Chapter 4 — The Man Who Came to Die

For nearly a minute, Lu Chen stood in the middle of his ruined clinic without moving.

Broken glass glittered across the floor.

Drawers had been pulled open.

Herbs that had taken months to dry properly were scattered beneath overturned chairs.

A jar of powdered ginseng had shattered near the wall.

And directly behind his consultation desk, the black crescent symbol remained.

THE DEAD SHOULD REMAIN BURIED, GHOST PHYSICIAN.

Qin Ruoxi read the sentence again.

“Who knows that name?”

Lu Chen didn't answer.

He crouched beside the broken cabinet instead.

One hinge had been forced.

The lock hadn't been picked.

Whoever entered wasn't particularly skilled at burglary.

That was important.

An experienced cultivator could have entered the clinic without breaking a single piece of glass.

Even a moderately trained martial artist could have opened the old window without making enough noise to wake half the street.

This had been deliberate.

They wanted him to know someone had been here.

They wanted him angry.

Afraid, perhaps.

Lu Chen rubbed a little of the dark red writing between two fingers.

Ruoxi stepped closer.

“Is that blood?”

“No.”

“What is it?”

He smelled it.

Faintly bitter.

Resin.

Something medicinal beneath it.

“Red lacquer mixed with powdered nightshade root.”

Ruoxi stared at him.

“You can tell that by smelling it?”

“Yes.”

“Of course you can.”

Lu Chen glanced at her.

“You're becoming less skeptical.”

“I watched my grandfather's body temperature rise after you put needles into him.”

“Reasonable people adjust their opinions.”

“And unreasonable people?”

“They become cardiologists.”

Ruoxi almost smiled.

Then both of them heard hurried footsteps outside.

Lu Chen straightened immediately.

Madam Zhou appeared in the doorway.

“Doctor Lu.”

“Where is Xiaoxiao?”

“Asleep.”

The tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

“I told you not to come downstairs.”

“I waited until the cars arrived.”

“You still shouldn't be here.”

Madam Zhou looked past him.

Her eyes widened at the state of the clinic.

“Aiya.”

Her expression changed from concern to outrage.

“Who did this?”

“I don't know.”

She saw the writing.

Her face tightened.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“It clearly means something.”

“Go back to Xiaoxiao.”

Madam Zhou knew him well enough to recognize the tone.

For once, she didn't argue.

“She woke up once.”

Lu Chen turned.

“What did she say?”

“She asked whether you saved the patient.”

Something inside his expression softened.

“And?”

“I told her you probably did.”

Madam Zhou looked at him sternly.

“So don't make me a liar.”

Then she returned across the street.

Qin Ruoxi watched her leave.

“She trusts you.”

“She complains about my prices every week.”

“That wasn't what I said.”

Lu Chen ignored the observation.

He began turning overturned chairs upright.

Ruoxi stared at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Cleaning.”

“At two in the morning?”

“I have patients tomorrow.”

“Someone broke into your clinic and threatened you.”

“Yes.”

“And you're worried about opening on time?”

“I was late yesterday.”

“That is not the issue.”

“It was an issue to Madam Zhou.”

Ruoxi watched him pick up a cracked medicine jar.

“You're serious.”

“Unfortunately.”

She took out her phone.

“I'll have someone replace the window.”

“No.”

“Lu Chen.”

“No bodyguards. No armed men sitting outside my clinic. No Qin family security frightening my patients.”

“I'm talking about a window.”

“I can replace a window.”

“You just told me you were worried about rent.”

“That doesn't mean I want charity.”

Ruoxi lowered the phone.

“You came to the hospital after midnight and saved my grandfather's life for the second time.”

“That was treatment.”

“You didn't charge us.”

“I haven't decided how much yet.”

“Then let me pay you by replacing the window.”

Lu Chen considered that.

“Double-pane.”

She blinked.

“What?”

“The current one lets too much street noise in.”

A smile finally appeared.

“Anything else?”

“Don't become enthusiastic.”

Ruoxi began typing.

“Double-pane glass.”

“And no logo.”

She stopped.

“What logo?”

“Your family owns half the city. Rich people put logos on everything.”

“We do not.”

“The hospital towels say Qin.”

