Itinerant Healer, Cure-All

Old Wang gave a meaningful look.

An excited Gabe hurriedly lay down on the bed, pretending both his legs were broken.

Robbie took a deep breath and tried to make himself look less happy, though it was difficult... Then he went to open the door.

Skye leaned against the wall, playing on her phone. She flashed Old Wang a V-sign, meaning, "Everything you told me to handle is taken care of. No need to worry about anyone checking."

Old Wang nodded with a smile and gave her a thumbs-up.

I can't exactly eat Master Kong in front of outsiders. And there's that recently popular Lao Gan Ma too. Being rude is one thing, but what if they take a liking to it? Should I refuse, or just make a move?

Lao Gan Ma was expensive, and Master Kong was not cheap either!

If Los Angeles did not have the oldest Chinatown in the United States, where they could find pretty much anything available back home, he might not have been able to buy them at all...

Especially Dried Bamboo Shoot Braised Pork Noodles and Snow Bamboo Shoot Shredded Pork Noodles. Old Wang loved those. The fresh, tender taste of bamboo reminded him of the wonderful days on the Wandering Isle and in Pandaria.

The door opened.

Two people stood before them.

A man and a woman.

One tall, one short.

One wore a warm, enthusiastic smile, while the other was expressionless and cold as ice.

The man was fire, the woman ice; the man tall, the woman short. Their strengths complemented each other perfectly. What an exquisite pairing.

Old Wang took one look at them and was utterly impressed by the professionalism of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:

They're still working after getting hurt this badly?

Doesn't it hurt?

Of course, they looked perfectly normal on the surface. There was no sign of injury at all. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were highly skilled at disguise.

"Mr. Robbie Reyes?"

The man was polite and smiled amiably. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Defense, Attack, and Logistics Agency. This is Agent Melinda May. We have some questions for you and your brother concerning your uncle, Eli."

The two showed their credentials.

"Say that again?" Robbie acted somewhat dazed.

It was not the first time he had heard that name, but it was far too long. He honestly could not remember it!

"You're not the first person to say that... Fine, you can call us 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'"

Coulson maintained his smile with great poise and glanced into the room, his gaze lingering on Old Wang and Skye for two seconds each. "And these two are? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we cannot have outsiders present for this conversation."

"This is Mr. Wang, and this is Miss Skye." Robbie did not introduce them further. The more he said, the more likely he was to make a mistake. It was better to let the two of them handle things themselves.

"Gabe's legs are broken, so Mr. Reyes asked me to come examine him. Miss Skye is my assistant... All right, you talk. We'll go out for a walk."

Old Wang rubbed his stomach. This was the perfect chance to go get something to eat.

He casually glanced at Robbie. Buddy, keep up the act!

"Wait."

Melinda May, who had not spoken until then, suddenly fixed her gaze on Old Wang. "Mr. Wang, are you Chinese?"

"My heart is Chinese, but my nationality is American... I was born in an orphanage in New York's Chinatown." Old Wang stopped walking and answered in Chinese.

"I'm sorry." There was not the slightest hint of apology on Melinda's face.

Though orphans were pitiful, and meeting a fellow countryman gave her a trace of warmth, as a Chinese American S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who could barely speak Chinese fluently, she cared more about Old Wang's identity. "Mr. Wang, are you a doctor? Orthopedics? You can't be over twenty, can you? Are you a medical student?"

"An itinerant healer. I just turned eighteen."

Old Wang pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Melinda. "Come find me if you need anything. Fair prices, honest dealing... Don't worry, I don't take advantage of women either."

Try taking advantage of one, then... Melinda took the card and looked at it, her expression turning somewhat strange.

"What does it say?" Coulson leaned over, and his face darkened.

They were Chinese characters. He could not recognize a single one...

This was the United States!

Just because he was from Chinatown, did that mean he did not want any other customers?

"An ancestral secret formula. Specializing in bruises and fractures, infertility, endocrine disorders, broken arms and legs, back pain, leg pain, full-body pain, frequent urination, urgent urination, incomplete urination... and all kinds of difficult and complicated ailments. Below are his name, phone number, and address." Melinda translated.

