Chapter Fourteen: Fated Enemies Always Cross Paths

Watching the boy leave, Jiang An finally returned.

"Teacher Jiang, I'm so sorry. My little brother is just asking for trouble—he never thinks before he speaks. Please don't take it to heart," Tong Yi quickly apologized, all the while adding vegetables to the pot. "Come on, let's continue. Please, eat more."

"It's fine. I actually find your brother quite interesting. By the way, what's his name?" Jiang An asked casually.

"His name is Tong Hao, Hao of Jingye."

"Oh."

The two ate and talked; mostly it was Tong Yi speaking while Jiang An listened, and Tong Yi eating while Jiang An watched. Before long, Tong Yi was full and satisfied.

Soon, they said their goodbyes. Tong Yi promised to reply to Jiang An in a few days regarding the treatment for the coldness, and Jiang An agreed. Then, each went home.

The next day.

"The effect of Qingyuan Night really is much better than simple meditation and breathing exercises, but it's still far inferior to elixirs. Sigh, I must find a way to gather all the ingredients for alchemy," Jiang An muttered to himself as he sat cross-legged in meditation, suddenly exhaling a long breath of turbid air. Beside him sat an exquisite glass bottle containing a translucent pale green liquid.

After speaking, he picked up the bottle, tilted it back, and drank another small mouthful, continuing to refine the spiritual energy within. He found nothing dull in the process, having grown accustomed to it over the past sixteen hundred years.

The only source of vitality in the entire house was the lively tiger. Once, it loved to curl up at its master's feet to sleep, occasionally raising its head to glance at him. Now, it had taken a liking to watching television, especially cartoons, from which it learned much. But, fearing to disturb its master, it always watched on mute, fully demonstrating the awareness of a loyal, awakened dog.

Close to noon, the doorbell rang—Gao Chao had arrived right on time.

Jiang An handed him three small, white, sealed porcelain bottles and instructed, "This is Qingyuan Night. Take it once every three days. For Dao Mo, never more than three drops each time; for Cheng Yang, no more than one drop; as for you, dilute one drop in twenty times its volume of water before drinking. Remember this."

Gao Chao respectfully took the three small bottles, which he could hold in one hand, and said, "Understood." Yet he thought to himself that if Qingyuan Night really worked, he should drink more. With only one drop diluted twentyfold, when would he see results? After all, His Highness and Dao Ye wouldn't know...

However, Jiang An caught the fleeting look in Gao Chao's eyes and understood his thoughts. He added, "I'll remind you again: Qingyuan Night is a gentle medicine for strengthening the foundation and nourishing vitality, but the dosage varies for each person and each stage. If you take more than your strength can bear, the medicinal force might distort your meridians, lead to inner chaos, resulting in paralysis or death at worst, and at best, you'll never advance to Grandmaster in this life."

Hearing this, Gao Chao broke out in cold sweat and laughed awkwardly, "Yes, yes, of course you're right, Your Highness. I'll keep it in mind."

Jiang An had seen countless people; he knew Gao Chao had been intimidated by his warning. He smiled in silence. He was so cautious not out of any affection for Gao Chao, but because he hoped his subordinates would grow stronger and help him accumulate what he needed. Of course, if they continued to behave, Jiang An wouldn't mind letting them benefit a little more.

"Go ahead," Jiang An waved his hand indifferently. "Don't neglect the collection of medicinal herbs."

"Yes, sir!" Gao Chao took the items and left briskly.

"His nature is decent, but needs some tempering," Jiang An commented, preparing to resume his cultivation. But before long, the doorbell rang again. Jiang An opened the door to find Zhang Xue, looking anxious. As soon as she saw him, she rattled off, "Teacher Jiang, thank goodness you're home. Without your phone number, it's really troublesome. Quick, come with me—something happened at the hospital! Director Yang asked that you get there as soon as possible!"

"Alright, let's go immediately!"

Jiang An turned back to grab his coat and was about to lock up when another door on the same floor opened. Out stepped a beautiful woman, about thirty, hurriedly putting on her coat and closing her door.

"Eh, Assistant Zhang, what are you doing here?" The woman spotted the hospital director’s assistant and asked, then saw Jiang An emerging from his apartment. That familiar face triggered a flash of recognition, and she blurted out, "It's you! Why are you living in our director's apartment?"

Jiang An recognized the woman as well; indeed, he had seen her before. She was the drunken lady at Black Cat Bar who had almost vomited all over him.

