Yu Qing Lang and the others snapped to attention, their gazes turning predatory as they focused on Gu Shu and Lolita. What were those two doing here? Since when were they in league with Yu Xiao? Wasn’t the entire point of this instance to make the attending doctors’ lives hell? After all this time, were they finally about to see some action?

    Gu Shu and Lolita, finely tuned to even the slightest hint of hostility after years as attending doctors, instinctively took a step back, their postures turning defensive. The air crackled with tension, and the threat of violence hung heavy.

    Just as it seemed a brawl was about to erupt, Yu Xiao stepped between the two groups, wearing a playful smile.

    “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s with the standoff, everyone? We’re all friends here.” She gestured towards Lolita and Gu Shu. “They’re helping me out. We have a cooperative relationship now.”

    Yu Qing Lang’s eyebrows shot up. They had clashed with the attending doctors before, sure, but this… this was new. “Cooperate on what, exactly?”

    “Qu Lian, and that other git in this instance,” Yu Xiao said, her voice hardening. “We didn’t go looking for trouble, but they decided to bring it to us. Do you think I can let that slide? I’m going to return the favour, and I need Gu Shu and Lolita’s expertise to do it right.”

    Her plan was simple: find Qu Lian, rough him up good, then lure out Jealousy for a public humiliation. All while pinning the blame squarely on Gu Shu and Lolita. Hospital rules would boot them from attending positions faster than you could say “grassroots.” The mere thought of them reduced to pushing food carts made Yu Xiao practically vibrate with glee.

    Those familiar with Yu Xiao’s brand of mischief, like Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen, recognized the glint in her eye. She wasn’t spilling the whole truth. Others, like Tang Xing Yin and Yu Qing Lang, were bewildered. Weren’t these doctors supposed to be Yu Xiao’s sworn enemies? This sudden alliance felt… off.

    Yu Xiao wasn’t fond of giving long explanations. “Alright,” she declared, “let’s find a quiet place to strategize.”

    As they walked away, Zhou Xiao Zhen pulled on Yu Xiao’s sleeve and gave her a secretive wink. Yu Xiao knew that Zhou Xiao Zhen was eager for more details, but she just winked back, promising to talk later.

    Their path took them to Spring Rejuvenation Hall (回春堂; huí chūn táng), Qu Lian’s pharmacy. Inside, the doctor sat there, angry and frustrated. The recent defeat still hurt, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Reporting it would mean admitting that he had broken the hospital rules as well. Swallowing his pride, Qu Lian nursed his wounds in bitter silence.

    Suddenly, a shadow darkened the doorway. Qu Lian looked up and saw a group of unfamiliar faces blocking the entrance.

    Qu Lian: “…”

    Yu Xiao stood at the back, giving Gu Shu and Lolita a sly grin. “Listen, I appreciate that you want to make amends, but trust has to be earned after everything. Show me that you deserve it.”

    She pointed at the seething Qu Lian. “Give him a good beating. Show me your dedication, and your past mistakes will be forgotten.”

    Gu Shu’s face twisted in discomfort. Yu Xiao, always the strategist, reassured him. “Relax, Qu Lian went too far. Reporting you wouldn’t be in his best interest. He’ll have to swallow this one, unless he fancies a career change.”

    Allowing rival doctors to harm patients in your situation was a serious offence, and Yu Xiao knew Qu Lian wouldn’t risk causing a scene. This was her little ace up her sleeve.

    Gu Shu and Lolita exchanged a glance, silently agreeing, before entering the apothecary.

    Inside, Dr. Qu Lian was filled with anxiety. He had never felt so on edge, not even in his early days as an attending doctor. His eyes darted around the room, eventually settling on the wall of patients. What were they planning? He tried to reassure himself. Maybe they would just beat him. Unpleasant, of course, but they wouldn’t actually harm him. After all, no one had ever killed an attending doctor before, right?

    Just then, the crowd parted, and two familiar figures entered confidently.

    Qu Lian’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. “You’re here!” But then, the doctor within him couldn’t help but ask, “What is happening?”

    Gu Shu nodded toward Lolita. “Ladies first?”

    Lolita cracked her knuckles and rolled her neck. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s just get this over with.”

