After finishing his rounds and returning to his on-call room, Dr. Fan Shulin leaned back in his chair and stretched with a big yawn.

“Ah, I’m so sleepy,” he murmured.

Last night, after a high school reunion, he and his two closest friends decided to continue the gathering privately. They had planned for a short chat before heading home, but one of them suddenly got teary-eyed and spoke about relationship troubles. So, he and the other friend ended up listening and helping to analyze the situation.

The three of them talked until dawn, leaving him feeling drained for his night shift.

Fan Shulin pulled out the bottom drawer of his desk, peeled back the newspaper covering it, and took out a magazine with a rather revealing cover.

As he read, he felt his spirits lift.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

A knock sounded at the door.

“Coming,” he replied.

Fan Shulin opened the door and froze when he saw who it was. Almost instinctively, he shifted his gaze behind the person, and sure enough, someone was being carried on their back!

Damn it, this was just the school infirmary, not the municipal or provincial hospital.

“Brother Fan, still on night duty, huh? Looks like your superiors really value your development.”

“Take him to a proper hospital! This is just the school infirmary!”

“Come on, Brother Fan, you’re a miracle worker, a modern-day Hua Tuo. For any aches or fever, we always come straight to you.”

“When have you ever brought someone in with just an ache or a fever?”

“He bumped his head, and he’s got a fever.”

“If something goes wrong, I can’t be held responsible.”

“My Brother Fan is truly modest, so humble.”

Fan Shulin sighed. He knew he couldn’t argue with this guy; he’d failed the previous two times, and this time, he was almost too weary to resist.

“To the next room,” Fan Shulin instructed.

“Alrighty!”

Lin Shuyou was placed on the operating table by Tan Wenbin, and Fan Shulin began to treat his wound.

The first time, he was terrified. The second time, he was uneasy. But this third time, he found himself surprisingly calm.

Mainly, the two people this guy had brought in before were incredibly resilient; even with severe injuries, they’d clearly recover by the next day and be on their feet within three days.

Fan Shulin: “How many gangs are there in our school now?”

Tan Wenbin: “Oh, quite a few. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many brawls.”

“Your gang isn’t doing so well then. You’re always getting people severely injured and sent to the infirmary. No one from the other gangs ever shows up here.”

“Because they no longer need medical attention.”

“So your gang is the ruthless one.”

“That’s right. Every time our gang leader leads us, it’s with the intention of wiping out entire family registers.”

Fan Shulin chuckled, thinking he’d made a funny joke.

Tan Wenbin also smiled.

After treating the wound, Tan Wenbin wheeled Lin Shuyou into the patient room.

When Fan Shulin came to hang the IV drip, Tan Wenbin took out some money, slipped it into Fan Shulin’s white coat, and patted it gently.

“You’ve worked hard, Brother Fan.”

“If anything happens, or even if nothing happens, just call me.”

The young doctor always felt uneasy and flustered when receiving “red envelopes,” becoming somewhat incoherent.

After the doctor left, Tan Wenbin carefully observed Lin Shuyou’s condition. Seeing that his complexion had become more rosy, he relaxed, leaned back in the visitor’s chair, closed his eyes, and began to sleep.

He had a dream. In it, he was standing by a river, endlessly picking up stones and skipping them across the water. There were so many stones by the river that he couldn’t throw them all, simply couldn’t throw them all.

He didn’t know how long he’d been throwing them, but Tan Wenbin woke up, glanced at the wall clock in the room, and saw it was nine in the morning. He hadn’t actually slept for very long.

Soy milk and fried dough sticks were on the bedside table. They were a bit cold but still edible.

Tan Wenbin knew Dr. Fan had brought them before ending his shift.

Behind them was a small bag of dates, likely the doctor’s personal snack from his on-call room.

Just as he finished breakfast, Tan Wenbin saw Lin Shuyou wake up, turning his head to look at him.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“Need to pee?”

Tan Wenbin bent down and pulled the urinal from under the bed.

“No, I…”

“You’re more seriously injured this time, but you’re recovering even faster than last time.”

Hearing this, Lin Shuyou suddenly seemed to remember something. He reached out to lift his hospital gown, trying to raise his head to look down.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. Let me help you with that.”

