Chapter 56

After Li Yi handed over the sniper rifle, his treatment improved.

He was first moved to a private room, his phone was delivered to him so he could contact others, his medical care was significantly upgraded, he received better medication, an additional nurse was assigned, and family visits were even permitted.

Li Yi used his slightly mobile hand to open his phone, checked his messages, and found many missed calls—from friends and relatives alike.

The family group chat was flooded with messages, all discussing him.

“I’ve already asked around—Li Yi is fine, he’s receiving treatment in the hospital, though we don’t know which one yet.”

“Good he’s safe—Li Yi’s life was already hard, and now this happens. Everyone who can contribute money should contribute money, and those who can offer help should help.”

“I’m already at his house—the scene was terrible, but luckily the medical pod was intact. Don’t worry; I live close by, I’ll take care of Li Yi’s parents.”

Li Yi’s expression softened—he was relieved to know his parents were being cared for by relatives.

Just as he was about to reply with a safety message, his newly powered-on phone rang.

The caller was Lin Yue.

Without hesitation, Li Yi answered: “Hello, is this Sister Lin?”

“Finally got through to you, Li Yi—how are you? Are you alright?” Lin Yue’s voice was anxious.

“I’m fine, just lying in the hospital recovering from injuries,” Li Yi said.

Lin Yue said: “Which hospital? Mark and I will come visit you.”

“Let me ask which hospital it is—hold on,” Li Yi put down the phone and asked the nurse, quickly getting the answer.

“Third Hospital, 10th floor, Room 101.”

“Alright, wait for me—I’m coming right now,” Lin Yue said, then immediately hung up.

Her decisive action certainly suited her personality.

Li Yi suddenly noticed a message—a bank transfer of eight million silver taels had been credited. This must be the bounty for eliminating Wang Kui; he hadn’t expected Wang Jian to act so swiftly—the bounty had arrived immediately.

But this money didn’t belong to Li Yi—it had been promised to Kong Sheng.

Although Kong Sheng contributed little in this affair, his information was timely and crucial—without Kong Sheng’s warning, Li Yi wouldn’t have survived the attack, so he must give Kong Sheng this money plus the previously promised ten million.

Thinking of this, he dialed Lu Jue’s number.

Because Lu Jue and Kong Sheng were close friends.

“Li Yi? Oh my god, it’s really you! How are you? I heard you’ve committed a major case—you killed eight cultivators, nearly killed that woman Ning Wu. I knew that night was dangerous, but I never imagined it would be this intense,” came Lu Jue’s stunned voice over the phone.

“I’m fine, just injured and resting in the hospital. Thanks to you—I owe you my life for warning me in time,” Li Yi said gratefully.

“Good you’re alright,” Lu Jue replied. “I just happened to be in the right place—it was all thanks to Kong Sheng. If he hadn’t told me to warn you, I wouldn’t have known anything. By the way, how’s Kong Sheng? He’s been in the Investigation Bureau since then, and I can’t reach him.”

“Kong Sheng is fine—he’ll be back in a few days. Listen, I have some money for you—please deliver it to Kong Sheng later. He’ll know what it’s for,” Li Yi said.

“Why not wait until he returns and give it to him yourself?” Lu Jue asked.

Li Yi said: “I have too many things to handle, and I don’t have Kong Sheng’s contact details.”

“Alright then, transfer it to me first—I’ll give it to him when he comes back,” Lu Jue said. “By the way, I already gave the hundred million to Tao Ge and Zhang Gao’s families—they’re deeply grateful and asked me to thank you. Sigh, these days, no one has it easy—you’ve barely recovered from one crisis and now you’re in another.”

Li Yi said nothing—he transferred twenty million, then said: “Lu Jue, eighteen million is for Kong Sheng, the remaining two million is yours. Thank you for your help this time—if not for you, I wouldn’t be alive.”

“Money for me?” Lu Jue was stunned. “Li Yi, you really don’t need to do this—I can’t take your money. I didn’t even do anything. Wait—I’ll send it back to you.”

“No need. You need money for your cultivation, and I just received a bounty from Wang Kui—I’m not short on cash. Besides, your role in this bounty was real. That’s settled—take it. When this is over, I’ll treat you to dinner.”

Li Yi ended the call without giving Lu Jue a chance to reply.

On the other end, Lu Jue fell silent for a moment.

He looked out the window and sighed: “I was right about Li Yi—he’s a man who knows right from wrong, worth cultivating a deep bond with. I never expected his progress to be this terrifying. When we first met, he was just a novice barely into cultivation—now he’s already a figure to reckon with.”

“Indeed, the rise of a genius is swift. Remember how Zhao Xiaoxiao and Wu Zhen mocked and oppressed others? Now that they’ve heard about Li Yi, I wonder if they’ll be too terrified to sleep at night.”

“Wait—I should’ve asked Li Yi which hospital he’s in. I need to visit him.”

Lu Jue suddenly snapped back to awareness.

Meanwhile, Li Yi, having put down his phone, was still pained by the twenty million he’d just spent.

