Chapter 392: Side Story 12: Your Chance Has Come

Gu Xiqiao looked at Emery, then reached her hands into her pocket where her inventory was, digging around for a bit before finally pulling out a tattered, ancient book. She held the book with both hands, presenting it to Emery. “This is what you gave me in the beginning, and it solved a lot of doubts for me. I’d like to return it to its rightful owner now.”

Emery looked at the book, then shook his head faintly. “Man Man left me because of this thing. I don’t want this book anymore, keep it.”

Yu Man and Rong Feishuang had gotten into a big disagreement because of this book, and it was also the cause of her leaving the house in anger. She had disappeared without a trace for twenty years, and no one knew where she had gone. Emery had scoured the entire Delxun Forest for her for twenty years, and he still hadn’t found her. He swore that he wouldn’t ever use his medical skills if he couldn’t find her.

For these twenty years, he resembled a walking corpse, until he received a call from Rong Feishuang.

At that time, the first reaction he had was disbelief. He couldn’t believe that she was gone just like that.

After he fell into depression for a long time, he slowly picked himself up. That person had been afraid to be alone since she was young, and being alone in the ground, he couldn’t imagine how fearful she would feel, and so he expanded all his efforts and finally managed to locate her home in N City.

At that time, if he hadn’t thought that she disappeared into Delxun Forest, but searched the entire world instead, it probably wouldn’t have ended like this, right?

Twenty years have passed, and Emery has changed drastically. There were more wrinkles on his face, and his hair had turned white.

But his face was as peaceful as ever, and just looking at him, who would have thought that he used to be a Western doctor with extremely good medical skills?

Gu Xiqiao didn’t press nor stay any longer after that. She held the book in her hand as she made her way slowly down the mountain.

“Sister Gu!” When she was halfway down, a white figure suddenly rushed towards her.

The voice sounded familiar, and that mass of white was stopped abruptly in mid-air when it was a few centimeters away from him.

A slender, white hand had lifted the figure directly up in the air.

The person who had been picked up was feeling light-headed from the sudden movement, and when he turned, he was met with a pair of chillingly cold eyes. He couldn’t help but shiver at the intense gaze, and shrank into himself.

“Shi Tou?” Gu Xiqiao looked at the figure that Jiang Shuxuan held in his hands, and instantly recognized him.

Jiang Shuxuan also narrowed his eyes and studied the person he held, and with his mental power, he naturally knew that this was Shi Tou. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just used his hands to lift him up.

He studied Shi Tou for a little while more before loosening his hold, dropping him on the ground. Shi Tou still ended up staggering, and also falling on his butt!

“Y-Y-You… why do you still look the same?!” He stared at Jiang Shuxuan for a long time, clearly startled.

Twenty years had passed, why did he not look any different at all?

Jiang Shuxuan raised his head, glancing at Shi Tou. “In another sixty years, I’ll still look like this. And you, you’ll look like that.”

His long, white fingers pointed at where Emery was standing.

“You won’t have any friends if you’re like this.”

Jiang Shuxuan smiled lightly at him, activating the taunting skill on Shi Tou. “I have a wife, Shi Tou.”

Shi Tou: “You really want us to hurt each other, huh?”

Jiang Shuxuan casually replied, “No, I just want to hurt you. Shi. Tou.”

“You can call me Li Kongqing, thanks.” Shi Tou deadpanned.

Jiang Shuxuan just gave him a glance, without another word.

How infuriating for Shi Tou!

However, because of this exchange, the tension in Shi Tou’s heart had completely vanished, and his face was very calm.

No matter how calm he looked, it wasn’t able to conceal the excitement that he was feeling inside. His nails were digging into his palms, his eyes unblinking, staring at Gu Xiqiao. After reassuring himself that the other was completely fine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sister Gu, when did you come back?” Shi Tou tried to hold it back in, but ultimately couldn’t and finally looked at Gu Xiqiao.

It’s been twenty years, and he had also grown so tall. And yet she looked the same as before, without the slightest change.

“It’s just been a couple of days.” Gu Xiqiao gave him a glance, then continued her trek down the mountains. She chuckled lightly, her voice melodious as ever. “How are the village chief and everyone else?”

Shi Tou walked down with her with a spring in his step. It felt like back when he was still a child.

