Chapter 328: The Rules of the Healer
The Rules of the Healer
"Do you think I’m someone who can’t take losing?"
His expression was full of righteous indignation.
Unfortunately...
Even as he spoke, his fingers unconsciously drifted toward one of the chess pieces before awkwardly stopping halfway.
Anyone watching could tell he was a hopeless chess enthusiast.
He loved playing.
He simply hated losing.
After spending the entire day suffering defeat after defeat, he clearly hadn’t accepted today’s results.
Senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood merely laughed softly.
He had long since grown accustomed to his old friend’s stubborn habits.
Rising to his feet, he turned toward the newcomers with an unhurried smile.
"What can I do for you, young friend?"
Zyan stepped forward confidently.
"Senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood, I’m Zyan Ashbourne from the Ashbourne household in Silverhaven City."
"My father, Dario Ashbourne, suffers from a strange illness and lives in constant pain."
"I hope you can lend a hand."
"If you can cure my father, I’ll immediately hand over a check for one billion."
As he spoke, he calmly removed the prepared check from his pocket and held it forward.
Zyan Ashbourne’s voice rang clearly through the peaceful courtyard. Without the slightest hesitation, he reached into his coat and produced a prepared check, holding it between two fingers before extending it toward senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood.
The crisp paper caught the afternoon breeze, fluttering gently.
To Zyan, there was no problem in the world that money couldn’t solve.
Power could buy influence.
Influence could buy loyalty.
And loyalty could buy miracles.
That was the belief he had grown up with.
Money moved people.
Moral principles were simply another commodity. If someone refused, it only meant the price hadn’t reached their expectations.
The courtyard fell into silence.
The fragrance of drying herbs drifted through the air as birds chirped softly from the ancient trees surrounding the clinic. The peaceful atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the tension gathering between the two men.
The moment senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood heard that the illness belonged to Dario Ashbourne, the warmth in his expression disappeared.
His eyes hardened.
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
"I’m aware of your father’s illness."
His voice remained calm, but there wasn’t the slightest room for negotiation.
"I won’t treat it, no matter how much money you offer."
The words landed like stones.
Zyan’s confident expression stiffened.
For a brief moment, disbelief flashed across his face.
A billion.
Very few people in the world could calmly reject such an amount.
Yet the old doctor hadn’t even paused to think.
His refusal was immediate.
Absolute.
"Senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood, if you think this isn’t enough, I can offer more."
Zyan forced himself to remain composed, though irritation was already creeping into his voice.
"Why let someone die without helping?"
As the final words left his mouth, his jaw tightened.
Inside, frustration boiled.
This old man...
Not even one billion Euros could move him?
Was he truly that noble...
Or simply pretending?
Senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood looked at him quietly.
Years of practicing Ancient medicine had taught him to read countless kinds of people.
Fear.
Greed.
Desperation.
Arrogance.
The young man standing before him possessed plenty of confidence, but very little understanding.
He slowly shook his head.
"Please leave."
Only three simple words.
Yet they carried unmistakable finality.
A trace of disdain flickered across the old doctor’s eyes.
It wasn’t because Zyan was wealthy.
Nor because he belonged to the Ashbourne household.
It was because, from beginning to end, he believed everything could be measured by money.
Senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood had spent his life saving lives.
To him, wealth had never determined whether a patient deserved treatment.
Likewise...
No amount of wealth could force him to betray the principles he had upheld for decades.
Unfortunately...
Zyan understood none of that.
His expression completely darkened.
"So that’s your answer."
A cold laugh escaped him.
"Today..."
"I must buy your household’s ancestral medicine and acupuncture."
His tone no longer contained any trace of courtesy.
Instead, every word carried open hostility.
The attendants behind him immediately became alert.
The peaceful atmosphere within the courtyard instantly turned heavy.
Senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood remained standing where he was.
His sleeves stirred gently in the breeze.
He neither retreated nor became angry.
To him...
There was nothing worth arguing about.
Seeing the old doctor remain silent only fueled Zyan’s anger further.
With a sharp movement, he crushed the check into a tight ball.
His fingers tightened until the expensive paper crumpled beyond recognition.
The next instant—
He flicked his wrist.
The check shot forward.
At the same time, he strode deeper into the clinic with his entourage.
"If you won’t give it..."
"I’ll take it myself!"
His voice echoed across the quiet courtyard.
Several attendants inside the clinic instinctively froze.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
No one had expected someone to create trouble here.
Just as the crumpled check was about to strike senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood...
A figure moved.
There was no violent burst of energy.
No dramatic explosion.
One moment, the elderly man had been seated beside the chessboard.
The next...
He was already standing in front of senior Miracle Doctor Ravenswood.
His movements were so natural that they resembled a drifting leaf carried by the wind.
No one present could clearly see when he had crossed the distance.
Even Zyan’s pupils contracted slightly.
The old man smiled faintly.
Without changing his relaxed posture, he casually waved one hand.
The motion appeared gentle.
Almost effortless.
The crumpled check instantly stopped in midair.
An invisible force swept across it.
In the blink of an eye—
The paper burst apart.
Countless tiny fragments floated downward like white snowflakes before scattering across the courtyard with the breeze.
The old man clasped both hands behind his back.
His expression remained warm, as though nothing unusual had happened.
He looked at Zyan with a smile that carried neither ridicule nor anger.
"This young friend here has quite a temper."
"It’s important to follow the rules; money isn’t everything."
His voice was calm.
Patient.
Like an elder offering sincere advice.
Unfortunately...
Those words only sounded insulting to Zyan.
His eyes turned icy.
"Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"