Saving a Life and an Invitation from the Mob

Time always passed quickly at school, and in the blink of an eye, it was the weekend again.

Early Saturday morning, Lin Hai pushed open the doors of the Chen-Style Chinese Medicine Clinic, and the wind chimes rang crisply.

He took a deep breath, letting the familiar scent of medicinal herbs fill his lungs—the bitterness of angelica root mingled with the smoky aroma of moxibustion, along with the fragrance of Master Chen's favorite Tieguanyin tea.

"You're here?" Chen Bing looked up from behind the medicine cabinet, his hair meticulously combed. "The Dendrobium Orchids in the backyard need watering. New York has been rather dry lately."

Lin Hai nodded, set his backpack on a wicker chair in the corner, and headed for the backyard.

After all this time, the plants in the herbal shop next door had grown lush in a way that was clearly unusual. Chen Bing was neither blind nor foolish; naturally, he could tell something was off, and he could also guess that Lin Hai possessed some special abilities.

After all, in the United States of this Marvel Universe, there was S.H.I.E.L.D., while China had S.P.E.A.R.

Though S.P.E.A.R. was also a secret organization, Chen Bing was a direct disciple of the Chen-Style Taiji martial arts lineage, so he could access at least some public information.

Thus, Chen Bing knew there were superpowered individuals in this world. Not long ago, based on the strange state of the herbal shop, he had roughly guessed that Lin Hai was one of them.

But so what? Lin Hai was Chinese, just like him, and more importantly, he was Chen Bing's first disciple. Chen Bing was open-minded about it. Since Lin Hai did not bring it up, he could not be bothered to ask.

In the backyard, Lin Hai crouched before a row of orchid-like plants, his fingertips gently brushing their leaves. The Dendrobium Orchids trembled faintly beneath his touch, their pale purple blossoms unfurling at a visible speed. He closed his eyes and felt the energy the plants returned to him.

"Lin Hai! Come out front! Emergency!" Chen Bing's shout broke his meditation.

Lin Hai hurried back to the reception area and saw a burly middle-aged man holding an unconscious teenager. Sweat covered the man's forehead, and the front of his short-sleeved shirt was soaked through.

"Please, look at my son!" the man said hoarsely. "He's been like this since last night. Those damned gangs!"

Chen Bing had already pulled out an examination bed. "Lay him flat. Tell me slowly."

Lin Hai helped settle the boy down. He looked around fifteen or sixteen, his face bluish, his lips an unnatural blackish purple, and his breathing weak yet rapid.

He rolled up the boy's sleeve and found several suspicious needle marks on the inside of his forearm.

"A new drug!" The man clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his voice trembling. "Devil's Breath. That's what they call it. Those thugs lure kids near schools into trying it for the first time!"

Chen Bing took the boy's pulse, his frown deepening. "Severe suppression of cardiopulmonary function. Toxic reaction in the liver. Lin Hai, get the silver needles and some detoxifying powder."

Lin Hai quickly prepared the acupuncture kit. At the same time, he secretly pulled a small cloth pouch from his pocket—it contained special licorice roots he had cultivated with energy. This enhanced licorice had dozens of times the detoxifying potency of ordinary varieties, but it had never been tested on a human.

Chen Bing began the acupuncture treatment, inserting silver needles precisely into points such as the philtrum, Neiguan, and Zusanli. Lin Hai took the opportunity to press a small slice of licorice root beneath the boy's tongue.

"What does that do?" the man asked nervously. As a regular customer of the clinic, he did not question a treatment like acupuncture.

"It clears the mind, opens the senses, detoxifies, and supports the body," Chen Bing said, fully focused as he manipulated the needles. He did not notice Lin Hai's small movement.

Three minutes later, the boy's eyelids began to twitch. Five minutes later, he coughed violently and spat out a black mass that looked like both clotted blood and phlegm.

"Oh God!" The man dropped to his knees by the bed, tears pouring from his eyes. "Marco? Son? Can you hear me?"

After a while, the boy slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Dad? What happened to me...?"

Chen Bing let out a long breath. Even he was somewhat exhausted as he withdrew the needles. "The critical period has passed, but he'll need to keep taking medicine to clear the toxins."

He turned to Lin Hai. "Go prepare a dose of Coptis Detoxification Decoction, and add... wait." He suddenly lowered his voice. "What did you give him just now?"

Lin Hai's ears reddened. "Just some modified licorice, to help with detoxification."

Chen Bing gave him a long look but said nothing more. He merely nodded. "Add five qian of poria and three qian of raw licorice."

All morning, Lin Hai stayed busy brewing medicine and monitoring the boy's condition. By noon, Marco was already able to sit up and drink porridge, and the bluish tinge had faded from his face.

His father was named Antonio, an Italian-American auto mechanic. He kept tightly clutching Doctor Chen's hand and thanking him over and over.

"Doctor, this is a miracle! The children in hospitals who take Devil's Breath stay unconscious for at least three days! Whether they wake up depends entirely on God's mercy! You saved Marco's life! You saved mine too!"

Chen Bing modestly waved a hand. "Chinese medicine has thousands of years of experience in detoxification." He added sternly, "But the real cure is staying away from drug dealers and gangs."