“They're hospital towels.”

“The elevator said Qin.”

“It is Qin Medical Center.”

“The parking gate said Qin.”

She stared at him.

“Do you object to my surname?”

“I object to advertising.”

Ruoxi shook her head.

“Double-pane. No logo.”

“Good.”

Lu Chen bent to pick up another jar.

Then stopped.

His gaze shifted toward the broken entrance.

Someone was standing outside.

Not one of the Qin bodyguards.

Not a neighbor.

A man.

He stood beneath the streetlamp on the opposite side of the road.

Thirty-five, perhaps forty.

Black jacket.

Gray trousers.

Thin face.

His posture was slightly hunched.

For several seconds, he simply stared at the clinic.

Ruoxi followed Lu Chen's gaze.

“Do you know him?”

“No.”

One of the bodyguards noticed the stranger and stepped forward.

“Sir, the clinic is closed.”

The man began crossing the road.

His steps were uneven.

“Sir.”

He didn't stop.

The second bodyguard moved beside the first.

The man reached the sidewalk.

Then stumbled.

Lu Chen's expression changed.

“Don't touch him.”

The bodyguard froze.

The stranger took one more step.

His knees gave way.

He collapsed directly outside the clinic.

Ruoxi inhaled sharply.

The bodyguards immediately reached for him.

“I said don't touch him.”

Something in Lu Chen's voice made both men pull back.

He walked forward.

The stranger was conscious.

Barely.

His skin was gray.

Dark veins had appeared beneath his jaw.

Blood stained the corner of his mouth.

And beneath that blood—

Lu Chen could smell something else.

Rot.

Not the smell of decaying flesh.

Something colder.

Spiritual corruption.

The man's eyes moved.

They found Lu Chen.

His lips trembled.

“Ghost…”

Lu Chen crouched.

The stranger struggled to breathe.

“…Physician.”

Ruoxi looked sharply at Lu Chen.

He ignored her.

“Who are you?”

The stranger tried to laugh.

Only blood came out.

“Someone…”

He coughed.

“…who doesn't want to die.”

Lu Chen placed two fingers against his wrist.

The pulse was almost nonexistent.

His vision changed.

The man's Life Meridian appeared.

Lu Chen's face became grim.

Black energy filled nearly every pathway.

It wasn't spreading.

It had already spread.

Liver.

Heart.

Lungs.

Kidneys.

Even the man's spiritual center had begun collapsing.

Ruoxi saw Lu Chen's expression.

“How bad?”

“Very.”

“Hospital?”

“He'll die before the ambulance reaches the corner.”

The stranger grabbed Lu Chen's sleeve.

“Save…”

Blood ran between his teeth.

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“…me.”

Lu Chen looked at the hand gripping him.

There was a tattoo beneath the man's wrist.

Three black lines.

A crescent.

The same symbol painted on his clinic wall.

Ruoxi saw it too.

Her expression hardened.

“He's one of them.”

The bodyguards immediately moved.

Lu Chen lifted one hand.

“Stay back.”

Ruoxi stared at him.

“This man belongs to the people who tried to kill my grandfather.”

“Maybe.”

“He has their mark.”

“Yes.”

“And you still intend to treat him?”

Lu Chen looked down at the dying man.

There was fear in his eyes.

Real fear.

Not for an organization.

Not for a mission.

The simplest fear in the world.

A human being realizing his next breath might be his last.

Lu Chen opened his needle case.

Ruoxi's brows drew together.

“Why?”

The question was quiet.

Lu Chen removed the first needle.

“Because he came here as a patient.”

The stranger's eyes shifted toward him.

Lu Chen continued.

“What he becomes after he stops dying is a separate matter.”

The man's fingers loosened.

Something resembling disbelief crossed his face.

“You would…”

Another cough.

“…save an enemy?”

Lu Chen placed the first needle near his collarbone.

“I haven't decided whether you're my enemy.”

The stranger swallowed painfully.

“And if I am?”

Lu Chen inserted the needle.

“Then you'll have the opportunity to regret it while alive.”

They carried him onto the clinic's treatment bed.

Ruoxi ordered the Qin bodyguards to stand at both doors.

“No one enters.”

Lu Chen cut open the stranger's shirt.

