For those who have read the side story, skip this announcement.
This chapter contains a continuation from the side story Chapter 2: Qingling Fanfic
If you haven't read it yet, I advise you to read it first to enhance your experience.
End of note
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Mùchūn Táng
The morning sun illuminated the freshly hung sign above the clinic.
James stood in front of the clinic, giving the sign one final inspection.
"Late Spring" a gentle voice said beside him.
Looking toward the speaker, James found an old man standing close to him with a newspaper tucked beneath his arm.
"It's the sort of name that feels like a promise" the old man said.
James raised an eyebrow. "A promise?"
The old man smiled.
"Even when spring nears its end, this place promises to preserve its warmth for as long as possible"
"Huh..." James looked back at the sign.
The name Mùchūn Táng stood steady above the clinic.
Together, they stood in silence, gazing up at it.
'A promise...' James let the thought linger briefly before turning to the old man.
"Thank you. I don't think I would've seen it that way on my own, sir..."
The old man noticed the pause and turned to face him. "My name is Yúnzhōu"
James nodded and offered his hand.
"I'm James. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Yúnzhōu"
Yúnzhōu shook his hand warmly.
"Likewise. And if I may, the calligraphy on that sign is exceptional. You have a steady hand"
James chuckled softly. "Thanks. I spent a long time learning Xianzhou calligraphy. It's nice to know the effort paid off"
Yúnzhōu looked back toward the sign.
"It was time well spent" he said after a pause.
The conversation faded quietly as they both kept their eyes on the sign Mùchūn Táng.
The street remained calm around them, disturbed only by the occasional chirping of birds from the rooftops.
A moment later, James turned his attention to the clinic.
It appeared ordinary from the outside, clean and clinical. No different from any other clinic.
'Miss Ena'
Then he blinked before quickly glancing down at his wristwatch.
"It's time to get to work. And once again, thank you, Sir Yúnzhōu"
Yúnzhōu smiled and nodded. "You're most welcome. Have a good day, Sir James"
"You too, have a good day" with a final nod, James headed toward the entrance.
Yúnzhōu watched until he disappeared through the door.
Inside the clinic, Ena's attention lingered on a lone potted plant tucked into the corner.
'One without constant virtue cannot practice medicine...'
(Memory: Taste of a Hundred Herbs 30%)
The system interface floated before her, yet the small plant still caught her attention beyond its translucent glow.
'Is Ruò Héng's virtue from the simulation...'
Her gaze drifted down to her hands.
'She is also me'
She turned them over, studying them carefully.
The hands were slender and a little pale, the palms were soft, and the fingers were thin.
'small and fragile'
tinkle
The chime of a bell interrupted her thought.
From the front door, James stepped inside.
"Miss Ena, the sign is up, and everything is set as requested. You're free to open whenever you're ready" he said, meeting her green eyes.
'Already?' she scanned the room.
The reception space was spotless, with seating arranged in neat rows, a potted plant in the corner, and large windows letting in the light. The air felt clean, almost odorless.
Looking back at him, she nodded. "Thank you, James. I will open the clinic later"
James nodded in return.
"Good luck, Miss Ena, and..." he paused and glanced outside.
At some point, the streets had grown crowded.
People walked with their eyes fixed ahead, paying little attention to their surroundings.
For a brief moment, James's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"Just be patient with the locals. They can be rough around the edges" he said, looking back at Ena.
She sat straight on the chair, her hands resting on top of her thighs.
With her small frame, soft features, and delicate face, she could pass for a child.
The sight stirred something old in James.
The looks people on the Luofu had given him when he first arrived. The way no one had been willing to hire him back then.
James blinked, and slowly, Ena's green eyes came back into view.
"If you ever run into trouble, give me a call. I'll come help" he said.
Ena blinked, and after a brief pause, a smile spread across her face.
Then she placed her hand over her chest.
"I'll remember that. Thank you, James" she said softly.
James answered with a small nod.
His eyes swept across the clinic one final time.
