"Take us to see Master first." A few seconds later, Li Chonglou's cold gaze receded.
Soon, the three arrived at the ICU ward.
Lin Zhendong was pale, his lips dry and chapped, bandages wrapped around his body, and a ventilator attached.
In the ward, a doctor was on rounds.
Seeing them enter, he instructed Lin Ying, "Your father's condition is not optimistic. Although the bullet has been removed, his heart is severely injured."
"Anyone else would have died by now; him being alive is already a miracle."
"I suggest you give up, after all, the daily expenses..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Chonglou interrupted, "Charge us whatever the cost, we are not giving up treatment. Thank you for your concern."
Although his tone was not loud, anyone could hear the underlying anger.
Seeing this, the doctor shook his head and said no more, leaving the ward.
Li Chonglou sat by the head of the bed, taking Lin Zhendong's icy hand. Images of his master teaching him in his previous life flashed through his mind.
Once a master, always a father.
He had lost his father at a young age, and his personality was weak and self-conscious. It wasn't until he met his master in prison
that he began to reshape his worldview and rebuild himself.
Lin Zhendong was, to him, a creator.
Now, this god in his heart lay in the hospital, his life hanging in the balance.
Life was so fragile.
Li Chonglou's nose burned, and bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes.
Xu Lie stood silently behind him, his tiger-like eyes filled with anger. Although his feelings for Lin Zhendong were not as deep as Li Chonglou's, he owed his life to the Lin family's sheepskin scroll cultivation technique.
How could he not repay such great kindness?
"Master, Brother Xu and I will avenge you. We will not rest until Liu Zhibo's head is presented as tribute! I swear not to be human!" For the first time in his life, Li Chonglou uttered a solemn vow.
His gaze was as firm as iron, unyielding.
"We swear!" Xu Lie echoed with a deep voice.
A hint of relief appeared on Lin Ying's face.
As strong as she was, she was still just a woman. While she could face the sky falling, she could not bear to lose her father.
Without Li Chonglou and Xu Lie, she wouldn't even be able to leave the hospital, let alone seek revenge.
Originally, with the sheepskin scroll cultivation technique protecting her, as long as she didn't die on the spot, she would recover, the only difference being the location and speed of healing.
However, before her father went to prison, all his meridians were severed, and he lost his true qi and cultivation.
The cultivation technique was just a method; it required activating the body's self-healing abilities and potential.
And the tool for this was true qi. With the meridians broken, the true qi could not continue, and the self-healing ability naturally plummeted.
Whether he could survive was entirely up to fate.
"Senior Sister, give me Liu Zhibo's information." Li Chonglou gently tucked his master's hand back under the covers, saying without looking back.
"That person is not simple. Deceiving my father shows his cunning," Lin Ying nodded. "He is not of Han ethnicity. Liu Zhibo is just the Han name he adopted. His mother is of the Salar ethnic group, and his father is Tibetan. His network of connections in Xihai is complex, and his power is immense."
"He also snatched the base. After I killed two of his subordinates, he must have been startled."
"I don't know where he's hiding."
As Lin Ying spoke, hatred filled her words.
Given her personality, if she knew Liu Zhibo's whereabouts, she would risk her life to make him pay.
Xihai City was, after all, the provincial capital, let alone Xihai Province, which shared the same name. Within such a vast area, despite her deep hatred, she was truly powerless.
Otherwise, she would not have appeared so helpless and called for Li Chonglou and the other.
Xu Lie snorted, "We will not return to Qinzhou until this person is found."
"Exactly. Leave the search to us. Once we know his whereabouts, I will make him kneel before Master to beg for forgiveness!" Li Chonglou's killing intent surged like a rainbow.
With that, he walked out and immediately called Zhou Jiao.
"Chonglou, I heard your Zhonghai mission is complete. Congratulations! When are you coming back?" Zhou Jiao's hearty greeting came from the other end of the phone.
"I have something to attend to and cannot return to the team for now." Li Chonglou got straight to the point. "Old Zhou, do we have any Xiong Ying members in Xihai Province?"
"Yes, there's a Xiong Ying detachment stationed by Xihai Lake. Twenty-five people, sent there two years ago. Did you run off to Xihai, kid?" Zhou Jiao's answer reassured Li Chonglou.
He said, "I don't know the detachment members well. Have them help me find someone named Liu Zhibo!"
"He's said to be a local tycoon, an amateur archaeologist, and a famous collector. I need all his information and whereabouts."
"The sooner the better!"
Li Chonglou was very aware of the strength of the Xiong Ying Brigade.
They had top talents in all fields. The fact that there was a detachment stationed here meant they could find the man, no matter where he was.
Zhou Jiao fell silent for a few seconds upon hearing this.
Then, his tone became serious. "Kid, I advise you personally, you are not on a mission right now."
"If you cause a death, Xiong Ying can't protect you."
"This is different from the Zhonghai undercover operation. Think carefully."
He was smart enough to know from Li Chonglou's tone that something big was about to happen.
Fan Dake had repeatedly instructed him to keep an eye on Li Chonglou, this promising young man, whom he hoped would become his successor.
If something happened to him now, he would be beaten to death by Fan Da upon his return.
