7 PM.
Ye Qiu finished work.
Standing at the hospital gate, he let out a long breath.
Taking care of Lin Jingzhi all day had been pure torture. That seductive, charming woman just loved teasing him.
Many times she left him blushing and flustered.
Yet he didn't dare act improperly — he was just a care worker, after all. If he upset her, he could lose his job.
"What a teasing little demon. How much longer do I have to wait on her?"
Ye Qiu muttered and stepped out of the hospital gate.
Just then, a Mercedes-Benz came speeding over like a madman, charging straight at him.
Ye Qiu quickly jumped aside.
The window rolled down.
He saw Zhao Yun in the driver's seat, his face stern.
"Brother Zhao, what are you doing here?" Ye Qiu asked in confusion.
"Get in."
Ye Qiu's heart tightened. Why was Zhao Yun looking for him again? Had something gone wrong with the Dragon King?
Zhao Yun drove in silence, his expression serious. The longer he stayed quiet, the more anxious Ye Qiu grew.
Only after the car had driven some distance did Zhao Yun speak:
"Ye Qiu, do you know why I came?"
"Is the Dragon King…?"
"Yes."
Ye Qiu's heart leaped into his throat.
"That can't be. I performed the acupuncture on him. The Gu poison should be under control. It shouldn't worsen for a month."
"Who said his condition got worse?"
"Then you just said the Dragon King —"
"I meant the Dragon King sent me," Zhao Yun said.
Ye Qiu realized he'd misunderstood. "What did the Dragon King send you for?"
"To thank you, of course."
A red light appeared ahead. Zhao Yun hit the brakes, reached into the back seat, grabbed a wooden box, and tossed it to Ye Qiu.
"This is from the Dragon King."
"What is it?"
"See for yourself."
Ye Qiu opened the box and found a ginseng inside, with long, fine roots — shaped like a sleeping old man, lifelike and delicate.
"This ginseng must be pretty old, right?"
"It's a hundred-year-old wild mountain ginseng," Zhao Yun said.
What?! A hundred years old?
Ye Qiu was stunned.
Ordinary ginseng was already expensive on the market. Ones with even a little age cost tens or hundreds of thousands. A hundred-year-old wild ginseng started at a million — and they were extremely rare. Even with money, you couldn't always buy one.
Ye Qiu quickly closed the box. "Brother Zhao, I can't take something this valuable. Please give it back to the Dragon King."
"The Dragon King said this is for you. If you consider him a friend, don't refuse."
"But —"
"Just take it." Zhao Yun smiled. "Didn't you say you wanted to make the Dragon Rank and have me be your subordinate? Let me tell you — eat this, and you'll be on your way to becoming a master."
"Really?"
"A hundred-year-old ginseng is an incredible tonic. It's extremely beneficial for martial artists."
Ye Qiu was tempted. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Fine, I'll take it. Please tell the Dragon King I said thank you."
"Will do."
"How has the Dragon King been since I left?" Ye Qiu asked with concern.
"Better than ever. He fell asleep right after you left and didn't wake up until six this evening. He ate two big bowls of rice, and his spirits are higher than they've been in years."
"But this only lasts a month. You still need to find an expert who can cure him as soon as possible."
Zhao Yun said: "I've already sent men to the desert. Whether we find the Living Buddha or not is up to fate."
"I don't think you should put all your hope in one person."
"What do you mean?"
Ye Qiu said: "The Living Buddha is wandering the desert seeking Buddhist truth. We might not find him at all. You should try Wudang Mountain or Longhu Mountain instead."
"Forget it. No chance with those two places," Zhao Yun said. "The leaders of Wudang and Longhu Mountain are in closed-door life-or-death cultivation. They see no one. Not even the Dragon King, not even the Marquis Champion himself could get an audience."
"Wait, why not ask the Marquis Champion for help?" Ye Qiu said. "Xiao Jiu is number one on the Dragon Rank, stronger than the Wudang and Longhu Mountain leaders. He must have a way."
"Little brother, you don't know Xiao Jiu." Zhao Yun sighed. "As Marquis Champion, he commands a million troops and holds supreme power. Someone like that isn't someone we can just meet whenever we want."
"People like us are no more than ants in his eyes."
"If the Dragon King begged to see him, he probably wouldn't even get in the door. We'd end up humiliated without curing the Gu poison."
Zhao Yun said: "So right now, our only hope is the Living Buddha."
"Let's hope the Dragon King is blessed with good fortune."
"Where do you live? I'll drive you home."
"188 Jinghu Road."
Fifteen minutes later.
Ye Qiu arrived home.
As soon as he walked in, Qian Jinglan asked anxiously:
"Qiu'er, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ye Qiu smiled. "Mom, I'm sorry I made you worry."
"Did the hospital punish you?"
"No."
"What about Guo Shaocong? Did his father give you trouble?"
"Nope."
"That doesn't make sense. Vice Dean Guo looked like he wanted to kill you earlier. Qiu'er, tell me the truth." Qian Jinglan frowned, not believing him.
"Mom, I really am fine."
Ye Qiu found it strange too.
After he left the Dragon King's villa and returned to the hospital, neither Guo Danu nor the medical administration staff had come looking for him. It was as if nothing had happened.
"Before today, those lackeys in the medical administration would've jumped on me for far less. After what I did to Guo Shaocong, nothing? That's not normal."
"And Guo Danu — he wanted to kill me this afternoon, and now he's nowhere to be seen."
"Why?"
After thinking it over, Ye Qiu could only come up with one explanation:
Guo Danu knew who Zhao Yun was and feared the Dragon King. That was why he hadn't dared touch him — for now.
"This is suspicious. You beat Shaocong that badly, yet the hospital didn't punish you and the Guo family left you alone. It's not right." Qian Jinglan warned him. "Qiu'er, you have to be careful."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine."
After dinner, Ye Qiu went to bed early.
Years of studying medicine had made him an early riser and early sleeper.
But tonight, he couldn't fall asleep.
The things the Dragon King and Zhao Yun had said felt like they'd opened a whole new world for him. Especially Xiao Jiu, the Marquis Champion — Ye Qiu admired him deeply.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"If I start practicing martial arts now… could I someday become someone like Xiao Jiu? Adored by all, with power over the entire realm?"