Chapter Seven: The Elder Brother

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Old Qin spoke with a strong voice, “Of course, I’m fine now. I’m better than ever.”

“Regardless, let’s have the chief examined first,” came a cool, clear voice from a young female doctor in her twenties, wearing a white coat and glasses.

Old Qin glanced at Yang Qi beside him and said to the nearby doctor, “Doctor Sun, there’s no need to check me. Please examine this young friend instead.”

Only then did Doctor Sun notice Yang Qi’s pale face. She was slightly taken aback—was it Old Qin who was ill, or was this young man sick? After all, Old Qin was flush with color despite his condition, while this twenty-something youth looked pale.

“I really am fine, Old Qin,” Yang Qi shook his head. He wasn’t seriously ill; it was just that his vital energy and spirit had been drained too much at once.

“Why don’t you rest for a bit?” Doctor Sun stepped forward.

“I think... no... I don’t need to—” Yang Qi was about to refuse when darkness suddenly fell before his eyes, and he collapsed directly to the ground.

“Thud!”

In the next moment, two figures fell onto the lawn, one on top of the other. By coincidence, Yang Qi’s flailing hands landed atop Doctor Sun beneath him.

Having never been in such close contact with a man, Doctor Sun felt as if struck by electricity. Her delicate body trembled, her fair face flushed red. She hastily tried to push him off but couldn’t, then urgently said to the stunned onlookers, “Quick, help pull him off me!”

No one had expected the usually cold, iceberg-like Doctor Sun to panic so much. Holding back laughter, they hurriedly separated Yang Qi and Doctor Sun.

When Doctor Sun stood up, two sets of palm prints were visible on her white coat, left by the sweat on Yang Qi’s palms as he had exhausted himself treating Old Qin.

Old Qin paid no mind to such details and immediately asked, “How is Yang Qi?”

“He’s fine, just seems too tired and has fallen asleep,” one medical staff member hesitated before answering.

Hearing this, Old Qin sighed with relief. If anything had happened to Yang Qi because of him, he would have felt deeply guilty.

“Are you saying he’s not dead yet?” At that moment, a voice filled with chill entered the room.

Everyone swallowed nervously, silently mourning for Yang Qi. Sleep if you must, but why drag Doctor Sun down with you?

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“Ahem, ahem,” Old Qin cleared his throat, then said, “Well... let’s bring Yang Qi to my place to rest first.”

In a haze, Yang Qi felt as though he was leaning against a sponge. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a finely furnished bedroom.

“If only I hadn’t tried to be so tough,” Yang Qi bitterly smiled, feeling the emptiness in his lower dantian.

Though he said this, Yang Qi didn’t regret his choice—especially after discovering the more than a hundred hidden wounds on Old Qin, he had no second thoughts.

“My cultivation is still too low. If I had reached the warrior rank, I wouldn’t be in such a sorry state,” Yang Qi realized suddenly. What he had once believed to be decent cultivation was still far from sufficient.

“Mr. Yang, you’re awake? I’ll call Old Qin right away,” a medical staff member said as they entered the room, then immediately left upon seeing Yang Qi awake.

Minutes later, Old Qin arrived in Yang Qi’s room, dismissing the others.

Seeing this, Yang Qi knew the conversation would likely concern the vital energy within him.

“Thanks to you, young friend, I might not have survived without your help,” Old Qin said gratefully, looking at Yang Qi in bed.

“No need to be so formal, Old Qin. I only did a little I could,” Yang Qi hurriedly shook his head.

“Great favors require no thanks. Since we seem to get along, if you don’t mind, may I be so bold as to call you ‘Brother Yang,’ and you call me ‘Brother Qin’?” Old Qin smiled.

“Ah...” Yang Qi was dumbfounded. What a joke—Old Qin was old enough to be his grandfather. Calling him ‘brother’?

Seeing Yang Qi’s stunned expression, Old Qin’s face darkened slightly. “What’s this? Brother Yang, don’t tell me you look down on me?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Yang Qi hurriedly replied.

“That’s better. Since you don’t mind, then will you call me ‘Brother Qin’?” Old Qin laughed heartily.

“Old... Brother Qin...” Yang Qi reluctantly uttered.

Old Qin beamed, then turned serious. “Brother Yang, if I’m not mistaken, you used true energy to treat me earlier, correct?”

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Yang Qi nodded. According to Haoyang’s records, different civilizations have different names for vital energy, but across the vast universe, the general term is ‘vital energy.’

“After decades, I never expected to meet a warrior who wields true energy,” Old Qin said, full of emotion.

Yang Qi was about to speak when he noticed Old Qin staring at him intently. He forced a smile and changed his words, “Brother Qin... have you met other warriors?”

Old Qin nodded slowly. “That great war that swept through Huaxia back then involved countless people, including many talented and extraordinary figures, with quite a few warriors among them. An old friend who taught me Tai Chi was a true energy wielder. Due to sect rules, he only taught me the martial art, but even so, seven or eight ordinary men were no match for me.”

Yang Qi nodded slightly. At his peak, Old Qin’s strength roughly equaled that of a two-star warrior, and combined with true energy, his power would have been even stronger.

“It seems this world is far more complex than I previously believed,” Yang Qi’s eyes gleamed with insight. This world was far more fascinating than he had known.

“That war cost Huaxia dearly. Those gifted and extraordinary ones who survived chose to retire into obscurity, and even their legends have grown scarce,” Old Qin sighed.

Yang Qi sympathized. If he hadn’t truly become a warrior himself, he wouldn’t have believed such tales of true energy.

“It’s a pity your cultivation is limited and you couldn’t fully heal my wounds,” Yang Qi sighed.

“You’ve done your best, Brother Yang. I’m grateful,” Old Qin shook his head. Suddenly realizing something, he asked urgently, “Wait, Brother Yang, do you mean that if your cultivation were higher, you could completely heal my injuries?”

Yang Qi nodded. If he reached the warrior level, he couldn’t instantly cure Old Qin’s hidden wounds but could heal him gradually over time.

Seeing Yang Qi’s nod, Old Qin became excited. These wounds, though a testament to his lifetime of service, had caused decades of suffering. Sometimes, he had even wanted to give up. Now, a cure was finally within reach!

“Brother Yang, how long do you think it will take before you have enough strength to heal my injuries completely?” Old Qin asked anxiously. If Yang Qi needed another decade or two, even if the wounds did not flare up, Old Qin feared he might not live that long.