"Get lost!"

The sturdy senior brother was attacked, his face contorting with intense anger as he swung his fist toward the two assailants.

The reactions of the two were extremely fast, far beyond what a normal person could achieve. They quickly retreated, but after only managing five or six meters, they stopped. They simply stood there, smirking at the unlucky senior brother who had a knife stuck in his chest.

"Lu Dongshan, how does it feel?"

"Qiao Yongshou!"

The senior brother, Lu Dongshan, ignored the blade in his body and glared at one of the two men. He recognized him. It was Qiao Yongshou, one of the protectors of the Spirit-Taming Sect.

"Brilliant!"

"Truly brilliant!"

Suddenly, a group of people approached from a distance. The leader clapped as he walked, the sound echoing uncomfortably through the night.

"Yan Xiaosong!" Lu Dongshan shouted at the pudgy leader.

His complexion was already terrible. He turned to look at Qi Li standing behind him and said in a low voice, "They must be here to avenge Jiang Guinong and the others. Junior Sister, run back to the hospital now and find that woman surnamed Zhong. I'll cover for you!"

"Stop whispering. Neither of you is getting away," Yan Xiaosong's expression darkened, his gaze fixing on Qi Li's pretty face as he coldly declared, "I had planned to enjoy myself down the mountain, but instead, I witnessed you killing our people with my own eyes. I'd have no face to return to the sect if I didn't kill you both. Prepare to die!"

With a wave from Yan Xiaosong, the people beside him charged toward Qi Li and her senior brother.

Qiao Yongshou, who had succeeded in his earlier sneak attack, charged forward again, confident he could kill the wounded behemoth of a man.

"Listen to me, go back to the hospital!" Lu Dongshan pushed Qi Li, then clenched his fists and rushed toward the attacking group.

But after just two steps, he looked down at his wound.

Black blood!

His wound was oozing black blood! The knife was obviously poisoned!

"A bunch of shameless bastards!" Lu Dongshan bellowed in rage as he clashed with the group, but his momentum rapidly waned, a heart-wrenching sight.

"I'm the one who killed your men! If you want someone, come after me!"

In that critical moment, Qi Li made a decisive choice. She didn't run toward the hospital to seek help from Zhong Huilan but instead sprinted in the opposite direction. She understood perfectly that if she sought refuge in the hospital, her senior brother would have no chance of survival.

After running for several dozen meters, Qi Li glanced back and felt a small sense of relief. She saw that at least half the men had given up fighting her senior brother to chase after her. This way, her senior brother would have a much better chance to escape.

Qi Li increased her speed as she fled.

"Forget about Lu Dongshan; he won't last more than a few minutes!" Seeing Qi Li's speed, Yan Xiaosong waved at his remaining men. "All of you, get Qi Li! She must die tonight!"

The rest of the men took off after Qi Li.

"All of you, stay here!"

Lu Dongshan knew exactly what Qi Li was thinking. She wanted to lure them away to save his life.

But if Qi Li were to die, how could he bear to live on?

Lu Dongshan sprinted forward two steps, reaching for the back of one man's neck. But before his hand could make contact, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood and fell to one knee. A second later, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The poison on the knife was too vicious. He could no longer resist it.

He lay on the ground, watching as silhouette after silhouette chased in the direction Qi Li had fled until they all disappeared from sight.

GURGLE. GURGLE.

Black blood continued to well up from his mouth, pooling into a large patch on the ground.

He truly hadn't expected that he, someone from the world above, would suffer such repeated setbacks in the world below. This place seemed even more treacherous than the world he came from…

"What's wrong with this man?"

"Why is he vomiting blood?"

"Quick, get him to the hospital!"

Fortunately, a few elderly men out for their morning exercises happened to pass by. When they saw him, they began dragging him toward the hospital.

"What's your name?"

"Do you have any family?"

"Do you have their contact information?"

Soon, other voices rang in Lu Dongshan's ears. Through his blurred vision, he could make out people who were likely hospital medical staff.

"Qi Li…" Lu Dongshan forced himself to stay awake, uttering his junior sister's name. But realizing that saying her name was pointless right now, he quickly added, "Zhong Huilan, Long Xiwén… They're in this hospital!"

Which hospital was this? Kangnai!

"Then are you a friend of Su Xuan's?" Upon hearing the names Zhong Huilan and Long Xiwén, the medical staff immediately asked, "Su Xuan, the owner of this hospital!"

Su Xuan had spent an entire night in Long Xiwén's ward. All the staff knew about it.

"Su… Xuan…" Lu Dongshan's consciousness was fading fast, yet he was still stunned. Su Xuan was the owner of this hospital! Qi Li had told him they had turned from enemies to friends.

He weakly parted his lips. "Yes, I am a friend of Su… Su Xuan!"

What followed went without saying. He received top-notch treatment at Kangnai, with Director Ma himself taking charge. Zhong Huilan was also notified and immediately sent people to find Qi Li…

Su Xuan also received the call from Kangnai and rushed to the hospital. On the way, he also called Chen Yuesheng and asked for his help in the search.

「Two hours later, it was already broad daylight.」

Lu Dongshan was moved from the emergency room to a luxurious ward. Throughout the entire rescue, he miraculously never closed his eyes, clinging to a sliver of consciousness while continuously murmuring Qi Li's name.

"Boss, thanks to the timely rescue, his life is no longer in danger," the medical staff briefed Su Xuan in Lu Dongshan's ward. "It's also lucky he has such a robust constitution. An ordinary person would have died long ago…"

Su Xuan nodded at the medical staff, then sat on the edge of Lu Dongshan's bed. "My man," he began, "I hear from my people that you're claiming to be my friend. When did we become friends? I certainly don't recall acknowledging it."

Lu Dongshan's eyes were cracked open just a sliver, staring at the ceiling. Hearing Su Xuan's words, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Then he closed his eyes completely, as if pretending to be asleep or feigning unconsciousness.

He really was too ashamed to face Su Xuan! When he'd heard the medical staff say Su Xuan was the hospital's owner, hadn't a selfish thought crossed his mind? The hope of getting better treatment through this connection? He couldn't die. He had to find Qi Li.

"If you want to be my friend, that's fine too," Su Xuan continued, not expecting an answer. "But you should at least buy me a drink, don't you think? Have you forgotten you haven't paid your medical bills? This hospital is mine, which means I'm the one who paid for your treatment. If you want to call yourself my friend, shouldn't you at least buy me a drink?"

Lu Dongshan still didn't open his eyes. But a single, murky tear trickled from the corner of the iron-willed man's eye.

Suddenly, Su Xuan's phone rang. He answered and asked directly, "Have you found Qi Li?"

Lu Dongshan's eyes snapped open…

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