Li Bai's Demoness

Chapter 13 - Li Bai's Demoness

Tuman Restaurant's service was impeccable, especially for a regular like Dong Keyan. They settled the bill quickly and even called a taxi for her.

Fifteen minutes later, Dong Keyan, who had registered for emergency care, was hooked up to an IV as the pain gradually faded.

Li Bai, carrying the takeout boxes from the restaurant, continued his meal. Seeing the meat-loving girl's pitiful, greedy look, he gestured with the sausages in his hand.

"Want a couple?"

"No way!"

The beauty anchor who couldn't control her mouth nearly burst into tears. She'd forgotten to take her medicine before dinner, and just as she was enjoying her meal, it flared up.

Loving Germany but not speaking German, loving meat but cursed with gallstones that forbade it—what a tangled mess.

Li Bai urged, "You should just get the surgery done!"

Cut it out, and she'd be free of the suffering.

"I still have my streaming career and my immigration plans—when would I have time? Could you move to Germany with me?"

Dong Keyan sighed a few times, then fixed her gaze on Li Bai without blinking.

He wasn't short, had a bit of charm, was fairly witty in conversation, at least a master's degree, and could swipe his card to pay—barely meeting her standards, so she decided to give him a chance.

Li Bai could naturally guess what Dong Keyan was thinking, as if that invisible barrier was about to be breached.

But he just shrugged and said, "Sorry, while my parents live, I don't travel far. I haven't had my fill of being Chinese in this life."

"Alright, I get it. Anyway, thank you!"

Dong Keyan was the type who could take things in stride and let them go, gracefully moving on.

They ended before they even began—or rather, they were just newly acquainted friends, and nothing more.

Since he'd already been handed the "good guy" card, he might as well see it through.

After seeing the meat-loving beauty anchor home once her IV was done, Li Bai returned home with the feeding box full of takeout.

He pulled out his keys, about to open the door, when he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw Yang Fa, Brother Yang from across the hall, opening his own door.

Li Bai quickly greeted him, "Brother Yang! What a coincidence!"

Yang Fa was Li Bai's landlord. Twenty years ago, when the area was demolished, he'd been compensated with five apartments in this building—one for himself, the other four for rent. Though they were cramped forty-to-fifty-square-meter spaces, the monthly rent let Yang Fa's family live quite comfortably.

Yang Fa leaned against the doorframe lazily and said, "Mm. Xiao Li, you're back just in time. Got something to tell you—starting next month, rent's going up by thirty percent. Renewal's a yearly payment."

"Brother Yang, you already raised it by twenty percent at the start of the year. It's only been a few months, and another hike? That's nearly half more than when I first moved in."

Li Bai didn't really care about the yearly payment, but getting hit with rent increases every few months was hard to stomach.

"Save the chatter. Rent if you want, scram if you don't. If it's too pricey, go rent a farmer's house in the suburbs—that's cheap. I've got a long line of people waiting to rent here."

Yang Fa yawned and laid down his non-negotiable ultimatum.

"Alright, alright, I'll get the money to you later."

Li Bai had no interest in arguing with this money-grubbing landlord, so he just accepted it.

If he actually moved to the suburbs, the rent might be cheaper, but commuting would take over four hours round trip. With an eight-hour workday, spending more than half that time wasted on the road wasn't worth it—he'd rather sleep in.

"What's in that box? Smells good."

Yang Fa sniffed the air, his eyes landing on the feeding box in Li Bai's hand.

That guy really had a dog's nose—he could even smell the takeout inside the box.

Li Bai had no choice but to open it, pull out one container, and hand it over. "I was eating out and packed some leftovers. Haven't touched a single bite. Brother Yang, take it home for sister-in-law to try."

No way around it—he had to keep the landlord happy. Otherwise, what if he raised the rent again? Renting someone else's place meant wanting a stable life, not making trouble for himself or others.

"Oh, German sausages, not bad!"

Taking the box and opening it for a look, Yang Fa's face lit up with surprise. He actually recognized them—German sausages. He grabbed one, bit into it, and retreated back into his room, mumbling, "Don't think one box of leftovers is gonna get me to cut your rent. Not a cent less."

Bang! The door slammed shut again.

Muffled voices came from behind the door.

"Honey, come try these sausages the kid across the hall gave me. Not bad."

"We're about to sell our place, and you're still charging him a year's rent? Don't you have a conscience?"

"Pfft, cash in hand is what counts. Who cares about conscience? A sale doesn't break a lease—he can sue all he wants, I'm not scared."

"..."

Li Bai, who had just opened his own door, caught the whole exchange. He shook his head—people these days had no integrity.

The lights were still on inside his place. The Azure Flood Dragon was no longer playing Minesweeper; she had a webpage open, browsing something unknown. The breakfast on the kitchen stove was still untouched—not a single bite. That demoness was so absorbed in the computer she'd even forgotten to eat.

