How The Little Medical Cultivator Saves the Furries – CH25

Chapter 25

How had he died again?

Lu Nanzhou had no answer to that question. He remembered that this morning, the caregiver who had already been on leave for two days had come to visit him in the ward.

Under that gentle touch, wrapped once more in that long-lost warmth, the pain had retreated from him, and he had uncontrollably fallen into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived here, appearing once more in the form of a spirit body.

Freed yet again from that heavy, broken body and regaining this rare peace, Lu Nanzhou could not help sighing inwardly, even though the situation was still unclear.

But Ye Yumeng’s quiet reminder quickly brought him back to himself.

“You… you should put some clothes on first.”

Only then did Lu Nanzhou realize his state.

He had just been about to conjure clothing, but then he paused, cast Ye Yumeng a subtle glance, and only then lowered his head.

A proper set of everyday clothes instantly took shape on him, no longer just the robe meant merely to cover himself from last time.

His looks had already been outstanding to begin with, but once dressed in refined clothing, he became even more dazzling.

Ye Yumeng, who had still been stealing glances at him, froze slightly. Because of that momentary delay, he accidentally met the man’s downward gaze.

Those green eyes were like emeralds soaked in glacial snowmelt—cold, clear, and gleaming with a quiet, enduring radiance.

He had originally thought that because their time together had been so brief, regret and grief had beautified the memory, which was why he had kept thinking of him and could not forget. But now that they had met again, Lu Qi… seemed to have refreshed his impression all over again.

Ye Yumeng had known Lu Qi was handsome, but he had never imagined he could somehow be even more handsome.

He stared blankly into Lu Nanzhou’s eyes for several seconds before hurriedly looking away.

No, no, if he kept looking, he would want to make him stay again.

Meanwhile, Lu Nanzhou lowered his gaze slightly. When it fell upon Ye Yumeng’s outstretched hands, his relaxed brow immediately drew together.

On the slender palms of the little caregiver was smeared greenish-brown ointment, and beneath it, one could still vaguely see fresh red blood…

His skin was so fair that the contrast made it especially shocking.

Although Lu Nanzhou had seen injuries far more severe than this countless times before, when he saw Ye Yumeng’s wounds with his own eyes—and knew clearly that they had been caused because of him—his chest still tightened.

“Your hands…”

Sensing Lu Nanzhou’s gaze, Ye Yumeng instinctively drew his hands back.

“It’s nothing, just a small injury… ah—”

He clenched his hand into a fist, and the medicine, pressed deeper into the wounds, immediately brought a piercing pain.

Seeing this, Lu Nanzhou’s lips pressed into a straight line, his brows furrowing tightly.

“Does it hurt badly?”

There was a gentleness in his tone that even he himself did not notice.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Ye Yumeng spread his hands out again. After hesitating briefly, he still used the bit of spiritual power that had naturally recovered to cast a Rejuvenation Technique on himself.

The Rejuvenation Technique could not speed up wound healing, but it could stop pain.

While his spiritual power had not yet been used up, Ye Yumeng quickly grabbed the bandages and started wrapping them, so he would not have to suffer through it all over again.

“I’ll help you,” Lu Nanzhou said.

Ye Yumeng had been about to say, “But you can’t touch physical objects, so how would you help?” when he felt the bandage in his hand seem to meet some kind of resistance.

He blinked and cautiously loosened his grip.

The bandage did not fall to the ground. Instead, it hovered in midair.

Startled, he looked up and saw Lu Qi staring intently at the roll of bandage.

To make it easier to work, he had even crouched halfway down, his left hand stretched out beneath Ye Yumeng’s palm as though supporting it.

Under Lu Nanzhou’s control, the snow-white bandage began to wind around Ye Yumeng’s hand layer by layer, precise and careful, with exactly the right amount of pressure—not tight enough to hurt him.

But seeing Lu Qi suddenly so close, Ye Yumeng felt inexplicably nervous.

