The arrival of Taishang Laojun was like dropping a depth charge into a lake already roiling with undercurrents. The ripples it caused far exceeded Lin Fan's expectations. This seemingly ordinary old man, holding an enamel mug, redefined the order of things simply by being there.
The foremost of the Three Pure Ones, the Heavenly Worthy of Virtue of the Great Clarity. The weight of that title was enough to make Yuanshi Tianzun set aside some of his dignity, Master Tongtian suppress his fury, and Goddess Nüwa regard him with respect. The arrangement inside the rental apartment had subtly changed without a sound.
Laojun didn't try to take center stage. He chose the most inconspicuous corner of the room—near the door, where the air circulated well and the light was just right. He didn't even ask for a cushion. Instead, he somehow produced a folding stool—perhaps from the pocket of that ordinary-looking gray jacket—unfolded it with practiced ease, and sat down. Then he placed the enamel mug, in which three "Demonic Qi Pills" were steeping, beside his feet. He looked as relaxed as any retired old man you might see in a park.
And yet his presence changed the atmosphere of the entire room. A "balanced and peaceful" Dao rhythm of "governing through non-action" naturally spread through the space, like a lubricant, quietly easing the conflict between Yuanshi's "order," Tongtian's "sharpness," Nüwa's "creation," and Gong Gong's restless "baleful energy." He wasn't suppressing them, but harmonizing them, allowing these utterly different, even opposing, forces to find a temporary balance in which they could coexist.
Lin Fan held that box of "sugar pills" as if it were a mountain of gold—no, something even more precious! He asked carefully, "Senior Laojun, you... you said just now that you wanted another place setting. Do you mean you'll be staying here for the time being, too?"
He glanced around the ten-square-meter room, which already housed four top-tier figures from the Primordial Era, plus an unstable Ancestral Shaman, and felt like he could barely breathe. This wasn't just cramped living. It was like squeezing the entire Zixiao Palace into a matchbox!
Hearing that, Laojun nodded with a smile, then shook his head. "Though this place is humble, it has the warmth of everyday life. It will make for an interesting experience. But staying here long-term would be unsuitable for your cultivation and for my alchemy." He looked out the window. "This Residential Complex is full of people. Birth, aging, sickness, and death continue without end. It would be a good place to contemplate the Dao of 'life' in this world. I can find another place to stay within the complex. In my spare time, I can treat the neighbors' minor ailments and help them care for their health in exchange for some necessities, so I won't have to live off my savings."
He said it so naturally, like a newly arrived traditional Chinese doctor planning his retirement. But to Lin Fan, it was like a thunderclap!
Taishang Laojun wanted to open a clinic in this old residential complex?! Become the neighborhood's old Chinese doctor?!
Lin Fan's mouth fell open. He imagined Laojun in a white coat—or perhaps still in that gray jacket—with reading glasses on, taking people's pulses and writing prescriptions... The image was too beautiful; he couldn't bear to look! More importantly, could anything Laojun did really count as simply "treating minor ailments"? He had just casually "made tea" and resolved a crisis that could have destroyed a city!
"Senior Laojun... wouldn't that be... too shocking?" Lin Fan swallowed with difficulty and tried to put it tactfully. He was afraid Laojun might give someone a dose of "medicine" and make a dying patient start leaping around, or even ascend on the spot—which was an exaggeration, of course. That would be a real mess.
"Heh, you worry too much, young friend." Laojun stroked his beard and chuckled, his gaze profound. "A physician follows nature. The medicine must suit the severity of the illness, and the dosage must be measured accordingly. Though I am no great talent, I have some understanding of this world's ordinary ailments and medicines. I should not endanger anyone's life. Besides..." He gestured toward the enamel mug beside his feet. "Some 'difficult and complicated illnesses' require special 'ingredients' to treat them properly."
Lin Fan looked at the "tea" steeping with Demonic Qi Pills and twitched at the corner of his mouth. He understood. Laojun was treating medicine as another form of "alchemy" and "research." It let him become part of life in this world and observe its people, while also giving him a chance to gather "special materials"—such as difficult illnesses and any unusual energies that might exist. Perhaps he could even make a little money to help with household expenses. Laojun might not understand the concept of money, but Lin Fan certainly did!