Tan Wenbin picked up the urinal again.

“How is this possible? This facial mask, why is it complete?”

Tan Wenbin raised an eyebrow, immediately grasping the key point: “Did you break this mask yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I applied to a university in Jinling because I wanted to be further away from home.”

“Having problems with your family?”

“Not exactly, just some disagreements with my master. My grandpa even sided with my master.”

“How come you never mentioned this before?”

“It’s not like we’ve cut ties. I still have to go home for winter break, so I just didn’t think it was necessary to talk about.”

“Oh.”

Tan Wenbin picked up a date, took a bite, and found it quite sweet.

“They always think I haven’t grown up and want to control me. When I left for university, I deliberately broke this mask in front of my master and grandpa, declaring that I was an adult and didn’t need their constant supervision anymore. I never expected to still have to rely on my family this time.”

Tan Wenbin said earnestly, “With your mind, it’s better to let your family manage things. Otherwise, out in the world, you’d easily get sold and then help count the money for whoever sold you.”

“Brother Binbin, you’re still the kindest to me.”

“Good boy, eat a date.”

“Brother Binbin, after I passed out last night, I think I heard you crying for me.”

“Yeah, I thought you were dead then, so I was wailing for you.”

“I’m sorry for making you sad, Brother.”

“Sad my ass, I was just going through the motions. If you died, you died. No big deal.”

“Brother, you’re right. To die for the cause of righteousness, with no regrets, is an honor. You should be happy for me.”

“Not that much, that would be a bit twisted.”

“Brother, next time something like this happens, let’s do it together again. It’s truly great to fight evil with you guys.”

“I remember you can still retain some memories and consciousness even when you’re possessed, right?”

Tan Wenbin still remembered how Lin Shuyou had spared his groin on the school playground last time.

“Not completely, but I remember some parts, like a hazy dream.”

“So, do you remember me sticking you with a needle?”

“I remember, Brother, you’re amazing! That trick really worked!”

“Uh…”

“If we had let the Young Master leave then, how would we have chased after that Old Woman Yu? For such an evil being that manipulates human relationships, we should eliminate her at all costs! By the way, Brother, do you have any more of those talisman needles?”

“What do you want them for?”

“I know these talismans are precious, but I really want some to take back for my master and grandpa to use.”

“A-You, you truly are too filial.”

“After the three incense sticks for guidance burn out, we can no longer maintain the divining state, and the spirits will also leave. If we have these talisman needles, it’s like getting an extra round, allowing us to continue doing many things. This is incredibly important for us Guanjinshou!”

“I understand, but this has significant side effects. You could easily end up ruining yourself.”

Lin Shuyou asked, surprised, “What doesn’t have side effects? If it’s effective, isn’t it natural for it to have side effects?”

“Actually, there are more gradual methods with fewer side effects.”

Tan Wenbin remembered that Brother Xiaoyuan had a complete set of methods, but since Brother Xiaoyuan wasn’t there at the time, he could only use the crudest and simplest one.

“Really?” Lin Shuyou excitedly sat up in bed again, wincing as the movement pulled at his wound, “Is there really such a thing?”

“There is.”

“Brother, can you teach me?”

“You’re giving me too much credit.”

“Is it Brother Xiaoyuan who knows? I… I thought if Brother Xiaoyuan knew, you would too.”

“You’re really insulting my Brother Xiaoyuan.”

“Brother, what do I need to do for Brother Xiaoyuan to teach me those methods?”

“You just stand still, and my Brother Yuan will naturally help you experience them.”

“How could I possibly impose!”

“Don’t be modest, it’s only right, it’s only right.”

“Brother, you and Brother Xiaoyuan are so good to me. Such precious things, you’re willing to teach me just like that.”

“You earned it with your own life.”

“Yes, these things are so precious they’re worth exchanging your life for.”

“Hey, what I meant was, it would be used *on* you.”

“Not only willing to teach me, but also willing to help me experience and demonstrate it personally?”

Tan Wenbin finally couldn’t help himself. He stood up, reached out, and felt Lin Shuyou’s forehead, muttering:

“His fever’s gone down. Did he hit his head too hard yesterday?”