"Doctor Lin, do you know Teacher Jiang? Have you met?" Zhang Xue wondered aloud.

"We met once," the woman recalled, perhaps touching on somewhat embarrassing memories and unwilling to linger on the topic. "You haven’t answered my question—so this Teacher Jiang is the mysterious young doctor rumored to be highly valued by the hospital director?"

"Yes, and I’m here to invite Teacher Jiang to see a critically ill patient," Zhang Xue explained, suddenly slapping her thigh, "Almost forgot—the patient’s condition is urgent. Doctor Lin, you’re a neurology expert, the hospital must have notified you too!"

"Exactly!" Doctor Lin remembered her responsibilities and quickly said, "Let’s go, we can talk on the way!"

The three hurried downstairs. Zhang Xue said, "Let’s all take my car." Jiang An and Doctor Lin agreed and got in efficiently.

In the car, Zhang Xue drove with concentration, while Doctor Lin, seated in the back, chatted with Jiang An out of interest. "Teacher Jiang, right? My name is Lin Xihe, and this is our second meeting, I suppose."

"I’m Jiang An. Nice to meet you, Doctor Lin," Jiang An replied coolly.

Lin Xihe glanced at Zhang Xue in the front seat, then lowered her voice. "I was pretty drunk at the bar that night and don’t remember much, but I hope I didn’t disturb you?"

"Not at all," Jiang An smiled.

"That’s good. Do you often go to bars to relax, Teacher Jiang? I don’t like them myself. I only went that night because I was feeling down, but found it unimpressive."

"I don’t like them either."

"I see. What a coincidence that we’re neighbors, yet this is our first meeting."

...

The journey passed in conversation, and soon they arrived at the hospital. Zhang Xue led the way, explaining to Jiang An, "The patient is an elderly person with parasitic brain disease, transferred from the First Hospital this morning. Clinically, the main symptom is epilepsy, along with several complications..."

"Wait, transferred from the First Hospital? Their medical skills and equipment are at least as good as ours," Lin Xihe interrupted.

"That’s right. The patient transferred because he doesn’t trust Western medicine, but believes in Chinese medicine instead. Our hospital’s honorary director, Master Lu, renowned nationwide, has just returned from overseas travel, so the patient wanted to come here," Zhang Xue clarified.

"He doesn’t trust Western medicine?" Lin Xihe was speechless. "I’ve seen many who don’t trust Chinese medicine, but not trusting Western medicine is new to me. I’m a Western doctor myself—why am I needed?"

"Perhaps the patient’s age is a factor. You were called because your skills are respected, and Teacher Jiang was invited for the same reason," Zhang Xue, ever the competent assistant, both reassured Lin Xihe and praised Jiang An in one sentence.

Meanwhile, shortly after Jiang An and his companions entered, a white ambulance, accompanied by two luxury cars, rushed to the affiliated hospital. As soon as the vehicles stopped, a heavily made-up middle-aged woman and a portly middle-aged man stepped out of one luxury car. Several young people emerged from the other. They hurried to the ambulance, helping medical staff carry a patient inside.

"Gently! Be careful! If you wake my precious son in pain, you’ll regret it!" The heavily made-up woman barked orders sternly, her voice sharp and relentless.

Everyone knew her foul temper; the more you resisted, the more aggressive she became, so they worked in silence.

"You useless fool, why are you just standing there?" The woman suddenly kicked the fat man beside her and snapped, "Go inside and find Master Lu—the one famous for reconnecting bones and tendons. Whether our son can walk again depends on him. Hurry up and arrange it; cost is no object! Go!"

Humiliated, the man’s face twitched. He forced himself to walk toward the hospital, muttering under his breath, "If you hadn’t spoiled him, he wouldn’t have gotten his leg broken in a bar..."

"What did you say?"

The woman sprang up, grabbing his ear. "How dare you blame me? Our son is just lively and mischievous, and you wanted to lock him up for half a year? Are you brain-dead? He was beaten like this days ago and you still haven’t found out who did it. What use are you? Even a dog eating dung is more useful!"

"Let go!" the man growled, embarrassed and angry.

"Hmph." The woman snorted, released him, and hurried after, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at her son’s pale face. Biting her lip, she swore,

"Sweetheart, Mom will make sure you’re healed, and then find the person who hurt you—he’ll suffer worse than death!"