"Although I am merely an intern, I have known since the day I chose to pursue medicine that a doctor's sacred duty is to save lives. There is no need for this!"
As he spoke, Lin Hao stepped forward and helped the parents up one by one.
"Little divine doctor, my family has only one heir for five generations! If my son had died, I would have failed my ancestors. You saved my entire family!"
"Little divine doctor, words are not enough. There is one million in this card; please, you must accept it!"
Though Lin Hao was still a poor young man, he had received the inheritance of Xianyimen, and he was not surprised by the parents' reaction. After all, no amount of money could compare to a human life. In his memories, when the healers of Xianyimen treated others, some had even gifted them an entire mountain as a consultation fee.
These parents were all wealthy or influential, and they were sharp. Seeing one of them offer a million in cash, they quickly stepped forward to present their business cards and ask for Lin Hao's contact information, promising that if he ever needed anything in the future, they would be at his beck and call. After all, Lin Hao's medical skills were nothing short of miraculous; befriending such a divine doctor was equivalent to having an extra life in times of crisis.
Watching Lin Hao earn a million and build such valuable connections with just a few needles, Huang Jianguo and the others were filled with envy. But envy aside, they knew Lin Hao deserved it. After all, they lacked his superlative medical expertise.
The man who had been silently watching everything from the back, however, felt his heart churning. As the eldest son of the Dong Family in Jiangbei City and the next patriarch, Dong Tiande felt a wave of panic wash over him. He recalled how, in a fit of rage earlier, he had nearly ended Lin Hao’s life, and after Lin Hao saved his son, he had only allowed his bodyguards to toss a few stacks of cash at him to brush him off.
Coming from a powerful elite family, he knew the value of a divine doctor like Lin Hao. He hurriedly took out his phone and ordered his subordinates to mobilize the family’s resources to fully investigate Lin Hao’s background. He knew that throwing more money at him now would only be counterproductive. Only by understanding what Lin Hao truly needed could he gain his forgiveness and resolve the conflict.
Meanwhile, Gong Han, the director of the emergency department, who had been ignored in the corner, felt like dying. Everything had been perfectly planned. As long as he succeeded in framing Lin Hao for the death of the Dong Family’s eldest grandson, he would receive ten million from the second young master of the Dong Family. Once that second young master ascended to the position of patriarch, his own future would be set. But he had calculated everything except the fact that Lin Hao possessed the ability to bring the dead back to life.
*If you’re so skilled, why didn't you just say so?* he thought bitterly. *Is it fun for you to pretend to be a weakling as a lowly intern?*
Realizing he couldn't stay here any longer, Gong Han decided to leave immediately to discuss countermeasures with the second young master. If Dong Tiande found out he was the one who poisoned his son, he wouldn't survive the day.
Seeing Lin Hao turn the tide, Liu Zhaoliang of the Health Bureau let out a long sigh of relief. The mass fainting of over a dozen children at Tianxing International Kindergarten had attracted the attention of the city’s top officials, and a crowd of media was waiting outside the hospital. Now that Jiangbei Hospital had successfully saved all the children, he could finally finish his report.
"Mr. Lin, you’ve done me a huge favor this time. Here is my business card. If there is anything I can do for you, just say the word."
Lin Hao retrieved all his silver needles and glanced at the card. "There actually is something I need you to preside over right now."
Hearing this, Gong Han, who was just about to sneak away, was terrified to the point of incontinence. He looked at Lin Hao with a face full of horror, his eyes pleading.
"Mr. Lin, feel free to speak your mind," Liu Zhaoliang said, patting his chest.
Lin Hao cast a look of disdain at Gong Han and said to Liu Zhaoliang, "Based on my diagnosis, the Dong Family’s grandson and these children were poisoned, which is why they ended up this way."
*What? Poisoned?*
The news sent shockwaves through the room. Everyone stared at Lin Hao in horror. Liu Zhaoliang’s jaw dropped in disbelief. "Who could be so malicious, so utterly insane?"
