The Alley's Sorrowful Cries Draw the Dragon's Gaze · A Benevolent Heart Bathes in Spring Rain

As he strolled through the city, a strange sense of dissonance washed over him.

The main streets were wide and clean, soul-guidance streetlamps shone brightly, and shops lined both sides. Many were lavishly decorated and made use of Soul Guidance Technology. Soul Masters and wealthy folk dressed in fine clothes, while carriages and horses came and went—a truly flourishing scene.

But as soon as he turned into one of the nearby alleys, the view changed abruptly. Low houses crowded together, the streets narrowed, and the air was thick with the smell of old things and cheap food.

Shabby commoners and children with numb expressions could be seen everywhere. Compared to the splendor of the main city, it was like another world.

"Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat go to waste; on the road, frozen bones lie dead... Every world is the same."

Long Jinyu sighed softly. As a humanities student who had lived through an age of information overload, he was no stranger to such class divisions. But seeing them with his own eyes still stirred his feelings.

The only thing that made him feel a little at home was the strong ancient Hanxia style that seemed to seep from the city's very bones—

Pavilions and towers with upturned eaves, shops with richly carved beams and painted rafters, and passersby dressed in garments steeped in antiquity...

All of it reminded him that this world, created by people from Hanxia, had ultimately preserved the cultural roots of his homeland. It was some comfort after his transmigration.

But a television... That thing's appearance was absurdly out of place.

"Ma Xiaotao said... the Sun Moon Empire had them a few years ago?" He rubbed his chin, brows knitted. "I've only been here two days, so it obviously didn't come with me. That seems to leave just one answer—there are others like me?"

The thought made his heart beat a little faster.

"Other Transmigrators? They sparked a technological revolution in the Sun Moon Empire? If so... that would explain things... If I could find their group, maybe we could discuss a way back to Blue Star? Or at least band together for warmth?"

He couldn't help thinking of Bone King's "Ainz Ooal Gown mode"—gathering his companions;

and a fanfic about everyone transmigrating to Douluo.

But the next second, he doused his own hopes with a bucket of cold water.

"What am I thinking... The circumstances are too different. Back in Douluo I, at least, Spirit Hall had everyone covered. Awakening your Martial Soul at six was the bare minimum."

"In this damn era of Absolute Tang... Evil Soul Masters run rampant, the class system is rigid, and ordinary people can barely stay alive."

"Unless they're cheats like me, or transmigrated into a major power's disciple, they probably died ages ago... Gather my fellow countrymen? I might end up sending them straight to the Holy Spirit Cult to be slaughtered..."

"The fact that Tian Meng and Electrolux are still with Yuhao says it all. Those 'predecessors' are either quietly building themselves up, or... have long since vanished without a trace."

"Ugh..."

Long Jinyu realized that whether he wanted to uncover the truth or do something about it, he couldn't achieve either right away—not after only two days here, with no foundation to speak of.

Change Shrek?

Build a faction of his own?

Why was he thinking about that again?

There was still a long road ahead.

There was plenty of time...

As he let his mind wander, his gaze suddenly caught on a building in the distance, its style strikingly different from everything around it.

It was a tall, snow-white building, square and simple in shape, utterly at odds with the antique buildings surrounding it.

Most conspicuous of all was a huge red cross made of crystal, suspended at the center of the roof!

Long Jinyu stopped dead, his eyes widening.

"A hospital?! A modern hospital?!"

"How did I not notice it this morning?!"

"They had this stuff during Peerless Tang Sect?! You've got to be kidding me!

"Masaka..."

"Could there really be a senior Transmigrator?! And they even created a medical system?! Do they have a 'Lingshu Salvation System'?!"

This was far more shocking than the television!

He could still blame the television on Soul Tool Technology taking a bizarre turn, but that unmistakable red cross and the standardized modern hospital building...

His intense curiosity and a faint hope of finding someone "like him" instantly overwhelmed everything else.

He unconsciously spread his dragon wings and flew toward the building with the red cross. He desperately wanted to see what was inside. Did it have a familiar registration desk, examination rooms, white coats?

Before he could reach the hospital entrance, a stifled yet unmistakable wail came from a nearby alley. The voice was full of despair and pleading.

Long Jinyu furrowed his brow and looked toward the sound.

Near the hospital's side entrance, a young girl was tugging at a doctor in a white robe, pleading desperately.

The girl looked young, around fourteen or fifteen. She had a slender figure and wore a coarse cloth dress that had been washed until it was faded white and even patched in places.

