In the same area, Emperor Jinling walked alongside a large group of his people, inspecting the military base as it was inspection day. He had a handsome face with a trained physique, tall and slim.

Suddenly, they saw a large group of soldiers running towards the right side, some with only one shoe on while carrying the other in their hand. One had a cloak half-open and was tying his belt as he ran. Another was tying his hair into a tight bun while holding another white ribbon in his mouth. They all rushed as if it were the end of the world, resembling a migration.

Emperor Jinling, with his hands behind his back, stopped and furrowed his brows. "What on earth is happening, gentlemen? It seems lively today."

"Perhaps they are training for something specific today. We don't always know what they are up to. Would Your Majesty like to watch the duel?" said a soldier walking to his right.

Emperor Jinling scratched his chin and replied, "We would like to take a look. It's not every day something exciting happens here."

They walked in the same direction as the men and met a soldier running alone. He bowed to them, and they asked him to report what was going on.

"Junior Luo Tian has challenged Brother Wang Hao to a duel." said the soldier, bowing to them again before hurrying away, afraid of missing anything.

At those words, Emperor Jinling picked up the pace and said, "Brother Wang Hao holds the title of Colonel, so he must live up to it. Come, we must hurry."

On the training ground, men of all ages had gathered, and even the people from the herb hall had shown up because Mai originally belonged to Imperial Physician Liang Gu's department. More and more kept arriving, and every time Mai saw one appear, her nervousness increased. She was sweating profusely, and even though the sun was beating down on them, the weather felt icy cold. Her hands had become sweaty, and she rubbed her trembling fingers that wouldn't stop. She looked at Wang Hao as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

He furrowed his brows at the sight, and his cheeks took on a reddish hue.

"Even when you sweat, Junior Brother Luo Tian, you look beautiful. It's really hard to resist." he swallowed hard and smiled lightly at her.

"Senior Brother Wang Hao, can't we just drop this? I can make it up to you in another way." Mai swallowed a dry lump of saliva and cleared her throat.

Wang Hao grinned foolishly again and said, "Of course, Junior Brother Luo Tian. But now that so many have shown up, and you challenged me by striking me first. You know the rules here. If you lose, you'll be my slave for a week."

Mai tasted something bitter, and her stomach tightened. Fuck! She refused to be his slave, especially with that silly expression!

They walked to the center where space had been cleared for their duel. Mai now knew there was no way out. EVERYONE was present, even the kitchen staff and those sweeping the yard outside. It was packed, and everyone stuck their heads out of the buildings all around, breathing down her neck. It was unbearable, and the pressure mounted.

*Boom*

A drum beat loudly, and Mai positioned herself in front of Wang Hao, seeing he also assumed his stance, palms facing forward. She knew he was a master of kung fu. She had no chance!

Mai studied his body, stopping at his face and noticing how handsome it was. In that position, with his trained physique, he looked very imposing. How do you beat a strong man? Her brain worked overtime in time with the drumbeats. She noticed he was staring at her breasts. After all, I am a woman and have feminine sides.

The drumbeats abruptly stopped, and Wang Hao waved his right fingers as a sign for Mai to make the first move. She nodded, clenched her right fist, and quickly ran towards him. As she approached, he suddenly stretched his arms to the sides as if ready to embrace her.

She smiled at the sight and muttered, "As if I'll fall for that."

When she got close to him, she stopped and slowly moved her left fist towards his chest. She stood on tiptoe and leaned forward.

She whispered softly in his right ear, "Hao Hao, you are a handsome and a strong man."

Wang Hao's eyes widened, and he wore a surprised expression. He looked down at her and automatically sniffed her hair. Mai pretended to hit him and struck his chest with her fist. She spread her fingers and pressed the palm of her hand against him. She projected her energy out and concentrated it in her right index finger, which she lightly and discreetly tapped on him. Something invisible pushed Wang Hao several meters back, and he landed on his bottom in the sand with a shocked expression. He coughed, but no blood came up. He held onto his chest and looked up at Mai with a surprised expression.

