“You want to be a resident physician?” Du Changqing’s eyes widened. “Miss Lu, are you joking with me?”

Lu Tong gazed at him calmly.

Du Changqing took a sip of tea and gathered his thoughts before speaking again: “Miss Lu, being a resident physician isn’t just talk. Since you’ve already inquired about it, you must have seen that resident physicians are mostly older men. You, being a young lady…”

Lu Tong lifted the teacup before her, watching the tea leaves floating in it.

Since ancient times, physicians have always been more respected with age. Younger doctors were often questioned about their medical expertise, usually waiting until their hair turned white before gradually building a reputation.

Seeing Lu Tong’s silence, Du Changqing continued his well-intentioned advice: “Miss Lu, I’ve lived in Shengjing since childhood, and pardon my boldness, but a beautiful young lady like yourself shouldn’t endure such hardships, let alone be in the public eye. If your family saw this, they would be heartbroken.”

At the mention of “family,” Lu Tong’s eyes flickered slightly.

Du Changqing hadn’t noticed her expression and continued speaking: “Why don’t you just give me the medicinal tea? I’ll pay you for it, and we’ll treat it as a consignment. How about that?”

Lu Tong: “Renxin Medical Hall is a clinic, not an herbal shop.”

“It’s practically the same thing.”

Lu Tong set down her teacup and looked at Du Changqing: “Young Master Du, are you perhaps doubting my medical abilities and worried I’ll cause trouble for your clinic that can’t be resolved?”

Seemingly struck by her insight into his hidden thoughts, Du Changqing paused.

“If you don’t trust me, you’re welcome to come to the clinic with medical conditions to test my skills,” Lu Tong said. “Shengjing has more than one medical hall. If Young Master Du doesn’t wish to do business, that’s fine.” She dropped these words lightly and stood up, no longer wishing to continue the conversation with Du Changqing.

“Wait—”

Du Changqing called out loudly.

Lu Tong turned to look at him.

He stared at Lu Tong for a long while, finally gritting his teeth in defeat, saying only: “Doctor Lu, I’ve never met a young lady like you with such noble aspirations and dedication to healing others.”

“Let me tell you this,” he said sullenly. “You can be the resident physician, but I can’t control whether others will accept you or not.”

“No need for Young Master Du to worry about that,” Lu Tong nodded to him. “I’ll handle it myself.”

With the agreement reached, the subsequent matters became much simpler.

Du Changqing would first return to help find lodging for Lu Tong and her companion, while Lu Tong planned to return to the inn to pack their belongings. After Du Changqing paid for the tea, the three walked side by side toward the Laiyi Inn.

The street was bustling, with endless carriages and horses passing by. A few dozen steps ahead was a jewelry shop called Baoxiang Tower, where ladies often selected accessories.

Just as Lu Tong’s group and Du Changqing reached Baoxiang Tower, there was suddenly a chaotic sound of hoofbeats ahead. Lu Tong looked up to see a carriage rushing toward them.

The carriage driver showed no consideration for pedestrians, and the horse nearly crashed into Yin Zheng. Lu Tong quickly pulled Yin Zheng away, barely saving her from harm. Before Yin Zheng could speak, the driver shouted angrily: “Where did these commoners come from? Are you blind?”

Yin Zheng was upset and about to argue back when Du Changqing beside her grabbed her and said quietly: “Don’t argue, that’s the Grand Tutor’s carriage.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Tong’s heart stirred, and she turned to ask Du Changqing: “The Grand Tutor you mentioned, could it be Grand Tutor Qi’s household?”

Du Changqing was somewhat surprised: “You know of the Grand Tutor’s reputation as well?”

Lu Tong didn’t respond, her expression becoming slightly dark.

Meanwhile, the carriage curtain was lifted, and someone descended.

It was a lady wearing a veiled hat, dressed in a misty-colored silk dress embroidered with lotus flowers that accentuated her graceful figure. Supported by her maid as she stepped down from the carriage, she revealed exquisite jade orchid embroidery on her shoes.

She walked very carefully, and though her face couldn’t be seen, one could sense her delicate elegance.

Such a precious young lady had tall and fierce guards around her, who only loudly scolded and drove away the surrounding commoners to ensure their mistress could enter Baoxiang Tower unimpeded.

Du Changqing snorted: “These nobles…” but dared not continue.