'Everything is in its place'
Then he extended his hand to Ena. "I should be going now. Goodbye, Miss Ena"
Ena rose from her seat and shook his hand firmly.
"Goodbye, James. Have a nice day"
Beneath her palm, his hand was steady and warm.
James smiled at her.
"Have a nice day, Ena" he said softly.
Their hands parted.
Ena remained behind the counter, quietly watching him leave until he disappeared beyond the clinic window.
With his departure, silence settled back into the reception area.
She gave the system interface one last glance.
(Memory: Taste of a Hundred Herbs 30%)
After closing the system interface, she looked around.
The clinic felt unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time.
She frowned and took a step forward, moving deeper into her new domain.
Neat rows of seats slipped past as she left the reception area behind and arrived at the first door.
Opening it, she looked inside.
It was an office, tidy and simple, with a chair and a desk. Beside it stood an empty cabinet.
Satisfied, she stepped back outside and continued deeper into the clinic.
Reaching a door marked storage room she entered.
The shelves were stocked with equipment and medicines.
She picked up one bottle. 'This one is new...'
Checking the rest, she found that most of the medicines were familiar, though a few were not.
'I'll need to study some of them' she thought, carefully returning each medicine to its place.
After placing the last ones, she surveyed the room once more.
'Maybe I should study all of them. Just to be safe'
Nodding to herself, she walked out.
The last place to explore was the operating room.
She paused at the doorway, eyes fixed on the operating table.
Moving closer, she reached out, fingertips grazing the cool surface.
No dust. She rubbed her fingers together to make sure.
Resting one hand on the table, she surveyed the room.
The space was bright and sterile, filled with surgical tools and other Xianzhou unique equipment.
Then her gaze snagged on a heart, pulsing steadily inside a glass tube of amber fluid.
"Well... for a clinic, that's hardly reassuring" she murmured.
Stepping closer, Ena gently pressed her hand against the glass, the only thing between her and the heart.
A faint pulse resonated through the tube, barely perceptible.
After another heartbeat, her gaze traveled around the tube before landing on a paper taped above it.
She took it down and started reading.
"Doctor Ena, this is a high-grade heart from me, the General. Please keep it in case you need it. Dear Jing Yuan"
She flipped the letter. Blank. No clown logo. No laughter.
Putting the letter aside, she looked back at the heart.
It was still beating quietly.
"Creepy, even for sci-fi" she said with a sigh.
She looked back at the letter. "Still… thanks, Jing Yuan"
Her attention lingered on the closing line. "Putting 'Dear Jing Yuan' at the end is a little odd, though..."
After lingering for a few heartbeats, she made her way back to the reception area and sat down in the chair.
'Except for a few medicines I don't recognize, everything seems fine...'
(09:21)
The blue system interface floated in front of her.
'Is Mùchūn Táng ready to open?' Her fingers drummed lightly against the armrest.
She thought of the unfamiliar medicines and pulled out her phone to research.
Her study eventually brought her to a single medicine that caught all of her attention.
'This one is to cure cancer...'
The screen showed a picture of a white medicine bottle.
She leaned back in the chair. 'Why would Jing Yuan stock those kinds of medicines? Is cancer that common here?'
For a moment, she simply rubbed her chin.
Eventually, she sighed. 'What are you thinking, Ena...'
Then she straightened her posture. 'Let's see...'
She folded her hands and reviewed what she had learned.
'I know the basics of the unfamiliar ones'
As her head began to tilt, her attention drifted toward the clinic window.
Outside, the streets were still crowded. Among the passersby, a woman in a formal suit with a coffee in hand stopped right in front of the clinic.
She looked at the clinic for a brief moment, then sipped her coffee, shrugged, and continued on her way.
Inside, Ena sat motionless in the chair. Her green eyes followed her until she was out of view.
Slowly, her hands unfolded, and her attention returned to the phone.
The screen still showed the white bottle, the medicine meant to cure cancer.
'I think it's okay to open now'
She turned the screen off and opened the clinic.
Then she sat on the chair with a straight posture and simply waited.
(12:20)
nothing
She let herself sink back into the chair.
