Chapter 110: Practicing Medicine, Boundless Merit

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Liu Zhenhua glanced at Li Chao and spoke with a serious expression.

“Hey, I just wanted to ask—would our little miracle doctor be willing to honor the Liu family with his presence and take charge here in the future?”

“As for your salary and benefits, name your price. As long as it’s within my power, I won’t hold back!”

Li Chao was stunned.

Good grief. They were trying to tie him to the Liu family, this towering tree of influence.

If it had been anyone else, they would probably have been overjoyed.

After all, the Liu family was currently the foremost wealthy clan in Wannan City. Once he agreed, luxury cars and mansions would practically fall into his lap.

But Li Chao merely smiled and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve grown used to living freely and dislike being restrained. Besides, I’m accustomed to village life. I’m afraid I wouldn’t adapt very well to all the bustle and extravagance of the city.”

The Liu family was indeed powerful, but it was not the world Li Chao longed for.

During this period, his horizons had broadened considerably.

At first, he had only wanted to make a name for himself in Kaiyuan County.

Now, even Huaxi City was no longer his ultimate goal.

He wanted to go farther and stand higher!

After hearing Li Chao’s reply, Liu Zhenhua sighed softly. After a moment’s thought, he said, “If that truly isn’t possible, then could you at least stay in Huaxi City for a few more days?”

Li Chao raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

“If it’s only to help regulate your health, I can simply prescribe a formula. Whether I’m here or not doesn’t really make much difference.”

Liu Zhenhua shook his head.

“Little miracle doctor, there’s something you don’t know. The Liu family has suffered one mishap after another recently, and I have a strong feeling that someone is pulling strings behind the scenes. Until the matter is resolved, I’d feel much more at ease with you here.”

By now, Liu Zhenhua had gained a thorough understanding of Li Chao.

Not only was his medical skill extraordinary, but his martial prowess was formidable as well.

The last time, the Butcher Squad of assassins had all fallen at Li Chao’s hands.

He could save people in their hour of need, yet he could also carve out a place for himself amid bloodshed. If Li Chao were willing to remain, he would undoubtedly become a powerful ally of the Liu family.

Li Chao hesitated, his mind turning the matter over.

Seeing this, Liu Zhenhua hurriedly raised the stakes.

“I’ve heard that you and Lele get along quite well. Surely you wouldn’t want to see her fall into danger again, would you? Even if you don’t care about doing it for my sake, you should at least look after Lele, shouldn’t you?”

Li Chao glanced at Liu Lele’s flushed face and felt a surge of helplessness.

Good grief. This was a beauty trap!

Sun Xinglin seized the opportunity to chime in.

“Master, if you’re not truly busy, stay a few more days. That way I can find time to learn more medicine from you. What do you say?”

Well, everyone was saying the same thing, and there was no need for him to worry about Chenjiagou for the time being.

After thinking it over, Li Chao finally nodded.

“All right. I’ll stay in the city for a few days and return once the trouble has been dealt with.”

Li Chao agreed to stay for three reasons.

The first was his personal relationship with Liu Lele.

The medicinal cuisine from South of the River Spring was selling like hotcakes, while the raw-material production base at Lijiabao was being built in full swing.

The two of them were also planning to work together to establish a large company combining medicinal cuisine, Breast Enhancement Cream, and kidney-nourishing medicinal liquor.

From that perspective, Li Chao naturally did not want anything to happen to the Liu family. After all, their interests were bound together.

The second reason was the lesson of the past.

The last time, Chen Shan had rescued Liu Lele, only to inexplicably attract a band of assassins.

Who knew whether Liu Zhenhua’s troubles would bring more trouble this time?

In any case, his relationship with the Liu family was already fairly good. There was no harm in dealing with the matter before leaving, and he could take shelter from the storm in the meantime.

The third reason was that little rascal Sun Xinglin.

This was a perfect opportunity to teach him some more practical medical techniques.

If the boy used what Li Chao taught him, he should eventually be able to obtain the experience points needed within the Ancient Pagoda, right?

Heh. It was also a way of leaving himself a backup plan.

Seeing that Li Chao had agreed to remain, Liu Zhenhua finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Over the next while, Li Chao first wrote Liu Zhenhua a prescription to regulate his health and had him send someone to purchase the necessary herbs.

He then personally instructed Sun Xinglin in medicine. The young man listened with a mixture of astonishment and trepidation, and his admiration for Li Chao deepened even further.

