Chapter 1: Weight Loss and X-Rays

  In the late autumn of the provincial city, the dust particles floating in the air seemed clearer than those in the other three seasons. Yi Tianxing returned to the Provincial University from the Temple of Return to the Origin, and gradually hid the faint worry on his face, restoring his usual lazy appearance with no worries about speaking or laughing. However, deep down inside, he naturally knew that there were still many things waiting for him ahead.

  That Miss Qin Zier may have been taken back to the mountains by the mysterious San Tian Men master to recover from her injuries, anyway Yi Tianhang looked around with narrowed eyes in the campus for many days, but never saw that lovely figure again.

  After returning to school, Yi Tianxing still had a hard time explaining himself. He encountered some minor troubles, after all, he had skipped so many days of class without reason, and it was hard to justify. The department head had a friendly face but hid a sinister intention, making Yi Tianxing's heart tremble with fear. Fortunately, the old man didn't boast in vain - he indeed knew someone at the Provincial Education Department, and after Yi Tianxing made a long-distance call to explain his predicament, that person from the Education Department helped him resolve the issue soon after.

  The problem was only temporarily solved, because the department head's eyes were filled with anger and resentment towards the boy.

  But Yitianxing was even angrier than him.

  This anger does not come from the calm and peaceful school life, but from the depression and fire caused by the inexplicable oppression in the Yuangu Temple on Wudang Mountain a few days ago. It also comes from the feeling of loss after understanding the whole truth, and the confusion and ignorance about one's own identity.

  Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

  A trite trio of questions that have been asked by philosophers for N hundred years now often echoed in his mind.

  A Buddhist's heart is like a lotus seed, yet it cannot help but be moved by the rippling green waves in the pond reflecting the evening light, like sparks gradually rising.

  He subconsciously tried not to think about it, and endured the pain of not going to Guanyuan Temple to see that great demon master. He didn't know if he was trying to escape or just felt at a loss, wishing he could close his eyes and make everything in front of him disappear like a dream - even though he had an extraordinary talent and exquisite Zen skills, but after all, he was only a seventeen-year-old boy.

  Yitian slipped out of the old grey building with a calm face, then returned to the old dormitory. As soon as he entered the dormitory, he found that many classmates looked at him with some meaning in their eyes, which was more than usual. He slightly frowned, but still managed to put on a smile, and felt his way through the dark corridor to room 247, then pushed open the door and went in.

  "What's wrong?" he asked his roommates with a smile.

  Several classmates smiled awkwardly.

  This awkwardness seems to have been going on for a while among everyone.

  The Jiangsu classmate who lived on the upper bunk suddenly said: "Old Yi, where did you go those days?"

  Yitianxing smiled and replied: "Something happened at home, so I left for a few days on short notice."

  After this somewhat formulaic Q&A session, the 247 dormitory fell into an awkward silence again. After a while, it was still the Sichuan class leader who walked in from outside the dormitory, breaking the atmosphere.

  "Lao Yi, is there some connection between you and those people in society?"

  The boss is indeed the boss, straightforward and direct.

  Yi Tian Xing was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself how did this get out? After some thought, he smiled and said: "What's the big deal about being related, you know I'm an orphan."

  "What about what happened in front of our school hospital the day before yesterday?" The class monitor asked tentatively.

  Yitian Xing burst out laughing and only then did he realize why the boys from old dormitory six had been looking at him with a strange gaze, it turned out that the news of him being caught by the police had finally spread.

  "Where are you, how can you bear to wrong me as a bad person?" Yi Tian's eyebrows were disheveled, and his eyes were filled with tears, taking on the shape of Dai Yu burying flowers. "I was just on my way back when I saw someone injured, so I sent him to the school hospital. Who knew that he had actually been stabbed, so I was asked by the police uncle to make a record."

  "Ah...!" The six big boys in the dormitory were almost scared to death by him, and the class leader laughed: "I thought it was something else, but it turned out to be like this."

  Yi Tianxing smiled faintly, without any guilt or shame that a liar should have. He believed that Master Bin Ku would definitely let Director Pan clear his name. Instead, he thought to himself, should he ask Yuan Ye or Peng Fei to send him a silk banner with the four characters "见义勇为" (Righteous and Brave)?

