Xu Ruizhi gazed at Song Lianwei lying on the bed, puzzled as he asked Ye Sitong. In his view, someone as resilient as Song Lianwei wouldn't easily resort to suicide—there must be some hidden reason.
"I'm not entirely sure either. Although Dr. Song has been under a lot of pressure lately, there have been times in the past when the pressure was even greater, yet she still managed to handle everything meticulously."
She paused hesitantly before continuing, "But... I've heard some rumors about Dr. Song."
"Rumors?" Xu Ruizhi was taken aback and immediately asked, "What rumors?"
"I heard that Dr. Song had a boyfriend about a month ago, and one of her colleagues saw them together," Ye Sitong explained, looking at Xu Ruizhi.
"Seen by a colleague? Where?" Xu Ruizhi asked in surprise.
"At a hotel near our workplace. The colleague said Dr. Song seemed quite surprised when she saw the man. Then, he overheard Dr. Song say, 'What are you doing here?' After that, the two seemed to argue. The man said something like, 'Why won't you give it to me?' and Dr. Song replied, 'We've only known each other for less than a month. It's too soon. I don't want to give myself away so easily. I'm not a very traditional person, but I can't be this careless either. I hope you won't force me.'" Ye Sitong recounted the incident in one breath.
"Then the man stormed off in a rage."
Ye Sitong paused for a moment before continuing, "And my colleague said that Dr. Song and that man didn't seem like a couple at all. When the man tried to hug and kiss her, Dr. Song refused and said, 'I'm not ready yet. Let's wait until I'm mentally prepared.'"
"Ah."
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhurou sighed and said, "That's just Lianwei's temperament. She's very stubborn. If I'm not mistaken, her suicide attempt this time must be related to this incident."
"I'm not sure either, but I heard that the man died in a car accident. Apparently, he was a rich second-generation heir who crashed his sports car off a cliff during a race. The car was destroyed, and he died. Dr. Song probably did this because of that..." Ye Sitong looked at Yang Zhurou and spoke slowly.
"Aunt Song because of him? That can't be. How could someone like him be worthy of Aunt Song?"
Xu Ruizhi shook his head in disbelief upon hearing this. Since childhood, his impression of Aunt Song had been deeply ingrained—she was elegant and refined, capable both in public and at home. He thought Aunt Song was not only beautiful but also had a graceful demeanor, and she had always been extremely gentle with him. How could she choose to end her life over someone like that?
For a moment, Xu Ruizhi felt a surge of jealousy toward that rich second-generation heir. In his subconscious, he had long regarded Song Lianwei as his exclusive possession, though he hadn't even realized it himself—he had already developed feelings of love and possessiveness toward her.
"I can't understand it either. How could Dr. Song fall for someone like that?" Ye Sitong said helplessly after hearing Xu Ruizhi's words.
Yang Zhurou remained silent, only frowning as she gazed at Song Lianwei lying on the bed, lost in thought.
"Alright, now isn't the time to dwell on these things. Let's focus on taking care of Lianwei first. We can ask her what happened when she wakes up."
After a long while, Yang Zhurou looked at Song Lianwei on the bed and spoke calmly.
Xu Ruizhi, however, thought more deeply. Although Aunt Song always appeared gentle, generous, and capable on the surface, that was merely her disguise. The loneliness and vulnerability in her heart were something no one else could truly understand.
When Xu Ruizhi first heard about Aunt Song's past, he felt that if he were in her shoes, facing such tragic circumstances, he would likely have handled it far worse—either giving up on himself or drifting into a life of aimlessness.
The more capable and composed Song Lianwei appeared on the surface, the more sorrowful and helpless she felt inside. She truly needed a man to cherish and care for her, to make up for the misfortunes of her youth. This process might take a few years, or perhaps...
a lifetime.
...
Around one o'clock in the morning, Ye Sitong received a call from her family urging her to return home. She was very reluctant to leave, but after hearing something on the other end of the line, her expression changed drastically. She obediently picked up her bag and prepared to leave, promising to come to the hospital early the next day to take care of Song Lianwei.
Not long after Ye Sitong left, Yang Zhurou yawned.
Seeing her mother's exhausted expression, Xu Ruizhi said with concern, "Mom, you should go rest. I'll stay here and take care of Aunt Song."
"No! You have classes tomorrow. I'll call Qian Ming later and have him take you home."
Yang Zhurou rejected Xu Ruizhi's suggestion without a second thought. Besides, Xu Ruizhi was no longer a young man, and it wasn't appropriate for him to take care of an unmarried young woman.
"No need!" Xu Ruizhi immediately refused upon hearing this. He disliked Qian Ming the most. If Qian Ming were to take him home, he'd rather stay at the hospital to accompany Song Lianwei.
After all, on the way to the hospital, he had managed to persuade Qian Ming to leave. If Qian Ming were to take him home, he would definitely stay at the hospital instead. Being alone with a man like Qian Ming was risky—who knew what underhanded tricks he might pull? He wasn't worried about his mother, but he certainly didn't trust Qian Ming. Given how eager his mother had seemed earlier, he was deeply uneasy. What if Qian Ming resorted to something like drugs or aphrodisiacs? He felt he wouldn't be able to sleep well even if he went home.
"I have a plan. Just wait."
Xu Ruizhi gave Yang Zhurou a mysterious smile and left the ward. He hurried to the hospital lobby, which was now empty except for a nurse on duty dozing off at the counter. Xu Ruizhi approached and asked softly, "Nurse, nurse..."
"Hmm... hmm... What is it?"
The nurse on duty, hearing someone call her, groggily opened her eyes and looked at Xu Ruizhi. After speaking, she let out a big yawn, clearly exhausted.