That evening, Liu Zhenhua hosted a banquet for Li Chao and Sun Xinglin.

After eating and drinking their fill, Sun Xinglin left, while Li Chao returned to the Liu residence with Liu Zhenhua.

It was not that the Liu family could not afford a hotel. Liu Zhenhua simply believed that keeping Li Chao close by was the safest arrangement.

The villa was enormous.

The residential compound’s security was first-rate as well. Liu Zhenhua had even purchased another villa nearby for the bodyguards and housekeepers to live in.

Thus, apart from members of the Liu family, no outsiders were present in this villa.

Liu Zhenhua lived on the third floor, Liu Lele occupied the second, and the guest room on the first floor was temporarily assigned to Li Chao.

Liu Lele even brought out brand-new bedding and helped make the bed.

Sitting nearby, Li Chao watched her and felt his mouth grow dry. He secretly mused, This beauty trap really is difficult to resist.

After all, she was Liu Lele, the beautiful businesswoman dreamed of by countless men.

Perhaps sensing Li Chao’s heated gaze, Liu Lele’s lovely face began to flush as well.

She quickly finished making the bed, said, “Get some rest early,” and hurried back upstairs.

Once she returned to her room, Liu Lele felt that her heart was still pounding violently.

She had long since entered the adult world and naturally understood many things.

Although she had exchanged only a few glances with Li Chao, she had already seen the burning flames in his eyes.

To be honest, it made her rather nervous.

Yet beneath that nervousness was a faint, indescribable sense of delight and pride.

After all, it proved that her charm had not diminished in the slightest.

At that moment, she remembered what her father had whispered to her during dinner.

“Li Chao is definitely a rising star! If you get the chance, make sure to bind him to the Liu family. Even if it has to be through marriage!”

His tone had been more solemn than ever before.

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As the richest man in Huaxi City, Liu Zhenhua had valued many people highly. But so far, Li Chao was the only young man he had been willing to win over by offering him one of his daughters in marriage.

In theory, Liu Lele detested this sort of arranged marriage most of all.

Yet for some reason, this time she said nothing. Instead, she felt a trace of anticipation.

Perhaps she had truly been attracted to Li Chao.

Or perhaps she believed that he really could become a powerful future ally of the Liu family.

Whatever the reason, she chose silence—and the anticipation in her heart began to burn quietly, like a tiny flame.

Inside the spacious Liu residence, Li Chao sat cross-legged on the bed, completely absorbed in practicing his Astral Body Tempering Art.

The starlight seemed genuinely capable of piercing through the roof, seeping thread by thread into his body and tempering his muscles and bones.

An hour passed, and a fine sheen of sweat had appeared across his body.

“Whew!”

Li Chao slowly exhaled, his heart filled with emotion.

Although he still had not fully understood the principles behind this cultivation art, every time he practiced, he could clearly sense changes in his cultivation—as if he truly were able to communicate with the stars high above the Nine Heavens.

After finishing his practice, he checked the golden gauge value on the Ancient Pagoda’s second level.

The value had not increased by much, but it was steadily rising. This was probably thanks to Yuxin.

At that moment, he could not help thinking of Sun Xinglin.

If Sun Xinglin could increase the Ancient Pagoda’s gauge value by using the medical techniques Li Chao taught him, would one of Sun Xinglin’s disciples produce the same effect after learning those techniques?

After all, they all originated from the same mysterious Medical Canon of the Profound Heavens.

At the thought, Li Chao became excited.

He immediately picked up his phone and called Sun Xinglin, telling him to teach the medical skills he had learned to one of his disciples in person. Once the disciple had mastered them, Sun Xinglin was to call him back.

Sun Xinglin was currently immersed in the medical techniques Li Chao had taught him. When he received the call, he was completely dumbfounded.

What was going on?

As the saying went, “The Way must not be passed on lightly.”

Many masters kept their medical knowledge hidden, only imparting certain techniques to their disciples after judging that they had performed well.

This was the logic behind the old folk saying: “Teach your apprentice everything, and you’ll starve to death.”

Yet Li Chao was clearly refusing to follow convention. Sun Xinglin was both astonished and filled with anticipation.

His master had not only taught him personally; now he was asking Sun Xinglin to teach a disciple as well.

What kind of spirit was this?

It was simply too selfless, too magnanimous!

The more Sun Xinglin thought about it, the more admiration for Li Chao welled up within him.

