"Surprise is only natural. You can get your hands on things out of ancient texts — how could I not be surprised?" Old Man Wei rolled his eyes and retorted, "Besides, how could anything mentioned in an ancient text be anything but good? But even if it is good, the text never says how to use it. It only says its function is something like a preservation box, that whatever you put inside will never spoil in ten thousand years. But it surely does more than that — the knowledge has simply been lost."

"That..." Wei Zhao rolled his eyes too. "Then you've told me nothing. I'll just figure it out myself."

Wei Zhao hung up, at a loss for words. The old man's words had no reference value whatsoever, which left Wei Zhao thoroughly vexed. It was like getting a high-level artifact in an online game without knowing how to use it — you sat there rejoicing over nothing, unable to open it.

Fortunately, reality was not an online game. There was no need to worry about inventory space; he could stash whatever "junk" he liked.

Wei Zhao put the Everlasting Spring wooden box and the two fragments of the map into a drawer. Since they were useless for now, he had no choice but to treat them as "junk."

After calling the old man, Wei Zhao called Tang Yun.

"Hello?" Tang Yun was waiting in the nurses' duty room for Xiaofen to return when the phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller ID and her heart leapt with joy. "Wei Zhao, where are you? Is Gu Mengyao all right?"

For some reason, Tang Yun's first question was about Gu Mengyao. Was she truly worried about Gu Mengyao, or worried about whether Wei Zhao and Gu Mengyao were together right now? Even Tang Yun herself could not say.

"Ah, she's fine now..." Speaking of Gu Mengyao, Wei Zhao felt strange, and he did not know how to explain it to Tang Yun. Though it had been to save a life, that scene had indeed been awkward. "I'm at home. She's still at the hospital."

"Oh..." Tang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. What she feared was Gu Mengyao resorting to some underhanded competitive tactic — using her illness, say, to keep Wei Zhao at her side. She could argue that a sick person needed protection and the like, and there was nothing Tang Yun could do about it.

"Where are you?" Wei Zhao asked.

"I'm at the hospital, accompanying Xiaofen to her follow-up. Guan Xin brought her," Tang Yun said.

"Should I come find you?" Wei Zhao did not know whether Tang Yun had mentioned Guan Xin on purpose or not; either way, he found it awkward to take up the thread.

"Mm, that works." Tang Yun nodded. "My mother happens to want to see you — to discuss buying a house. We can't keep living in the hospital forever, after all. My father's leg is nearly healed too; the doctor says he only needs to rest at home."

"All right, I'll head over now." Wei Zhao had nothing else to do anyway. After hanging up, he turned and left the villa. Only at the villa gate did he remember that his car was parked on the snack street behind the school — he had ridden with An Jianwen at noon, and had been taking taxis ever since.

Going back to the school to fetch the car would be a pointless detour. Besides, Tang Yun now knew about his relationship with the eldest miss, so Wei Zhao simply drove Shen Yushu's yellow Beetle.

Wei Zhao had just parked in the lot of the First People's Hospital and gotten out when a middle-aged beggar on crutches came hobbling up to him.

"Young man, have a heart, spare me some money!" The beggar launched into a torrent the moment he arrived. "My leg was crushed working at a construction site, and that black-hearted contractor didn't give me a single cent. I've had to beg to scrape together my medical fees! Have a heart — a hundred or two hundred, I won't turn my nose up at it..."

A hundred or two hundred, and he wouldn't turn his nose up? Wei Zhao nearly laughed in anger. This beggar's appetite was enormous — a hundred or two hundred? Wasn't he afraid of biting his own tongue off?

If he had asked for eight or ten yuan, Wei Zhao might not have bothered with him and simply tossed him some change to send him on his way. But this beggar had gone too far, and Wei Zhao was naturally annoyed. He gave the man a cool once-over and said a single word: "Scram."

But the beggar did not leave. Instead he shamelessly planted himself in front of Wei Zhao's car and refused to budge. "If you don't give me money, I'll sit right here, and you won't be going anywhere today! What does a cripple like me have to fear? Go on, try it — just don't come back!"

"Heh..." Seeing the beggar so obstinate, Wei Zhao was amused instead. He took the silver needle case from his pocket, opened it, and looked at the beggar calmly. "Your leg is ruined? Perfect. I'll heal it for you."

With that, Wei Zhao drew out a silver needle and made to jab the beggar. The beggar was aghast — he had never expected Wei Zhao to carry silver needles on him. Suddenly timid, he shot Wei Zhao a hateful glare, turned, and hurried off on his crutches.

Wei Zhao gave a cold laugh and put the needle case away. To deal with that sort, one had to be even more overbearing than they were.

Wei Zhao locked the car and was about to enter the hospital when a young girl blocked his path. Wei Zhao frowned slightly. The girl was pretty enough — an oval face, big eyes, gently curved brows, with something of a romance-novel cover about her. Only her expression left much to be desired: fierce, as though she meant to devour him, her face brimming with fury, as if he owed her a great deal of money.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Have you no sympathy at all? That man is disabled, all right? Not only did you refuse him money, you scared him off with a weapon?" Yu Xiaoke was furious, truly furious. What she hated most was people like Wei Zhao — rich and heartless, driving such a fine car yet possessing not a shred of compassion! Refusing money was one thing, but threatening a beggar with a weapon? That was villainy of the highest order!

"A weapon?" Wei Zhao was briefly startled, then recalled the silver needle in his hand. So this public-spirited young lady had misunderstood him. But Wei Zhao could not be bothered to explain. He shook his head and turned to leave.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Yu Xiaoke grew even angrier and grabbed hold of Wei Zhao's clothes to stop him. Not only did this man show no remorse, he treated her words with indifference, looking utterly unconcerned! If she did not teach him a lesson today, how could she live with herself? This plump sheep who looked so rich and heartless — if she did not fleece him, even heaven would blame her!

"Say what? About that beggar?" Wei Zhao frowned. "If you pity him, go give him money yourself."

Wei Zhao slapped Yu Xiaoke's hand off his clothes, a faint, barely perceptible sneer flickering at the corner of his mouth.

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