Peerless National Physician

Peerless National Physician is an urban medical novel by the web author Silent Steps (real name Xuan Yuzhai, a contracted author at Zongheng Chinese Network). It was serialized on Zongheng Chinese Network, completed in September 2021, and runs to about 2.987 million Chinese characters. The protagonist, Chen Bu, was originally a figure at the level of a medical immortal, his skills able to wrest lives from the King of Hell and contend with the world, but for certain reasons he is reborn into the modern city as an unremarkable young man. Carrying the pinnacle of medical mastery from his previous life, he re-enters urban life, where human warmth and coldness intertwine with feuds among established families: with a needle he saves people in crisis, with a glance he diagnoses illness and leaves famous doctors pale, and faced with stubborn and complex diseases he often solves them in a single sentence. As his medical reputation spreads, all sorts of people appear in turn—those who question Chinese medicine, those who harbor schemes, and patients and families he has pulled back from the gates of death. The appeal of the work lies in the satisfying rhythm of "starting over": the protagonist does not vie or grab yet always comes out on top, does not scheme deliberately yet always foils conspiracies. The author weaves elements of Chinese medicine—observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking, meridians and acupuncture, and herbal formula compatibility—into episodes where healing and face-slapping proceed side by side, offering both the warmth of a doctor saving lives and the thrill of urban strife. The overall tone is light and brisk, a typical long-form urban medical power-fantasy, suitable for casual reading.