Sun Xinglin did not dare delay the task Li Chao had entrusted to him.

He immediately called one of the disciples he had always regarded highly into the room and began teaching him on the spot.

The disciple was equally bewildered, wondering whether such happiness had truly arrived so suddenly.

Meanwhile, Li Chao had barely ended the call and had not even lowered his phone when it suddenly rang again.

He thought, Could Sun Xinglin’s disciple really have learned so quickly? Have they found another medical prodigy?

But when he looked at the screen, he discovered that the call was from Liu Dan.

It was so late. Why was she calling?

Li Chao answered.

“Big Sister Dan, is something wrong?”

A voice came through the phone.

“Xiao Chao, I heard you went to Huaxi City. When are you planning to come back?”

“I may stay for a few days,” Li Chao replied.

Liu Dan laughed.

“That works out perfectly. I had nothing to do at home, so I enrolled in an adult-education program in Huaxi City to study finance and banking. Since you’re there, I can come find you when I’m free.”

“What?”

Liu Dan was taken aback.

“How did you suddenly think of coming to Huaxi City to study?”

Liu Dan explained, “I’m divorced now, and I’ve closed the little shop at home. I thought I needed to improve myself. I can’t continue drifting through life in a daze. So I came to Huaxi City to enroll in finance and banking. Xiao Chao, what do you think of my decision?”

“I happen to have some free time now. I thought that learning some professional knowledge might even allow me to help you in the future.”

Her words suddenly reminded Li Chao of the raw-material production base.

Once the base was up and running, it would certainly need professional financial personnel. He hurriedly said, “That’s wonderful. Study hard. By the time you’ve finished, the production base in the village should be ready to begin operations, so you’ll be able to step right in.”

On the other end of the call, Liu Dan hung up with a satisfied smile.

Her choice of finance and banking had not been entirely without ulterior motives.

As a woman who cared deeply for Li Chao, she had watched Yuxin spend day and night with him. Although she claimed not to mind, she was inevitably somewhat jealous and envious.

Now that Li Chao’s career was flourishing, and knowing that she had a natural head for business, she had immediately thought of studying finance.

It seemed that she had made the right choice after all.

After ending the call, Li Chao noticed the fine sweat covering his body and left the room for the bathroom next door.

He took off his clothes and gave himself a quick wash.

Just as he finished bathing and was about to get dressed, his brows suddenly rose and his gaze turned cold.

He had heard the outer door being quietly opened, followed by the sound of someone walking.

Aside from Li Chao, only Liu Zhenhua and Liu Lele were currently in the residence.

But he knew that Liu Zhenhua and Liu Lele had already retired to their rooms and had not gone out.

So who had arrived at this hour?

Could it be…

Had saving Liu Zhenhua attracted another wave of assassins?

Surely he could not be that unlucky.

He quietly moved toward the wall, sensing the approaching footsteps. His tension grew with every passing moment.

He prepared himself in secret. If assassins had truly come, he would show them no mercy this time.

Li Chao was just about to charge out of the bathroom when he suddenly changed direction, yanked open the door, and rushed outside.

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His instincts told him that anyone appearing here at this hour was unlikely to be ordinary.

He reacted swiftly and decisively, kicking the figure in front of him to the ground before pinning her beneath him.

“Ah!”

A woman’s terrified cry came from beneath him, causing Li Chao to freeze instantly.

Even as he kicked his opponent, he had already sensed that something was wrong. She seemed completely unprepared, like an ordinary person with no awareness of danger whatsoever.

Nevertheless, he maintained the necessary vigilance and continued restraining her.

Under the dim yellow light, he could clearly feel the woman’s chest being pressed out of shape beneath him.

Her scream echoed throughout the villa, repeatedly assaulting everyone’s ears.

At that moment, the lights suddenly came on, and Liu Zhenhua and Liu Lele rushed out after hearing the commotion.

They were confronted with an utterly unbelievable sight: Li Chao stood bare-chested, pinning a woman beneath him, their positions exceedingly suggestive.

“Dad, help me!”

The woman beneath him cried out in terror.

Liu Lele froze. The word “Dad” struck her mind like a thunderclap.

Several minutes later, they were all seated on the sofas in the first-floor living room.

Li Chao looked awkwardly at the woman opposite him. She had long hair falling over her shoulders, an oval face, and a pair of strikingly beautiful eyes.

At first glance, she resembled Liu Lele in certain ways, yet a closer look revealed obvious differences.