"Junior Brother Luo Tian has defeated Brother Wang Hao!" announced a soldier loudly for all to hear.

Everyone cheered and roared loudly, and one shouted, "Junior Brother Luo Tian has made Brother Wang Hao his slave for a week!"

"No, I haven't!" Mai grunted and looked at her index finger, which felt very warm.

She had never used it before.

When she saw Wang Hao's condition, she suddenly became worried.

"Did I hit too hard?" she muttered and walked over to him, kneeling in front of him.

He looked pitiful, and she suddenly felt sorry for him. Her gaze fell on his red cheek, now swollen. She hadn't hit very hard, but she knew it would bruise and turn yellow tomorrow.

"Sorry, Senior Brother Wang Hao." she said, feeling embarrassed by her actions.

Wang Hao massaged his chest and said, "I lost, so I am your slave for a week."

Mai furrowed her brows and said, "I don't want a slave. Does it hurt?"

He noticed her gaze was fixed on his cheek, and he massaged it. "It will pass in a few days."

"You can't get married with a scar, Senior Brother. Even women care about appearance." said Mai, reaching her left hand towards his cheek.

Master said the left hand had a milder effect than the right hand.

They wouldn't believe her, so she had to come up with a quick lie.

"Imperial Physician Liang Gu has taught me a healing technique. I can reduce some of the swelling if you want."

"Um, okay. If it's not too much trouble for you..." Before he could finish speaking, Mai gently pushed his hand away with her right hand.

She placed her left hand on his cheek, pretending to massage it, and shot her energy into her pinkie, commanding, "Heal him partially but only remove the swelling." She didn't know if it would work. She continued massaging and felt warmth spreading on his cheek as she gently pressed her fingers against it. She slowly removed her hand, and the swelling was gone, but the cheek was still red.

"Junior Brother Luo Tian is amazing. He can fix us now!" exclaimed a soldier.

"Brother Luo Tian, I'd gladly be your slave if Brother Wang Hao refuses."

"No, I will. Choose me. I can carry things for you."

"Don't listen to them. I'd love to be your slave. I can wash your clothes for you."

The soldiers' words started a chain reaction, and everyone now offered what they could do for Mai if she took them as her slaves.

Mai felt a headache coming on and massaged her temples.

"I can't believe I'm surrounded by idiots." she muttered under her breath, but Wang Hao heard her.

"Are we all idiots?" he asked softly so the others couldn't listen to their conversation.

Mai smiled and shook her head. "Senior Brother Wang Hao, you weren't included. Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head and touched his chest where she had struck him. "I still hurt here."

Seriously dude! Mai wasn't a real doctor.

"You need to see a doctor, Senior Brother Wang Hao. I can refer you to Imperial Physician Liang Gu if you need a proper check-up."

He shook his head and asked, "If I can't be your slave, how about I follow you around as a bodyguard?"

Mai didn't need a bodyguard as everyone breathed down her neck, so she replied, "I only need a loyal friend, but time will tell."

Wang Hao nodded, stood up, and brushed the dust off his clothes.

He formed his fist in salute and bowed to her. "I'll find you in the next few days, Junior Brother Luo Tian."

As he was about to turn around, Mai said, "Thank you so much, Senior Brother Wang Hao."

She looked at all the men, formed her fist in salute, and humbly bowed to them. "Thank you, senior brothers, for all coming to watch. Unfortunately, I can't entertain you any longer. Have a good day. If you're hungry, come to me."

She gave them all a beautiful smile, and with sweat trickling down her, her cheeks took on a reddish hue, and it seemed like she was excited.

Everyone was captivated, and it seemed like time stood still for a moment.

It was quiet, and Mai wondered why they were staring at her. Did I say something wrong?

"Junior Brother Luo Tian, I've had a pain in my foot for a while. Can you check it?" Suddenly, a young guy walked barefoot towards her, and she saw a red bump on his right big toe. It looked like a blister that had burst.

She furrowed her brows, "Senior brother, why haven't you had it checked? You can't walk around like that. Your shoes are rubbing there."

