Chapter 22: Chu Muyun

"Is it that late already?"Chu Muyun sat by the doorway, looking down at his pocket watch with a long sigh.

"Why isn't Brother back yet?" Chen Yan propped his chin in his hand, sitting beside Chu Muyun and gazing expectantly at the street outside.

The dim yellow sunset gradually sank below the horizon, and the blue aurora in the sky became increasingly clear. The two sat side by side, as cold wind seeped through the gaps in the wooden planks, making the kerosene lamp on the table flicker unsteadily.

Finally, at the end of the aurora-lit street, a figure gradually became clear."He's back!" Chen Yan shot up from his seat and waved to the distant figure. "Brother!!"Chen Ling, dragging his weary body, walked little by little towards home. He saw the two people sitting by the doorway, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he immediately waved back at Chen Yan.

Chu Muyun paused, then pushed himself up from the ground with hands on his knees, offering a polite smile and wave."You are...""You must be Mr. Chen Ling?" Chu Muyun adjusted the silver-rimmed glasses on his nose. "My name is Chu Muyun, a doctor from Aurora City.""Oh... hello." Chen Ling shook his hand. "Have you been waiting long for me?""Not too long, actually.""Yes, you have!" Chen Yan immediately interjected. "Brother, he arrived right after you left this morning, and he's been sitting in the living room ever since...""He came this morning? Didn't you offer him any water?""I did... but he didn't drink it himself."

Chen Ling's gaze shifted from Chen Yan to Chu Muyun with an apologetic look. "Dr. Chu, I'm truly sorry to have caused you this trip and kept you waiting so long. Actually, I'm already feeling better. How about I treat you to dinner tonight and then arrange for your return tomorrow?"Initially, Chen Ling had been frightened by the audience and sought a doctor's help, but now he no longer considered it an illness, nor did he believe anyone could cure him.Could a 'World-Ending' level calamity truly be resolved by just any doctor?Not to mention the mysterious theater capable of suppressing a 'World-Ending' entity.If Chu Muyun stayed, not only would he be unable to cure Chen Ling, but given enough time, he might even discover the calamity within Chen Ling's mind.

Chu Muyun was stunned.He stared at Chen Ling for a moment, then spoke hesitantly:"Well... Mr. Chen, often, people's bodies don't realize they're sick. You might feel better now, but that might not be the case. Perhaps you need me to conduct a thorough examination.""No, I don't."Chen Ling's refusal was firm this time.He had no heart now... letting Chu Muyun examine him? Wouldn't that expose his true nature?!Chu Muyun was speechless.

"Dr. Chu, I'm very grateful that you traveled all the way from Aurora City... but I truly don't need an examination or treatment right now." Chen Ling, realizing his tone might have been a bit too harsh, quickly added sincerely."...Alright," Chu Muyun sighed. "However, I might not be able to return now.""Why?""District Three is completely sealed off. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Didn't you know?""...Then how did you get in?""I have a friend among the Enforcers who helped me get through," Chu Muyun said with a helpless smile. "But you know, getting in is easy... getting out, however, won't be so simple."The Enforcers had sealed District Three primarily to prevent calamities from escaping. Some calamities were small enough to hide in human bags or even inside human bodies to get out, or they could merge with humans. In short, the difficulty of entering versus exiting was on entirely different scales.Chen Ling, who had already joined the Enforcers' reserve team, was well aware of this."This..." Chen Ling looked troubled.

Chu Muyun had come all the way from Aurora City specifically to treat him, and without charging any fees; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was an act of charity. Now that he was here and couldn't return home, Chen Ling couldn't simply turn his back on him and kick him out to wander the streets."Brother, I don't think he's a bad person," Chen Yan said, seizing the moment. "Officer Han Meng came today, and he was quite aggressive, but Dr. Chu helped me get rid of him."Hearing this, Chen Ling's eyes brightened slightly."May I ask a question?""Go ahead," Chu Muyun nodded."Officer Han Meng came today. How did you get him to leave?""Oh, I just told him there was no one home, and that it's quite rude to trespass into someone's residence without the owner's permission.""But he's an Enforcer. Enforcers have the right to search private homes," Chen Ling didn't believe that tough character would leave so easily."He tends to listen to me," Chu Muyun replied calmly. "I saved his life a few years ago... twice, in fact.""...I see."

Chen Ling nodded. "In that case, you can stay here until District Three is unsealed, but I have one condition.""What condition?""You can't perform any kind of examination on me without my permission... and the same goes for my brother.""Understood," Chu Muyun agreed decisively, lightly adjusting his silver-rimmed glasses.

Back home, Chen Ling realized that the original holes had all been patched up with wooden boards. Although a little wind occasionally still seeped in, it was much better than last night's drafty openness.He looked back to see Chen Yan standing with his hands behind his back, head slightly bowed, seemingly waiting for his praise."Thanks to you," Chen Ling said, patting his head. "Otherwise, we would have had to sleep out in the open again tonight.""There are still some small gaps that aren't filled yet... I can get some clay from the back mountain tomorrow and patch them up," Chen Yan said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Chu Muyun walked through the door, saw the scene, and smiled."You two have a really good brotherly bond.""Of course," Chen Yan pouted."You two also look quite alike.""Do we?" Chen Ling glanced at Chen Yan. "Not really, we're not biological brothers... but living together for a long time, we do tend to grow more alike.""I think we look very much alike," Chen Yan replied earnestly.

"Oh, and that's your room over there. The conditions are a bit rudimentary, please don't mind," Chen Ling said to Chu Muyun, indicating the room that had belonged to Chen Tan and his wife."It's fine, I'm not picky."Chen Yan watched this scene from the living room, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

Next, Chen Ling personally went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the three of them. After a long, busy day, he was starving. Fortunately, in his previous life as a corporate drone, he had honed excellent cooking skills, which now allowed him to feed himself even in this different world.Half an hour later, hot dishes were served, and their aroma made Chen Yan and Chu Muyun, who were sitting at the table, swallow repeatedly."Mr. Chen's cooking is excellent," Chu Muyun said, taking a bite of a potato slice and unable to help but exclaim. "It's much better than most restaurants in Aurora City.""Just call me Chen Ling."Chen Ling ate while discreetly observing Chu Muyun. From his attire and demeanor, he was clearly a standard intellectual. Whether speaking or eating, he was refined and gentle, exuding a comfortable, breeze-like presence.Chen Ling had never encountered such an aura in District Three or Two. Indeed, people from Aurora City were different.

Suddenly, Chen Ling seemed to recall something."Dr. Chu.""Yes?""How much do you know about the Path to Godhood?"