Chapter 266
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Throughout his life , Tristan saved countless lives from ordinary civilians to prominent leaders who made outstanding contributions to that Ration
As a result , he was held in the highest esteem by the nation .
Aria had long heard of Tristan’s renowned reputation , yet had never met him in person .
She kept searching for information about Tristan until she came across a photo .
In the photo sat a silver – haired old man in a wheelchair , his emaciated frame marked by deeply sunken cheeks and bony hands resting visibly
The photo was taken from a distance , making the old man’s features indistinct .
Yet Aria recognized him instantly .
‘ That’s him – the old man , ‘ Aria realized .
Aria realized with a jolt that the old traditional medicine practitioner she knew turned out to be Tristan !
Aria was stunned . Why would Tristan , a man of such great renown and accomplishments , quietly conceal his identity and show up in an obscure village
like Jamelan ?
That was news from five years ago .
Since then , there hadn’t been a single trace of Tristan . No one even knew which sanatorium he was staying in .
Aria was so lost in thought that she strayed off course without noticing .
Noticing Aria drifting away from his side , Owen turned his head just in time to see her veering off course , heading straight for a tree trunk .
In a flash , he lunged forward and , just before her forehead hit the tree trunk , firmly blocked it with his hand .
Her forehead met something unexpectedly yielding , sending Aria stumbling back a step .
She looked up to find Owen’s hand still outstretched , shielding her from the thick tree trunk mere inches away .
If she were alone , she wouldn’t have been so deep in thought as to have walked straight into a tree .
Aria thought , ‘ Is it because Owen is with me ? Do I really trust him this much ? ‘
Owen withdrew his hand , gently grasped her arm , and pulled her close . “ What’s on your mind ? You seem completely lost in thought . ”
His gaze dropped slightly , catching a glimpse of her phone screen .
Though the text was unclear , he could make out the wheelchair photo .
“ Dr. Tristan Todd ? ” he asked .
Aria looked at him . “ You know him ? ”
Owen hesitated briefly and asked , “ Are you looking up Tristan because of Culver ? ”
Aria nodded . “ Tristan might actually be that old traditional medicine practitioner .”
Owen looked surprised . “ That old traditional medicine practitioner who collected traditional medicines ? ”
For a period of time , Tristan vanished from the public eye , and no one knew where he had gone .
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“ Yeah , ” Aria acknowledged . A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes as she looked at Owen . “ Culver is Tristan’s student ? ”
Owen replied , “ Yes , he became Tristan’s student over a decade ago . ”
Aria raised an eyebrow in disbelief . “ Wait . Tristan actually took on a student that old ? ”
Owen paused thoughtfully , recalling stories he’d heard in his youth . A teasing smile crept onto his lips as he said , “ Maybe Culver was just thick skinned enough ! ”
Tristan had only ever taken on one student and had long declared he would accept no more .
Despite Tristan’s initial refusal to take on more students , Culver’s relentless persistence and genuine sincerity eventually won Tristan over , making him his second student .
After Tristan retired and faded from public view , someone mentioned the arduous journey Culver had taken to become his student years ago . Culver’s face instantly clouded over , and the atmosphere grew tense .
Owen was present at the scene . While he admired Culver’s contributions to the medical field , witnessing that incident cast doubt on the man’s character .
Owen explained , “ Five years ago , word got out that Tristan intended to pass the Todd School to Culver . But when the National Doctor’s Seat and those precious medical books went missing , the succession had to be put on hold . Culver has been searching for them ever since .”