Chapter 54: Blessings on the Road, Returning to an Old Trade

Hua Tian knew that tomorrow Han Qianyun would be going to the hospital where her mother currently worked.

That night, in the villa on the campus of Shui Du University, on the first floor by the large television and the three sofas, six eyes were fixed in anticipation—they were waiting for their prey.

When Hua Tian, their target, finally appeared, the three people beside him stood in front, making Hua Tian want to declare aloud: “I don’t know these people.” With a darkened face and restless hands flailing about, he watched as the three, having received encouragement, began to compete in their dancing skills. The two women, both true beauties, could be forgiven for any missteps in their performance. But the man among them—there was just something terribly off about him, almost as if he were afflicted by some peculiar malady; it was enough to make Hua Tian’s eyes ache.

Meanwhile, Hua Jie hovered in the air, at first taken aback by the scene. Soon, her dragon eyes glazed over as she raised Hua Tian’s hands to cheer him on, urging him forward.

Inside, Hua Tian was thinking: If I resist now, I’ll surely start mumbling to myself. I must endure. This too is a part of my journey toward mastering all eighteen disciplines!

As the dance went on, the two women fell into rhythm, looking every bit the elegant performers, while Wei remained as he always was. He ended up sitting with Hua Tian, sharing drinks and wishing him good luck for the day ahead.

Later that night, before going to bed, Hua Tian chatted with his mother, summarizing, “I’ll be at the hospital tomorrow to cure Dad once and for all.”

Before dawn, not yet five o’clock, Hua Tian rose from bed. Uninvited, Hua Jie joined him, and together with the dragon, they headed to the pickup truck. Driving to the campus gate, they spotted a breakfast cart in the distance. With the new semester soon to begin, students had returned, emerging from the year-long immersion of their previous lives.

Knowing he’d be spending the next six hours at the hospital, with no chance to leave, Hua Tian parked where there were no crowds, quickly bought what once seemed to him an extravagance—rice rolls and soy milk—and settled back in the car, setting the navigation to autopilot.

On Han Qianyun’s end, she had her spaceship and traveled swiftly, so she was still sound asleep. It wasn’t until around seven o’clock, when her alarm sounded, that she stirred.

Flying her favorite little ship, she sped through one green light after another and arrived at the hospital Hua Tian had mentioned. She was, in fact, many times faster than the early-rising Hua Tian; upon arrival, she glanced around the hospital at 7:03 a.m.—she had crossed 150 kilometers in just three minutes. Confirming the hospital name and address, she saw she was at the right place. Her original bodyguards began to regroup nearby.

Meanwhile, at a secluded intersection a kilometer from the hospital, Hua Tian was waiting at a left-turn signal. When the light turned green, he scanned the surroundings and began to turn left.

Suddenly, a rather attractive young woman, riding a bicycle against traffic on the sidewalk, deliberately angled her approach and brushed past the right side of his car. Hua Tian caught a flash of white on his right, slammed on the brakes, and hurried out of the car. He saw her on the ground, and after checking the pedestrian signal—still red—wondered if she’d run the light.

No matter, her well-being was the priority.

But the woman was cursing and crying out in pain. Hua Tian, his mind preoccupied with seeing his father soon, hadn’t noticed the pedestrians—he only knew he had a green light and was making a legal turn. He was about to speak when—

“Hua Master, her thoughts are: Every morning I get hit. Drivers turning left only watch the left and ahead, they rarely notice the right-side sidewalk. Dashcam footage is useless; even experienced drivers make mistakes here. He reacted so slowly—he can’t possibly think there’s surveillance here, can he? There’s no camera. He can’t be a rookie, can he? But rookies are easy marks, and he smells nice. Today’s a windfall—every day I cycle to work at the hospital, and I can make some extra cash. Should I ask for 100, 200, or 300? This is a big car. Never mind, I’ll ask for 2,000 and teach him a lesson!”

Hearing the black dragon’s report, Hua Tian realized she was a scammer. He’d thought at first she was just a careless cyclist.

“Are you trying to get two thousand from me?” he asked.

The woman, just about to voice the very sum, was startled when the heavyset man guessed her number, and she instinctively nodded.

“You’re scamming me, and your price is two thousand?”

Seeing her look of scorn, Hua Tian paused slightly.

“You work at the hospital, took me for a rookie, and even experienced drivers get caught here. Am I right?”

The woman was speechless. People always accused her of scamming but never had proof—there was no surveillance here, so she wasn’t afraid. She did worry about getting caught one day, since only a few people knew about the secret camera, but now—

“How did you know I work at the hospital?” she blurted out, then quickly covered her mouth.

Her expression turned fearful—did she just run into an expert who could read her thoughts?

“Don’t be scared! I’m not trying to frighten you, nor am I some expert you imagine. I don’t know where your secret camera is. I’m really quite ordinary—I can’t hear your thoughts!” Hua Tian replied.

At this, the woman was convinced he was part of some mind-reading cult. There was no way she’d get her two thousand now—he knew her thoughts, could read her mind—she stood no chance.

Without another word, she jumped back on her bike and pedaled away.

A man, seeing her from a distance, was puzzled by her sudden retreat. Hua Tian observed the man, who, despite the red light, was still crossing the walk.

“Sir, the light’s red on your side. I only stopped because of the accident. You’re not a traffic officer—why are you jaywalking?” Hua Tian called out.

The man, realizing Hua Tian was a novice driver, wondered why the woman didn’t extort money from him. Wasn’t she in need of cash? Or did she know him? He decided he’d ask her later.

“I’m not sure what happened just now—I was curious. I looked around, saw no one, came over to watch, and before I got close, she ran off. You called out, and without thinking, I ended up in the middle. Good thing you stopped me, or I wouldn’t have noticed the light. Sorry, it won’t happen again. I’ve worked nearby for years, and usually there’s no one here, so I got careless with the lights,” the man explained.

Hua Tian, having heard the black dragon’s inner commentary, realized the man and woman knew each other. He ignored the man’s words, checked the car for damage, made a quick repair, and, seeing the light was still green, drove off.

After the pickup left, the woman glanced back from afar and slowly cycled over. The man saw her.

“Why didn’t you get money from him? He looked like an easy mark,” he said.

“Deputy Chief, I think he could hear my thoughts. He knew I worked at the hospital. I didn’t dare make a scene,” she replied.

“You probably did the right thing. His pickup looked like a million-dollar model—he must have more connections than I do. If you’d pressed on, we’d have been the ones to lose out,” he said, then changed his tone. “But you think he could hear your thoughts? Do you expect me to believe that? All those mind-reading cultists are old men—how could a young guy trick you? And your nurse’s uniform wasn’t even hidden properly!”

By about 7:10, Hua Tian arrived, spotting a small spaceship in the distance. He got out and walked over, finding them—once again, the familiar cast of characters…