At Yuezhou Third Hospital, the second inpatient building was completely empty. All the patients had been transferred to other inpatient buildings, leaving only He Jiaqing and Xiao Zhenggong in the entire building. Not even the medical staff remained. If something really went wrong with He Jiaqing, there would not even be anyone to save him.

Xiao Zhenggong stood before He Jiaqing's hospital bed, frowning in silence.

He was not sure whether the man lying in the bed was He Jiaqing or Zhou Changhong.

If it really were Zhou Changhong, he should have woken up the moment he heard I arrived. Is this really He Jiaqing?

If He Jiaqing has returned, why didn't Zhou Changhong send me word? Does he have a death wish?

He Haiqin will be here any moment. If this He Jiaqing is a fake, all hell is going to break loose. So be it! I am just here to watch the chaos.

He Haiqin arrived in Yuezhou today. Xiao Zhenggong was in charge of monitoring He Jiaqing at the hospital, while Chen Changrui was responsible for receiving He Haiqin at the station.

As Xiao Zhenggong was observing He Jiaqing, a wave of pressure suddenly descended.

Xiao Zhenggong looked toward the ward entrance.

He Haiqin walked into the ward with He Haisheng and eight support hooks, then looked Xiao Zhenggong up and down.

He had met Xiao Zhenggong before and knew he was the leader of the Jiangxiang Gang. Xiao Zhenggong had even introduced Cedric to treat his illness, so by all rights, Xiao Zhenggong had done him a favor.

However, He Haiqin had paid Cedric afterward and also ceded part of his business to Xiao Zhenggong. From that point on, neither owed the other anything. To He Haiqin, the Jiangxiang Gang was still nothing more than a bunch of trash.

He Haiqin gave him the briefest of greetings. "Fuck off."

Xiao Zhenggong's brows knit together, and a slow, simmering anger rose in his chest.

He Haisheng urged, "Big Brother, he's the deputy captain of the Dark Star Bureau."

"I said fuck off!" He Haiqin greeted Xiao Zhenggong a second time, completely ignoring He Haisheng's warning.

Xiao Zhenggong clenched his teeth and walked out of the ward.

He Haisheng said, "Big Brother, we are in the Outer Provinces now. We can't afford to offend the Dark Star Bureau."

"Bullshit!" He Haiqin snorted. "He's just a damn patrol officer. It's already a privilege that I even bother talking to him!"

He Haisheng let out a sigh. "Big Brother, didn't we agree before coming here? The Outer Provinces have their own rules."

"I can't be bothered to remember all those damn rules!"

"Fine," He Haisheng said, finding it hard to say anything more about it. "Let's check on Jiaqing first."

He Haiqin stared at He Jiaqing on the hospital bed for over ten minutes.

He Haisheng was very nervous. He couldn't tell whether He Jiaqing was any different from before, but it wasn't his place to decide if this was real or not. That would ultimately depend on He Haiqin.

In another inpatient building, Wan Jinxian, who had just been admitted the day before, was even more anxious than He Haisheng.

He was a Disease Cultivator. It wasn't hard for him to make himself ill, and no one could see through the act.

However, He Jiaqing had just returned from Puluo Province, and his left hand had only recently regrown. If He Haiqin spotted something wrong, Wan Jinxian wouldn't be able to help him. This was something He Jiaqing would have to handle on his own.

"What is going on?" He Haiqin muttered to himself.

He Haisheng's heart leapt into his throat. He Jiaqing's did too.

Suddenly, He Haiqin spoke in a trembling voice, "How did he end up like this? How did my son end up like this?!"

He recognized his own son. There was no way he could be mistaken. The one lying on the bed was his son.

He Haisheng let out a sigh of relief. "Brother, I thought I told you about Jiaqing's condition before?"

Tears streamed down He Haiqin's face. "This was not fucking what you told me before! He doesn't even look human anymore!"

He knew about He Jiaqing's condition. When He Jiaqing had first been admitted, He Haisheng had already told him and even had photos taken and sent over.

However, when He Haiqin saw his son in person, his heart ached.

"Hasn't he been treated for a whole year already? I will fuck those birdbrain bastards from the Outer Provinces up. Is it because we are not from there that they didn't treat him properly? I will fuck..."