  Everyone was talking, but suddenly the old Liu's dormitory building became lively. Some students were gathered in groups, chatting and it seemed like something had happened. A student from Jiangsu who lived on the upper bunk of Yi Tianxing stretched out half his head and then excitedly turned back to report: "Fellow students, it seems like something has happened at the Civilian Institute."

  Minyuan was originally an independent ethnic college, later merged into Provincial Capital University, and is now also considered a classmate of Yitian Xing and others.

  In the ethnic college, there are many Tibetan students. The academic atmosphere is strong and straightforward, they drink highland barley wine and horse milk tea, eat lamb legs and tsampa, their natural boldness and strength even in a prosperous city with a rich cultural heritage has not been softened in the slightest. Three cups of wine can make them speak freely, five mountains are nothing to them, naturally, they don't care about what the Five Mountains are, as long as they feel as vast and clear as the highland sky in their hearts, that's their character, so these Tibetan students often clash with people around them because of a disagreement.

  Yitian Xing is also a bit stubborn at heart, so he doesn't think this personality has any major issues, on the contrary, he has some subtle admiration for it.

  If he didn't have something important to attend to the next day, he might have gone downstairs to see what those Tibetan classmates were up to, exchanging blows with someone's men.

  ………………………………………………

  The next day, the sky was still a bit dark, and Yitianxing got out of bed and ran a few laps on the playground in boredom. Taking advantage of the fact that there were fewer people around, he called down the Vermilion Bird and messed with it for a while.

  Yi Tianxing also had an unavoidable reason for torturing his Red Bird son. He wanted to help the bird lose weight, as it used to be so agile and slender when it was first born, but after swallowing the Earth's essence fire from Kunlun and being guided by its ancestors, the fire element in its body suddenly became vigorous, making it look clumsy and fat, with a round belly that had lost its original agility.

  Yi Tianxing is not a commoner who judges by appearance, but on his next trip to the county town, he has an extremely important task, which is to make a full confession to the great, dear and correct Zou Leilei classmate, while his inhuman and non-demon body may cut off his own marriage destiny, all hopes are pinned on this lovely Vermilion Bird.

  Everyone knows that, whether foolish or clever, as long as they are young girls, they have endless love for cute little birds and animals. Yi Tianxing hoped that his red bird son could absorb most of Lele's attention, while increasing her affection index, so that she could resist the infinite fear that her boyfriend was not a "person".

  What a pity! This red bird now looks too unlovable, just like the bully of birds, the middle-numbered fire chicken.

  This is how Yitian Xing can rely on it. So, during these days when he returned from the Temple of Return to the Origin, he instructed the Vermilion Bird to fly back and forth between the provincial city and Wudang every day, which must be completed within three quarters of an hour. Anyway, now that the old and young Taoist priests on Mount Wudang also know about the existence of the Vermilion Bird, there is no need to worry about anything.

  Only the daily long-distance flight training made Little Zhu Que's feathers scattered, and for the first time, there was a hint of resentment in his rolling eyes towards Old Dad. However, despite this, the bird's weight loss work remained stagnant, with no decrease in weight or slimming of figure, leaving Yi Tian Xing sighing and feeling frustrated.

  Today, I've been bothered by Little Red Bird again. Yi Tian Xing finally gave up and shook his head, turning around to walk away. He went to the Second Canteen of Provincial University to eat a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns. Along the broken basketball court, he strolled slowly to the East Gate of the campus, preparing to visit Xiao Xiao.

  Xiao Xiao's injury has stabilized a lot, and Yuan Ye transferred him to the Provincial People's Hospital a few days ago. Yi Tianxing carried a rotten package down the stairs, took a look at the Tibetan youths who were gradually gathering from afar, smiled, walked out of the school gate, and took bus No. 19 to head to the hospital. Along the way, the bus was crowded with people, and the smell was unbearable, but it made this young man feel extremely happy. In recent days, he had been dealing with those half-immortal and half-human cultivators, and now he truly felt the secular atmosphere, which was a rare pleasure. He bought a hard-boiled egg outside the hospital gate, stuffed three yuan's worth of beef into it, and started devouring it. With a mouthful of beef and oil, he squatted on the street like an old farmer, watching the men and women passing by in front of him, feeling very happy.

