Gavin stepped out of the second patient's home and entered the carriage, with Fang Ping following closely behind. As the carriage moved, a wisp of true essence silently drifted from Gavin's hand, slipping into the body of a man lying in the shadows of a nearby alley.
That man was the original carriage driver. He had been replaced by another, part of an ambush planned against Gavin. Though wounded and bleeding, he was still alive. Gavin had saved him—not out of mercy, but because the man had unknowingly served him by driving him here.
Now, the new driver was leading them straight into the ambush. The trap was set above a bridge.
When they were only two minutes away, Gavin turned to Fang Ping. "When I say 'jump,' jump over the bridge."
Fang Ping frowned. "Why?"
"Don't ask questions."
The carriage rolled onto the bridge—then suddenly, the sharp twang of bowstrings filled the air.
Arrows rained down.
Gavin reacted instantly, summoning a shield of true essence around the carriage. The arrows struck, but none pierced through.
"I'll use only my true essence to fight."
With that thought, Gavin clenched his fist and punched the front of the carriage. Energy surged forward.
From the outside, the attackers watched in shock as the entire front of the carriage exploded. The attacker who took the place of the driver sitting there was launched into the air, crashing onto the road ahead. The two horses, now free from the carriage and startled by the blast, bolted in fear.
Gavin stepped out of the shattered carriage and said, "Jump."
Without hesitation, Fang Ping emerged from behind him and leaped into the stream below.
----
Five Minutes Ago
From the balcony of a nearby building, the same woman who had ordered the attack on Gavin stood watching. From this vantage point, she had a perfect view of the bridge.
A voice spoke from the shadows behind her. "Miss, why did you come?"
She replied coolly, "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"
The voice hesitated. "No, Miss."
Her gaze remained locked on the bridge as the carriage arrived, stopping at its center. A moment later, her men launched their attack—arrows slicing through the air toward the carriage.
But then, a shimmering energy shield surrounded it. Every arrow bounced harmlessly off, failing to even scratch its target.
Before she could process this, the front of the carriage suddenly shattered from within. Her man—the one who had replaced the driver—was blasted into the air, crashing onto the road ahead.
She watched as the doctor calmly stepped out of the wreckage while Fang Ping leaped off the bridge.
Her eyes narrowed. "Did you tell them not to kill Fang Ping?"
"Yes, Miss."
Then, something truly exquisite happened.
Gavin lifted his hand. His true essence twisted and reshaped, transforming into small birds that flitted through the air and attacked her men.
To escape, they were forced to leap from the rooftops. Only two among them—both in the True Essence Realm—had the strength to destroy the birds before they reached them.
And yet, Gavin didn't move. He stood perfectly still, letting the attackers strike at him from all sides.
But not a single blow landed.
Each attack missed him by a hair's breadth—even those from behind.
Gavin's attacks were swift and lethal. Within a minute, every man who had dared to engage him in close combat lay dead—either sprawled across the bridge or swept away by the current below.
The remaining attackers, those who had kept their distance, hesitated. Fear crept into their eyes. None dared to make another move.
From the balcony, the woman watched in silence before finally speaking. "Looks like you have to go."
A voice from the shadows behind her responded. "Yes, Miss."
A red-masked man stepped into the moonlight. Without hesitation, he leaped from the balcony, covering the 50-meter distance to the bridge in mere seconds.
As he closed in on Gavin, his fist ignited with a swirling blaze—the fire manifestation of a half-step Earthly Essence Realm cultivator who had begun absorbing Evil energy.
The woman expected Gavin to either dodge in desperation or take the full force of the attack. Either way, he would be injured.
But Gavin simply tilted his head.
The blazing fist whistled past him, striking nothing but air.
A fraction of a second later, Gavin drove his knee into the red-masked man's stomach, sending him staggering back. Before the man could recover, Gavin followed up with a devastating bicycle kick, the impact crashing his opponent into the bridge railing.
Two attacks. That was all it took. And from what she could see, Gavin had executed them with no effort at all.
The red-masked man groaned, steadying himself. This time, he drew his sword.
But just like before, no matter how fast or precise his strikes were, every attack missed Gavin by a hair's breadth.
The red-masked man gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword. He slashed at Gavin with relentless speed, each strike backed by years of deadly precision. But no matter how swift, how calculated, his blade cut through nothing but empty air.
Gavin moved effortlessly, his body weaving through the attacks as if he could see them before they came. His steps were measured, deliberate—a predator toying with its prey.
From the balcony, the woman's expression darkened. This was not how the fight was supposed to go.
The red-masked man let out a low growl and channeled his true essence, his sword now ablaze with roaring flames. With a fierce cry, he swung downward, aiming to cleave Gavin in two.
But Gavin didn't dodge.
Instead, he raised a single finger.
As the fiery blade descended, Gavin's true essence surged, coiling around his fingertip like an invisible force. He met the burning sword head-on—one finger against steel and fire.
The moment they connected, a shockwave rippled through the bridge. The flames flickered, then died. The red-masked man's blade shattered.
His breath hitched. Impossible.
Gavin's gaze met his, calm and unbothered. "You're too slow."
Before the man could react, Gavin stepped forward and struck his chest with a palm strike, a simple yet overwhelming blow.
The red-masked man's body smashed through the bridge railing, plummeting into the dark waters below. The remaining black-masked attackers—those who had wisely kept their distance—did not hesitate. Without a second thought, they fled into the night, disappearing into the shadows.
Gavin exhaled, his gaze sweeping over the now-empty battlefield. Then, he called out, "Let's go."
Fang Ping, who had climbed back up from the stream, had been watching the fight in stunned silence. Hearing Gavin's voice, he snapped out of his daze and rushed toward him.
Without another word, the two turned and made their way back to the Princess's mansion.
------
Half an hour later, the woman stepped into a dimly lit chamber. The flickering candlelight cast long, shifting shadows across the room.
At the center, a man knelt before a looming idol—a three-headed deity with two pairs of arms, each grasping a different weapon: a sword, a whip, a trident, and a sphere.
Without turning, the man spoke. "Dead?"
The woman's voice was calm. "No. Alive."
A pause. Then, the man asked, "Did Red participate?"
"Yes. And he couldn't even touch the Doctor's clothes."
This time, the man turned sharply, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Red, a half-step Earthly Essence Realm cultivator, couldn't even graze him?"
"Yes," the woman confirmed. "I suspect the Doctor is at least in the late Earthly Essence Realm... perhaps even at its peak."
The man's expression darkened. "He's becoming a problem. And worse, I have a feeling he can cure the plague. We need to find a way to eliminate him—or force him to leave the city."
The woman remained silent for a moment, then spoke. "I have a way."
His eyes flickered with intrigue. "How?"
"I'll need the essence of Dragon's Breath Ginseng."
The man frowned. "Why?" Then, realization dawned. "Duke Wang Xingchen won't be pleased. He's always wanted to match the princess with his son."
A smirk played on the woman's lips. "The Duke has always tried to keep his feet in both camps. But this will make it impossible for Wang Hao and the princess to ever be together."
The man considered her words carefully. "And this will drive the Doctor out of the city?"
"Without the princess's protection, he'll have no choice."