Chapter 11: The Divine Physician Senses the Hidden Tide

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A thunderous explosion shattered the stillness of the night outside the window.

Niu Yichen’s gaze sharpened, and almost instinctively, he moved in front of Zhan Qingxue to shield her.

He rushed to the window. In the Zhan family garden below, flames soared into the sky, staining half the night red.

“What happened?!” Zhan Qingxue cried out, her lovely face drained of color.

Niu Yichen did not answer. He narrowed his eyes and carefully studied the direction of the blaze.

The fire was unnaturally fierce. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed one of the garden pavilions.

This was no accident. Someone had started it deliberately!

“Someone is trying to harm the Zhan family.” Niu Yichen’s voice was icy, and a sharp killing intent spread through the room.

Those people must have lost their minds. They actually dared to stir up trouble on his turf!

He turned to Zhan Qingxue, his tone softening slightly. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Before the words had even left his mouth, another explosion rang out—this time from the direction of the Zhan family’s main gate.

Niu Yichen’s heart sank. The enemy had clearly come prepared, attacking from both inside and out!

Without hesitation, he took Zhan Qingxue’s hand. “Come on. Let’s take a look!”

The two of them rushed out of the room and onto the corridor.

Below, in the courtyard, a group of men in black was engaged in a fierce battle with the Zhan family guards. Blades flashed, and shouts of combat shook the heavens.

The black-clad men were highly trained and merciless. The Zhan guards were clearly at a disadvantage.

A cold glint flickered in Niu Yichen’s eyes. Every one of those men was an expert—they were no ordinary hired thugs!

What concerned him even more was that the men in black seemed to be deliberately avoiding the Zhan family’s central areas. Their target did not appear to be the Zhan family itself, but rather…

“A diversion,” Niu Yichen said, instantly grasping the enemy’s intention.

They had created chaos to draw everyone’s attention away. Their true purpose was likely to carry out some hidden scheme.

At that thought, Niu Yichen’s heart sank, and an ominous premonition surged within him.

He paid no further attention to the battle below. Turning around, he pulled Zhan Qingxue along. “We’re going back to the room!”

Zhan Qingxue had no idea what was happening, but she obediently followed him.

Once they returned to the room, Niu Yichen immediately went to the desk and opened the ancient book.

“Just as I thought…” His expression darkened as he stared intently at a symbol on the page.

“What is it?” Zhan Qingxue asked anxiously.

Niu Yichen did not answer. He merely pointed at the symbol. “Look at this…”

Zhan Qingxue leaned closer. The drawing depicted a strange symbol, resembling both an eye and a whirlpool.

“What is this?” she asked in confusion.

Niu Yichen drew a deep breath and slowly said, “This is… the emblem of the Heavenly Eye.”

“The Heavenly Eye?” Zhan Qingxue was even more puzzled.

Niu Yichen offered no explanation. His expression grave, he said, “It seems we’ve run into serious trouble…”

He suddenly stopped and turned his gaze toward the window. His eyes grew razor-sharp.

“They’re here…” he murmured.

Beyond the window, the night was deep and silent, like a monstrous beast lying in wait, ready to devour everything.

Niu Yichen stood before the window, gazing at the distant flames. A cold smile curved his lips.

“Such petty tricks, yet you dare display them before a master.”

Over the next few days, Niu Yichen behaved entirely out of character. He no longer rushed about as he had before, investigating the Heavenly Eye’s movements.

Instead, he spent every day with Zhan Qingxue—strolling through the gardens, admiring the flowers, drinking tea, and playing chess. They lived like a pair of immortals in love, as though he cared nothing for the turmoil beyond the estate.

Some members of the Zhan family began whispering among themselves, finding Niu Yichen far too passive. A few even questioned him to his face.

“Mr. Niu, didn’t you say you were going to investigate the mastermind behind all this? Why are you now…” one of the younger members of the Zhan family could not help asking.

Niu Yichen gave a faint smile, lifted his teacup, and took a small sip.

“Impatience accomplishes nothing. The enemy is hidden while I stand in the open. Rather than alarm the snake by striking the grass, it is better to remain still and respond when the time is right.”