"Qingyao, there's extra food tonight."

Li Bai took the takeout boxes out of the feeding box one by one and set them on the dining table.

He'd given one box to the landlord, Brother Yang, but there were still seven or eight left—sausages, pies, all sorts of variety.

Too bad the beauty anchor had hit her "golden elixir tribulation" and couldn't enjoy them. Many dishes hadn't even been touched with chopsticks.

"Extra meal?"

The Azure Flood Dragon turned its head, flicking its tongue, immediately abandoning Li Bai's laptop. It leaped onto the dining table, sizing up the takeout containers, and began devouring them without any restraint.

Compared to the beauty anchor Dong Keyan, the Qingyao Demoness was a true carnivore.

Watching the Azure Flood Dragon wolf down its food, bite after bite, a phone ring suddenly broke the silence.

Li Bai thought it was the beauty anchor asking if he'd made it home, but instead saw an unfamiliar number. Confused, he answered directly.

"Is this Doctor Li from the Seventh People's Hospital?"

"It's me. Who's this?"

Li Bai had no memory of this somewhat hoarse voice at all.

"Doctor Li, the one million has been transferred. Thanks for your hard work this time. Hope we can cooperate again."

Before Li Bai could react, the call ended abruptly and without context, the other party never identifying themselves.

What the hell?

A vague "hope we can cooperate again" with no explanation—but he quickly recalled the mysterious text he'd received during dinner.

A faint sense of being caught in a conspiracy welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Li Bai thought for a moment, then casually dialed a number.

Two minutes later, he put down the phone, finally feeling a bit more at ease.

The enemy was hidden while he was exposed, and he was alone. Li Bai was at a serious disadvantage and had to make some preparations in advance.

Once the Qingyao Demoness had swept through all the extra meals like a storm, Li Bai tidied up, tossed the feeding box into a corner, and sat down on the sofa.

With a flicker of his mind, he took a bottle of pills and a Spirit Crystal from his Storage Ring. The few strands of Spiritual Power he'd cultivated last night using the Maha Bolan Sutra were once again nearly depleted.

He first swallowed a pill, and soon a slight warmth spread through his abdomen. This heat, like lively, flowing spring water, surged into his eight extraordinary meridians, swirling within his acupoints, nourishing the Gang Qi-depleted channels.

Martial arts cultivation was like charging against a current—if you didn't advance, you fell back. Pushing the Gang Qi to nourish the meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians would gradually atrophy. To cultivate them back would require enduring no small amount of hardship.

Li Bai didn't rush to activate the Maha Bolan Sutra to refine his Spiritual Power. Instead, he focused on martial cultivation. The Canglang Jue, the first technique he'd learned, was originally a highly advanced martial arts manual. Deep within the barren and desolate lower dantian, a faint haze began to appear. After a moment, it grew denser and denser, eventually forming a small misty mass that started expanding into every corner of the dantian.

Just as he was immersing himself in martial cultivation, the local "17th Floor" forum began to stir again. The heat surrounding the rich second generation's murder case remained unabated.

"Inspector: Wherever: Something strange happened last night. The Yao Family urgently called in our Professor Hou from the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

"2014 Universe: Rumor has it that Yao Bing really has a mental illness!"

"A Bottle of 1982 Nongfu Spring: Nonsense! This is just a rich man's trick, pretending to be insane to escape legal punishment."

"Tuzki: Exclusive inside info—the doctor who diagnosed Yao Bing took a one-million bribe. Evidence incoming."

An audio clip was quickly uploaded online. When the clear recording of the phone call played, the forum exploded.

"Fish's Eyebrows: Doctor Li is a conscientious and responsible doctor. There's no way he'd take a bribe. Yao Bing really does have a mental illness."

"Er Gouzi: They even uploaded the recording. What proof do you have that this Li guy wouldn't take a bribe?"

"Tuzki: Yao Family's lackey, get out!"

"Star Luo: Definitely a shill. So shameless!"

Sitting in front of her computer, Su Mei's tears of grievance rolled down uncontrollably.

The people online were slandering Doctor Li with immense malice. She tried her best to defend him, but only met with more ridicule, even foul-mouthed abuse. Some directly slapped labels like "Yao Family's lackey" and "Doctor Li's paid shill" on her. No one believed a word she said.

The murderous rich second generation Yao Bing had become a public enemy. Any differing opinion or stance was treated as defending the indefensible. A few trolls specifically targeted Su Mei's online ID, "Fish's Eyebrows," spewing venom.

"Li Bai's Demoness: You bunch of trash who can only flap your gums, trying to frame my Young Master? Bring it on if you've got the guts!"

"Star Luo: ..."

"Inspector: Wherever: ..."

"2014 Universe: ..."

"A Bottle of 1982 Nongfu Spring: ..."

Who the hell is this person?