As they were talking, the village chief and a bunch of people had already gathered and had rushed over to the mountain.

“Qiao Qiao, you’re back.” The village chief looked at Gu Xiqiao, and confirmed that it was her. When he found out that she was fine, his heart came back down from his throat back to his stomach. “You don’t know this, but when news of your accident reached us that year, this Shi Tou stayed alone in your yard for seven days, and only finally came home after Mr. Emery persuaded him to.”

Shi Tou had clung to Gu Xiqiao since he had been born, and had only listened to her as a child. When Gu Xiqiao’s fall reached them, they tried their best to hide it from him, but was found out by him in the end.

“It’s my fault.” She hadn’t thought about it that time, but now that she did, she glanced at Shi Tou silently. “How is it going with the thing that I had Wu Hongwen pass to you?”

Shi Tou replied dully, “It can pierce the skies… somewhat.”

When he said this, Jiang Shuxuan glanced at him, contempt clear in his dark eyes for just a moment before vanishing. Shi Tou instantly recalled the moment he had been held up with a hand, and immediately shut his mouth, not saying another word.

“Practise properly, and it’ll become a great weapon in the future.” Gu Xiqiao patted his shoulder.

Shi Tou nodded his head as he vowed to do so. “Don’t worry, Sister Gu!”

“Where is Sister Mei now?” Gu Xiqiao had walked around the village and found that majority of the people were still here, but Li Yanmei’s family was not.

“Sister Mei married into the capital, it’s a family named Ying. His cousin came here with you once last time.” Shi Tou stopped in front of Li Yanmei’s house. “Their family would come back every few months to clear the grave in the mountain, and also yours and Aunt Yu’s house.”

When they spoke about this topic, Shi Tou couldn’t help but glance at Gu Xiqiao. What he didn’t mention was that every time Li Yanmei came back, she would sit and cry in front of that house.

“Sorry.” Gu Xiqiao sighed. “I wasn’t thinking much at that time.”

“Then, where did you go after that?” Shi Tou asked, looking at Gu Xiqiao.

“I went to recuperate. My wounds were deep, and I wasn’t able to return.” Gu Xiqiao said lightly. If she could, she would have also liked to come back earlier.

Shi Tou straightened up at this moment. “Then, I forgive you.”

He had already obviously grown, but how could he still be the same as when he was a kid? Gu Xiqiao couldn’t help but rub her temples. Did something go wrong when he was growing up?

***

In the Imperial Capital, A University.

Tan Yongsi had just finished a class, and was heading back to the dormitory when she felt Xixi on her shoulder suddenly heat up. Her steps were hurried, but the expression on her face remained unchanged.

She turned towards the school gates, seemingly like she was going on a stroll, but her speed was far beyond any ordinary person.

At this time, Tan Yongsi didn’t head towards the bus station, but directly flagged down a taxi, giving him an address.

The taxi driver gave her a strange look, and seeing it was a pure, beautiful girl that didn’t look like anything dirty, he couldn’t help but say, “Miss, why are you going there? I’m telling you, an accident once took place there, and many people died. I heard it’s haunted there, so you better not go there alone.”

Hearing the driver’s words, Tan Yongsi lowered her eyes. “My parents used to work there.”

At her explanation, the taxi driver’s face changed immediately, muttering an apology under his breath. He then drove to the destination without another word, leaving Tan Yongsi not far from the factory.

Tan Yongsi hadn’t lied, her parents did use to work in this area, but they had died in a car accident before the mentioned accident had happened here.

She stood not far from the factory, and after watching it for a long time, she let out a sigh, walking slowly inside it.

Overgrown weeds were everywhere inside. As soon as she entered the door, she felt a chill blow pass her. The place was really gloomy, and if it were other people, they would have been scared away already, but this was Tan Yongsi. She knew that the malicious aura here was just a bit more heavier than other places, and if others were to stay too long here, they would have hallucinations. However, that didn’t affect her. If Xixi really was about to breathe fire, then this was the safest place for it.

“The ancient books said that mythical beasts are able to talk.” Tan Yongsi placed Xixi on top of a stone slab, then bent down, waggling her finger. “Can you tell me, where do you feel uncomfortable now?”

Xixi stood on the slab, covering its head with its wings. Its entire body was trembling, and it looked extremely pitiful.

