Great Miracle Doctor Chapter 3
Chapter Three: The First Point of Merit Value
Dinner was quickly prepared, one dish and one soup: steamed tofu and vegetable soup.
Looking at the two small, meager (yī qīng èr bái - simple and meager) portions of green and white on the table, the girl said discontentedly, “No way, is this how you treat a guest?”
“Eat if you want, don’t if you don’t.” Fang Hong focused on shoveling rice into his mouth and grabbing vegetables with large chopsticks.
Actually, one couldn’t blame Divine Doctor Fang for being stingy. It was because the former owner of this body—that miserable loser (diàosī) who had been dumped by his girlfriend—was a 'Moonlight Clan' member (yuèguāng zú - someone who spends all their income before the next paycheck). The tiny bit of salary he earned each month went entirely toward pleasing his girlfriend: buying a skirt today, a handbag tomorrow... In short, it was all used to curry favor with his girlfriend, and he himself had no savings whatsoever.
But the sad truth was that even after pouring out his heart (tāoxīn wāfèi - figuratively digging out his heart and lungs), that woman still threw herself into someone else’s embrace without hesitation. Ultimately, she just disliked him for being poor.
After Divine Doctor Fang transmigrated and ended up with such a pauper, and with no one visiting his medical clinic, could he afford large fish and big cuts of meat?
Even these meager servings (yī qīng èr bái), following the current rhythm of spending without earning, probably wouldn't last much longer.
“Stingy ghost, stingy ghost, stingy ghost!” The girl angrily picked up a small piece of tofu and put it into her mouth.
Who knew that the moment the tofu slipped into her mouth, the girl seemed to be struck by an electric current, becoming utterly stunned (dāi ruò mù jī - dumb as a wooden chicken).
“G-good... delicious, truly delicious!” The girl’s face was full of shock. “It's just steamed tofu, why is it made to taste so wonderful?”
Fang Hong let out a cold snort: I knew you would react this way!
You must know that before he attained the Dao in his previous life, he had hundreds of years of wandering experience, his footsteps traversing the entire world. At the same time, he had tasted all the delicacies under heaven and knew all the famous chefs in the world.
He was naturally a person who loved good food and had deeply researched culinary arts. With hundreds of years of experience accumulated, how could his cooking not have reached a level of perfection (chū shén rù huà - reaching the peak of miraculous skill)?
Fang Hong said smugly, “Have you only just now realized what true deliciousness is?”
“Mm!” The girl nodded.
“Let me tell you, using the most common ingredients and the simplest cooking techniques to create the most delicious dishes—this is the highest realm of culinary skill.”
“Mm-hmm!” The girl nodded repeatedly again.
Divine Doctor Fang became increasingly engrossed, tilting his head back 45 degrees in recollection: “Back in the day, I was known as the ‘Three Absolutes’: Physician, Chef, and Scholar!”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Back in the day, my brilliance was unparalleled (fēng huá jué dài - magnificent and peerless)...”
...
After completing a round of immense showing off (zhuāng dà bī), Divine Doctor Fang finally remembered that he was eating. He picked up his chopsticks, only to be dumbfounded.
The plate and the bowl on the dining table were sparkling clean, without even a drop of soup remaining!
The girl elegantly wiped her mouth with a tissue and flashed Fang Hong a charming smile (yān rán yī xiào): “I’m full. Please enjoy yourself.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Fang Hong slammed the table.
“I’m not kidding.” The girl swayed her head like an old pedant: “This is what they call—hmm, showing off gets you struck by lightning (zhuāng bī zāo léi pī - traditional warning against hubris). No, wait, it’s ‘show off and get no food to eat’! Hahahaha, ‘show off and get no food to eat,’ I’m dying of laughter, hahahaha...”
The girl leaned over the table, relentlessly patting the surface, laughing until tears streamed down her face.
Snap! The chopsticks in Fang Hong’s hand broke into four pieces.
“What are you trying to do?” The girl was startled by the killing intent rushing toward her.
After taking several deep breaths, Fang Hong managed to produce an expression he thought was very gentle and said, “Miss, you have finished your meal. Shouldn’t it be time for you to leave my humble abode (hán shè - cold house)?”
The girl fought hard to stifle her laughter, mimicking Fang Hong’s semi-classical, semi-vernacular style: “No, this humble maiden (xiǎo nǚ zǐ) intends to lodge here for the night.”
The hell (Wǒ X), are you done yet? Fang Hong’s face immediately darkened. “Miss, you possess heavenly beauty (guósè tiānxiāng - national grace and celestial fragrance). Aren’t you afraid that I...”
“I’m not afraid.” The girl smiled sweetly, staring at Fang Hong. “I can tell that Sir is a gentleman.”
“...” Fang Hong was completely speechless.
Fine, fine, fine, I’ll let you stay for one night. Fang Hong thought inwardly: If the Merit Value hasn't increased tomorrow, I'm throwing you straight out!