Her long, golden-blond hair fell in sunlit waves, now somewhat disheveled over her shoulders.

Her small, oval face was pale as a sheet, and tears brimmed in her light yellow eyes, rolling down one after another.

Her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll's, but now they were drawn tight with grief and pleading, giving her a heartbreaking air of fragility.

"Doctor, please! I'm begging you! Please take another look at my mother! There must still be a way, right? The money... I'll find a way to get it! I'll scrape together enough, I promise!"

The girl's voice caught with sobs. She was on the verge of dropping to her knees, every word steeped in helplessness and despair.

Long Jinyu stopped despite himself and slowly landed.

At first, he had only found the scene heartbreaking. But then he paused.

A blonde girl?

A poor family?

A gravely ill mother?

Several clues clicked together in his mind.

"Wait... Why does this setup seem so familiar?"

"Jiang Nannan?! No, that can't be right! In the original story, her mother had already..."

He immediately understood, his pupils contracting. "It must be because of this hospital! The hospital that might have been founded by a Transmigrator affected the original story! Mother Jiang... might have survived this long because of it?!"

His mind raced. Without thinking, he hid in the shadows at a street corner and held his breath, watching what was happening.

The doctor sighed helplessly, gently pried the girl's hand away, and spoke with the weariness of a medical professional and a trace of sympathy.

"Miss, it's not a matter of money. It's not that we don't want to save her..."

"Your mother's old injuries damaged her heart meridians. Now her lungs and kidneys are failing too. Even when a Soul Skill meant to strengthen her constitution is channeled into her, it can't stop her life force from dissipating. An ordinary healing-type Soul Master could at most buy her a few hours, and medicine would be a drop in the ocean."

"Our director is away, and no one knows where he is. Right now, unless the Medical Immortal Douluo from the Star Luo Empire came in person, there might be a sliver of hope... But..."

The doctor didn't finish, but his meaning was clear enough. The deputy head of the Star Luo Empire's Offering Hall was no one a little girl without connections could summon.

The girl swayed at his words. Her face grew even paler, and the light in her eyes dimmed little by little until only boundless despair and darkness remained.

She let go and leaned helplessly against the cold wall, her shoulders trembling. Her silent sobs were even more heartbreaking than her earlier pleas.

Long Jinyu pushed aside his tangled thoughts about "others like him."

Saving someone came first. He quickly stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the golden-haired girl, who was still weeping silently, and the doctor, whose face was full of helplessness.

His footsteps rang unusually clearly in the silent alley entrance.

The girl and the doctor both looked toward him instinctively.

When they saw Long Jinyu's face, an unmistakable flash of astonishment crossed both their eyes.

What a beauty... She seemed to belong to another world.

The doctor froze for a moment. He had seen many Lord Soul Masters at this hospital, but never one with such a singular, striking air.

The girl had even forgotten to cry. Her light yellow eyes stared blankly at Long Jinyu, and a faint blush rose unbidden on her pale cheeks.

Long Jinyu came closer, his gaze passing warmly over them both. He got straight to the point. "You two, forgive the interruption. I happened to pass by and overheard your conversation."

His voice was clear and gentle, carrying a reassuring strength.

As he spoke, he raised a fingertip. A wisp of soft, rich emerald light bloomed, like the tenderest shoot of early spring, brimming with a vast vitality as it gently surrounded the doctor and the girl.

In an instant, both felt an indescribable comfort seep through every limb and bone.

The weariness of the past few days and the anxiety in their hearts seemed to be washed away by that warm, pure life energy. They felt utterly refreshed, and even their breathing became remarkably smooth.

The doctor's eyes flew wide open, his face filled with disbelief!

Th-this level of life energy! So pure, so vast! It seemed... not the least bit inferior to the director's?!

No, it might even be... purer! His gaze toward Long Jinyu instantly filled with reverence.

"Miss...?" The doctor instinctively addressed her with honorifics, his voice trembling with excitement. "You..."

Long Jinyu nodded slightly and withdrew the life energy, speaking calmly. "Hello. I know a little about healing Soul Skills. Could I take a look at the patient? Perhaps I can help."

His words were like music from heaven, instantly rekindling the hope that had almost gone out in the girl's eyes!

"Really?! Big sister! Can you... can you really save my mother?!" The girl was so overwhelmed that she could barely control herself. She nearly threw herself into Long Jinyu's arms, tears welling up again—this time tears of joy. "Please, save my mother! If you can save her, I, Jiang Nannan, will work like an ox or a horse to repay you!"

Jiang Nannan! It really was her!

