so do you really think your cure is some kind of magical potion whose effects could kick in right away?”
• “Phonies are getting mentally tougher and tougher nowadays. Look at your calm look even after you’re exposed; there is no denying that you’re indeed meant for this line of work!”
• “Hurry up and drink it! I want to see how he’ll react when we prove him wrong!”
• With everyone else watching, Josh finally pinched his nose and guzzled the medicine down his throat. Director Bruce took a look at the prescription, so I suppose I’ll be fine even if it doesn’t prove to be effective. Despite Dillon’s reassuring presence, Josh still couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable to be treated as a guinea pig to see whether Harvey’s prescription would work. Therefore, he secretly cursed Harvey on the inside for putting him in the tight spot.
• Once Josh finished the medicine in the bowl without a single drop left, Victor gleefully fixed his gaze on Harvey and contemptuously challenged him. “Alright, now that Josh has finished the medicine, I’m going to ask him how he feels since you insist that it’ll work!”
• While Josh’s illness was a sensitive one, he didn’t know how he could prove that he was recovering. What do you guys expect?! I can’t just make love with my wife right away to show that it works! As everyone was about to laugh at Harvey, Josh froze as he felt energized and rejuvenated upon drinking the medicine.
• “I-I feel… better. Like, much better!”
• Although Josh didn’t say it out loud, and he even sounded unsure, Victor and Charles were unhappy to hear that.
• “You’d better not joke around, man! What do you mean, you feel much better? Tell us more!”
• “That’s right! You’d been fooled by him into thinking you were taking some kind of magical potion that can do wonders to your illness. Director Bruce already said that it won’t be that easy. Don’t you trust his professionalism?”
• In the face of their challenges, Josh quickly found himself in a dilemma, caught in the middle of their conflict. Nonetheless, he couldn’t deny the fact that he really did feel much more energetic and rejuvenated; in fact, he hadn’t felt so good in a while.
• On the other hand, Dillon knitted his eyebrows when he realized that Josh was indeed more refreshed than before. Noticing his rosy cheeks, Dillon called out to Josh in surprise, “Come here, Josh! Let me examine your condition.” When the old man proceeded to feel his pulse, he appeared to frown in a ponderous manner.
• Looking at the old man’s stern look, Victor quickly interfered and said, “See? I said it wouldn’t work, didn’t I? Look at Josh now! That poor guy must be suffering from the effects of the medicine, or else Director Bruce wouldn’t look so serious.”
• “In that case, we mustn’t let that phony get away! If anything happens to Josh, he’ll be the murderer!” Charles signaled his colleagues to prevent Harvey from escaping by blocking the exit. This is no longer a matter of credibility, but one of life and death!
• However, before they could do so, a hoarse voice was heard. “T-This is impossible!” Dillon let go of Josh’s hand and looked at Harvey in disbelief, wondering what it was that had improved Josh’s condition so much.
• “What’s wrong, Director Bruce? Is there something wrong with Josh?”
• “That’s right! Is there something wrong with the medicine, Director Bruce? Oh, my gosh! This could kill someone! We mustn’t let that guy get away!”
• “Get a hold of him! Now!”
• While the other doctors were influenced to think that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, they quickly tried to restrain Harvey, fearing Josh would accuse them of making him drink that medicine.
• In the meantime, Dillon only shook his head and growled at Charles when he saw what they were going to do. “What the hell are you guys doing?! Step aside now!” The old man then walked up to Harvey and introduced himself. “My name is Dillon Bruce. May I know who you are, sir?”
• What?! Victor and Charles were stunned by Dillon’s reaction as the old man was the face of Vanstead City’s entire medical world. Therefore, they didn’t understand why he would treat a phony so politely. “Is there some kind of misunderstanding, Director Bruce? This guy is a phony! His medical knowledge is all self-taught, and he hasn’t even been to a medical school!”
• Charles murmured to Dillon, only to be shushed by the latter’s glare. Then, the old man uttered, “If he were a phony, then what would we be? This prescription is simply amazing! I can’t believe the patient seems so energized after using it. This is truly a miracle!”
• As soon as Dillon finished his words, the other doctors and nurses froze in place because they knew he would never lie. Furthermore, they were also convinced that the simple examination that Dillon just performed could not go wrong. Is this guy really an expert in the art of healing? How can the patient recover so fast?
• Upon hearing that, Josh could barely contain his joy as he quickly turned his attention to Harvey. “Thank you so much, young man! I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding! I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions!”
• Harvey responded with a nod without saying much, but Dillon wouldn’t let go of his arm while he continued to say, “Young man, your prescription seems familiar to me. Do you mind telling me where you got that?”
• “The Emperor’s Esoteric Manuscript.”
• “What? How is that impossible?!”
• Dillon was caught in a trance for a while, but when he looked up again, he seemed even more agitated than before with his eyes widening in disbelief. “Do you mean the long lost…”
• Harvey responded with a nod to the old man’s question. In fact, The Emperor’s Esoteric Manuscript was a famous masterpiece with all the knowledge about the art of healing in it. Although it had been passed down from one generation to the next until now, a lot of important knowledge was lost in the process, including some precious prescriptions and peculiar cases.
• Since Harvey was over ten thousand years old, he was of course aware of the lost knowledge. Thus, he didn’t find those prescriptions surprising at all. However, Josh was only able to feel the immediate effects because Harvey secretly transferred part of his energy into the medicine when he was preparing it for Josh. After all, Josh’s condition stemmed from his poor health and excessive fatigue, but with Harvey’s energy, he was rid of illness as his health improved.
• Meanwhile, Dillon only gazed at Harvey with admiration and respect. Knowing that The Emperor’s Esoteric Manuscript was only an unconfirmed rumor, he was able to tell from Harvey’s words that the latter was from a family of doctors. For that, he conceded to Harvey, knowing that his famed reputation in Vanstead City’s medical world was no match for someone whose family had been in the field for hundreds of years. Furthermore, he was grateful for the opportunity to get to know Harvey because people with a family that came from a genuine medical background were rare nowadays.
• “I’m sorry for all the misunderstanding, young man! Perhaps we could meet up when you’re free as I would like to consult you on a few things about the art of healing.”
• Dillon’s response took everyone else aback. Since Harvey seemed rather young, they all doubted his ability and experience in the medical field even though his prescription proved effective. Deep down, they all felt that he was just lucky to have a prescription that worked, but he was not qualified to advise Dillon about anything regarding the art of healing.
• Needless to say, Dillon wouldn’t speculate about Harvey’s origin because that was not what he was interested in either. Instead, he only just wanted to know more about his family so that he could obtain more insights to solve the problems that had been bothering him over the years.
• In response to Dillon’s sincere implore, Harvey only shook his head as he wouldn’t just allow anyone to learn about his medical knowledge, not because he was unwilling to teach them, but because it was really hard to learn. Nevertheless, when he caught a glimpse of Victor’s evil stare among the crowd, he finally said to Dillon, “Director Bruce, one of your people just made a bet with me. Now that he’s lost the bet, shouldn’t he fulfill his promise now?”