Chapter 264: Father and Son Reunite

The second inpatient building of Yuezhou Third Hospital was completely empty. All patients had been transferred to other buildings, leaving only He Jiaqing and Xiao Zhenggong inside. Not even medical staff remained, meaning if He Jiaqing were to exhibit any abnormalities, there would be no one to rescue him.

Xiao Zhenggong stood by He Jiaqing's bedside, frowning in silence.

He was now unsure whether the person lying in bed was He Jiaqing or Zhou Changhong.

If it was truly Zhou Changhong, he should have woken up upon hearing of my arrival.

Was this truly He Jiaqing?

Since He Jiaqing was back, why hadn't Zhou Changhong informed him? Did he truly not want to live?

He Haiqin was about to arrive; if this was an impostor, things would get very interesting.

Let it be lively then; he was just an observer anyway.

He Haiqin was arriving in Yuezhou today. Xiao Zhenggong was tasked with monitoring He Jiaqing at the hospital, while Chen Changrui was responsible for meeting He Haiqin at the station.

As Xiao Zhenggong observed He Jiaqing, a sudden surge of oppressive power enveloped the room.

Xiao Zhenggong looked towards the doorway.

He Haiqin entered the ward with He Haisheng and eight bodyguards, scrutinizing Xiao Zhenggong from head to toe.

He had met Xiao Zhenggong before but couldn't recall him; to He Haiqin, the Jiangxiang Gang was nothing but rabble.

He greeted Xiao Zhenggong with a curt, "Get out!"

Xiao Zhenggong frowned, and anger flared within him.

He Haisheng advised, "Big Brother, this is the deputy captain of the Dark Star Bureau."

"I told you to get out!" He Haiqin repeated, completely ignoring He Haisheng's advice.

Xiao Zhenggong gritted his teeth and walked out of the ward.

He Haisheng said, "Big Brother, we're in an outer province now. We can't afford to offend people from the Dark Star Bureau."

"Nonsense!" He Haiqin snorted. "Aren't they just damn constables? Me speaking to him is already doing him a favor!"

He Haisheng sighed, "Big Brother, didn't we agree on this before we came? Outer provinces have their own rules."

"I can't remember that many rules!"

"Alright," He Haisheng conceded, not pressing further. "Let's check on Jiaqing first."

He Haiqin stared at He Jiaqing on the bed for about ten minutes.

He Haisheng was very nervous. He couldn't tell any difference between He Jiaqing now and before, but the ultimate determination of authenticity rested with He Haiqin.

In another inpatient building, Wan Jinxian, who had just been admitted yesterday, was even more nervous than He Haisheng.

As a "sick cultivator," it wasn't difficult for him to feign illness, and no one would be able to detect the deception.

However, He Jiaqing had only just returned from Pro Province, and his left hand was newly regenerated. If He Haiqin were to notice anything amiss, Wan Jinxian wouldn't be able to help He Jiaqing; He Jiaqing would have to handle it himself.

"What's going on?" He Haiqin muttered to himself.

He Haisheng's heart sank.

He Jiaqing's heart also sank.

"How did he become like this?" He Haiqin's voice trembled. "How did my son end up like this!"

He recognized his own son; there was no mistaking it. The person lying in bed was indeed his son.

He Haisheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Brother, didn't I tell you about Jiaqing's condition before?"

"Is this what you damn described? He doesn't even look human anymore!" Tears welled up in He Haiqin's eyes.

He was aware of He Jiaqing's condition; He Haisheng had informed him when Jiaqing was first admitted, even sending photos to He Haiqin.

But seeing him in person, He Haiqin's heart ached.

"Haven't they been treating him for a year now? I'll damn kill these bastards from the outer province! Are they not treating him properly because we're not from this province? I'll damn..."

He Haiqin was furious, and amidst his roar, the entire inpatient building began to shake.

The hospital director stood downstairs, trembling with fear. He called Chen Changrui: "Captain Chen, you must handle this. You can't let these people run wild here."

Chen Changrui advised, "Don't worry, we'll handle this."

"Handle?" Xiao Zhenggong said from the side. "Do you even have the guts?"

Chen Changrui calmly looked at Xiao Zhenggong: "Deputy Captain Xiao, you understand their rules. Go in and try to persuade He Haiqin."

Xiao Zhenggong sneered, "Why should I go? Does this even concern me?"

"How can you say it doesn't concern you? This is a task assigned to us by the bureau."

"What task did the bureau give? Am I supposed to arrest him or kill him?"

"The bureau wants us to prioritize the overall situation. Our task is to maintain..."

Xiao Zhenggong interrupted Chen Changrui: "What's the point of talking nonsense? To put it plainly, aren't we just supposed to watch?"

He Haiqin gradually calmed down and said to He Haisheng, "Third Brother, tell our people to prepare everything. We're taking Jiaqing home; he can't suffer here."

"Big Brother, the doctors said Jiaqing cannot be moved. If he leaves the hospital, his life will be in danger."

"Which doctor said that? This Western hospital, can they even cure diseases? These Western doctors just waste time. By the way, where is that damn foreigner, Cui-something? He cured my illness, so he can definitely cure Jiaqing too!"

"Big Brother, you were treated for an illness. Jiaqing is recovering from injuries. They're two different things."

"What two different things? Do you understand medicine...?"

He Haisheng tried his best to persuade him and finally managed to calm He Haiqin down.

He Haiqin sat by the bedside, holding He Jiaqing's left hand, and sighed repeatedly: "You damn brat, you just had to come all the way to an outer province to study. Don't we have enough knowledge for you to learn back home? Study is fine, but you came here in good shape, and you should have gone back in good shape. You just had to bring me something good. Well, this time, you didn't bring anything back, and you ended up like this."