  After finishing the pot stickers, he bought seven more and put them in his backpack, then headed into the hospital, went to the inpatient department, found the ward, and pushed open the door.

  The two thugs standing at the door stared at him with hostility, stretched out their hands to block his way and shouted: "What are you doing? Can't you see this is a single-person intensive care unit? How dare you barge in?"

  It's strange to say, after a fight with the Taoist priests at Guiyuan Temple on Wudang Mountain, Yi Tianxing's temperament became even more calm and composed, completely unlike his arrogant appearance when he first learned magic. Instead, he said sincerely: "My name is Yi Tianxing, I'm here to see Xiao."

  The two little rascals were specially arranged by Yuan Ye to take care of Xiao Xiao in the hospital, so they were naturally quick-witted and diligent. As soon as they heard the name Yi Tianhang, they felt a sense of familiarity, and after thinking carefully, they remembered what this name represented. The sweat on their backs suddenly broke out, and they bowed their heads and trembled, saying: "So it's Young Master."

  Yi Tianxing smiled and thought that the young master of this ancient family was not very useful, so he teased: "Don't call me Young Master." After taking a look at these two people, he found that they were also quite young, so he said loudly: "From now on, just call me Brother Yi." After finishing speaking, he raised his head and walked towards the ward.

  Those two little ones behind him listened, their faces moved, thinking that the young master was indeed a young master, always standing at the forefront of fashion trends - wasn't this a popular term on the streets of Guangdong Province? They exchanged a glance, and respectfully bowed to say: "Yes, Big Brother."

  I don't know what Yi Tian Xing would think if he knew that these two had misheard his words, but when he saw Xiao Xiao's pale face closing her eyes and lying on the bed, a nameless fire rose in his heart. Although Ji Xiang Tian Zong Si, who had secretly plotted against Xiao Xiao, was now unknown whether he was dead or alive after being struck by Yi Tian Xing's heavenly flames, just thinking about the person in front of him who was left with injuries and might not be able to walk on their own two legs for the rest of his life, his heart felt a surge of frustration and melancholy.

  It was then that he discovered a young boy sleeping on the edge of Xiao's bed.

  That young man was born quite handsome, with a few similarities to Xiao. Yi Tianxing furrowed his brow, knowing that this must be Xiao's only relative, his younger brother. He walked forward and gently woke up the young man.

  "Who are you?" A hint of fear flashed in Xiao's younger brother's eyes, no wonder he was uneasy, his own brother had been crippled by someone.

  "My name is Yi Tianxing." Yi Tianxing made his smile as natural as possible, "You're a colleague of my brother's at the company. You're Xiao Xiao's younger brother, right? What's your name?"

  "My name is Xiao Yong."

  "How old is he this year?"

  Seventeen.

  "Where did you go to school?"

  Yitian Xing may have been used to giving orders at Pengfei Industrial and Trade, so he didn't think it was strange for a student like him to ask questions in a benevolent tone.

  "I attended high school at Sixth Middle School."

  "Didn't I get a nurse for the company?" Yi Tianxing saw that the young man's face was full of fatigue, with red threads in his eyes, and felt some sympathy.

  Xiao Yong smiled foolishly, "My own brother, why let outsiders serve him."

  Yi Tianxing also smiled and said: "You go rest aside first, I have some things to discuss with your brother."

  Xiao Yong hesitated and asked: "Brother has just recovered for a few days, the doctor said he needs to rest more."

  Yi Tianxing shook his head, a smile still on his face, but his words didn't give him a chance to retort: "Just a moment."

  Xiao Yong was also a clever person, seeing that the young man could quietly pass through the two bodyguards outside the door and enter the ward, he must be no ordinary person. He also vaguely knew that his brother was mixed up in the underworld, so after thinking for a moment, he also smiled and said: "Alright, I haven't slept for two days either, thanks for your hard work."