“Is this okay?” Lu Nanzhou asked.

“Mm… mm!”

Ye Yumeng nodded repeatedly, quickly dropping his attention back to his own hands.

Such fine control—and Lu Qi could accomplish it so easily, with smooth, practiced movements. He soon finished wrapping and tying the bandage, then had Ye Yumeng raise the other hand.

“How are you doing this?”

Ye Yumeng could not help asking. In his memory, none of the undead the original owner had summoned had ever possessed abilities like Lu Qi’s.

If this had been in the cultivation world, Lu Qi would have been more like a ghost cultivator with formidable powers.

“Could it be… spiritual power?” Ye Yumeng guessed.

“Yes.” Lu Nanzhou nodded.

“So even in a spirit state, you can still use spiritual power?”

Ye Yumeng could not help being curious. “What exactly is spiritual power?”

As he controlled the bandages, Lu Nanzhou explained, “Spiritual power is something every beastfolk is born with. It corresponds to physical strength in the body, and it is often thought to come from the brain.”

“But now it seems that spiritual power probably comes from the soul.”

After all, in his soul-body state, he could still use spiritual power, meaning this power was not completely separated from his body.

Because Lu Nanzhou had clearly noticed that as his body recovered, his spiritual power had stabilized a great deal this time. It was no longer as violent as before.

He could also feel the connection between himself and his body. It was no longer like last time, when he had felt empty and rootless, as though he could vanish at any moment.

“That’s kind of amazing,” Ye Yumeng said with feeling.

Spiritual power felt very similar to divine sense to him, so saying it came from the soul was not really wrong.

As Ye Yumeng was thinking, he realized his gaze had drifted to Lu Qi’s hair.

That pale golden, wavy long hair was thick and fluffy, shimmering softly and looking especially inviting.

He kind of wanted to touch it, but unfortunately Lu Qi was a spirit body…

Realizing this somewhat inappropriate thought, Ye Yumeng froze and quickly looked away.

To distract himself, he asked, “So when you disappeared last time, did you return to your own body?”

“Yes.” Lu Nanzhou inclined his head.

“Then were you critically ill again tonight?”

At the thought, Ye Yumeng frowned.

But wasn’t this a little too coincidental?

Every time he cast the Summoning Spirit Art, Lu Qi just happened to be at death’s door? The first time could be called a coincidence, but was this time also one?

Lu Nanzhou heard the concern and urgency in Ye Yumeng’s voice. Looking into the little caregiver’s clear, bright eyes, he felt a softness stir deep in his heart.

“Don’t worry. Although it still needs to be confirmed, this time should be different from before.”

He cut the bandage as though nothing was unusual and finally finished wrapping Ye Yumeng’s other hand. He controlled the bandage and scissors back onto the table, but did not immediately stand up. Instead…

His arm lifted slightly, and his palm lightly touched Ye Yumeng’s hand.

Then his fingers closed, his broad hand almost enveloping Ye Yumeng’s completely—

Just as he had imagined, although he could not truly touch Ye Yumeng, he once again felt that familiar warmth.

He looked up at Ye Yumeng and asked, “When you hugged me last time, did you do something to me?”

Though phrased as a question, his tone carried obvious certainty.

Ye Yumeng stiffened. Before he could answer, Lu Nanzhou leaned closer.

“When you held me, I felt a very warm force… and the fact that I could return to my body after I dispersed should be because of that force.”

“And now, when I hold your hand, I can feel that same special power again.”

With each sentence Lu Nanzhou spoke, he moved one step closer to Ye Yumeng.

Even though he was clearly only in spirit form, Ye Yumeng still instinctively backed away until his body was pressed firmly against the back of the chair.

He did not know why he was suddenly so nervous.

Especially when he heard Lu Qi mention hugging him, he felt his face heating up.

This guy had emphasized it twice…

Wasn’t that just something done in the heat of the moment? And why was he suddenly coming so close?