It didn’t speak, and Tan Yongsi didn’t urge it to, waiting patiently instead.

The surrounding air was getting hotter as time passed, dispelling the chill of the factory itself. Tan Yongsi looked at Xixi’s feathers that looked like they were about to catch fire, and couldn’t help but take a few steps back, several fireproof talismans in her hands!

The fire of the Vermillion Bird was powerful, and it could not be extinguished by water. Tan Yongsi just hoped that the talisman she held was enough and useful!

Xixi’s body went up in flames suddenly without any warning in that same moment. There were red flames as well as black flames, and everything it touched instantly turned into ash!

Tan Yongsi was stunned when she saw the black flames, but she reacted quickly, throwing out her fireproof talisman!

Although the talisman in her hand was full of energy, it was just a useless paper in the end. Xixi’s flames were of heaven and earth after all, and some ordinary fireproof talisman was no match for it!

“Get out of here!” Xixi finally talked for the first time.

Tan Yongsi’s head chose this time to have a blinding headache, feeling as though her head would explode in the next second!

Bright, yellow objects flashed in her mind over and over, and then a familiar profound energy spread throughout her body.

At the same moment, a vivid, red flame appeared in front of her!

Tan Yongsi squinted her eyes, a fireproof talisman flying out from her hands! The power that had suddenly emerged controlled the talisman, and the ordinary charm suddenly burst out in a golden light, shielding her from the flames!

***

At the same time, a black car was rounding the area nearby.

Inside the car, Jiang Yirui’s lips were pursed tightly, his face dark to the point that it looked like water could fall from it at any moment.

Jiji sat in the driver’s seat, its green head nearly touching its knees, clearly ashamed.

“Didn’t you say that you could accurately pinpoint Xixi’s location?” Jiang Yirui rubbed his temples, his frown deep.

“I could!” Jiji cried with a sad face. “I don’t know what happened, it’s as though I couldn’t sense Xixi all of a sudden. Believe me, Egg, I’ve never been wrong before, you can’t blame me for this!”

Jiang Yirui glanced at Jiji, not saying a word, turning his eyes back on the road ahead. He had been in the apartment just now, with Jiji was playing games with Tang An. Then the robot had suddenly jumped up, saying that something had happened to Xixi, and that’s why he had rushed out in a hurry!

Unexpectedly, when they reached here, Jiji said that it suddenly couldn’t sense Xixi’s specific location!

Jiang Yirui wound down the window, lighting a cigarette and taking a puff. As he blew out the smoke, he glanced around the area. It was very crowded. If something really had happened to Xixi, why didn’t he feel any fluctuation of energy at all?

Jiji had felt it at first, but now it didn’t feel anything. What had happened?

Jiang Yirui put out the cigarette as Jiji glanced at him. “Beauty Qiao said that you can’t smoke.”

“Do you believe that when we get back, I’ll get her to take you apart?” Jiang Yirui’s eyes could practically freeze someone with just a look.

Jiji realized at this moment, though Fatty Egg’s eyes were so very similar to Beauty Qiao’s, it was no different than Jiang Shuxuan’s!

Freaking scary!

Jiang Yirui waited for the smoke in the car to clear out, then wound up the window, turning the car around and heading back into the city.

Just when the car had turned around, he suddenly felt the fluctuation of a familiar mental power!

That is—

Jiang Yirui’s eyes lit up, brighter than ever before! The sharp, handsome face looked startled for a moment, before turning into surprise, and then in the next second, he looked like a man who had been trapped in a drought, and something had suddenly appeared when he had lost hope it would ever!

To be honest, Jiji had been with Jiang Yirui for many years, and this was the first time it was seeing such a joyous look on his face.

Jiji opened its mouth, just about to ask something when Jiang Yirui slammed on the accelerator of the car, shooting straight off like an arrow from a bow!

Less than two minutes later, he slammed on the brakes.

Jiji slammed into the windshield at the sudden stop. Fortunately, the glass of this car was tough, and the impact was not enough to break it. Jiang Yirui stared at the fork in the road, the brightness in his eyes gone. His awareness was torn again, there were two paths in front of him, which one should he take?

“Fatty Egg! There!” Jiji jumped up suddenly. “I can feel Xixi’s aura, Xixi’s in an extremely bad state right now!”

