After hanging up the phone, Li Yuan stood by the window, gazing at the cherry blossom trees flanking the pathway in the distance. The cherry blossoms in March were truly beautiful. However, Li Yuan felt no interest in admiring them; his mood was heavy, and his mind echoed with Teacher Xu's previous words.
Just moments ago, Li Yuan had forced himself to suppress his impulse, patiently communicating with the Hall Master Wan, discerning the other party’s attitude and thoughts before finally making his request. "I have done what I can," Li Yuan gently closed his eyes, "It must succeed."
The window was open, and Li Yuan stood silently there, allowing the wind to brush against his face as he awaited news.
…
Half an hour later, as the class bell rang, it was time for dinner.
In Martial Arts Room 4001, "Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!" The light of the sword flickered, fierce yet agile, as a girl clad in a crimson practice outfit trained in sword techniques. Suddenly, a voice chimed in, "Beep~ Master, the video communication from Second Brother is coming in. Would you like to answer?"
"Second Brother?" Lin Lanyue was slightly startled and quickly said, "Answer!"
With a whoosh, countless light beams converged, forming a projection in the distance, featuring a handsome man dressed in a black battle suit appearing on the screen.
"Second Brother," Lin Lanyue smiled.
"Have you returned to the school from Jiangbei Martial University?" The handsome man looked at the background of Lin Lanyue's screen.
"Mm," Lin Lanyue nodded, "Second Brother, do you have news?"
"Mm," the man’s smile faded: "Didn’t you ask me to find someone named ‘Li Changzhou’ this morning?"
Lin Lanyue nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Brother, do you have news?"
"I found him." The man nodded, "He was gravely injured and was moved to my stationed Base No. 7 in the afternoon. I went to check on him myself; he has been poisoned by Burning Erosion Bone Poison and has already begun to slip into a coma."
"Burning Erosion Bone Poison? What is that?" Lin Lanyue inquired, puzzled.
"It’s a toxin originating from a Third-Order Flame Serpent Demon," the man said solemnly. "He most likely contracted it during the last frantic attack from the Star Realm creatures on Base No. 3... The Burning Erosion Bone Poison in the Star Realm is much weaker than the original version."
"A Third-Order Flame Serpent Demon?" Lin Lanyue's expression changed slightly. She didn't know what a Flame Serpent Demon was, but she understood the implication of Third-Order. That represented a terrifying existence on par with Sky Martial Artists.
"Can he be saved?" Lin Lanyue pressed on.
"If he had been sent here sooner, he could have been saved," the man shook his head slightly. "But now... it’s very difficult to treat, especially since there’s no antidote available in the Lobu Sea."
"Currently, the toxin has penetrated deep into his bones, and he is growing increasingly painful and weak."
"He won't last long."
"What kind of person is this Li Changzhou? He shouldn’t have anything to do with you," the man asked. "Why the sudden interest in investigating him?"
"Brother, please don’t ask." Lin Lanyue frowned and said urgently, "Just tell me, what can save him?"
"To save him now, the best treasure I know of is the ‘Flame Tong Spirit Spring,’" the man said. "This item is probably not even found on Blue Star; you know that better than I."
Lin Lanyue's face changed again. She wasn't aware of other treasures, but she knew very well about the Flame Tong Spirit Spring. It wasn't precious but was extremely rare. The most critical issue was that it didn’t come from Blue Star.
"And it must be fast," the man added. "At most, two days. He will undoubtedly die."
"Two days?" Lin Lanyue was startled and pondered for a moment. "Brother, can you arrange a flying vehicle to bring him back from the Lobu Sea immediately?"
"Just before I contacted you, he had already been placed on the flying vehicle," the man said. "If we calculate the time, he should return to Jiang City around ten o'clock tonight."
"So fast?" Lin Lanyue exclaimed.
"He was already awarded commendation, so under normal circumstances, if not for someone cutting in line, he should have been arranged to leave Base No. 3 long before this. It wouldn't have dragged on until the afternoon," the man explained.