Seeing the man’s handsome face right before him and feeling the pressure in his gaze, Ye Yumeng finally could not take it anymore and reached out to push him away—only for his hand to meet empty air.

“Y-you, back up a little.”

Lu Nanzhou noticed the faint flush on the little caregiver’s cheeks. His gaze deepened as he took in Ye Yumeng’s embarrassment, every little shift in expression laid bare before him.

Only then did he slowly retreat.

Ye Yumeng finally steadied himself, dispersed the Rejuvenation Technique, and asked, “What about now? Can you still feel it?”

Lu Nanzhou tested it, then shook his head.

Since things had already been exposed, Ye Yumeng explained, “This is one of my abilities. I didn’t expect you to be able to sense it.”

Looking at Lu Qi and thinking of what had happened last time, Ye Yumeng could not help sighing.

“That was my first time using it on an undead spirit. I didn’t expect it would really save you…”

At this point, the corners of his lips slowly curved upward.

“I felt terrible this whole time. I really thought you had died…”

His voice was soft, tinged with a bit of lingering sadness, but it soon turned into happiness.

“It’s a good thing you’re okay… The fact that you survived is really wonderful.”

His words repeated themselves slightly, and his final sentence carried the relieved breath of someone who had finally let go of a burden.

Lu Nanzhou watched him.

The little caregiver’s ink-black eyes curved in a smile, clear light rippling within them, like spring wind brushing over a lake—warm and light.

They both held relief, but Lu Nanzhou felt that this smile was different from the one Ye Yumeng had worn when rescuing the “little rabbit.”

He could not say exactly how it was different.

It just was.

The room was quiet.

The mechanical dog, Wugang, was crouched in the corner charging. Every time Ye Yumeng said something, it looked over once.

When it realized its master was not speaking to it, it turned its head away again.

After a moment of silence, Lu Nanzhou finally said, “Even if I really had died, you wouldn’t need to feel sad.”

Ye Yumeng blinked and said, not agreeing, “How is something like that something you can control?”

“Even though we only met by chance, and haven’t known each other for long, still…”

Ye Yumeng lowered his eyes. Looking at the bandages wrapped around his hands, he thought of the ice cream Lu Qi had said he would accompany him to buy, only for them never to get the chance.

“The passing of a life is always something painful. Especially since you saved me.”

He was talking about the red snake that had attacked him.

But Lu Nanzhou shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for accompanying me outside, you wouldn’t have been in danger. Protecting you was what I should have done.”

“That may be true, but…”

Ye Yumeng lifted his eyes to Lu Nanzhou and asked softly, “If today it had been me who died, would you have felt sad for me?”

Lu Nanzhou frowned. A powerful resistance surged up in him, so strong that even he was startled by it.

“That will absolutely never happen,” he said in a low voice.

“I mean if. Just as a hypothetical,” Ye Yumeng pressed. “Would you be sad?”

Lu Nanzhou’s brows had already twisted into a deep crease. His chest felt heavy; even the mere assumption was unbearable.

This intensity of feeling even surpassed what he had felt at the moment he learned of his own death before… and it left him confused and unsettled.

Yet Ye Yumeng still refused to let him go.

“Would you?” he asked.

Lu Nanzhou pressed his lips together. In the end, he still answered, “Yes.”

Hearing the reply, Ye Yumeng brightened.

He could tell Lu Qi meant it sincerely. His dark expression had already made that perfectly clear.

“You’re just like me,” he said with a smile.

At least in this world, there was someone who would feel sad if he were gone. Even though for the moment, that person was still like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river—barely able to save himself.

Thinking of that, Ye Yumeng asked him, “You’re a patient at the Royal Sanatorium too, right? Which wing are you in? The core inpatient division?”

Lu Nanzhou hesitated.

Should he keep hiding his identity?

At first, he simply had not been sure whether he would survive, so he had thought there was no need to make the little caregiver sad once more. But now…

Thinking of his own battered body, one that could only survive in a juvenile state, he did not want the little caregiver to know it was him.

