<b>Chapter </b><b>36 </b>


    Joshua and Marvin, well past middle age, fell into heavy silence after broaching such a somber topic. Finally, Marvin sighed and urged, “Alright, our old bones can still hold up.


    “Let’s give youngsters more time. When the momentes, they’ll definitely do better than we did back in the day. Go on in, don’t keep Briar


    waiting.”


    Joshua nodded, waving Marvin off. “Go on, scram before our close contact draws attention.” With that, he shut theb door,


    Bored of waiting in Joshua’s office, Briar got up to check out the space. The room was simply furnished–just a desk and bookshelves lining


    the wall.


    Alongside traditional medicine texts, the shelves held countless specimens of rare herbs, some of which Briar had only seen in Tristan’s private vault.


    But what truly caught her eye was an old picture frame nestled amongst the specimens. The photo showed five young men. The one in the center was clearly a younger Joshua.


    A


    To his left stood Marvin, whom she’d just met. To the right, she recognized Griffin in his youth. The man next to Griffin was unfamiliar to her.


    But the real shock came from the long–haired, ck–rimmed man on the far right–he was the spitting image of a young Tristan.


    ‘Whoa, she thought, ‘didn’t know Tristan was such a trendsetter back then.‘


    When Joshua walked in, he caught Briar staring at the photo frame. “Briar,” he chuckled, “bet you can’t guess who’s the hottest in this pic.


    Briar turned with a smile. “Obviously you, Mr. Swift.”


    Joshua burst outughing. “Excellent taste! For that alone, I’ll make sure you get the best training.”


    Briar hadn’t expected this seemingly stern, old–fashioned Joshua to be so witty. “I’ll study hard, I promise.”


    “Come on,” Joshua said, “let me show you around theb first and introduce you to your seniors. In our traditional medicine program, we don’t stick to textbooks–real learning happens in practice.”


    As Briar trailed behind, nodding along, his warm demeanor sparked a flicker of genuine anticipation for school.


    She thought, ‘Who would’ve thought I’d ever look forward to attending sses?‘


    Most traditional medicine students were men, many from hereditary practitioner families. With Dasmieca cracking down on traditional practices recently, most aspiring doctors opted for modern medicine.


    While other universities had a brutal 8:2 male–female ratio, Shoneport’s ratio was rtively bnced byparison.


    Even so, enrollment in Shoneport’s Traditional Medicine department rarely topped a hundred students per year.


    The number Joshua deemed exceptional enough to join hisb was rare. Including two new additions this year, theb housed only eleven


    students.


    Among these eleven students, there are ten males and only one female. So this youngdy instantly became the beloved one in theb.


    The moment Joshua led in the pretty, doll–faced Briar, every guy in theb stopped what they were doing. Their eyes were glued to her like mas.


    Joshua pped his hands and announced, “Alright, let me introduce–this is Briar, our new transfer student in first year. She’s 18, but don’t let her age fool you–she can already see patients on her own.”


    “Bravo!” James Garcia was the first to apud enthusiastically. “Hey there, I’m James, head of theb and this year’s project lead–senior,


    fourth year.”


    Karl Mosby chimed in, “Hey, Briar. I’m Karl, also a fourth–year in TM.”


    Ted Wilson added, “Hey there. I’m Ted.”


    Frank Liame followed. “Briar! My name’s Frank.”


    Mason Juno cut in, “Mason, what’s up.”


    Joseph Andrew smiled. “Joseph here.”


    Charle Harris added, “Charle, wee to join us.”


    Richard Davis waved. “Richard, nice to meet you.”


    Thomas Cooper said with a big smile, “Thomas.”


    Nichs Reed finished, “Nichs.”


    After ten guys introduced themselves, Mia Marmen shuffled out from the back, extending her hand. “I’m Mia, third–year. Pleased to meet you.”


    “Nice to meet you too, Mia,” Briar replied, reaching out to shake her hand. The second their hands sped, Briar felt Mia yank her wrist, squeezing viciously when no one was looking.


    ‘Seriously? Showing hostility right off the bat?‘ she thought. Briar arched an eyebrow, letting Mia crush her hand.


    As Mia released her, Briar “identally” brushed against Mia’s radial nerve. She smiled sweetly at Mia’s pained grimace, all innocence.