Antonio nodded and took out his wallet. After Chen Bing calculated the medical fees, he said, "When you have time, take this child out to have some fun. Let him eat something good. Tell him life is far more wonderful than those drugs."

After seeing off the endlessly grateful father and son, Lin Hai was about to clean up the examination bed when Doctor Chen suddenly pressed a hand to his shoulder. "That 'modified licorice' of yours—just how modified is it?"

Lin Hai swallowed. "Not that much. It just grows a little faster, and the concentration of active ingredients is a little higher." His voice lacked confidence.

"My dear eldest disciple..." Doctor Chen sighed. "I know you have a certain 'special talent,' but you must be especially cautious when using it on patients. Clinical trials are a hurdle the medical field can never bypass. We got lucky today, but what if there had been an adverse reaction?"

Lin Hai lowered his head and admitted his mistake. "You're right. I just saw that the child was in critical condition, so..."

Even though he did not believe there would be any adverse reaction, he knew his master was concerned for him, so he readily admitted fault.

"A healer's compassion is not wrong, but methods matter too." Doctor Chen's tone softened. "Tell me first next time, all right?"

Lin Hai nodded, but his thoughts lingered on the drug called Devil's Breath. Something capable of causing such severe toxicity in such a short time could not be an ordinary street drug.

Three evenings later, after school, Lin Hai was organizing herbs in the clinic when the front door was suddenly pushed open, making the wind chimes ring sharply. He looked up to see five burly men in black suits filing inside.

"Is Doctor Chen here?" the bald man at the front asked, his voice like sandpaper scraping.

Lin Hai set down the medicine grinder, his fingers quietly hooking around a packet of anesthetic powder hidden beneath the counter. "The doctor is out on a house call. How may I help you?"

The bald man did not answer. Instead, he surveyed the clinic, his gaze lingering on the medicine cabinets and acupuncture charts. "Our boss would like to invite Doctor Chen and his little assistant for a visit. I heard you cured someone poisoned by Devil's Breath?"

The hairs on the back of Lin Hai's neck stood up. These men did not look like they had come seeking treatment. "It was just an ordinary Chinese medical treatment. If your boss needs medical care, he can make an appointment during clinic hours."

"Kid," the bald man said with a grin that revealed a gold tooth, "this isn't a request."

Two suited men walked toward the counter. Lin Hai's fingers tightened as he prepared to scatter the anesthetic powder, but the clinic door opened again—it was Chen Bing, carrying his medical case as he walked in.

"What's going on?" Chen Bing frowned at the uninvited guests filling the room.

"Doctor Chen!" The bald man immediately put on a fake smile. "Our boss, Mr. Kingpin, would like to invite you and your disciple to dinner to discuss medical cooperation."

Lin Hai's pupils constricted. Kingpin! From what Lin Hai knew, Kingpin was the emperor of New York's underworld, enormous in stature but all muscle, a monster capable of punching through concrete walls with his bare hands. He just did not know whether Kingpin was already that powerful at this point in time.

Yet Chen Bing's expression did not change. "I'm honored by the invitation, but the clinic is closed at this hour. We do not make evening calls. Please leave."

The bald man's smile vanished. "Sir, perhaps you didn't hear clearly. This is an invitation from Mr. Kingpin."

"I heard clearly." Chen Bing set down his medical case, his voice calm but resolute. "Now leave my clinic."

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Lin Hai saw two of the suited men reaching toward their waists. Maybe they were grabbing batons, but guns were more likely.

There was no time to think. Lin Hai swept the medicine bowls from the counter, and a cloud of mixed powder from dozens of herbs instantly filled the air. At the same time, he vaulted over the counter and struck the nearest suited man precisely in the carotid artery with a hand chop.

"Lin Hai! Don't!" Chen Bing's shout was swallowed by the sounds of fighting.

The next twenty seconds unfolded like a choreographed martial arts scene. Lin Hai's figure flickered in and out of the medicinal haze as he pushed his current limits with Taiji Footwork, Cloud Hands, Cannon Fist, pushing, coiling, and other techniques.

Every strike brought down another suited man—the result of a perfect union between his Taiji skills and physical abilities.

"Get out!" Lin Hai said in a low voice to the men sprawled on the floor. "Tell Kingpin that doctors only treat ordinary patients, not evil gang members!"

After the five suited men staggered away while supporting one another, the clinic fell into tense silence. Chen Bing's face was ashen, and his hands trembled slightly.

"Master, I..." Lin Hai had just begun to explain.

"Kneel!" Chen Bing barked.

Lin Hai dropped to his knees before the medicine cabinet. Chen Bing picked up a ruler and struck his palm heavily three times.

"The first strike is for recklessly using violence! A healer must be compassionate; bloodshed is a great taboo!"

"The second strike is for not knowing the gravity of the situation! Those men had guns. What if you had been hurt?"

"The third strike..." Chen Bing's hand paused in midair. In the end, he sighed and set down the ruler. "The third is waived. You were trying to protect me, and your intentions were good, but your method was wrong."

Lin Hai's eyes burned. "Master, those men were not ordinary patients. They were gang members."

"I know who Kingpin is." Chen Bing helped him up. "But remember this: no matter what you do, violence must always be the last resort. Especially for healers like us."

Lin Hai lowered his head in acknowledgment, but he knew this would not end so simply. Kingpin obviously would not give up after a single rejection.