He Haiqin flew into a rage. His roar made the entire hospital building tremble.

The hospital director standing downstairs was so scared that he was shaking. He quickly called Chen Changrui. "Captain Chen, you have to do something about this. We can't let them cause trouble here."

Chen Changrui urged, "Don't panic. We will handle this."

"Handle this?" Xiao Zhenggong said at the side. "Do you even have the guts to handle this?"

Chen Changrui calmly stared at Xiao Zhenggong, "Deputy Xiao, you should know the rules in Puluo. Go in there and talk to He Haiqin and get him to calm down."

Xiao Zhenggong sneered and said, "Why should I? What does this have to do with me?"

"How can you say it doesn't? This is a task assigned to us by the bureau. It's our job."

"What task did the bureau assign us? Can we arrest him, or can we kill him?"

"The bureau told us to consider the bigger picture. Our task is to maintain..."

Xiao Zhenggong cut him off with a sharp laugh. "Maintain what? What's the point of all that nonsense? In the end, they just want us to stand there and watch, don't they?"

***

He Haiqin gradually calmed down and said to He Haisheng, "Third Brother, get our people to prepare. Bring Jiaqing home. He can't keep suffering here."

"Big Brother, the doctor has made it clear, Jiaqing is not in a condition to be moved. Any transfer out of the hospital could put him at serious risk of death."

"Which doctor said that? Do these foreign-style doctors even know how to treat patients? All they do is drag things out and waste time! Oh right! Where't that damned foreign devil that treated me? I think his name was Ced...something? If he can cure me, he can definitely cure Jiaqing too!"

"Big Brother, yours was an illness. Jiaqing is an injury. They are not the same."

"What do you mean by they are not the same? Do you even understand medicine?"

He Haisheng tried to reason with him from every angle and, in the end, finally got him to back down.

He Haiqin sat by the hospital bed, holding He Jiaqing's left hand. He let out one long sigh, then another, each heavier than the last.

"You brat," he said. "You just had to run off to the Outer Provinces to study. Was there nothing left to learn at home?

"If you were going to study, fine. But you should have come properly and gone back properly. You just had to bring me back something good, didn't you? Well now look at you. You didn't bring anything back, and you ended up like this." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He Haisheng glanced toward the corridor. The people from the Dark Star Bureau were still there, waiting outside.

"Big Bro," he said, "as long as Jiaqing is safe, that's all that matters. I will stay here. You should head back. The Outer Provinces are already wary of us."

"Why are you afraid of them?" he said. "Let them be. I would like to see who actually dares lay a hand on me."

"Big Bro! This isn't our turf," he said. "And things back home aren't exactly peaceful either. The Lu Family's been stirring up trouble every single day!"

"Damn that Lu Family! My son's lying in a hospital bed, and they still dare to spread rumors? That old bastard, Lu Maoxian... he must have a death wish. When I get back, I'll make sure he's buried for good."

The hospital building still shook from time to time.

Chen Changrui and Xiao Zhenggong looked very calm while the seniors were pretending to be calm. However, the newer recruits couldn't pretend at all.

Star was so frightened that he wanted to pee, but he didn't dare take a single step away. Beside him, Lightbulb was slick with oil, looking ready to bolt at any moment.

The newest recruit, Qin Minghui, wore a grim expression.

He was afraid too. But more than fear, he felt ashamed. What was happening here went against everything he had believed in when he first joined the Dark Star Bureau.

Qin Minghui looked at Chen Changrui and said, "Captain, this is a hospital. We can't let them stir up trouble and do whatever they want."

Chen Changrui said nothing.

From the side, Xiao Zhenggong let out a quiet chuckle. "Go on, then. Stop him yourself."

Qin Minghui actually stepped toward the ward, but Blockhead caught him at once and pulled him back. "Don't act on your own."

Xiao Zhenggong gave him a sideways glance. "And who might you be? You have got some nerve."

"I am new," Qin Minghui said. "Deputy Xiao, you have met me before. My codename is Chuunibyou."

"Chuunibyou?" Xiao Zhenggong clearly had no recollection of ever meeting Qin Minghui. He looked Qin Minghui up and down, then let out a short laugh. "Yeah... that name suits you. I will remember it now."