Fortunately, Ye Yumeng quickly changed his mind and said, “Forget it, don’t tell me yet. Even if you did, I don’t have the clearance to go looking for you.”

If he knew the exact details, he feared he might do something irrational.

Hearing the frustration in his tone, Lu Nanzhou pressed his lips together slightly, and in the end forced himself to look away and remain silent.

Maybe when his body’s condition improved a little more… Though even now, his chances of surviving had not actually increased by much.

At that moment, he noticed the notebook on Ye Yumeng’s desk.

The writing in it looked vaguely familiar, but after carefully identifying it, he was certain he had never studied it before and could not tell what it meant.

“Is this writing from Xihe?”

It would be perfectly normal for the Xihe Federation, having broken away from the Yaojin Empire for so many years, to have developed its own script.

Ye Yumeng gave a vague sound of agreement.

“Why don’t you use a light brain? It should be more convenient for storing and retrieving things.”

“I like handwriting.”

Ye Yumeng muttered, “Though paper and pens really are expensive. I have to save them…”

Lu Nanzhou raised a brow slightly. Based on the salary levels and welfare system of the Royal Sanatorium, a caregiver should not be unable to afford paper and pens.

“Do you need money badly?”

“A little.”

Ye Yumeng seemed to think of something. He suddenly looked up at him and told him about the money-making method he had worked out.

“Do you think I could make money this way?” he asked, hoping to get some guidance from Lu Qi.

“…”

Lu Nanzhou had never worried about money in his life, and naturally had no experience with the methods Ye Yumeng mentioned.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “This health Qi-Exercise you’re talking about—can it really strengthen the body?” (Health Qigong is a foundational training method that Ye Yumeng promotes to strengthen the body.)

As he spoke, he looked Ye Yumeng up and down, his brows knitting slightly.

Ye Yumeng could tell what he meant without him saying it aloud. With his current thin frame, he really was not very convincing.

But he still said confidently, “It really can. Trust me!”

“How long would it take before obvious results could be seen?”

“For an ordinary person, if they practiced for one shichen every day… no, two hours a day, then probably about a month.”

The key to training lay in consistency, especially with foundational techniques like Qi-Exercise, which required patient, gradual effort.

Although the effects came slowly at first, as long as one persisted, the body would gradually improve and be adjusted to its best state.

“If that’s the case, then in reality it would probably take even longer to show results,” Lu Nanzhou said.

He had never personally experienced the lives of ordinary commoners, but he could guess that a training method requiring two hours a day, and specifically in daylight, was probably not something many people could stick with.

Without fame, and with results appearing so slowly, relying on natural traffic alone to succeed would be extremely difficult.

Hearing Lu Nanzhou’s analysis, Ye Yumeng was not very disappointed.

He had already seen the wailing comments from other new creators under process-post threads, so he had long since prepared himself mentally.

“It’s okay. It’s just one idle move anyway.”

He said optimistically, “If it works, great. If it doesn’t, I don’t actually lose anything.”

Lu Nanzhou stared at him, not knowing what he was thinking. In the end he simply said, “You should record it first.”

“Okay.”

“And what about the calming sachets you mentioned… are they troublesome to make?” Lu Nanzhou asked again.

Though he had not seen the finished product, he still chose to believe Ye Yumeng.

The little caregiver clearly had many secrets hidden about him, but he had already decided that unless the little caregiver brought them up himself, he would no longer pry or probe.

After all, if one counted carefully, the little caregiver had already saved him at least three times. He was willing to place this trust in him.

“They’re not troublesome to make, but I need to find the right materials.”

Thinking of this, Ye Yumeng looked troubled.

With only 800 Yaojin gold coins in his balance, could he find the materials and successfully sell the sachets before his savings ran out?

“Could you buy the materials from the Xihe Federation?”

“That’s too far away. It wouldn’t be worth it.”

Of course, the most important reason was that he did not even know whether the Xihe Federation had suitable materials.

