The Divine Realm.
Sea God Tang San, who had just parted on bad terms with God King of Destruction, sat upright in his chair, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest, his brows furrowed beneath a gloom that refused to lift.
Suddenly, Tang San stiffened and snapped upright.
At that very moment, the fortune of the Douluo Continent plane began to fluctuate and twist violently.
"Could something have happened to the Child of Luck?"
But then he thought it over. The Child of Luck was favored by the plane, so even if he faced hardships, his life could never be in danger. It was even less likely that he'd suffer some unforeseen accident out of the blue on the Douluo Continent.
Even so, God King Tang still wasn't at ease. Through the Divine Realm's central hub, he turned his gaze toward the Douluo Continent below.
"As expected, it's the plane consciousness of the Douluo Continent causing trouble."
God King Tang gave a cold snort. "Let's see you stay active for a little while longer, and then..."
Before he could finish, his divine sense abruptly halted, and the coldness in his eyes was instantly replaced by astonishment.
"Hmm? Where's the Child of Luck?"
Before he'd even finished his threat, God King Tang finally realized what was missing from the Douluo Continent.
The brilliant pillar of fortune he'd locked onto from the moment of birth, the one representing Dai Yuhao, had vanished from the Douluo Continent without a trace, as if it had evaporated into thin air!
Ever since the day Dai Yuhao was born, Tang San had already brought this future pawn into his sights.
Since Dai Yuhao was still young and it wasn't yet time to set his plans in motion, he hadn't interfered too much.
In his plan, as long as the child embarked on the path of a Spirit Master, he would gradually fall under Tang San's control.
But now, where had such a big Child of Luck gone?!
A figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Destruction!" Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot in an instant, and he panted like an ox. "It was you! What exactly did you do?!"
Before the Child of Luck disappeared, Destruction had just happened to be here!
He'd dared touch someone Tang San had his eye on. He'd dared ruin Tang San's plans. Destruction deserved to die!
Douluo Continent, Balak Kingdom, Guyan Village.
Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er had been living in the village for two days.
The wooden hut they lived in wasn't cramped. Many years earlier, when an injured Spirit Master had come to the village to recuperate, the villagers had joined forces to build it for him.
After the Spirit Master had recovered, he'd left behind a few Gold Soul Coins and departed, never to be heard from again.
The hut had been empty for nearly ten years. It had gathered some dust, but it remained sturdy and intact, making it just the place for the homeless mother and son to shelter.
Dry firewood the villagers had brought was piled in a corner of the hut. The stove and storage shelves were stocked with coarse grains, vegetables, and pickles donated by the neighbors—enough for the mother and son to get by until they earned their first bit of money.
Huo Yun'er had always been dexterous. During the day, she followed Auntie Wang and Sister-in-Law Li at the head of the village, learning to weave bamboo baskets and embroider plain handkerchiefs. In just two days, she'd already become quite skilled.
The next time the village peddler went to Feimu City, she could ask him to take these handmade goods to sell, in exchange for some salt, cloth, and a little spare change to help with household expenses.
For the past two days, aside from cultivating, Huo Yuhao had spent all his time trying to figure out the golden finger that had affected his Innate Soul Power.
But no matter how intently he focused inward or probed with his spiritual power, the only thing he could "see" was the Bronze Gate floating deep within his sea of consciousness.
"Could my golden finger really just be this Bronze Gate?"
Huo Yuhao sat on the bluestone slab in front of the house and carefully examined the Bronze Gate.
At last, he spotted something unusual on the dragon-shaped relief on the left-hand door.
The winding, coiled dragon relief should have been carved without pupils, yet at the position of its eye was a reddish-black mark that glimmered strangely. It was as if someone had quietly breathed a spark of life into this ancient carving.
There was something strange about it!
"Just how am I supposed to activate it?" Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows. "Is my Soul Power too weak, or is there some other hidden condition I haven't met?"
This was exactly when having a system came in handy.
If there was a problem, it really would remind you.
