Chapter 323: I Love the Patriarch

"Fifth Master, the warehouse is on fire!"

Ma Wu had just returned from Black Stone Slope and had barely slept for an hour when he was woken up by Zhen Jincheng. Putting on his clothes and getting out of bed, Ma Wu said resignedly, "Those warehouses are useless. I've wanted to demolish them for a long time but never got around to it. Now, it's caused trouble!"

Huo Ling rubbed her eyes and said, "It's just a fire, what's there to be afraid of? I'll help you put it out."

"Don't you go; you'll only make things worse!"

Ma Wu went to the warehouse and directed everyone in fighting the fire. The warehouses were filled with old tarpaulins, making the fire difficult to extinguish. Everyone was in a frantic rush, and Ma Wu was extremely anxious, fearing that Carefree Dock would burn down. Suddenly, a middle-aged man walked up to him and said, "Tell Li Qi to meet me at Yuelai Tower tomorrow night at seven. If he's late, you'll lose your life."

"Who are you?" Ma Wu was startled. When he turned to look again, the middle-aged man had vanished. What did he mean by that? The fire grew stronger, and Ma Wu, unable to think about the man, continued fighting the blaze.

At dawn, the fire was successfully extinguished, but half of the warehouses had burned down. Exhausted, Ma Wu lay on his bed and fell asleep.

Once he lay down, Ma Wu couldn't get back up. First, he shivered uncontrollably, his body ice-cold. Then, he became burning hot; even Huo Ling found him too hot to touch.

"He's sick from exhaustion! Quick, call a doctor!"

Li Banfeng hid in his private residence until noon. Tu Yinghong had truly come with a relentless determination this time. Did she and Ling Miaoying really share such deep affection? Or was there another reason? The battle was won purely due to thorough preparation. However, after the victory, Li Banfeng sensed danger again. What was the reason for this? It meant Tu Yinghong had brought an accomplice. But if she had an accomplice, why hadn't they acted sooner? Could this accomplice pose a threat to Carefree Dock?

Carefree Dock was looked after by Zuo Wugang, Huo Ling, and many other experts, but Li Banfeng was still worried. He quickly ate something and returned to Carefree Dock. As soon as he entered, he saw Zuo Wugang frantically calling out to people.

"What happened?"

Zuo Wugang, flustered, said, "Seventh Master, you're finally back! Fifth Master is in a bad way!"

"What do you mean, 'in a bad way'?"

"Last night, the warehouse caught fire. Fifth Master led us in putting it out and must have exhausted himself. He hasn't been able to get out of bed since!"

Li Banfeng rushed to see Ma Wu. Upon seeing Li Banfeng, Ma Wu's mind became a little clearer. He remembered what the middle-aged man had said last night: "Tell Li Qi to meet me at Yuelai Tower tomorrow night at seven. If he's late, you'll lose your life."

"Seventh Brother," Ma Wu clutched Li Banfeng's arm, "I, last night..." After a long pause, Ma Wu didn't continue. He couldn't say it. That person had told Seventh Brother to go to Yuelai Tower. There would definitely be an ambush at Yuelai Tower. If Seventh Brother went, something bad would surely happen. He couldn't let him go; it would be fatal. Ma Wu shook his head and closed his eyes.

Li Banfeng felt Ma Wu's forehead, then turned and shouted to the crowd, "Where's the doctor? Go get a doctor!"

Zuo Wugang replied, "We've called over a dozen doctors, but nothing works!"

"Then get a famous doctor! Get the best doctor!"

Zuo Wugang said nothing; all the doctors he had called were renowned. "Go look again, quickly! Bring all the doctors in the city here!"

Cao Zhida hurried into the bedroom, "Seventh Master, there's a newly opened hospital in the city. They say it's quite capable, specializing in difficult and complex cases."

"What are you standing around for? Go invite them!"

"I went, but their hospital is too arrogant; they don't do house calls!"

Zuo Wugang said, "Prepare the carriage; we'll take Fifth Master there."

"What the hell are you preparing a carriage for?!" Li Banfeng confirmed the address, hoisted Ma Wu onto his back, and rushed out of Carefree Dock.

As they walked, Ma Wu gasped, "Seventh Brother, I should have died a long time ago, back in Lanyang Village. My living until today is thanks to you. I've had my share."

"What do you mean, 'had your share'? We've only just begun!"

"Seventh Brother, put me down. This illness might be contagious."

"Stop talking nonsense! Close your eyes and rest for a bit."

"Seventh Brother, all our assets are entrusted to you. You can't just abandon them. This is our blood, sweat, and tears..."