Tan Wenbin felt that Lin Shuyou was speaking nonsense, not in a way that made him hard to talk to, but in a way that made him almost too easy to talk to, to the point of being surreal.

His own Brother Yuan treated him like a tool, yet he himself actually wrote an essay titled “The Self-Cultivation of a Tool-Person” and posted it on his dorm door, beginning to recite it.

Actually, this was because Tan Wenbin had been in the field for a relatively short time, and ever since he started, Li Zhuiyuan had periodically given him books to read.

The *Chronicles of Jianghu Monsters* and *Records of Righteous Demon Slaying* still sitting on his dorm desk were treasures that, if casually thrown out, would make fellow practitioners’ eyes red with envy and drive them to desperately snatch them up.

In short, Tan Wenbin was somewhat privileged.

For sects and families whose lineage wasn’t particularly ancient, simply preserving their existing heritage was already difficult. To further research, expand, and disseminate that heritage was even harder.

This required not only generations of flourishing descendants and the accumulation of time but also for a genius to suddenly emerge within the lineage. Such a person would fully master the existing heritage in a very short time, further elevating the system and pushing its boundaries.

Such geniuses were truly rare.

Just look at the Yin family: a lineage passed down since the Eastern Han Dynasty—two thousand years—and only one Yin Changsheng appeared.

To put it another way, Yin Changsheng’s sole contribution sustained his descendants for two millennia.

After witnessing Li Zhuiyuan’s talent, Liu Yumei didn’t hesitate to break all rules, allowing Li Zhuiyuan to shoulder the responsibilities of both the Qin and Liu families.

It was because this value was simply too immense; even the Dragon King family couldn’t resist the powerful allure of a Yin Changsheng appearing in their lineage.

Li Zhuiyuan himself, upon entering the field, already possessed the collection of books from the Li Sanjiang family’s basement.

A year after entering the field, he directly joined the Qin and Liu families.

He himself didn’t realize what these methods, which he had temporarily devised simply to make his “tools” perform better, meant to others.

In their eyes, these were truly things worth sacrificing one’s life for.

It was akin to a newly established township enterprise whose products could be sent to a national-level laboratory for analysis, testing, and upgrades, thereby pointing towards new directions for future development.

It wasn’t a question of how much one was willing to pay; under normal circumstances, it simply wouldn’t happen.

Lin Shuyou just happened to catch the interim period when Li Zhuiyuan’s assistant, Runsheng, wasn’t around.

Otherwise, his role with Li Zhuiyuan would be nothing more than an extra “door god” in the same dorm room.

“Brother Binbin, I’m fine. Please put in a good word for me with Brother Xiaoyuan. As long as he’s willing to teach me, I’ll do anything. I can join your group, and we can fight demons together in the future!”

“No, no, no!”

Tan Wenbin immediately waved his hands, stating sternly:

“We’re good buddies in class, but outside of class, you’re you, and we’re us.”

Don’t let Lin Shuyou’s current simplicity fool you; once he “opens his face” (gets possessed by the deity), he immediately transforms, becoming as arrogant as if he held a winning hand of mahjong.

Such a person was fine for occasional use, but if he were to hover around Brother Yuan all day, Tan Wenbin genuinely worried that Brother Yuan might one day just “clean house” and have him thrown into the river.

And at that point, it would probably be him who’d have to tie stones to the body for extra weight.

The main thing was that he was genuinely uncontrollable. His most obedient moments were precisely when he was most useless.

“Brother…” Lin Shuyou swallowed hard, “Brother, if I take these methods back, my master and grandpa would have to seat me at the head of the table for our New Year’s Eve dinner!”

“That exaggerated?”

“They’d even have to dedicate a separate page to me in the family genealogy.”

“Did you get a concussion?”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Alright, alright, I get it, I get it. You seem to be doing well, can you get out of bed to pee by yourself?”

“No problem, I can manage myself. I’ve recovered. My family helped me extend my…”

“Oh, right, since the facial mask on your stomach is complete this time, and your family extended your life, do you think your family will come to Jinling right away, looking for you here?”

“Probably… they will.”