Jiang Yirui smiled bitterly. Just now, that was just a mistake, right?

“Let’s go and take a look.” Getting down from the car and following Jiji’s direction, he found that it was an abandoned factory.

Not a few steps later, he saw Tan Yongsi leaning against the concrete wall. Her head was hung low and he couldn’t see her face, but there was a burn on her arm. Xixi was on a stone slab at her feet, looking as though it was on its dying breath.

Jiji immediately picked Xixi up, then looked at Tan Yongsi. Seeing the burn on her arm, he couldn’t help but gasp.

It looked like she had ripped off her own sleeves, and there were several transparent blisters on her arms. Some of the areas were brown, and it looked like she had third-degree burns!

“What’s going on?” Jiji felt a cold chill stab its heart. Had Xixi done this?

If the fire of the Vermillion Bird had touched an ordinary person, they would have instantly turned to ash. Even if they had any form of protection on their body, no matter what, it wouldn’t look like what Jiji was looking at right now!

Tan Yongsi raised her head when she heard Jiji’s voice, and she pulled out a fireproof talisman from her pocket, placing it in front of Jiji.

Although Jiji couldn’t recognize the talisman, it was able to find information on it in its powerful system database in seconds. “A fireproof talisman? To be able to shield youself from Xixi’s flames with it, Miss Tan, you really have great potential.”

When she heard Jiji’s words, Tan Yongsi could only smile faintly at it.

This made Jiji grin. She could still be so indifferent after being injured like this! This endurance, there really wasn’t anyone like this!

Jiang Yirui looked at Tan Yongsi’s clenched fist, the veins popping out. He knew that it wasn’t she didn’t feel pain, but she was just holding it in. “Wait for a moment, I’ll bring the car over.”

“Thank you.” Tan Yongsi thanked him politely.

He brought the car over quickly, and opened the backseat to let her on. Before she got in, he couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Tan, did you see anyone here before I came?”

Tan Yongsi frowned slightly, thinking. She shook her head after a while, her voice a little more hoarse when she replied, “Only Xixi and I were here.”

Hearing her answer, Jiang Yirui let go of his doubts, and drove the car towards the city.

There was no first aid kit in the car, so Jiang Yirui wasn’t able to give her any treatment for her wounds, and he could only speed up towards the hospital.

After they had gotten in the car, Jiji, who was now sitting in the passenger seat, looked at Tan Yongsi through the rearview mirror. What was going on, why did it suddenly feel like the girl was different?

Where was the problem?

Jiang Yirui wasn’t aware of Jiji’s troubled mind, and he brought Tan Yongsi to the First Hospital in the Imperial Capital.

However, the hospital was extremely crowded at this time, and Jiang Yirui was too lazy to stand in line. He pulled out his phone and made a call, which rang for a few minutes before it was picked up.

“Brother Youlin, where are you now?” The line for registration in the hospital was too noisy, and Jiang Yirui couldn’t help but massage his temples.

The voice from the other side was low. “I told you to call me uncle. I call your mother, sister, and you’re calling me brother, what kind of a messy situation is this?!”

“Fine, we’ll talk about it some other time. Just tell me, where are you now?” Jiang Yirui knew that Hua Youlin had returned to the Imperial Capital a few days ago, and he knew that based on Hua Youlin’s attitude, he wouldn’t be able to help himself, and would definitely come to the hospital to help the wounded.

Sure enough, the reply was, “In the city’s hospital, what’s wrong?”

“I recall that the hospital reserved a specialized outpatient seat for you?” Jiang Yirui seemed to remember that all the major hospitals across the country had done the same for Hua Youlin.

Hua Youlin hummed in affirmation, his tone unchanging, “Are you injured?”

“Not me, a friend.” Once Hua Youlin gave him the directions, he hung up the phone, leading Tan Yongsi inside. As they walked, he made sure the crowd avoided touching her arm.

The further they walked in, the fewer people were there. He no longer needed to protect her, but led in front instead. Jiji was holding Xixi in its hands, following silently behind the two.

Hua Youlin’s office was quiet, probably because the people in the hospital knew that he didn’t like noisy places.

When Jiang Yirui knocked on the door, Hua Youlin was looking through a microscope.