Lu Tong was watching the Grand Tutor’s young lady when she suddenly caught a very faint scent of blood. Before she could warn anyone, from the end of the long street, there suddenly came the sound of soldiers and horses in pursuit, accompanied by screams and shouts.

“Get out of the way! Officials catching criminals!”

“Murder—”

“Get back!”

Street vendors’ stalls were overturned as soldiers charged through the street. Lu Tong thought this wasn’t good, instinctively pulled out the velvet flower from her hair and gripped it in her palm, while grabbing Yin Zheng to retreat into a nearby shop. Suddenly, a forceful wind rushed toward them as a figure darted past, accompanied by a strong smell of blood.

That person didn’t even look at Lu Tong, heading straight for the Grand Tutor’s young lady. Just as they were about to grab the frightened noble lady, her guard suddenly glanced at Lu Tong. The next moment, Lu Tong felt her arm being seized and her body forcefully pushed forward, right in front of the black-clothed person.

“Miss—” Yin Zheng cried out in alarm.

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment.

The guard, seeing someone had become a scapegoat, unhesitatingly led his young lady into Baoxiang Tower. Lu Tong felt a blade tip against her neck as someone gripped her shoulder, attempting to escape to the other end of the street.

However, his plan failed.

At the other end of the street, a large group of soldiers had arrived, trapping him and Lu Tong between them.

This person was now cornered with nowhere to go.

Lu Tong was held tightly by him as she turned her head slightly, barely making out his profile.

He was a middle-aged man about forty years old, his face covered in blood, his expression fierce and panicked. Lu Tong could feel his hand holding the blade trembling slightly, and his voice was shaking too, filled with the desperation of someone at the end of their rope, as he shouted at the soldiers ahead: “Get out of the way! Or I’ll kill her!”

The lead official was a man in official robes with high cheekbones, wearing blue silk boots. Sitting high on his horse, he spoke down: “Criminal Lu Dashan, stop struggling in vain and surrender immediately!”

Hearing this, the man called Lu Dashan spat and laughed hysterically, shouting: “What criminal? Who the hell is a criminal? The Military Horse Supervision Bureau embezzles and makes me the scapegoat, in your dreams!” He tightened his grip on the knife, “Stop wasting breath, get out of the way quickly, or I’ll chop her up right now!”

The lead official narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak.

All the surrounding civilians had scattered far away. Lu Tong watched helplessly as officials with quivers on their backs drew arrows and nocked them to their bowstrings in her direction, her heart sinking.

Lu Dashan noticed this change too, becoming increasingly nervous. The blade at Lu Tong’s neck pressed down harder, drawing a thin line of blood that trickled down her jade-like neck.

Yin Zheng panicked: “Miss!”

“It’s useless.” Du Changqing held back the advancing Yin Zheng, his eyes full of horror and fear. “That’s Lei Yuan, the patrol captain of the Military Bureau. He’s ambitious and reckless, never caring about civilian lives. With such a large operation to capture Lu Dashan, I’m afraid…”

Afraid that Lei Yuan wouldn’t let Lu Dashan go just for Lu Tong’s safety.

Lu Tong realized this too, her heart beginning to race wildly.

Lu Dashan shouted shakily: “Everyone gets out of my way!”

Lei Yuan just watched him with a cold smile, making a small gesture to those behind him. Lu Tong saw an archer not far from him slowly drawing his bow.

Her heart suddenly went cold. Currently held by Lu Dashan as a human shield, no matter how skilled the archer was, one arrow would pierce through both her and Lu Dashan!

She certainly didn’t want to die here for no reason!

Thinking this, Lu Tong quietly gripped the velvet flower in her hand. She had pulled this flower from her hair earlier at Baoxiang Tower and had been holding it all along.

Lu Dashan’s attention was entirely focused on Lei Yuan’s group, not considering Lu Tong a threat, as she appeared to be just a helpless woman.

The archer behind Lei Yuan had already drawn his bow taut, waiting only for Lei Yuan’s command to release the arrow.

At this moment, Lu Tong suddenly raised her hand, catching Lu Dashan off guard and making him stumble back two steps. However, his hand gripping her shoulder didn’t loosen.

The next instant, Lu Tong thrust the flower pin in her hand viciously toward Lu Dashan’s left eye!

Gasps of shock erupted behind them.