Lu Nanzhou watched him, weighed things for a moment, and then asked, “Have you ever thought about… confessing your ability to the Royal Sanatorium?”

In truth, Mo Yin had already noticed something, and Lei Qi and the others probably were not far from doing so as well.

Ye Yumeng paused. “You mean my healing ability?”

Lu Nanzhou nodded.

“I actually have been thinking about it these past two days,” Ye Yumeng said hesitantly. “After coming to the medical planet, I’ve secretly been treating my patient, but something happened to him a few days ago.”

“If I hadn’t returned in time, he might have died… and I’ve been wondering if maybe my treatment clashes with the sanatorium’s treatment plan?”

“It’s not your problem,” Lu Nanzhou said directly.

As the patient in question, he knew very well whose fault that was. In the past year or so, Lei Qi and the others’ greatest contribution had simply been keeping him alive.

Ye Yumeng shook his head. “No matter whose fault it was, the little rabbit still suffered.”

“He’s only a five- or six-year-old cub. I don’t know how he endured that much pain…”

Seeing the little caregiver’s distress and pity, Lu Nanzhou felt something stir in him, but soon looked away, his movements carrying a trace of guilt.

After all, he was definitely not some five- or six-year-old cub…

“So what are you planning to do?” Lu Nanzhou pulled the topic back.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Ye Yumeng voiced his concerns. “If I keep treating him in secret like this, something is bound to go wrong sooner or later. But I also don’t have absolute confidence that I can cure the little rabbit.”

“My current ability still isn’t enough. I need time to cultivate…”

Which meant that the little caregiver’s healing ability could improve, just like spiritual power.

Lu Nanzhou nodded. “But if you come clean, perhaps you’ll gain more freedom, and then you’ll have more spare time to improve yourself.”

That really did hit the heart of the matter for Ye Yumeng.

However, after a pause, he said, “There’s one more issue. I don’t really trust the Royal Sanatorium.”

“If I reveal my ability, what if they seize me and use me for research? Do you think they can be trusted?”

Lu Nanzhou’s lips curved slightly, agreeing. “Your caution is right.”

“You’ve only just arrived. Don’t trust others too easily. The Yaojin Empire… has not been peaceful lately.”

No matter how carefully it had been kept secret, the fact that he had been in the Royal Sanatorium for over a year could not be hidden forever.

He knew very well that there were multiple forces watching this place, and there was certainly no shortage of people hoping he would die.

“If you want to reveal your ability, then rather than the sanatorium, you might use the patient’s family as your breakthrough point.”

As Emperor of the Yaojin Empire, Lu Nanzhou did not completely trust the Royal Sanatorium. But Mo Yin, on the other hand, was absolutely loyal to him.

At a crucial moment, he would be able to protect Ye Yumeng.

“The patient’s family…” Ye Yumeng murmured.

Even though his thoughts were still on that matter, his eyes kept drifting back toward Lu Nanzhou. He was usually so cold, but when he smiled, he really was beautiful…

When their gazes met, Ye Yumeng quickly turned his eyes away and said, “What you said… I actually have thought about it.”

But in his view, the difference between the two options did not seem all that great.

Lu Nanzhou shook his head.

“Believe me. Other than the patient himself, the person who least wants to see anything happen to you is the patient’s family.”

Ye Yumeng thought of Father and Son Li far away in the Xihe Federation. The emotional bond between them was something he had rarely seen in the cultivation world.

“So you mean I can get protection directly from the patient’s family, without needing to go through the sanatorium?”

Lu Nanzhou nodded decisively.

There was something about him that made people instinctively want to believe him. Even though Ye Yumeng still did not trust Ah Mo, hearing Lu Qi speak so firmly made him feel like maybe he really could try it.

Ye Yumeng could not help beginning to imagine how he might negotiate with Ah Mo. But very quickly, his mind recovered a trace of clarity.

Tonight, had he… told Lu Qi a little too much?