"Just a moment ago, military personnel from the Starfire Martial Hall, Kunlun Martial University, and others reached out to my Base No. 7, inquiring about his condition, hoping to arrange his return to Jiang City as soon as possible."
"So, I re-arranged the flying vehicle, urgently sending him and another group of wounded back to Jiang City," he concluded.
Now it was Lin Lanyue's turn to be astonished. So many people from various factions were calling; was it Li Yuan?
"Alright, Second Brother, I understand," Lin Lanyue shook her head, "I have other matters to attend to, I will hang up now."
Lin Lanyue directly ended the call. After some thought, she took out another Smart Wristband from her backpack and dialed another V message number.
Beep~ Beep~ Each tone seemed particularly elongated. After a full minute, the call was finally connected, but it was just audio, not video.
"Xiaoyue, what is it?" A hoarse voice came from the other end.
"Uncle, I need you to help me with something."
…
As dusk deepened, in Martial Arts Room 4011, the doorbell suddenly rang, snapping Li Yuan from his waiting reverie. He quickly went to open the door.
"Teacher."
"I just got the news; your uncle has boarded the rescue flying vehicle and is expected to arrive at Tianhe Airport in four hours, around ten o'clock tonight," Xu Bo said gravely.
Li Yuan immediately felt overjoyed. At that moment, his Smart Wristband buzzed with a communication from Hall Master Wan. Li Yuan swiftly answered and then quickly hung up.
"How is it?" Xu Bo asked.
"Hall Master Wan said he has arranged a small flying vehicle that will take my uncle directly from the airport to the Xie Ji Hospital," Li Yuan’s voice contained excitement.
Xie Ji Hospital was one of the top hospitals in the Xia Country and was among the best throughout the Blue Star. After all, the Xia Country was the strongest nation on Blue Star.
"That’s good, quickly inform your aunt to wait at the airport," Xu Bo said.
…
For Li Yuan, today felt extraordinarily long.
At ten o'clock at night, when he had already arrived at the airport, he saw his uncle Li Changzhou being wheeled off the plane. Li Changzhou's skin had taken on a slight bluish tint; his complexion was haggard, having fallen into a deep coma. It was evident that he had been poisoned severely.
"Uncle." Even though Li Yuan had anticipated this situation, seeing it still felt like a knife to the heart.
"Changzhou." His aunt, Chen Hui, couldn’t hold back any longer, tears streaming down her face as she leaned over the stretcher, crying out her husband's name.
"Aunt, we need to hurry," Li Yuan gritted his teeth against the pain in his heart, forcefully lifting his aunt, and said softly, "Hall Master Wan, thank you for your help."
"Li Yuan." Hall Master Wan spoke softly beside him, "Don't worry; I have arranged for the best doctors to perform emergency consultations and surgery overnight, doing everything possible to save your uncle."
"Okay," Li Yuan nodded.
Li Changzhou was soon placed on a small flying vehicle, swiftly heading toward the hospital. All the doctors were already waiting at the hospital.
Li Yuan took his aunt into a car that had been waiting nearby.
"Li Yuan, the person just now, was the Hall Master of the Starfire Martial Hall?" Chen Hui asked, struggling to regain her composure once inside the car.
Her heart was full of confusion. For days, she had been filled with worry; her husband, who had always supported the family, was now almost down. Judging by the current situation, he was near death.
However, what truly shocked her was Li Yuan. Earlier in the afternoon, she had received a message from Li Changzhou's colleague, aware of her husband’s perilous state. Yet, she felt powerless.
Chen Hui had never expected that Li Yuan could arrange a flying vehicle to bring her husband back from almost ten thousand miles away at the Lobu Sea frontline.
"Aunt."
"Please don’t worry," Li Yuan whispered comfortingly, "I have displayed exceptional talent; the Starfire Martial Hall values me highly, so they will certainly be able to save uncle."
"And the treatment costs?" Chen Hui expressed her concern anxiously. Organizing a flying vehicle and summoning doctors would undoubtedly incur significant expenses.