“I’m telling you in advance: if your family comes looking for you, don’t mention anything about my Brother Xiaoyuan. He dislikes trouble.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“Then I’ll be going. I’ll pay your hospital fees in a bit; just remember to get a refund when you’re discharged.”

“Thanks, Brother.”

“When you get the refund, remember to count it out loud, with a smile, and count happily.”

“Ah, okay, I understand.”

Tan Wenbin walked out of the patient room. The weather outside was gloomy, and the wind had picked up. It probably wouldn’t be long before it rained.

He looked back at Lin Shuyou in the room.

Ever since Brother Xiaoyuan explicitly stated that Lin Shuyou wouldn’t be joining their team, he had been deliberately controlling his emotional boundaries, preventing them from spreading casually.

This was a besieged city.

Brother Xiaoyuan wanted to test his emotions within the team to find a way out, while he himself was withdrawing his emotions from the outside world.

Because that night, seeing Zheng Haiyang and his family of three lying before him, the pain in his heart had been too much.

He didn’t want to experience similar pain a second time. If it were a close-knit team member, there would be no choice, but for someone outside the team, as long as he didn’t invest emotion, then their death was just their death.

It was like when he used to follow Old Li to funerals; after seeing too many death rites, he’d become desensitized.

Just as Tan Wenbin had pre-deposited the medical fees at the payment window, his pager buzzed, “Beep… beep…”

He picked up his pager and saw it was the phone number for the store.

Tan Wenbin immediately ran back to school. At the store entrance, he saw a police car parked.

Officer Xiao Zhou, standing by the car, waved at him.

At that moment, many people were near the store. Tan Wenbin got into the police car under everyone’s gaze and was taken away by the police.

Students began to murmur, speculating about what crime he had committed.

Lu Yi, who was at the cash register, couldn’t help but shout loudly:

“The officer just said he’s only asking my buddy to go to the police station to understand the situation! I believe my buddy is innocent!”

Lu Yi’s announcement only made everyone more convinced that their classmate was indeed in trouble.

Upon arriving at the police station, Tan Wenbin first went to his father’s office. He wasn’t a suspect; he was just there for a formality, so there were no restrictions.

“Oh, Officer Tan, new office, huh? I really envy you, having such an outstanding son.”

Tan Yunlong set down his teacup and glared at his rebellious son, who stood before him with a smug expression.

Yet, he couldn’t refute it; he truly was benefiting from his son’s achievements.

A celebration had just been held yesterday, and now, the date for a new one was already being scheduled.

This was primarily because an entire child trafficking ring had been almost completely dismantled. So many criminals were vying to earn merit, afraid that others would confess before them, which led to a massive influx of information about trafficked children. This could allow many children abducted by the gang to be reunited with their birth parents.

This was truly a great meritorious act. It wouldn’t be long, presumably, before parents who had found their lost children would come to the station with them, presenting banners and even kneeling to acknowledge “godfathers” in gratitude. At that point, the camera shutters of the propaganda department colleagues would be pressed flat, unable to spring back up.

But for Tan Yunlong, this was quite an ordeal because he knew that the person who truly helped them wasn’t him, yet he had to sit there and accept the accolades.

He wasn’t a very utilitarian person to begin with; otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted his transfer to the town police station so readily back then. Now, he was forced to endure repeated torment from his own moral conscience.

“Close the door,” Tan Yunlong said.

Tan Wenbin immediately took two steps back, pointing at his father: “Dad, you can close the door, but please don’t undo your belt!”

Tan Yunlong didn’t say anything.

“Dad, this is a police station, and according to the Law on the Protection of Minors…”

“You’re an adult now,” Tan Yunlong interjected.

“According to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law…”

Tan Yunlong stood up himself and closed the office door.

“Dad, I advise you to calm down, just calm down. A new official takes office with three fires, but you don’t need to start by burning your own son. I think Officer Xiao Zhou is quite good. That guy parked the police car right where the most people were and waved at me. Who knows what crime I’m being accused of at school right now. You see, Officer Xiao Zhou’s actions deserve criticism and education; it’s not conducive to protecting the privacy and reputation of informants.”

Hearing this, Tan Yunlong almost laughed in anger. He walked straight towards Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin assumed a stance and said, “Dad, calm down. Your son has some martial arts skills now. It wouldn’t be good if I accidentally hurt you during a friendly spar.”