Seeing them come in, Hua Youlin put down the microscope. As soon as he looked up and saw Tan Yongsi, he couldn’t help and did a double take. He never expected that Jiang Yirui would bring a female friend here?

Hua Youlin’s surprise disappeared instantly when his eyes fell to the flaming red bird in Jiji’s hands. He was stunned as he stuttered out, “Xixi?”

After he said that, he found that something wasn’t right. Although the bird looked like Xixi, it was obviously a younger bird, and even its feathers had yet to fully grow.

Jiang Yirui knew that Hua Youlin would definitely be surprised, but he didn’t offer any explanation at this time, only signaling with his eyes that they would talk about this later.

“Second and third-degree burns, and it’s already passed the time to receive emergency treatment.” Hua Youlin brought out a disinfection needle. “Your blisters are too big, and it will affect your daily activities. I’ll help you pick them out right now.”

Although the burn was serious, the injury itself was minor. Hua Youlin used a few disinfected needles and cotton swabs, and he was more or less done.

Finally, he pulled out a bottle of ointment from the cabinet and applied it on Tan Yongsi’s arm.

Tan Yongsi looked at the creamy white ointment on her arm. After it was applied to the wounded area, a refreshing feeling seemed to penetrate through her skin, sinking into the bottom of her heart. The pain in her arm was almost completely gone after that. She knew that the box of medicine was not as simple as it looked.

In fact, it wasn’t only this bottle of medicine, she also knew that Hua Youlin was no ordinary person. Come to think of it, the only reason she was able to recognize Hua Youlin was because of Meng Yunzhao.

Meng Yunzhao was not only from the Faculty of Medicine, she was also from the medical laboratory. Naturally, she would talk about the people she admired, and when it came to the doctors she admired, not only Tan Yongsi, but the entire dorm room knew them all like the back of their hands.

That’s right, Hua Youlin was among one of the doctors that Meng Yunzhao had once mentioned in the room.

Apart from Zhu Yuan, Hua Youlin was one of the most skillful people in the Chinese medicine field. He was good in not only surgeries, but also in inventing various medical appliances. Over the years, he has contributed countless treasures to the medical field.

Tan Yongsi watched as Hua Youlin wrapped her arm with gauze, and while there wasn’t any obvious expression on his face, he didn’t give off the feeling of being arrogant either. On the contrary, it made people feel that he was humble, not looking like someone with such a great reputation no matter how you look at him.

Hua Youlin gave her some instructions once he was done wrapping her arm. “Don’t let your arm touch water when you get back, and don’t move it too much either. There were some blisters that were bigger than the others, and I punctured them with a needle to let the liquid out. Don’t worry about leaving scars.”

The most prominent doctor in the world himself had treated her wounds, so how could Tan Yongsi feel uneasy?

One he was done treating the wound, Hua Youlin’s phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out, answering it quickly once he saw who it was. “Brother Zhu… Alright, I’m coming right now.”

He replied in a hurry and hung up after, walking out the door as he grabbed his white coat. “Yirui, Miss Tan’s burns will be healed in a week. I’ve taken a quick look at Xixi, and it has just overused its powers. After a day’s rest, it should be fine. Brother Zhu has asked me to head to the labs, so I have to leave now.”

By the time he said that, he was already out the door.

After a second, the door opened again. “Oh right, I won’t have my phone while I’m in the lab, so if Sister Gu comes back, come and find me directly!”

Jiang Yirui didn’t expect to see a message in the group chat on his phone once Hua Youlin left.

[Gossip Chat]

Little Hua: Egg brought a girl to the hospital today!

Wu Hongwen: What department?

Yao Jiamu: It’s the maternity ward, isn’t it!

Luo Wenlang: Egg went to the maternity department? 😱

Wang Qiming: I’m in the coffee shop nearby, wait four minutes for me 😁

Wang Qiming: Master! You’re back?!

Yao Jiamu: Good disciple, go and help your master see what on earth has happened to Egg~ What’s happened to Egg~

Wang Qiming: I guarantee I’ll complete this mission

Dalin: Sorry, I just feel the need to laugh now. Oh Egg, I’m not laughing at you on purpose 😂

Jiang Yiyan: It’s the city hospital, right? Wait for me bro, I’ll be right there!

Yin Shaoyuan: Nephew, you really are taking after your uncle and me!

