Chapter 90: The Nurse’s Radiant Smile, Part Two

"I’ll borrow it."

Paying for treatment and settling the bill before discharge was only right and proper, and Shi Tiexin could not really argue on principle.

Besides, even if he had wanted to be unreasonable, he would never have out-argued this nurse, whose presence was downright formidable.

"Very well. I’ll handle it for you at once."

The rustling fabric settled, and the smiling angel returned. In a blur of dazzling speed, Shi Yuhui completed every formality, while reciting the terms with practiced ease: "The monthly interest rate is two percent. Repayment is due on the fourth day of each month. The minimum payment is ten percent of the original principal, continuing until both principal and interest are fully repaid. If you fail to make the minimum payment, the total interest rate rises by another two percent. Fail again, and it keeps accumulating without limit. Understood?"

"Understood, understood."

Right now, whatever you said was what he agreed to.

"Oh, by the way, how much do you want to borrow? 1246?" The nurse lady wore an encouraging smile. "Why not just borrow ten thousand points and let the hospital keep treating you for another two days?"

"Much appreciated, but no thanks."

After a quick calculation, Shi Tiexin said in a low voice, "I’ll borrow exactly 1000 points. The other 246 I’ll pay myself."

Shi Yuhui shot him a glance. "Then you’ll have only 52 points left."

Tch. That mental arithmetic was lightning-fast. Before, I never could have worked it out so quickly; I’d have had to count on my fingers for ages! But now, there’s no need to envy others anymore.

"Yes, that’s all."

"Take a look at the contract. If there’s no problem, press your fingerprint here to confirm."

"All right."

Skimming the contract in a glance, Shi Tiexin confirmed it without hesitation and pressed his thumb onto the sensor screen. The loan was transferred quite quickly; with a pleasant ding, a thousand points appeared in his account. Of course, the hospital collected medical fees even faster. The nurse simply swiped her wrist device, and with a dull, dispirited hum, the 1246 points vanished again.

On the account, only 52 points remained, along with a debt of 1000. It was truly enough to make one feel bitter.

"All right, the medical fees have been settled. Please be mindful of the repayment date. Oh, and a reminder: it’s already the end of the month, and the fourth day of next month is not far off. Don’t be late." Shi Yuhui rested her hand on the sheet beneath Shi Tiexin. "Well then, discharge?"

Shi Tiexin nodded. "Discharge."

Whoosh!

The moment he nodded, an unstoppable surge of force burst forth, and the sheet beneath him flung him straight up. His hundred-kilogram body shot into the air like a chunk of meat tossed by a cook’s ladle. He spun sideways in midair three and a half times like a giant top, then landed with a stagger and barely managed to steady himself.

Still dizzy, Shi Tiexin only saw the nurse lady seize the sheet with one hand and shake it open as though waving a great banner. In the air, it was already stretched smooth as paper. With a flick of her wrist, she began folding it while it was still airborne. She did not even need her other arm; with a single hand, she swept the sheet through the air twice like a flag, the fabric shrinking in layer after layer so fast it was hard to follow.

Then, with a slap, she laid it onto the workbench beside her, and the sheet had already been folded to standard size, flawless to the very last inch.

Shi Tiexin could not help staring.

This nurse lady’s combat strength was a little too high, wasn’t it? So the iron coffin he had just been lying in was not launched by an electronic cannon at all, but was actually yanked out by this woman with her bare arms!

Back in that other world line, he had felt wonderfully satisfied beating up the helpless, and thought his skill was already pretty decent. But after returning to Timberfort, the first nurse he met had this kind of fighting power. Compared with this Shi Yuhui woman, he was the real weakling. If they fought, there was no need to say more; he definitely would not be able to block even a single move.

Could it be that this woman had already entered the second stage of force cultivation—the Sharpness tier?

It had to be. That razor-edged presence just now could never have come from the Vital Energy stage.

Come to think of it, this was the first time Shi Tiexin had ever come face to face with a master of the Sharpness tier. Looking at this sister, so young and beautiful, and yet the strongest expert he had ever spoken to, he could not help but lose himself for a moment.

If he could not cross world lines, then by the time he reached her age, could he ever achieve cultivation like hers?

The answer was obvious: no.

He would never pass the lower provincial examination, never obtain an officially recognized degree, never enter one of the strong sects or factions, and he would have no resources at all to cultivate his mind arts or force arts. After wasting away for a few years, perhaps he would make little or no progress. If he were to meet Shi Yuhui at the same age, would he not feel utterly ashamed?

Of course, things were different now.

"What are you standing there for?" The nurse lady pointed outside. "Go earn money. Pay me back! If you try to default, believe me, I’ll smash your head in!"

I believe you. I believe you.

Right—there was one more thing.

"My gift?" Didn’t they say there was a free little gift?

"You still want a gift when you haven’t repaid the money? Wait until you’ve finished your repayments!"

All right then, I’ll go make money.

Ten minutes later, Shi Tiexin walked out of the gates of Timberfort Upper District Central Hospital. Before his eyes lay the Upper District of Timberfort Space City. He made his way along the streets, where pedestrians flowed past him in endless streams. As he walked among them, his height of over two meters drew surprisingly little attention.

In this world, height was not especially valued.

The reason was simple. First, martial practitioners were widespread here, so stature was no longer considered a particularly important quality. Take the nurse, Shi Yuhui, for instance: she stood only about one hundred and sixty-three centimeters tall, more than forty centimeters shorter than Shi Tiexin. Yet if they really fought, she could flatten him in a second. Would she care about height?

Second, this world was abundant in resources and possessed remarkably advanced medical care. From more than twenty years into the Mist Era, that is, sometime in the 1940s of the old calendar, the entire world had already broken away from poverty at high speed. With good food, good drink, and good care, the human body naturally developed better from one generation to the next, and appearances likewise grew increasingly pleasing.

Besides, martial training was universal; the older generation had also practiced. As one generation of practitioners shed the mundane and transcended the ordinary, the innate physiques of newborns became stronger and stronger. Add to that the fact that life in space inevitably involved some exposure to zero-gravity environments, and the average human height had been rising overall.

By Shi Tiexin’s generation, according to the Jovian System census, the average height of young men had climbed to one hundred and eighty-seven centimeters, while young women averaged one hundred and seventy-four. Remember, those were only averages. On the streets, young men taller than one hundred and ninety centimeters were everywhere, and women over one hundred and eighty were common as well.

On the main roads, men taller than Shi Tiexin would pop up now and then, so his height advantage here was not especially great.

Come to think of it, Shi Yuhui’s one-hundred-sixty-three-centimeter frame was already a rather pitifully short little stature in this age.

But as Shi Tiexin thought about it, he found that her delicately curving figure was actually rather lovely. Being a little shorter only made her seem more... how should he put it... more subtle... more ladylike—

Ah, damn it, no, I’m not that kind of person. Biology textbooks have corrupted my character, ahhh!

Before long, Shi Tiexin arrived at the transit stop.

Public transportation here all ran on skyrail lines. In other words, a suspended track had been built roughly ten meters above the ground, and the trains ran hanging beneath it. The bus stops were also set in midair, mostly on the second floors of bustling buildings.

After boarding the skyrail train, his wrist device let out another despondent buzz, and one more point of value was deducted, leaving him with 51 points in total assets. Annoying, but there was no helping it. Shi Tiexin did not live in the Upper District, but in the Pasture District. Sitting down in an empty seat by the window, he watched as the skyrail started moving, and a myriad of scenes flashed past his eyes.