Chapter 32: Fatty Luo

The corridor fell into an eerie silence, and the crowd appeared bewildered and at a loss. They had helped Zhao Xiangbo, of course, because he had promised them significant rewards. Another reason was to curry favor with the Third Master; by helping his second disciple deal with a traitor, they hoped to be rewarded once the Third Master was discharged from the hospital.

But now, the truth was becoming increasingly clear: the real traitor was this very second disciple!

The prestige the Third Master had built up over many years kept them from daring to harbor thoughts of betrayal. Although the Third Master’s methods were harsh, he had never treated those of them who had mastered the flow of Qi poorly. Therefore, most of them held complex feelings toward him—a mix of resentment and gratitude. After all, had it not been for the Third Master, they would have been left wandering the streets, struggling even to survive. Now that Zhao Xiangbo was urging them to openly betray the Third Master, most were hesitant.

Wen Liang cursed angrily, "Do you really believe his nonsense? He was a complete fraud from the start! Today he can betray his own master, and tomorrow he could sell any one of you out!"

Seeing their hesitation, I said to Brother Hei, "Brother Hei, put me down. Let's go to the hospital room!"

"No!" Brother Hei gripped my hands even tighter. I knew he felt guilty for not protecting me well and didn't want to let me go.

My state was strange now. Although my head was bleeding, my consciousness was becoming clearer, and my mind felt different than before. It was as if the blow I had just received had shattered the feeling that had been inside my head since last night—the sensation as if something was shrouding my brain. The flow of Qi within me was much smoother than before. When I opened my left eye, the people in front of me no longer appeared as chaotic masses, but like walking human circuit diagrams! I knew the glowing currents were the Qi within them.

Having lost quite a bit of blood, I felt weak. I leaned into Brother Hei's ear and whispered, "Brother Hei, we must take advantage of their hesitation to enter the room quickly and check on the Third Master. I need you to clear the obstacles, and it’s hard for you to fight while carrying me! Don't worry, I'm fine. This little injury can't hold me back, and besides, Brother Liang and Little Monkey are here!"

Brother Hei hesitated for a moment, then followed my instructions and set me down.

"Move!" I said to the group, ignoring Zhao Xiangbo and striding forward.

"Stop them!" Cai Lei shouted at the crowd. But no one moved; the looks they cast at him were filled with contempt. Zhao Xiangbo had a powerful godfather, so his promises might hold some weight, but what about Cai Lei? He was the one who cooked for the Third Master, the person he trusted most, yet he had betrayed him by poisoning his food. Who wouldn't be wary of such a person?

Cai Lei took two steps forward, but noticing only two or three people following him, he was frightened and slowed his pace.

Brother Hei let out a roar and charged out, kicking a man in the chest. The man’s feet left the ground as he flew backward, slamming heavily into the wall behind him. The others who had been charging up were so startled that they turned and fled!

Brother Hei had never used such force before. Usually, he only shoved or dodged, and even when struck by clubs, he wouldn't retaliate. Even at the scrap yard, his presence was minimal; other than standing by the Third Master like a door god, he left no other impression. Everyone seemed to have forgotten a simple fact: Brother Hei was the first among them to discover his own Qi! He was the most capable fighter trained by the Third Master. He was the Third Master’s first disciple. Moreover, he was a three-time consecutive national middleweight Sanda champion! To everyone else, his combat prowess could only be described with one word: terrifying.

Seeing me injured, Brother Hei, driven by guilt, finally stopped restraining himself and unleashed his full strength. Cai Lei stretched his neck and swallowed hard, quietly retreating a few steps. The others also wore expressions of fear, not daring to approach further.

I saw Zhao Xiangbo standing aside with a dark expression, not coming over to stop us. Knowing this was our only chance, I told the group, "Let's go!"

I pushed open the door to the room and immediately saw several people gathered around the Third Master’s bed. The most striking was a large, obese man, so tall and wide that he was two or three times the size of an ordinary person; even Brother Hei looked thin standing next to him. To his left stood a sturdy man in sportswear. When he turned around, he looked young, and his features resembled the big man’s—they were clearly father and son. To his right was a young woman in a professional suit wearing glasses; she looked quiet but her gaze was icy. Next to her were two doctors in white coats who appeared to be examining the Third Master.

Despite the commotion outside, the people inside seemed not to have heard it, showing no interest in stopping us or looking until I pushed the door open. Seeing me covered in blood did not seem to surprise them.

The sturdy man walked over and waved his hand at us, saying, "Get out!" His tone was an order that brooked no argument, which made one feel quite indignant.

I ignored him and called out to the hospital bed, "Third Master!"

Wen Liang and Little Monkey cried out simultaneously, "Master!"

"No shouting!" one of the doctors in white coats straightened up and yelled at us.

The four of us tried to walk forward, but the sturdy man blocked us with a stern face and said, "I told you to get out. Are you deaf?"

"Get lost!" I reached out to push him aside, but he flipped his hand and seized my wrist. A sharp pain followed immediately! I thought my arm was about to be snapped, but at that moment, Brother Hei struck out, smashing his fist toward the man’s elbow. The man released my wrist and parried with a counter-punch. With a dull thud, both their arms recoiled and they each stepped back.

"Interesting!" The sturdy man looked at Brother Hei with wide eyes, as if he had found something amusing, and seemed eager to fight.

The large man turned his head and said to the sturdy man, "Wu Sheng, if you want to play, go outside. Don't cause a scene here!"

"Understood, Father!" the sturdy man replied. He turned to Brother Hei and asked, "Black kid, want to step outside and trade some blows?"

Brother Hei ignored him and looked at me. This sturdy man was clearly skilled, and I didn't want Brother Hei to fight him. But before I could speak, the sturdy man said to Brother Hei, "Fine, let them stay here, but don't say a word!"

Hearing this, Brother Hei felt relieved and said with a dark face, "Let's go!"

I wanted to call him back, but Brother Liang shook his head at me. There was nothing I could do but watch them leave.

The large man asked the two doctors expressionlessly, "Old Zhu, Old Yang, how is it?"

The two doctors stood up, looked at each other, and sighed. One of them said, "Mr. Luo, the patient’s oxygen deprivation lasted too long. He is already brain-dead! I think..."

The fat man cut him off directly: "Zhu Bingtang, if he cannot be saved, don't bother managing this hospital anymore. I’ll let someone else be the director!"

The doctor beside him turned pale and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Mr. Luo. Even if Director Zhu and I have to give our lives, we will bring the patient back! We will restore him to how he was before!"

The fat man said coldly, "It doesn't matter if he's restored or not; I need him to remain conscious! The item hasn't been found yet; how can he die? A bunch of trash—you're all just fools who think you're clever!"

"Third Master!" I heard their conversation and rushed forward.

Little Monkey, his eyes red, shouted at the fat man, "Why is it you again? Who exactly are you? What have you done to my Master?"

The fat man lowered his head, glanced at him, and said indifferently, "I am Luo Weijing. Your master likes to call me Fatty Luo!"