He Haisheng looked towards the corridor, where the Dark Star Bureau agents were still waiting outside. "Big Brother, as long as Jiaqing is alright," he said, "I'll stay here, and you should go back. The outer province is very wary of us."

"What's there to be afraid of? Let's see who dares to touch me?"

"Big Brother, this isn't our home. Besides, our family isn't peaceful either; the Lu family is still causing trouble every day!"

"Damn the Lu family! My son is lying in the hospital, and they still dare to spread rumors! That old bastard Lu Maoxian has damn lived long enough; when I go back, I'll send him straight to his grave!"

The inpatient building continued to shake intermittently. Chen Changrui and Xiao Zhenggong remained calm, while several veteran agents feigned composure. The new recruits, however, couldn't even pretend; Mingxing was so scared he needed to pee but didn't dare go to the restroom, and Dengpao was covered in oil, ready to flee at any moment.

The newcomer, Qin Minghui, wore a very grave expression.

He was also afraid, but more than that, he felt shame. The current situation clearly deviated from his original purpose for joining the Dark Star Bureau.

Qin Minghui looked at Chen Changrui and said, "Captain, this is a hospital. They shouldn't be allowed to act so wildly."

Chen Changrui said nothing. Xiao Zhenggong, from the side, chuckled, "Alright, you go stop him then."

Qin Minghui actually started walking towards the ward when Datou grabbed him, saying, "No unauthorized actions."

Xiao Zhenggong looked at Qin Minghui and asked, "Who are you? Quite the nerve!"

Qin Minghui replied, "I'm a new recruit, Deputy Captain Xiao. You've met me before. My codename is Zhong'er."

"Zhong'er," Xiao Zhenggong repeated, unable to recall such a person. He scrutinized Qin Minghui and said, "That codename isn't wrong. I'll remember you this time."

The news of He Haiqin's visit to Yuezhou quickly reached Pro Province. The Ling family was the first to release a statement: "Father and son meet, He family's young master remains unconscious; rumors debunked."

The Lu family was not to be outdone, with their own news following shortly after: "Deep kinship, reunited after a year of incident. Father and son harbor doubts, what could be the reason for mutual suspicion?"

This news, however, muddied the waters.

He Jiaqing had been unconscious for a year, and only now did He Haiqin visit him. Was there something suspicious about this?

Moreover, He Haiqin's purpose in visiting He Jiaqing was to verify his authenticity, which proved that He Haiqin didn't trust He Jiaqing in the first place.

Following the news was a special commentary titled: "Rumor or Truth? Everything starts from the source."

This was even more ruthless. Where was the source?

It was with Lu Maoxian.

Monkey Qiu brought the two young masters of the Lu family to watch the commotion. Regardless of whether it was rumor or truth, it had nothing to do with them, leaving Lu Maoxian at the center of the controversy.

Lu Maoxian was very nervous. He went alone to Sage Peak, to the Sage's Residence.

Under the extensive corridors, Lu Maoxian waited for over two hours. The sounds of panting and shouting from within the room gradually subsided.

The Sage spoke: "What is it?"

Lu Maoxian respectfully knelt on the ground and said, "Master, my situation is not good. He Haiqin, the head of the He family, might make a move against your disciple."

The Sage was silent for a moment, then said, "You have performed meritorious service this time. You are rewarded with three Gold Origin Pills."

The white-clad youth took three Gold Origin Pills and handed them to Lu Maoxian.

These three pills were treasures, but they couldn't change Lu Maoxian's predicament.

The Sage continued, "As for He Haiqin, I will deal with him. But as long as He Jiaqing is not eliminated, you must remain vigilant. This person is a great concern to me; you must not take him lightly. The moment He Jiaqing steps into Pro Province, you must immediately inform me."

Lu Maoxian felt a bit more at ease and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your disciple will certainly do his utmost."

The Sage added, "There's one more thing. I heard that the trend of shadow plays has become very popular in Pro Province recently. Some of these plays contain rebellious acts. Such perverse trends must be strictly suppressed. This matter is entrusted to you; there must be no mistakes!"

Lu Maoxian agreed, then crawled backward on his knees, leaving the Sage's Residence.

On the way down the mountain, Lu Maoxian pondered the Sage's command.

"There are rebellious acts in shadow plays."

There was no need to think; it had to be Ma Wu's "Blood-Gun Detective."

The films he made trampled the word "morality" underfoot, crushing it to pieces.

But how should he suppress this?

He had also received information that Ma Wu made these films with the support of Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai.

The two brothers had never publicly mentioned the films, surely fearing it would tarnish the Lu family's reputation.

Since they still cared about their reputation, this matter would be easy to handle.

First, he would start with Black Stone Slope, which was Lu Maoxian's territory. Giving Ma Wu a severe warning there would not be difficult.

If the two brothers, Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai, dared to cause trouble, he would seize the opportunity to make the matter public, letting their family see what kind of people they truly were.

Once these two brothers quieted down and Ma Wu lost his backing, dealing with him would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

Lu Maoxian looked at the three Gold Origin Pills in his hand. These three pills were of excellent quality, and their toxicity was within acceptable limits, capable of providing nearly a year's worth of cultivation.

Once he dealt with Ma Wu, he could earn another reward, and his cultivation would certainly reach the eighth level.

He was getting old, over eighty, and some matters couldn't be delayed.

On the way down the mountain, Lu Maoxian walked faster and faster.

He Haiqin had left.

He Jiaqing lay in bed, with He Haisheng sitting by his side.

He wasn't just being monitored by He Haisheng; many others were watching too. Returning to Pro Province wouldn't be so easy anymore.

How did things come to this...?

While He Haisheng wasn't paying attention, He Jiaqing raised his eyebrows, a wry smile appearing on his face.