***

News of He Haiqin's trip to Yuezhou spread back to Puluo Province in no time. The Ling Family moved first, releasing a report titled, "He Family Father and Son Reunite, Young Master Still Unconscious, Rumors Put to Rest."

The Lu Family wasn't about to fall behind. Their report followed right after: "The Father and Son Finally Reunite After a Year, Yet Doubt Lingers. What Lies Behind It?"

The Lu Family's report only made things murkier.

He Jiaqing had been bedridden for an entire year, yet He Haiqin had only just gone to see him. Wasn't there something strange about that?

And He Haiqin hadn't gone just to visit. He had gone to confirm whether the He Jiaqing on the hospital bed was real. That alone made one thing clear: he had never truly trusted He Jiaqing.

The report even included a feature commentary:

Rumor or truth? To understand everything, we must start at the source.

That line hit hard. Where did the rumor begin? What was the source? It all started with Lu Maoxian.

Monkey Qiu brought the two young masters of the Lu Family to watch the spectacle. Whether it was rumor or truth had nothing to do with them, and Lu Maoxian was pushed straight into the eye of the storm.

Lu Maoxian grew tense and hurried alone to Sage's Peak, arriving at the Sage's residence.

Beneath layers of winding corridors, Lu Maoxian waited for more than two hours before the sounds of panting and shouting from inside the room gradually subsided.

The Sage spoke. "What is it?"

Lu Maoxian knelt respectfully on the ground and said, "Teacher, this disciple is in a dangerous situation. He Haiqin, the head of the He Family, might make a move against me."

The Sage fell silent for a moment before saying, "You have accomplished great deeds for us this time. You shall be rewarded with three Golden Essence Pills."

A white-clothed youth took out three Golden Essence Pills and handed them to Lu Maoxian.

These three pills were priceless treasures, yet they could not change Lu Maoxian's situation.

The Sage continued, "I will deal with He Haiqin. But as long as He Jiaqing is still alive, you must remain on high alert. He is a serious threat to me, so you must not take him lightly. The moment he sets foot in Puluo Province, report it to me immediately."

Lu Maoxian felt somewhat reassured and nodded repeatedly. "This disciple will do everything in his power."

The Sage added, "There is another matter. I hear movies have become popular in Puluo Province, and some of them contain acts of grave defiance. This corrupt trend must be stopped. I leave this to you. Do not fail!"

Lu Maoxian accepted the order and backed out on his knees, retreating all the way as he left the Sage's residence.

On the way down the mountain, Lu Maoxian mulled over the Sage's orders. Some of these movies contain acts of grave defiance.

He didn't need to think twice, it had to be The Legendary Bloodspear Detective filmed by Ma Wu. Those films of his had trampled the very idea of "moral decency," grinding it into dust. But how was he supposed to put a stop to it?

He had already received word that Ma Wu was able to film these movies because he had the support of Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai. The two brothers had never mentioned the films in public, clearly afraid of tarnishing the Lu Family's reputation.

Since they still cared about their reputation, that made things easier.

He would start with Blackstone Slope, his own territory. It shouldn't be hard giving Ma Wu a harsh warning in his own territory.

If Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai dared to step in, he would use the opportunity to expose everything and let the entire family see exactly what kind of people they were.

Once these two brothers stopped supporting Ma Wu, Ma Wu would be left on his own. By then, dealing with him would be as easy as flipping his hand.

Lu Maoxian glanced at the three Golden Essence Pills in his hand. They were of excellent quality, and the pill poison was within tolerable limits. They could grant him nearly a year's worth of cultivation.

Once he dealt with Ma Wu, he would earn another reward. His cultivation would surely reach level eight.

At the age of over eighty, he had to admit that he was already old. There were simply things he could not afford to delay.

As Lu Maoxian made his way down the mountain, his pace quickened.

***

He Haiqin left.

He Jiaqing lay on the hospital bed, with He Haisheng seated beside him.

He Haisheng was not the only one watching him. There were many others. Returning to Puluo Province would not be so easy anymore.

How did things turn out this way... He Jiaqing thought.

While He Haisheng was not paying attention, He Jiaqing raised his brows slightly and gave a faint, helpless smile.

Author's Note:

PS: Jiaqing can still smile. It seems he still has a solution.