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

Lu Tong looked at him calmly.

Du Changqing took a sip of tea and paused before speaking again: “Miss Lu, being a resident physician is no laughing matter. Since you’ve already inquired about it, you should have seen that most resident physicians are older men. You’re a young lady…”

Lu Tong picked up the tea bowl in front of her, gazing at the broken leaves floating and sinking in the tea.

Since ancient times, physicians became more valued with age. Younger doctors were often questioned about their medical skills being insufficiently refined, having to endure and persevere until their hair turned white before gradually building their reputation.

Seeing Lu Tong remain silent, Du Changqing continued to earnestly persuade her: “Miss Lu, I’ve lived in the capital since childhood. If I may speak frankly, a beautiful young lady like you shouldn’t have to endure such hardships, let alone show your face in public. If your family saw this, how heartbroken they would be.”

Upon hearing the words “family,” Lu Tong’s eyes flickered slightly.

Du Changqing didn’t notice her expression and continued speaking: “Just give me the medicinal tea, I’ll pay you silver, treating it as consignment selling. How about that?”

Lu Tong said: “Renxin Medical Hall is a medical clinic, not an apothecary.”

“It’s almost the same as an apothecary.”

Lu Tong set down her tea bowl and looked at Du Changqing: “Young Master Du, are you doubting that I lack the ability to practice medicine, and worried that I’ll cause trouble for your medical hall that you can’t resolve?”

As if his hidden thoughts had been exposed, Du Changqing paused.

“If you don’t trust me, you can find patients at the medical hall to test me,” Lu Tong said. “The capital has more than one medical hall. If Young Master Du doesn’t want to do this business, then so be it.” She casually dropped this remark, stood up, and had no desire to continue talking with Du Changqing.

“Wait—”

Du Changqing shouted loudly.

Lu Tong turned to look at him.

He stared at Lu Tong for a long while, finally gritting his teeth in defeat and saying: “Doctor Lu, this is the first time I’ve met a young lady with such noble aspirations and dedication to healing.”

“Let me say this first,” he said irritably: “You can be the resident physician, but I can’t control whether others will accept you.”

“That won’t trouble Young Master Du,” Lu Tong nodded to him. “I’ll handle it myself.”

Now that they had reached an agreement, the remaining matters were much easier to handle.

Du Changqing needed to return first to find lodging for Lu Tong and her companion, while Lu Tong also planned to go back to the inn to pack their luggage. After Du Changqing paid for the tea, the three walked side by side toward the Incoming Guest Inn.

The long street was bustling with endless carriages and horses. A few dozen steps ahead stood a jewelry shop called Treasure Fragrance Tower, where ladies often came to select accessories.

Just as Lu Tong’s group and Du Changqing reached Treasure Fragrance Tower, a sudden chaos of horse hooves sounded ahead. Lu Tong looked up and saw a carriage charging aggressively toward them.

The carriage driver showed no regard for pedestrians. The large horse nearly knocked into Yin Zheng, and Lu Tong quickly pulled Yin Zheng aside, saving her from harm. Before Yin Zheng could speak, the driver loudly cursed: “What unruly commoners! Are you blind?”

Yin Zheng was indignant and wanted to argue back, but Du Changqing beside her quickly grabbed her and whispered: “Don’t curse back, that’s a carriage from the Grand Tutor’s manor.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Tong’s heart stirred, and she turned to ask Du Changqing: “The Grand Tutor’s manor you mentioned, is that Grand Tutor Qi’s manor?”

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

Lu Tong didn’t respond, her expression growing somewhat dark.

Over there, the carriage curtain was lifted, and someone stepped down from the carriage.

It was a young lady wearing a veiled hat, dressed in a smoke-and-cloud colored silk dress with hibiscus patterns that made her figure appear especially graceful. Supported by a maid as she stepped down from the carriage, she revealed the exquisite magnolia embroidery on her silk shoes.

She walked very carefully, and even though her face couldn’t be seen, she gave off an air of delicate charm.

Such a precious young lady was accompanied by tall and fierce guards who loudly scolded and drove away the surrounding common people, ensuring their mistress could enter Treasure Fragrance Tower unobstructed.

Du Changqing snorted: “These powerful nobles…” but ultimately didn’t dare continue.

Lu Tong was watching the young lady from the Grand Tutor’s family when she suddenly caught a faint scent of blood in the air. Before she could voice a warning, suddenly from the far end of the long street came the chaotic sound of pursuing soldiers and horses, accompanied by screams and shouts along the way.