Three wounds appeared across his torso.

One near the ribs.

One at the shoulder.

One directly beneath the sternum.

None had been made by a knife.

Each looked like a small black burn.

Ruoxi leaned closer.

“What caused those?”

“Finger strikes.”

She looked at him.

“Someone did that with their fingers?”

“Yes.”

“You expect me to believe—”

She stopped herself.

Lu Chen looked up.

“Less skeptical.”

“I'm working on it.”

He pressed gently around the wound beneath the sternum.

The stranger screamed.

His body arched.

Lu Chen pinned him with one hand.

“Who did this?”

The man shook violently.

“My…”

His teeth clenched.

“…handler.”

“Why?”

“I failed.”

“At what?”

No answer.

Lu Chen pressed again.

The man's face became almost purple.

Ruoxi frowned.

“You're torturing him.”

“I'm checking whether the poison is anchored to his heart.”

“And?”

“It is.”

She decided she preferred not to ask what that meant.

Lu Chen examined the other two wounds.

Three points.

Three anchors.

The pattern was familiar.

Too familiar.

“Three-Death Seal.”

The stranger's eyes opened wider.

“You know it.”

“I've seen better versions.”

A weak laugh escaped him.

“Still arrogant.”

Lu Chen's gaze sharpened.

“You've met me before?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know whether I'm arrogant?”

The man went silent.

Lu Chen leaned closer.

“Who told you about me?”

The stranger looked toward the doorway.

Fear returned.

Not fear of Lu Chen.

Fear of whoever had sent him.

Lu Chen understood.

“You think they'll know if you speak.”

“They will.”

“How?”

The man's gaze dropped toward his chest.

Lu Chen looked at the three black wounds again.

Of course.

The seal wasn't merely poison.

It was also a leash.

If the man betrayed whoever placed it—

the three anchors would collapse simultaneously.

Heart.

Lung.

Dantian.

Instant death.

Crude.

Effective.

“Interesting.”

The stranger laughed bitterly.

“That's what you say?”

“Yes.”

“I have minutes left.”

“Probably eight.”

Ruoxi stared at him.

“You know that precisely?”

“No. I was trying to make him nervous.”

The stranger actually laughed.

The laugh became another bloody cough.

“Madman.”

“I've been called worse.”

Lu Chen removed four needles.

The stranger noticed.

“Can you break it?”

“Yes.”

Hope appeared.

Then Lu Chen added:

“Possibly.”

Hope weakened.

“You're not good at comforting patients.”

“I treat illnesses. Emotional support costs extra.”

Ruoxi folded her arms.

“He's telling the truth.”

The stranger looked between them.

“Who is she?”

“Someone who asks too many questions.”

“I heard that.”

“You were supposed to.”

Lu Chen inserted the first needle.

This time, he didn't use an ordinary acupoint.

He placed it one finger-width away from the black wound beneath the sternum.

The stranger's entire body locked.

“Don't move.”

“I can't!”

“Good.”

Second needle.

Shoulder.

Third.

Ribs.

The three black marks immediately began pulsing.

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

There it was.

The seal recognized interference.

Inside the stranger's body, the black energy changed direction.

It stopped attacking his organs.

Instead, all of it rushed toward the heart.

“Lu Chen?”

Ruoxi heard the monitor begin beeping rapidly.

“Don't talk.”

The stranger's eyes widened.

“You triggered it.”

“I know.”

“You said you could break it!”

“I said possibly.”

“You—”

His heart rate jumped.

Lu Chen inserted the fourth needle directly into the center of the chest wound.

The stranger screamed.

At that exact moment, Lu Chen reached inward.

The golden point inside his shattered core responded.

Life Essence emerged.

Less than before.

A thin thread.

But enough.

He guided it down his arm.

Into the needle.

Golden light flashed.

Ruoxi saw it this time.

Clearly.

Not imagination.

Not reflected hospital lighting.

The acupuncture needle glowed.

She stepped forward involuntarily.

“Lu Chen…”

“Stay back.”

The Life Essence entered the stranger.

Black energy collided with gold.

For one moment, Lu Chen felt both.

Life.

And death.

The contrast was absolute.

The golden energy was warm.

Patient.

It flowed like water through damaged channels.

