Forge a path to success.

Chapter 21 Dragon God Medical Clinic
Two days later, in the cafeteria.

Chu Hengkong was facing a copy of the *Tuanli Daily*, the entertainment section's headline featuring a close-up of someone leaping into the air. Ji Huaisu, holding the newspaper, read aloud with dramatic intonation: "Detective Flea has mastered his superb skills; witnesses say he can now walk on his back!"

Chu Hengkong sighed, "You even kept a newspaper from a day ago..."

The team members around him, who were eating dry food, tried hard to suppress their laughter. Jie An, who was behind the counter, heard this and immediately shouted, "Hey, why isn't the chief detective climbing today?"

"It seems that after two days of seclusion, the Grand Detective has finally learned to walk upright," Ji Huaisu said with a wicked smile.

The team members, unable to hold back any longer, burst into laughter. Chu Heng pretended not to hear and waved his tentacle: "I'm not in seclusion, I'm sleeping."

He slept for two days and two nights straight, and even his disciplined biological clock couldn't stop him from falling into a deep sleep from exhaustion. The three days of transforming into a skilled craftsman were truly exhausting. If the skill had become part of his very being, then the fatigue had been suppressed deep within his heart, and he probably wouldn't be able to recover without proper care for a while.

"I'll take a break for the next couple of days," Chu Hengkong said, taking a bite of his fried dough stick. "Do you have any leads on the person who wants to kill me?"

“The employer is cunning, using a single-line contact system. The two idiots don’t even know who they’re working for.” Ji Huaisu shook his head. “But he must be a very rich person. There aren’t many people like that in the city.”

Chu Hengkong didn't care much. People who pay for assassins don't give up easily. If they can afford to hire an assassin once, they can naturally find opportunities to hire better ones next time. When the assassins come to deliver the food again, they will naturally leave new clues. Right now, he was concerned about more important matters.

"If you have time, please recommend a reliable doctor." He cracked his neck. "I trained too hard before, and I'm afraid I'll have some hidden injuries."

"Doctor?" Ji Huaisu repeated the word, then seemed to understand, "I get what you mean. Perfect, I have something good to broaden your horizons."

"Remains from medical treatment?" Chu Hengkong guessed.

"Is there anything else on your mind besides the relics?" Ji Huaisu grinned. "Hurry up and finish eating before we leave!"

·
The location of "Good Stuff" is not far from the haunted Gushui Street, and is also on Fuquan Street, where Chu Hengkong was assassinated the day before yesterday. This street is located behind the residential area, and most of the shops on the street are closed down. The high-rise buildings are all old buildings with no residents, making it one of the most deserted streets in the central courtyard.

But today, the dilapidated alley was bustling with activity that hadn't been seen in over a decade. Families lined up in neat rows, and the chatter of the elderly and the laughter of children made the place unusually noisy. Vendors, sensing a business opportunity, hurriedly pushed their carts to grab space, filling the air with the smell of cheap oil. Chu Hengkong even spotted a newspaper reporter on the rooftop, carrying a small table-sized "camera" and snapping photos of the new building.

The building that triggered the change was located in front of the crowd: a square hall with a white jade roof supported by red stone pillars. A majestic dragon sculpture perched on the roof, and a gleaming sign at the entrance read 26 Fuquan Street. Chu Hengkong clearly remembered that it had previously been an abandoned building slated for demolition, but in just two days, the steel bars and dust had vanished without a trace, and the dragon temple had risen from the ground, small in size but full of spirit.

"It was built so quickly." Chu Hengkong was slightly surprised.

“There’s no need to build it, it was already here,” Youyou said smugly. It was perched on Ji Huaisu’s head, its eyes brimming with a sense of accomplishment.

To avoid overwhelming the crowd, the two people and the snake circled around and entered the temple through a side door reserved for official personnel. Chu Hengkong had expected to see religious figures such as priests, pastors, or Taoist priests, but the temple's interior was remarkably simple, containing only a few staff members maintaining order and evenly distributed yellow magic arrays.

Ji Huaisu gave him an encouraging look, then stood in the middle of a magic circle, his tone strange: "...Should I pray?"

"Can praying cure illnesses in your hometown?" Ji Huaisu asked with a curious expression.

"No."

"It's the same here. Don't move around, it'll be over soon."

The yellow magic circle flashed a few times, and a gentle female voice rang in Chu Hengkong's mind: "Identification complete. Senior Detective Chu Hengkong, welcome to the Grassroots Temple. You currently have 62 injuries, including hidden spinal damage, muscle strain, soft tissue contusion, minor bone fracture, and internal bleeding. Please do not move and wait for divine healing."

As the notification sound appeared, the yellow light from the magic circle seeped into his body, warm and comforting like the sun. Chu Hengkong felt a lightness within him, the fatigue quickly faded, and even his mental exhaustion was soothed and calmed. He moved his body with delight; such subtle injuries usually required a long period of recuperation to heal, but the magic circle had completely healed his body's damage in just a few seconds.

"Treatment complete. You are welcome to come again anytime."

Chu Hengkong stepped out of the magic array and exclaimed in amazement, "What's the principle behind this?"

"I didn't expect you to be interested in the principles!" Youyou raised his head. "This involves the great ancient dragon totem belief system and the unique trendy techniques of this city—"

"Please explain in one sentence," Chu Hengkong quickly interrupted.

Youyou glared at him, while Ji Huaisu said with a grin, "Simply put, it's the divine power of Lord Huilong."

"I've never seen the miraculous dragon appear before."