Fang Hong suppressed a belly full of frustration and finished his meal of rice without dishes. The girl, however, showed a small measure of humanity, proactively collecting the bowls and chopsticks to wash them. After washing the dishes, the girl wished Fang Hong goodnight and was about to walk up to the small attic.
Fang Hong hurriedly said, “Miss, that is my bedroom, all right?”
The girl glared at Fang Hong. “Do you have the nerve to make a girl sleep in the living room?”
After speaking, she left Fang Hong with a proud and charming rear view (jiāo mèi de bèiyǐng), quickly running up the stairs to the attic.
Divine Doctor Fang took several deep breaths: Merit Value, Merit Value...
The girl suddenly poked her head out. “Oh right, aren’t you going to ask why those two ruffians were chasing me?”
Fang Hong retorted irritably, “What’s there to ask? You simply possess a face that attracts trouble.”
The girl paused for a moment, then her eyes curved into pretty crescents (yuèyá’r - slivers of the moon) as she smiled. “You really aren’t gay (wān de - literally ‘bent’), are you! Well, let me introduce myself. I am Nie Yu. And you?”
Fang Hong just grunted without answering. He went to close the front door and turn off the light.
What a weirdo! Nie Yu wrinkled her delicate nose (qióng bí - jade nose, a poetic description) at Fang Hong in the darkness.
Fang Hong took out a cotton cushion and sat cross-legged upon it. Then, coordinating deep and shallow inhalation and exhalation, he continually performed various body movements that would appear very strange to an outsider.
What he was cultivating was a set of cultivation techniques (gōngfǎ) that he had long stopped using in his previous life: the *Evergreen Body Tempering Technique* (*Cháng Qīng Duàn Tǐ Shù*).
The *Evergreen Body Tempering Technique* was not a profound cultivation method. Its content included verbal formulas (kǒujué xīnfǎ - secret incantations and mental techniques) and three hundred and sixty body postures, but it was the most suitable for cultivators who were just starting out and needed to lay a good physical foundation and improve their constitution.
Since everything was starting over now, this set of basic cultivation techniques, which he had put aside for hundreds of years, naturally became Fang Hong’s first choice.
In the attic, Nie Yu quietly poked her head out, watching Fang Hong, who was constantly changing his movements in the darkness, with curiosity.
What is he doing? He looks so mystical and strange (shén shén dāo dāo)... Nie Yu thought to herself.
...
After practicing the entire set of three hundred and sixty movements of the *Evergreen Body Tempering Technique*, Fang Hong felt a bit strained, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his body.
Let’s stop here. This body’s foundation is too poor; haste makes waste (yù sù fǎn ér bù dá - seeking speed will result in failure).
Fang Hong took a towel, wiped his sweat, and walked into the bathroom.
Taking off his shirt, he examined himself in the mirror and couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it, what the hell is this!”
Aside from his features being reasonably decent and his height of 1.75 meters barely passing, this body was truly repulsive (bù kān rù mù - unbearable to look at).
His four limbs were as thin and weak as hemp stalks, his two rows of ribs were clearly visible, his complexion was pale, and his hair was dry... If a healthy person scored 100 points, then the fellow in the mirror would score 30 points at most.
However, this had nothing to do with innate talent. It was mainly because his former owner was pathetic; after that guy was dumped by his girlfriend, he spent all day washing his face with tears and couldn't eat or drink (chá fàn bù sī - neglecting food and tea). It would be strange if his body *hadn't* broken down!
“Back in the day, I was truly more handsome than Pan An (mào shèng Pān Ān - famed ancient Chinese beauty), with unparalleled brilliance...” Divine Doctor Fang couldn’t help but reminisce about his former glory again.
After showering, Fang Hong returned to the main hall to sit cross-legged in meditation. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep, but his own bed had been occupied by that female rascal, so he had no choice but to rely on meditation to pass this long, long night.
Of course, this was nothing to Fang Hong. In his previous life, sometimes when trying to comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth, sitting dryly (kū zuò - sitting rigidly) for several months without eating or drinking was a common occurrence.
Soon, Fang Hong entered the state of forgetting both the self and the external world (wù wǒ liǎng wàng - Nirvana state) and merging with nature (tiān rén hé yī - unity of man and heaven).
...When the first ray of sunlight shone through the window in the early morning, Fang Hong slowly opened his eyes, performed a concluding cultivation posture, and then slowly exhaled a mouthful of foul air (zhuó qì - dirty qi). In stark contrast to his frail figure, Fang Hong's eyes at this moment shone brightly like stars, his gaze deep and possessing an unbelievable penetrating power. The peak of the Saint Entry Realm (Rù Shèng Jìng Dēngfēng) means one foot has already stepped into the existence of an immortal; such a soul is definitely not to be trifled with! A new day had begun. Fang Hong took off his shirt, draped it over his shoulder, and went to the bathroom to wash up. Seeing the door closed, he didn't think much of it, purely out of habit, and grabbed the doorknob, twisted, and pushed.
Posted Dec 3, 2025, 1:57 AM UTC