Chapter 233: Nine-Change Divine Silkworm
Duan Yanqing nodded eagerly. "Yes! Elder He, as you know, I have seven sons but only one daughter, Yingying. I cherish her dearly. If anything were to happen to her, I..."
Elder He smiled. "Yanqing, I understand how you feel. I also have only one granddaughter, Xiaojing! For the half a year she was in a coma, I was sick with worry."
After he finished speaking, Elder He turned to He Hongting. "Hongting, could you ask if Xiaoyuan is available right now?"
He Hongting nodded quickly and dialed Cheng Yuan’s number. The call connected almost immediately, and Cheng Yuan’s gentle voice came through. "Uncle He, what can I do for you? Has Xiaojing’s condition relapsed?"
"Xiaojing’s condition is very stable. A good friend of mine is here, and his daughter has contracted a strange illness. I was wondering if you’re available now."
Cheng Yuan glanced at the time on his phone and said warmly, "A friend of Uncle He is a friend of mine. I’m having a meal in the east wing of the Cheng Mansion Banquet. Just have them come over."
He Hongting was very pleased with Cheng Yuan’s attitude. "Excellent, I’ll have my friend head over right away. And don’t you worry—as long as you can cure his daughter, you will be handsomely compensated!"
He Hongting hung up and turned to Duan Yanqing. "Prince Duan, Divine Doctor Cheng is eating in the east wing of the Cheng Mansion Banquet. You can head straight over. Just tell him I sent you."
"Many thanks!"
As they were speaking, the group arrived at He Jing’s room.
Duan Yanqing offered He Jing some warm words of concern, then took out a Jade Box.
"This is just a small token to help you recuperate."
He Jing glanced at her father, a question in her eyes.
He Hongting gave a slight nod. Only then did He Jing accept the Jade Box. She opened it to find a stalk of Centennial Blood Ginseng.
He Jing didn’t know the value of Centennial Blood Ginseng, but at her side, Elder He and He Hongting held their breath.
Elder He said in a solemn voice, "Yanqing, this is far too extravagant."
Duan Yanqing smiled. "Back when I was facing injustice, it was you, Elder He, who spoke up for me. Please consider this a small token of my gratitude. Since your granddaughter has just recovered, I won’t disturb her rest any longer. I’ll take my leave now."
Elder He personally escorted Duan Yanqing out of the He Mansion.
A stretched limousine was parked at the entrance of the He Mansion.
A pale-faced girl was lying in the back seat. Even her sickly complexion couldn’t hide her natural beauty.
Her traditional attire, in particular, gave her an exotic allure.
The girl was Duan Yanqing’s daughter, Duan Yingying.
"Yingying, Daddy found a Divine Doctor for you. I’m sure you can be cured this time!"
Duan Yingying weakly opened her eyes and gave a bitter smile. "Dad, please stop wasting your energy. How many Divine Doctors have you found over the years? Every treatment just leaves me weaker than before. I really don’t want to go through this ordeal anymore. I just want to use the time I have left to take a good look at the world."
Duan Yanqing’s heart clenched in anguish. He hugged Duan Yingying tightly. "Yingying, don’t say such despairing things! You’re still young! You have so much time ahead of you! No matter the cost, Daddy will find a cure for you!"
Duan Yingying sighed, not wanting to crush her father’s hopes any further.
Soon, the car arrived at the Cheng Mansion Banquet.
The driver took a folding wheelchair from the trunk and attentively unfolded it.
Duan Yanqing himself lifted Duan Yingying from the back seat, placed her gently in the wheelchair, and personally pushed her into the Cheng Mansion Banquet.
Duan Yanqing found it strange that the normally bustling Cheng Mansion Banquet was deserted. There wasn’t a single server in sight.
What was even stranger was that Elder Cheng himself was standing behind the counter, acting as both receptionist and cashier.
Seeing Duan Yanqing approaching with the girl, a wry smile touched Elder Cheng’s lips. ’I didn’t expect Prince Duan to arrive so soon!’
