Are You My Future Brother-in-Law?

What? Could it be that Lian Yunbi's little brother is failing? Zhang He couldn't help but be startled.

Lian Yunbi saw Zhang He's shocked expression and, realizing he had misunderstood, hurriedly explained. It turned out that after her little brother took the Five Poison Beads, the burning, feverish sensation had been greatly alleviated. However, for some unknown reason, his condition had suddenly deteriorated since this morning, and even the Five Poison Beads were no longer effective.

After hearing Lian Yunbi out, Zhang He felt rather puzzled: "The Five Poison Beads don't possess a shred of toxicity. Even if they had no effect, they shouldn't be able to worsen his condition. What could be going on? Come, take me to see him first."

Lian Yunbi nodded happily and immediately led Zhang He outside. She had arrived on a fast horse, but how were they both to ride it? Zhang He looked at the horse with a strange expression. Lian Yunbi suddenly realized the situation as well, her face flushing slightly, but at this moment, she was so worried about her brother that she could hardly spare a thought for anything else.

"We shall share the horse," Lian Yunbi said, biting her lip, her face crimson. "You sit behind." With that, she mounted the horse.

Zhang He rubbed his nose. Although he was now at the peak of the Brute Force Realm and could run as fast as a prized steed, that was only for short distances; trying to run long distances like a horse would leave him half-dead from exhaustion.

Watching Lian Yunbi's shy demeanor, Zhang He felt a surge of impulse and swung himself onto the horse. Lian Yunbi squeezed the horse's flanks, and they immediately set off.

Sharing a single horse was, after all, a bit cramped. When the horse suddenly lurched into motion, Zhang He nearly fell off; in his scramble, he instinctively grabbed Lian Yunbi's slender waist with both hands.

Ying! A strange sound escaped Lian Yunbi's nose, and a flush of crimson spread rapidly from her neck. Feeling the heat radiating from his hands against her waist, a strange sensation stirred in her heart. She bit her lip lightly and spurred the horse forward.

Zhang He, sitting behind her, had originally intended to keep some distance, but there was only so much space on the horse's back. As the horse galloped, he was pressed firmly against Lian Yunbi. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted into his nostrils, and the heat-radiating body before him immediately triggered a reaction, causing him to shamefully grow hard down below.

That "member" was actually pressing firmly against Lian Yunbi's backside. Zhang He was instantly mortified. He tried to shift his body backward, but the horse was constantly jolting as it ran; every time he shifted back, he would thrust forward again. That part of him jabbed ruthlessly against Lian Yunbi's plump buttocks—soft and hot.

Lian Yunbi's body stiffened abruptly. She was old enough to understand the ways between men and women and naturally knew what that thing behind her was. To have her backside pressed against by someone like that left her both ashamed and annoyed, yet she had no choice—she couldn't exactly throw Zhang He off, could she?

Lian Yunbi had no choice but to whip the horse into a faster gallop, hoping to reach their destination quickly and end this awkward situation.

Finally arriving at the Lian residence, Zhang He dismounted, took a deep breath, and controlled the circulation of his internal energy. Only after employing a mental redirection technique did he manage to calm his "little brother" down. Lian Yunbi also jumped off the horse; her face was still flushed, and without a word, she handed the reins to the gatekeeper and led Zhang He inside.

Watching the figures of Lian Yunbi and Zhang He disappear into the courtyard, the old gatekeeper looked on in disbelief: "The eldest young lady actually brought a young man back? And they shared a horse? Tsk tsk, this is truly unprecedented..."

Zhang He followed behind Lian Yunbi, marveling at the beautiful scenery along the way—the competing flowers, the exquisitely arranged gardens and rockeries, and the babbling brooks over small bridges, all of which left him in awe.

"We're here," Lian Yunbi said suddenly from the front.

Zhang He snapped back to reality. They had arrived outside a quaint little courtyard, from which faint, pained groans could be heard. He assumed this sound came from Lian Yunbi's little brother.

Entering the refined courtyard and crossing the stone path, they reached the room. Inside, Zhang He saw a middle-aged woman and a handsome, imposing man looking helplessly at a youth tied firmly to the bed. The youth was wearing only a pair of small underpants, his entire body exposed and his skin a ghastly, abnormal blood-red, as if he had been roasted like a lobster.

Zhang He's gaze fell upon the youth, and seeing the streaks of black-red scars, his expression shifted slightly.

"Father, Mother, I've brought a friend of mine. Let him examine my little brother first," Lian Yunbi said, stepping forward. The handsome man turned around, and upon seeing Zhang He's youthful face, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

The woman, who had been crying bitterly, heard the voice and looked back. Seeing Zhang He, her eyes widened: "Abi, at a time like this, how can you be so reckless? He is the same age as you; how could he possibly treat your brother? This is pure nonsense!"