Lin Hao replied, "You would have to ask our Director Gong."
Gong Han’s face turned deathly pale. His eyes filled with terror, and his legs trembled until he collapsed onto the floor. Seeing his reaction, everyone understood instantly.
"Gong Han, did you do this?" Huang Jianguo, the president of Jiangbei Hospital, who had been silent for a long time, could no longer sit still and shouted the question.
"President, I... I..."
"It really was you! You bastard! Who gave you the nerve? Do you have any idea what this means? You’re going to get me killed!"
Seeing Gong Han’s shifty eyes, Huang Jianguo was so enraged he slapped him across the face. His own face burned with shame; he had previously favored Gong Han and even followed his suggestion to fire Lin Hao. Now that Lin Hao had proven himself a divine doctor, Huang Jianguo felt like killing Gong Han. He had originally hoped to keep Lin Hao, but now, not only was that impossible, but he might even lose his own position as president due to the fallout.
Dong Tiande, witnessing this, began to tremble uncontrollably. *So that’s it! That’s it!* No wonder his own brother had kept pushing him to send his son to Jiangbei Hospital for treatment. It all made sense now; his brother must have colluded with Gong Han to poison his son.
"You dog! You even dared to poison the son of Dong Tiande? I’ll kill you!" Dong Tiande, his eyes bloodshot with rage, kicked Gong Han squarely in the face. Blood began to pour from Gong Han’s face.
The other parents, seeing this, were furious and rushed forward to punch and kick Gong Han. Realizing this man had nearly killed their children, they couldn't hold back. In an instant, Gong Han was beaten until he lay on the ground like a dead dog, in a miserable state.
At this, Huang Jianguo said with disgust, "Gong Han, I must have been blind to let you into Jiangbei Hospital. Someone like you isn't fit to be a doctor. From this moment on, you are fired!"
Gong Han’s eyes were vacant and dead; his heart was filled with despair.
Lin Hao watched this coldly and then said, "President Huang, is firing him really enough? Gong Han nearly killed so many people; this is a criminal case of attempted murder. As the president, is that all you're going to do?"
Huang Jianguo’s face turned green, and just as he was about to say something, Liu Zhaoliang spoke up: "Young Mr. Lin is right. This kind of rotten apple in the medical world who lacks all morality should be sent to prison to rot."
Hearing Liu Zhaoliang’s words, a glimmer of light returned to Gong Han’s hollow eyes. Under current law, he wouldn't face the death penalty since no one had actually died. He was greedy, lustful, and cowardly—as long as he could survive, he didn't want to die.
*Hmm?* Seeing the look of joy in Gong Han’s eyes, Lin Hao paused, then realized his own mistake. He had initially wanted Gong Han to be arrested and face the ultimate punishment, but he realized now he had oversimplified things. He turned his gaze to Dong Tiande.
Dong Tiande, furious to his core, had long wanted to tear Gong Han to pieces. But having heard Lin Hao mention the criminal case, he wanted to do him a favor. Seeing Lin Hao look at him, he said, "Divine Doctor Lin, why not leave this man to me? I, Dong Tiande, will handle this properly." He then gave Lin Hao a look that said *you know what I mean.*
"No! Please, no! Lin Hao, I beg you, do not hand me over to the Dong Family! I have elderly parents and young children! If you give me to the Dong Family, I’m finished!" Gong Han panicked. Finding strength from somewhere, he scrambled up to grab Lin Hao’s leg, wailing loudly.
Huang Jianguo stood with a stern face, silent. Liu Zhaoliang and Dong Tiande looked at Lin Hao, clearly leaving the decision to him.
Looking down at the wretched Gong Han, Lin Hao felt no pity. Recalling how he had been framed and chased like a stray dog, his anger flared up.
