Physician, Not A Consort

"Put your sword away!" Yang Hanlun roared.

The fighting ceased as the man in black took Lin Haihai as hostage and retreated out of the room. Li Junyue picked up the needle and continued Lin Haihai's unfinished work. His countenance was calm, as though he wasn't worried in the least.

The man in black analyzed the situation. Ten of his twelve brothers were already wounded, and it wouldn't do them any good to pester on. We can only retreat first. With this woman in our hands, they will have to heed our bidding!

"If you ever dare to hurt her, I will let you have a taste of living hell." A murderous aura surrounded Yang Hanlun, his face was as dark as the gloomy sky.

"Don't follow us, or else I’ll let her have a taste of living hell first!" The man in black seemed to have deliberately lowered his tone. His words startled Yang Hanlun and his men. The other men in black swiftly retreated to stand behind the man holding Lin Haihai hostage. Yang Hanlun took a step forward, and the man in black immediately exerted more force with his sword. Traces of blood could be seen on Lin Haihai's neck. Yang Hanlun didn't dare to make another movement. Never had he ever experienced such panic that rendered him helpless.

Lin Haihai was touched by Yang Hanlun's actions. However, she had to make the men in black take her away so that she could subdue them. Hence, she feigned fright and shouted, "Save me, quickly, save me!" Yang Hanlun was burning with anxiety, but the man had his sword against her neck; he didn't dare to advance.

Undue delay could bring trouble. The man in black immediately lifted Lin Haihai by the arm and leaped into the air. Yang Hanlun and his men immediately began their pursuit. Suddenly, the man waved and clouds of black smoke rose from the ground. When the black smoke dissipated, Lin Haihai and the men in black were already nowhere to be seen.

-----

With Lin Haihai in his arms, the man dashed away. The sound of the wind rushed past their ears. The men in black changed routes several times, and only stopped when they were certain that Yang Hanlun and his men wouldn't be able to catch up with them.

Lin Haihai crossed her arms. Her countenance remained calm and composed as she watched the men in black making their retreat. Even after that huge battle before, they still had the stamina to run so far away; it seemed like their martial arts skills were pretty solid. It would be perfect if I could make use of them!

The leader looked at Lin Haihai. This woman was still crying out for help just now. Why has her disposition changed all of a sudden? Was she scared silly?

"Speak, who are you?" the man in black asked icily.

"And who are you?" Lin Haihai threw the question back with a faint smile on her lips.

"We are the Lords of Hell who take lives!" the leader laughed maliciously.

"Oh? Lords of Hell? What a coincidence. I specialize in stealing business from Hell. If Hell wants to claim someone, I will save them!" Lin Haihai said with a smile.

"Hmph, don't think that I wouldn't dare kill you. You are of no use to us now," the leader snorted.

"Who hired you to come and kill people? Who's the target?" Lin Haihai cut to the chase and went straight to the point.

"You have no right to know! Die!" The leader slashed at Lin Haihai. He didn't channel much strength into his sword, as he felt that it wouldn't take much effort to deal with a woman.

Yet Lin Haihai easily dodged his sword. The man rubbed his eyes. Impossible! I clearly struck her! He made more effort this time and attacked once again. This time, he channeled fifty percent of his cultivation; even B-tier and C-tier martial arts experts in the pugilistic world might not be able to dodge it. However, Lin Haihai's silhouette disappeared briefly, before she once again stood in front of them with a grin.

The leader was getting terrified. Could this woman be a true martial arts expert? He hollered, "Attack, chop her into pieces!" His men acknowledged the orders; but before they could even make their move, with a wave of her hand, Lin Haihai sent out a strong wind current. The current rushed out and struck every man directly in the chest. All of them fell onto the ground and were rendered motionless.

Lin Haihai slid towards the leader like a phantom and asked softly, "Speak, who sent you here?" 

All thirteen men lay limp on the ground and stared at Lin Haihai in horror. The leader asked in a trembling voice, "Who the hell are you?"

Lin Haihai smiled and replied innocently, "Didn't I already answer that question? I snatch business from Hell!"

"Are you a ghost?" Fear was evident in the leader's eyes.

"Are ghosts this pretty? Since you won't reveal who sent you, I won't force you either. Now, I'd like to make a deal with you." Lin Haihai changed the topic.

"What's the deal?" The leader got a little bolder and raised his voice by a notch. 

"Do you know? Killing all of you now is as easy as pie," Lin Haihai smilingly said.

"You want to kill us?" The men in black all moved back a little, their eyes full of fear. 

"That's the deal I want to talk about. I won't kill you. The price is to sell your lives to me and listen to my bidding," Lin Haihai brought up the deal as though it was just another casual conversation.