(15:42)
Ping!
Ena's eyes flew open, and her legs jolted beneath the reception desk.
After a few blinks and rubbing her eyes, her gaze finally landed on the phone lying on the desk.
She snatched it up and checked the notification.
Qingling: Remember that fanfic I wrote? Here it is.
Qingling: Title: Warrior Journey Across the Universe.
Qingling: Synopsis: Xunmei's journey with her mother through the beauty of the universe.
But the universe is vast, filled with both wonder and danger.
Will she be consumed by its dangers, or distracted by her mother's beauty along the way?
Ena paused. 'Distracted? That's an odd choice'
Qingling: Chapter 1: Xunmei.txt
Opening the file, Ena began reading from the opening wake-up scene.
"Interesting... There's a surprisingly romantic tone to the opening. And that pollination metaphor certainly commits to it"
"As for Xunmei..." She mentally swapped Stelle into the role.
"That sounds about right. Feels believable, minus the romance"
She gave a small nod and read on, reaching the clinic section.
"The atmosphere is solid. The flat mask and muffled voice are nice details"
Then she reached the training ground scene.
"Yellow hair. Small frame. Xiǎo Qīng" She laughed softly.
"That's adorable"
A smile bloomed on her face as she continued reading.
until
TBC
Ena's smile vanished, and her eyebrows shot up. "That's the end? It's over already?!"
She quickly opened the messaging app.
Ena: Qingling! Where is Chapter 2!!!
No reply from Qingling.
Tap Tap Tap Tap
For the next twenty seconds, the reception area echoed with the steady tapping of Ena's foot against the floor.
Ena: Qingling!
Ena: Qingling!!
Ena: Qingling!!!
A minute passed. And the tapping intensified.
Setting the phone on the desk, Ena rested her chin on both hands, never taking her eyes off the screen.
Two minutes passed.
She rose from her chair and began pacing around the reception desk.
Her eyes kept returning to the screen. "What took her so long..."
Her pace grew more frantic.
twenty desk rotation later...
Ping!
"A message!" Ena hurried back to her chair and picked up the phone.
Qingling: That's the only chapter for now. Sorry.
Ena's eyes widened. "What!"
Ena: Qingling, are you serious?
Qingling: Yes. There's only Chapter 1 for now.
Ena sank slowly into the chair.
Ena: It's okay. I understand, Qingling.
A long breath escaped her after sending the message.
Qingling: I'll write Chapter 2 later. For now, I want to hear what you think of the story.
Ena adjusted her posture to get more comfortable.
Ena: I like it. The relationship between Yao Yu and Xunmei is incredibly intense!
Ena: Especially that pollination metaphor. I've never seen anyone use one like that.
Ena: The clinic sequence has a strong sense of tension.
Ena: And...
She laughed quietly before typing again.
Ena: I absolutely love Xiǎo Qīng!!!
Ena: Can I pet her, please!!!
Qingling: Of course you can!
Ena beamed. But before she could reply...
Qingling deleted the message and sent a new one instead.
Qingling: No. She's fictional.
"Heh" Ena couldn't help grinning.
Ena: Why not? You're right here, Little Qīng.
Qingling: I'm not Xiǎo Qīng. She's a fictional character who COINCIDENTALLY has the character "Qīng" in her name.
Ena giggled at her message.
Ena: Aww...
Ena: Little Qing is embarrassed.
Ena: How adorableee
Qingling: ME and HER is not the same person!
Ena: That's exactly what an embarrassed Little Qīng would say!
For a brief moment, Qingling didn't reply.
Ena rubbed the back of her neck. "Did I go too far..."
She was already typing an apology when a new message popped up, stopping her mid-type.
Qingling: Alright, alright. I'll let you pet me later.
Qingling: Let's talk about something else.
Reading her message, one of Ena's eyebrows rose.
Qingling: There's something I'd like to ask about the story.
Ena's posture sharpened.
Ena: Certainly. Go ahead.
A few seconds passed before Qingling's next message appeared.
