Chapter Twelve

“What are you doing?” Deputy Director Luo shouted loudly.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Murder! There’s been a murder!” Xiao Jing screamed.

Luo Fancheng hadn’t anticipated such a crowd would gather so quickly. He had thought that as long as that woman didn’t see, things wouldn’t get so troublesome—now, everyone had witnessed everything.

After the shrieks, the commotion spread across the entire floor, drawing a throng of onlookers. The area outside the director’s office was soon jam-packed.

Deputy Director Luo was inwardly elated—a backdoor hire, and he dares compete with me for the director’s post? Now he’s a murderer; won’t the position be mine for the taking?

Zhao De stood there, his face a mask of shock. Having witnessed Luo Fancheng’s medical prowess before, he knew few in the whole country could rival him. After hearing Xiao Jing’s account, he had intended to step in and deal with the nuisance around Luo Fancheng—if necessary, getting rid of Deputy Director Luo wouldn’t have been impossible. Yet he hadn’t imagined Luo Fancheng would actually do such a thing.

Such a prodigious healer, and now to fall so quickly—Zhao De couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.

Luo Fancheng, unfazed by the ruckus outside, reached his hand into the man’s abdomen.

Outside—

“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”

“He’s really killed someone! Murder!”

“What are you doing, why are you still going on?”

Deputy Director Luo feigned panic, “Director, what should we do now?”

Zhao De fell silent, offering no response. The woman outside was already in tears; after pushing through the crowd for ages, she finally made it to the front.

At that moment, Luo Fancheng turned to Zhao De at the doorway with a broad smile.

“No need to panic, I’ve found it.”

He then pulled from the man’s abdomen a worm the size of a thumb and presented it to all.

“Here—the poisonous parasite is gone. Just bandage him up and he’ll be fine.”

Astonishment swept over the crowd outside. So it had only been a healing procedure after all. One by one, they dispersed.

Yet a few doctors, Zhao De among them, stared at the worm in contemplation.

As Luo Fancheng bandaged the man, he quietly left a drop of blood inside the wound. The incision on the man’s abdomen began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, though no one else noticed.

Once the bandaging was complete, the medical staff carried the patient off to the inpatient ward to recover.

Inside the office, several doctors looked to Luo Fancheng, but before any could speak, he began:

“This creature is called a Bloodthirsty Gu. It’s highly adept at feeding on human blood; a single juvenile can drain a person of all their essence in just three months.”

“I thought such things only existed in books. To see one alive today—it’s truly vicious,” Zhao De remarked, stepping forward to crush the Gu underfoot.

Luo Fancheng stopped him. “It must be destroyed by fire—if you kill one in ordinary conditions, a thousand more are born.”

With that, he struck a lighter, set a pile of wastepaper aflame, and tossed the Gu into the fire.

A series of shrill cries—then silence as the Bloodthirsty Gu perished.

“Well, well—brilliant!” Zhao De exclaimed repeatedly, amazed that Luo Fancheng even knew of such things. He himself had nearly made a grave mistake.

Deputy Director Luo had observed everything. Realizing his ambitions were dashed, he prepared to slip away, but Luo Fancheng caught him.

“Deputy Director Luo, thank you. If you hadn’t brought Director Zhao today, I might have faced far more trouble.”

Deputy Director Luo forced a smile. “No need to thank me, no need at all.”

Zhao De, evidently a bit embarrassed—since Luo Fancheng’s words held a hint of reproach—straightened his face and declared, “So, Deputy Director Luo, I never expected your mind to be so petty. From this moment, you’re no longer welcome at Shenghua Hospital.”

In truth, the moment Luo Fancheng produced the parasite, Deputy Director Luo had foreseen this outcome.

Without another word or a backward glance, Deputy Director Luo headed for the door. As he passed Xiao Jing, he murmured, “Study hard—take good care of yourself,” and left.

The remaining doctors in the office continued to praise Luo Fancheng, but he deflected with the same modesty: “I only picked up a few rudimentary skills from Director Liu Tianji.”

Seeing that he wished to keep his abilities hidden, the others quickly played along. After a few more pleasantries, they all took their leave.

“Come in,” Luo Fancheng called from his seat.

Outside, Xiao Jing appeared dejected. “I’m sorry, Director. I was wrong.”

Luo Fancheng studied the girl before him—about his own age, perhaps twenty-two or twenty-three, with a slender, fair figure.

“What’s your name?”

“He Jing,” she replied, wiping away her tears.

“Would you like to stay on as my assistant?” Luo Fancheng asked, glancing at her.

He Jing’s eyes widened in disbelief. She’d thought her internship was about to end and she would be packing her things to leave, never expecting Luo Fancheng would invite her to intern under him. Fresh graduates rarely had the chance to work directly beneath a department head; her previous position under Deputy Director Luo had been earned through outstanding grades.

Seeing her still in a daze, Luo Fancheng asked again, “Don’t you want to?”

“I do! I do, professor!” she replied in a rush.

“Good. In a bit, move your things over there. From now on, that’s your seat.” He pointed to the desk opposite his own.

He Jing was overwhelmed with excitement. Not only was Luo Fancheng so young to be a department head, but she’d witnessed his formidable skills, and he was rather handsome as well.

“Yes,” she agreed eagerly.

Luo Fancheng checked the time and muttered, “It’s already four and a half hours into my shift. I’ve worked overtime—time to ask the director for a raise.”

With that, he left the hospital.

He Jing stood there, baffled. Four and a half hours—overtime? Didn’t the hospital close at six? Why was he leaving at five?

When Luo Fancheng returned home and opened the door, he found Wu Mei and Chen Kangjian, along with Chen Xingxin and two unfamiliar guests, already waiting.

Wu Mei, seeing him enter, hurried over with excitement, “You’re home! You must be tired!”

Luo Fancheng was taken aback, but quickly composed himself and replied with a simple “Mm.”

Noticing Wu Mei still standing by the door, and even Chen Kangjian seeming to rise to greet him, he wondered if he’d walked into the wrong apartment.

Their unusual behavior left him utterly bewildered.

He glanced around once more to confirm he was in the right place, then quietly said, “I’ll go start dinner.”

But as he headed for the kitchen, Wu Mei intercepted him with a broad smile.

“Oh, there’s no need to cook tonight! Let’s eat out!”