Free Clinic to Build Nolan’s Reputation

What is Doudou's biggest flaw?

He's hopeless with directions!

He could get lost even in the Imperial Capital, let alone outside it. Yet Serena insisted Doudou leave the Capital and go find Left Shore.

"Are you sure you want me to go look for Left Shore?" Doudou pointed at his own nose, looking utterly shocked.

He'd never searched for anyone before; it was always others who came looking for him.

"Otherwise, should I go?" Serena pointed at herself and said, "Only you know where Left Shore is. If you don't go, who will? Left Shore handed you the child, and it's been almost a month now—he still hasn't come back. Something must have happened. If you don't go find him and he dies out there, what then?"

"If he dies out there, that's perfect!" Doudou nearly clapped his hands with delight. "If Left Shore dies, I'll be number one in the assassin world!"

Uh... Let's pretend she never said that.

She'd always thought Doudou and Left Shore were close, but clearly, she'd been wrong.

Fine, if appealing to emotions doesn't work on Doudou, she'll try another angle: "Left Shore is my bodyguard. I can't just ignore whether he lives or dies. If something happens to him, where am I supposed to find another guard that skilled?"

"Me! Me! I can be your bodyguard!" Dorian "Doudou" Owen immediately volunteered, obviously trying to snatch Left Shore's job.

Serena wiped her brow again and gazed silently at the sky. She realized there was no way to communicate with Doudou normally—he just didn't understand.

Serena took a deep breath, pushed down her anger, and sneered, "Doudou, listen up... I want you to leave the city immediately and track down Left Shore as fast as possible. If anything happens to him, I'll throw you into Northlyn and see how you manage to get back."

Doudou shivered in fear and asked timidly, "Serena, can you really throw me into Northlyn now? My master seems to be there—I could look for him."

Serena couldn't hold back anymore. She slammed the table and shouted, "No, but I can throw you onto the battlefields between Eastlyn and Lyndaria right now."

"No, no, no! I like killing, but I hate war—the corpses on the battlefield die so ugly, there's no beauty at all. It's just finding Left Shore, right? I'll go! I'll go look for him. But... once I find him, how do I get back?" Doudou spread his hands, looking truly innocent.

Serena had already expected this and smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, I'll arrange someone to guide you. If Left Shore could have someone bring you back, I can do the same. And once you find him, as long as he's still breathing, have him write me a letter explaining the child's origins."

Fine, Serena admitted she was still tangled up about the child's parentage, but she didn't dare ask Ninth Royal Uncle directly. She was afraid there was some misunderstanding, and if she asked, he'd get angry—then she'd have to go to great lengths to coax him, which was just not worth it.

Serena suspected that Ninth Royal Uncle was deliberately not revealing the child's identity, probably to set her up to make a mistake so she'd have to coax him.

Damn, Ninth Royal Uncle is so insidious. Serena realized she'd finally seen through him.

After sending Doudou off and making arrangements for Simon Sun, all the little patients in the manor except for the child Doudou brought had been taken home by their parents. The whole Feng Manor was instantly empty, and the butler sighed at the deserted courtyard.

No wonder big families value having many children—no matter how busy or tired, it's still happy. With only one master in such a big manor, it's truly cold and lonely.

Serena also felt the manor was too quiet. She'd gotten used to living alone, but after a period of bustle, the sudden silence weighed on her.

Unwilling to stay home in the silence, she imitated Simon Sun and began carrying a medicine chest to the streets each day to run a free clinic—both for reputation and to accumulate Medical Ethics Points.

Simon Sun had already made quite a name for himself in the Capital, but as his master, Serena’s reputation was even bigger. After only two days of setting up her stall, lines formed in front of her.

People are strange—idle at home, you feel sickly; but running around under the blazing sun, you feel energized. After several days in the sun, Serena’s skin darkened, but her spirits lifted.

"Serena really must be too full and bored." Adrian Dongling sat in the teahouse, watching Serena treat patients from afar.

Serena had been running the free clinic here for days, and Adrian had been watching her for days, not quite understanding his own feelings.

But today Adrian wasn’t alone—Felix Fuller was with him.

Felix Fuller had been urgently recalled to the Capital, stripped of his posts, and hadn’t even met Lance Quinn before being harshly scolded.

Now Felix Fuller was an idle man, naturally wandering around, and happened to run into Adrian Dongling, who was just as free.

Adrian Dongling was trying to recruit Felix, but Felix neither accepted nor refused, just chatted idly. Whenever Adrian brought up serious matters, Felix either dodged or just smiled without answering.

After several tries, Adrian didn't give up; instead, he appreciated Felix even more. He pulled Felix along to watch Serena's free clinic.

When Felix arrived, he didn’t talk to Adrian, just sipped tea and smiled, watching Serena until she finished with her last patient and packed up to go home.

Adrian had thought Felix might be interested in Serena and felt a bit displeased, but after Serena left, Felix became serious and asked, "Adrian, do you know how many patients Serena treated today?"

"How many?" Adrian Dongling asked, genuinely clueless.

"Two hundred and twenty-four in total." Felix Fuller was clear—he hadn’t just been watching Serena, he’d been counting her patients.

Adrian Dongling frowned but said nothing.

What does that mean?

"Adrian, do you know what that means?" Felix asked quickly. Adrian just looked at Felix, waiting for an explanation.

Felix didn’t expect Adrian to answer and went on: "It means that if Serena keeps running her stall for ten days or half a month, most of the sick in the Capital will be treated."

"And then?" Stealing business from the pharmacies? What does that have to do with them? Adrian didn’t think too deeply about it.

"Adrian, did you not hear that all the medicine costs for this free clinic are being paid by Ninth Prince Manor?" Felix looked at Adrian seriously, with a hint of disdain.

Serena wouldn’t run a free clinic for no reason—she’s not like Simon Sun, who’s kind by nature. Even if her intention is to help the poor, she wouldn’t mind using it to gain reputation for herself or someone she cares about.

Adrian was shocked: "You mean Serena is building up Ninth Royal Uncle’s reputation?"

"Isn’t she? Ninth Royal Uncle has been away from the Capital for a while, and people are starting to forget him. But with Serena treating hundreds for free in his name, can they really forget? If anything goes wrong with his mission in Southlyn, the people will plead for him because of this charitable act." Felix admitted he was exaggerating the impact, but knew Adrian would take it seriously.

Sure enough, when Adrian heard this, he threw out a brief remark and hurried back to the palace...