"The hospital's here, we're almost there!"

Li Banfeng rushed into the hospital, which had a very peculiar name: Boundless. The hospital wasn't large, but it had many patients. Li Banfeng, carrying Ma Wu on his back, rushed towards the wards. The nurse on duty stepped forward to block him, "What are you doing? You need to register first to see a doctor!"

"This is an emergency."

"Emergencies also require registration."

"Please, attend to him first. I'll go register!"

The nurse looked at Ma Wu and said, "Is this person even alive? I don't think he needs to register."

Li Banfeng looked up at the nurse and asked, "What did you just say?"

The nurse trembled in fear as a man walked up from behind her. She quickly hid behind the man, pointing at Li Banfeng and saying, "Dean, this person is causing trouble." The man, identified as the dean, wore a white cap and a mask, with only his eyes visible. Li Banfeng said, "Are you the dean? Please, attend to him first. I'll go register right away."

"Li Qi?" The dean pulled down his mask.

Li Banfeng was startled; he recognized this person. "Cui Tik? You're the dean here?"

It was Cui Tik, the foreign disease practitioner. They hadn't seen each other since their parting at Haichi Ridge.

Cui Tik nodded and said, "This is my hospital. I've dedicated my entire career to Puro Province; I love Puro Province." Whether he loved Puro Province or not, Li Banfeng didn't know. A disease practitioner running a hospital seemed a bit absurd. Could this hospital really be effective? Cui Tik looked at Ma Wu and instructed the nurse to prepare for an emergency immediately.

Li Banfeng brought Ma Wu into the emergency room. Cui Tik said, "Please wait outside." Li Banfeng quickly left the room. The nurse was about to help Cui Tik prepare instruments when Cui Tik said, "You, too, go out."

"Me?"

"Out!"

The nurse, head bowed, left the emergency room, trying to avoid Li Banfeng as she scurried down the corridor. Only Ma Wu and Cui Tik remained in the emergency room. Cui Tik stared at Ma Wu for a moment, then nodded and said, "The scent of a fellow disciple is truly unique." Half an hour later, Cui Tik emerged from the emergency room and nodded at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng entered the emergency room and saw Ma Wu lying peacefully on the bed. His fever had broken, his breathing was steady, and he was sleeping soundly. Cui Tik said, "Let your friend rest here for a while. He can be discharged tomorrow."

Li Banfeng never let anyone do something for free: "What kind of compensation should I give you?"

Cui Tik smiled, "From a professional standpoint, this is a hospital, and healing people is my duty. Personally, you helped me at Haichi Ridge, so it's only right that I help you."

Cui Tik had someone transfer Ma Wu to a ward, and Li Banfeng stayed to look after him. Who had done this to Ma Wu? Based on the timing, it must be related to Tu Yinghong. This person could make Ma Wu ill in a way that others couldn't cure, and only Cui Tik could. It seemed this individual was also a disease practitioner.

Wan Jinxian had booked out Yuelai Tower, waiting for Li Qi to deliver himself. By seven o'clock that evening, Li Qi hadn't arrived. Wan Jinxian contacted his spies at Carefree Dock.

"He took Ma Wu to the hospital."

"What good will that do? What hospital can cure him?"

Wan Jinxian waited another half an hour, but still no sign of Li Qi. Suspicion arose in his mind, and he decided to check the hospital.

Boundless Hospital — Wan Jinxian had never heard of it before. He entered the lobby and asked the nurse on duty, "Which ward is Ma Junyang in?"

The nurse looked at Wan Jinxian and said, "Why are you looking for Ma Junyang? It's not visiting hours."

Wan Jinxian's expression softened, "I'm his uncle. I heard my nephew was sick and came all this way. Just let me take a quick look from the doorway."

"Can't you understand? Rules are rules. Stop being so troublesome, get out..." The nurse clutched her chest, suddenly feeling breathless.

Wan Jinxian smiled, "I'll ask you one more time: which ward is Ma Junyang in?"

The nurse pointed to Ward Six, tears welling in her eyes, begging Wan Jinxian to spare her.

"Girl, in your next life, learn how to speak properly."

The nurse clutched her throat, and a few seconds later, she stopped breathing.

Wan Jinxian walked down the corridor, heading towards Ward Six. Li Banfeng, alerted by his Tracery Earrings, prepared for a fight. Wan Jinxian had taken only two steps when he heard someone behind him say, "What are you looking for Ma Junyang for?"

Wan Jinxian turned around and saw a blond, blue-eyed man standing not far away. A foreigner?

