That day, Xie Yan and his friends climbed the Great Wall again. At first, they were very excited and started taking pictures as soon as they got to the side.

When they returned, Xie Yan looked as if he had been drained of his life force by a monster; his eyes were lifeless, and he was mechanically led by Yu Yuehui.

The first thing Xie Yan did upon arriving home was to take off his coat and then collapse onto the kang (a heated brick bed). If it weren't for his still-rising chest, one would have suspected that he had been walking for a while.

Xie Yan secretly vowed, "I won't climb the Great Wall again for at least a year. It's too tiring. If I go again, I'll be a dog!"

Xie Yan was really exhausted this time; she didn't even get up to eat dinner.

As usual, Chaochao got up early in the morning, dressed quickly, and skipped into her parents' room to wake her father up for exercise.

Just as she was about to speak, Yu Yuehui, quick-witted and agile, grabbed her.

Chaochao looked at Yu Yuehui with a puzzled expression, tilting her head. "Mom, why are you grabbing me? I'm going to wake Dad up."

Yu Yuehui shook her head helplessly, squatted down, looked gently into Chaochao's eyes, and explained, "Baby! Your father was really exhausted yesterday, let him rest for a day today."

Chaochao, however, was somewhat unwilling. She frowned and said seriously, "Exercise is all about perseverance. How can we stop?"

"Didn't my father always teach me to be persistent in doing things, and not to work hard for three days and then slack off for two?"

Yu Yuehui had a bit of a headache, but she patiently said, "I know you mean well, baby. But your father really can't get up. He exercised too much yesterday. Let him rest, otherwise his body won't be able to take it."

Chaochao reluctantly poked her head into the room and saw Xie Yan lying sprawled on the bed, fast asleep and snoring softly.

She sighed helplessly and said, "Alright! Then let Daddy rest for one day. But only one day!"

Yu Yuehui nodded quickly, smiling as she pulled the child away from this side, afraid that Chaochao would wake Xie Yan again.

Xie Yan slept soundly for a long time, and when he finally woke up, it was already past eight in the morning.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw Chaochao sitting by the stove, enjoying a sweet potato. Xie Yan rubbed his sleepy eyes, his voice hoarse from just waking up, and asked, "Where's your mother?"

With a sweet potato stuffed in her mouth, Chaochao pointed outside indistinctly and said, "An uncle just came to visit, and Mom took him to the living room."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan guessed that the caller might be looking for him, and instantly became more alert.

He quickly sat up, put on a military overcoat, casually ruffled his messy hair, and hurried to the living room.

Upon entering the living room, Xie Yan saw Zhang Cehan and was somewhat surprised, wondering why he had suddenly come over. Had something happened to Old Master Zhang?

But that shouldn't be the case. The last time I saw the old man, he was in very good health and wouldn't have any problems for at least a year or two.

Yu Yue had just poured Zhang Cehan a glass of water and was about to call Xie Yan when he unexpectedly came over on his own.

Seeing Xie Yan, Zhang Cehan chuckled and joked, "Oh, you must have been exhausted last night!"

Xie Yan yawned and plopped down. "I climbed the Great Wall yesterday, and I'm quite tired. Why did you come so early?"

Zhang Cehan wasn't the type to be overly sentimental. He had come to Xie Yan with something, so he skipped the small talk and got straight to the point: "It's like this, I have a comrade-in-arms who was originally an excellent soldier. But he had an accident during a mission once. Although he was rescued, he was left with a chronic illness."

"At first, I could still move my upper body a little, but now I'm completely lying in bed and can't move at all."

At this point, Zhang Cehan's eyes dimmed, filled with worry, "I went to see him a couple of days ago, and the doctor there said that his condition has a maximum of two years to live..."

Xie Yan immediately understood; this meant he was being asked to go and treat his comrade. He thought for a moment and asked, "Where did your comrade receive treatment after he fell ill?"

Zhang Cehan replied, "Military hospital."

Xie Yan then asked, "Haven't you seen any other doctors?"

Zhang Cehan nodded, "I've seen it. Old Liang at the military hospital is a very skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctor, but he's not particularly proficient in this area, so..."

Upon hearing that even the veteran TCM doctor from the military region couldn't cure him, Xie Yan hesitated. Although he was confident in himself, he knew there were always experts out there, not to mention that these two Liang elders were clearly very skilled TCM doctors. He initially wanted to refuse outright, but seeing Zhang Cehan's earnest hope, he slowly said, "I still have to go and see him. Only after seeing him can I determine if he can be cured."

Zhang Cehan nodded quickly, "Of course, as Elder Liang also said, my comrade suffered from severe cold entering his body, and ordinary treatments are not very effective. Only by finding someone as skilled in acupuncture as you can the cold be forced out little by little."

Xie Yan finished the malted milk powder that Yu Yue handed him in one gulp, feeling a little more refreshed, and said, "Okay, wait for me a moment, I'll get ready and go take a look."

Xie Yan has always admired the soldiers who protect the country. Knowing that there is such a hero suffering, he just wants to go to Karakara as soon as possible. Even if he can't be completely cured, at least he can let the hero suffer less.

Soon, Xie Yan and Zhang Cehan arrived at their comrade's residence. When Xie Yan saw the person lying on the bed, to be honest, his heart tightened suddenly, as if he had been gripped by an invisible hand.

The person on the bed was so thin that he was skin and bones, almost unrecognizable. He lay quietly in the dimly lit room with his eyes closed, looking like he was waiting to die, lifeless.

Seeing his comrade's current miserable state, Zhang Cehan's eyes instantly reddened. Recalling his former spirited appearance, he felt as if a sharp knife was stabbing his heart, causing him to ache terribly.

Xie Yan frowned and, without saying a word, pushed Zhang Cehan aside, saying, "Open the curtain, how can we see in this darkness!"

Actually, I wanted to ventilate the room. Not only was it cold, but it also had an unpleasant smell, making it very unsuitable for a patient to recuperate.

Zhang Cehan seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly ran to pull back the curtain.

The man on the bed sensed the light and slowly opened his eyes. He was somewhat stunned when he saw Xie Yan, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt. He asked hesitantly, "Who are you?"

Xie Yan didn't answer, but reached out and tightly covered his wrist. Instantly, his brows furrowed even more.

This person's body is severely weakened; the cold has already invaded their internal organs, and their condition is not optimistic.

It seems the doctors' previous assessments were conservative.

Without a second thought, Xie Yan swiftly picked up the silver needles beside him and plunged them in without hesitation. The moment the man saw Zhang Cehan, his initial wariness subsided.