It was an unusual idea... but maybe it could work? At least it sounded more normal than having Goddess Nüwa sell paintings. Lin Fan wasn't sure.
"Senior Brother's desire to heal the world and experience the lives of its people is certainly a boundless merit," Yuanshi Tianzun said. He didn't seem surprised by Laojun's decision and instead voiced his support. "However, rules must be set. You cannot casually reveal the supernatural and disturb this world's established order. The medicines used should be based on principles ordinary people can understand, with only the slightest guidance from your arts."
Yuanshi was still the same, concerned with rules and consequences.
Tongtian snorted and said nothing, but he didn't object either. Perhaps he thought Laojun becoming a doctor was more agreeable than Yuanshi standing around lecturing everyone with a stern face.
Nüwa spoke gently. "Eldest Senior Brother is compassionate. Though the mortals of this world lack the longevity and supernatural abilities of Primordial Era beings, the cycle of life and death, their love and hatred, are still wondrous workings of creation. Experiencing them up close may help us understand this world's laws."
Since none of the Saints had explicitly objected, Lin Fan could only steel himself and agree. "All right... I'll keep an eye out for a storefront or a ground-floor apartment for rent in the complex, Senior Laojun."
"No need to trouble yourself." Laojun waved a hand, rose from the folding stool, and brushed off his clothes. "I'll find a place myself. You go about your business." With that, he really did walk out, carrying the enamel mug. His retreating figure looked just like an ordinary old man taking a stroll after a meal.
Lin Fan watched Laojun disappear through the doorway, his mind in turmoil. He had a feeling that this seemingly most peaceful of them all might actually be the one most likely to "cause trouble."
Lin Fan spent the next half day feeling uneasy. First, he carefully packed the two paintings of Nüwa that Yuanshi had chosen, Ink Bamboo Painting and Mountain Mist Painting, then contacted Jiade Art Gallery to arrange a consultation that afternoon. That went smoothly enough. The auction house staff were very enthusiastic when they heard over the phone that he had "ancient-style paintings of lofty artistic conception."
With some time left in the morning, he continued searching online for suitable properties and showed Yuanshi and Nüwa several options he had shortlisted. Yuanshi was quite interested in an abandoned sanatorium on the outskirts of the city. It was backed by a small hill and had a private courtyard and basement. He thought the relatively secluded location offered enough space, and that the existing buildings could be modified with a Saint's abilities to provide good concealment and security. Nüwa cared more about the surroundings. She thought the place's proximity to nature would help Gong Gong recover and help her contemplate creation.
Tongtian remained silent and raised no objections to the location, though he still occasionally glanced at Gong Gong with a complicated expression. With Nüwa's continued reassurance and the influence of Laojun's harmonizing Dao rhythm, Gong Gong had become much more stable. He slept most of the time, still clutching the three broken artifacts in his arms as if they were the sole reason for his existence.
At noon, Lin Fan prepared lunch as usual. Following the instructions for Laojun's "sugar pills," he tried one himself. It dissolved in his mouth, and a gentle, pure warmth instantly spread through his limbs and body. It not only swept away the fatigue and mental exhaustion that had built up over the past few days, but even gave him a clearer understanding of the Supreme Clarity Heart-Cleansing Mantra! The effect was practically miraculous! He carefully put away the remaining "sugar pills." They were absolutely priceless resources for saving his life and cultivating!
That afternoon, Lin Fan prepared to take the paintings to Jiade Art Gallery. Before leaving, he glanced in the direction Laojun had gone and silently prayed that the old man wouldn't make too much of a scene.
But some things seemed fated to happen.
Just as Lin Fan left the complex and headed for the city center, a brand-new wooden sign appeared outside a street-facing shop in his old residential complex. It had once been a small grocery store, but it had closed down after years of poor business. No one knew when the sign had gone up. It was white with black lettering.
Two characters had been written on it in neat regular script: "Ask Heart."
Below the sign was a slightly faded piece of red paper bearing several lines of handwritten text: "Care for the body and mind. Answer questions and resolve doubts. Consultation fee at your discretion; medicine charged separately."