But how could he not know Li Chonglou's character?
Back in Yong'an, when he went to hold Ning Lang accountable on behalf of Fan Da, he was restrained by Li Chonglou, who met force with force.
He was forced to back down. What was this? A typical daredevil who feared nothing.
He had heard from Ning Lang that Li Chonglou was with him this morning, and by afternoon, he was in Xihai. Something must have happened.
How could he not be worried?
"No matter the cost!" Li Chonglou's answer clearly conveyed his resolve.
"Alright, I'll have the Xihai detachment leader contact you. Wait for news," Zhou Jiao said helplessly. "But they will only provide information, and will not help you with any personal matters. You need to be prepared."
"I'll handle my own affairs, I don't need anyone's help." Li Chonglou replied confidently.
Even if he were an ordinary person now, so what?
That unquenchable heart meant he would never bow to anyone.
Especially when it concerned his master.
Liu Zhibo was doomed!
With Zhou Jiao's guarantee, it was only a matter of time before this man surfaced.
Until then, his priority was to ensure his master's safety.
After hanging up and returning to the ward, he comforted Lin Ying, "Senior Sister, I've already asked someone to investigate. We'll find him soon."
"You haven't slept for days, get some rest first. We're here."
Lin Ying's beautiful eyes reddened, and her smile gradually returned to its usual casualness. She nodded.
Initially, Li Chonglou was just a boy she felt inexplicably close to. She enjoyed teasing him, but never thought of him as someone who could bear great responsibility.
Later, when she learned that her junior brother was a reincarnated soul, she understood where this feeling of knowing each other from past lives came from.
From then on, the junior brother she had doted on had also become a towering tree in her eyes.
He constantly provided a sense of security.
With him around, her heart could indeed feel a little calmer.
She had indeed been awake for two days and two nights, and even she was exhausted.
She lay down on the extra bed in the ward, clothed, circulated her cultivation technique, and drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Li Chonglou appeared lost in thought.
Two hours later, seeing Li Chonglou lost in a daze for a long time, Xu Lie finally couldn't help but ask.
"What are you thinking about?"
"In my memory, there seems to be a treasure from Xihai that can revive the dead and regenerate flesh. I didn't believe it before, thinking it was just a myth, but now..." Li Chonglou murmured, "Legend has it that the divine physician Li Shizhen once came to Xihai Commandery and obtained a medicine called Qingyan in the Qarhan Salt Lake in Golmud City, Xihai Prefecture."
"It is said that the entire lake of Qingyan, every sixty years, condenses into a single essence called Qingyan Shi."
"It looks very much like a large red date, but its effects are extremely miraculous. Injured people recover quickly after eating it, and it is said to be able to bring people back from the dead."
"However, everything has two sides. This Qingyan Shi also has extremely strong side effects."
"Thinking about it now, this thing is probably used to stimulate kidney qi and potential, and it will definitely damage lifespan. But at this point, there's nothing else to worry about!"
Xu Lie's tiger-like eyes widened with a strange light. "You mean, go to that so-called Qarhan Salt Lake to find this Qingyan Shi?"
Li Chonglou shook his head and denied it. "Qarhan Salt Lake is too vast, and there are also troops stationed there. We're not allowed to go into the water. Finding such a small piece of Qingyan Shi would take who knows how long!"
"Without great fortune, you might not even see a single piece in your lifetime."
"No need to go to Qarhan, it's available in Xihai City!"
In his previous life, he had heard about Qingyan Shi many times, and without exception, the source was always Xihai.
It was just that he heard about it from wealthy businessmen he was friendly with.
At the time, he thought these rich people, like the emperors of old, would try anything to achieve immortality.
He didn't take it seriously.
But thinking about it now, Qingyan itself is a substance that greatly stimulates kidney qi, so the effect of this crystallized form must be even more powerful.
His master currently lacked self-healing ability. Surgery could not help his ruptured heart regenerate.
Even the most skilled doctors were powerless.
To save his life, he had to take a risky gamble.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go now!" Xu Lie, fierce as a tiger, was swift and decisive.
"I still don't know where to find it, I need to think of a way." Li Chonglou poured cold water on him.
However, he did not know who had Qingyan Shi.
It seemed he had to resort to extraordinary means.
"Ghost Market!" Lin Ying, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly chimed in.
Li Chonglou's eyes lit up at the mention. "As expected of Senior Sister, she has experience."
In his previous life, he had dedicated himself to academic research and had no opportunity to explore widely. In terms of adaptability, he was still far behind Lin Ying.
Ghost markets existed in almost every large city.
They were mainly for trading things that couldn't see the light of day.
However, they were different from black markets. The items in a ghost market might be on the fringe or rare treasures, but they were not illegal. For example, there were no firearms or drugs.
Moreover, every ghost market was controlled by a powerful faction and had strict rules.
To find Qingyan Shi as quickly as possible, the ghost market was indeed worth a try.
"When I first came to Xihai, my father and I went there once to inquire about information. It's next to the Salar Cultural Park on Minxiaoli Road." Lin Ying opened her eyes and said.
"Brother Xu, let's go." Li Chonglou immediately headed out.