Chapter 1: A Father's Life Hangs by a Thread

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My name is Wang Xudong. Today is the day I graduate from Nanshan University, but I never expected that this would also be the day my life changed completely…

With my diploma in hand, I didn’t even bother to take a graduation photo. I got straight onto the bus, eager to share the joy of this moment with my father and younger sister.

But when I returned home, what greeted me was my father slumped in his wheelchair, his once robust body now thin and deformed.

“Dad! You—?!”

“Brother, Dad knew you were about to graduate. He was afraid it would affect your final exams, so he wouldn’t let me tell you…” My sister’s voice choked with emotion.

My father was a master of the yin-yang arts, and I’d learned quite a bit from him as a child.

Now, his life aura was incredibly dim, as though he could leave this world at any moment. I couldn’t imagine how my strong father could have wasted away like this in just a little over a month.

“Dad, what’s going on?” Tears streamed down my face despite my efforts to hold them back.

“Cough, cough…” My father began to cough violently. I rushed over to pat him firmly on the back.

“Xiao… Xiaodong, Dad… I’m afraid I don’t have much time left… You—cough, cough.” Another fit of coughing cut him off.

Seeing my father unable to utter a complete sentence, I wept even harder.

Summoning all his strength, he placed his hand on my face, softly wiping my tears away with his fingers, gasping, “Xiaodong… people all have their fate. From now on, this family will depend on you.”

People do have their destinies, but when it came to me, I just couldn’t accept it.

“Dad, don’t say anything more. I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”

“Brother, I’ve already taken Dad to the city hospital. They said… they said…” My sister’s voice faltered.

I pressed, “What did they say?”

“They said many of Dad’s organs have failed. There’s no cure, only hospitalization to maintain his condition, but we don’t have the money.”

I knew that in Shendu there were top military and tertiary hospitals, with medical standards far beyond those in our city. What couldn’t be treated here might be treatable there. The only thing we lacked was money. With enough money, I could take my father to Shendu for treatment.

But having just graduated, where could I possibly find that kind of money?

Worry gnawed at me, but then someone flashed through my mind.

I wiped my tears, quickly got up, found a business card in the drawer, and looked to my sister.

“Yameng, take care of Dad for me. I’ll be out for a while. If anything comes up, call me any time.”

…

In a courtyard house on Wanshou Road in the city.

A portly middle-aged man, lazily fanning himself, lounged in a rocking chair, basking in the sun. As I walked into the courtyard, he looked up at me, surprised.

“Kid, who are you looking for?”

“I’m here for you,” I replied.

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The middle-aged man glanced at me, eyeing me up and down with suspicion.

“For me?”

This man was Qin Yunhao. He’d visited my family a few times before, asking my father for help, but was always refused. Still, every time he left, he handed over ten thousand yuan without hesitation—generous indeed.

So, when I needed money, he was the first person I thought of. Maybe he could help.

I briefly explained my father’s situation, but before I could finish, Qin Yunhao had already sat up, a strange gleam in his eyes. He cut me off.

“I didn’t expect Mr. Wang to run into such trouble. I can help you, but not for nothing—you’ll need to help me too.”

“What do you need?” I asked without hesitation.

“It’s nothing too hard,” he said. “But I want to know, how much did you learn from your father?”

I understood immediately what he meant.

“Thirty or forty percent, perhaps,” I answered honestly. After all, if something went wrong, I’d get nothing and waste time earning money for my father’s treatment.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Qin Yunhao’s face.

“That’s good enough. Thirty or forty percent is plenty.”

“I’m in the same business, the yin-yang trade. Work with me and I’ll give you a basic salary of twenty thousand a month, plus five thousand for each task you handle for me.” As he spoke, he pulled out two thick stacks of bright red bills from his bag and set them on the coffee table. “This is your first month’s base pay. If you agree, take the money.”

Twenty thousand!?

I stared at the cash in disbelief. Honestly, I hadn’t expected such a sum. A regular job would pay at most four thousand a month—this way, I could quickly gather the money needed to save my father.

Seeing me frozen, Qin Yunhao must have thought I wasn’t satisfied. After a moment, he added, “The rest depends on performance. If you exceed expectations, I’ll give you more.”

“Alright.” I reached out and pocketed the two stacks of cash.

Seeing me take the money, Qin Yunhao took out a business card and handed it to me.

“Here’s your first client. Go to the address on the card. I’ll call her now. You’ll get paid after the job is done.”

“Alright, I’ll go right away.” Glancing at the card, I took out my phone and hailed a ride.

The address was Guanyu Dental Clinic on Longdu Road, not far from here—just over ten minutes away.

After getting out, I pushed open the door and entered.

“Is Ms. He here?”

“I am.” At the sound of my voice, a woman in a white coat emerged from an inner room.

I was momentarily stunned by her appearance.

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Her skin was flawless, delicate as porcelain. Her striking features seemed sculpted by the hands of a master, and the light makeup added the perfect finishing touch. Coupled with her tall, elegant figure, the word “breathtaking” barely did her justice.

Honestly, I’d never seen such a beautiful woman before. Even the celebrities on TV would pale in comparison.

“You must be Master Wang, the one recommended by Master Qin?” He Yiwen’s words brought me back to reality, and I quickly responded.

“Please, I’m no master. Ms. He, may I ask what trouble you’ve encountered?”

She didn’t answer right away, just gazed at me with her bright, unblinking eyes.

Her stare made me feel a bit uneasy.

“Ms. He? Ms. He?”

At that, she suddenly burst out laughing.

“In my mind, Taoist priests are all old men in yellow robes. I didn’t expect you to be such a young man. You don’t look much older than I am!”

Her reaction caught me off guard—it was a striking contrast to her coldly beautiful appearance.

“Ms. He, perhaps we should discuss the matter at hand first.”

At my words, her expression grew serious. She came close, glanced warily around, and whispered in my ear, “Master Wang, I don’t know why, but whenever I go upstairs to the second floor, I get a strange feeling. I feel uncomfortable all over, as if someone’s watching me.”

With her faint, elegant scent in my nose and her voice so close, I felt a tingling sensation run through me.

Was she trying to seduce me? But judging by her nearly perfect features, not even a hint of flirtatiousness, she didn’t seem the type. Perhaps she was just genuinely frightened.

“You wait here. I’ll go up and take a look,” I said, heading toward the stairs. But before I could take a step, I felt a gentle tug on my arm.

Turning, I saw He Yiwen’s slender hand gripping my sleeve.

“Master Wang, let me come with you. I’m a little scared to be alone down here.”

With her delicate, pleading expression, what man could refuse her?

“Alright, just stay behind me.”

The second floor was nearly empty, save for a desk and a bed. It seemed this was where He Yiwen slept.

From her description, it sounded more like a feng shui problem than an encounter with something unclean.

Standing in the middle of the bedroom, I closed my eyes and began to sense the energy in the room.