  "Very becoming." Yi Tianxing watched him push the door out, and praised in his heart. Then he thought that with such a younger brother, his older brother must be not much worse either.

  At this time, there was only him and little Xiao who was sleeping soundly in bed.

  Yi Tianxing reached back and touched the back of his neck, where his ancestor had planted a strand of demonic hair. Although it was later refined by the residual aura of Zhenwu Dadi, this strand of hair gave him many inexplicable insights during his battle with Qin Ziyu on Wudang Mountain, allowing him to understand things he would never have understood otherwise.

  He gently raised his right palm forward, facing the white wall of the hospital room.

  As he sat in meditation, the Three Flavors Sutra flashed through his mind, and from under the nails of his middle fingers on both hands, a faint red flame about an inch long emerged, flickering aimlessly.

  Just like when he was about to see through the true face of Young Master Qin Ziyu, he unhesitatingly gently wiped these two fingers burning with mysterious fire onto his own eyes.

  The heavenly fire that could melt gold and iron was evenly applied to his delicate eyeballs by his fingers. However, he only felt his eyeballs being gently massaged by the warm finger pads, which was very comfortable.

  The next moment he opened his eyes and found that this move was indeed effective just like on Mount Wudang.

  He blinked, looking at the scene in this sickroom again, but felt a bit strange. The bedside table, fresh flowers, and the curtains on the windowsill all presented themselves to his eyes in a very wonderful way.

  Yi Tian Xing didn't know how long this method could last, so he hastily walked forward and sat down beside Xiao's sickbed, lifted the quilt, and stared tightly at his leg wrapped in layers of bandages.

  This leg was cut off by the heavenly sword in Zong Si's hand under the auspicious Tianmen, and the sharpness of the heavenly sword is not something that can be compared to any mortal object. Fortunately, it was so, Xiao Xiao's severed limb surface was abnormally smooth, and the micro-invasive doctors at the Provincial University could perfectly replant the severed limb as much as possible. Nerve recovery should also be simpler than usual for amputees.

  Yi Tianxing didn't understand medicine, but after using the Huo Zhi Tong Jing method to discern the trajectory of Qin Zier's true Lan Xian on Wudang Mountain, he vaguely felt that he could use this method to take a look at Xiao Xiao's injuries and see how the repair of those troublesome neurons in the medical field was going.

  As expected, his gaze touched the bandage, and the reflected image was not a white medical bandage, but seemed to have some kind of penetrating power, deeply piercing inside. Yi Tianxing carefully invoked his own divine thoughts, on the one hand lightly reciting the Heart Sutra to stabilize his mind, while on the other hand urging his own divine consciousness to look into Xiao's severed limb.

  The eyes are like electricity, this refers to the gods in heaven. At this time, Yi Tianxing's gaze was not as terrifying as thunder and lightning, but it was also sharp like X-rays.

  ……

  ……

  Unknowingly, Yi Tian Xing let out a long sigh and slowly withdrew his divine thoughts from Xiao's severed limb. He raised his head to find Xiao struggling to turn his head towards him.

  Yi Tianxing was startled and awkwardly said: "Awake?"

  Xiao Xiao looked at him for a long time without speaking, then suddenly asked: "Can my leg be saved?"

  "This should be asked of a doctor." Yi Tianxing scratched his head in response.

  "Young master, you can help me. I know." After experiencing a life-and-death struggle, Xiao Xiao was even more calm and quiet than before.

  "How can I help you?"

  "What's wrong with my leg? The doctor said the wound is a bit strange, and after the neurons are connected, it still can't be passed through. Several times of electrical stimulation also had no response." Xiao Xiao looked at Yi Tianxing.

  Yi Tian Xing sighed and after a long silence said: "The sword that injured you is somewhat strange, the wound seems to be isolated. Later I will go talk to the doctor in charge, for now we will temporarily stop the pressure and electro-acupuncture treatments."

  "I knew you saw it just now." Xiao Xiao heard his words and not only didn't lose hope, but instead smiled.

  Yi Tianxing also smiled. He liked talking to clever people as it was simpler that way, and besides, he had always held some hope for Xiao.

  "Some things don't need to be said to too many people."

