"According to the latest reports, last night at 8 PM, a crew of 'Peerless Love' was caught in a sudden fire. The acclaimed superstar He Suyan, known across Asia for her acting, singing, and dancing, has unfortunately sustained injuries…"

Click!

Lu Chen reached out and switched off the TV. He stood up, walked out of the room, and took a deep breath.

Having lost his mother at a young age, he now faced the loss of his father, but this ordeal seemed to have matured him. The sadness that once lingered on his face had now vanished.

Breathing in the fresh air and gazing up at the blue sky, Lu Chen exhaled deeply, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he murmured, "Dad, I promise I'll live a happy life. You don't need to worry."

After quickly freshening up and slipping on a robe, Lu Chen walked into a training room. As he observed the familiar surroundings, memories of his father urging him to meditate and cultivate flooded his mind.

Now that those days were gone, Lu Chen composed himself, sat cross-legged, and began practicing his family's ancient cultivation method.

The Lu family's cultivation technique emphasizes longevity and health. In this era where the art of cultivation has almost faded away, fewer and fewer people practice it. As a result, several generations of the Lu family have been unable to produce a master who could cultivate a Golden Core, which would allow them to freely wield the True Samadhi Fire to activate the Desolate Cauldron and refine superior pills. This decline is the very reason why the once-renowned family of alchemists has fallen into obscurity.

Lu Chen felt the Qi in his dantian surge, filling him with energy. All the exhaustion from the past few days dissipated as he slipped into a deep meditative state.

As nightfall approached, Lu Chen suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He stood up from the meditation cushion, listening intently.

A faint sound of crying reached his ears, coming from outside the room. It was a woman's voice, soft and sorrowful. Lu Chen frowned slightly, puzzled by the presence of someone crying outside at this hour.

Having just emerged from the grief of losing his father, Lu Chen was in a low mood. Normally, he would have rushed out to investigate, but now he was hesitant.

He tried to ignore it, but the crying persisted, growing weaker with each passing moment. Finding it strange that there were no accompanying footsteps, he finally decided to investigate, his curiosity piqued.

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With a creak, the door swung open, and Lu Chen. Scanned the area, seeing no one. Just as he was about to close the door, a white figure huddled in the corner caught his attention.

Under the dim streetlight, Lu Chen noticed a person hidden in the darkness of the corner.

Instinctively, he moved closer for a better look and was immediately struck by a chill.

Before him was a face that seemed to be a grotesque fusion of an angel and a demon. Fortunately, Lu Chen wasn't easily frightened. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a woman dressed in a hospital gown. Her face was covered in scars, one side of her fair complexion still glistening with tears, while the other side was marred by terrifying injuries. Clearly, this was the woman who had been crying.

Though summer was approaching, the night air was still chilly. As someone well-versed in medicine, Lu Chen knew the dangers of exposure to the cold, especially since it looked like it might rain soon. If she stayed out any longer, she might fall even sicker.

Lu Chen gently shook her, trying to rouse her. "Miss, wake up."

However, she remained unresponsive, even after several attempts.

"She's burning up… she's feverish," Lu Chen realized that she wasn't ignoring him but was unconscious from the fever.

Without a second thought, Lu Chen scooped her up. Despite the hospital gown, he could still feel the softness of her skin and the lightness of her body.

But Lu Chen was too concerned to dwell on these sensations. All he could think about was how alarmingly hot she was. If her fever wasn't brought down soon, it could cause lasting damage.

He gently placed her on a bed, quickly fetched a pill, dissolved it in water, and carefully administered it to her.

Seeing her swallow the Qi-boosting pill, Lu Chen finally relaxed. With the pill's potency, even a severe cold would be no match for it. Although the Lu family had declined, the effectiveness of their low-grade pills was still remarkable.

Indeed, after taking the pill, the feverish woman's forehead gradually cooled, and her incoherent mutterings subsided.

Lu Chen checked her temperature and, confirming that the fever had broken, sighed in relief. He covered her with a blanket and decided to take her to the hospital the following morning once she had regained consciousness.

The next day, just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Lu Chen was sound asleep when a sudden scream jolted him awake.

He sprang up and dashed towards the room where the scream had come from.

.

.

He Suyan felt as though she had been trapped in a nightmare. An orphan by birth, she had used her natural beauty and sharp wit to rise to stardom, becoming a celebrity adored by millions.

But fate had played a cruel joke on her. A devastating fire had not only scarred her once-flawless face but also burned large portions of her body. According to her doctors, skin grafts could hide the scars, but there was no hope of restoring her former beauty.

At just over twenty years old, He Suyan was crushed by this blow. No matter how composed or intelligent she usually was, the sudden tragedy had overwhelmed her. Taking advantage of a moment of inattention, she had fled the hospital, her injuries barely stabilized.

Along the way, people had recoiled from her as if she were some terrifying creature. He Suyan knew that the reason those who used to swarm around her now avoided her was because she had become a hideous monster.

Exhausted and heartbroken, she had curled up in a corner, crying like a lost child until she had fainted.

But when she awoke, she found herself in an unfamiliar bed, and instinctively let out a terrified scream.

The door burst open, and a naked man rushed in, asking, "What's wrong?"

He Suyan froze, her wide, watery eyes staring dumbly at the man's bare body. It was the first time she had seen a naked, and for a moment, she couldn't process what she was seeing. It wasn't until her gaze fell between his legs that she fully grasped the situation, and another, even more piercing scream escaped her lips.

"Pervert!"

Lu Chen was startled by the lion-like roar of the woman curled up on the bed. Just as he was about to rush over and cover her mouth to stop the noise, her shout of "pervert" made him pause.

Only then did he realize his mistake. His face turned red as he quickly bolted out of the room, just as hastily as he had entered, mentally berating himself for forgetting his habit of sleeping naked.

As he hurriedly dressed, Lu Chen couldn't help but think how embarrassing it was. To be seen naked by a woman, especially one as scarred and frightened as she was, was mortifying for someone who had never even had a girlfriend.

He couldn't believe that his first time being naked in front of a woman had happened in such a ridiculous situation—and to make matters worse, the woman was someone whose appearance was… less than ideal.