As night fell, Lin Ying was sent to a nearby hotel to rest, while Li Chonglou and Xu Lie kept vigil in the ward.
Although Qingyan Shi was rumored to be miraculous, it still required time to react with the body.
In the latter half of the night, Lin Zhendong's body twitched slightly.
Instantly, it alerted the two men.
"Master!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.
There was no response, only the trembling of his tightly closed eyelids, which was enough to fill them with joy.
After all, he had suffered a severe heart injury and was on the brink of death, liable to breathe his last at any moment.
Even the doctors had stated that the chances of him waking up were slim to none.
Yet, now he could move.
Qingyan Shi truly lived up to its reputation.
"It's good that he moved... it's good that he moved..." Li Chonglou tightly clasped Lin Zhendong's hand, his voice and body trembling uncontrollably.
He had thought his heart was as calm as a still lake, or at least as firm as a rock.
But whenever his loved ones were injured, his emotions would become turbulent and difficult to control.
This matter was a thorn in his side that no amount of cultivation could smooth over.
"Chonglou, don't rush," Xu Lie, noticing Li Chonglou's distress, gently patted him on the shoulder.
He couldn't comprehend the deep affection between the two men, separated by generations.
Therefore, he remained calmly composed.
Li Chonglou knew he had lost his composure. Forcing himself to calm down, he watched as his master's body's trembling gradually lessened.
Fortunately, it was an ICU ward, a private room, and late at night, so no doctors or nurses were around to witness this.
Otherwise, this scene might have alarmed the entire hospital.
Li Chonglou didn't close his eyes for the rest of the night, keeping watch.
It wasn't until dawn broke, with the sky turning the color of fish belly, that Lin Zhendong's body temperature suddenly spiked to a frightening degree.
Li Chonglou was unsure of what was happening and had to call the on-duty doctor.
The doctor, groggy and clearly annoyed, entered the ward, grumbling, "What nonsense are you talking about? He's completely lost consciousness, how could he possibly have a fever?"
However, upon reaching the bedside and touching the patient, his sleepiness vanished instantly.
He quickly used his stethoscope to check all over the patient's body.
His expression grew increasingly solemn as he looked at the numbers scrolling across the monitoring equipment, rubbing his eyes vigorously.
He muttered, "Impossible..."
"This... this defies common sense..."
Looking at the nameplate on the doctor's chest, he was identified as Wang Dehong, an attending physician in cardiology.
Disbelieving, he conducted another round of checks before turning to ask, "Did you give him anything to eat?"
"The patient's temperature has reached forty-three degrees Celsius. If it continues to rise like this, his brain will be damaged."
"But what's strange is that his entire body's metabolism has become incredibly fast, ten times that of a normal person..."
Li Chonglou knew the seriousness of the situation and that he couldn't hide it, so he confessed, "My master ate Qingyan Shi around 9:30 last night."
"What is that?" Wang Dehong looked utterly bewildered.
"It's a sacred item from ancient legends in your Xihai Province, said to be able to bring the dead back to life," Li Chonglou explained. "It originates from the Qarhan Salt Lake, and it's said to condense into a fruit-like shape every sixty years, making it extremely rare."
"What gibberish is this? I think you people are crazy!" Wang Dehong immediately cursed upon hearing this. "Are you the doctors or am I?"
"Your master's heart is severely injured, and he could die at any moment. You family members are simply lacking intelligence."
"At a time like this, you still dare to feed him these folk remedies."
"Get him out of here quickly. Our hospital cannot accommodate such an important guest."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lie's eyes narrowed fiercely. "What do you mean by that?"
"Isn't what I'm saying clear enough? You tampered with the patient by giving him folk remedies, leading to his critical condition. Our hospital will not take any responsibility," Wang Dehong sneered. "If he's going to die, let him die elsewhere, not in our hospital."
"You're asking for death!" Xu Lie was instantly furious.
But Li Chonglou grabbed him, "Brother Xu, there's no need to bother with people like him."
Throughout history, the medical profession had been revered, solely for saving lives and healing the injured.
However, the ethics of doctors today were increasingly declining, with some even treating it as just a job, doing only what they were paid for.
It was true that they had administered Qingyan Shi to their master without authorization.
But this was only after the hospital had deemed his condition untreatable, forcing them to find Qingyan Shi, which came at the cost of burning through his lifespan to stimulate self-healing.
It was truly a desperate measure, and even their senior sister had no objections.
Now, their master's temperature was soaring, which should be a sign that Qingyan Shi was taking effect. However, they were not doctors and couldn't be certain if it was for better or worse.
This was why they had called for Wang Dehong, but they hadn't expected him to shift the blame before even considering a solution.
There was no point in arguing with such a person.
Xu Lie had a quick temper, and if he were to actually lay hands on the doctor, it would certainly lead to gossip. This was different from their legitimate self-defense in the ghost market.
They might even be arrested, delaying important matters.
"Watch what you say," Xu Lie suppressed his anger and issued a stern warning in a low voice.
However, Wang Dehong mistook Li Chonglou's restraint for weakness.
He immediately raised his chin and scolded, "Who are you telling to watch what they say? You dare to act tough with me? This is a hospital."
"You troublemakers, aren't you just trying to find fault with the hospital and extort money? I've seen plenty of people like you."
