You are my future brother-in-law?

What? Was Lian Yunbi's little brother dying? Zhang He was startled.

Seeing how shocked Zhang He looked, Lian Yunbi realized he had misunderstood and quickly explained. After her little brother had taken the Five Poison Beads, the burning heat that had plagued him had eased considerably. But for some reason, his condition had suddenly worsened that morning, and even taking the Five Poison Beads no longer helped.

After hearing her out, Zhang He felt puzzled. "The Five Poison Beads aren't poisonous at all. Even if they had no effect, they couldn't make his condition worse. What's going on? Come on, take me to see him."

Lian Yunbi nodded eagerly and immediately led Zhang He outside. She had come on a swift horse, but how could two people ride it together? When Zhang He saw the horse, his expression turned strange. Lian Yunbi realized it too and blushed, but she was worried about her little brother. How could she think about anything else?

"We'll have to ride together." Lian Yunbi bit her lip, her face crimson. "You sit behind me." With that, she climbed onto the horse.

Zhang He rubbed his nose. He might have reached the peak of the Brute Force Realm, and he could run as fast as a fine steed, but only over short distances. If he tried to keep up with one on a long ride, he'd still end up exhausted.

Seeing Lian Yunbi's bashful expression, Zhang He's heart stirred, and he swung up behind her. Lian Yunbi squeezed the horse's flanks, and it immediately set off.

There wasn't much room for two people on one horse. When it suddenly moved, Zhang He nearly fell off. In his haste, he grabbed Lian Yunbi around her slender waist.

A soft, strange sound escaped Lian Yunbi's throat. A blush swept from her neck across her face. Feeling the heat of his hands around her waist, she was overcome by a peculiar sensation. She gently bit her lip and urged the horse onward.

Zhang He had meant to keep some distance between himself and Lian Yunbi. But there was barely any room on horseback, and as the horse galloped forward, he ended up pressed against her. A faint fragrance drifted into his nose. Her warm, supple body was right in front of him, and Zhang He reacted at once. To his shame, he grew hard.

His member pressed stiffly against Lian Yunbi from behind. Zhang He was mortified. He tried to shift backward, but the galloping horse kept jolting him. The moment he moved back, he was pitched forward again, and his member jabbed hard into Lian Yunbi's full, soft, warm buttocks.

Lian Yunbi's body stiffened. She understood the matter between men and women well enough to know what was pressing against her from behind. With someone's body prodding her bottom like this, she felt both embarrassed and angry. But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't exactly throw Zhang He off the horse, could she?

Lian Yunbi could only spur the horse on, hoping it would reach their destination sooner and end this awkward ordeal.

At last, they arrived at the Lian Family home. Zhang He dismounted and took a deep breath, controlling the circulation of his blood and qi. Only after shifting his thoughts elsewhere did he manage to calm Little Zhang He down. Lian Yunbi also jumped down. Her face was flushed, and without a word, she handed the horse to the gatekeeper before leading Zhang He inside.

Watching Lian Yunbi and Zhang He disappear into the courtyard, the old gatekeeper stared in disbelief. "The young miss brought a young man home? And they rode on the same horse? Heavens, that's a first..."

Following behind Lian Yunbi, Zhang He admired the beautiful scenery along the way. The flowers vied with one another in bloom, the garden and rockery were exquisitely arranged, and a little stream gurgled beneath a small bridge. Everything amazed him.

"We're here," Lian Yunbi said suddenly.

Zhang He came back to himself. They had reached the entrance to a charming courtyard, where faint groans of pain could be heard. They must have come from Lian Yunbi's little brother.

They entered the delicate courtyard and followed a stone path to a room. Inside, a woman and a handsome, middle-aged man stood helplessly beside a bed, watching a boy bound tightly upon it. The boy wore only a pair of shorts; the rest of his body was bare. His skin was an abnormal, fiery red, like a lobster roasted over a flame.

Zhang He's gaze fell on the boy. Seeing the streaks of dark red scars across his body, his expression changed.

"Father, Mother, I brought my friend. Let him take a look at my little brother first," Lian Yunbi said as she stepped forward. The handsome man turned around. Seeing Zhang He's youthful face, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

The woman, who had been weeping bitterly, heard them and turned. The moment she saw Zhang He, she glared at him. "Yunbi, how can you still be so thoughtless at a time like this? He's about your age. How could he possibly treat your little brother? This is ridiculous!"

The middle-aged man beside her said nothing, only scrutinizing Zhang He.

"Mother, he was the one who gave us that medicine," Lian Yunbi said, aggrieved. "How could I joke about my little brother's life at a time like this?"