Liu Lele gave off the air of a mature and intellectual woman, whereas this young lady appeared pure and charming.

Only then did Li Chao learn that the woman before him was Liu Zhenhua’s second daughter, Liu Jingjing.

Liu Jingjing was attending university in the provincial capital. Because Liu Zhenhua’s illness had been so serious, he had worried that something might happen to him and had called both his daughters home.

His elder daughter, Liu Lele, lived nearby and had naturally arrived early. Liu Jingjing, however, had not returned until late at night.

She had expected to come straight home without the slightest precaution, only to be pinned beneath a strange man.

No one could have imagined such a thing happening.

After both sides had explained themselves, they chatted for a while before finally going their separate ways.

However, as she left, Li Chao strangely noticed that Liu Jingjing’s gaze seemed somewhat unusual.

It was an indescribable, baffling look, carrying a trace of inexplicable resentment.

Li Chao could not make head or tail of it. He wondered what he could possibly have done to offend her.

Why was she looking at him that way?

Could she have misunderstood him because of what had just happened?

At the thought, Li Chao felt another wave of helpless embarrassment.

He was certain that this was the first time he had ever met Liu Jingjing, yet the incomprehensible look in her eyes left him utterly confused.

He tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. The image of Liu Jingjing pinned beneath him kept surfacing in his mind.

Although it had been a misunderstanding, he had to admit that the sensation had been rather stimulating.

Moreover, during their brief contact, Li Chao had unexpectedly discovered that Liu Jingjing seemed to suffer from a hidden ailment.

He hesitated over whether he should tell her. After the awkward events of the previous night, he feared that saying anything without due care would easily lead to further misunderstanding.

The night passed.

The next morning, Li Chao awoke and washed up, only to find that Liu Lele was already up and had prepared breakfast.

He walked over and sat down. Looking at the sumptuous spread, he smiled.

“I thought Big Sister Liu was an overbearing business queen. I never imagined she had a side fit for a virtuous wife and loving mother as well.”

Liu Lele smiled.

“There’s still plenty about me that you haven’t discovered.”

They chatted as they ate, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Because of his health, Liu Zhenhua had not gotten up, while Liu Jingjing was still sleeping in.

During breakfast, the two of them discussed the Breast Enhancement Cream.

If they wanted to produce it on a large scale, they would need an ample supply of medicinal herbs. But herbs required time to mature; unlike vegetables, they could not simply be planted and harvested after a short period.

The medicinal liquor faced the same problem.

Liu Lele reached up to smooth her hair. After thinking for a moment, she said, “We don’t have many medicinal herbs here, but we can purchase them from regions where they are plentiful. As long as we find a stable source, we’ll be able to guarantee production of both the Breast Enhancement Cream and the medicinal liquor.”

“However, quite a few matters will probably be involved by then. You may need to come along and take a look yourself,” Liu Lele added.

Li Chao nodded.

“Let’s deal with what’s in front of us first. The cream and medicinal liquor can wait for now.”

After speaking, he remembered something and glanced upstairs.

“How is your father’s investigation going?”

Yesterday’s incident had clearly been a deliberate attempt to harm Liu Zhenhua. Liu Lele shook her head.

“I don’t know the details either, but I’m sure my father has a good idea of what’s going on. They simply haven’t figured everything out yet, so he hasn’t told us anything specific.”

Li Chao nodded. He knew that Liu Zhenhua was nowhere near as mild-mannered as he appeared. Given his abilities, investigating certain matters should not be difficult for him.

Just after breakfast, Li Chao received a call from Sun Xinglin.

“Master, I taught one of my disciples the most basic acupuncture technique you taught me, and he has mastered it. Do you have any further instructions?”

“He’s mastered it?”

Li Chao walked to the side and asked, “Do you have a patient there who would be suitable for him to treat using this acupuncture technique?”

After a brief pause, Sun Xinglin replied, “Yes!”

Li Chao immediately said, “Have him begin treating the patient now.”

Sun Xinglin was rather bewildered on the other end of the call. He secretly thought that his master was truly devoted to his work—was he even planning to offer remote guidance?

What extraordinary breadth of mind he possessed for the sake of preserving traditional medicine!

After hanging up, Li Chao called Yuxin as well and asked her to open the clinic and begin receiving patients a little later than usual.

Only after confirming that no errors would occur did he close his eyes and allow his consciousness to enter the Ancient Pagoda once more, staring intently at the gauge value leading to the third level.