"Hurry up and take him away, do you hear me? Otherwise, I'll call the police immediately!"
This time, Xu Lie could no longer tolerate it and pointed at him, saying, "Try saying one more word."
Even Li Chonglou was enraged.
These words, coming from any ordinary person, would be inconsequential, merely unpleasant to hear.
But Wang Dehong was a doctor, and as a great physician, he lacked such basic integrity.
What kind of doctor was he then?
"Cough, you dare to threaten me? I'll have you jailed, just you wait!" Wang Dehong was incensed by Xu Lie's words.
He was about to pull out his phone to call the police.
At that moment, a deep voice echoed from outside the door, "Dr. Wang, what's going on?"
"Director Qiu, you're awake?" Wang Dehong's actions froze, and he quickly turned around, a fawning smile on his face.
The newcomer was Qiu Bowen, the director of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular department, who was on duty with him tonight.
He hadn't expected to be woken up.
So, he embellished the story, adding fuel to the fire and not forgetting to cast aspersions on Li Chonglou and Xu Lie.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Bowen's thick eyebrows furrowed. He walked briskly to Lin Zhendong's bedside.
He placed two fingers on the patient's forehead and then reached for the gunshot wound on his chest, gently uncovering the bandage.
His expression immediately changed dramatically.
His eyes couldn't conceal his shock. "This... how is this possible?"
Two days ago, he had personally performed the surgery, and a portion of the incision had already healed.
How could this have happened so quickly?
In his decades of medical practice, he had never encountered such an astonishing healing speed.
Li Chonglou and Xu Lie exchanged glances, showing no surprise.
They had both practiced the Sheepskin Scroll Heart Method and had experienced accelerated self-healing due to stimulated potential from severe injuries.
It was a hundred to a thousand times more powerful than normal healing.
Master's meridians were severed, and his vital energy was lost, preventing him from healing himself. However, Qingyan Shi could burn life force to forcibly enhance self-healing capabilities, which was even more potent than the cultivation techniques they practiced.
This was normal for them.
Otherwise, Qingyan Shi wouldn't have such a legendary reputation, speaking of bringing the dead back to life and regenerating flesh and bone.
But in Qiu Bowen's eyes, it was nothing short of a medical miracle.
"Di... Director Qiu, what exactly is happening?" Wang Dehong asked hesitantly, "Is the patient beyond hope?"
Qiu Bowen, who was always highly respected in the hospital and maintained his composure even in the face of a collapsing mountain, was surprisingly shocked and flustered today.
"Shut up! Have you learned nothing in all these years? You've learned it all for dogs!" Qiu Bowen scolded without turning his head. "Immediately go and summon all the doctors on duty. This is a significant life research subject."
"You almost ruined it, you short-sighted fool! Hurry up and go!"
Hearing the Director's outburst, Wang Dehong shuddered and dared not utter another word.
He glared fiercely at Li Chonglou, his eyes filled with malice.
If it weren't for Li Chonglou and Xu Lie, why would Director Qiu have been woken up?
And why would he have been scolded for no reason?
Perhaps he wouldn't be valued as much in the future.
He gritted his teeth in hatred, "You little bastards, you're framing me! Just you wait!"
But he didn't dare to disobey Director Qiu's orders and rushed out of the ward.
"Gentlemen, the thing you gave him earlier, is it the legendary Qingyan Shi that can bring the dead back to life?" Qiu Bowen asked, looking up after Wang Dehong had left.
"That's right." Li Chonglou had a good impression of this man named Qiu.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Bowen's pupils dilated, a mixture of shock and delight on his face. "There really is such a thing? I once read about the mineral medicine Daqingyan in the Compendium of Materia Medica."
"It also mentioned that Daqingyan condenses into a fruit every sixty years."
"It possesses mystical powers, but those who can see it are extremely rare."
"I never thought such a thing truly existed?"
As someone who had dedicated his life to medical research, anything that could lead to a breakthrough in academia was extremely precious to him.
Moreover, it was a legendary divine medicine said to revive the dead.
Current Western medicine could not explain this; this was the marvel of ancient Eastern medicine.
He had been committed to researching the similarities and integration between Eastern and Western ancient medicine.
Qingyan Shi undoubtedly gave him great hope.
"I only heard about it from others, so I tried it with hope," Li Chonglou certainly wouldn't tell him that he had heard of it in his previous life, which was why he dared to do this.
Qiu Bowen continued to examine Lin Zhendong's condition, exclaiming repeatedly.
"Your master's sudden surge in temperature is due to the extremely rapid increase in his metabolism. The cells might be dividing and regenerating in an incomprehensible manner," Qiu Bowen carefully took a sample from the wound and said, "If I'm not mistaken, he will wake up within twenty hours at the latest."
"Furthermore, the heart injury will also be repaired."
"However... normally, such extraordinary self-healing abilities must be accompanied by side effects."
"His lifespan might be significantly shortened in the future..."
Hearing these words, Li Chonglou showed a look of admiration.
He truly deserved to be the director of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular studies, able to deduce the essence of the matter from mere superficial signs.
He had always respected those who were dedicated to academic research, just like his past self; only he knew how dry it could be.
"Let's focus on saving him first. As for the side effects, they can be considered only after he's alive," Li Chonglou replied truthfully.
"I have a humble request," Qiu Bowen straightened his body and said solemnly.