"What?" The leader looked at Lin Haihai in disbelief. Listen to her bidding? She didn't kill us. Is she planning to slowly torture us? Or is she planning to bring us back and use torturous methods on us to make us reveal the mastermind? "Cut the crap, just kill as you wish! I'd rather die than reveal a single word," the leader spat.

"Great, such loyalty; I admire people like you. I am now in urgent need of manpower. Are you willing to be of use to me? Just a simple yes or no will suffice. If yes, then follow me. If noy, I will leave by myself, and this place will be your burial ground." 

Lin Haihai pointed her index finger at a huge boulder opposite her. *Boom!* Cracks appeared on the boulder as it split apart into tiny pieces, dust particles disintegrating into the air. A gust of wind blew, and there was not even a speck of the boulder fragments to be seen.

The men in black looked at each other in speechless despair; they didn't know how to react. The leader went into a brief silence before he spoke, "What do we have to do if we follow you?"

"You don't have to know too much. Only one ending awaits those who know too much," answered Lin Haihai with a spooky smile. Their faces went aghast as they exchanged glances.

"Will you teach us martial arts?" one of the men steeled himself and asked.

"Of course! If I don't imparta trick or two to you, how are you going to work for me? Those few moves of yours won't make it," Lin Haihai said in a caustic tone. 

Displeasure arose in his eyes but he couldn't refute the fact that Lin Haihai had presented. Lin Haihai continued, "Working under me may not bring you great fortune, but at the very least, you can have a stable and peaceful life. As long as you are alive, you can do many meaningful things. Just like my Linhai Hospital; everyone knows their purpose in life, they know what they are striving hard for. What about you? All of you brandish your swords and put your lives at risk every single day, for what?"

"Are you Physician Lin?" one of the men asked with uncertainty.

"Yes, I am," Lin Haihai cocked her head to the side, trying to distinguish his voice. I haven't heard this voice before.

"You cured my mother!" The man in black pulled down his mask and revealed a young face written with surprise. 

The rest took off their masks one after another. They were all young men in their twenties. The leader turned silent before he took off his mask as well, revealing his handsome face to Lin Haihai. Lin Haihai smiled; she knew that she had broken through their psychological line of defense.

"Tell me your name, let us get to know each other. I am Lin Haihai, a physician at Linhai Hospital," Lin Haihai said liberally.

"Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, Ice. And these two are Sword and Knife. I am Xiao." The leader introduced each of his men to Lin Haihai.

*Faint* Lin Haihai could feel the three imaginary vertical lines by the side of her temple. There was really no thought being put into these names. But it's fine; at least they’re easy to remember.

-----

"Xiao Yuan, make a trip to Linhai Hospital. Swiftly return and update this Emperor." Yang Shaolun felt a foreboding in his heart. It was already night time but Zheng Feng had yet to return with an update about the situation; he didn't even send anyone back with any news.

"Yes, this servant receives the order," Xiao Yuan was worried as well. According to Zheng Feng's prudent personality, he would have sent someone back with news if they were safe.

Yang Shaolun sat up on the bed, and a palace maid immediately came forward to help him to the ground. He tried to stand up. His wound had felt much better initially, but he had accidentally torn his wound during his intimacy with Lin Haihai in the afternoon. Now, it was starting to hurt again.

The thought of Lin Haihai compelled him to be reminded of that blushing, heart-racing memory that happened in the afternoon. She treated his wounds with great care as her unique fragrance wafted past his nose occasionally, tantalizing his thoughts. Her hair was tied up in a simple ponytail. She didn't add on any hair accessories and a few strands of hair fell by her ears, framing her face. Her head was bowed down so he was able to look at her boldly. Her curvy eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, her tiny dainty lips were stained with the natural color of a rose, her delicate face stirred his heart. He didn't dare to move and could only watch her in silence. Then, she actually told him not to engage in bedroom activities. He knew she was just advising a patient in her capacity as a physician, but he couldn't help but feel that it was an ambiguous statement.

Then, she looked at him. He didn't have time to conceal the passion and desire in his eyes before he met her bright gaze. He thought that she would be upset but instead, she caressed his face and then his lips before pressing her lips to his. At that moment, he felt as though his soul had left his body. The throbbing, the frenzy, the passion, he couldn't find any words to describe how he felt. Does she harbor feelings for me too? Or was it just momentary confusion? Or did she mistake me for Imperial Brother? My wound was bleeding and I could see the worry and pain in her gaze. She does feel something for me, but all these...

Yang Shaolun felt afflicted at this moment. He had never felt so strongly about a woman, so strong that even he felt afraid. Yet, this woman was his younger brother's wife, and his younger brother respected and adored him. How could Yang Shaolun bear to hurt his younger brother? Haihai, I met you at the wrong time. Would you stop and wait for me?