Chapter Thirty-Six: An Unexpected Military Assignment

The path of cultivation is broadly divided into the inner and outer ways. Practitioners of the inner way focus on refining their physical bodies and mastering magical arts, relying on nothing external; while those of the outer way encompass all manner of disciplines—array formations, magical treasures, talismans, corpse refinement, puppetry, controlling insects and beasts, and anything else that can augment their own power. Thus, the vast majority of cultivators follow the outer path, and many pursue both paths simultaneously. Jiang An himself attained sainthood through the inner way but also practiced the outer way as a supplement. His greatest strengths, therefore, lay in his physical body and magical arts. Of course, given his elevated realm, he was no stranger to the techniques of the outer way; while he might not claim mastery in every field, his breadth of knowledge was impressive. For all basic matters, he was more than capable. As the saying goes, mastery of one art leads to understanding of all. The sole magical treasure Jiang An possessed in the Immortal Realm, the Profound Polar Pearl, was crafted by his own hand.

The two essentials in artifact refinement are fire and the cauldron. Regarding fire, there is earth fire, heavenly fire, corpse fire, pill fire, and the fire of magical arts, among others. Earth fire, being common, vast, and stable, is the most frequently used by artifact refiners. A good cauldron is equally indispensable. Unfortunately, Jiang An had neither at present. Yet for what he intended to craft today—merely two simple, low-grade magic tools—what he had would suffice, if just barely.

Within the spacious secret chamber, Jiang An spent roughly two hours drawing a fire-gathering array at the center of the floor. Arrayed around the formation were all manner of materials for refinement, the most conspicuous being a small mountain of refined steel.

Once his preparations were complete, Jiang An sat cross-legged to restore some of his spiritual power and focus. Then he began the process in earnest.

This fire-gathering array had two cores. Jiang An sat at one, channeling his spiritual energy into the array. As the array activated, a mass of bright red flame sprang forth at the second core. With a change of hand seals, the fire flared higher, shifting and forming itself into a blazing, colossal cauldron. With a wave of his arm, the pile of refined steel rose into the air and floated into the fiery cauldron, melting rapidly under the intense heat. Dissatisfied with the speed, Jiang An pointed from afar, and a box of white powder rose from another part of the array, scattering into the cauldron. As expected, the steel melted more than fifty percent faster. This was the first step—extracting the pure essence of the iron.

…

Refining the artifacts took longer than Jiang An had anticipated. He had hoped to finish both trinkets in a single day, but it was not until the following morning that he finally succeeded.

By then, his face was pale, his spiritual power and soul nearly exhausted. Yet the result pleased him. Before him gleamed a ring and a bracelet, both radiant—crafted from the jade hidden within the Fortune Stone. With a flick of his hand, the items vanished into his palm.

“With these two tools, I can rest easy about Xiaoshuang and Xixi’s safety for a while. But next time I must acquire a proper cauldron. For such minor artifacts to sap nearly all my spiritual power…,” Jiang An mused, then left seclusion and headed home.

…

“Wow! Xiaohu, you’re amazing! I threw it so far and you still caught it!”

On the grassy lawn of their neighborhood, Aunt Xue watched from the side as Xixi played gleefully with the old tiger. No matter how many times she flung the plastic frisbee, with her limited strength, it never went far. The tiger, unbothered, caught it easily and swiftly each time.

Suddenly, the sharp-eyed little girl looked up and spotted a familiar figure approaching. Her delight was unrestrained as she dashed over, calling out, “Daddy’s here! Xiaohu, quick, Daddy’s here!”

Both girl and dog raced toward him in the most adorable fashion. Afraid she might fall, Jiang An hurried forward, bent down, and caught Xixi as she leapt into his arms, clutching his neck tightly.

“Daddy, why didn’t you come home last night? I waited and waited and fell asleep,” she pouted, cheeks puffed in a show of mock anger—though she was so endearing Jiang An couldn’t resist kissing her on the cheek.

“That was my fault,” he laughed. “I had something to take care of last night and couldn’t come home. Let me make it up to you with a gift. See if you like it.”

With a flourish, he produced a delicate jade bracelet. The bracelet was carved from vibrant green jade, its surface etched with fine silver patterns. Under the light, it seemed as if tiny stars swirled gently within, making it mesmerizing to behold.

Xixi was instantly captivated. “It’s so pretty! Is this really for me?”

“Of course, it’s a present for you.”

“Then Daddy, put it on me!” she demanded eagerly.

Jiang An took her small hand and slipped the jade bracelet onto her wrist. It was a little large, but with a subtle spell, he shrank it until it fit perfectly—not too tight, not too loose.