“Everyone get out of the way! Officers catching a criminal!”

“Murder—”

“Get lost!”

Street vendors and tea stalls were overturned all along the way as the soldiers and horses rampaged through the street. Lu Tong sensed trouble and instinctively pulled out a silk flower from her hair, gripping it in her palm while grabbing Yin Zheng to retreat into a nearby shop. Just then, she saw a strong gust of wind pass before her eyes as a figure rushed toward them, accompanied by a strong smell of blood.

Without even looking at Lu Tong, the person charged straight toward the Grand Tutor’s young lady. Just as he was about to grab the terrified Grand Tutor’s daughter, one of her guards suddenly glanced at Lu Tong. The next moment, Lu Tong felt her arm being grabbed and her body forcefully pushed forward, right in front of the black-clothed man.

“Miss—” Yin Zheng cried out in alarm.

Everything seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Seeing that someone had become a scapegoat, the guard unhesitatingly took his young mistress and retreated into Treasure Fragrance Tower. Lu Tong felt a knife point against her neck and someone gripping her shoulder, trying to escape toward the other end of the street.

However, his plan failed.

At the other end of the street, a large group of soldiers had already arrived, surrounding this man and Lu Tong from front and back.

This man was already trapped with no way forward or back.

Lu Tong was tightly held by him. She slightly turned her head and vaguely saw the man’s profile.

He was a middle-aged man of about forty, his face covered in blood, his expression both fierce and panicked. Lu Tong felt the hand gripping the knife point trembling slightly. His voice was also trembling, carrying the madness of desperation as he shouted to the soldiers ahead: “Get out of the way! Or I’ll kill her!”

The leading soldier was a man in official robes, wearing blue satin and black boots, with prominent cheekbones. Sitting high on his horse, he looked down and spoke: “Criminal Lü Dashan, don’t struggle in vain. Surrender immediately!”

The man called Lü Dashan spat upon hearing this, his expression somewhere between crying and laughing as he shouted loudly: “What criminal? Who the hell is the criminal? The Imperial Horse Monitor stole from themselves but made me the scapegoat. Dream on!” He tightened his grip on the knife. “Stop your damn nonsense and get out of the way, or I’ll chop her up right now!”

The lead officer narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

All the surrounding common people had scattered far away. Lu Tong watched helplessly as soldiers with arrow quivers on their backs aimed long arrows at her from afar, drawing them on their bowstrings, and her heart sank.

Lü Dashan also noticed this change, becoming even more nervous. The knife point pressed against Lu Tong’s neck suddenly pushed down harder, and a trickle of fresh blood slowly flowed down her jade-like neck.

Yin Zheng panicked: “Miss!”

“It’s useless,” Du Changqing held back Yin Zheng who wanted to rush forward, his eyes full of shock and fear. “That’s Lei Yuan from the Metropolitan Police Bureau. This man is greedy for merit and reckless, never caring about common people’s lives. To mobilize such a large force to capture Lü Dashan, I’m afraid…”

He was afraid Lei Yuan wouldn’t let Lü Dashan go because of Lu Tong’s safety.

Lu Tong also realized this, and her heart began to race wildly.

Lü Dashan shouted tremblingly: “All of you get out of my way!”

Lei Yuan only smiled coldly at him, making small gestures to those behind him. Lu Tong saw that not far from him, an archer was slowly drawing his bow.

Her heart suddenly turned cold. At this moment, she was being held by Lü Dashan as a shield in front of him, like a piece of armor for Lü Dashan. No matter how skilled that archer was, an arrow would pierce through both her and Lü Dashan together!

She had no intention of dying here for no reason!

Thinking of this, Lu Tong calmly gripped the silk flower in her hand tighter. She had pulled out this silk flower when they were at Treasure Fragrance Tower and had been holding it in her palm ever since.

Lü Dashan’s attention was entirely focused on Lei Yuan’s group and he didn’t take Lu Tong seriously, after all, she appeared to be just a powerless weak woman.

The archer behind Lei Yuan had already drawn his bow tight, waiting only for Lei Yuan’s command to shoot.

Just then, Lu Tong suddenly raised her hand. Caught off guard, Lü Dashan was forced to step back two steps with her. However, the hand gripping her shoulder didn’t loosen.

The next moment, the silk flower pin in Lu Tong’s hand viciously stabbed toward Lü Dashan’s left eye!

Cries of alarm sounded from behind.