  "I know." Xiao Xiao coughed twice.

  "Take a rest first." Yi Tianxing turned around and asked, "Can I have some water?"

  "A few days ago I started having liquid food, but today it seems like I'm going to have some kind of examination, the doctor told me not to drink for now."

  "Ah." Yi Tianxing responded casually, took a cotton swab from the bedside table, dipped it in some clear water in the cup, and gently moistened Xiao's lip corners. As he moved the swab, he seemed to say unintentionally: "You just rest and recover, don't worry, I'll fix your leg."

  Xiao Xiao couldn't help but reveal a hint of gratitude.

  "What's there to be grateful for?" Yi Tianxing said calmly.

  "Thanks for taking care of me, Young Master." Xiao Xiao said with a smile, but her eyes were slightly moist.

  Yitian Xing smiled and shook his head, but in his heart he was quite bitter: "I dislike you people who are mixed up on the path the most. Originally it was I who owed you, how come now you think I'm doing you a favor?"

  Just then, Yuan Ye received a call from his underling and learned that Young Master had come to the Provincial People's Hospital, so he also rushed over in a hurry. Yi Tianhang turned his head to see him coming in, and couldn't help but feel some surprise, saying: "How did you get here?"

  Yuan Ye took off the white scarf from his neck and hung it on the clothes rack in the ward, responding: "I heard that Young Master came to the hospital, so I came to see if you have any instructions."

  Yi Tianxing didn't have a good tone: "Didn't we just talk on the phone a few days ago? Why are you so eager to see me?" He took a look at Xiao Xiao, who was getting paler and more tired, gave Yuan Ye a signal, and gently said a few words to Xiao Xiao before leaving the ward.

  Yuan Ye was stunned for a moment, and had to put the scarf that still had body temperature back on again. He turned his head and gently patted Xiao Xiao's hand twice before following him out of the ward.

  The back of the Provincial People's Hospital has a huge garden, where some cold-resistant evergreen plants are planted. From time to time, patients walk on the lawn with the support of nurses, enjoying the rare sunshine in winter.

  Yitian walked along, breathing out hot air and watching as the mist in front of him transformed into various shapes. He casually asked, "About what we discussed on the phone the other day, how's your investigation going?"

  "After checking, it's basically the same as what he said when he entered the company."

  "Is he involved in any homicide cases?"

  Yuan Ye shook his head: "Unfortunately, there isn't. Xiao Cao joined the company as soon as he graduated from school and has been performing quite well in recent years. However, since he doesn't have any connections, it's relatively difficult for him to climb up the ranks within the company."

  "It's better that way." Yi Tianxing subconsciously waved his hand and smiled, saying: "This can guarantee that he will be able to protect the interests of the Gu family as much as possible in the future."

  "What's the meaning of this?" Yuan Ye frowned.

  "It's good for people to have some fear in their hearts." Yi Tianxing sighed, "If they don't even value human life, then what else is there that they wouldn't dare to discard?"

  "I see." Yuan Ye was deep in thought, "Xiao is a decent person, but also a clever one. It's rare to find brothers who have both qualities. If he hadn't been the one to support his brother all those years ago, perhaps he wouldn't have ended up on this path."

  He paused and then said: "It's just to see if he has such a big ambition, if he himself doesn't have the courage and idea to take charge, it would be more difficult for you and me to help him rise to power."

  "Those two words 'ambition' sound too harsh." Yi Tianxing smiled and waved his finger, "It's better to call it 'progressive mind'." He gazed at the third floor of the inpatient department where the intensive care unit was located, his lips curling up slightly as he thought to himself: Such a clever young man often appears too self-aware, overly cautious, and insufficiently enterprising. However, since he has already seen through his own abilities, then he can find a way to give him confidence to become the master of the Gu family in the provincial city.

  Yitian Xing decided to pass on some superficial Buddhist Dharma gates to Little Xiao.

  One is to let him stand alone in the future, and two is... for a hint of guilt in his heart?

  Yuan Ye saw him walking quietly and also quietly followed behind, unaware of how long it had been, when he suddenly asked: "Young Master, a big thing happened in the provincial city the other day."