    And with that, they lunged forward. The crowd outside heard a chaotic mix of anger and terror erupting from within the Spring Rejuvenation Hall, but their view was obstructed by the mass of people.

    A moment later, the building trembled, and a cloud of dust and debris billowed outward. Leading the charge out of the settling dust was Yu Xiao, her hair dancing in the breeze. Behind her marched the patients, disciplined and united.

    Gu Shu and Lolita emerged from the wreckage last, both looking worse for wear. Lolita’s usually flawless hair resembled a bird’s nest, and Gu Shu’s clothes were practically torn to shreds. It turned out that, even against two opponents, Qu Lian could put up a fight.

    Not seeing any sign of Yu Xiao and the others, Lolita let out a sigh of relief. “Never again,” she muttered. She didn’t need to explain; Gu Shu knew exactly who she meant. He, too, had abandoned any thoughts of revenge. If he had just swallowed his pride, he could be enjoying tea under his favourite tree back in Gu Family Village.

    No use crying over spilled tea, though. Especially when there were no regret pills to be found in any hospital.

    **

    As they walked away, Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, “Are we just going to let those two go?”

    Yu Xiao chuckled. “As if. I filed a complaint with the medical dispute office a long time ago.”

    “You disappeared for a while there,” Yu Qing Lang remarked. “Where did you go?”

    “Just popping back to St. Elizabeth’s,” Yu Xiao replied casually. She pulled a white coat out of her backpack, giving it a shake before putting it on.

    Tang Xing Yin and the other patients from the Second Hospital stared at her, their faces expressionless.

    The setting sun gleamed off the white coat as Yu Xiao declared, “To tell you the truth, I am the Dean of St. Elizabeth’s. And this coat? It allows me to go back whenever I please.”

    A stunned silence engulfed the group. Finally, someone stammered, “Patients… can work at hospitals?”

    Yu Xiao nodded. “Not only work, but also climb the career ladder.”

    Yu Xiao offered a gentle smile. “Remember how I disappeared earlier? After you all fell into the illusion, I was whisked away. Nightmare helped me wake up, but I found myself stuck between Gu Shu and Lolita. They were too scared of a report to actually hurt me, so they dragged me back to St. Elizabeth’s. Luckily, I saw an opportunity and gave them the slip.”

    She left out the part about her temporary, frontal-lobe-induced simplicity and George’s timely intervention with a healing talisman. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine, and she didn’t want to worry the others. She was fine now, and that’s all that mattered. S~ea??h the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Having glossed over those details, Yu Xiao continued, “I had Nightmare file a report. Negligence, harming patients, bribery… what else did we come up with?”

    “Assaulting colleagues,” Zhou Xiao Zhen piped up.

    “Right,” Yu Xiao nodded. “Assaulting an attending doctor is serious business. Best to avoid fighting if you can. Let the doctors take each other down instead.”

    The others winced.

    “Aren’t you worried they’ll hate you even more?” Wang Dong Dong asked.

    Yu Xiao shrugged. “Why would I be? They’ll be lucky to hold onto their jobs, let alone seek revenge.”

    Yu Qing Lang and the others exchanged delighted looks. This was much more satisfying than a brawl. Watching those doctors squirm was far more entertaining.

    “Can we get jobs at the hospital too?” Yu Qing Lang asked hopefully.

    Yu Xiao’s brow furrowed. Finding them jobs was easy enough – she could probably even swing a few positions on the inspection team. But their current state… working in an instance, constantly exposed to ghostly energy, would only make their conditions worse.

    “What about the other one?” Tang Xing Yin, quiet until now, spoke up. “The other person you mentioned getting even with? Immortal Zhang?”

    “Ah, yes.” Yu Xiao turned to Zhao Lan. “Have you figured out what’s behind this poisoning business?”

    Zhao Lan nodded slowly. “Jealousy.” She hesitated, then continued, “I don’t know which deity it is, but they prey on jealousy, amplify it. When you’re drowning in it, they offer you a vial of poison. If you can get someone to swallow it… you become their disciple.”

    Yu Xiao, seeing the distress on Zhao Lan’s face, gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Misty, are you alright?”

