Chapter Five: A Monumental Misunderstanding

The waiter from Ten Miles Fragrance carried the restaurant’s signature dish, braised lamb, to the number two sky suite. He was seething with envy over Chu Yun’s sudden change of fortunes.

“To think someone could dream of learning medicine from an immortal—why does a scoundrel get such luck, and not me?” he muttered under his breath as he set the dishes on the table.

“What did you say?” asked the guest, catching his words.

“Nothing, nothing at all…” The waiter hastily shook his head, forcing a smile. This guest was lavishly dressed, clearly someone of status. He was tall and powerfully built, with bold brows and deep-set eyes, imposing even when at ease. A sword hung at his waist—a clear sign he was not to be trifled with. The waiter, afraid of offending him, decided to confess what he had been mumbling.

After hearing the waiter’s story, the guest lowered his head, falling into deep thought.

The Young Lord of Qi had been stricken with a strange illness—unconscious, refusing even water, his days were numbered. The King of Qi had scoured the entire Qi Kingdom and lands beyond, yet was unable to find anyone who could cure his son.

“Such a marvel, such an extraordinary man… Perhaps he holds the key to curing the Young Lord’s malady,” the guest mused to himself.

He immediately felt the urge to meet this remarkable Chu Yun. Yet, as he prepared to rise, a stab of pain from an unhealed wound quickly sobered him.

“I came to Ten Miles Fragrance today to sample its famed cuisine and have, by sheer coincidence, encountered this business. But could it truly be a coincidence? I fear someone has laid a careful trap.”

He was not being paranoid. Just half a month ago, the King of Qi had survived an assassination attempt. The wound he now bore was from a sword meant for the king, intercepted by his own body.

Before long, Chu Yun himself appeared at the door, carrying a bowl of venison into the number two sky suite. Although Jiang Lin had given him a tael of silver, Chu Yun still felt it was insufficient. The sum also included money for herbs Jiang Lin needed, leaving little for him to improve his dire circumstances.

“Who are you? Where’s the waiter?” the guest demanded, suddenly wary at seeing a stranger deliver his meal.

“The waiter’s busy downstairs, so I brought it up for him,” Chu Yun replied with a smile and a polite bow.

“What is your role here?” The guest scrutinized Chu Yun, his voice icy.

Sensing the man’s suspicion, Chu Yun decided not to offer any pleasantries. “I am a physician,” he declared frankly. “Just now, outside, I noticed your cheekbones tinged with blue and red, a sheen of cold sweat on your brow—it appears you are injured.”

The guest’s expression shifted instantly. He jumped up, hand going to the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at any moment. The air in the room became taut with tension.

Chu Yun took a cautious step back, but remained calm. “Sir, you must not eat this venison. Your condition is one of internal heat and deficiency. Venison is a stimulating meat—eat it now and your wound will likely fester.”

With a hiss, the guest drew his sword, pointing it at Chu Yun. “How do you know I am injured? Who told you? Speak the truth.”

Steel gleamed between them, the threat unmistakable.

Chu Yun remained unruffled. “I am a physician—I saw the signs myself.”

The guest narrowed his eyes. “Saw them? How could you see them?”

Chu Yun replied evenly, “Because I am skilled in medicine.”

The guest pressed further. “I never summoned you. Why have you come uninvited? Who are you, and what is your purpose?”

Chu Yun answered with honesty, “To be frank, though I am a doctor, my circumstances are dire. There is not a single grain left at home. I have no choice but to walk the floors of Ten Miles Fragrance, seeking patients to earn some money for food.”

The guest pressed the blade to Chu Yun’s throat. “Tell the truth! What is your real purpose here?”

Chu Yun was slightly exasperated, but his past as a special forces operative taught him to understand such reactions—this man must be harboring secrets to be so guarded.

Smiling, Chu Yun stepped back. “You misunderstand, sir. I have no hidden intentions. I simply wish to treat you and earn some silver.”

“You truly are a doctor?” the guest demanded.

“I am,” Chu Yun affirmed.

“Nonsense!” the guest barked. “Physicians in the Qi Kingdom are well respected and rewarded—how could you be so destitute, worrying about food? Tell the truth at once!”

Chu Yun hurriedly explained, “I was a poor man until last night, when I dreamt of an immortal teaching me medicine. Only then did I become a doctor.”

The guest’s suspicion only deepened. He lunged forward, sword thrusting at Chu Yun.

He had already found Chu Yun’s story too fantastical; now, the man’s unsolicited arrival made him even more wary.

Despite his frail body, Chu Yun’s special forces training allowed him to dodge the strike swiftly.

“Not bad,” the guest sneered, “let’s see how many more strikes you can take…”

His suspicions aroused, he withdrew and attacked again.

Chu Yun dodged repeatedly, and the two began to spar in the private suite.

A passing waiter heard the commotion, peered in, and was so startled by the sight of their fight that he dashed downstairs.

As he ran, he shouted, “Something’s wrong, boss! There’s a fight in the number two sky suite!”

The innkeeper rushed out. “The guest in number two is no ordinary man. Who dared to cross him?”

“It’s that rascal Chu Yun,” the waiter replied, a trace of schadenfreude in his voice. He thought to himself that although Chu Yun had lucked into medical skills from a dream, now that he’d offended an important guest, his good fortune would vanish as quickly as it had arrived.

“What? Doctor Chu is fighting someone?” Jiang Lin, hearing this, became extremely anxious.

He had seen Chu Yun go upstairs earlier and had wanted to ask why he hadn’t yet fetched his medicine, but felt too embarrassed to speak. Never did he expect Chu Yun to get into a fight.

If anything happened to Chu Yun, there would be no one left to treat his illness. Without hesitation, Jiang Lin hurried upstairs, thinking that as a baron, his words might still carry some weight.