He had not only admitted his ability, but had even told him about his future plans. In the cultivation world, that kind of behavior would have been practically suicidal.

Still, having someone he could discuss things with really did feel good.

Originally, he could only think through everything himself and make every decision on his own. Now that there was Lu Qi, someone he could talk to and get advice from…

That feeling really was comfortable.

But the question was: could he really trust Lu Qi like this?

The reason he had lowered his guard and spoken of the past before was because he had thought Lu Qi, as an undead spirit he had summoned, would disappear almost immediately. No matter how much he said, there would be no risk of it causing trouble.

The dead did not speak again.

But now, the situation was different.

Lu Qi’s soul would very likely return to his body again, and he would also remember everything that happened while his soul left his body… The danger level had shot upward.

Ye Yumeng was very happy that he could survive, and he never regretted saving him.

But that did not mean he should be sharing secrets with him like this, especially when he still knew nothing about Lu Qi.

Perhaps sensing something strange about him, the man showed a hint of confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

Ye Yumeng fiddled with the loose thread on his bandage, then lifted his eyes to look at him again.

“Can I trust you?”

He asked it that directly, so bluntly that even Ye Yumeng himself found it surprising.

After all, a question like that was meaningless. If someone sincerely intended to deceive you, would they ever give a negative answer?

And yet, after asking it, he very clearly felt a sense of relief.

Ye Yumeng stared at Lu Nanzhou, waiting for his reply.

Perhaps not expecting such a direct question, Lu Nanzhou looked back at him. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke again, seriousness written plainly in his clear green eyes.

“You said before that we could be friends.”

Ye Yumeng had not expected him to bring up that line now, and he blinked.

“I won’t harm you.”

At this point, a trace of coldness surfaced in his eyes, and his tone turned icy.

“And I won’t allow anyone else to do so either.”

Ye Yumeng stared at him blankly. After a moment, his lips pressed together, but he could not suppress the smile trying to rise at the corners.

Lu Qi probably would not stoop to lying.

And if he really had misjudged him… then there was nothing to be done. Ye Yumeng realized that he simply wanted to believe this person.

A cultivator should follow his own heart.

So he said, “Okay. As long as you don’t tell anyone else my secrets, then we’ll be friends forever.”

Looking at his smiling face, Lu Nanzhou’s eyes flashed with thought.

Friends forever?

Rationally speaking, that did sound good. But… in the depths of his heart, a clear reluctance surfaced. He seemed not to be satisfied with just that.

“Do you still want to go outside?” Ye Yumeng glanced at the time. “The sanatorium is still under lockdown. I probably can’t get out.”

Lu Nanzhou shook his head.

“No need. I’ll stay here.”

Compared with the boring night scenery, he was more interested in Ye Yumeng now.

“Mm, then let’s see how long you can last this time after being summoned.”

Ye Yumeng noted down the current time. Last time had lasted a little over two hours. He did not know whether this time it might be longer.

Then he closed the notebook and stretched lazily.

“I’m going to take a bath first.”

He got up to gather some clothes, then went into the bathroom. Before long, the sound of running water could be heard.

The room was very quiet at night, which made the sound of the water even clearer.

Lu Nanzhou pursed his lips slightly and drifted toward the window.

The night breeze blew in from outside. Although he could not feel it, his mood still seemed to calm somewhat.

Suddenly, his ear twitched.

The sound of water in the bathroom had stopped. It seemed the little caregiver had shut off the water valve, but judging from how long he had been inside, it should not have been over that quickly.

So he was…

The scene formed in Lu Nanzhou’s mind without his consent, abrupt and uncontrollable. He frowned.

By the time Ye Yumeng finished bathing and came out of the bathroom, Lu Qi was nowhere to be seen in the dorm room.

Huh? He disappeared this quickly today?

Remembering that Lu Qi had said he had not actually died and would most likely return to his body, Ye Yumeng did not feel sad.

