"Daoist medicine is different from ordinary Chinese medicine," Chen Daoming explained. "Chinese medicine treats the body, Daoist medicine treats the heart. Chinese medicine uses herbs, Daoist medicine uses the qi of heaven and earth to balance yin and yang. Your grandfather was the last of our lineage, and now... this responsibility falls to you."
The night in Binhai City was dazzling with neon lights, cars whizzing by on the road.
Lin Chen was hunched over his computer, eyes almost glued to the screen, fingers tapping away. Damn, it was already eleven o'clock, and he was the only one left in the office. Even the chubby security guard downstairs had come up to urge him twice.
"Another all-nighter..." He rubbed his eyes hard, the soreness intense. He grabbed the cup of coffee on his desk, now cold, and took a gulp, grimacing at the bitterness.
Lin Chen was 27, the typical programmer look: skinny as a stick, pale as if he'd never seen the sun, wearing black-rimmed glasses, always looking tired. He'd been at this crappy company for three years. At first, he was passionate, but now? Just a code-writing robot, sick of it, life as bland as water.
"if (life == boring) { continue; }" he muttered. That stupid code had been stuck in his head lately.
His phone buzzed. The work group chat was blowing up again about tomorrow's requirements changes. Lin Chen glanced at it, ignored it, and kept coding. He wasn't much of a talker, had few friends at work, usually just went home to his tiny rented room, ordered takeout, scrolled through Douyin, and slept. Life was as plain as boiled water.
"Dong dong dong—"
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. In the dead quiet of the office, the sound was startlingly loud.
Lin Chen froze. Who would come at this hour? Wasn't the security guard supposed to be diligent? How did a stranger get up here? He got up, walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole.
An old man stood outside, looking about sixty, wearing a slightly worn but clean Zhongshan suit, hair white but neatly combed, and with a sharp, penetrating gaze that made Lin Chen uneasy.
"Who are you looking for?" Lin Chen asked through the door.
"Lin Chen, I'm here for you." The old man's voice was calm but somehow made it hard to refuse.
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. How did this old man know his name? And that voice... it sounded oddly familiar, like something from his dreams.
"You are...?"
"My surname is Chen, Chen Daoming," the old man paused, "I'm your grandfather's... fellow disciple."
Lin Chen's hand froze on the doorknob. Grandfather? His grandfather had passed away when he was ten, and as far as he knew, he was just an ordinary old Chinese doctor. Where did this fellow disciple come from?
"My grandfather has been gone for seventeen years," Lin Chen's voice trembled.
"I know," Chen Daoming's voice came from outside, "That's exactly why I'm here. There are things you need to know."
Lin Chen hesitated, but somehow felt the old man meant no harm. He was also strangely eager to hear what the old man had to say.
He opened the door.
Chen Daoming entered, his eyes scanning the room before settling on Lin Chen.
"You really look like your grandfather when he was young," the old man said, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "Especially those eyes, full of spirit."
"Who exactly are you? Why come to me in the middle of the night?" Lin Chen closed the door and turned to face him. Up close, he felt an inexplicable trust in the old man, as if he could see right through him.
Chen Daoming didn't answer directly. He took out a small cloth pouch from his pocket and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was an ancient-looking copper coin, engraved with symbols Lin Chen couldn't understand.
"Do you recognize this?" Chen Daoming handed the coin to Lin Chen.
The moment Lin Chen touched it, a strange warmth spread through his palm. Even stranger, he felt like he'd seen this coin before, but couldn't recall where.
"What is this?"
"This was left for you by your grandfather," Chen Daoming said. "To be precise, he asked me to give it to you when the time was right."
"My grandfather left it for me?" Lin Chen stared at the coin. "But he passed away when I was ten. How could he...?"
"Because he knew you'd take his place," Chen Daoming's expression turned serious. "Lin Chen, your grandfather wasn't just an ordinary Chinese doctor. He was a Daoist medicine heir. And you are his only successor."
"Daoist medicine?" Lin Chen found the term unfamiliar, yet oddly resonant.
His mind buzzed. He'd always thought he was just an ordinary coder, living an ordinary life. How did he suddenly become the heir to Daoist medicine?
"I don't get it," Lin Chen shook his head. "I'm just a programmer. I don't know any medicine, let alone Daoist medicine. Are you sure you have the right person?"
Chen Daoming looked at him, eyes complicated.
"You really don't remember anything?" the old man asked. "When you were a child, did you ever have strange dreams? Dream of places you'd never been, or... sense things others couldn't?"
Lin Chen froze. He had! Since childhood, he'd often had strange dreams—an old, kindly man teaching him odd things. Sometimes, he could sense things others couldn't, like feeling uneasy in certain places or sensing a strange chill from certain people.
But he'd always thought he was just imagining things.
"Looks like you remember now," Chen Daoming nodded. "Your grandfather started teaching you in your dreams when you were very young, but your memories were sealed. Now, it's time to unlock that seal."
He stepped forward and gently tapped Lin Chen's forehead.
In an instant, Lin Chen felt something in his mind open up. Memories flooded in like a tide—
In his dreams, his grandfather taught him to recognize herbs, sense the qi of heaven and earth, use coins to divine fortune...
All those dreamlike scenes were real!
"Grandpa..." Lin Chen murmured, tears welling up. The grandfather who'd passed when he was ten had actually been with him all along, teaching him in his dreams.
"Now you understand," Chen Daoming said. "Your grandfather knew he wouldn't live long, so he planted the seed of inheritance in your heart. Now, it's time for that seed to sprout."
Lin Chen looked at the coin in his hand, feeling the warmth from it. Suddenly, he understood why he'd always felt something was missing in life, why he never felt he belonged.
His mission had never been just to write code.
"So what do I do now?" Lin Chen asked.
Chen Daoming smiled for the first time that night.
"First, you need to find what your grandfather left for you," the old man said. "He hid some things in your home—medical books, needles, and some talismans you won't need yet."
"My home?" Lin Chen thought. "You mean my old home? I haven't been back in ages."
"Not your old home, your current place," Chen Daoming said. "Your grandfather foresaw where you'd live and arranged everything in advance."
It all seemed unbelievable, but deep down, Lin Chen knew the old man was telling the truth.
"Also," Chen Daoming continued, "Starting tomorrow, you'll meet people who need your help. This is your first test, the true beginning of your path as a Daoist doctor."
"What kind of people?"
"You'll know when the time comes," Chen Daoming said, heading for the door. "Remember, the mission of a Daoist doctor isn't just to heal the sick, but to maintain the balance of yin and yang, resolve grievances. Some illnesses aren't of the body, but of the heart, or even... the soul."
At the door, Chen Daoming looked back at Lin Chen.
"Your grandfather said you were the most gifted heir he'd ever seen. Don't let him down."
With that, the old man left, disappearing into the night.
Lin Chen stood there, holding the coin, feeling its warmth. He knew that from tonight, his life would never be the same.
Outside, the city lights still glittered, but for Lin Chen, the world had changed completely.
He was no longer just a code monkey.
He was Lin Chen, heir to Daoist medicine.