"You still have the face to beg for my pity? When you were poisoning them, did you think about the fact that they were just children? Did you think about the fact that I was nearly destroyed by you? Tell me, why should I pity you?"
"I..." Gong Han was left speechless, collapsing onto the floor like a pile of sludge.
Seeing Lin Hao’s attitude, Dong Tiande called for his bodyguards. "Take him back to the Dong Family. I want to make sure he wishes for death but cannot find it!"
Dong Tiande waved his hand, and the bodyguards immediately grabbed Gong Han by the hair, dragging him out like a dead dog.
"Divine Doctor Lin, I am deeply sorry for everything that happened before. To express my apologies, the Dong Family has just built a five-star hotel in Jiangbei. You must accept it. I will send someone to handle the transfer for you when I return!"
Lin Hao wanted to refuse; deep down, he didn't want any further entanglement with the Dong Family. But Dong Tiande left in a hurry before he could speak, leaving Lin Hao to sigh helplessly.
At this point, Liu Zhaoliang said, "I wonder what your plans are, Young Mr. Lin? I still have some influence at the City Hospital. With your medical skills, how about coming over to be a department director?"
Hearing this, Huang Jianguo became anxious. Since both the Health Bureau Director and the Dong Family were showing Lin Hao such respect, if he really became a director at the City Hospital, he, as the president of Jiangbei Hospital, would become the laughingstock of the entire city.
He quickly added, "Lin Hao, as long as you stay at Jiangbei Hospital, I will immediately apply to make you the vice president!"
Hearing this, Lin Hao replied to Liu Zhaoliang, "Thank you for your kindness, Director Liu, but I have other plans for the future." He then looked coldly at Huang Jianguo and said, "As for Jiangbei Hospital, it’s not worth staying in!"
***
Chapter 6: The Beautiful Roommate
Vice president of Jiangbei Hospital?
If this were the old Lin Hao, hearing President Huang humbly ask him to be vice president would have made him jump for joy, wondering if his ancestors’ graves were suddenly emitting smoke of good fortune—though he didn't even know where those graves were.
But times had changed! Huang Jianguo had previously listened only to Gong Han’s side of the story and publicly fired him in front of everyone. Why should he stay now, only to live under someone else’s roof and be treated as a convenience? Furthermore, he now possessed the medical inheritance of Xianyimen. Wouldn't it be far better to open his own clinic and truly bring Chinese medicine to its zenith?
Rejected so forcefully and left with no face, Huang Jianguo felt as though he had been slapped hard across the cheek. It stung. But seeing the high regard in which the Health Bureau Director held Lin Hao, he dared not lash out and had to swallow his anger.
Seeing Lin Hao’s position, Liu Zhaoliang could only say regretfully, "Very well. If you change your mind, feel free to call me anytime!"
It was past six o'clock in the evening when Lin Hao walked out of the gates of Jiangbei Hospital. After a short chat with his mother on the phone, he tried calling his girlfriend, Li Yan. He called over ten times, but she didn't answer. Since he had started his internship, he hadn't seen her in person. Usually, she would reply via phone or WeChat saying she was busy, but he hadn't expected her to stop answering entirely today.
Lin Hao frowned, grabbed a meal at a restaurant, and returned to his apartment. Just as he finished a refreshing hot shower, he heard movement outside. He opened the door to find his roommate, Wang Xuewen, just getting home from work.
Wang Xuewen was twenty-seven, three years older than Lin Hao, and worked in real estate sales. Standing at the doorway, she was changing her shoes. She wore a dark blue cheongsam, and as she bent over slightly, her graceful curves were beautifully outlined. Her legs were fair and slender, exposed by the high slit of the cheongsam, and her tiny feet, slightly lifted, were delicate and exquisite.