He’d barely risked his life in the danger zone to earn a little money, and now it was all gone before it even warmed his hands—of course it hurt.

But he knew clearly: this money had to be spent, and he couldn’t be stingy.

Recalling Lao Ya and Ning Wu’s gang—why had they lost so completely, even forfeiting the rare artifact they could’ve claimed? Wasn’t it because they were too miserly at the critical moment? They relied on their cultivation status, assumed Li Yi’s group was helpless, refused to pay, wanted the rewards, and ended up ruined, brought to this state.

So Li Yi would never make that mistake.

He stopped thinking about it, closed his eyes, and rested quietly.

Though severely injured, Li Yi was now a cultivator with an evolved body—his self-healing speed was rapid. As long as he received sufficient nutrition and ample rest, he estimated he’d fully recover in about ten days.

“Too bad I can’t cultivate right now—if I could, combined with the cosmic energy inside the incomplete artifact, my recovery would be even faster,” Li Yi thought silently.

The half-coin artifact was no longer on him—he’d hidden it along with the sniper rifle.

That decision was correct.

Otherwise, during his unconsciousness, the incomplete coin would’ve fallen into the Investigation Bureau’s hands—and things would’ve become far more complicated.

He rested until evening.

The nurse woke him, informing him someone had come to visit.

Soon after waking, Lin Yue and Mark entered the room carrying fruit and nutritional supplements.

“Good, your energy looks strong—you’re fine. You scared me half to death—how long have you been cultivating, and already you’re fighting a group of Spirit-Medium initiates? Lucky you were fierce enough to beat them—if not, how would we explain to your parents?”

Mark immediately stepped closer, inspecting and touching Li Yi.

“Good—no limbs missing. Looks like just fractures—minor injuries. Cultivators heal fast; in ten days or so, you’ll be back to full strength.”

“Mark, where are you touching?” Li Yi hurriedly said.

“Haha, I just wanted to check if they used any underhanded tricks on you,” Mark laughed.

At that moment, Li Yi noticed Lin Yue’s arm was wrapped in bandages—she’d been injured. He immediately asked: “Sister Lin, what happened to your hand?”

“It’s nothing—a minor injury,” Lin Yue said. “Compared to yours, it’s insignificant. Seeing you’re safe, I’m relieved. You really are fearless—a novice daring to fight a Spirit-Perception cultivator. Luckily Ning Wu had just broken through and hadn’t adapted to her heightened senses—if she had, you’d have been dead.”

“After you killed the others, you should’ve fled immediately and waited for the Investigation Bureau to arrive. No need to fight Ning Wu to the death.”

Li Yi’s expression darkened: “She wanted me dead—I wanted her dead. I didn’t think much then. Too bad I couldn’t kill her in the end—she’ll surely seek revenge later. A real nuisance.”

“I heard someone’s protecting Ning Wu behind the scenes, but after such a big incident, it won’t be easy for her to escape. Focus on yourself first. By the way, I brought you something.” Suddenly, Lin Yue pulled out a box.

Inside was a garment, its texture strange, as if made from the hide of some supernatural creature—under the light, faint shimmering currents flowed across its surface.

“What’s this?” Li Yi asked curiously.

Lin Yue sighed: “It’s made from Qiu Dragon hide—I got it from Yang Yi Long. That Yang Yi Long has changed—he refused to give you the Guiding Technique or compensate you for the price difference, so he only gave me this garment as a token. But don’t worry—I promised you, I’ll deliver. I’ll find the Guiding Technique elsewhere—it’s not exclusive to him.”

Li Yi looked at the garment, then at Lin Yue’s bandaged arm—he understood immediately: “Yang Yi Long attacked you? Sister Lin, are you alright? How bad is your injury?”

“Just a minor scuffle—nothing worth mentioning,” Lin Yue laughed cheerfully, dismissing it.

“I’m sorry—I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.”

Li Yi looked at Lin Yue’s bandaged arm, his expression filled with regret—but then his gaze hardened: “But Sister Lin, I’ve recorded this debt. One day, I’ll repay it for you.”

“Li Yi, don’t be reckless. Don’t go after Yang Yi Long—he’s terrifying. If you clash with him, you’ll be the one who suffers. This conflict is between me and Yang Yi Long—it has nothing to do with you. Don’t take every burden onto yourself,” Lin Yue said. “Your priority now is to calm down, cultivate, practice your fist techniques—don’t let distractions derail you.”

“Once you master the fist art, your potential will grow—even if your cultivation base remains low, your future is still bright. Don’t let small matters ruin your future.”

“I—I understand. I’m no match for Yang Yi Long, so I won’t provoke him. But if the tide ever turns, I’ll make him pay dearly for you.”

Li Yi took a deep breath—he wasn’t foolish. He could only keep this matter locked inside.

Seeing this, Lin Yue smiled: “Good. Then work hard—I’m waiting for the day you surpass Yang Yi Long.”

“I will.”

Li Yi said firmly, then suddenly remembered something: “By the way, Sister Lin—I have a question. An investigator named Wang Jian invited me to join the Investigation Bureau as an external combatant. Should I accept?”