"Um, nurse, aside from Song Lianwei in Room 17 on the third floor, are there any other patients in that room?" Xu Ruizhi asked quietly.
"Let me check."
The nurse on duty carefully reviewed the records. After a moment, she looked at Xu Ruizhi and said, "Oh, you mean Room 17? No, there's no one else in that room. She's the only patient."
"Thank you, nurse."
Hearing this, Xu Ruizhi breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Here's the thing. My mother is taking care of the patient and is a bit tired. Could we possibly borrow the bed in the adjacent room for a few nights?"
"Well..." The nurse hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright. There are some empty beds these days, so you can stay for a few nights. But I must tell you, if a patient needs it, you'll have to leave."
"Thank you, we understand," Xu Ruizhi replied gratefully.
"No need to thank me." The nurse waved her hand and went back to dozing off, too tired to stay awake.
Xu Ruizhi returned to the ward, where Yang Zhurou was still sitting in the chair. Seeing him return, she stood up and asked, "Ruizhi, where did you go?"
"I went to ask the nurse for help. She arranged a bed for us—this one." As he spoke, Xu Ruizhi lay down on the bed to the left of Song Lianwei.
"You clever little rascal, going to ask the nurse for help."
Yang Zhurou chuckled and scolded him lightly, but she felt relieved inside. Her child had truly grown up, taking initiative and handling things sensibly, which put her mind at ease.
"Of course," Xu Ruizhi replied with a proud smile. Then he added, "Mom, let's rest for a bit. You've been up all night and must be exhausted."
"You sleep first. I'm not tired," Yang Zhurou said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Mom, you'll be taking care of Aunt Song again tomorrow, so you must be tired. You should rest early," Xu Ruizhi said while gently pulling Yang Zhurou to lie down beside him.
Yang Zhurou didn't refuse this time. She lay down next to Xu Ruizhi, closed her eyes, and prepared to rest.
If it were any other day, Xu Ruizhi would have been overjoyed, cherishing the chance to be close to his mother. But today, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm.
Xu Ruizhi held Yang Zhurou in his arms, breathing in the fragrance that emanated from her, and drifted into a deep sleep.
...
In his dream, Xu Ruizhi felt himself walking through a blank, unfamiliar world. He could see nothing, hear nothing, only himself, solitary and alone in this vast emptiness.
Suddenly, a shimmering golden light began to spin before him, the radiant glow slowly expanding, growing larger and larger...
Gradually, the golden light sharpened into clarity—it was a book. Ancient characters were inscribed upon it, weathered and profound, exuding an inexplicable sense of pressure that weighed heavily on Xu Ruizhi.
Though he had never seen them before, Xu Ruizhi somehow knew exactly what those characters meant.
"The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon!" he murmured slowly, gazing at the book as he uttered the four words.
The next day, after taking the breakfast his mother had bought, Xu Ruizhi hurried from the hospital to school.
As he walked back to campus, his face remained clouded with confusion, his mind still lingering on the dream from the night before and the strange, inexplicable memories etched deep into his consciousness.
Munching on the breakfast his mother had prepared, Xu Ruizhi recalled the dream—a golden book, imbued with an ancient, timeless aura, had appeared beside him. It seemed almost alive, fluttering around him as if examining him, sometimes dancing joyfully, other times hesitating in confusion. Then, in a flash, it transformed into a beam of golden light and shot straight into the center of his forehead. His vision blurred momentarily, and suddenly, a dignified old man dressed in coarse linen stood before him, his eyes sharp and spirited.
Xu Ruizhi had been utterly awestruck. The old man was tall and imposing, like a small mountain standing firm. His sturdy hands were simple yet powerful, as if forged from steel.
The old man gazed at him, his eyes twinkling like stars, his voice resonating like a great bell, devoid of any emotion.
"Harmonizing yin and yang seizes the secrets of creation; the tribulation of longevity treads upon karma…"
Each word seemed eternal, indelible, echoing through time.
At this memory, Xu Ruizhi felt as if he had been struck by a sudden clarity. A flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his consciousness, and his body trembled violently, as if bearing the weight of a mountain on his shoulders.
He felt as though he might explode, his head twisting in agony. Gritting his teeth against the intense pain, Xu Ruizhi struggled to absorb all the memories.
Harmonizing yin and yang seizes the secrets of creation; the tribulation of longevity treads upon karma.
This book was indeed The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon! Not the fragmented versions circulated outside, but the genuine, ancient, and complete text passed down through the ages.
It recorded the life and experiences of the Yellow Emperor, including all his cultivation methods.
Its contents were vast and all-encompassing—sections on cultivation, herbal medicine, and mystical arts.
...
Standing at the school gate, Xu Ruizhi still seemed unable to fully process everything. His mind was a chaotic mess. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon now floated serenely at the center of his consciousness. As for when it had appeared in his mind, Xu Ruizhi had a rough idea—it must have been during that accident when he fell into a well at the age of two.
That incident had granted him The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, but back then, he was too young to bear the weight of such a legacy.
Moreover, the cultivation method within The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon was... the art of dual cultivation.
Dual cultivation, as the name suggests, involves the union of yin and yang between a man and a woman, allowing both to reap its benefits. This is part of the Yellow Emperor's secret manual for attaining immortality.
Of course, the idea of becoming an immortal is too elusive and ethereal. We are now in an age of declining spiritual energy, where even gods might no longer exist—so where would immortals come from?
As for the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, Xu Rui-zhi could only perform some basic spells at his current stage. To ordinary people, these spells were already quite impressive, though they required reaching a foundational level of cultivation to execute.
As for advanced spells?
Xu Rui-zhi shook his head—he wasn't yet qualified to touch them.
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