One God, Four Sages, Nine Champions

Three days later, Ji Qinglin and his master returned to Shen Bixin's outer-street warehouse.

Inside the glass tank at the center of the underground medical room floated a huge mass of blood red threads. Soaked in water, it was about the size of a small backpack, as though someone had poured a giant pot of turkey noodles slathered in chili sauce into the water.

"This is the Grade A Meridians set Sang Feng had on him?"

It was Ji Qinglin's first time seeing one in such a complete state. Previously, he had only seen display pieces in Immortal Path Biology's directly operated stores.

They had all been placed inside silicone human models, since that made it easier to instruct users on installation. Packaged up, anyone who did not know better might think they had bought an inflatable doll.

As Shen Bixin prepared to change into surgical clothes, she replied, "This is what the meridians look like after being soaked open by blood."

"Where's Sang Feng?"

"Are you asking about his organs, or what's left of him?"

"Never mind."

Yu Ye asked curiously, "Doctor Shen, how are such high-grade meridians fused into the body?"

Ji Qinglin smiled. "Eat the whole thing in one gulp."

"Ah!?"

Yu Ye's willow brows shot upright in shock, until she saw Ji Qinglin fail to hold back his laughter.

"Master!"

Shen Bixin shot Ji Qinglin a glare and explained, "Don't listen to that damned profiteer's nonsense. In a moment, you'll take off your clothes and lie face-down on the operating bed. I'll perform a minor procedure on your spine, allowing this section of meridians to contact your nerves and blood vessels. Then, those vessels will automatically burrow into your original body meridians, eventually absorbing and replacing them."

"Will it take a long time?"

"No. High-end meridians fuse into the body very quickly. Under normal circumstances, once artificial skin patches are applied over the incision, you'll be able to get out of bed this afternoon. It's just that the meridians will strengthen your muscles and bones at a slightly slower pace. Are you ready?"

"Mhm."

Seeing that Yu Ye was still a little nervous, Ji Qinglin pretended he was going into the operating room as well.

"Need any help? I might not be much good at surgery, but I'm pretty skilled at taking clothes off."

Shen Bixin raised her Mechanical Arm slightly and pointed outside. "Wait outside."

"I'm her family member, more or less. Can't I have a little sense of participation?"

"Outside!"

But before leading Yu Ye into the operating room, Shen Bixin turned back to Ji Qinglin again.

"There are also some hidden assets I got from interrogating Sang Feng. They're in the cabinet outside. You can choose some to take with you."

"You're being this generous?"

"You think I'm like you?"

When he opened the metal cabinet, Ji Qinglin found neither savings nor financial assets. There was only a stack of photographs and a marked-up map of Bangkok.

Two locations had been marked on the map. One was the Old City of Xin Dong Street, relatively close to the wilderness; the other was an outer street in North New District.

The photographs showed the specific conditions of those two locations. It seemed Shen Bixin had already visited them.

What she was letting him choose was not some treasure, but two private properties Sang Feng had left behind.

Beneath the photographs were two unsigned property sale documents. It was clear Sang Feng had thoroughly prepared an escape route for himself.

After all, a cunning rabbit had three burrows. He would not easily tell others about places like these, so their security was definitely good.

Ji Qinglin flipped through the photos. The property on the outer street of North New District was a single-floor apartment in a building, hidden away and simply furnished, with nothing unusual about it. The one in the Old City of Xin Dong Street was a small courtyard near the wilderness, filled inside and out with mechanical scrap. The interior was barely clean.

It seemed like... Wait! As Ji Qinglin looked through the pictures of the Old Street courtyard, something among the junk inside suddenly caught his eye.

It was half of a cylindrical object placed in the corner, filled with dirt. The little tree growing inside had long since died before Sang Feng did.

Others naturally would not have cared, but Ji Qinglin could no longer look away.