“But…” The young man wanted to continue, but Zhan Qingxue interrupted him.

“I trust Mr. Niu’s judgment.” Her voice was firm, and her eyes were filled with confidence.

Niu Yichen gave her an approving look and continued, “The art of war teaches that what is real may be made to appear false, and what is false may be made to appear real. Though I seem to be doing nothing, I am actually lulling the enemy into complacency and waiting for them to expose themselves.”

The others understood only vaguely, but seeing how completely Zhan Qingxue trusted Niu Yichen, they had no choice but to remain silent.

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However, Niu Yichen’s apparent idleness did not last long.

That night, he went alone to the study and opened the ancient book containing information about the Heavenly Eye.

“Heavenly Eye… Heavenly Eye…” he murmured to himself, lightly brushing his fingers over the symbol on the page. His gaze gradually deepened.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as they fixed on a line of tiny writing beneath the symbol.

“So that’s how it is…” The corners of his lips lifted slightly, revealing a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Did you really think that hiding in the shadows would allow you to do whatever you pleased? How naïve.”

He rose and walked to the window, gazing at the pitch-black sky, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.

“The game has only just begun.”

The following morning, Niu Yichen took his usual walk through the garden with Zhan Qingxue.

Sunlight bathed them both, creating a scene of warmth and beauty.

“Qingxue, do you know something?” Niu Yichen suddenly said. “I think I’ve discovered something rather interesting.”

Zhan Qingxue looked at him curiously. “What?”

With a mysterious smile, Niu Yichen pointed toward a tree in the distance. “Look at that tree…”

Following his gaze, Zhan Qingxue saw nothing more than an ordinary camphor tree, its branches thick with leaves as they swayed gently in the breeze.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, puzzled.

Niu Yichen smiled faintly and pointed to a tiny mark carved into the trunk. “Look at this. Doesn’t it resemble the character for ‘eye’?”

Zhan Qingxue examined it closely and discovered that there was indeed a tiny carving on the trunk, its shape unmistakably resembling an eye.

Her heart jolted. Could this be the Heavenly Eye’s mark?

“Exactly.” Niu Yichen nodded. “It seems the Heavenly Eye has already infiltrated the Zhan family.”

Zhan Qingxue inhaled sharply, her face paling. “Then what should we do?”

“Don’t worry.” Niu Yichen reassured her. “I already know who it is.”

Over the next few days, Niu Yichen secretly observed every member of the Zhan family. At last, he narrowed down the target—the Zhan family’s business partner, Chairman Wang.

On the surface, Chairman Wang maintained a close relationship with the Zhan family. In reality, he was secretly colluding with the Heavenly Eye and stealing the Zhan family’s commercial secrets.

Niu Yichen discreetly passed the information to Zhan Qingxue’s father, the Old Master of the Zhan family.

The old master was a seasoned and calculating man. Without revealing anything, he arranged a business negotiation and set a trap that forced Chairman Wang to expose himself.

Chairman Wang was eventually taken away by the police, and the Zhan family narrowly avoided a major commercial crisis.

After discovering that Niu Yichen had learned of their existence, the Heavenly Eye organization flew into a rage and decided to eliminate him.

That night, several black-clad assassins infiltrated the Zhan estate, their target none other than Niu Yichen.

But Niu Yichen had been prepared.

Using the terrain of the Zhan estate to his advantage, he engaged the assassins in a thrilling pursuit.

Every attack they launched was deftly neutralized by him, and at times he even turned their assaults against them, transforming their own moves into traps.

“That’s it?” Niu Yichen taunted while dodging their attacks. “You’re even worse than I expected!”

The Zhan family’s bodyguards hurried over after hearing the commotion and joined the battle.

Outnumbered, the assassins began to panic.

“Fall back!” the leader shouted.

The remaining assassins scattered and fled.

Niu Yichen did not pursue them. He simply stood where he was, watching them disappear into the distance, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Trying to run? Not so fast!”

He bent down and picked up a dart from the ground, carefully examining the pattern engraved upon it.

