From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Xu Chunliang didn’t immediately take a cab to leave. The place was not far from the moat, and he remembered it was where he first met Ji Jiajia. Last time in Nanjiang, he heard Hua Zhuyue complaining that Ji Jiajia was just goofing around with friends all day and refused to go to school, hoping he, as her mentor, would step in and give her a lesson.

Xu Chunliang didn’t expect to meet Ji Jiajia. When he arrived near the bridge, he saw over a hundred people gathered there. Thanks to short videos going viral, the spot had become a famous check-in location, with challengers from across the country and influencers livestreaming to gain traffic. Of course, most were onlookers enjoying the spectacle.

Xu Chunliang spotted Ji Jiajia among the crowd. She was tanned from the sun, and her long limbs were attempting a hand-over-hand bridge climb to the cheers of the crowd.

Xu Chunliang watched for a while from within the crowd. The girl’s athletic genes weren’t bad; she traversed back and forth along the bridge’s lower rails, relying only on her hands, earning waves of applause.

After landing, Ji Jiajia was basking in the compliments from her friends. She noticed Xu Chunliang in the crowd and exclaimed joyfully, "Mentor!"

Xu Chunliang nodded at her. Ji Jiajia squeezed through the crowd to reach him, "Mentor, when did you arrive in the Capital City? You should have told me, so I could arrange a car to pick you up."

Xu Chunliang said, "No need for you to arrange anything. I took the subway, quite convenient."

Ji Jiajia pouted, "Not exactly chatty, are you? Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal."

Xu Chunliang followed her to the top, where a Bentley was parked, and two bodyguards had been remotely monitoring to protect Ji Jiajia.

Ji Jiajia got in the car and couldn’t help but sigh, "Boring. They’re tagging along with me every day. You guys earn your money, but it’s not easy."

One of the bodyguards said, "Miss, if you know it’s not easy for us, don’t make it harder by sneaking away."

"What skills do you have? Still relying on you to protect me? They’re just here under Hua Zhuyue’s orders to monitor me." Actually, the internal disputes within the Orchid Sect had temporarily subsided, and He Dong Group was also busy with its affairs, so Ji Jiajia’s safety was indeed secured.

Xu Chunliang said, "If you’re annoyed by them, why don’t you go to school? At school, you’d have classmates to hang out with, and they wouldn’t need to follow you."

Ji Jiajia picked up on something: "Did Hua Zhuyue send you to persuade me? Isn’t she annoying? My dad doesn’t care, so why should she?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "I haven’t even seen her. Don’t blame others for everything."

Ji Jiajia retorted, "Do you think I’m unclear about your relationship?"

Xu Chunliang asked, "What relationship?"

"You know in your heart."

Ji Jiajia instructed the driver to go to Nine Gates Trotter and Tripe Hot Pot City, a place next to Shuren Middle School, known for its specialty tripe and braised pig’s feet, hence the name.

Xu Chunliang told her to call Fu Xuedong, and Ji Jiajia summoned her junior with authority. When they arrived, Fu Xuedong was already obediently waiting at the door.

Xu Chunliang texted Hua Zhuyue, telling her he was dining with his two apprentices. Hua Zhuyue had been in Haojiang recently, both to handle business and to avoid unnecessary trouble. She urged him to advise Ji Jiajia seriously; a girl being so carefree every day wasn’t a sustainable way to be.

Fu Xuedong seemed noticeably more outgoing as he respectfully greeted his mentor. He was studying at Shuren Middle School, and compared to Ji Jiajia, he was a model student, not prone to skipping classes. Before coming, he even informed his mom.

Zhao Xinting, having heard Xu Chunliang was there, not only urged him to hurry over but also sent along a bottle of Maotai for him to enjoy.

Seeing the Maotai brought by Fu Xuedong, Xu Chunliang couldn’t help laughing. Indeed, these two apprentices were quite filial, one treating him to a meal and the other offering him a drink.

Xu Chunliang said, "You two aren’t even adults yet. I should be the one treating."

"Do you have more money than I do?" Ji Jiajia’s remark left Xu Chunliang speechless.

Fu Xuedong opened the liquor and poured it for Xu Chunliang while he ordered a bottle of Wanglaoji for himself, and Ji Jiajia insisted on having beer.

Xu Chunliang said, "Minors shouldn’t drink alcohol."

Ji Jiajia countered, "Who cares about me? How am I a minor? In Russia, people get married at 14, and there are mothers my age everywhere."

Xu Chunliang retorted, "How can you compare with them? You’re not even the same ethnicity."

Ji Jiajia said, "In Xiangjiang, they marry at 16. I’m 16."

Xu Chunliang replied, "You don’t look it!"

Ji Jiajia rolled her eyes, "Mentor, you’re just out to tease me."

Fu Xuedong chimed in, "Senior sister, Mentor is complimenting you for looking young."

"What do you know, kid? I’m not small at all! You’re the small one, kiddo. Give me a full beer."

Fu Xuedong glanced at Xu Chunliang, who smiled but said nothing. Getting the hint, which seemed like tacit consent, Fu Xuedong poured the beer for Ji Jiajia.

To be honest, the hot pot restaurant Ji Jiajia recommended was quite distinctive. The broth was made from pig’s feet soup, and the ingredients for dipping were different from other places. The tripe was the main feature, and several types of fish maw and small stomachs were not commonly found in other restaurants.

Fu Xuedong rarely eats out, but he found the pig’s bladder quite tasty, though he didn’t know what it was and asked Xu Chunliang for guidance.

Xu Chunliang told him it was pig’s bladder.

Ji Jiajia had eaten it a few times; she didn’t know it was pig’s bladder either. Upon hearing Xu Chunliang’s words, she spat it out: "Isn’t that the organ that holds urine? Gross."