Tan Yunlong raised his hand and slapped Tan Wenbin on the head.

Tan Wenbin naturally wouldn’t really fight his own father, so he just hugged his head and let his dad hit him.

“Why were you so careless this time? You saved someone, and they even found out your real name?”

Tan Yunlong had originally intended to present his son as an informant, but because of Liangliang’s words, his son was directly portrayed as a direct participant in the rescue.

“Slap! Slap!”

“Oh my god, Dad, you really can’t blame me. It was Brother Xiaoyuan who called me ‘Brother Binbin’ at the time, and the child heard it.”

“So you’ve gotten capable, huh? You mess up, and you want to blame Xiaoyuan?”

“I…”

Tan Wenbin was speechless. He genuinely remembered Brother Xiaoyuan drinking a can of Jianlibao and telling him, “Brother Binbin, just be happy.”

After that, the child started calling him “Brother Binbin.”

“You didn’t do the job properly and now you don’t want to take responsibility!”

Tan Wenbin ran around the office, chased by his father, shouting indignantly, “Dad, who’s your real son, anyway?!”

“I really wish I could swap.”

Hearing this, Tan Wenbin couldn’t help but burst out laughing:

“Pfft… Dad, you’ve got some nerve.”

The next slap, the force directly doubled.

“Ouch! You really do! You want Brother Xiaoyuan to be your son, but you haven’t even asked if he’d want you as a dad.”

“Slap! Slap!”

“Your son, me, can’t even imagine what it would be like to have a brain like Brother Xiaoyuan’s. But you, you can think even further than me, hahaha, ouch!”

“Slap slap slap slap slap!”

Finally, the office quieted down, because Tan Yunlong had gotten tired of hitting him.

Tan Wenbin sat in a chair. Although he had been hit many times, this was nothing. Even a year ago, he would have considered this level of beating merely an appetizer, let alone now, when his skin and muscles were even tougher.

“Dad, you must be tired. Here, let me pour you some tea.”

Tan Wenbin picked up the thermos next to him and started pouring tea.

When Tan Yunlong saw his son’s shoulders tuck in and upper arms tighten as he picked up the thermos, he immediately asked:

“Were those rocks you threw?”

“That woman, did you kill her?”

Tan Wenbin calmly continued pouring the tea, then asked, confused, “What rocks? I didn’t break anyone’s windows.”

Tan Yunlong said, “Trying too hard to appear natural makes it seem deliberate. To a truly perceptive person, you just gave away the answer.”

“Dad, what are you talking about?”

“The correct approach is to anticipate what the other person will ask, then mentally prepare as if you truly didn’t do it. That kind of reaction is closer to genuine.”

“Dad, are you planning to give a legal education lecture at our school? Hey, wait, that’s not right either. This isn’t the kind of topic for a lecture.”

“You’ve made some progress compared to before. At least you know how to hold your ground and avoid being tricked into admitting something.”

“Officer Tan, whatever makes you happy.”

Tan Yunlong didn’t bring up the topic again, instead saying, “Anyway, this was ultimately a great deed. Ask Xiaoyuan if he’s willing to come out and accept an award.”

“No need to ask, Brother Xiaoyuan definitely won’t be willing.”

“What about you?”

“Of course, I must follow in my Brother Xiaoyuan’s footsteps. Fame and fortune are like fleeting clouds to me.”

“Too late. You’ll have to go through the process later; you can’t hide this anymore.”

“Huh?”

“No matter how much I try to minimize the impact, the bureau already has corresponding regulations. A commendation and a notice to the school are unavoidable.”

“So much trouble…”

“You should understand the principle of Zigong redeeming captives.”

Tan Wenbin sighed.

“It’s actually quite good. Getting a commendation and having the school notified will benefit your future development.”

“But even if I die, I wouldn’t accept this award.”

“What?”

“No, nothing. Alright, Officer Tan, I’ll cooperate.”

“Go on then.”

“Alright.”

Tan Wenbin walked out of the office and was taken to have his statement recorded.