’Luckily, I reacted quickly enough to give all the employees the day off!’
’He had poured his heart and soul into the Cheng Mansion Banquet; he couldn’t just leave. Even if the restaurant was to be destroyed at the hands of Prince Duan today, he would go down with it.’
Elder Cheng forced a bitter smile. "Your Grace, Prince Duan, your presence brings light to our humble establishment! I shall personally prepare an imperial banquet for you!"
Duan Yanqing gave a slight wave of his hand. "I’m looking for someone. I’ll have to sample Elder Cheng’s masterful cooking another time."
With that, Duan Yanqing pushed Duan Yingying’s wheelchair and headed straight for the east wing.
Duan Yanqing made no effort to conceal his presence. From a great distance, Yang Qianhuan sensed his approach.
Yang Qianhuan downed a piece of Mao’s Braised Pork in one gulp, then slowly rose to his feet. He gave his wrists and neck a simple stretch, producing a series of sharp CRACKS.
Seeing Yang Qianhuan’s actions, the others immediately grew tense.
Hu Shishi asked nervously, "Dragon Head, is that Prince Duan arriving?"
Yang Qianhuan nodded slightly. "Don’t panic. As long as I’m here, Duan Yanqing won’t be able to touch a single hair on your heads!"
Despite Yang Qianhuan’s assurance, the hearts of the three others were still pounding in their chests.
Prince Duan was a veritable god of slaughter who, with his Six Meridian Divine Sword at the Great Success stage, had wiped out a first-rate prestigious family in a single night!
Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil and, out of curiosity, looked through the wall. He saw an exceptionally suave middle-aged man.
Though he was clearly in his forties or fifties, he was extremely well-preserved.
He looked to be around thirty.
Paired with an impossibly handsome face, he was a total lady-killer!
’Even Cheng Yuan was getting a little jealous!’
’Life is so unfair.’
’How could one person be allowed to be that handsome?’
’It was a shame Duan Lang hadn’t inherited his father’s good looks. Compared to Prince Duan, he was nothing but dust.’
After several seconds of pure jealousy, Cheng Yuan’s gaze shifted to the girl beside the man, and his eyes instantly narrowed.
’Isn’t that his classmate, Duan Yingying?’
Duan Yingying was the campus belle of Luocheng University. With her stunning looks and perfect figure, she was the idol of every male student at Luo University.
’Of course, she had been his idol back then, too.’
But no one dared to pursue her. Duan Yingying was too cold and aloof; she never gave any guy the time of day.
Even the wealthiest heirs in Luocheng were met with a closed door.
Only now did Cheng Yuan finally understand why Duan Yingying was so aloof. She was Prince Duan’s daughter, with a status equivalent to a Princess from ancient times. She certainly had the right to be cold.
’What happened to Duan Yingying?’
’Why is she in a wheelchair?’
’Why does she look so ill?’
’I remember her being perfectly healthy before I went to prison.’
Cheng Yuan enhanced the power of his Double Pupil, peering through Duan Yingying’s clothes and seeing things he shouldn’t have.
The jade-white landscape of peaks and valleys left Cheng Yuan staring in a daze.
’I never would have guessed my old classmate was so stacked!’
’And so... pink and delicate.’
Cheng Yuan shook his head, trying to banish the inappropriate thoughts. He increased the power of his Double Pupil again, his X-ray Vision now piercing directly into Duan Yingying’s body, intent on finding the source of her illness.
To Cheng Yuan’s surprise, however, Duan Yingying’s internal organs showed no signs of disease. They were merely weak.
Cheng Yuan pushed his vision deeper, looking inside the organs themselves.
Finally, Cheng Yuan found it!
Attached to the inner valve of Duan Yingying’s heart was a tiny, milky-white worm. Even with his Double Pupil, Cheng Yuan had almost overlooked it.
Cheng Yuan quickly recognized the tiny worm’s identity—it was a Nine-Change Divine Silkworm!