The black energy was different.

Cold.

Hungry.

Violent.

And surprisingly powerful.

The shattered core inside Lu Chen trembled.

The golden point pulled.

Not toward the Life Essence.

Toward the black energy.

Lu Chen froze.

The black current began moving toward him through the needle.

His eyes widened.

Something inside his core wanted it.

Wanted to consume it.

Wanted death.

The sensation was intoxicating.

For five years, Lu Chen had been empty.

Weak.

Cut off from the power that once defined half his existence.

Now he felt strength only a breath away.

All he needed to do was allow the black energy inside.

The stranger would probably die.

But Lu Chen—

Lu Chen would become stronger.

Much stronger than he had after saving Qin Zhenguo.

His jaw tightened.

Healing is slow.

The thought appeared from nowhere.

Death is fast.

Lu Chen's fingers trembled.

Then Xiaoxiao's voice surfaced in his memory.

Save the patient.

The choice disappeared.

Lu Chen slammed his palm onto the man's chest.

“Not mine.”

Ruoxi startled.

“What?”

Lu Chen ignored her.

He forced the golden Life Essence forward.

The shattered core resisted.

For the first time, Lu Chen resisted it back.

“I said…”

His damaged meridians burned.

“…not mine.”

The golden thread erupted through the fourth needle.

The black energy recoiled.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Instead of entering Lu Chen—

it changed.

The blackness faded.

Black to gray.

Gray to clear.

The violent Death Essence transformed into something quieter.

Not Life Essence.

But no longer death.

The stranger inhaled sharply.

One of the black wounds vanished.

Then another.

The final mark beneath his sternum cracked.

A tiny black spark escaped from the man's body.

It hovered above the treatment bed.

For half a second, it resembled a crescent.

Lu Chen pinched it between two fingers.

The spark hissed.

Then disappeared.

The stranger's monitor slowed.

One hundred thirty.

One hundred ten.

Ninety-five.

Stable.

Lu Chen stepped back.

Sweat covered his forehead.

His right hand shook.

Ruoxi noticed but said nothing.

The man on the bed opened his eyes.

Confusion replaced terror.

He touched his chest.

“I'm alive.”

Lu Chen sat heavily on a stool.

“You sound disappointed.”

The stranger stared at him.

“I was told the Ghost Physician could pull someone back from the gates of hell.”

“People exaggerate.”

“You just destroyed a Three-Death Seal.”

“A badly made one.”

The man laughed weakly.

Then his expression collapsed.

“They're going to kill me.”

“They already tried.”

“They'll try again.”

“Probably.”

Ruoxi stepped forward.

“Then start talking.”

The stranger looked at her.

“Qin family?”

“Yes.”

He closed his eyes.

“Then you're already dead.”

Ruoxi's expression remained cold.

“People have been telling my family that for decades.”

The man looked toward Lu Chen.

“You really want answers?”

“Yes.”

“If I tell you…”

“You're not dying from the seal anymore.”

“That's not what frightens me.”

Lu Chen waited.

The man's voice dropped.

“The Black Crescent isn't an organization.”

Ruoxi frowned.

“What?”

“It's a mark.”

“Whose?”

“I don't know.”

Lu Chen studied him.

Truth.

Or at least the man believed it.

“We were never told the real name.”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“People hired for jobs. Martial artists. Smugglers. killers. Sometimes cultivators who need money.”

“You're a cultivator?”

The man gave a bitter smile.

“Barely.”

He lifted one hand.

“I spent fifteen years reaching the fifth layer of Body Tempering.”

Ruoxi glanced at Lu Chen.

“Body Tempering?”

“Later.”

The stranger continued.

“My name is Wei Jun.”

Lu Chen waited.

“I was hired three months ago.”

“By?”

“A man we called Steward Han.”

“Real name?”

“No idea.”

“Appearance?”

“Fifties. Thin. Always wears gray. Smells like sandalwood.”

“Cultivation?”

Wei Jun's expression changed.

“Stronger than me.”

“That doesn't narrow it down.”

“I never saw him attack anyone.”

“You have now.”

Wei Jun touched the vanished marks.

“He placed the seal personally.”

Lu Chen's gaze sharpened.

That mattered.