    Zhao Lan flinched, still shaken. “I… I always thought I was above it. That I wouldn’t fall prey to jealousy. But…”

    “Hey now,” Zhou Xiao Zhen threw an arm around Zhao Lan’s shoulders. “Don’t you worry. Smiley will sort that deity out soon enough. Speaking of which, back in the illusion, I swear I saw her and Brother Hai badmouthing me. Good thing I’m too clever to fall for that nonsense.”

    “Now that you mention it…” Yu Qing Lang and the others had experienced similar scenarios, all designed to stoke the fires of jealousy.

    Luckily, they were all in the same boat, so to speak. No point being jealous of each other when they were all suffering equally. They’d seen through the illusion quickly enough.

    “So, what’s the deal with this Immortal Zhang?” Tang Xing Yin pressed.

    “Immortal Zhang is simply Jealousy,” Yu Xiao explained. “Like Nightmare and Gluttony, he’s not a ghost, so talismans are useless. But unlike Gluttony, Jealousy lives in the human heart.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen frowned. “What do you mean?”

    Yu Xiao thought for a moment. “He’s everywhere and nowhere in this scenario. We can’t find him unless he wants to be found. The only way to deal with him is to lure him out.”

    “And how do we do that?” Zhao Lan asked.

    Yu Xiao rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a seal. “This is from ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’ – I asked him to send it to me while I was at St. Elizabeth’s. It’s the seal of the Ghost Group. With this, we can enter their instance.” She grinned, sharp as shattered glass. “Jealousy needs followers. He needs to feed on their jealousy to grow stronger. I’m going to give him exactly what he wants.”

    The river, usually bustling with activity, was eerily quiet. The recent poisoning scare had kept most people away, though some still braved the water for laundry, fishing, or to simply fill their buckets.

    Two small boats drifted along the current. Yu Xiao and Nightmare occupied one, the others the second.

    The water was clear enough to see the riverbed in places. Sitting at the prow, Yu Xiao held up the seal.

    “Jealousy,” she said, her voice barely a murmur. “I know you can hear me. Show yourself. I’m here to make a deal.”

    The surface of the river remained undisturbed. Then, with no warning, a figure in crimson robes materialised on the prow of the boat.

    Jealousy was a vision of ethereal beauty. Sunlight seemed to pass through him, illuminating his face until it was almost translucent. Atop his head sat a bishop’s mitre, a sceptre clutched in one delicate hand. His gaze, gentle as a spring breeze, swept over the mortals below.

    “There is no jealousy in your heart,” he observed, looking at Yu Xiao.

    Yu Xiao met his gaze calmly. “Perhaps I haven’t met anyone worth being jealous of.”

    Jealousy smiled. “Ah, but jealousy lives in everyone. It just needs the right… catalyst.”

    “You want my seal,” Yu Xiao said, holding it up.

    Jealousy’s gaze dropped to the object in her hand. “Indeed.”

    “You can have it.” She smiled, all teeth. “But not for free.”

    His smile widened. “And what is it you desire?”

    “You’ve caused my friend a great deal of distress.” Yu Xiao gestured to Zhao Lan in the other boat. “Remove your influence over her.”

    Jealousy’s expression remained unchanged. “Is that all?”

    “You’ve probably harmed a fair few patients over the years,” she continued, her tone conversational. “I imagine you have quite the collection of props and function cards by now.”

    Jealousy’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly. “You’re asking for…”

    “All of it,” Yu Xiao interrupted, her tone brooking no argument.

    Looking at the greedy gleam in her eyes, Jealousy finally laughed, a melodic sound that sent chills down the spines of the listeners.

    “Indeed, what is jealousy without a healthy dose of greed? You are the first I have met with such… ambition.” He leaned closer, his gaze boring into hers. “I like you. Should you ever tire of your little games and die, I would be honoured to make you my Red Bishop.”

    Yu Xiao’s eye twitched. The nerve of this deity, cursing her to an eternity in the hospital! Just wait until she got her hands on him…

    Outwardly, she remained the picture of calm. “Do we have an agreement, then?”

    “We do.” Jealousy smiled. “Allow me a moment to gather what you require.” And with that, he vanished from the prow.