She became concerned if he had other injuries and asked him to sit down and began checking him all over. He took off the top of his cloak, and several red bumps appeared. They looked like boils, and it was hard to distinguish since Mai wasn't a dermatologist. She felt a pain in her heart at the sight and felt sorry for him.

She felt pity and furrowed her brows. "Senior brother, you need to take better care of your skin and bathe properly. If you scrub your skin too much or bathe too often or too little, it can affect your skin."

Mai didn't know if she could remove all the boils or if she would get infected herself. Master was a god, so she doubted she could get sick.

All the men with injuries gathered around them, which Mai hadn't noticed as she was focused on the man's boils on his back.

She placed her hands on his back and said, "If it hurts, bear with me. I can temporarily alleviate it, but it's important that you see a real doctor. Promise me that, or I won't help you."

The man nodded and said, "I promise. Everyone here has heard it, so I can't take my words back now."

Mai nodded and shot out her energy into her hands, quickly moving them around his back. Every spot her pinkies touched, the boils disappeared, and when she saw that, she moved her hands faster around. She moved to his chest, and when she reached his left side, she could feel his heart beating fast. Is he nervous?

The man sniffed her hair, and a foolish smile spread across his lips as he closed his eyes.

When she was done, the other men also wanted her to help them.

She looked at all of them and said, "Senior Brothers, I'm not a doctor, just a quack, so it's better if you don't waste your time here."

"I'm afraid to go to the doctor because of this. I'm afraid he'll laugh at me and cheat me." said a man who had a wound along his finger resembling psoriasis.

Mai didn't have anything else to do anyway, so she told them it was at their own risk. She began checking them all for wounds and strange illnesses. Those who had something between their legs, she said she would check another day. As if she would!

Not far from the same place, Emperor Jinling stood with his men who had witnessed the whole scene. He looked over at Mai and blinked. His gaze fell on her collar, which had loosened a bit, and he noticed something white sticking out.

His eyes widened, and he asked in a curious tone, "Has he been injured?"

"Your Highness, what do you mean? Junior Brother Luo Tian works for Imperial Physician Liang Gu and has never been out in the field yet. He has medical knowledge and can cure himself if needed. Everyone knows that." replied one of the men who also had his focus on Mai.

"So, he works in the herb hall, I presume." Emperor Jinling said, now becoming more curious.

The man furrowed his brows and replied, "No, Your Highness. You misunderstand. Junior Brother Luo Tian is just a simple kitchen staff and only cooks for the men here. He always keeps a low profile, but no one has complained because he helps with odd jobs whenever he has time."

Emperor Jinling scratched his chin and said, "He sounds very busy. Why is he there when he can fight?"

"He's not good at fighting and has chosen to cook. I don't know the exact details of his background, Your Highness." the man replied.

Emperor Jinling nodded and said, "Let's head back."

They turned around and walked back, but before they went around the building, Emperor Jinling cast a final glance at Mai.

"Luo Tian. Is he from the Luo clan?" he muttered, furrowing his brows.

Once Mai had fixed all the men, she cleaned up and carried things back into the kitchen.

The men still hadn't left, and they looked towards the kitchen and caught sight of Mai.

"He smells like flowers, just like a woman."

"His sweat smells good. Sweet like candy."

"His hands are silky soft like a woman's. Is he really a man?"

Wang Hao, who still hadn't left, looked at his left hand and furrowed his brows. "Come to think of it, none of us have ever had physical contact with Junior Brother Luo Tian. He's always managed to avoid physical training. I wonder why?"

"Maybe he's afraid we'll be too rough with him. With his slender build, it's not surprising." commented another, who was now daydreaming about Mai.

"He never complained even though we initially treated him like a slave. He cleaned the toilets, our clothes, even our sweaty shoes." said another, massaging his right leg, which Mai had cured.

Wang Hao furrowed his brows and looked towards the kitchen. "Why does he put up with it? He's 33 years old and still living like that. Shouldn't he find a wife?"