Everyone felt an indescribable sense of disbelief, astonishment, and bewilderment upon seeing Elder Ji awaken. Was this a dream? How was it possible?
“Dad, you’re awake,” the middle-aged man exclaimed joyfully, gripping Elder Ji’s hand.
“It was that young man who saved my life. Go thank him first,” Elder Ji weakly raised his hand and pointed at Long Xiao, who had just stood up.
Seeing the elder awake, Long Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to leave, Ji Tianfu approached him, grasped his hand, and said, “Thank you so much, young man. I was impulsive earlier. I apologize.”
Ji Tianfu intended to give Long Xiao a sum of money. Patting his pockets, he realized he hadn’t brought his checkbook. His hand brushed against a card.
This was the last Tianhai Platinum Diamond card he possessed. It had been in his pocket for a long time, waiting for someone truly deserving.
“Young man, please take this card. It’s a VIP card for our Tianhai Group. With this card, you can freely enjoy any resource from Tianhai Group and command anyone.”
The card was gold, inlaid with diamonds around the edges. The character “Ji” was on the front, “Tianhai” on the back, followed by a phone number.
“No, thank you. This card is too precious. I can’t accept it.”
“Young man, are you still angry about me attacking you? How about I kneel and apologize?”
As Ji Tianfu made to kneel, Long Xiao quickly held him up. “Please don’t. Alright, I’ll take it.”
Long Xiao had only suppressed the Gu worm; further treatment was needed for Elder Ji to be completely out of danger.
After putting the card away, Long Xiao took his leave. Removing the Gu worm wasn't difficult, so he left that task to Physician Li.
He felt a bit drained from using the green qi within his dantian during the acupuncture, and he urgently needed rest.
As he reached the elevator, the doors opened, and Lin Xuan stepped out.
She wore a pale green dress, her clear and elegant face framed by bright eyes that shone like the brightest stars in the night sky. Her gentle smile was like a spring breeze, caressing Long Xiao’s face.
“Long Xiao, your father needs to be admitted. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lin’s family fortune was managed by Nangong Yue, who even controlled Lin Xuan’s salary. Long Xiao had been feeling frustrated after failing to borrow money yesterday. Now that he understood medicine, he was even less inclined to ask Nangong Yue for help.
“Mom said she wouldn’t lend me another cent. Telling you would only cause you trouble.”
Lin Xuan never agreed with her mother’s actions, but she was her birth mother, and there was little she could do.
“From now on, tell me if anything happens. I’m still your wife in name, you know…”
Lin Xuan began to lecture Long Xiao, who listened in silence, his head bowed.
Though she was his wife by agreement, she treated him better than anyone else in the Lin family. With her, Long Xiao felt the warmth of home and family.
However, every time he saw her peerless beauty, Long Xiao felt a sense of inferiority. He felt he was not worthy of her.
After a while, Lin Xuan said, “Let’s go. We’ll see your father first and then pay the hospital fees.”
As they walked out a few steps, a phone rang.
Lin Xuan stopped, took out her phone from her bag, and answered.
“Ms. Lin, this is bad news. The bank has suspended our loan.”
The Lin Group had been expanding rapidly recently, leading to a capital shortage. Rui Xiang Bank had a good relationship with the Lin Group, and loans of one or two hundred million yuan were usually not an issue.
Lin Xuan had already finalized the loan yesterday; all that was needed today was for her subordinate to process it.
Something must have gone wrong. To understand, Lin Xuan had to go to the bank in person.
“Alright, I’ll head to the bank immediately.”
Just as she was about to hang up, Lin Xuan’s secretary on the other end continued, “Ms. Lin, there are two more things. The raw material inventory at the pharmaceutical factory is running low, enough for only one more day. The Tianyun Chamber of Commerce just called. They’ve changed the payment terms for freight to weekly. If we can’t settle the payment on Monday, they’ll halt all shipments.”
Hearing her secretary’s words, Lin Xuan felt a headache coming on. After hanging up, she took a bank card from her bag and said, “Long Xiao, there’s two hundred thousand yuan on this card. Go pay the fees yourself. I have urgent matters to attend to.”
Since yesterday, when his ancestor helped Long Xiao complete the marrow cleansing and fur washing, his hearing had become exceptionally acute. He had clearly overheard everything Lin Xuan had just said on the phone.
“No, I’ll find another way. The company is short on cash right now…”
Lin Xuan pressed the card into Long Xiao’s hand, interrupting him. “Saving a life is paramount. Besides, this amount of money won’t help the company much. Hurry and take it to pay the fees.”
With that, Lin Xuan quickly entered the elevator.
Watching the elevator doors slowly close, Lin Xuan’s anxious face disappeared from view. A strange, piercing sensation arose in Long Xiao’s heart.
He felt so useless. If he had money, she wouldn’t be so worried. In the past, he was incapable and struggled to survive in society. Now, with the "Dragon Sutra," many seemingly insurmountable challenges had become effortless.
He had to help her. A man must act like a man, even if this wife was only a wife by agreement, a temporary one.
Long Xiao went to his adoptive father’s ward and inquired about his condition. He took his father’s wrist and thoroughly examined his body.
Soon, Long Xiao discovered that his adoptive father’s illness was vastly different from the hospital's diagnosis. His condition wasn't severe; instead, it was caused by the accumulation of toxins from excessive medication, which had led to kidney failure.
“Dad, we’ll be discharged in a few days. The hospital can’t cure your illness, but I’ll find a way to treat you.”
Long Xiao’s adoptive father, Long Kui, looked at the haggard Long Xiao and thought he hadn’t been able to borrow money. To avoid causing his adopted son further trouble, Long Kui nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll be discharged tomorrow.”
Knowing he could cure his adoptive father’s illness, Long Xiao didn’t pay the hospitalization fees and returned directly to the Lin family. Lin Xuan was in trouble, and he planned to return the money to her.
At the hospital, Elder Ji had been pulled back from the brink of death, and the Ji family was overjoyed.
After Long Xiao left the ward, Li Yizhen examined Elder Ji and confirmed that the Gu worm had been pinned by Long Xiao’s acupuncture needle at the exit of the heart, but it was not dead.
The Seven Needles of the Ghost Gate had forcefully extracted energy from other internal organs to repair the heart and save his life.
Li Yizhen took photos of the Seven Needles of the Ghost Gate, intending to study them thoroughly. Many questions lingered in his mind, and he urgently needed someone to provide answers.
“This is miraculous! The Seven Needles of the Ghost Gate are truly amazing. Tianfu, what was that young man’s name? Did we get his contact information?” Li Yizhen asked.
Prompted by Li Yizhen, Ji Tianfu suddenly remembered that in his panic earlier, he hadn't gotten Long Xiao’s contact details or even asked for his name.
The nurses who had slandered Long Xiao earlier felt ashamed, their faces blushing. They rushed to the corridor to find Long Xiao, but he was nowhere to be seen.