    Zhao Lan, feeling the crushing weight of Jealousy’s influence lift from her, sagged in relief. Battling a human emotion was one thing, but this constant, insidious pressure was truly unbearable.

    In truth, Yu Xiao couldn’t care less about a dead patient’s belongings. She’d played up the greed angle to lull Jealousy into a false sense of security. He wasn’t stupid; handing over the seal without some kind of charade would have set off alarm bells.

    Jealousy was as good as his word. It wasn’t long before he reappeared, a large bundle clutched in his arms. He tossed it onto the deck. “Some of these are rather old. A bit rusty, you might say.”

    Yu Xiao crouched down and untied the bundle, revealing a jumble of artefacts and function cards. Not her objective, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

    “Excellent.” She nodded to Nightmare, who took charge of the bundle. Looking back at Jealousy, she said, “A deal’s a deal.” She held out the seal.

    Jealousy reached for it, his slender hand ghosting towards hers. But the moment he touched the seal, Yu Xiao’s fingers tightened around his, trapping both hand and seal in her grip.

    Despite his delicate appearance, Jealousy was no pushover. Yet he didn’t pull away. Instead, he simply stared at her, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

    Yu Xiao favoured him with a sharp grin. Then, they were gone.

    They reappeared in the familiar living room of the Ghost Group headquarters.

    “This is–” Jealousy began, before Yu Xiao cut him off.

    “The Ghost Group HQ,” she confirmed.

    He paused, turning his head slightly as if sensing the very air around them. A flicker of something crossed his face, softening his expression.

    Yu Xiao tried to pull her hand free, but Jealousy held fast, his gaze fixed intently on hers. “What is the meaning of this?”

    “Nothing much,” she laughed, a touch nervously. Their hands were still clasped together. “Just a few loose ends I need to tie up.”

    As if on cue, the air in the living room rippled, space itself seeming to distort.

    “Look!” Yu Xiao shouted, pointing.

    Far away, in his office, the Chairman’s eyes snapped open. He rose from his chair, and darkness bloomed around him like a poisonous flower.

    “Surprise!” Yu Xiao shouted, brandishing the seal. “I totally stole this! And guess what? The Chairman of the Ghost Group really hates it when people show up with his stolen property. He swore he’d destroy anyone who dared.” She patted Jealousy’s arm, her smile bright and brittle. “So, if you want this lovely seal, you’ll have to go through him. Up for a challenge? Or shall we just forget this whole thing?”

    Jealousy, his brow furrowed in annoyance, finally released her hand.

    At that moment, the Chairman materialised in the living room, his dark eyes locking onto Yu Xiao. Quick as a flash, she darted behind Jealousy, poking her head out to address the newcomer. “Don’t look at me! I sold the seal. He’s your new Owner now!”

    The Chairman’s gaze shifted to Jealousy, cold and calculating.

    A chilling smile spread across Jealousy’s face. He raised his sceptre. “Jealousy resides in–”

    He didn’t get a chance to finish his dramatic monologue. The Chairman lunged.

    Yu Xiao, making a hasty mental note to add “Don’t get squished by angry deities” to her to-do list, beat a strategic retreat towards the kitchen. She had no intention of actually giving Jealousy the seal. No, she’d brought him here to face the music – and the Chairman’s wrath. Then, she’d wipe his little jealousy playground right off the map.

    She was reaching for the seal, ready to make her escape, when the stove suddenly burst into life.

    The flames burned an eerie green, and a moment later, a shimmering green figure crawled out of the fire. It fixed its glowing eyes on Yu Xiao, reaching for her with a hand wreathed in emerald flames.

    It wanted its heart back.

    The heart Yu Xiao had so carelessly given away to ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’.

    A wave of guilt washed over her. She hadn’t expected to see the fire ghost again, so she’d given its heart away without a second thought. But now…

    “It’s safe! I promise!” Yu Xiao babbled. “Your heart is perfectly safe with him! He’s taking good care of it!” She racked her brains for a convincing argument. “Think about it – carrying your heart around is dangerous! It could get broken! It’s much safer tucked away where nothing can hurt it!”

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