“Why Qin Zhenguo?”

Wei Jun went quiet.

Lu Chen leaned forward.

“Why was the Qin family targeted?”

Wei Jun looked at Ruoxi.

Then back at Lu Chen.

“The old man…”

He swallowed.

“…wasn't the target.”

No one spoke.

Ruoxi's expression slowly changed.

“What did you say?”

Wei Jun looked directly at Lu Chen.

“He was bait.”

The clinic became completely silent.

Even the bodyguards outside seemed to stop moving.

Lu Chen's face revealed nothing.

“Explain.”

Wei Jun breathed slowly.

“We were given Qin Zhenguo's schedule. His meals. His hospital records. Routes. Security rotation.”

Ruoxi's face went pale with anger.

“From whom?”

“I don't know.”

“Was it Zhou Kai?”

“The assistant?”

“Yes.”

Wei Jun shook his head.

“No.”

Ruoxi took one step closer.

“You're sure?”

“He was supposed to take the blame.”

Her eyes widened.

“Why?”

“So nobody would search inside the family after he disappeared.”

“Where is he?”

Wei Jun hesitated.

“I don't know.”

“Alive?”

“I don't know.”

Ruoxi's hands curled into fists.

Lu Chen remained focused.

“You still haven't explained the bait.”

Wei Jun looked at him.

“Steward Han said there were rumors.”

“What rumors?”

“That someone in Jiangzhou had performed the Seven Pulse Restoration Technique three months ago.”

Lu Chen's expression changed almost imperceptibly.

He remembered.

An elderly flower seller.

Collapsed meridians.

No money.

No family.

He had treated her after closing the clinic.

He hadn't thought anyone had seen.

Wei Jun continued.

“Then another rumor. A child with congenital heart damage who suddenly recovered after visiting a small clinic.”

Lu Chen remembered that too.

Six months ago.

The parents had promised not to tell anyone.

Apparently promises traveled poorly.

“They weren't sure it was you,” Wei Jun said.

“So they needed proof.”

“Yes.”

“Qin Zhenguo had a connection to the Valley of Nine Medicines.”

It wasn't a question.

Wei Jun nodded.

“Thirty-one years ago.”

Ruoxi turned toward Lu Chen.

“My grandfather never mentioned—”

“He wouldn't have.”

“How do you know?”

“Because people who knew the Valley rarely spoke about it.”

Wei Jun stared at him.

“That was the plan.”

Lu Chen's eyes became colder.

“They attacked Qin Zhenguo because they believed someone from the Valley would intervene.”

“Yes.”

“And when I used the Nine Heavenly Needles…”

“They knew.”

Ruoxi's breath caught.

“They nearly killed my grandfather just to see whether you were alive?”

Wei Jun looked away.

“Yes.”

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Ruoxi asked:

“The bodyguard?”

“Insurance. If Qin survived once, they wanted to see whether you'd reveal yourself again.”

Her expression hardened further.

Two people.

Nearly murdered.

Not for money.

Not because of Qin family enemies.

As bait.

Lu Chen stood.

Wei Jun flinched despite himself.

There was no visible anger on Lu Chen's face.

That somehow made it worse.

“Who broke into my clinic?”

Wei Jun swallowed.

“Not me.”

“Who?”

“A man called Rat.”

“Where is he?”

“Dead.”

Ruoxi frowned.

“When?”

“An hour after he reported back.”

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

“How?”

“Steward Han killed him.”

“Why?”

“Loose end.”

“And you?”

“I saw it.”

Understanding arrived.

“So Han sealed you.”

Wei Jun nodded.

“I realized what would happen next.”

“So you ran.”

“Yes.”

“And came here.”

“You were the only man in Jiangzhou who might remove the seal.”

Lu Chen stared at him.

“You helped them use two innocent men as bait to find me.”

Wei Jun lowered his gaze.

“Yes.”

“You knew people might die.”

“Yes.”

“You entered this knowing exactly what kind of work it was.”

Wei Jun's voice became very quiet.

“Yes.”

Ruoxi looked at Lu Chen.

For the first time, she wondered whether he might regret saving the man.

Lu Chen stepped closer to the treatment bed.

Wei Jun looked up.

