A Wuxia Tale: Blades and Flowers

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(DAYU)

"Strip."

I gave Dao that single order once the children had their bath and dinner. When Dao entered his room after washing himself, Nanny and I nodded to each other. She left to fetch the waiting physician who will help me look over Dao's body.

Inspecting Dao's body is my first priority. I need to assess the changes and damages his body collected while being on a mission in the South Indes. I plan to catalog those changes and damages to see if there are ways to correct the damages, and if those changes are good or bad.

"Like everything? Should I get naked?"

"Yes," I frowned at my son's question.

"Okay," Dao shrugged and proceeded to take off every garment on his body. I busied myself in preparing the oils, medicines, and needles I will use once the assessment of the physician is over.

I sighed when I turned around and saw my son lying naked on the bed, grinning at me. I threw a cover on his crotch area. "What are you grinning about? Your size is nowhere near your sire."

Dao's eyes widened as his grin melted. "Nowhere...near...what do you mean? Its small?" He looked devastated.

I sat on the edge of the bed and smacked his head softly. "Your body is smaller than us. You are not fully grown yet. Your bones and muscles are still stretching under your skin." I turned serious. "Dao, I need you to avoid taking missions like the one you just did for a couple of years to allow your body to heal and grow to its full potential. For the next three years, what I want from you is to grow your body and exercise it properly."

"I hear you, Father." Dao sighed. I chuckled at his resigned expression.

A knock sounded from the door and I called them to come in. Nanny is back with the physician in tow. I nodded to them. "Please proceed to look after my son."

The physician bowed to me. They turned their critical eyes to Dao's body. "I can clearly see the bruises and scars on his body, Master. May I touch the young master?"

"You may," I gave the physician my permission.

I noticed Nanny wringing her hands as we watch the physician methodically mapped Dao's body using their hands. Dao remained still and silent as the inspection goes on. When the physician was done examining Dao's body from head to toe, they bowed to me again.

"The young master's body has went through such an ordeal, Master Jian Yu. He has broken several bones, in his ribs and legs. Sprained both his hands and wrists at one point. Dislocated and corrected his joints. Twisted his hips and healed several deep cuts."

Dao's body was battered then. "I see. And those broken bones...?"

"The ones in his ribs healed just fine. As well as on his legs. Some of the deep cuts were not attended correctly, thats why there are ugly scarring on the young master's body. Even more, one of his finger is still feeling a sprain injury. It happened quite recently, if I will make a guess."

"I see. Is that all?"

"I think that is all, Master Jian Yu."

"Thank you. I will take it from here. You may go..."

The physician bowed. I nodded to Nanny to send the physician off after paying them. Once they left Dao's room, I sat on the edge of my son's bed again.

"You heard him. Your body has went through so much. You pushed it to perform hard." I picked up the massaging oil from the materials I readied. "From now on, I will massage your body to realign your bones. We cannot do much about the scarrings but I have a ointment that could help some of the discoloring to fade away. Thats the ointment I use for Hua to keep her skin scar free."