The last of Long Jinyu's doubts settled. Feeling the girl trembling violently and relying on him completely, his heart softened. He gently patted her back and spoke even more tenderly, soothing her. "Don't panic. Take me to see her. I'll do everything I can."

"All right! All right! Thank you, big sister! Thank you!" Jiang Nannan sobbed uncontrollably, gripping Long Jinyu's hand and refusing to let go.

The doctor finally came to his senses and hurried forward to lead them, his manner utterly respectful. "Miss, please! Right this way! With you here, the patient will surely be saved!"

As they entered the hospital lobby, Long Jinyu quickly surveyed the place.

The interior was even more like a modern hospital: bright, clean lights; registration and payment windows; medical staff in white or pale blue uniforms hurrying about; and the faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

The only difference was that some of the equipment seemed to carry faint fluctuations of Soul Power, incorporating Soul Tool Technology.

His gaze fell on the sign at the reception desk by the main entrance—Yanhuang Lingyun Medical Mansion.

Yanhuang!

Long Jinyu's heart jolted.

It was confirmed!

That naming style, that interior layout—there was no way it could have come from a native power of Douluo Continent! It was one hundred percent the work of a fellow countryman!

He suppressed the urge to investigate immediately and focused on saving the patient.

The doctor led them down a corridor to a room whose door bore a special symbol.

Through the glass, they could see a woman lying inside, her face ashen and her breathing faint. Several tubes were connected to her, along with a Soul Tool monitor that blinked steadily as it displayed her vital signs. A breathing-assistance device covered her nose and mouth.

"This is the room." The doctor spoke softly and pushed the door open.

The ward was very quiet, with only the faint hum of the equipment. The woman's eyes were tightly shut, her brow furrowed in pain. Her hair was dry and gray-white; clearly, she had suffered from her illness for a long time.

Seeing her mother in this state, Jiang Nannan's tears fell again.

Long Jinyu's heart gave a faint twinge. Back on Blue Star, the sight he had hated most was people suffering from illness. That same sense of helplessness seemed to surface once more.

He steadied himself and cast aside his distracting thoughts. "Things are different now. I have power."

He walked to the bedside, uncertain whether he could save her. This was his first time facing such a critical case, and he still had only a vague understanding of his own abilities, so he couldn't help feeling nervous.

But as the Nine-Colored Dragon God, master of Ultimate Life, how could he be inferior at healing to the Healing Angel of the Medical Immortal Douluo?

Without further hesitation, Long Jinyu raised his hand. Rich emerald light, almost tangible, surged from his palm like a warm tide, instantly enveloping Mother Jiang on the bed.

The light flowed, and the breath of life surged.

Almost as soon as the light surrounded her, the woman's ashen face grew rosy at a visible speed. Her faint breaths became steady and strong. Even her hair, turned gray-white by injury and illness, miraculously regained its brilliant golden luster, starting at the roots!

Within a few breaths, the light faded.

The woman on the bed's lashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes. Though they were still somewhat dazed, they were clear and alert. She instinctively raised a hand to touch her face, feeling the abundant vitality in her body that she had not experienced in so long.

"I... What..."

"Mom!"

Overcome with joy, Jiang Nannan threw herself against the bedside and hugged her mother tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

The doctor stood nearby, dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open. She was... healed?! Even the director probably couldn't restore her vitality so effortlessly and in an instant!

Long Jinyu was a little astonished himself. He knew Ultimate Life was powerful, but he hadn't expected it to be this heaven-defying. This wasn't just healing—it was almost the nourishment and reversal of life itself!

The system's evaluation flashed through his mind—

"Of extremely little social value on Blue Star" and...

"Here, you possess the supreme Dragon God Bloodline, with limitless potential..."

Complex emotions welled up inside him. That was right. On Blue Star, he couldn't change a thing, but here, he possessed the power to bring people back from the brink of death! If only he'd had this power sooner...

Long Jinyu looked at the mother and daughter holding each other, his heart full of emotion. Since he had the ability, he should do more.

He gently closed his eyes and brought his hands together again, soft green light shining from them.

"'Domain: Dragon Bathing in Spring Rain—!'"

In the next moment, centered on him, ripples of emerald light spread gently outward, quickly sweeping across the entire Medical Mansion.

Wherever the ripples passed, the pain of injured patients in the wards quietly vanished, broken bones mended, and chronic ailments faded away. In the corridors, patients who had struggled to move were astonished to find their strength returning...

The entire hospital first fell into a strange silence, then erupted into a great uproar and cries of joy!