Coulson: "..."

He might as well have just said he could cure everything!

Young people really did talk big.

After thinking for a moment, Melinda asked again, "Mr. Wang, how much do you know about Chinese mythology? For example... K'un-Lun?"

Coulson gave Melinda a very surprised look.

You suspect he's the Kunlun Iron Fist?

That's impossible. Agent Romanoff said that reaching the level of the Kunlun Iron Fist would take at least forty or fifty years—perhaps even seventy or eighty.

So you think he might know the Kunlun Iron Fist?

That made sense.

The Kunlun Iron Fist had broken Eli out of prison and taken him away.

Robbie was Eli's nephew.

This Mr. Wang had appeared in Robbie's home.

There might be some connection here that he did not know about. Perhaps Mr. Wang was also from K'un-Lun, or perhaps he was connected to the Kunlun Iron Fist...

"K'un-Lun? A mountain."

Old Wang shrugged. "They didn't teach us that in the orphanage, so I don't know much. You could buy a book on Chinese mythology, or watch the National Geographic Channel... May I leave now?"

"I'm sorry, and thank you for your cooperation. You may go." Coulson smiled.

Old Wang and Skye left.

"Wang, aren't you worried?"

After they had walked nearly fifty meters, Skye lowered her voice. "S.H.I.E.L.D. came right to our door, and that Melinda obviously suspects you!"

"I expected it. If they couldn't even investigate this much, would the government's annual funding for S.H.I.E.L.D. really be higher than that of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation?"

Old Wang looked completely unconcerned. "Eli escaped from prison, so it's normal for S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep an eye on Robbie. Looking into us was just incidental. All right, stop worrying about that. Let's go eat."

"And then?" Skye felt that Old Wang was being far too carefree.

What she did not know was that his skill had given him courage.

He had found his Golden Finger, so why would he still need to play it safe like before?

Of course he had to live it up!

In this world, connections, wealth, and power were certainly important, but the defining feature of the Marvel Universe was that strength mattered more.

Old Wang had strength.

As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. did not intend to kill him at any cost, he would not die.

What the hell is there to be afraid of?

Egghead was old, cunning, and calculating. Coulson was tolerant and kind. What S.H.I.E.L.D. should be doing now was tearing into Hydra.

Under such circumstances, they would not casually make enemies, especially enemies who were hard to deal with!

That had actually been one of Old Wang's purposes in making Hydra take the blame yesterday.

Only by muddying the waters

could he fish in troubled waters.

"And then? Watch a movie, get a room... We can't stay at Robbie's place forever. It's inconvenient."

Old Wang smiled and looked eastward. "After that, it'll be time to return to New York... We've been gone so long. Those old men and women must miss me by now, right?"

"They miss your medical skills." Skye smiled as well.

Half an hour later.

"Mr. Reyes, thank you for your cooperation. If Eli contacts you, please get in touch with us immediately." Coulson stood to take his leave.

"I will." Robbie forced a smile and closed the door.

Coulson and Melinda walked fifty meters away and got into the red sports car.

As Coulson started the engine and stepped on the gas, he asked, "May, what do you think?"

"Robbie and Gabe's expressions were off. They should be hiding something from us. Eli most likely contacted them."

Melinda frowned. "There's something strange. Half a month ago, Robbie and Gabe were attacked by members of the Fifth Street Gang. Gabe's leg was broken, yet Robbie was completely fine. That's not likely... The people who investigated the hospital said that when Robbie brought Gabe in, he didn't even have any burn injuries. Very strange."

Coulson nodded. "That's one suspicious point. What else?"

Melinda stared at the business card in her hand. "Skye was a little nervous, but that Mr. Wang's expressions and movements were perfectly natural. Either there's nothing wrong with him, or he deserves an Oscar for Best Actor. I think we should put him under surveillance."

"I'm afraid we don't have the time. Besides, I believe everything he said was true, though it definitely wasn't the whole truth. An investigation probably wouldn't get us very far."

Coulson raised his communicator. "The Director wants us to return to headquarters immediately and report. Also, the Director is planning to make a move against Hydra!"