Qingling: Are you not, you know, uncomfortable with Yao Yu and Xunmei?
Ena blinked, then read back through parts of the story, carefully searching for anything that might have bothered her.
After going over several passages again, she finally responded.
Ena: You don't have to worry, Qingling. Nothing in the story made me uncomfortable. It's just fiction to me.
Ena: I never felt uncomfortable when reading it.
Ena: Honestly, my biggest problem is that there's no Chapter 2 yet.
Qingling fell silent once more.
Ena waited, her eyes glued to the screen.
Then a new message appeared.
Qingling: I'm relieved.
Qingling: But what about Stelle? How would she feel?
At her question, Ena imagined how Stelle would respond.
'Oh! A story about me, the Galactic Baseballer, and Mommy?' Stelle pointed at herself.
'That's great! Can I read it, Mom?' Her golden eyes sparkled.
Tilting her head slightly, Ena considered it carefully.
After picturing a few possible reactions, she finally nodded.
Ena: Yeah. She wouldn't mind. I know her well enough to say that. She'd just be excited about the story.
Qingling: Are you sure?
Ena paused, thought it over one final time, then sent her reply.
Ena: I'm sure.
tinkle
Qingling: That's a relief.
Reading her message, Ena smiled, and her posture loosened.
Qingling: Ahem.
Qingling: You know, since I'm technically your elder.
Qingling: Maybe, perhaps we could skip the petting?
"Oh!" Ena's eyebrows raised.
'She's practically baiting me to tease her!'
A grin spread across her face again.
Ena: Absolutely not. As Yao Yu, I hereby order Little Qīng to wear the same outfit described in the story.
Qingling: Ugh... unbelievable. Why did I agree to this in the first place...
Qingling: Fine...
Qingling: Then I get to pet you while you cosplay as Yao Yu too!!!
In response to Qingling's attempt, Ena giggled softly and started typing her counterattack.
"Excuse me"
She kept typing.
"Ahem... excuse me~" A whisper echoed in her mind.
THUMP
Ena's heartbeat thundered in her ears, swallowing everything else.
Her head snapped toward the voice.
A chill shot down her spine as she stared in disbelief at Kafka's smiling face, only inches away.
Before Ena could even think, her foot shot out, slamming against the reception desk and shoving both herself and the chair backward.
The chair rocketed across the floor, wheels squealing as she poured every ounce of strength into her legs. Away from Kafka.
Ena's phone slipped from her grip and clattered somewhere out of sight as she scrambled away.
Kafka's smile deepened before she leaned back from the reception desk.
And as she moved, Blade's hollow, empty expression came into view behind her.
The chair slammed into the wall and finally stopped, and Ena quickly forced her breathing back into a steady rhythm.
Then suddenly, her hands flew to cover her ears.
'That! Was that Spirit Whisper?!'
She kept her eyes fixed on the two while the world around her dissolved into darkness.
Kafka and Blade simply stood silently. Watching Ena without a word.
The darkness finally claimed them, erasing them from Ena's sight.
Ena's hands shook faintly as she pressed them harder against her ears.
Ping!
A sudden noise broke the stillness.
Ena froze. Her eyes drifted slowly toward the reception desk.
The phone glowed brightly through the darkness.
Qingling: Ena?
THUMP
TBC
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Hey Hey Reader, Nilvan here.
A reminder that this is the place for End of Chapter Notes or Author Notes. If you don't want your immersion broken, you can confidently skip this, because these notes will never contain spoilers or story. Just a note from me.
Anyway, it's been a month since I uploaded Chapter 35: Clinic Morning.
The reason is that my electricity has been awful, and I didn't want my PC to have a heart attack and die. That would've meant me crying my eyes out.
That's why I took a break and just read for a while. And now that the electricity has become more stable, I could write again, though... just recently there was an outage for 2 hours...
Ehhh, that's not a problem though, since that happened after 2 days of normal electricity. So, I'll file it under "rare anomaly" instead of "common disaster"
That's my logic. Yeay!
Anyway, that's all for now. Good night!
(❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