"Aunt, I have over a million on me right now, and several million will be deposited soon," Li Yuan said quietly, "Even if they demand an immediate payment, I can borrow several millions very easily."
Li Yuan was confident that if he wanted to borrow money, there would not be a lack of willing lenders.
"This money is for your future cultivation costs," Chen Hui shook her head.
"Aunt, I forgot to tell you that today, the Martial Hall upgraded my contract from B-grade to A-grade," Li Yuan solemnly said. "Four million five hundred thousand cash will be deposited tomorrow; there won't be a shortage."
"Four million five hundred thousand Blue Star Coins?" Chen Hui’s mind was increasingly in shock.
"Aunt, don’t worry."
"As long as we can save uncle, even if it costs ten million or one billion, I will do everything I can," Li Yuan's voice contained a frightening determination.
Since middle school, he had worked hard cultivating. Striving to this day, besides holding the dream of becoming a martial artist, his greatest desire was to not disappoint his uncle and aunt, to ensure that their efforts were not wasted.
He wished for the family to live a good life together. If the family were gone, then what would be the meaning of his relentless cultivation?
…
When Li Yuan and his aunt arrived at the hospital, Li Changzhou’s surgery had already started.
Xu Bo and Wan Qinghe were waiting there, and due to Li Changzhou's condition, Wan Qinghe had arranged for the martial artists of the Starfire Martial Hall to bring Li Qianqian and Li Muhua over.
Chen Hui comforted Li Qianqian and Li Muhua.
"Li Yuan." Wan Qinghe approached, finding Li Yuan, and said gravely, "Before your uncle boarded the plane, someone at Base No. 7 recognized the toxin."
"It is called Burning Erosion Bone Poison."
Wan Qinghe swiftly explained the origins of this toxin to Li Yuan.
"Originating from a Third-Order Flame Serpent Demon?" Li Yuan's expression changed dramatically.
Third Order Martial Artists referred to Sky Martial Artists.
"Right now, your uncle’s only chance of survival is that this toxin is not the original poison," Wan Qinghe said gravely. "After all, the Third-Order powerful beings from the other side of the Lobu Sea cannot enter the Star Realm."
"They could only use made-up toxins, which are much less toxic."
"Then there is still hope," Wan Qinghe added. "Now, it all rests in the hands of the doctors."
Li Yuan looked toward the closed doors of the operating room ahead.
"Additionally, we have clarified how your uncle was poisoned," Wan Qinghe said. "At that time, in one direction of the stronghold, a fortification was destroyed, and the toxin spread; no workers dared to go up, and the Star Realm creatures continuously rushed in to kill."
"Your uncle sacrificed himself, driving the super-large engineering vehicle to block the breach, enduring multiple attacks from Second-Order Star Realm creatures until he delayed the rescue of Source Martial Artists."
"In the end, your uncle was poisoned, but he also saved over a hundred workers, crucially holding off the Star Realm assault."
"That is also why your uncle was awarded commendation," Wan Qinghe sighed. "Your uncle's character is truly admirable; no wonder he could raise someone like you."
"The reason I have offered so much help in saving your uncle is partly for you, but not solely because of you," Wan Qinghe said. "More so, it’s because your uncle is the kind of person who deserves help."
"Such heroes should not die."
Li Yuan fell silent, involuntarily imagining the scene Hall Master Wan described; it must have been harrowing.
At the same time, he recalled the night last September when his uncle left for the Lobu Sea Star Realm frontline. Just before leaving, he had said to him, "Xiao Yuan, I could choose not to go to the Lobu Sea, but if I don’t go, someone must take my place."
"This war, someone has to fight, right?"
…
Time passed, and the surgery continued into the early hours, until around four o'clock.
Li Qianqian, Li Muhua, and the others had all fallen asleep on one another.
Wan Qinghe had other matters to attend to and left first.
Xu Bo remained, along with several of Li Changzhou’s friends like Zhong Cheng and Uncle Wang who had all arrived.
Li Yuan continued to stand silently at the door of the operating room, waiting.
"Bang~"
The door of the operating room opened.
(End of Chapter)