"It's already this late..."
Chu Muyun sat at the door, glanced down at his pocket watch, and let out a long sigh.
"Why hasn't brother come back yet?" Chen Yan propped up her chin, sitting beside Chu Muyun, equally staring longingly at the street outside the door.
The dim yellow sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the blue aurora in the sky became increasingly clear... The two sat in a row as the cold wind seeped through the gaps in the wooden planks, making the kerosene lamp on the table flicker unsteadily.
Finally, at the end of the street where the aurora surged, a figure gradually became clear.
"He's back!" Chen Yan sat up abruptly, waving to the figure in the distance, "Brother!!"
Chen Ling dragged his exhausted body and walked slowly toward home. When he saw the two people sitting at the door, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he still waved to Chen Yan immediately in response.
Chu Muyun was startled, pushed himself up from the ground with both hands on his knees, and waved with a polite smile.
"Who are you..."
"You must be Mr. Chen Ling, right?" Chu Muyun pushed the silver-rimmed glasses on his nose, "My name is Chu Muyun, a [doctor] from Aurora City."
"Oh... Hello." Chen Ling shook his hand, "Have you been waiting long?"
"It's okay, not too long."
"Actually, it's been ages!" Chen Yan interjected immediately, "As soon as you left this morning, he arrived and has been sitting in the living room until now..."
"He came this morning? Didn't you pour him some water?"
"I did... but he didn't drink it himself."
Chen Ling shifted his gaze from Chen Yan to Chu Muyun, looking apologetic, "Dr. Chu, I'm truly sorry to have made you travel all this way and wait so long... Actually, my illness has already healed. How about I treat you to dinner tonight and send you back tomorrow?"
At first, Chen Ling had sought a doctor's help after being frightened by the audience, but now he no longer considered his condition an illness nor believed anyone could cure him...
Could a mere doctor solve the problem of a "World-Destroying" level disaster?
Not to mention the mysterious theater that could suppress "World-Destroying" entities.
If Chu Muyun stayed, he wouldn't just fail to cure him—over time, he might even discover the disaster lingering in Chen Ling's mind.
Chu Muyun was stunned.
He stared at Chen Ling for a long while before hesitantly saying:
"Well... Mr. Chen, there are many times when the body doesn't realize it's sick. You might think you're better now, but in reality, you're not.
Perhaps you need a detailed examination from me."
"No, I don't need it."
This time, Chen Ling refused firmly.
After all, he didn't even have a heart now... Letting Chu Muyun examine him would be like exposing his identity directly!
Chu Muyun: ...
"Dr. Chu, I deeply appreciate you traveling all the way from Aurora City..." Chen Ling sensed his tone might be too harsh and quickly added sincerely, "But I really don't need an examination or treatment right now."
"...Alright." Chu Muyun sighed, "But I might not be able to go back now."
"Why?"
"District Three is fully blockaded. No one is allowed in or out. Didn't you know?"
"...Then how did you get in?"
"I have a friend in the Law Enforcement Corps who let me in as a favor." Chu Muyun smiled helplessly, "But you know, getting in as a favor is easy... getting out is another story."
The Law Enforcement Corps had blockaded District Three primarily to prevent disasters from escaping. After all, some disasters were tiny enough to hide in human backpacks or even bodies, or merge with humans... In short, the difficulty of entering and exiting was completely different.
Chen Ling, who had joined the Law Enforcement Corps reserve team, knew this very well.
"This..." Chen Ling looked troubled.
Chu Muyun had come all the way from Aurora City specifically to treat him, and he hadn't charged any fees—it was fair to call it charity... Now that the man was here and couldn't go home, Chen Ling couldn't just turn him away and leave him stranded on the street.
"Brother, I don't think he's a bad person," Chen Yan interjected timely. "That Enforcer Han Meng came today and was really aggressive. He helped me chase him away."
At this, Chen Ling's eyes lit up slightly.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead," Chu Muyun nodded.
"When Han Meng came today, how did you send him away?"
"Oh, I just told him no one was home and that it's impolite to barge into someone's house without permission."
"But he's an enforcer—enforcers have the right to search homes," Chen Ling said, unconvinced the tough guy would leave so easily.
"He listens to me," Chu Muyun replied simply. "I saved his life a few years ago... twice."
"...I see."
Chen Ling nodded. "Then you can stay here until District Three is unblocked. But I have one condition."
"What's that?"
"No medical examinations of any kind without my permission... for me or my brother."
"Agreed," Chu Muyun pushed his silver-rimmed glasses and agreed decisively.
When Chen Ling entered the house, he found the original holes had been patched with wooden planks. Although some wind still seeped in, it was much better than the drafty "open-air" feel of the previous night.
He turned to see Chen Yan with his hands behind his back, head slightly lowered, as if waiting for praise.
"Thanks to you," Chen Ling ruffled his hair. "Otherwise, we'd be sleeping outside again tonight."
"Actually, there are still some gaps... I'll go get some clay from the back mountain tomorrow to patch them up," Chen Yan said with a sheepish smile.
Chu Muyun walked in and smiled at the scene. "You two have a great brotherly bond."
"Of course," Chen Yan pouted.
"You look alike too."
"Do we?" Chen Ling glanced at Chen Yan. "Not really, since we're not biological brothers... But after living together so long, we do grow more alike."
"I think you look alike," Chen Yan replied seriously.
"By the way, that's your room," Chen Ling said, gesturing to the room once belonging to Chen Tan and his wife. "The conditions are simple—hope you don't mind."
"It's fine. I'm not picky."
Chen Yan watched from the living room, a flicker of complexity in his eyes.
Next, Chen Ling personally went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the three of them... After a day of hard work and rush, he was extremely hungry. Fortunately, his previous life as a corporate slave had honed his cooking skills, allowing him to feed himself even in this otherworld.
Half an hour later, the hot dishes were served, and the aroma made Chen Yan and Chu Muyun, who were sitting at the table, swallow their saliva.
"Mr. Chen's cooking is really good," Chu Muyun commented after taking a bite of the potato slices. "It's better than most restaurants in Aurora City."
"Just call me Chen Ling."
As he ate, Chen Ling secretly observed Chu Muyun. In terms of attire and demeanor, this was a standard intellectual—polite in both speech and manner, exuding a comfortable aura like a gentle breeze.
Chen Ling had never seen such an aura in either District Three or District Two... Indeed, people from Aurora City were different.
Suddenly, Chen Ling seemed to remember something.
"Doctor Chu."
"Hmm?"
"How much do you know about the Path to Divinity?"