Mated at First Sight
Chapter 891 - 586

Chapter 891: 586

Ebel nodded, having complete trust in Mu Lin’s words.

Bashir from C Country looked at Mu Lin, "Divine Doctor Mu, can my son’s leg really be completely healed?" After asking this question, it was as if he thought of something and quickly continued, "I’m not doubting you, but... you know, as a father, I’ve been disappointed countless times, and so has Ebel, This Time..." Really.

Since Ebel trusted Mu Lin so much, if he were to be disappointed again, he truly feared that Ebel would not be able to handle the blow and might become even more withdrawn than before, never able to come out again.

Hearing his words, Mu Lin looked at him and said, "Don’t worry, I never take on business I’m not sure about." Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, for the time being, she hadn’t encountered any business that she wasn’t sure about.

The problem that afflicted Ebel, while tricky for others, was but a minor issue for her, and Mu Lin was completely confident in herself.

"Then I entrust him to you." Bashir gave a slight bow to Mu Lin, drawing the attention of those around; it was the most sincere gesture from a father, and at that moment before Mu Lin, there was not the man from C Country, but only an ordinary father, one who was eager to see his son return to normal.

And Mu Lin was the person who could make his hope a reality.

Watching Bashir, the elder and Grandpa Jing exchanged glances, feeling that he truly was a good father; they were quite surprised by his recent gesture.

It must be his greatest sincerity.

To avoid worrying him too much, the elders engaged Bashir in casual conversation.

As their visit to the Jing family was for personal matters today, the conversation did not delve into major military or state affairs, although occasionally they couldn’t help but include a remark or two, as a sigh.

Meanwhile, Ebel consciously moved closer to Mu Lin, seemingly desiring to bond with her.

Seeing Ebel, Gong Rui approached him, "Hello." Her face bore a kind and friendly smile, the purest smile of a child.

Ebel turned his head and looked at Gong Rui with a hint of unfamiliarity in his eyes; he didn’t recognize this girl.

"I’m Gong Rui, don’t worry, my mom will definitely cure you," Gong Rui said to him with a smile.

Ebel was not familiar with Chinese, so as Gong Rui spoke, Gena responsibly translated for the two of them.

Upon hearing Gong Rui refer to Mu Lin as "mom," Ebel’s interest was piqued, "You are... sister’s... daughter?" He asked haltingly.

"Yes." Gong Rui nodded, climbed onto the sofa next to her, swinging her little legs, the expression on her face one of pure joy.

"I was adopted by my mom." In truth, Gong Rui hadn’t ever really been bothered by the fact of being adopted, aside from the unease last time; it was simply a fact. In this world, the only thing that could concern or frighten her was Mu Lin’s attitude.

But now, there was no longer any fear.

Because she knew that Mu Lin loved her; she was Gong Rui, just Gong Rui, simple as that.

"Adopted?" Ebel’s face showed some confusion, not fully understanding; maybe it was because of Mu Lin, or perhaps the smile of the girl before him that moved him, prompting him to initiate conversation without minding or rejecting her closeness.

"Yes." Gong Rui briefly shared her adoption story with him, and looking at him said, "You’re actually much luckier than I used to be, because, at the very least, you have such a loving father." Of course, now, she was also very happy.

She had her loving mom and dad, grandparents, great-grandparents, grandmother, and siblings. With so many loved ones around her, she felt extremely content.

Contentment brings happiness, and Gong Rui had never imagined she could have the life she had now, so she wouldn’t waste time worrying about other things.

Always so understanding, it touched people’s hearts.

Hearing Gong Rui’s words, Ebel’s gaze instinctively found Bashir, who was conversing with the elders but had been keeping an eye on this side all along. Just then, their eyes met momentarily.

A small, subtle smile slowly appeared on his lips, but at that moment, Bashir felt a surge of excitement.

It had been so long; his son had not smiled at him like that in a very long time.

It truly was a miraculous place.

At dinner, Gong Rui still sat next to Ebel, and even though their conversation wasn’t lengthy, maybe because both were children – despite not being very close in age – they naturally got along better; or perhaps they had more topics to share.

Gong Rui talked quite a bit, and sometimes Ebel would join in with a word or two. At that moment, Gong Rui looked like a little adult, taking care of Ebel and serving him food; she herself was but a small figure, with little arms and legs. In terms of language, this might also be considered as ’fulfilling’ the host’s duty, so to speak.

Of course, the interaction between the two was pleasing to the others; after all, Ebel had never had any friends before.

Bashir thought, since his son was finally willing to grow close to someone, of course he was happy.