Xu Chunliang said, "You don’t seem to mind eating intestines."

Xu Chunliang asked Fu Xuedong about his recent studies. Ever since Fu Xuedong became his disciple and learned some self-defense skills, his confidence grew significantly, not to mention that Ji Jiajia is a major shareholder of Shuren Middle School. Because of his bullying incident, even the principal was removed.

Seeing the change in Fu Xuedong, Xu Chunliang felt gratified. The two took a photo together and sent it to Fu Guomin.

Fu Guomin quickly replied, telling Xu Chunliang to enjoy himself and not to worry about work at home. Xu Chunliang secretly laughed, thinking Fu Guomin was busy with Dongzhou Barbecue City and would prefer him to come back later, to avoid meddling. The situation in Hu Shan Town was the same. Because of Mingde Group’s investment in Da Heng, Qin Zhengyang was in a difficult position, afraid he would stir up trouble if he returned.

Xu Chunliang suddenly realized that he had become a person everyone wanted to avoid. It wasn’t because they were discarding him after his usefulness; rather, his presence was affecting their political achievements.

Talking to Fu Xuedong about studies in front of Ji Jiajia was actually intended for her to hear, and he deliberately said, "Jiajia, consider going back to school."

Ji Jiajia said, "If you were my teacher, I’d go."

Xu Chunliang replied, "I can’t deal with a kid like you." He got up to go to the bathroom, and as he was leaving, he bumped into Ye Qingya.

Xu Chunliang always thought Ye Qingya was still in Dongzhou taking care of things; today, when he went to the Ye Family, Elder Ye didn’t mention she’d returned to Capital City.

Ye Qingya was surprised too. She hadn’t informed anyone about her return to the Capital City. But when you least want to meet acquaintances, that’s exactly when it happens, and it just had to be Xu Chunliang who is closely connected to the Qiao Family.

Xu Chunliang said, "Sister Qingya, you..."

Ye Qingya replied, "Oh, I just came back to handle some things before returning." At this moment, an elegant elderly man in his sixties came over, calling out, "Qingya, you came!"

Ye Qingya introduced the elder to Xu Chunliang: "This is my high school teacher, Mr. Chen. This is my godbrother, Xu Chunliang."

Xu Chunliang proactively extended his hand, "Hello, Mr. Chen! I’m Xu Chunliang."

The elder shook Xu Chunliang’s hand, "So you are Xu Chunliang. I’ve heard about you from Qingya several times. I’ve long admired you; I am Chen Yunsheng!" He handed Xu Chunliang a business card.

Xu Chunliang took a look and saw the card read Principal of Shuren Middle School. So the elder was the recently appointed Principal Chen Yunsheng of Shuren Middle School.

Chen Yunsheng was Ye Qingya’s mentor in literature and calligraphy, and he had a profound foundation in calligraphy. Whenever Ye Qingya faced confusion since childhood, she would seek his advice. She had once shown him Xu Chunliang’s calligraphy, which he greatly admired.

Ye Qingya’s return to the Capital City was kept secret from her family and the Qiao Family. She had a lot of frustrations she wanted to pour out, and since Chen Yunsheng had something to discuss with her, they arranged to meet at Nine Gates Trotter and Tripe Hot Pot City near Shuren Middle School.

Chen Yunsheng invited Xu Chunliang to join them. Xu Chunliang smiled and told him he had already eaten. As they were talking, Fu Xuedong came over: "Master, Sister has sneaked away."

After Fu Xuedong said this, he spotted Chen Yunsheng and immediately became uneasy: "Principal... Principal Chen..."

Chen Yunsheng looked somewhat surprised at Fu Xuedong. Fu Xuedong was a top student at Shuren Middle School, so Chen Yunsheng had a strong impression of him: "You all..."

Fu Xuedong said, "Master, Principal Chen, I’m heading home too..."

Ye Qingya was also confused. The appearance of this child flustered her; whom exactly was Xu Chunliang dining with, and what role was he playing here?

Ye Qingya said, "Join us; Teacher Chen has always wanted to meet you."

Xu Chunliang had just eaten not too long ago, and both kids had left. He asked a waiter to bring over half a bottle of Maotai.

Xu Chunliang drank a couple of glasses with Chen Yunsheng and learned during their conversation that Ye Qingya was still a specially invited painting and calligraphy teacher at Shuren Middle School, not a full-time one. It was out of teacher-student friendship that she agreed to help Chen Yunsheng, coming over once or twice a month to give the kids a talk on painting and calligraphy to improve their cultural literacy.

Unfortunately, Ye Qingya hadn’t come even once before Qiao Rulong had a car accident. According to the agreed schedule, Ye Qingya would be helping with a calligraphy class at Shuren Middle School next week.

The reason Ye Qingya accepted Chen Yunsheng’s invitation was to explain face-to-face that she wouldn’t be able to help out in the short term.

Chen Yunsheng wasn’t aware of Qiao Rulong’s situation. He smiled and said, "Qingya, I invited you for a meal to remind you that the day after tomorrow, which is next Tuesday, the school scheduled you for a calligraphy class."

Ye Qingya said, "Teacher Chen, I was just about to discuss this with you. I’m afraid I won’t have time to attend. I truly apologize, but you’ll have to make a temporary adjustment."

Chen Yunsheng expressed a sense of regret: "Is that so? I’ve already posted a notice at the school. Qingya, is there any way you can manage it?"

"I’m really sorry. I genuinely can’t find the time. How about I recommend another master to go on my behalf?" Ye Qingya wasn’t out of time but out of motivation.

"Sis, let me go for you!"

Ye Qingya and Chen Yunsheng both looked at Xu Chunliang; did they hear him wrong?