Outside the shop sat the familiar folding stool. Taishang Laojun—or rather, an old man calling himself "Li Er"—sat on it, holding his signature enamel mug. His eyes were narrowed as he watched the residents coming and going, and his face wore a gentle smile. He looked like a traditional Chinese doctor who had been practicing here for years.
His arrival didn't attract much attention. The complex was full of elderly residents, and it wasn't unusual to see someone playing chess with a fan in hand or setting up a fortune-telling stall. An ordinary-looking old man claiming to "care for the body and mind" was hardly worth getting excited about. When the occasional familiar old man or woman passed by and asked, "Old Li, are you new around here? I've never seen you before," Laojun simply nodded with a smile. "Yes, I just moved in. I've got time on my hands, so I thought I'd help everyone with their minor ailments."
His manner was so natural and unremarkable that everyone instinctively assumed he was just a retired old man with a bit of education, indulging in a hobby—or looking for an excuse to chat with people.
Until...
Liu, the complex's famous "perpetual patient," slowly wheeled herself up to the Ask Heart clinic. She was in her seventies and suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis and heart and lung failure. She had been taking medication for years and could barely walk. The slightest change in the weather made her ache all over and left her gasping for breath. She was a regular at the hospital, and the doctors had said her condition could only be managed, not cured.
"Sir, can you really treat illnesses?" Liu asked weakly, willing to give it a try. She had been tormented by pain for so long that she was desperate. Whenever she heard of a "folk remedy" or an "old Chinese doctor," she wanted to ask about it.
Laojun—Li Er—looked up at her. His gaze passed over her as if it could see through her clothes and flesh to the blocked meridians and failing organs within.
"Madam, do your joints ache sharply all over, especially on rainy days? Do you also suffer from chest tightness and shortness of breath, and find it hard to sleep at night?" Laojun asked calmly.
Liu froze. She hadn't even told him her symptoms! "How... how did you know?"
"I can tell from your complexion." Laojun smiled and gestured for Liu to hold out her wrist.
The pulse-taking took only a moment. Laojun rested his fingers lightly on Liu's wrist for a few seconds, then drew them back.
"It's nothing serious, just a minor ailment." His tone was casual, as if he were remarking on the weather. "Cold dampness has built up inside you, your circulation is poor, and your heart and lungs are weak. Let me help you get things back in order."
As he spoke, he rummaged in the pocket of his gray jacket and took out a small paper packet. It seemed to contain a few unremarkable dried roots and leaves. Then he produced an even smaller porcelain bottle and poured out a brown pill. Its color was duller than the "sugar pills" Lin Fan had received, and its fragrance was faint.
"Boil these herbs at home in three bowls of water until only one bowl remains, then drink it before bed. You can take this Qi-Soothing Pill now." Laojun handed Liu the packet and pill.
Liu accepted them skeptically, eyeing the unremarkable herbs and pill with misgivings. Would they really work? So many good medicines from the hospital hadn't cured her...
"Your fee..." Liu hesitated, reaching for her money.
"Whatever you feel is right." Laojun waved a hand and took a sip from his enamel mug. "If it helps, just come by again sometime."
Seeing that Laojun didn't seem like a swindler—after all, he hadn't asked for money—Liu thanked him and went home, still clutching the packet of herbs and the pill with some doubt. She wasn't expecting much. She was just trying anything she could.
Yet a miracle happened that very night!
Liu followed the instructions, boiling the herbs and drinking the decoction before taking the Qi-Soothing Pill. Within an hour, she felt a warm current rise from her lower abdomen and circulate through her body. The sharp joint pain that had tormented her for years eased considerably! The tightness in her chest disappeared, and she could breathe more easily than she had in ages! That night, she slept soundly for the first time in over a decade!
The next morning, Liu actually managed to brace herself against the wall and slowly walk out of her apartment. She even took a stroll around the complex! She was moving slowly, but she no longer needed her wheelchair!
The news spread through the complex as if it had grown wings!
"Have you heard? That new old man, Old Li, is amazing! One dose of medicine cured Old Lady Liu!"
"Really? She's had that illness for so many years..."
"It's true! I saw her out for a walk this morning! She looks much better!"
"My goodness, could Old Li be some hidden master physician?"
