The midnight rain beat hard against the windshield of the black car as it raced through the wet city streets. Dustin pushed his foot flat on the gas pedal, his hands gripping the leather steering wheel until his fingers turned white. Beside him in the passenger seat, Seraphina held his arm tightly, her silver eyes filled with deep worry.The red telephone call had come only ten minutes ago from the factory security team. His younger cousin Leo had been found lying in a pool of his own blood on the cold concrete floor of the pump house. The young man who had smiled so brightly at dinner was now fighting for his last breath in the city trauma bay.The tires screeched across the wet asphalt as Dustin pulled the car right up to the emergency room doors. He did not wait for the engine to stop before pushing his door open and leaping out into the pouring rain. His white coat whipped in the cold wind as he sprinted through the automatic glass doors with Seraphina right behind him.The bright

The morning sun rose bright and warm over the tall glass towers of the Grand Convention Center. Dustin stood by the entrance steps, holding the small black recorder safely inside his white coat pocket. Beside him, Seraphina smoothed the collar of her silver dress, her eyes full of calm strength."Everything is ready in the main hall, Lord Dustin," Commander Jones said in a low, steady voice. "Our men have already taken over the video control room on the second floor," he reported with a quiet smile. Dustin nodded his head and said, "Then let us go inside and finish this matter today."Inside the grand hall, three thousand rich business leaders, city officials, and top doctors filled every velvet seat. Long red banners hung from the high ceiling, showing the gold logo of the Morris Medical Group. Over eighty television news cameras stood along the walls, sending the live morning show to millions of homes across the country.At the center of the brightly lit stage, Austin Morris stood t

While the night sky above Vanguard Headquarters stayed clear and peaceful, a black car sped out of the city gates. The street lamps faded behind it as the vehicle rushed into the cold, misty northern mountains. Inside the passenger seat, Dean Gregory Stone clutched his bruised neck, his heart racing with bitter fear.Young Master Austin was already locked away in a dark federal cell with zero bail. The Morris family’s vast wealth had turned into dust, and police sirens had filled the lower streets all afternoon. But Gregory Stone had managed to slip through the back alleys before the armed marshals could kick down his office door."That little peasant boy ruined everything we built with his dirty voice tape," Stone spat through his dry, cracked lips. "He thinks he has won because the police took Austin down," he whispered, staring out into the dark trees. "He forgot that the true masters of high medicine live far above the reach of city courts," the corrupt dean snarled.The car climb

Three days passed quickly across the city as the morning sun rose over the historic Jade Phoenix Pavilion. Dustin folded the red silk scroll into his pocket, stepping out of the black car with Seraphina right by his side. Today was the day of the Imperial Spring Medical Summit, where five hundred master doctors had gathered from every corner of the country.The ancient wooden pavilion was three stories tall, built with carved cedar beams that smelled of rich pine and burning herbal incense. Inside the grand hall, tiered wooden balconies circled the high walls, packed with five hundred famous physicians wearing traditional robes. The sound of excited whispering filled the warm air as everyone waited for the promised contest of needles to begin.In the center of the raised platform sat Lin Tian, dressed in glowing white silk robes stitched with golden dragon clouds. Thirty young disciples stood in two neat lines behind his wooden chair, each holding an antique bronze box of polished nee

Ten black clay jars were brought out by four disciples and set down on the center table. A heavy, bitter smell immediately rose into the warm air of the wooden hall, making several elderly doctors cough. Lin Tian wiped the cold sweat from his red face, his eyes glaring at Dustin with burning hatred.Elder Lin Senior stood up from his high wooden chair, tapping his brass cane twice against the stage floor. "These ten black jars hold the ten deadliest plant poisons known to our ancestors," the old patriarch declared in a loud voice. "Each man must identify five poisons by taste and mix a cure using common kitchen things within ten minutes," the elder announced firmly.On a side table sat small bowls of plain kitchen items, like brown sugar, ginger, black charcoal, and white salt. The five hundred watching doctors leaned over the wooden railings, their faces pale with deep worry for both men. Even a single drop of these ancient wild poisons could stop a man's heart or rot his stomach in