This thing was identical to the pod he had been in when he awoke. He had once carefully observed and recorded his own, so Ji Qinglin believed he could not be mistaken.

Once he confirmed it was a pod, Ji Qinglin carefully examined the photographs of the Old City courtyard on Xin Dong Street. There were quite a few old items around it. The courtyard's previous resident might have been some Garbage Collector.

Thick stacks of old papers and posters sat on the bookshelf inside, though their detailed contents could not be made out from the photos alone.

He had to visit that courtyard. Perhaps he could find clues about his resurrection and the phone he had bound to himself. At last, he had found a few threads of evidence.

About two hours later, Shen Bixin emerged from the operating room after finishing the surgery.

"That fast? There won't be any problems, right?"

"Everything went smoothly. Your disciple's medication hasn't worn off yet, so go in a little later. Well? Have you chosen?"

Ji Qinglin picked up a photograph and handed it over.

"I want this one."

"I thought you would choose North New District."

"There's plenty of old stuff inside and outside this courtyard. Maybe I can bring some back and sell it for a good price."

"Suit yourself. Take the keys, contract, and map yourself."

Shen Bixin had not cared about these things to begin with, so she did not ask further.

At noon, after Yu Ye's medication wore off, medical machines wheeled her into the lounge. Her bare body was covered only by a surgical patient gown. Since the incision was on her back, she could only lie face-down for now. The pair of little white rabbits on her chest were pressed so hard they nearly spilled from the loose collar, but she looked to be in fairly good spirits.

Ji Qinglin sat beside her, feeding her nutrient solution as he asked, "How do you feel? Does it still hurt?"

After taking a huge gulp, Yu Ye shook her head.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. It just feels strange, like something is moving inside my body. Like a flower is slowly blooming within me."

Seeing the clothes at Yu Ye's lower back ride up and expose her fair, soft side, Ji Qinglin covered her up, then gently pinched her.

"Ah~"

Facing Yu Ye's apricot eyes, filled with confusion and a trace of anger, Ji Qinglin smiled. "Nothing. Just checking whether the anesthetic has worn off."

Crazy Night: Does he think the anesthetic damaged our brains?

"Master, I'm very interested in those experts you mentioned last time. Can you tell me about them? Let me learn what the absolute masters of this path are like."

Ji Qinglin opened another box of nutrient solution, stuffed the straw into Yu Ye's mouth, and replied, "At the peak of Qi Practitioners, the universally acknowledged figures are 'One God Four Sages, Nine Champions.' But they're the peak, after all, so we rarely have any chance of seeing them. As for Grandmaster-level Qi Practitioners below them, there are many. I'll tell you when we encounter one. I'm afraid there won't be time today."

Yu Ye nearly choked at that.

"Cough, Master, you're leaving?"

Ji Qinglin nodded.

"You'll be able to move around later. Then go with Doctor Shen to her Bixin Hall first. The intelligent machines there will take good care of you. You can also begin implanting and practicing basic cultivation techniques, things like the Subduing Tiger Fist and Ladder Cloud Leap. But don't bite off more than you can chew. Master the next technique only after becoming proficient in one. When I return, I'll take you to buy high-level techniques."

"Where are you going, Master?"

"Into seclusion."

"You're not still angry about what happened that day, are you? This disciple truly knows she was wrong."

Ji Qinglin reached out and stroked Yu Ye's little head. Her black hair was exceptionally soft and smooth. "What foolish things are you saying? Since we're entering the Cultivation Grand Competition, we must make thorough preparations in advance. Don't let your imagination run wild. I'll be back in a few days. Don't slack off. I'll test the results of your cultivation then."

"All right. Then please be careful."

After leaving Yu Ye that fifty Red Coin note, Ji Qinglin departed alone.

Yu Ye: You tell me, why is Master going into seclusion when I'm the one competing? Crazy Night: How would I know? Maybe he's going to kill people and find you more Cultivation Accessories.

Yu Ye: Huh?