In no time, the area outside the Ask Heart clinic went from deserted to packed with people! Many elderly residents with chronic illnesses and old ailments, and even people whose conditions hospitals had labeled "difficult to diagnose," came to see him, hoping for the best.
Laojun turned no one away and remained as calm and unhurried as ever. He looked, listened, asked, and took pulses—mostly for show—then either prescribed a few seemingly ordinary herbs or produced one or two pills of different colors. He still charged "whatever people felt was right." Whether someone paid a lot, a little, or nothing at all, he just smiled.
But the results were astonishing!
The blood pressure of people with hypertension stabilized after taking his medicine; the blood sugar of people with diabetes went down; the old aches in people's legs disappeared after they used his medicinal plasters. One old man who had suffered from paralysis after a stroke for many years even managed to raise his hand, trembling, after taking Laojun's "Blood-Activating Pills" for three days!
Not one treatment failed! Every patient who came under his care showed marked improvement—improvement so dramatic it overturned everything modern medicine understood!
"Divine Doctor! Doctor Li is a true miracle worker!" Praise like this quickly filled the entire complex and began spreading to the surrounding neighborhoods.
When Lin Fan returned from Jiade Art Gallery that afternoon—the auction house had been astonished by Nüwa's paintings and had given him an initial valuation so high it made his head spin—he was nearly scared to death by what he saw in the complex. A long line had formed outside the Ask Heart clinic. Men and women, young and old, all looked eager and were talking excitedly about the wonders of "Divine Doctor Li."
He pushed through the crowd and saw Laojun seated on his folding stool, still holding his enamel mug and smiling as he took a patient's pulse. Lin Fan's vision went dark.
This is bad... He'd still managed to make a huge scene!
After waiting until Laojun finished seeing a patient, Lin Fan hurriedly lowered his voice and said, "Senior Laojun! This... isn't the effect a little too... too good? It's going to cause trouble!"
Laojun looked up at Lin Fan, still wearing that gentle smile. "Don't panic, young friend. Everything I use is the essence of plants and herbs found in this world, combined with the slightest guidance to stimulate the body's own vitality. It follows this world's principles of medicine. As for the results... well, perhaps the people of this world respond especially well to my 'guidance'?"
His explanation was airtight. He attributed everything to "good herbs" and "remarkable guidance" without mentioning miraculous elixirs. But Lin Fan knew that those supposedly ordinary herbs and that so-called "guidance," once they passed through Laojun's hands, could turn the rotten into the miraculous!
"But there are so many people... Reporters will show up soon, and then... officials!" Lin Fan fretted. Chen Jing was keeping an eye on them, after all! Anyone with half a brain could tell something was off when a "divine doctor" who could cure every illness suddenly appeared!
"Don't worry." Laojun was perfectly composed. "If they come, I'll see them. If they ask, I'll answer. My work follows this world's Great Dao of medicine. What is there to fear? Besides..." He gave Lin Fan a meaningful glance. "This may be an opportunity to have a deeper... discussion with this world's 'guardians of order.'"
Lin Fan froze, then immediately understood what Laojun was after. He was using his identity as a "divine doctor" as a relatively gentle, easily accepted point of entry to establish contact with the authorities. Compared with Yuanshi's coldness, Tongtian's arrogance, and Nüwa's otherworldliness, the image of "a traditional Chinese doctor with remarkable medical skills" would be far easier for worldly authorities to understand and accept. It would also give them an advantage in negotiations.
Brilliant! Truly brilliant!
Lin Fan couldn't help admiring Laojun's far-sightedness. He wasn't just practicing medicine; he was playing a much bigger game!
Just as Lin Fan had expected, the fame of the Ask Heart clinic and Divine Doctor Li spread like a virus. That very evening, the local television station's public-interest news program reported on the story. Its cautious wording called him "a mysterious new traditional Chinese doctor in the neighborhood, drawing attention for his remarkable skills," but the report had already sparked widespread discussion.
Posts and videos about him also appeared online. Some praised him as "a hidden master among ordinary people," while others questioned whether it was "a publicity stunt" or "the use of banned drugs."
Eventually, the pressure reached Chen Jing.