A smile played on Lin Hao’s lips as he calmly appreciated this woman, whose elegance seemed to transcend time. The old Lin Hao wouldn't have dared to think such things, knowing that a woman like Wang Xuewen was a rarity in society, far beyond the reach of a lowly intern. But now, whether it was the influence of the Xianyimen inheritance or something else, Lin Hao felt that everything was different. The ambition that had been suppressed deep in his heart seemed to have been released.
"Did I disturb you?" Wang Xuewen looked up, her beautiful eyes brightening as she smiled slightly.
Lin Hao shook his head with a smile, continuing to admire the view. Wang Xuewen’s long, wavy black hair was draped over her shoulders, and her bright, watery eyes seemed capable of speech. Her face, oval-shaped, was lightly made up with perfectly applied eyeshadow, and her delicate, crimson lips were slightly curled upward.
"That’s a relief..." After changing her shoes, she tapped her chest lightly, a natural charm in her movements. "See you later, Mr. Lin. It’s time for my face mask." She glanced at the watch on her slender wrist, waved at Lin Hao, and walked into her room.
They had been roommates for over half a year. Lin Hao knew her character well. She was a woman who valued money and aimed to marry into a wealthy family, or at the very least, own a house and car in the core district of this first-tier city with over ten million in savings.
But Lin Hao didn't look down on her for it. She was smart and had her own bottom line. She knew her greatest assets were her beauty and body, and even in the chaotic world of real estate sales, she didn't easily cave to subtle suggestions or the line of suitors pursuing her. At twenty-seven, she remained self-respecting and was waiting for the right opportunity.
Watching her door close, a smile formed on Lin Hao’s lips. Once her door was fully shut, he went back to his room, his mind racing through the events of the day. After a moment of reflection, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began to study the Xianyimen inheritance.
Xianyimen was a sect of immortals who entered the Dao through medicine, and the entire sect was composed solely of women. How the inheritance had fallen to a man, Lin Hao did not know. Aside from the peerless medical skills, martial techniques, and mystical arts, he discovered a mysterious point of light deep within his consciousness that seemed to be beckoning him.
He cleared his mind and focused his consciousness on that point of light. "The Hongmeng Sutra?"
He discovered that the point of light contained a mysterious cultivation technique that was also suited for healing. He found he could only access the "Mortal Volume" of the Hongmeng Sutra for now. He suddenly remembered the woman’s plea he had heard when he was unconscious. After checking the rest of the inheritance and finding nothing else, he gave up, assuming his current cultivation level was simply too low.
He began to practice the Hongmeng Sutra. Soon, he felt a wisp of warm *true qi* rise in his *dantian*, moving automatically through his body. As the *qi* grew stronger, he felt an extreme sense of comfort.
The next morning, Lin Hao woke up with a sharp gleam in his eyes. He jumped off the bed, filled with excitement. He never expected that in just one night, he would reach the Eighth Layer of the Body Tempering Stage. Even the Foundation Establishment Stage felt within reach. Most exciting of all was that he had developed his *spiritual sense*; everything within a one-meter radius was within his perception.
He could clearly see his own meridians, bones, and blood. Walls could not block his sight. He mischievously looked toward Wang Xuewen’s room, but his range was still too limited to see what he wanted. He realized his rapid progress was largely due to the energy from the mysterious birthmark that had accompanied him for twenty years—a mark that had disappeared from his chest and now resided deep in his consciousness.
He knew that such rapid progress wouldn't continue; the world’s *spiritual qi* was too thin. Fortunately, the Xianyimen inheritance held countless pill recipes; he could use alchemy to improve his cultivation.
"Damn!" He suddenly realized his body was covered in a layer of black, sticky filth. He smelled like he had fallen into a sewer, and it had ruined his clothes and bedsheets.
After another shower and throwing away the ruined items, he left his apartment feeling refreshed. He grabbed breakfast and headed to the largest traditional Chinese medicine center in Jiangbei City. He planned to send 500,000 of the million from the parents to his mother, and use the remaining 500,000 to buy the ingredients for his first batch of pills.