Four hours later, the plane landed at Jiangzhou Airport.
After disembarking, Ye Qiu asked Master Longbrow, “When we left the Northern Territory, you told Xiao Jiu that if he didn’t enter the capital for ten years, he’d enjoy wealth and peace. Does that mean as long as he stays away from the capital for a decade, he’ll live safely his whole life?”
Master Longbrow shook his head. “I was deceiving him.”
“Deceiving him?” Ye Qiu cursed. “I knew you couldn’t spit out a single truthful word, you old codger.”
Master Longbrow explained, “It’s not that I wanted to deceive him, but fate is hard to defy.”
“For Xiao Jiu, the capital is a place of great peril.”
“The next time he sets foot in the capital, he’ll meet his end.”
At this, Master Longbrow glanced at Ye Qiu. “Little brat, the capital is a place of great peril for you too.”
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes. “Do you think I need reminding?”
“The Forbidden City is in the capital. Of course it’s a perilous place for me.”
Master Longbrow chuckled.
“I’m heading home. Coming with me?” Ye Qiu asked.
“No,” Master Longbrow replied. “I’ll catch a connecting flight from here back to Dragon Tiger Mountain.”
“Hm?” Ye Qiu was a bit surprised. “You’ve come all this way. What’s the rush to get back to Dragon Tiger Mountain? Let me take you for a drink.”
“Next time,” Master Longbrow said. “That lad Shuisheng has been learning to draw talismans lately. I need to go back and keep an eye on him.”
Ye Qiu nodded. “Alright then. Come to Jiangzhou when you’ve got time.”
“Will do.” Master Longbrow’s smile suddenly faded, and he said gravely, “Ye Qiu, before we part, I’ll tell you one more thing.”
“Not long ago, I used the Heavenly Mechanism Disk to cast a divination for you.”
“Within the next year, you’ll face a life-and-death calamity, and the source of this calamity lies in the North.”
The North?
Ye Qiu was startled. “You mean the Forbidden City?”
The Forbidden City is in the capital, due north.
Master Longbrow said, “I suspect it’s the Forbidden City as well.”
Ye Qiu asked, “If your divination is accurate, doesn’t that mean Dragon One will emerge from seclusion within the year?”
“Indeed.” Master Longbrow nodded.
A sense of urgency gripped Ye Qiu’s heart.
The pressure was immense.
The Forbidden City hung over him like a sword, ready to strike at any moment.
“Those old monsters in the Forbidden City are no easy foes. You’re under a lot of pressure,” Master Longbrow said solemnly.
“If Dragon One comes out of seclusion, it’ll be nothing short of catastrophic for me,” Ye Qiu said. “I heard from Monk Kongjian that Dragon One has long since cultivated nine strands of true qi and went into seclusion to step into the realm of immortality.”
“What?” Master Longbrow was shocked. “If that’s true, doesn’t that mean when Dragon One emerges, it’ll be your doom?”
Ye Qiu glared at him, annoyed. “You old git, must you curse me with death?”
Master Longbrow chuckled. “It sounds harsh, but I’m speaking the truth.”
Indeed, Master Longbrow was telling it straight.
Ye Qiu thought the same.
Once Dragon One emerged, he’d face a life-or-death crisis.
He had killed Dragon Five, and the people in the Forbidden City would never let him off.
“Old man, since your divination shows I’ll face this calamity, does it also reveal any chance of survival?” Ye Qiu asked.
Master Longbrow replied, “The hexagram indicates a sliver of hope, and that hope comes from the West.”
The West?
Ye Qiu frowned.
Master Longbrow added, “A noble person will come from the West to lend you aid. As for your odds of success… I couldn’t divine that.”
Ye Qiu scoffed, “Aren’t you supposed to be the world’s greatest diviner? And there’s something you can’t calculate?”
Master Longbrow said, “I may be the world’s greatest diviner, but the mysteries of heaven are hard to fathom. It’s normal that some things elude me.”
“I’m in a rush, so I won’t ramble.”
“Ye Qiu, focus on improving your cultivation. To forge iron, you need to be strong yourself. I’m off…”
“Wait.” Ye Qiu stopped him and asked, “How do I use the Sword Talisman?”
Master Longbrow smiled. “It’s simple—just crush it.”
“Using the Sword Talisman requires immense internal energy as support. Last time I used it, my internal energy was completely drained. That’s the drawback of the Sword Talisman, so be mindful.”
“See you!”
Master Longbrow waved, turned, and soon vanished into the crowd.
As Ye Qiu left the airport, he spotted Bai Bing waiting outside and hurried over.
“Ice Sis, how did you know I was coming back today?” Ye Qiu asked, surprised.
He hadn’t told anyone about his return.
“Tang Fei called me, said you were coming back today. I happened to have the day off, so I came to pick you up,” Bai Bing said with a smile. She was wearing a white dress, high heels, and light makeup, looking like a blooming lotus—utterly stunning.
“Let’s go!”
Ye Qiu pulled Bai Bing into the car, and they left the airport.
As is well known, airports are typically built in remote areas, some distance from city centres.
Jiangzhou Airport was a good forty-plus minutes from Ye Qiu’s home, with a few mountain roads along the way.
When the car reached a fork in the road, Ye Qiu suddenly veered onto a mountain path and stopped in a secluded spot.
“Why’d you drive here?” Bai Bing asked, puzzled.
Ye Qiu grinned. “I want to experience something different.”
Bai Bing was even more confused. “What kind of different?”
“Heh…” Ye Qiu smirked mischievously and pulled Bai Bing into his arms.
Only then did Bai Bing realise what he was up to. Her face flushed as she hurriedly said, “Not here! What if someone sees us? It’d be so embarrassing. Can’t we do this at home?”
“What’s to fear? This is the middle of nowhere—no one will see us. Ice Sis, I haven’t seen you in days. I’ve missed you like crazy.” Ye Qiu leaned in to kiss her, but Bai Bing pushed him away.
“Don’t be so eager~” she said, then swiftly started tugging at Ye Qiu’s trousers.
Ye Qiu was taken aback. “Ice Sis, you told *me* not to be eager, but you’re even more eager than I am?”
Bai Bing said with a hint of jealousy, “Who told you to go to Suzhou and Hangzhou with that vixen Lin Jingzhi and even take her to Dali? Hmph, today I’m going to drain you so you can’t go back and pamper her.”
Well, Ice Sis was jealous.
When a woman gets jealous, the consequences are serious—she’s far stronger than usual.
…
For the next few days, Ye Qiu took leave from the hospital and stayed home, focusing on his cultivation.
Since Qian Jinglan was still in Suzhou and Hangzhou with Old Master Qian, Lin Jingzhi, Bai Bing, and Qin Wan took turns coming to the house to look after Ye Qiu.
During this time, Ye Qiu’s life was quite comfortable.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was August 12th.
In two days, Ye Qiu would officially face off against the great Korean medical sage, Li Zhengxi, in a medical duel.
For some time, both television news and online media had been covering the event relentlessly, drawing immense attention.
August 13th.
An auspicious day, suitable for travel.
Ye Qiu woke up at seven in the morning, packed his bags, and headed to Jinling.