And that night, for Ebel, was the best dinner he had ever had.

From childhood to the present; and he had also made the first... friend of his life.

After dinner, Mu Lin took Ebel to a guest room, where apart from Bashir, Gena, and Jing Chen, everyone else waited in the downstairs hall.

To avoid crowding upstairs and potentially disturbing Mu Lin, the elder gentlemen conversed in the hall.

Inside the room, Mu Lin was fiddling with something in his hands, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Ebel, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, "Afraid?" Mu Lin suddenly asked.

Ebel shook his head, "Not afraid." Why should he be afraid.

"It will hurt a lot at that time," Mu Lin said again, "Even pain killers and silver needles won’t work." That kind of pain was somewhat unbearable and therefore pain killers and silver needles could not be used to alleviate it, lest they affect the treatment.

"If it hurts, you can scream." The pain of unblocking meridians, even an adult couldn’t stand it; Mu Lin himself had experienced this as a child, a procedure done by Mu Jue to facilitate Mu Lin’s qi-gathering and training.

Even now, Mu Lin had not forgotten that kind of pain, as if it was piercing deep into the marrow.

"A man..."

"What?" Mu Lin asked, not catching the words clearly, looking at Ebel with a trace of confusion.

"Ruirui said... A man, shouldn’t feel pain." Ebel struggled with the words for a while before he managed to say this, which left Bashir somewhat puzzled.

What did that mean?

Mu Lin chuckled lightly. "You mean, a real man is someone who can bleed and sweat without shedding tears, unafraid of pain." When had Ruirui said this to him? Could it be that they had just whispered something to each other?

Ebel nodded, his lips curling into a slight, beautiful smile.

On the side, Bashir couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips, watching the interaction between Mu Lin and Ebel.

It was different.

At Jing’s house, in front of Mu Lin, Ebel was completely different from when he was at the residence in C Country; now, he was filled with vitality and vigor.

With a faint smile, Mu Lin stopped talking, simply turning around, the silver needles were taken out, and upon seeing those slender needles, Ebel couldn’t help but swallow.

He wasn’t afraid.

Arranging the silver needles, Mu Lin turned to Gena, "You help me take off all his clothes, then have him lie flat on the bed."

"All of it?" Gena confirmed again.

Mu Lin nodded, "All of it, not a single piece left."

"Yes." Gena nodded, then carried Ebel to the bed, while Grandpa Jing leaned against the wall, overhearing Mu Lin’s words, subconsciously raising an eyebrow.

Oh, stripped naked!

Stripped completely bare and being watched by so many people, especially since Mu Lin was a woman, albeit an adult and a maternal figure, Ebel couldn’t help but blush, his fair face turning red.

Usually, when bathing, it was Gena who washed him, and now... how could he not be embarrassed?

Of course, Mu Lin was already accustomed to nudity.

After all, he had seen too many dead bodies before; besides, the person before him was still just a child.

Lying there calmly, Ebel couldn’t help but cover a certain area he did not want exposed, and seeing his reaction, Mu Lin smiled faintly without a word, turning around to pass the needles through fire, then he moved Ebel’s hands away, starting from the upper body, inserting each needle into the skin one by one.

In the beginning, it wasn’t so painful, so Ebel still knew what embarrassment was, but as more and more needles adorned his body and sweat began to prevail on his forehead, the pain started to spread throughout him. It was so intense that he completely forgot embarrassment, where he was, and that he was lying there bare.

Ebel felt pain all over, a sort of painful itchiness that was indistinguishable as to where it was coming from but acutely severe.

As time went on, it became increasingly unbearable.

Finally, he couldn’t help but cry out, and Mu Lin frowned, quickly stuffing a prepared gauze into Ebel’s mouth to prevent him from biting himself, then held down his shoulders.

"You guys help me hold down his arms and legs to stop him from moving." Displacement of the silver needles wasn’t lethal, but it was not a pleasant feeling; it would only cause more trouble later.

Struggling uncontrollably, Jing Chen moved quickly to hold down his legs, while Bashir and Gena reacted promptly to Mu Lin’s assistance, each holding down Ebel’s shoulders and arms on either side.

It was as if they had imprisoned him; he remained motionless, yet still desperately struggled.

Seeing Ebel’s agony, Bashir turned his head away, unable to bear watching any longer.

A feeling of heartache he had never experienced before filled his mind and heart; he truly hadn’t imagined it could be this painful.

But the thought of Ebel soon being able to stand up made him grit his teeth and harden his heart to endure.

Just bear it, just a little longer and it would all be over.