“If you're going to kill me…”

“I'm not.”

Wei Jun blinked.

Lu Chen removed the needles from his chest.

“You're going to live.”

“Why?”

“Because living with what you've done is your problem.”

Wei Jun looked at him for a long time.

Then laughed bitterly.

“You're crueler than I heard.”

“No.”

Lu Chen closed the case.

“I'm a doctor.”

Dawn began creeping across the eastern sky.

A weak gray light entered through the broken window.

Ruoxi made several calls.

Qin security moved immediately.

Zhou Kai's wife and son were now a priority.

Every employee with access to Qin Zhenguo's schedule would be investigated.

Quietly.

No police yet.

Not because Ruoxi distrusted them.

Because she had finally accepted that part of this situation belonged to a world ordinary investigators didn't understand.

Wei Jun drank warm water.

His hands still trembled.

Lu Chen sat opposite him.

“One more thing.”

Wei Jun looked up.

“Steward Han.”

“What about him?”

“Where do you meet?”

Wei Jun hesitated.

“He changes places.”

“Last location.”

“An abandoned textile factory near West River.”

Ruoxi immediately reached for her phone.

Lu Chen stopped her.

“No.”

She looked at him.

“I have security teams.”

“And Han has already killed one subordinate and nearly killed another without hesitation.”

“So?”

“So sending ordinary bodyguards is a good way to buy coffins.”

Ruoxi's expression tightened.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“For now.”

Lu Chen looked toward the street.

“Han expects Wei Jun to be dead.”

Wei Jun nodded slowly.

“He probably assumes the seal killed me.”

“Good.”

Ruoxi understood.

“You want him to continue believing that.”

“Yes.”

“To do what?”

“Make a mistake.”

Wei Jun stared at him.

“What kind?”

Lu Chen's expression remained calm.

“The kind made by men who believe their enemies know less than they do.”

Before anyone could respond, a small voice came from the entrance.

“Daddy?”

Lu Chen turned so quickly that his chair nearly fell.

Xiaoxiao stood outside.

Madam Zhou held one of her hands.

The child wore rabbit pajamas, pink sandals, and a coat several sizes too large over everything.

Her hair was a disaster.

She looked at the broken window.

Then the overturned cabinets.

Then at Wei Jun lying on the treatment bed.

Her eyes became enormous.

“Another patient?”

Lu Chen stood.

“Why aren't you sleeping?”

“I woke up.”

“Obviously.”

“Grandma Zhou said bad people broke the window.”

Madam Zhou immediately defended herself.

“She saw it herself!”

Lu Chen rubbed his forehead.

Xiaoxiao walked inside carefully.

She avoided the remaining glass.

Then looked at the black crescent painted on the wall.

“Daddy.”

“Yes?”

“Did bad people write on your wall?”

“Yes.”

“Without asking?”

“Yes.”

She looked deeply offended.

“That is rude.”

Wei Jun stared at her.

This was the child?

The Ghost Physician's daughter?

Xiaoxiao noticed him watching.

“Are you sick?”

Wei Jun opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Finally:

“Yes.”

She approached the bed.

Lu Chen watched carefully but didn't stop her.

Xiaoxiao peered at the black marks fading from Wei Jun's skin.

“Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

She reached inside the pocket of her oversized coat.

Then produced half a sesame cake.

“I saved this.”

Madam Zhou's eyebrows rose.

“You told me you ate it!”

Xiaoxiao ignored her.

She held the cake toward Wei Jun.

“Daddy says sick people should eat.”

Lu Chen frowned.

“I have never prescribed sesame cake.”

“You said food helps people get strong.”

“That was not medical advice.”

Wei Jun stared at the tiny hand.

Something changed in his face.

Slowly, he accepted the cake.

“Thank you.”

Xiaoxiao smiled.

“You're welcome.”

Then she turned toward Lu Chen.

“Daddy, did you save him?”

Lu Chen looked at Wei Jun.

“Yes.”

Xiaoxiao nodded, entirely satisfied.

“I knew you would.”

Four simple words.

Yet for some reason, Wei Jun lowered his eyes.

His grip tightened around the sesame cake.

He had helped men use innocent people as bait.

He had watched Rat die.