Hearing that Zhang He had given them the Five Poison Beads, the middle-aged man froze. His gaze grew strange as he sized Zhang He up discreetly. Anyone who could casually hand over medicine like that was no ordinary person. Yet this young man seemed unremarkable. The man had never heard of anyone like him in Mengyin City. It was truly strange.

"No! Tao's condition wasn't this bad before. It suddenly got worse after he took that medicine." The woman instantly flew into a rage. "Your father has already sent someone to fetch Pharmacist Lin. Tell him to leave."

Lian Yunbi was terribly embarrassed and looked apologetically at Zhang He. She had rushed off to fetch him, only to have a bucket of cold water thrown over them.

Zhang He didn't say a word. He hadn't paid the slightest attention to Lian's mother. At that moment, he was simply studying the boy on the bed, deep in thought. Something about Lian YunTao's condition seemed strange. His symptoms had eased after taking the Five Poison Beads, which proved they worked. But Zhang He couldn't understand why they had suddenly worsened again.

He knew the medicine he had made better than anyone. Even if the Five Poison Beads couldn't completely purge the poison, there was no way they could first ease the symptoms and then make them worse.

The only possible explanation for this change was something about Lian YunTao's own body.

"Enough. That medicine worked before, and he showed no other ill effects. Since this problem has appeared now, the medicine isn't the cause. Yunbi, let your friend examine your little brother first," Father Lian said suddenly. With the head of the household speaking, Lian's mother fell silent.

Lian Yunbi quickly ushered Zhang He forward.

"When I'm treating someone, I can't have anyone disturbing me. You should all go outside," Zhang He told them. "And prepare plenty of warm water."

Lian's mother was about to protest when she saw Zhang He casually pat her son. He had actually slapped her son! Her eyes widened, and she was just about to yell at him when she saw that the boy, who had been groaning in pain, now wore an expression of bliss. She froze.

Lian Yunbi and Father Lian had both witnessed the same thing, and delight flashed in their eyes. Zhang He had already shown that he was qualified to treat Lian YunTao.

Only Zhang He and Lian Yunbi's younger brother remained in the room. Zhang He now knew that the boy's name was Lian Yuntao.

Zhang He pressed his hand against Lian Yuntao's chest. Rejuvenation True Qi flowed into his body, where it was immediately surrounded by a scorching heat. As soon as the Rejuvenation True Qi touched that heat, it began to stir.

"Heat poison?" Zhang He was both surprised and delighted. The scorching sensation in Lian Yuntao's body was a kind of heat poison. "That's right. Lian Yunbi once said that their family has the Fire Qilin's bloodline. This scorching sensation must have something to do with the Fire Qilin."

Lian Yuntao could only feel that Zhang He's hand seemed to possess magic. As it pressed against his body, it brought a cool sensation that made him feel incredibly comfortable.

Zhang He's Rejuvenation True Qi circulated once through Lian Yuntao's body, and he understood the cause. The problem was that Lian Yuntao's blood contained heat poison. He possessed the Kirin Bloodline, which had wondrous effects. One of them was the ability to temper the body continuously on its own. That was why Lian Yunbi had shown such talent. The heat poison was part of the Kirin Bloodline. In truth, it was another kind of force that tempered the body. Unfortunately, Lian Yuntao's body was no match for a true qilin beast's and couldn't control the heat poison. For him, it was nothing but a painful torment.

"This heat poison makes the blood feel as if it's boiling. It's also an excellent force for tempering the body. But ordinary people are too frail to control it. Leaving it in the body does more harm than good." Zhang He looked at Lian Yuntao, who was skin and bones, his body covered in scars. He sighed softly. Rejuvenation True Qi surged, immediately drawing all the heat poison out of Lian Yuntao's body.

After absorbing the heat poison, the Rejuvenation True Qi slowly returned to Zhang He. He was surprised to discover that it had grown stronger.

"This heat poison really does come from the Kirin Bloodline. Absorbing it can actually strengthen my qi."

Zhang He had drawn all the heat poison out of Lian Yuntao's body. Now, only the beneficial parts of his bloodline remained. From then on, Lian Yuntao would never again have to endure the agony of feeling as though flames were burning him alive.

"How do you feel?" Zhang He asked Lian Yuntao.

"My body's still a little hot, but it's much better. And it doesn't itch anymore," Lian Yuntao said delightedly. Zhang He nodded. The itching sensation had been caused by the heat poison.

"Then get up. Go take a bath in a little while. I have a medicinal solution here. Soak in it, and it'll help your wounds heal." Zhang He withdrew his hand.

Lian Yuntao looked at Zhang He and suddenly asked curiously, "Big brother, are you my future brother-in-law?"