Wan Jinxian said, "I'm here to visit my nephew."

"Visiting hours are over. Come back tomorrow."

Wan Jinxian was silent for a moment, then smiled, "Why bother? Today's a good day. I originally didn't want to kill too many people."

Cui Tik walked closer to Wan Jinxian and asked very seriously, "What do you mean by that?"

Wan Jinxian's eye twitched, and Cui Tik suddenly felt an itch in his nose. He pulled down his mask, his nose twitching, unable to suppress a sneeze.

Wan Jinxian chuckled, "It's just a sneeze. Don't hold it back; it feels much better to let it out."

Cui Tik suddenly took a deep breath. Wan Jinxian waited to see his eyeballs pop out.

"Achoo!"

After the sneeze, Cui Tik's eyeballs were still in their sockets. Wan Jinxian was stunned. He touched his cheek. His own face was covered in blood. It wasn't Cui Tik's blood; it was his own. Cui Tik's sneeze had cut a gash across Wan Jinxian's face.

Wan Jinxian stared at Cui Tik in astonishment. Cui Tik stuck out his tongue. A mass of dark, sticky "paste" squirmed on it.

"This is your disease agent, isn't it?" Cui Tik swallowed the sticky substance. "It's delicious! The last time I tasted something this exquisite was a year ago!"

"You're a fellow disciple? Impossible..." Wan Jinxian was startled, then wiped some blood from his face and flicked it at Cui Tik. Could there truly be other disease practitioners alive in this world? Wan Jinxian suddenly remembered someone: the person who had harmed He Jiaqing. At the time, Wan Jinxian had suspected a fellow disciple, but even if there were one, they shouldn't be a foreigner!

Cui Tik began to cough violently, having once again contracted Wan Jinxian's disease agent. As Wan Jinxian prepared to attack, Cui Tik suddenly spat out a hardened phlegm that struck Wan Jinxian's left shoulder. The phlegm pierced Wan Jinxian's flesh and embedded itself in his shoulder blade. Wan Jinxian clutched his shoulder and retreated repeatedly. He again activated his disease agent, causing Cui Tik to fall into a high fever.

Cui Tik's body glowed red from the fever, like a branding iron. This, in turn, prevented Wan Jinxian from approaching Cui Tik. Cui Tik rubbed his chest and let out a burp. The burp carried flames, instantly setting Wan Jinxian's clothes on fire.

Wan Jinxian was somewhat flustered. Their combat styles were completely different; Cui Tik's fighting method was incomprehensible to Wan Jinxian. Wan Jinxian typically tried to use disease to put Cui Tik at a disadvantage, then finish him with a single strike. This was the correct fighting style for a disease practitioner, as taught by Wan Jinxian's master. However, Cui Tik was utilizing his disadvantaged state. Wan Jinxian no longer dared to act rashly; every time he unleashed a disease agent on Cui Tik, it seemed to be aiding his enemy. What other ailments could restrict him?

"What school of Taoism are you from?" Wan Jinxian prepared a killing move, which required some time.

Cui Tik smiled faintly, "You still can't tell my school of Taoism? Senior Brother, I've made it so obvious."

Wan Jinxian shook his head, "My school has no senior or junior disciples; we are all sole heirs. Unless one kills their master, they cannot even complete their apprenticeship. Where did you come from? You'd best tell me the truth. This is Greenwater City, my grandmaster's territory. Impersonating a disciple of my school is disrespecting the grandmaster. Be careful, or you'll die without a whole corpse!"

Cui Tik shook his head, "I have great respect for the grandmaster, and it's not just lip service." With that, Cui Tik unbuttoned his robe. On his chest, five large characters were tattooed: "I love Grandmaster."

An opportunity! Wan Jinxian lunged forward, closing the distance to Cui Tik. His movements were excellent, superior to Cui Tik's. His goal now was to scratch Cui Tik's body with his fingernails. As long as the wound drew blood, Cui Tik would contract the disease agent, become completely numb, lose mobility within a short time, and even die. This foreigner could not be allowed to remain in the world. Disease practitioners could not tolerate fellow disciples.

Wan Jinxian succeeded; his fingernails scraped across Cui Tik's skin. Cui Tik's skin broke, but no blood appeared. Instead, green pus splattered out, landing on Wan Jinxian's face. Wan Jinxian felt a tingling itch on his face, and green herpes blisters erupted from his skin. Cui Tik looked at Wan Jinxian and said earnestly, "I love the Grandmaster, truly and from the heart. What about you?"