The middle-aged man beside her said nothing, merely scrutinizing Zhang He with a sharp gaze.

"Mother, the pill from before was given by him," Lian Yunbi said, feeling aggrieved. "At a time like this, how could I possibly treat my little brother's life as a joke?"

Hearing that the Five Poison Beads had been provided by Zhang He, the middle-aged man was taken aback, and his gaze toward Zhang He turned peculiar. He discreetly looked him up and down; anyone who could casually produce such a pill could not be an ordinary person. Yet, this youth seemed unremarkable, and he had never heard of such a figure in Mengyin City. It was truly strange.

"No, Tao'er's condition wasn't this serious before; it only worsened suddenly after taking that medicine," the woman retorted, her temper flaring. "Your father has already sent someone to find Pharmacist Lin. Tell him to leave."

Lian Yunbi was mortified. She looked at Zhang He with embarrassment. She had brought him here with such enthusiasm, only to be doused with a bucket of cold water.

Zhang He remained silent. He hadn't paid any mind to the mother's words; he was currently staring at the youth on the bed, deep in thought. The condition of Lian's little brother struck him as odd. The fact that his symptoms had eased after taking the Five Poison Beads proved the medicine was effective. What Zhang He couldn't understand was why the condition had suddenly worsened after the initial relief.

He knew his own medicine better than anyone. Even if the Five Poison Beads couldn't completely purge the poison, they would never cause a situation where the condition improved only to worsen later.

The only possibility for such a change lay in the youth's own body.

"Stop arguing. The previous pill was very effective and caused no other adverse reactions. The fact that this problem has arisen now means the root cause isn't the medicine. Abi, let your friend examine him," the father suddenly spoke up. With the head of the household having spoken, the mother fell silent.

Lian Yunbi hurriedly gestured for Zhang He to step forward.

"When I am treating a patient, I cannot have anyone disturbing me. You should all step outside," Zhang He told them. "And prepare plenty of warm water while you're at it."

The mother was about to say something when she saw Zhang He lightly slap her son's body with his palm. To strike her son like that! Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to shout, she saw her son, who had been groaning in pain, suddenly display an expression of relief. She was instantly stunned.

Lian Yunbi and her father had also witnessed this, and both of their eyes flashed with pleasant surprise. The skill Zhang He had just displayed was enough to prove that he was absolutely qualified to treat the youth.

Only Zhang He and the youth remained in the room. Zhang He had learned that Lian Yunbi's brother was named Lian Yuntao.

Zhang He pressed his hand against Lian Yuntao's chest, and as his Rejuvenation True Qi entered the boy's body, he was immediately enveloped by a scorching heat. Upon contact with that burning sensation, the Rejuvenation True Qi began to stir restlessly.

Heat poison? Zhang He was both surprised and delighted. The scorching energy within the boy's body was a form of heat poison. That's right, Lian Yunbi once said they carry the bloodline of the Fire Qilin. It seems this scorching energy is nine times out of ten related to the Fire Qilin.

Lian Yuntao felt as if Zhang He's hand possessed magic; the cool energy flowing into him made him feel incredibly comfortable.

As Zhang He's Rejuvenation True Qi circulated through the boy's body, he understood the cause. The reason for the boy's condition was that his blood was laced with this heat poison. Possessing the Qilin bloodline, which had miraculous properties—one of which was the ability to continuously and spontaneously temper the body—was why Lian Yunbi was such a genius. However, this heat poison was a part of that bloodline, a form of power that tempered the body in a roundabout way. Unfortunately, the boy's body was not that of a true Qilin beast and could not control this heat, making it a source of agonizing torment for him.

"This heat poison can make one feel as if their blood is boiling, and in itself, it is an excellent force for tempering the body. It is a pity that the bodies of ordinary people are too weak to harness it; left in the body, it brings only harm and no benefit." Zhang He looked at the boy—skinny as a rail and covered in scars—and sighed softly. His Rejuvenation True Qi surged, immediately drawing all the heat poison out of the boy's body.

Once the Rejuvenation True Qi had absorbed the heat poison, it slowly retreated back into Zhang He's body. To his surprise and delight, he discovered that his Rejuvenation True Qi had actually grown after absorbing the poison.

This heat poison is worthy of being part of the Qilin bloodline; absorbing it can actually promote the growth of my True Qi.

Zhang He had extracted all the heat poison from the boy's body. Now, only the beneficial aspects of the bloodline remained. It could be said that from this day forward, the boy would never again have to endure the agony of feeling like he was being burned by fire.

"How do you feel?" Zhang He asked.

"My body still feels a bit hot, but much better. It doesn't itch anymore," the boy said in surprise. 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 formula here; a medicated bath will help promote the healing of your wounds." Zhang He withdrew his hand.

The boy looked at Zhang He and suddenly asked with curiosity: "Big Brother, are you my future brother-in-law?"