Special Forces Medic

This phrase seems familiar, Xiao Lin tilted his head. It must have been Flame Swallow, right? At the entrance of the underground city, that was the first thing he said to him. He lifted his arm and carefully sniffed it, but besides the scent of shower gel, he couldn't detect anything else.

"Old man, if you don't want to do business with me, you could just say it bluntly."

Xiao Lin looked furious, his face immediately darkened. Surely no one would want to be described with such words, right? The smell of a dead person? Doesn't that imply he's a dead person? This label was quite a blow.

"Leave, I won't do business with you." The old man didn't care how upset Xiao Lin looked, he forcefully pulled him up from the stool, ready to push him out.

"No way, you have to make things clear today." Xiao Lin, dodging the old man's rejecting hands, moved further inside. The old man stopped and didn't stop him, watching as Xiao Lin hid inside.

"I advise you to obediently leave in the end, or else you'll be the one to suffer."

The suddenly halted old man sat in the porch smoking a big pipe, which confused Xiao Lin. This sudden change of heart—the old man's emotions were as unpredictable as the weather in March.

As he randomly guessed what might happen, a strong gust of wind blew from his right side. Xiao Lin dodged, ending up on the ground, letting out a moan. He looked pitifully at the old man, then turned to see the source of the wind—a drooling Tibetan Mastiff glaring at him menacingly.

"Old man, you have quite the taste, raising a Tibetan Mastiff in such a place must have taken some effort!"

Xiao Lin tried to get up from the ground, but whenever he moved, the mastiff's head followed his movements, letting out a whimper, ready to lunge at him and tear him to pieces at any moment.

"If you agree to leave obediently, naturally, there won't be any trouble. If not, you can't blame me." The old man didn't even look at Xiao Lin, his eyes fixed on the alley outside. It got dark quickly, and soon it was pitch black outside, highlighting the brightness inside the shop.

Unable to get up, he simply sat cross-legged on the ground. Xiao Lin didn't mind the dust dirtying his black slim-fit pants, focusing on the Tibetan Mastiff. Their eyes locked, neither willing to look away first.

"Old man, keeping the door open means you're doing business. You said I'm a dead person, so let's say I am. You haven't even asked what I want to buy before driving me away. Isn't that against the rules here?" Xiao Lin nodded to the Tibetan Mastiff, which let out a growl and Xiao Lin chuckled. Animals are animals, their bodies moving faster than their brains.

The old man ignored Xiao Lin's words, puffing on his pipe. A bicycle rode by in front of him, he stood up to glance outside, then sat back down on the porch.

"Old man, are you waiting for someone?" Xiao Lin edged the Tibetan Mastiff away. This action caught the old man's eye, and he gave the young man a few more glances, calculating in his mind.

Xiao Lin gestured to the Tibetan Mastiff, and surprisingly, it obediently ran over and nestled by his side, whining contentedly.

"How did you do that?" The old man exclaimed in surprise. His dog had never been so close to anyone before, yet the stranger could tame it in no time, doing nothing.

"Our communication through eye contact, a meeting of minds." He sounded so serious, Xiao Lin stroked the Tibetan Mastiff's fur, its strong limbs proof of its pure breed.

"What is your name?"

"Xiao Lin!" Another surprised expression. The old man stood up, replacing the planks of the door back into place, finally closing the door.

"Weren't you waiting for someone?" Upon seeing the old man's actions, Xiao Lin got up naturally from the ground and sat back on the stool. Seems like his reputation was quite well known, had he known, he would have introduced himself earlier, saving some time. "Are you ready to accept my business then?"

"You said your name is Xiao Lin?" The old man asked again, his eyes scrutinizing the person in front of him more openly.

"Yes, do you know me, old man?"

"The Xiao Lin who took away the Wang Family heir's wife? A hospital ER doctor who throws out a hundred million just like that? The one who challenged the Jiangling Chen Family and Zhang Family?"

"Uh... That's me."

"What do you want to buy?"

"Zhang Teng!"

"Dead man's business, we don't do!"

That same phrase again, but Xiao Lin understood he didn't mean him. "The person is dead, and died horribly. I want to buy his whereabouts when he was alive."

The old man hesitated, then tapped his pipe on his shoe sole, reminding Xiao Lin of Miao Yikun, Elder Miao. "It's not up to me to decide to do it or not, come with me."

Before Xiao Lin could react, the old man had already slipped out through the half-open door with the Tibetan mastiff, and Xiao Lin had no choice but to follow.