He walked to the desk, picked up his pen, noted the time, then put the notebook away and returned it to the storage compartment in Wugang.

He had just been about to begin practicing when a long-haired figure drifted through the door.

“Lu Qi?”

Ye Yumeng looked surprised. “You went out? I thought you’d gone back.”

Lu Qi could not go more than one hundred meters away from him, but within that range he could still move freely.

“Yes.”

Lu Nanzhou answered vaguely, his gaze unconsciously settling on Ye Yumeng.

The little caregiver had changed out of his uniform and was wearing a set of washed-faded pajamas, making him look more casual and relaxed than he had during the day.

But the pajamas seemed to have been worn for a long time. They had lost their elasticity, hanging loosely from him, the collar drooping slightly and exposing a patch of smooth, pale skin…

Lu Nanzhou paused, then turned his eyes away and asked, “Are you going to sleep?”

Actually sleep? Of course not.

To Ye Yumeng, practicing was rest. Sleeping once or twice a month was enough.

But he had already said enough tonight, and out of caution, he still did not plan to expose the fact that he was cultivating.

He looked at Lu Nanzhou and considered whether he should lie down, just like when he had stayed in the top-floor ward.

Although he planned to cultivate, the thought of lying down in front of Lu Qi felt strangely awkward.

In the end, Ye Yumeng shook his head. “Not yet. I want to browse some posts.”

Lu Nanzhou nodded and quietly remained in the corner.

He did not find this boring at all. Being in this state, unable to feel even the slightest trace of pain, was something he had not even dared imagine during the past five hundred or more days and nights.

To him, this was already a rare kind of rest.

Thinking that, he could not help glancing at Ye Yumeng.

“Do you want to look together?” the little caregiver’s voice sounded, as though he had noticed his gaze.

After hesitating a little, Lu Nanzhou drifted over.

Seeing him come closer, Ye Yumeng enlarged the light screen so he would be able to see the contents.

As Lu Nanzhou came to stand beside him and looked at the post displayed on the light screen, he asked, “You don’t know how to enter the StarNet community?”

“Yeah. I’ve never used a virtual holosim device before.”

The original owner truly had not used one, so Ye Yumeng was not worried that saying so would cause any problems.

“The medical staff group has planned a team-building event in the virtual community tomorrow night. I need to familiarize myself with it in advance so I don’t embarrass myself then.”

Gao Hui and the others would be there, and who knew whether they might stir up trouble again.

Lu Nanzhou nodded lightly.

So next, he stayed by Ye Yumeng’s side, acting as a consultant whenever Ye Yumeng encountered unfamiliar terms—though occasionally Wugang the machine dog would answer first.

It felt as though they had returned once again to that night when they had strolled through the night market together.

To be honest, Ye Yumeng liked it a lot. He even felt a little reluctant to let go of the atmosphere of this moment.

Back in the cultivation world, he had not really had any friends he could trust. After Xueqiu died, he had spent several years even more alone than before.

The old medical cultivator who had once saved him had once said that cultivation was a lonely road, and only those who could endure solitude could walk it to the end.

That was why, even after taking him in as a medicine boy and teaching him almost everything he could, that old man still had not been willing to accept him as a disciple.

In the end, the old man failed to break through while in seclusion and died alone in a cave…

And in the years that followed, Ye Yumeng truly came to understand the loneliness the old man had spoken of.

Whether he wanted it or not, he was always experiencing partings. After Xueqiu left him, he no longer wished to become deeply involved with others, because in the end, people would always part anyway…

That might have been true, but he still seemed unable to get used to loneliness.

He accepted it, but he was not happy about it.

Thinking of how he had already died once while still so young, Ye Yumeng suddenly felt there was no need to struggle over this.

If he wanted Lu Qi as a friend, then he should not hesitate. Even if they parted in the end, at least he would have been happy for a while. Just as even though he had known Xueqiu would leave one day, he had never regretted meeting it in the first place.