Just as he was racking his brains without finding an answer, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from the village entrance, mixed with a child's shouts and breaking the village's quiet.
"Come quick! A doctor's come to the village to treat people for free!"
A child of about eight came running into the village, panting and shouting as he ran. Villagers began emerging from their homes.
Huo Yuhao looked up and saw a tall figure slowly approaching along the field path outside the village.
The man looked to be around thirty. He wore a clean, blue-gray long robe and carried a heavy woven-bamboo medicine case on his shoulder.
His hair was casually tied behind his head with a wooden hairpin. A few strands of ink-black hair fell beside his ears, making his skin look all the more clear and fair. Though dust from the road clung to him, it couldn't hide the gentle, jade-like air about his brows.
As the man drew near, a rich but not overpowering medicinal scent drifted over, mingling with the smell of grass in the fields and bringing an inexplicable sense of calm.
"May I ask who this gentleman is?"
A middle-aged villager was the first to step out of his home. He looked the newcomer over curiously.
Guyan Village lay in a remote border region, and visitors from elsewhere were few and far between.
The man stopped and gave the villagers gathering around him a slight bow. His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze sweeping across a wheat field, clear and pleasant to the ear. "I'm Ye Cangwu, a physician traveling far and wide. I was passing through and saw how peaceful your village was, so I thought I'd stay for a couple of days. I'll examine everyone for free while I'm here. It's just a small way of doing my part."
As he spoke, his eyes were clear and open. His gaze swept over the villagers' mud-spattered clothes and calloused hands without a trace of disdain or aloofness.
"You'll really treat us for free?" The villagers immediately perked up, their faces full of delight.
Guyan Village was a long way from Feimu City. When people fell ill or got hurt, they usually either toughed it out or relied on folk remedies passed down by the village elders. It was rare to meet a proper physician.
They set up the free clinic beneath the old locust tree at the head of the village. The villagers quickly brought over an old wooden table and a long bench, along with some cool tea, and soon everything was ready.
Ye Cangwu didn't stand on ceremony. Once seated, he smiled warmly at the villagers gathered around him. "Don't rush, everyone. One at a time. I'll take my time examining you."
The villagers worked hard year-round and were mostly in good health. After a round of examinations, most of their ailments were minor—colds, overwork, indigestion—and nothing serious.
For those who needed medicine, Ye Cangwu took herbs from the Soul Tool he carried, weighed and combined them on the spot, and carefully explained how to boil and take them, along with the precautions. His movements were practiced, and he was patient and meticulous.
After watching for a while, Huo Yuhao hurried back home and tugged at Huo Yun'er, who was sitting by the window embroidering a handkerchief. "Mother, your health has always been poor. Come on, let's have that doctor take a look at you."
Huo Yun'er put down her needle and thread. Seeing how anxious her son was, she smiled gently, rose, and followed him toward the old locust tree.
By then, fewer villagers remained at the table, and some of the herbs in Ye Cangwu's Soul Tool had been used up. Yet he still wore a gentle smile, without the slightest trace of impatience.
When Huo Yun'er stepped forward, the gentle expression on Ye Cangwu's face suddenly tightened, and his brows grew grave.
Huo Yuhao's heart clenched. He instinctively looked up at Huo Yun'er, a trace of unease passing through him.
He'd already brought his mother away from the White Tiger Duke Mansion and into the world of Dou-I. Could he still not escape a plot-mandated death?
"Please, madam, have a seat. I'll take your pulse." Ye Cangwu gestured for Huo Yun'er to sit, his tone more serious than before.
Huo Yun'er paused, then sat down on the bench and gently rested her wrist on the pulse pillow. "Sorry for the trouble, doctor."
Ye Cangwu placed his fingertips on her pulse and fell silent for a moment.
"Doctor, how is my mother?"
As the saying went, you weren't afraid when a traditional Chinese doctor smiled at you—you were afraid when his brows lowered.
When a physician with superb skills suddenly fell silent, it was terrifying.
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