“Because the city’s security was too bad before.” Ji Huaisu pursed his lips. “When the city prospers, the gods are strong; when the city declines, the gods are weak. Whether in the Divine Tree City-State or the Ancient Dragon City, the gods and the city are always interdependent.”

Previously, people didn't trust the City Lord's Mansion or respect the rules, so the temple couldn't exert its power. But recently, thanks to someone's outstanding performance, everyone has regained confidence in the city, and Lord Huilong can once again unleash his divine power.

This description was quite different from what he had imagined. In the stories Chu Hengkong had read, the so-called "gods" were either great beings beyond human comprehension or advanced life forms driven by spiritual energy such as faith and emotion. But the Huilong seemed more like a local earth god or the guardian deity of an ancient Greek city-state, requiring no worship or offerings yet seeking the prosperity of its territory; its prosperity and decline were intertwined, a kind of alternative symbiosis. "A very friendly god," Chu Hengkong commented.

It leisurely flicked its tongue, its face seemingly tilting back to the sky. Chu Hengkong slowly added, "But if the huilong's combat power is also linked to the urban situation, then it's probably unreliable for now."

"What do you know? I... Lord Huilong is also very powerful!" Youyou immediately glared at him, and Ji Huaisu, used to this, reached out to comfort him.

Chu Hengkong smiled and said he hoped so, then walked briskly out of the temple. Passing a street stall, they bought some cheap fried skewers and happily ate them away from the crowd. The sky under the water curtain remained overcast, but a rare look of hope appeared on people's faces. Almost all the citizens in the queue had their families with them; the elderly needed recuperation, and children with weak immune systems needed prompt medical treatment. No matter how advanced society becomes, reliable medical care will always be the most needed thing for every family.

If you can get treatment, you can live; if you can live, there is hope.

“When I was young, there were many temples in Huilong City,” Ji Huaisu said. “But as the war went on, the temples gradually disappeared. Curing diseases required expensive medicines, and people without money could only try unclean herbs from the lower classes.”

She turned to look at Chu Hengkong, her clean smile like sunshine.

"This is the first temple to be rebuilt in the city in ten years. It's all thanks to you!"

Her lips still glistened with oil, and when she smiled, her pointed little tiger teeth were visible. She clearly had a pretty face, but could only be described as cute. Chu Hengkong's heart stirred slightly. He thought to himself that he had really seen something good. This kind of smile shouldn't appear in the workplace. Her eyes clearly showed no ulterior motives, and her youthful exuberance was like a burst of sunshine, capable of turning even the most gloomy heart into a dazzling golden hue.

"Just finishing my work." Chu Hengkong rubbed his nose. "I'm going on patrol now. Call me if you need anything."

"Hey~~ Why are you so shy today?" Ji Huaisu excitedly leaned over. "Can't handle praise and getting shy? Detective Chu, are you that thin-skinned?"

"Miss Ji, instead of joking around, you should get to work..."

Ji Huaisu's eyes lit up: "Youyou, did you hear that? He called me Miss Ji! This guy is really shy!"

Youyou turned her head away, thinking that no matter which Dust Island the humans were, they were all late bloomers, and even the most mature-looking people would make foolish mistakes.

But this is not bad either. A city only has hope when there's more young talent.

The young people walked into the crowd and began their work for the day. Detective Chu finally had a chance to show off his skills. He took down three small gangs and caught a wanted criminal that day, returning to headquarters to rest with a satisfied heart. He had truly gained fame, so much so that even wanted criminals would avoid him.

Only when the night is deep and quiet can the stalkers move in the dark.

The courtyard, west side. An old house, a candle, and six people with different appearances around a wooden table.

They were villains, and notorious killers at that, as evidenced by the weapons they carried and the murderous intent that occasionally flickered in their eyes. Everyone was wary of being murdered, fearing for their own heads to be taken as a reward, and thus they would never normally gather together. But today, the villains broke their rules because of the recent changes in the city, because they sensed their impending doom.

The room was eerily quiet. After an anxious wait, a man with large hands spoke first. His name had long been forgotten; people of all ages in the city called him "Hundred Hands."

“Those who should come have come, and those who shouldn’t have come have also arrived. Pharmacists never take on cases involving human lives, so why are you getting involved?” Bai Zhang asked.

On the left, the gloomy young man's voice was hoarse: "Once the temple is established, no one will come to me for treatment anymore, and no one will want to buy my poison."

Where's the gunman?

"To avenge my brother who's in jail." The middle-aged man sneered.

Bai Zhang nodded: "And what grudge do you two brothers have to avenge?"

Two tall, thin men squatted beside the table, their faces almost identical. They spoke at the same time: "The shrimp head with 120,000 was caught today. Shouldn't it be our turn with 130,000 tomorrow?"

"It'll be soon. My 170,000 will probably be due next week too." Bai Zhang sneered, looking at the head of the table. "I don't want to live like a rat hiding in the shadows. I'd like to ask the sage of the swamp for guidance."

So far, only the man in the main seat has remained silent. But his words are crucial, for it is this formidable man who has gathered the villains together. The man is draped in a white robe, his face hidden in shadow, and his voice is indistinct and slow, like bubbles rising from a swamp.

“The evil dragon is taking advantage of the situation to show off its power, so let’s teach it a lesson.”

He placed two iron boxes on the wooden table. The boxes were filled with deep blue beads that gleamed alluringly in the candlelight.

“I’ll give you one million Flowing Pearls,” the man in white said. “Five hundred thousand for Chu Hengkong’s ‘hand,’ and five hundred thousand for his life.”

(End of this chapter)