After completing all the procedures, he was escorted back to school by several police officers. Upon reaching the store entrance, in front of the surrounding teachers and students, he was presented with a commendation, meant to help restore his reputation.

He also received a bonus, enclosed in an envelope.

In reality, the process wasn’t that quick; the bonus had to go through approval procedures, so the envelope was actually stuffed with newspaper.

After the ceremony, Tan Wenbin walked into the store, holding his commendation.

Lu Yi had just been clearing inventory in the basement and missed the earlier commotion. Now, having just come up, he saw Tan Wenbin return and exclaimed in surprise, “Buddy, you’re out!”

Tan Wenbin: “Yeah, buddy. Thanks for taking care of my parents for me.”

“Uh, my tongue slipped, I didn’t mean it that way. Hey, what’s this? A commendation? Oh, wow, you’re incredible! I’ll frame it and hang it above the counter.”

“No, don’t. Just hold onto it for me for now. Keep it low-key.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You really think big, buddy.”

Tan Wenbin took a bag and filled it with some food and drinks. Although he didn’t pay, he had Lu Yi tally the items at the counter.

Afterward, he took the items back to his dorm, knocked on the dorm supervisor’s door, went in, and chatted with her for a while, talking about life’s troubles and his longing for his mother.

When he left, he left all the food and drinks behind.

Returning to his own dorm, he saw that Brother Xiaoyuan hadn’t returned, so he took a shower first, changed into clean clothes, and then went to Lu Yi’s dorm.

As the “local deity” of this dorm, he had a key.

He packed two sets of clothes and toiletries for Lin Shuyou, put them in a basin, left the dorm building, and then went to the store again for another batch of food and drinks.

When he tallied the items again, Lu Yi asked, confused, “Why didn’t you take more just now?”

“No matter how much I take, it all ends up on Auntie’s table.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. If you’re late getting back to the dorm after inventory at night, and the door is locked, just say my name.”

“You’ve already befriended the new dorm supervisor? That was quick. Last night, when she did her rounds, her voice was really loud. Everyone says she has a bad temper.”

“She’s alright. Her husband just cheated on her, so she’s been in a bad mood lately. She’ll be fine after a while.”

“Wait, how do you even know that?”

“Mmm.”

“Then you must be getting along well with your counselor too, right?”

“Haven’t had a chance to get familiar yet.”

He hadn’t really participated in military training. He’d had dinner and drinks with the previous counselor, and then she passed away.

“Well, you’d better hurry. I see you’re quite busy; you’ll inevitably skip classes and ask for leave. Getting on good terms with them will make it easier to get your slips approved.”

“I don’t really need that…”

Mid-sentence, he thought about it. Brother Xiaoyuan could skip classes freely; he had Engineer Luo covering him anyway. But if he himself kept using his connections and left a bad impression on Engineer Luo, what if he wasn’t included in the projects anymore?

To be safe, he still needed to build relationships. Such things — having them from your dad, your mom, or Brother Yuan — were not as good as having them yourself.

“Alright, I will. I’m off then.”

Knowing Brother Xiaoyuan was at Grandma Liu’s place, Tan Wenbin wasn’t in a hurry to go over, because if he did, he’d have to see those two hard-working individuals undergoing special training.

Returning to the infirmary, he entered the patient room and found Lin Shuyou sound asleep, actually snoring.

“Recovering so well?” Tan Wenbin touched his own abdomen. “Maybe I should get one tattooed on myself too?”

He knew it wouldn’t have any real effect on him, but it might have a psychological one.

Tan Wenbin turned his head to look at the curtain of the adjacent bed, pulled it open, and saw an empty bed.

He yawned, put down his things, then left the patient room and went downstairs.

No sooner had he left than two travel-worn figures appeared at the stairwell.

One had a full head of silver hair but was remarkably energetic, while the other was middle-aged but still robust.

“Master, is it him?”

“He bears signs of practicing martial arts, and his spiritual perception is decent, but ultimately, he’s still a bit ordinary. It’s not him.”

“Too bad A-You stubbornly refuses to tell us, insisting that he’s found a great opportunity for us and that we should prepare to dedicate a separate page to him in the family genealogy.”

“That child, A-You, is good in every way except that he’s too stubborn, too single-