“… Sure.” Jiang Yirui shot off a reply, before glancing at the white ointment that Hua Youlin didn’t put back into the cabinet. He found a small bag and put it inside, handing it to Tan Yongsi. “There is gauze and medicine in here. It doesn’t have any side effects, and it can be used for removing older scars and beautifying the face. Take it back with you and use it wisely.”

Tan Yongsi watched as Jiang Yirui took out bottles of the same white ointment from the drawer, and couldn’t help but feel her heart ache for Hua Youlin. Those bottles of medicine looked very expensive.

He carried the bag in hand, taking Tan Yongsi downstairs. Speaking of which, he was mainly the reason she was injured. If he hadn’t given Xixi so many elixir pills, it wouldn’t have broken through and advanced so quickly, to the point that it couldn’t control its own power.

“Miss Tan, it won’t be easy for you to take care of Xixi in this state. Would you like to leave Xixi with me for the time being?” Jiang Yirui made a serious suggestion.

Tan Yongsi was about to reject his offer, but Jiang Yirui was right, she couldn’t take care of Xixi in this state. Secondly, Xixi had been unstable recently, and she was really afraid that Xixi would accidentally burn the dormitory up if it went out of control!

Considering the circumstances, it seemed that the suggestion was a logical one. It also looked like the man in front of her would be able to control Xixi.

“Alright, then I’ll have to trouble you.” Tan Yongsi said, conveying her gratitude to him.

“Jiang Yirui, you actually have a girlfriend! Then what about Beini?” Just as the two were discussing the details, a curly-haired girl suddenly came down from the inpatient department, rushing at the two and exclaiming loudly.

Jiang Yirui glanced at the girl, narrowing his eyes, his voice as cold as ice. “Who are you?”

“I am Yang Beini’s agent, don’t you remember?” The curly-haired woman looked at Jiang Yirui as she huffed, reaching out her hands, intending to pull Jiang Yirui over. “Don’t you know that Beini has fallen ill?”

However, before her fingertips could even touch Jiang Yirui’s clothes, she was blocked by two men in black.

“Young Master Rui, Yang Master Wang is waiting outside for you.” The two men shoved the curly-haired women aside, bowing respectfully to Jiang Yirui.

Jiang Yirui looked towards the entrance, and sure enough, he saw Wang Qiming there. He tossed the bag and his keys to one of the men, and said, “Send Miss Tan back to school, and send my car back at the same time too.”

Having said that, he walked towards Wang Qiming, his brows furrowed deeply.

Jiji followed him closely behind, shooting a thoughtful glance at the curly-haired woman on the ground. It checked the network of information in its mind on the woman in just a few seconds.

“Thanks.” Jiang Yirui said to Wang Qiming once he reached him.

Wang Qiming waved his hand. “I was just afraid that you’d removed her arm. It’s not like you’ve never done it before anyway.”

“Let’s get a drink.” Jiang Yirui sat in Wang Qiming’s car, nothing on his face betraying how he felt. Wang Qiming was right, he had wanted to remove that curly-haired woman’s arm if she had touched him.

Wang Qiming snapped his fingers. “Alright, I’ll find a few others to accompany you to drink.”

Wait a minute! Wang Qiming suddenly stepped on the brake after just starting to drive.

That curly-haired woman, why the heck did she look so familiar?

***

The curly-haired woman stared at the familiarity in which Jiang Yirui interacted with Wang Qiming, and was shocked speechless. She hurried to the inpatient department, pushing open the door to a single ward as she said, “Beini, let me tell you, that secret crush you had during high school, he’s actually a rich young heir! And he’s very familiar with the national sweetheart!”

The curly-haired woman didn’t know who Jiang Yirui was, but she clearly knew who Wang Qiming was. He was the son of the commander-in-chief!

How could someone who was familiar with Wang Qiming be any ordinary person?!

Lying on the hospital bed was a very serious-looking girl, with thin eyebrows and a pair of apricot eyes which glowed softly under the light. Just by looking at her face, the aura she exuded was one that obviously said she placed herself above everyone else.

A glint flashed through the curly-haired woman’s eyes. “I said, do you remember the guy you had a crush on, Jiang Yirui? I heard someone called him ‘Young Master Rui’ today! And he’s also very familiar with the national sweetheart, Wang Qiming! Beini, your chance has come!”