He had accepted money knowing somebody else's family might mourn by morning.

And the daughter of the man he had helped hunt had just given him breakfast.

Wei Jun suddenly found the ceiling extremely interesting.

Lu Chen noticed.

He said nothing.

Xiaoxiao insisted on helping clean.

Her contribution consisted primarily of moving three unbroken jars and asking fourteen questions.

Ruoxi stayed.

That surprised Lu Chen.

She removed her expensive coat, rolled up her sleeves, and began collecting scattered medicine packets.

“You don't have to do that.”

“I know.”

“You'll ruin your clothes.”

“I own others.”

“That sounds inefficient.”

She glanced at him.

“You have worn the same gray coat both times I've seen you.”

“I own another.”

“What color?”

“Gray.”

Ruoxi shook her head.

Across the room, Xiaoxiao's head immediately lifted.

“Pretty Auntie!”

Lu Chen froze.

Ruoxi looked toward her.

Xiaoxiao hurried across the clinic.

“You're the pretty auntie!”

Ruoxi looked amused.

“I am?”

“Daddy said you were pretty.”

Lu Chen closed his eyes.

“I said no such thing.”

Xiaoxiao turned.

“You said yes.”

“You asked whether a pretty auntie came.”

“And you said yes.”

“That is technically different.”

Ruoxi smiled.

“I think it's very clear.”

Lu Chen pointed toward the medicine packets.

“You were more useful when you were cleaning.”

Xiaoxiao looked between them.

Then smiled in a way Lu Chen immediately disliked.

“Do you like my daddy?”

Ruoxi nearly dropped the box in her hands.

Madam Zhou covered a laugh.

Even one of the bodyguards outside suddenly became fascinated by the street.

“Xiaoxiao.”

“What?”

“Go move those jars.”

“I already did.”

“Move them again.”

“That doesn't make sense.”

“Neither does this conversation.”

Xiaoxiao sighed dramatically.

“Adults are difficult.”

She walked away.

Ruoxi waited until the child was out of earshot.

“She is terrifying.”

“Finally, something we agree on.”

Lu Chen was replacing a drawer when Xiaoxiao suddenly called from behind the consultation desk.

“Daddy?”

“What now?”

“I found something.”

He looked up.

She was crouched near the wall.

In her palm was a small black object.

Coin-sized.

Round.

A crescent had been carved into its surface.

Lu Chen's face changed instantly.

“Don't touch that.”

Everyone froze.

Xiaoxiao looked at her hand.

“But I'm already touching it.”

Lu Chen crossed the room in two steps.

He took the object from her.

The moment his skin touched it—

heat.

Not physical heat.

Spiritual resonance.

The black disc pulsed.

His eyes sharpened.

A tracking talisman.

Crude, but functional.

Whoever had broken into the clinic had left it behind deliberately.

Not merely to threaten him.

To mark this place.

Lu Chen wrapped his fingers around it.

The golden point inside his shattered core reacted.

The tracking mark cracked.

Then shattered into black dust.

Wei Jun stared from the treatment bed.

His expression changed.

“What?”

Lu Chen looked at him.

“You recognize it.”

Wei Jun nodded slowly.

“Spirit-Finding Token.”

“How far?”

“Depends who made it.”

“Han?”

“I don't know.”

“How far?”

Wei Jun swallowed.

“Anywhere in Jiangzhou.”

Ruoxi stepped toward Xiaoxiao instinctively.

“They've been tracking this clinic?”

Wei Jun shook his head.

“Not the clinic.”

Lu Chen looked at him.

Wei Jun pointed toward the dust in Lu Chen's hand.

“These tokens attach to spiritual signatures.”

Lu Chen's expression went still.

Ruoxi didn't understand.

“Whose signature?”

Wei Jun looked at Lu Chen.

“Yours.”

Lu Chen looked toward Xiaoxiao.

She was completely unharmed.

Still confused.

Still holding the edge of her oversized coat.

Relief came first.

Then understanding.

If the token had successfully captured Lu Chen's spiritual signature when he destroyed it…

the person on the other end now knew exactly where he was.

And perhaps much more.

Wei Jun's face went pale.

“Doctor Lu.”

“What?”

“We need to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because if that token activated before you destroyed it…”

He looked toward the street.

