Chapter: The Trembling DragonThe stillness that had fallen upon the Grand Medical Pavilion after the herb identification round was not the calm before a storm; it was an atmospheric imposition as if a storm upon the ground had just held its breath.Ethan Smith stood with the utmost calm at the long table, brushing away imaginary particles of dried root from his hands. Around him, whispers began to rise like steam. The term "barefoot doctor" was no longer being used with mockery but rather with confusion and suspicion.Overhead, in the shadowy VIP room with one-way glass, the ambiance was utterly poisonous.Heirs of the Vance family, Victor Vance crushed a crystal wineglass in his palm. The red fluid dripped onto the expensive carpet, much like blood."Explain this," he hissed, his gaze trained on the figure of Ethan down below. "You told me he was a nobody. You told me he was a soft-rice man living off the River City hospital director. Since when can a nobody identify twenty herbs by smell in thirty seconds?"A m
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: The Capital's LaughingstockThe Grand Medical Pavilion of the Capital was an imposing emblem. Heavy marble pillars as old as an oak forest, high ceilings that absorbed all sound but the half-dreaming whispers of the nation's medical elite.The mood changed the minute Ethan and Sarah entered through the gilt doors. Not very steady as she ordinarily was, Sarah tugged at her blazer's hem, surveying the crowd: men in bespoke suits, women in designer dresses, and doctors with white coats that cost more than their cars."Ethan," she whispered, drawing closer to him. "Everyone here is either a department chairman or a specialist from the top hospitals. Perhaps we should have prepared a fake resume or something?"Ethan's hands were shoved deeply into his pockets, and his face showed mild indifference. "Why bother? Real skill doesn't need a piece of paper."Rounding the registration booth, a bespectacled clerk glanced up from his clipboard, the pen held in a motionless hovering position."Name and affiliation?""Ethan Sm
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: The Alliance of SnakesLocation: The Onyx Club, Imperial Capital.The Onyx Club was an underground fortress disguised as a gentleman's lounge. It was where the true rulers of the province met to decide the fate of millions.Tonight, the atmosphere in the private VIP room was laden with cigar smoke and anxiety.Lord Julian Vance sat panting at the head of the black-hued table. He was a shadow of a man; his other arm was slung in a sling, bruises covered his face from whatever riot had transpired at his estate, and his eyes seemed to burn in a chaotic, unstable rage.On the other side of the table sat four other powerful men. Four members of the Great Families of the Capital—the titans in real estate, banking, and shipping.In usual times, they would have been rivals against one another. However, fear had bound them into one on this particular night."He sent the monsters back" came the blood-chilling whisper from below. "Twenty genetically modified beasts. He packed them in a box like toys. My entire estate
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: The General’s GiftLocation: The Vance Family Estate in the Imperial Capital.The Vance Estate had its old-world charm, but it was a fortress of wealth. The capital sprawled across fifty acres-the densest yet germane in its expensive district-and so an emblem of old money-infested and ruthless power.Yet the main hall presented the scene far gloomier than that of a grave at this time.Lord Julian Vance-the Patriarch of the clan-strolled ceaselessly on the short Persian rug. He was a most terrifying man with hair like silver and eyes that pierced like a hawk. He held an ebony cane topped with a golden cobra.His son, Lucas Vance, lay on the center of a stretch in the room.Lucas was a mess. His face was wrapped in bandages. His jaw was wired shut. His ribs were in a cast. He was whimpering softly, unable to speak because of the missing teeth."They hit my son in that trash city?" Lord Vance hissed, gripping his cane until the wood creaked. It sounded like a country bumpkin in some trash city dared to tou
Last Updated: 2026-01-07
Chapter: The Night of BloodI jumped from the second-floor balcony like a world champion gymnast.The wind was racing past my ears; I was landed, not with respect-thumping like a superhero but without noise; the leather shoes had stolen every dew drop upon the grass in silence.I was standing right in the center of a lawn, well groomed.Twenty meters away, the darkness of the forest churning. There it was. The "Berserker Puppets" appeared in the moonlight, drooling chemical foam and having their eyes burning red. Once men, now they were turned into biological weapons by Shadow Sect."ROAR!"The leader was a monstrosity, hulking with bulging veins resembling ropes, for although he's first to charge as he covered the distance within 2 seconds, faster than an Olympic sprinter, raised a fist size of a sledgehammer, aiming to create a paste from my head.I didn't move my feet. Just raised my right hand.Between my fingers, the shimmer of three silver needles."You have too much yang fire in your liver," I said calmly
Last Updated: 2026-01-07
Chapter: The Secret of the NecklaceLocation: Sky Garden Villa, the Master Study.The moon hung above River City, shining like a pale coin through the bulletproof glass windows of the villa.The din of the auction house felt like a distant memory. The silence here was complete.I sat at my mahogany desk. On a velvet cushion in front of me lay the Heart of the Ocean.The huge blue gem sparkled under the desk lamp. It was flawless. Deep. Mesmerizing. It cost a billion dollars. This was the GDP of an entire country.Sarah was standing beside me, staring at it. She was frightened to touch it."Ethan," she muttered. "We really... we really spent a billion dollars on this? It's beautiful, but... that's a lot of money.""Money is just paper," I said, peering into the depths of the blue stone. "This necklace is worth something beyond its monetary value. It cost my mother her life."One could almost feel Sarah's shock in the silence. She placed her hand gently on my shoulder. "Your mother... was she wearing it when...?""Yes."I
Last Updated: 2026-01-07