“As expected. The Heavenly Eye…” he murmured, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

Suddenly, his expression changed. His gaze fell upon the dart’s tip.

“What… what is this?”

He extended a finger and lightly touched the tip. A faint fragrance drifted into his nose.

“This is bad!” Niu Yichen’s expression changed dramatically. “This is…”

His face turned grim. The dart had been coated with deadly poison!

Although it had only grazed his skin, the toxin had already entered his body through the tiny wound.

How sinister the Heavenly Eye was!

They had resorted to such despicable methods.

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Niu Yichen immediately sat cross-legged, focused his mind, circulated his energy, and directed the vital force within his body to drive out the poison.

The toxin was fierce, but it posed no serious threat to him.

The process of purging it was merely somewhat painful, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Hearing the commotion, Zhan Qingxue hurried over. When she saw Niu Yichen’s pale face, she immediately panicked.

“Yichen, what happened to you?”

Niu Yichen endured the pain and forced out a smile. “It’s nothing. Just a minor injury. I’ll be fine soon.”

Zhan Qingxue refused to believe him. She asked anxiously, “What really happened? Was it those assassins…?”

Niu Yichen nodded and briefly explained what had happened.

Zhan Qingxue was so frightened that her eyes reddened.

“It’s all my fault. I dragged you into this…”

Niu Yichen gently stroked her hair and comforted her in a soft voice. “Silly girl, what are you talking about? Protecting you is my responsibility. How could you have dragged me into anything?”

As they spoke, Niu Yichen had already forced the poison from his body.

He rose to his feet, stretched his limbs, and found himself refreshed and invigorated.

“It’s gone. Just a little poison—nothing worth mentioning.”

Only then did Zhan Qingxue relax, though concern still filled her eyes.

“Will those assassins come back?”

Niu Yichen’s gaze sharpened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“They will. And soon.” He looked around, then fixed his gaze on the Zhan family’s bodyguards.

“Your skills may be sufficient against ordinary thugs, but when facing true assassins, they fall short.”

He walked up to one of the bodyguards and pointed to several vital points on his body.

“These points are the human body’s weaknesses. A strike to any one of them could mean death or serious injury. You must remember their locations. In battle, target these points whenever possible. That is how you achieve the greatest victory at the smallest cost.”

The bodyguards nodded repeatedly, admiration filling their eyes.

Niu Yichen was not only a brilliant physician—his martial skills were equally extraordinary. He was truly a man who had kept his abilities hidden.

Over the next few days, Niu Yichen spent his days with Zhan Qingxue, while at night he studied the ancient texts alone in the study, searching for a way to deal with the Heavenly Eye.

That night, he discovered another clue.

The headquarters of the Heavenly Eye organization was actually located in this very city!

And its leader was a mysterious figure known only by the code name Night Owl.

The corners of Niu Yichen’s lips rose slightly in a cold smile.

“Night Owl, I’d like to see who you really are!”

He stood and walked to the window, gazing at the black sky, cold light flickering in his eyes.

“The game has only just begun…”

Suddenly, his gaze focused on a high-rise building in the distance.

A faint light flickered from the top floor, standing out conspicuously against the darkness.

“That is…” Niu Yichen narrowed his eyes and studied the building carefully.

“Could it be…?”

He turned, picked up a coat, and draped it over his shoulders. “Qingxue, I’m going out for a while.”

Zhan Qingxue awoke from her sleep, rubbing her bleary eyes as she asked, “Where are you going at this hour?”

Niu Yichen smiled. “I’ll be back soon. Go on and sleep.”

With that, he turned and left the room, disappearing into the night.

Zhan Qingxue watched his departing figure, a faint unease rising in her heart.

“Yichen, be careful…” she whispered.

Niu Yichen arrived beneath the high-rise and looked up. The light on the top floor was still flickering, as though beckoning him onward.

“Night Owl, I’m here…” he murmured.

Then his figure flashed, and he vanished into the darkness.

On the rooftop, a man in black stood at the edge, looking down over the entire city. A cold smile curved across his lips.

“Niu Yichen, you finally came…”