Soon, a plane landed in the open space at the village entrance.
The villagers, who had never seen such a sight, all ran out to watch.
Qin Zhenhua and the other three hurried off the plane and rushed to Zhao Shijie's old home without stopping.
“Which important figure is visiting our village?”
“Even the city leaders don’t come with such a grand display, do they?”
“Those two in front, they look like Qin Zhenhua and Chen Shaocong; there’s information about them online.”
“Who are they?”
“Top-tier rich second-generation heirs from Magic City!”
“Quickly go inform the village chief! They must be here to inspect our village, perhaps for investment.”
The crowd stirred, following behind Qin Zhenhua and the others, moving in a mighty procession towards Zhao Shijie’s old home.
At this moment, inside the Zhao family courtyard, a group of relatives were sitting under the shade of a tree, chatting, when they suddenly heard dense footsteps from outside and, curious, stood up.
“What’s going on?” Someone ran to the entrance to peek.
They saw four young people leading a group of people in white coats walking towards them, with a crowd of villagers following behind.
“Excuse me, is this Zhao Shijie’s home?” Qin Zhenhua walked into the courtyard and asked politely.
“Yes, yes it is,” the middle-aged man nodded awkwardly.
Qin Zhenhua nodded slightly and stepped inside the house.
Everyone inside was startled, and an elder pushed through the crowd to greet them.
“Who are you?”
“Hello, elder, we are Zhao Shijie’s friends, and we came specifically to visit him. May I ask where he is?”
The elder pointed to the room inside, then walked alone to the eaves, took out his pipe, and took a deep puff.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the elder’s face showed the vicissitudes of time.
Inside the dimly lit room, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, with several elders squatting in the corner, heads bowed, quietly sobbing.
Someone rushed to Zhao Shijie’s parents, whispering a few words.
The two quickly stood up, wiped away their tears, and greeted Qin Zhenhua and his group with a mixture of urgency and unease.
“Hello, uncle and aunt, we are Zhao Shijie’s friends, and we’ve specifically brought some experts to examine his condition,” Qin Zhenhua explained their purpose.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shijie’s parents seemed to see a life-saving herb, grasping Qin Zhenhua’s hands tightly and pleading tearfully, “He might not live past tonight. Auntie begs you, you must save him.”
As she spoke, Zhao’s mother was about to kneel, but Lin Ye and Ye Wuyai reached out to support her.
“Please ask everyone else to leave first. The air in here is too stuffy, which is very bad for his condition,” a doctor said with a frown.
No sooner had he spoken than the elder from before rushed into the room, shouting at the relatives, “All of you, get out! What are you doing piling up in here? Xiaojie isn’t dead yet, you’ll cry him to death!”
The elder’s authority was clearly very high; with that shout, everyone in the room except Zhao Shijie’s parents was driven out.
Qin Zhenhua and the others quickly stepped forward, and upon seeing Zhao Shijie, who was hooked up to an oxygen tank and barely clinging to life, a strange look flashed in their eyes.
“This is too terrifying,” Ye Wuyai shivered.
At this moment, Zhao Shijie was nothing but skin and bones, like a mummified corpse lying on the bed.
The experts behind them worked quickly, piling their medical tools by the bed and meticulously performing a full body examination on Zhao Shijie.
In addition, a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor was taking Zhao Shijie’s pulse.
After a while, the experts stopped their work, their expressions somewhat grim.
“How is it? Is there still hope?” Zhao Shijie’s parents looked anxious, rushing forward to grasp the experts’ hands.
“His cancer cells have spread throughout his body, and all his organs are failing. Barring any surprises, he can only live for twelve more hours at most. He cannot be saved.”
Qin Zhenhua and the others were already mentally prepared and didn’t expect this group to save Zhao Shijie; they only wanted them to examine him to get an approximate time.
It seemed Chu Huaian’s prediction was correct; Zhao Shijie wouldn’t last much longer. He absolutely needed the Millennium Polygonum Multiflorum to sustain his life.
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Shijie’s parents, though prepared, were still heartbroken beyond measure and nearly fainted.
Qin Zhenhua gave his female assistant a look, and she immediately understood, helping Zhao Shijie’s parents leave the room.
The experts were also dismissed by Qin Zhenhua, leaving only Qin Zhenhua and the other three in the room.
“I just received the medicinal materials Xian Ge sent. I will send people to search for them now. Shaocong, you should also use your connections to contact various pharmaceutical merchants,” Qin Zhenhua said urgently.
Chen Shaocong acknowledged.
Just as the two were busy making calls, Zhao Shijie’s eyelids on the sickbed trembled, opening a slit.
“You… why are you here?” Zhao Shijie’s voice was hoarse, and he struggled to sit up.
Lin Ye and Ye Wuyai quickly supported him, “You should stop fussing so much, or you might just kick the bucket.”
Perhaps due to his body being moved, Zhao Shijie’s face showed pain, and he removed his mask, panting heavily.
“Does… Huo Sichun know about my situation?”
Lin Ye rolled his eyes at him, saying impatiently, “What time is it, and you’re still concerned about whether Huo Sichun knows?”
“I sent her a message. She and Xiao Xiao will arrive tomorrow,” Ye Wuyai blinked twice, saying playfully.
“You… in this state, how can I bear to see anyone? Tell them to go back,” Zhao Shijie sighed softly.
Lin Ye’s eyes darted, and he chuckled, “You’re about to die. Why don’t you take this opportunity to confess to Sister Sichun?”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Ye Wuyai echoed from the side.
Zhao Shijie’s heart stirred, but he still sighed, “Forget it, it’s meaningless.”
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Xian Ge already knows about your situation. He’s sending Luo Xi over to refine the Xisui Dan (Marrow Cleansing Pill) for you, but you have to hold on and not die too quickly.”
Zhao Shijie’s eyelids twitched, and his voice trembled slightly, “You mean, I can still live?”
Lin Ye nodded, “Xian Ge said so.”
“Oh, right, when I just entered the game, I heard the Star Sect Sect Master and Xian Ge’s conversation. It’s said that the Mo Yun Battlefield, which opens once every hundred years, is about to begin.”
“Mo Yun Battlefield? What’s that for?” Ye Wuyai asked curiously.
“Not very clear, only that all sects in Jizhou will participate, including first-rank sects.”
“Wow, won’t that be fun?” Ye Wuyai’s eyes lit up, and he jumped up excitedly.
A hint of fervor flashed in Zhao Shijie’s cloudy eyes, and he grabbed Lin Ye’s arm, exclaiming excitedly, “Save me, you must save me!!”
Lin Ye smiled knowingly and then dropped another bombshell, “Not only the Mo Yun Battlefield, but the quadrennial North-South Sect Competition is also about to begin. Xian Ge takes this matter very seriously.”
“You motherf*cker, save me!!!”
Zhao Shijie jolted upright, almost losing his breath.
Lin Ye and Ye Wuyai were startled and quickly helped Zhao Shijie back onto the sickbed.
“Don’t get excited yet. Luo Xi is on her way. It would be a huge shame if you kicked the bucket halfway.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for her no matter what. You two go out. Don’t disturb my rest,” Zhao Shijie waved his hand dismissively.
Lin Ye and Ye Wuyai gave him the middle finger, then pulled Qin Zhenhua and the other one, who were still on the phone, and left the room.