Chapter 101 — Welcome to Play

…

All along, Wei Zhao had believed that cultivating the *Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art* merely improved his own body, and it had never once occurred to him that it could also repair and restore another's.

Still, since Jiao Yazi said so, there could be no doubt about it.

Wei Zhao drew a deep breath, pressed his right hand precisely onto the old man's Dadun acupoint, and began to circulate the basic mnemonic of the *Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art*.

All at once a powerful suction came surging from the old man's Dadun acupoint, and the energy elements within Wei Zhao's body poured out of him like water released from a floodgate, rushing into the old man's body.

Wei Zhao was startled and secretly alarmed—could this be the Star-Absorbing Great Art? But it lasted only an instant, and the energy elements within his body ceased to diminish.

The energy elements released from his body were no more than a single hair from nine oxen, a tiny fraction that had no real effect on Wei Zhao at all.

He sensed the old man's heartbeat slowly regain its strength, and his complexion shift from the iron-blue of before to pallor, and then to a healthy ruddiness; his formerly ragged breathing, too, gradually grew calm and even…

"Is it cured just like that?" Wei Zhao had never imagined that the *Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art* he cultivated possessed such power.

"Wei Zhao, you little fool, are you dreaming? This is only a return to normal. To cure him completely you would need at least three or four levels of cultivation. I studied the first level of your *Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art*, and it is nothing but a means of strengthening the body. To heal injuries, you are still far from it." Jiao Lao's voice sounded at Wei Zhao's ear.

So that was how it was. Wei Zhao felt neither surprise nor disappointment. Had Jiao Yazi told him that merely cultivating the first level of the *Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art* could bring the dying back to life, Wei Zhao would instead have been alarmed—if the first level alone was like this, what would he become in time? An immortal?

"Husband, look at Father's face—it has improved, it really has, and his breathing is normal again!" The woman called Huiru pointed at the old man on the ground and cried out excitedly.

"Hmph." Liu Tianyi shook off his wife with a sour look. A moment ago she had been hurling abuse at Wei Zhao, and now she was like this—they say a woman turns her face faster than a page turns, and his wife was the very model of it. "Little brother, how is my father?"

"There is no problem this time," Wei Zhao said mildly. "You need not go to the hospital. He should wake very soon."

"Is that so? Thank you, little brother, thank you!" At Wei Zhao's words Liu Tianyi let out a breath of relief and thanked him again and again. His father had fallen ill so suddenly this time that, had Wei Zhao not stepped in to save him, the old man would surely have come to grievous harm…

Earlier, when his father had lain on the ground, Liu Tianyi had not dared to touch him before the ambulance arrived, for fear of making matters worse. Now that he heard Wei Zhao say all was well, he hurriedly bent down and helped the old man up from the ground.

By then the old man had opened his eyes and was drawing slow, heavy breaths. Weakly, he said to Liu Tianyi, "Help me up…"

"Father, let me help you," Huiru said, suddenly meek, stepping forward and reaching out to support the old man.

Unexpectedly, the old man gave a cold snort and brushed her hand aside. Though the angina had felled him earlier, he had not been unconscious, and he could still hear what went on around him. The ugly face Huiru had made in falsely accusing Wang Xinyan had disgusted him thoroughly.

"Father… I…" Huiru was startled and tried to say more, but Liu Tianyi silenced her with a glare.

"Father, what are you doing?" Liu Tianyi had helped his father up, only to see him heading toward Wei Zhao, and he asked hastily.

"Help me go thank this young friend." The old man knew very well who had saved him.

Seeing such genuine feeling in the old man, Wei Zhao found himself rather warmed toward him. As for being called "young friend," Wei Zhao naturally did not mind—the old man was about the same age as his own grandfather, so it was only natural.

"There is no need for courtesy, sir. I merely happened to be passing by," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"Good, good." The old man's color had recovered a great deal by now; the angina had been but a passing fit, and once it passed he was as other men. "You saved this old man's life, yet you are neither proud nor rash. Good. Tianyi, note down this young friend's telephone number—for what happened today, we must repay him handsomely."

"Yes, Father," Liu Tianyi said. Hearing this, he quickly turned to look at Wei Zhao. Since Wei Zhao had heard his father's words himself, Liu Tianyi did not need to repeat them.

"A generous reward won't be necessary. Just let my friend go," Wei Zhao said mildly. As for rewards, Wei Zhao did not much care. He counted as a well-paid young man these days and was not short of money; besides, his chief purpose in stepping forward had been simply to get Wang Xinyan out of this fix.

At Wei Zhao's words, Liu Tianyi's old face flushed red. He shot Huiru another fierce glare, then said to Wei Zhao, "Little brother, I'm truly sorry. Please don't hold it against a woman; this business had nothing to do with your friend in the first place. She's free to leave at any time."

"Heh heh..." Wei Zhao smiled faintly and said to the old man, "Elder, a generous reward won't be necessary. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way. Take good care of your health."

"A fine young man," the old man said, looking at Wei Zhao with open admiration. "Just from your little girlfriend's car, I can tell you're not someone who lacks money. So let's not stand on ceremony, old man that I am. Tianyi, leave this young man my private number. If he ever gets the chance to visit Yanjing, he can give me a call, and I'll host him myself."

"All right," Wei Zhao said with a nod, and declined no further. Since it was the old man's heartfelt gesture, Wei Zhao naturally would not object. As for visiting Yanjing for fun... heh, he had been to Yanjing before, but for fun? Did he even have time for fun?

The old man's words, however, left Liu Tianyi deeply astonished. When had his father ever been so approachable, especially with a younger stranger? Even if the young man had saved his father's life, was there any need to go this far? Yet since his father had ordered it, he raised no objection. He took out one of his own business cards, quickly wrote his father's phone number on the blank back of it, and handed it to Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao took the card, stuffed it into his pocket without a closer look. The old man seemed quite unbothered, but Liu Tianyi shook his head inwardly. How many people longed for his father's number and could never get it.

Just then, the sound of an ambulance finally came from the distance. In truth, only twenty minutes had passed from the beginning of the whole affair to now; for an ambulance to drive from the hospital to this busy downtown area in that time was already quite fast.

"Father, the ambulance is here. Shall we go to the hospital for a checkup?" Liu Tianyi had heard it too, and he spoke cautiously to the old man.

"I'm all better. Why would I go?" The old man refused outright. "Don't I know my own illness? What use would the hospital be?"