“…Steward Han knows I'm alive.”

Twenty-seven kilometers away, inside an abandoned textile factory, a man in gray opened his eyes.

A black disc rested on the table before him.

A moment earlier, it had been cold.

Now it burned.

A thin golden crack appeared across its surface.

Steward Han stared at it.

Around him stood seven men.

None spoke.

The crack widened.

Then the token shattered.

Golden light flashed across the dark room.

Han's expression changed.

Not fear.

Recognition.

He slowly stood.

“Interesting.”

One of the men bowed.

“Sir?”

Han looked toward the eastern side of Jiangzhou.

“The rat survived.”

“Wei Jun?”

“Yes.”

“Impossible. You placed the Three-Death Seal yourself.”

“I know.”

The subordinate hesitated.

“Then…”

Han smiled.

It wasn't a pleasant smile.

“Our physician is more capable than expected.”

He stepped away from the table.

“Prepare the car.”

“Where are we going?”

Han adjusted the sleeve of his gray coat.

“To see a doctor.”

Back at the clinic, Lu Chen was staring at the black dust in his palm.

Wei Jun struggled to sit up.

“You don't understand.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don't. Steward Han won't send someone else after this.”

Lu Chen looked at him.

“What will he do?”

Wei Jun's voice became quiet.

“He'll come himself.”

Ruoxi immediately reached for her phone.

“I'll call—”

“No.”

Lu Chen's answer was immediate.

She stared at him.

“You know he's coming.”

“Yes.”

“And you don't want security?”

“No.”

“You don't even know how strong he is.”

“Neither does he.”

Ruoxi stopped.

Lu Chen turned toward Xiaoxiao.

He crouched in front of her.

“You're going to spend today with Grandma Zhou.”

She frowned.

“But I want to help.”

“You already helped.”

“Can I come back later?”

Lu Chen looked into her eyes.

“No.”

She knew that tone.

Her expression became smaller.

“Are bad people coming?”

Nobody in the clinic moved.

Lu Chen could have lied.

For a moment, he considered it.

Then he touched her hair.

“Maybe.”

“Are you scared?”

Ruoxi looked at him.

Wei Jun did too.

Lu Chen smiled.

“A little.”

That surprised everyone.

Xiaoxiao reached forward and hugged his neck.

“It's okay.”

Lu Chen's arms closed around her.

She whispered into his ear.

“You're the best doctor.”

His eyes softened.

Then she added:

“And if the bad people get hurt, you can fix them after.”

Lu Chen remained silent.

Of all the things she could have said—

that was the one that reached deepest.

He kissed her forehead.

“Go with Grandma Zhou.”

Xiaoxiao nodded.

Madam Zhou took her hand.

At the doorway, the little girl turned.

“Daddy.”

“Yes?”

“Don't be late for dinner.”

Lu Chen looked at her.

“I won't.”

She left.

He waited until she disappeared across the street.

Then the warmth vanished from his expression.

Wei Jun saw it happen.

The father disappeared.

The man who replaced him was someone Wei Jun suddenly wished he had never helped hunt.

Lu Chen closed the clinic door.

Turned the sign from OPEN to CLOSED.

Then sat behind his consultation desk.

Ruoxi stared at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting.”

“For Han?”

“Yes.”

Wei Jun swallowed.

“Doctor Lu.”

Lu Chen looked at him.

“Steward Han isn't coming for treatment.”

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair.

Outside, morning sunlight began spreading across Jiangzhou.

He picked up his teacup.

“Everyone who walks into a clinic eventually needs something.”

Wei Jun stared.

“And if what he wants is your life?”

Lu Chen took a sip.

His expression was calm.

Almost peaceful.

“Then he came to the wrong doctor.”

A black sedan turned onto the far end of the street.

Wei Jun saw it through the broken window.

The little color remaining in his face disappeared.

“That's him.”

The sedan stopped outside.

The rear door opened.

A polished black shoe touched the pavement.

Then another.

A thin man in a gray coat stepped out.

He looked toward the clinic.

Smiled.

And began walking toward the door.

Lu Chen set down his cup.

Five years ago, he had abandoned the cultivation world.

This morning—

the cultivation world walked into his clinic.