The Peculiar Examination

A measure of relief washed over me when I learned we were heading to the campus hospital. It was, after all, a semi-public institution, not a place entirely under Principal Dugu’s sway.

I forcibly suppressed the array of inappropriate thoughts—visions of hospitals, sickbeds, and nurse uniforms—that a certain impure individual had aggressively instilled in my mind. With a considerable effort, I managed to produce a faint smile.

Principal Dugu returned my smile with a gentle one of his own. He then turned and retreated behind his desk, his keen, intelligent gaze still fixed intently upon me.

I found myself growing quite uncomfortable under his prolonged scrutiny, yet I was at a loss for how to address this old man’s rather impolite behavior.

After a long silence, I finally heard him speak, his voice tinged with a certain wistfulness.

” ‘This old man still struggles to believe it,’ ” he murmured. ” ‘Such an unheard-of miracle was truly accomplished by that old demon Dongfang!’ ”

****

The secretary, dispatched earlier to make arrangements, proved remarkably efficient. It wasn’t long before the distinct clatter of the door knocker reached our ears.

Principal Dugu, his eyes still flickering directly at me, offered a warm smile. ” ‘It seems Tian’er has made the arrangements,’ ” he announced. ” ‘Little… Miss Dongfang, let us depart!’ ”

At his words, I instinctively rose to my feet. Yet, a jumble of peculiar thoughts still churned within my mind, stirring a faint trepidation.

As he approached with a smile, I subtly took half a step back, deliberately preserving a small distance between us.

He cast a meaningful glance my way. ” ‘If this old man truly wished to lay a hand on you,’ ” he stated calmly, ” ‘there is likely no one in this world, apart from your Master, who could possibly prevent it!’ ”

My inner dread had been laid bare by his discerning gaze. I bit my lip in a flush of embarrassment.

Resigned, I could only follow quietly behind him, exiting the principal’s office, descending the stairs, and finally boarding the carriage that would take us to the affiliated campus hospital.

****

The journey to the campus hospital proceeded smoothly, a testament to the meticulous arrangements made by Sister Feng Tian’er, the diligent young secretary.

A soft ‘xiliuliu’ of reined horses signaled our arrival from outside the carriage. Principal Dugu, seated opposite me, spoke with an air of calm. ” ‘We should have reached the campus hospital,’ ” he announced. ” ‘Miss Dongfang, please.’ ”

As the moment drew near, a fresh wave of trepidation washed over me. Still, I found myself in an impossible situation, like riding a tiger or an arrow already released—there was no turning back.

Fortunately, the examination itself proceeded without a hitch, devoid of the chaotic scenarios I had envisioned. It was only when the kindly-faced ‘Director Xue,’ wearing a mask, instructed me to remove my pants that I, having so recently transitioned to a female body, felt an overwhelming surge of shyness and embarrassment.

****

” ‘The Eight Extraordinary Meridians are normal, the Dantian Qi Sea is normal, bone structure appears normal under透射光 [transillumination], blood tests are normal, urine tests are normal…’ ”

After this exhaustive, comprehensive, and utterly thorough examination, I felt utterly drained, my entire body weak and limp. As I dragged my feet back to Director Xue’s office, she still had not removed her mask.

There, I overheard her meticulously relaying every single detail, item by item, to Principal Dugu, who waited respectfully and patiently in the office.

It was only then that she removed her mask and cap, revealing a kind face framed by wrinkled skin and hair as white as a crane’s feathers.

Even I, feeling utterly depleted as if my body had been hollowed out, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise at the sight of her. This elderly woman, introduced as ‘Director Xue,’ was undeniably a figure of immense standing!

Xue Yuzhen, the Chief of Internal Medicine and Gynecology at Tianwu University’s affiliated hospital, was herself a descendant of Xue Muhua, the illustrious ‘King of Hell’s Rival’ divine physician from the martial world. Rumor had it she had enrolled in Tianwu University concurrently with Principal Dugu, only to later forsake martial arts for a career in medicine.

Her doctoral supervisor was none other than the late Hu Luangao, a world-renowned and celebrated old Chinese medicine doctor. This esteemed elder also hailed from a prominent lineage; his ancestor was Hu Qingniu, the legendary ‘Butterfly Valley Divine Doctor.’

Consequently, when Hu Luangao journeyed overseas, practicing medicine far and wide, he earned the moniker ‘Flower Butterfly.’ At first blush, such a name might readily lead one to associate this distinguished physician with a common seducer.

Yet, the reality was quite different. The ‘flower girls’ didn’t need him to seek them out; instead, they eagerly flocked to him, for Divine Doctor Hu’s paramount specialty lay in the intricate field of gynecology for noblewomen.

Moreover, his expertise extended to treating certain chronic ailments, which meant he was acquainted with a considerable number of genuine ‘flower thieves.’ Due to his easy access to both these ‘convenient resources,’ the imperial court’s Embroidered Uniform Guard once kept him under stringent surveillance.

They feared that one day, a sudden shift in his disposition might lead him to abandon his medical profession to become a lecher, or forsake his role as a physician to embrace the life of a rogue. Such a transformation, they believed, would plunge both the martial world and the imperial court into perpetual unrest.

In essence, this was a man who possessed the latent potential to become the ultimate king of seducers!

By contrast, his esteemed closed-door disciple, Xue Yuzhen—dubbed the ‘Soul Ferry of Misty Silk’—offered the imperial court far greater reassurance, a comfort primarily attributed to her gender.

With such a legendary Master, combined with her own profound family medical heritage, Old Granny Xue Yuzhen naturally ascended swiftly within the Tianchao medical community, becoming a renowned physician whose name was on everyone’s lips.

Much like her Master, the old lady specialized in those particular fields. There were even persistent rumors that she had personally cured Principal Dugu and his wife of their infertility years ago.

The veracity of this particular piece of news was difficult to ascertain. However, given that my source for this juicy gossip was Yang Laoer, I could only regard it with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Nevertheless, the fact that they were old classmates, coupled with her eminent reputation and the distinct possibility that she knew all of his ‘dark history,’ offered a perfectly rational explanation for why Principal Dugu—a man who commanded Tianwu University and indeed the entire martial world—would appear so remarkably deferential in her presence.

” ‘…Ping’er,’ ” Old Granny Xue suddenly called out, her voice rising after she had just recited a lengthy list of findings. ” ‘Have the results from the Western-imported chromosome analyzer come in yet?’ ”

A rustle sounded from the adjacent room, followed by a remarkably lively female voice. ” ‘They’re out, Master, come take a look!’ ” she chirped. ” ‘She, this little girl… her Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches chromosomes are perfectly normal, but, but her s*x chromosomes are…’ ”

As the voice trailed off, a slender figure, similarly clad in a white lab coat, with a mask obscuring her face and her hair tucked beneath a small cap, swiftly entered through the side door.

Old Granny Xue frowned as she received the lab report. A single glance was enough to make her turn back, an incredulous expression on her face, to scrutinize me once more.

Then, she swiveled her head, her slightly clouded eyes fixed intently on Principal Dugu. ” ‘Old Dugu,’ ” she demanded, ” ‘what exactly is going on with this little girl you’ve brought? Why are her s*x chromosomes one long and one short?’ “