At that moment, while browsing a post about using consciousness to connect to StarNet, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Excited, Ye Yumeng turned to Lu Nanzhou.

“Lu Qi, can you use a virtual holosim device? Could we maybe go onto StarNet—”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Lu Nanzhou lowered his head slightly and saw his own body gradually fading.

“The time is up again.”

Ye Yumeng hurriedly said, “My Summoning Spirit Art can only be used once every seven days. If you really return to your body, tell me on StarNet!”

“My contact number is—”

But before he could finish, the man’s body had already shattered into specks of light and vanished before his eyes once more.

The dorm room fell silent again, leaving Ye Yumeng alone.

He sat there blankly, feeling his heart twist sharply, as if a hole had opened in it, leaving it strangely empty.

That guy probably had not lied to him. He probably really could return to his body… right?

Ye Yumeng stayed dazed for a while, then reached out to turn off the light brain. He got up, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began circulating his power to cultivate.

As for Lu Qi…

No matter the outcome, there would be an answer in seven days. Worrying now would be useless.

At last, the night in the dorm room became completely quiet.

The next day, Ye Yumeng ended his cultivation earlier than usual.

The first thing he did after opening his eyes was check his communicator, but unfortunately there were no new messages.

After that, he left the dorm building early and headed to the top-floor ward to mooch a meal.

Although he was supposed to return to work today, perhaps because the system had not been updated yet, the robot caregiver still prepared an extravagant breakfast for him.

Great. Today’s meal had spirit plants again!

Ye Yumeng was in an excellent mood and happily enjoyed this work meal.

After breakfast, he planned to head next door to Ward 005 to start work, and at the same time see how he might get in touch with the little rabbit’s family.

But he had only just reached the door when he saw Director Lei Qi coming out.

“Little Ye, how’s your recovery going?”

“I’m basically fine now,” Ye Yumeng answered.

Lei Qi nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good. Come to my office with me for a moment.”

“Oh, okay.”

Lei Qi had an office on the top floor of the inpatient division, and the two of them quickly arrived there.

“Sit.”

He motioned for Ye Yumeng to sit down, then handed him a tablet showing his information.

“Little Ye, in view of your excellent performance a few days ago, the Royal Sanatorium has decided to award you a bonus.”

Lei Qi paused, then continued, “And we’ve decided to issue it according to the highest-tier standard.”

Actually, according to the original evaluation results, there had not been any bonus at all.

In the sanatorium’s view, Ye Yumeng’s actions that day had not complied with regulations. Touching the patient under those circumstances was a serious violation—

Including what had happened in the activity room before, he had already displayed this kind of overstepping behavior. It absolutely should not be encouraged or promoted.

Moreover, after later analysis, the medical authorities believed it was not this caregiver who had awakened Lu Nanzhou.

He had probably just happened to act at the exact right moment—His Majesty the Emperor had awakened just in time, sparing him from being burned by the Mystic Flame and from dying because of his violation.

Of course, the fact that Ye Yumeng could still remain at ease under the dual eruption of the Yaojin royal family’s spiritual power and bloodline was more than enough to draw serious attention.

Lei Qi had already decided to end Ye Yumeng’s probation early and formally promote him—that had originally been the reward plan.

But unexpectedly, he had suddenly received a call from Mo Yin the night before. After asking about the sanatorium’s arrangements for Ye Yumeng’s treatment, Mo Yin requested that under the limits allowed by the sanatorium’s rules, Ye Yumeng be awarded the highest possible bonus.

Ye Yumeng had not yet formally become full staff, so the highest-tier reward he could receive could only be calculated according to the trainee rate—that was, one month’s wages.

However, for Ye Yumeng, who currently had only 800 Yaojin gold coins in his pocket, this bonus was enough to solve his urgent need.

The moment he saw the number 20,000 Yaojin gold coins, his eyes lit up instantly.

He had suddenly become rich!

Did that mean he no longer needed to worry about not having enough money to buy materials?

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