Late that night, in the familiar monitoring center, Chen Jing stared at all the available information about "Li Er" and the Ask Heart clinic, her brow furrowed. There was almost nothing on record. This "Li Er" seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, with no history at all. And his "medical skills" far surpassed modern medicine—even the known limits of supernatural abilities couldn't explain them.
"Team Leader, we tested the 'medicine residue' from the patients," a technician reported. "It consists of ordinary Chinese herbs. There's no unusual energy radiation or unknown substance. But the results... are impossible to explain. We secretly collected blood samples from some of the recovering patients. Certain immune markers and levels of cellular activity were astonishingly healthy. Some even showed... slight signs of rejuvenation!"
Rejuvenation?!
Chen Jing drew in a sharp breath. This wasn't just medical skill. It was practically a miracle!
"What has the target 'shelter' been doing?" Chen Jing asked gravely.
"Target Lin Fan went to the Jiade Art Gallery auction house this afternoon. He seems interested in selling works of art. Targets Yuanshi, Nüwa, and Tongtian have not left the premises. As for 'Li Er'..." The technician paused, sounding a little perplexed. "An analysis comparing residual energy signatures shows that his aura matches the unknown entity that appeared suddenly yesterday and resolved the water crisis. The match is as high as 99.7%!"
As expected!
Chen Jing closed her eyes and felt a headache coming on. Another one had appeared! And this time, he had made a high-profile entrance! An entity that could resolve a city-wide crisis with a casual gesture and cure countless difficult illnesses with a few herbs... His threat level and potential value both needed to be reassessed!
"Team Leader, should we make contact?" a subordinate asked.
Chen Jing thought for a long time, then slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp. "Don't make any rash moves for now. He may be testing us. Increase surveillance and gather more data. At the same time, send an expert team in the name of the health department to make contact in person, using 'research into traditional folk medicine' as a pretext. Find out what he can do and what he wants."
She paused, then added, "Notify the higher-ups. There's a new individual associated with the target 'shelter.' Give him the codename... 'Medicine Immortal.' His risk assessment is tentatively 'B-medium,' but raise both his potential controllability and cooperation value."
"Understood!"
Once the orders were given, the investigation into and outreach to the Ask Heart clinic and Li the Divine Doctor began immediately.
And it all seemed to be exactly what Taishang Laojun had expected.
He still appeared at the clinic at the same time every day, sitting on his little folding stool and holding the enamel mug that seemed never to run dry, smiling as he received each patient who came to see him. When the people posing as experts from the health department tried to probe him, he answered every question smoothly, citing medical texts—those from this world, of course—and attributing every miraculous result to "a family secret remedy" and "personal experience." They couldn't find anything to use against him.
He even began teaching some elderly residents simple health exercises. The movements were slow and gentle, seemingly ordinary, but subtly aligned with breathing techniques and the circulation of qi and blood. The elderly who practiced them regularly all felt much healthier.
Divine Doctor Li's reputation continued to grow. Even some wealthy and influential people began using connections to seek treatment in secret. Laojun remained as approachable as ever, neither fawning nor arrogant, and his medicines always worked.
Watching Laojun turn a potential crisis into a successful "public image" and "network-building" operation, Lin Fan admired him completely. An old hand really did know best!
But no matter how much one wished for peace, trouble kept coming. Just as the Ask Heart clinic's reputation was soaring and Laojun seemed to have settled into neighborhood life, a far greater disturbance aimed at him—or rather, at the force behind him—was quietly approaching.
Several days later, one morning, several black luxury cars screeched to a stop in front of the Ask Heart clinic, rudely blocking the people in line. The doors opened, and a group of burly men in black suits and sunglasses got out first, clearing the crowd with an intimidating air.
Next, a middle-aged man in a tailored suit, with a large belly and an arrogant expression, stepped out, accompanied by an old man in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses who looked equally proud.
The middle-aged man glanced at the ordinary people waiting in line, a look of disdain flickering in his eyes. Then he turned his gaze to Laojun, seated on his folding stool, and spoke in a condescending tone, thick with an accent:
"You're the one with the surname Li? I hear you've got some skills. Come with me. Our boss wants to see you."
Before you continue