In the hospital, after more than ten hours of rescue, Bai Qi finally pulled through the crisis and was moved to a regular ward for recuperation.
"You're awake, Bai Qi."
Not knowing how long he had been unconscious, Bai Qi opened his eyes and saw Xiao Yu, who had been guarding his bedside, looking at him with a smile.
"Xiao Yu? Where am I?"
Bai Qi tried to turn his head to look around, but as soon as he did, a sharp pain shot through his back.
"Don't move, your back injury hasn't healed yet, you need to rest."
Xiao Yu said with self-blame, "I'm sorry, Bai Qi. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been injured."
Seeing Xiao Yu's self-reproachful expression, Bai Qi reached out and grabbed her hand, forcing a smile and saying, "It's okay, Xiao Yu. Protecting a girl is what a man should do; besides, this is perfect, I can ask for leave from school and have a few days off to relax."
Xiao Yu's face turned red, and she pulled her hand away from Bai Qi's. Then, she changed the subject, "You're so badly injured, and you're still thinking about having fun."
"I'm just afraid you'll worry."
At these words, Xiao Yu's face turned even redder. She blurted out "How annoying!" and quickly ran out of the ward.
Watching Xiao Yu flee, Bai Qi grinned. As expected, his skills hadn't deteriorated.
Not long after Xiao Yu left, Chen Long entered the ward with a fruit basket, followed by an old man who bore a striking resemblance to Old Shan Yang.
"Hello, Uncle Long."
Seeing Chen Long, Bai Qi greeted him proactively.
Chen Long, seeing that Bai Qi was awake, placed the fruit basket on the table and smiled, "Hello, Bai Qi. How are you recovering?"
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Long. I feel quite good."
Chen Long waved his hand and said, "It's us who should be thanking you. If you hadn't been injured protecting Xiao Yu..." He coughed, "My father?"
As Chen Long spoke, wisps of white smoke drifted into his nose, smelling like a mixture of garlic and durian.
Turning his head, he saw that at some point, his father had placed an incense burner by Bai Qi's bedside, and the smoke was wafting from it.
"What's wrong?" his father said. "This is a special incense blend I concocted, it can speed up wound recovery."
Breathing in the suffocating scent, Bai Qi rolled his eyes. This wasn't incense; the toilet didn't even smell this bad.
Even with the overwhelming odor, Bai Qi had to pinch his nose and say, "Thank you for your good intentions, Father."
Chen Long was about to say something more when the ward door suddenly opened, and a female nurse entered carrying a tray full of medicine.
As the nurse walked into the ward, she didn't say anything, but her furrowed brow clearly indicated that she was not pleased with the smell of Old Father's incense.
"Excuse me, sir, visiting hours are over. The patient needs rest."
"Alright, we're leaving."
After a few more words of caution to Bai Qi, Chen Long and his father left the ward.
"Uncle Long, is Bai Qi going to be alright?"
Seeing the two emerge, Xiao Yu, who was standing at the doorway, asked worriedly.
Chen Long was about to speak when his father immediately interjected, "He's fine. The young man has a strong recovery ability, and with the incense I prepared, he'll be back on his feet soon."
Although his father was often sharp-tongued, it was clear he doted on Xiao Yu. Whether Bai Qi was seriously injured or not, for an ordinary person, he was indeed severely injured. But his father saying this was meant to ease Xiao Yu's worries.
After changing the dressings, the nurse left the ward with the used bandages. Bai Qi initially thought no one else would come and planned to close his eyes to rest, but soon the ward door opened again. The person who entered was none other than Daolon.
"Lord Shen Zhu, are you alright?"
Daolon was now completely subdued by Bai Qi and had become his loyal subordinate.
Now that his leader was seriously injured and had just come off the operating table, Daolon, as a subordinate, couldn't help but be anxious.
"I'm fine. Call Valmont and have him bring my staff."
Soon, Valmont, carrying the staff, rushed into the ward. Seeing Daolon standing by the bedside, a hint of hostility appeared in his eyes. What was this? They were both subordinates, why the internal competition?
Taking the staff from Valmont, Bai Qi began to chant a spell in a low voice. Soon, his body was enveloped in a green light, and the wounds beneath the bandages healed at a visibly rapid pace.
The quick-healing spell that came with the staff was a low-level magic. While it appeared to heal wounds rapidly, it was merely a superficial remedy.
Quick-healing spells worked by draining the body's energy to promote rapid cell proliferation for recovery. For minor scrapes and bruises, it was indeed the best choice, as healing a small wound wouldn't consume much energy.
However, Bai Qi's injuries were not minor. Although they appeared to have healed on the surface, his body had become even weaker due to excessive energy depletion. Because of this, Bai Qi had to constantly eat to replenish the lost energy.
While eating the fruit Chen Long had brought, Bai Qi asked, "You two, have you brought me any good news?"
Valmont, quick with his words, glanced at the tall and sturdy Daolon and said proudly, "Of course, Lord Shen Zhu."
Then, Valmont placed a briefcase on the table. Inside lay a green mask.
"Lord Shen Zhu, to complete this mission, I hired several adventuring teams to search the rainforest for over a week before finding it."
Inside the briefcase was none other than the mask that sealed Shendu, one of the Shadowkhan, corresponding to the Tger.
Bai Qi nodded. "Well done. You've done a splendid job. The Shadowkhan ninjas will give you your reward upon your return."
Upon hearing that he would receive more money, Valmont was overjoyed. However, he still suppressed his excitement and said, "Not only that, Lord Shen Zhu. Although we didn't get the talismans this time, my subordinates have discovered the whereabouts of two other talismans."
Oh?
Bai Qi's eyebrows rose. "Tell me, which two talismans are they?"
Valmont took out a tablet and showed it to Bai Qi. "In three days, at an auction, a porcelain table lamp will be auctioned. Lord Shen Zhu, look what's embedded on the lamp."
Bai Qi leaned closer and saw that the Rat Talisman was indeed embedded on the base of the lamp.
"This auction will begin in three days. We will bid for this table lamp then."
Watching Valmont ramble on, Bai Qi covered his face and shook his head helplessly. Big brother, you're the villain, don't you understand villains? As the leader of the Black Hand, he had to acquire what he wanted through legitimate means, bidding for it. Wasn't that beneath him as a villain?
Bai Qi interrupted Valmont's monologue and asked, "Valmont, aren't you the leader of the Black Hand?"
Valmont nodded.
Bai Qi continued, "Then why do you insist on waiting three days to bid? Don't you have any other means to obtain the table lamp beforehand? If Chen Long also participates in the auction in three days, can you guarantee with 100% certainty that there won't be any accidents?"