  "Huh?" Yi Tian raised an eyebrow, "What's up?"

  "That night, after Director Pan of the Municipal Bureau pulled Young Master out of the police station, didn't you follow that car to the Temple of Return to the Origin?"

  "Yes." Yi Tianxing stopped in his tracks, vaguely guessing what Yuan Ye was referring to.

  The next day, it was said that both the Garrison Command and the Second Police Detachment were mobilized, and they almost clashed at the entrance of the Temple of the Return to the Origin.

  "Who told you?" Yi Tianxing remained calm as ever.

  Yuan shrugged: "As I said before, mice have their own way. For big things like this, people like us are always more likely to get the news, let alone this time when the military and police were at a standoff, it was really a huge deal."

  Yi Tianxing's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself, "If I make a scene in the mortal world, it shouldn't have any repercussions, right?" Just then, he heard Yuan Ye ask anxiously from behind him, "Young Master, does this matter not concern you?"

  Yi Tian raised an eyebrow and responded, "Do I have such great abilities? Stop making wild guesses." Although he knew Yuan Ye definitely wouldn't believe him, at least on the surface he wouldn't admit to anything. To prevent Yuan Ye from continuing to ask questions, he turned around and asked, "Have you talked to Old Man recently? Did he say anything?"

  Yuan Ye shook his head and said: "The old master only instructed me to listen to your instructions, young master, there is nothing else."

  Yi Tian Xing thought of the old fox hiding in Gao Yang County, and he couldn't help but think of a certain unfavorable inference that had been lurking in his mind for days. He sighed and finally asked about the situation on the provincial capital road: "Has the provincial capital been quiet lately?"

  "It's not very quiet." Yuan Ye replied calmly; "Last time the young master was invited to the police station, there were some rumors on the street, and Cheng Dongbiao, who was behind it, took advantage of the momentum to be a bit arrogant. He had some disputes with us at Shengshang and Jinyang Square, but the young master didn't have any news for those days. Plus, you told us to handle this matter personally, so we just left it there and didn't take action."

  Yi Tian Xing took a look at the winter scenery in the People's Hospital, thinking to himself that he couldn't avoid these muddy waters after all, and his lips curled up slightly.

  "What about the matter of Dongzi, Young Master? Are you going to let your subordinates handle it or take care of it yourself?" Yuan Ye noticed that this university-educated young master seemed a bit troubled by these underworld matters.

  "I'll come myself." Yi Tianxing smiled slightly and said: "Let you guys do it, I'm afraid there will be another bloodbath."

  "We will have our own measure." Yuan Ye replied.

  "Everyone's standards are different from the start... right." Yi Tianxing's face floated with a smile, and he suddenly thought of something: "There's one thing, you can't hide it from me."

  "Please speak, young master." Yuan Ye was somewhat stunned.

  Yi Tianxing said slowly: "Do you really want to return to Gaoyang County and serve the old master with all your heart?"

  "Nature."

  "That's good." Yi Tianxing smiled and said, "If you want to take over the family business in the provincial city, I naturally have a way to let you take over. So I want to ask clearly, otherwise when we support Xiao Shao to the throne, you won't be happy if you're not satisfied."

  Yuan Ye smiled slightly and said: "I know you're a straightforward person, I won't beat around the bush either, so don't worry."

  "If you want to stay in the provincial city, it's also reasonable, so there's no need to feel embarrassed." Yi Tianxing looked at his eyes quietly.

  Yuan Ye was silent for a moment before saying, "If one says that people don't crave pleasure, that's a lie to the extreme. But if Young Master stays in the provincial city for a long time, he'll come to know that when someone has the weight of their family's business on their shoulders and is doing something as shady as this, after a while, no matter who it is, they won't want to continue."

  "So you're also a lazy thief." Yi Tianxing seemed to have re-recognized this interesting "house servant".

  "You too." Yuan Ye replied softly.

  "Help me buy a train ticket." Yitian Xing said to him: "I want to go back to Gaoyang County for a trip."

  ………………

  Regarding the public version unban, please wait a bit, every week will release a certain number of words as required, thank you everyone for reading.