The alley had a bit of light from the lamps, similar to the old man's shop. Some households had already closed their doors, while others remained open. He didn't know where the old man was taking him, and seeing the man's light-footed steps, he dared not be careless. The Silver Needle in his hand was broken into two pieces, held between his fingers.

Initially following the old man's Tibetan mastiff, it turned around to look at Xiao Lin, then trotted over to follow alongside him, which infuriated the old man to no end, as he kept cursing the dog.

Xiao Lin found it amusing. Dogs are known for their loyalty and human-like understanding; if possible, he would ask later if he could buy it.

The place they were going to was at the other end of the alley, near the roadside, a small shop so tiny that it couldn't fit more than one person. Xiao Lin had to stand outside with the dog. The old man exchanged some words with the person at the counter, who then stared at Xiao Lin with astonished eyes before quickly running to the other side of the shop; things here indeed seemed complicated.

Not long after, the person returned to the shop and gestured to Xiao Lin.

"Old man, what's going on?" Xiao Lin asked, bewildered, looking at the old man.

"Just follow him," the old man seemed puzzled too, not expecting things to move so quickly. He pulled the Tibetan mastiff and walked back into the alley without turning back.

The guide said nothing, and Xiao Lin could only keep silent as he followed behind. What looked like a shop that could only fit one person on the outside was a hidden world within.

Underneath a large courtyard with small bridges and flowing water, the ancient-style buildings were so well concealed from the outside. Xiao Lin admired the designer's ingenious and heartfelt creation. Passing through the small corridor, he arrived at a grand glass structure. Seeing it at night, it was likely amber-colored glass, with bead curtains covering it. Inside, the lights twinkled faintly.

At the end of the corridor, the guide had no intention of continuing, simply pointing inside before retracing his steps.

As he lifted the bamboo curtain, a rich aroma of sandalwood wafted over. Xiao Lin disliked the scent, as it caused him brief dizziness. His ears caught a melody, strings plucked by fingers, the crisp sound of a guzheng resonating in his heart.

Seated on the floor with jet-black velvet turned away from him, the guqin rested on a willow wood stand, its head resembled a phoenix spreading its wings, while the tail was a snake coiled on a rock, a discordant pairing.

"I'm Xiao Lin." With no one responding, he had to introduce himself.

"Please sit!"

The voice was as rich as velvet.

Xiao Lin casually found a vacant cushion and sat down. After uttering those few words, the guqin player submerged back into their world, ignoring Xiao Lin.

Such cold reception was understandable, given this was a dark world with its own survival rules. He had yet to find anything intimidating so far.

Compared to the ancient charm outside, this place had a modern consciousness. Cutting-edge electronic devices juxtaposed against elegant and subdued wooden furniture seemed out of place. Xiao Lin didn't know why, but he felt a hint of danger here. Green plants were scattered in every corner, while peculiar stone shapes were randomly placed beside the plants. In this room with modern vibes, it was a strangely fitting décor.

The music paused, and in a flash, someone appeared before him. Delicate fingers swept the hair back up, revealing a delicate face. This was a woman—a beautiful one without a doubt. The metaphor of not being touched by the mundane seemed to fit her perfectly.

"Yan San said you want to buy something, so what price are you offering?" The woman lowered her eyes, never once directly looking at Xiao Lin, reclining gracefully on the soft cushion, her silhouette flawlessly shown.

Xiao Lin's gaze hovered around her chest, and Xia Xue's question suddenly flashed through his mind. Comparing the two, this woman's chest was undoubtedly impeccable, well-positioned, firm, seemingly not graspable with just one hand.

"Whatever price you name, I can afford it."

The woman chuckled. "If someone else said that line, it would be hard to believe, but coming from your mouth, Xiao Lin, it's different."

"Oh?" Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow. The woman laughed elegantly, her lowered eyes filled with a charming, girlish sentiment. "I, Xiao Lin, am merely a doctor from Yan University."

"When did the Xiao Family produce such a low-key successor?" The woman suddenly opened her eyes; her equally dark pupils held an entrancing power.

Xiao Lin remained expressionless, silently gazing into those eyes as if being drawn in. There was no retreat, no avoidance—two pairs of eyes scrutinized each other, seeking a glimpse of themselves in the other's pupils.

"You are a person with courage." The woman withdrew her gaze, seeing nothing in his black eyes, so she gave up the pursuit. "But unfortunately..."

"Zhang Teng's whereabouts before his death, I'm here to buy that information." Sidestepping the topic, Xiao Lin went straight to the point. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)