Lin Fan gave an awkward smile.
He knew Zheng Yue meant well and had high hopes for him.
But his greatest aspiration was to marry Xia Xue.
As for anything else, he hadn't really thought that far ahead.
"I understand," Lin Fan said with a perfunctory smile.
"It's obvious you weren't listening," Zheng Yue said, displeased.
"I was listening," Lin Fan emphasized.
Zheng Yue rolled her eyes. "If you won't listen, I'll keep talking until it's etched into your brain."
Lin Fan frowned deeply. "Are you so sure... that I can achieve great things?"
He thought about it and decided "achieve great things" was a good way to describe Zheng Yue's expectations.
"Of course!" Zheng Yue nodded as if it were a matter of fact.
Lin Fan shook his head slightly. "I don't have much confidence in myself."
"Don't be so modest. Your medical skills are superb, you understand feng shui, and your martial arts are exceptional." As she said this, Zheng Yue's heart swelled with affection.
"The big windmill turns with a creak and a groan..."
Just then, a mobile phone rang.
"I need to take this call," Lin Fan said with an awkward smile, pulling his phone from his pocket.
The call was answered.
"Your brother, where are you?"
Xia Xue's anxious voice came through the receiver.
"Sister-in-law, what's happened?"
Lin Fan's tone told him something major had occurred at home.
"Do you remember that patient from Changxi Village, the one surnamed Wan?"
"It's Tian Yu's family."
Lin Fan immediately interjected.
"Yes, yes, her husband is named Wan."
Xia Xue said urgently, "Her husband suddenly took a turn for the worse. His face has gone all purplish-blue, he's barely breathing. He's in the clinic right now."
"I'll be right back," Lin Fan said gravely, hanging up the phone.
"Ah Yue, a patient is in critical condition, I need to go save them."
He spoke rapidly.
Zheng Yue stood up. "Then you should go. Do you need me to find someone to drive you?"
"No, I'm fine on my own. If my classmates look for me later, please find a car to send him home."
Lin Fan waved goodbye as he walked out of the office.
"Be careful." Zheng Yue, unaware of his terrible driving skills, agreed.
"Sigh!" Watching his hurried departure, Zheng Yue couldn't help but sigh.
There were so many poor people; he would be worked to death trying to help them all alone.
When would he be able to set aside worldly matters and focus on what truly mattered?
--
At Xiao Fan Clinic, heart-wrenching cries could be heard from a distance.
"Husband, open your eyes and don't sleep. Divine Doctor Lin will be back soon."
"Father, don't die!"
Tian Yu and Wan Ling, mother and daughter, wept bitterly, clinging to Wan Anfu.
Xia Xue was pacing frantically, staring at the end of the dirt road, murmuring, "Why isn't he back yet?"
Song Yue looked at Wan Anfu's purplish-blue skin, her scalp tingling.
"Sister Xue'er, he's almost gone."
"He'll be fine when Xiao Fan gets back."
Xia Xue was agitated, stomping her feet in desperation.
Song Yue worriedly said, "It's not good if someone dies at the clinic. It will harm Xiao Fan's reputation. And if the patient's family sues, he could get into trouble. They might extort a lot of money from us."
Xia Xue shook her head. "He won't. Xiao Fan saved his life last time. People need to have a conscience."
"That's not necessarily true..."
"Alright, stop talking."
Xia Xue didn't let Song Yue continue.
"Fine," Song Yue sighed heavily.
In her heart, she had already pronounced Wan Anfu dead.
"He's back!" Xia Xue suddenly shouted excitedly.
On the distant dirt road, a van was driving with the intensity of an F1 race car.
Seeing this, Xia Xue's heart leaped into her throat.
At this moment, she couldn't even think about saving the patient. Her mind was filled with prayers, hoping Lin Fan wouldn't get into an accident.
Tian Yu quickly ran to the entrance, her gaze fixed on the van.
"Divine Doctor Lin..."
As they neared the village entrance, Lin Fan began to frantically turn the steering wheel.
But due to the excessive speed, the van, under the immense inertia, tilted in the opposite direction.
Xia Xue's eyes widened, her fingernails digging deeply into the flesh of her palms.
*Bang!*
A loud crash echoed.
The van couldn't withstand it. It first overturned, then slid sideways.
"Xiao Fan!" Xia Xue was the first to rush over.
Song Yue followed close behind.
Tian Yu and Wan Ling also followed.
Tears streamed down Xia Xue's face, her insides churning with regret.
If she had known, she wouldn't have rushed him back. If anything happened to him, how could she live?
"Xiao Fan!"
"Sister-in-law."
*Clang!*
The van door, now facing upwards, opened, and Lin Fan agilely jumped out.
Fortunately, the roadside was a wheat field. The van slid to a stop after a short distance on the soft soil. Otherwise, he truly feared he might have injured someone.
As for himself, he had already protected his body with spiritual energy.
Therefore, besides being startled, he was unharmed.
"Xiao Fan, are you alright?" Xia Xue's eyes were full of tears.
"I'm fine," Lin Fan smiled at her, then turned around.
"Did you hit anywhere?" Xia Xue asked worriedly.
"Not at all," Lin Fan laughed.
"You scared me to death!" Xia Xue raised her small fist to hit him. Lin Fan didn't dodge, his eyes filled with a happy glow.
"Phew~" Tian Yu breathed a sigh of relief, standing there expectantly looking at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan immediately became serious. "Don't mind me for now. Where's the patient?"
"In the clinic," Xia Xue pointed behind her.
"Sister Tian, tell me what happened first," Lin Fan asked as he quickly walked towards the clinic.
"I... I don't know what happened," Tian Yu seemed to have found her anchor and felt like crying. She choked up after only a few words.
"Don't cry. When did you first notice something was wrong?" Lin Fan asked in a different way.
"Last night, Old Wan was fine. He even told me he wanted to go out for a walk."
Tian Yu wiped away her tears. "This morning, I noticed his complexion wasn't right, his face was very pale. But I didn't think much of it, just assumed he'd caught a cold with the recent cool weather. When I came back from working in the fields, he..."
Lin Fan nodded, then rushed into the clinic and saw Wan Anfu lying on a door panel, on the verge of death.
Wan Anfu's purplish-blue face was terrifying. If his chest hadn't been faintly rising and falling, he would have been mistaken for a dead man.
"Wait a moment, you all." Lin Fan hurried to the backyard and retrieved a palm-sized, jelly-like thin slice from the water vat.
"Is there water?"
"Yes!"
Song Yue immediately brought a water pitcher.
"Room temperature is fine, no need for hot water," Lin Fan said, as he propped up Wan Anfu's upper body and used his left hand to pry open his mouth.
"I'll go fetch water right away," Song Yue said, carrying the pitcher and trotting to the backyard.
"Xiao Fan, is there still hope?" Xia Xue asked nervously.
"There is hope," Lin Fan nodded, but his heart was churning like a stormy sea.
He was poisoned!
He just wasn't sure if Wan Anfu had residual poison or had been poisoned again.
Lin Fan suspected that the snake demon was involved.
She's back!
Thinking of this, Lin Fan's head felt like it was about to explode.
Only a few Golden Silkworm Gu had been refined, not enough to pose a significant threat.
This is bad!
The army of Gu worms was still in the snake demon's lair!
Lin Fan was burning with anxiety, wishing he could immediately run to the quarry to investigate.