An adult might have been startled to see a bracelet shrink to size, but to Xixi, it was just a fascinating toy. What truly held her attention was its beauty and the gentle warmth it emitted, making her feel wonderfully comfortable. Overjoyed, she wriggled free and ran off, laughing, “This is Daddy’s gift to me! I’m going to show it to Xiaoyu and the others! Daddy, come on, hurry!”

Watching Xixi’s carefree happiness, Jiang An felt a surge of contentment. She would be starting school next year. For now, let her enjoy her wild play—nothing is more important than a joyful childhood.

He was about to follow when his phone suddenly rang.

He frowned, but answered, “Hello, Director Yang?”

“Jiang An, how have you been lately? I have something urgent to discuss—are you available?” Yang Hanmin’s gentle voice came through the line.

Director Yang had always treated him well, and Jiang An was happy to help. It had been a while since he’d visited. “I’m free now. Should I come to the hospital?”

“Yes, please come quickly!”

“I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up, Jiang An said a word to Aunt Xue and slipped away—fortunately, Xixi was distracted, or she would have raised a fuss.

Driving himself, he made good time despite some traffic. Half an hour later, he arrived at the affiliated hospital.

As the elevator doors opened on the second floor, a familiar face entered. Seeing Jiang An, she was delighted. “Dr. Jiang! It’s been ages! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you at the hospital or in our neighborhood.”

It was Lin Xihe, his neighbor and colleague, looking smart and elegant in her white coat. It had been nearly a week since they last met, unsurprising since Jiang An had rarely been to the neighborhood or the hospital lately. Lin Xihe’s schedule as a doctor kept her busy as well, so their paths seldom crossed.

“Dr. Lin, good to see you. I’ve been busy and rarely home, and as for the hospital, teaching is my main job—working here is just a side gig,” Jiang An replied with a smile.

Treating such a promising career as a mere side job? Lin Xihe was at a loss for words, though mostly she felt it was a pity. “Dr. Jiang, your medical skill is remarkable. That patient you treated last time got immediate results after taking your herbal decoction—those disgusting little worms came out through his nose! It was terrifying, but it’s made me deeply interested in traditional Chinese medicine. I’ve started reading some classical texts. Since you’re a teacher, I hope you can guide me from time to time.”

“Traditional medicine has a difficult theoretical foundation, so be prepared. As for guidance, that’s too formal a word—I’m happy to discuss and exchange ideas when there’s time,” Jiang An replied casually. He didn’t expect to see Lin Xihe often.

Lin Xihe seemed quite pleased and nodded. “Deal! Ah, this is my floor. Dr. Jiang, see you later!”

“Take care!” Jiang An smiled and watched her leave the elevator.

Neither mentioned the incident with the Liu family last time. It seemed Lin Xihe had learned something—after all, the Liu family had collapsed, and Jiang An was standing here safe and sound. That spoke for itself.

Soon, Jiang An arrived at the director’s office and knocked.

There were quite a few people inside.

Director Yang Hanmin, his assistant Zhang Xue, the renowned physician Master Lu whom Jiang An had met before, and three unfamiliar men in military uniform—they were from the army.

“Little Jiang, you’re here! Let me introduce our honored guests,” Director Yang said warmly.

“You’ve met Master Lu before, and this is Colonel Luo Dawei from our military district.” Director Yang gestured to the leader of the three soldiers—a middle-aged man of medium build, with a lean, scholarly face and an air of discipline.

“Nice to meet you, Colonel Luo,” Jiang An greeted, offering his hand.

“So you’re the young Dr. Jiang that Director Yang and Master Lu have so highly recommended? You are indeed very young,” Colonel Luo replied, shaking his hand lightly. His expression was reserved, his tone hardly deferential. He was skeptical—how skilled could someone so young possibly be? It seemed he would be disappointed this time.

Director Yang, skilled at reading people, sensed Colonel Luo’s thoughts and smiled. “Colonel Luo, you know that true talent isn’t measured by age. Dr. Jiang here is, in my opinion, a genius—and just the kind you need.”

“I agree. I wouldn’t risk my reputation at my age. Comrade Jiang’s medical skills are truly impressive—I was deeply impressed by his diagnosis last time,” Master Lu chimed in with a cheerful laugh.

Colonel Luo paused, then his expression softened and he spoke with greater sincerity. “I see I was mistaken. Dr. Jiang, I hope you’ll forgive my rudeness. As for the matter at hand, I’ll let Director Yang explain.”

“Ahem, Jiang An, here’s the situation,” Director Yang began. “The military district has an urgent assignment and needs cooperation from local authorities. All the top doctors in the Eastern Military District are being invited to Jinling. The exact nature of the task is confidential for now—that’s all I can say.”