Chapter Seventy-Two: Yang Junqi’s Ex-Husband

Lin Yi put away the spirit stone and turned to the dazed Li Mingfeng at his side. “Where did you get this spirit stone?”

Li Mingfeng came back to himself, looking at Lin Yi with a complicated expression. He had thought Lin Yi was just some poor nobody without any background, never imagining he was actually a martial arts expert. Even Hong Wu from the Seven Stars Society had been sent flying with a single punch—no wonder Li’s own precious daughter had no interest in Hong Wu. Ah, he was getting old; his judgment was not as sharp as his daughter’s.

Seeing Li Mingfeng silent for a long time, Lin Yi asked again, “Where did you get this spirit stone?”

Li Mingfeng replied, “To tell the truth, I bought it three years ago at an antique market for a million yuan. I thought it was just a beautiful gemstone, but later, when I met Master Hong Wu of the Seven Stars Society, I found out it was a spirit stone.”

Lin Yi nodded. He had been keeping his divine sense on Li Mingfeng the whole time and could tell if he was lying. But three years had passed since Li Mingfeng bought the stone, and the antique market was a complicated place. Trying to track it down now would likely be extremely difficult.

“Forget it, let’s go home.”

Now that the spirit stone was in hand, Lin Yi didn’t stay long at the Li house. There was nothing more to be learned here. Back home, Lin Yi was in a good mood. What he thought was a low-grade spirit stone turned out to be of middle grade instead. Trading a few Vitality Pills for a middle-grade spirit stone was a huge profit.

Just then, Dou Dou knocked on his door.

“Lin Yi, do you have any more of that meat you gave me last time? I want to give some to Xiao Nan.”

Lin Dou Dou was referring to the meat from the black tortoise beast. As a demon beast, its flesh had been thoroughly cleansed by spiritual energy; even an ordinary person would become stronger and healthier after eating it, and for a martial artist, it would greatly enhance their vitality. Thanks to eating it daily, Dou Dou’s strength had already reached the Dark Force stage, her vitality robust—obviously, her foundation was solid. Only Lin Yi could afford to feed her like this; if it were anyone else, they’d be bankrupted within a few meals.

“I have plenty,” Lin Yi replied without a hint of reluctance. There was so much black tortoise meat that even a thousand people eating it for a year wouldn’t finish it.

Curious, Lin Dou Dou asked, “Lin Yi, where do you usually hide all your treasures?”

Lin Yi’s room was so simple that when she cleaned it, she hadn’t even found a single piece of clothing, nor any of the things a boy should have.

“That’s a secret. I’ll tell you next time.” Lin Yi ruffled her hair. It was about time to craft a storage artifact for the girl.

“Hmph, you’re always brushing me off like this.” Lin Dou Dou pouted.

Lin Yi just smiled, then quietly pulled a large box from under his bed and placed the black tortoise meat inside. When the box was opened, it was full of pure white, crystalline meat that tasted wonderful whether raw or cooked. Dou Dou took about ten pounds and left.

Lin Yi closed the door, took out the spirit stone, and began absorbing its energy. In an hour, all the spiritual energy within the stone was drawn out, pushing his strength further. Unfortunately, he was still a long way from forming his eleventh golden core. Relying on spirit stones alone, he’d need at least several thousand of these middle-grade stones. Such was the depth of Lin Yi’s foundation.

He stopped cultivating and went out for a walk. Passing by the hospital, he hesitated, then decided to visit Yang Junqi. He bought some fruit by the roadside. As soon as he entered the hospital lobby, he saw a familiar figure—Cai Qing.

“Doctor, please, I beg you, operate on my sister first. My parents are already raising the money,” Cai Qing pleaded, clutching the arm of a female doctor.

Beside her was a young girl of about twelve or thirteen, her hair in twin braids, sitting in a wheelchair with a pained expression.

“If you don’t have money, why are you at a hospital? This isn’t a charity,” the doctor said dismissively and strode away without another glance.

Cai Qing looked hopeless, gently hugging the girl beside her.

“Sis, maybe we should just give up,” the little girl said, her lips pale, sweat dotting her smooth forehead from pain.

“Mo Mo, it’s all right. I promise I’ll find a way to make you well again,” Cai Qing said softly but firmly.

Lin Yi approached and greeted them. “What’s wrong?”

“Lin Yi, what are you doing here?” Cai Qing was surprised.

“I’m here to see a friend in the hospital. I just happened to run into you,” Lin Yi replied, then looked at the girl in the wheelchair. “Is this your sister? She’s adorable.”

“Yes, her name is Cai Mo,” Cai Qing said, lowering her head, her mood low.

The little girl forced a smile. “Hello, big brother.”

“Hello to you too,” Lin Yi responded gently.

Cai Qing glanced at Lin Yi, then suddenly bit her lip and asked, “Lin Yi, could you lend me ten thousand yuan? I’ll pay you back next month.”

“Your sister has muscular atrophy, right?” Lin Yi said.

Cai Qing nodded. “Yes, she’s had it since she was little. It got much worse yesterday, but the treatment will cost hundreds of thousands.”

Her family was just an ordinary one; her parents were farmers. That kind of money would crush them.

Lin Yi comforted her. “I know a bit of medicine. If you trust me, I can treat your sister.”

Cai Qing was his friend. He was willing to help if she was in trouble.

“You know medicine?” Cai Qing looked at him in disbelief. She remembered Lin Yi as just a student at a third-rate university—how could he know medicine?

“Mm.” Lin Yi didn’t want to explain further.

Cai Qing hesitated. This was her sister’s safety, and she couldn’t be careless. But something about the depth of Lin Yi’s eyes made her instinctively trust him.

Seeing her still thinking, Lin Yi said, “Don’t worry about it for now. What’s your bank account number? I’ll transfer you some money.”

Gratefully, Cai Qing gave him her account number. Lin Yi transferred her five hundred thousand yuan, which left her stunned.

“Lin Yi, why did you send me so much?” Cai Qing asked, flustered.

Lin Yi smiled. “If you decide to trust me, call me. If not, use the money for Mo Mo’s treatment.”

“Thank you, Lin Yi,” Cai Qing said gratefully.

Lin Yi waved it off and turned to Cai Mo. “Little one, you have to be strong and get better soon.”

“Yes, big brother,” Cai Mo said, nodding hard.

After chatting a bit more with Cai Qing, Lin Yi turned to leave.

Arriving at the VIP ward, he saw Yang Junqi reclining in bed, reading a magazine.

“Big sister Yang,” Lin Yi greeted her.

Yang Junqi looked up in surprise and delight. “Lin Yi, you’re here! Why did you bring so many things?”

“It’s a tradition in Yanxia—not to visit empty-handed,” Lin Yi replied.

Yang Junqi warmly invited him to sit, her gaze somewhat reminiscent of a mother-in-law sizing up her prospective son-in-law.

“Lin Yi, thank you for looking after Yu Jia these days,” she smiled.

Since her illness, the distance between mother and daughter had nearly vanished. Yang Junqi was almost grateful for her heart attack; otherwise, who knew how long it would have taken for her and Yu Jia to reconcile.

“I didn’t do much. Yu Jia is a sensible girl,” Lin Yi said.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a middle-aged man in a suit strode in. He was strikingly handsome, with a mature, successful air. Yang Junqi’s pleasant expression turned instantly cold at the sight of him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked icily.

“Junqi, after all these years, you’re still as young and beautiful as ever,” the man said affectionately, producing a bouquet of roses as if by magic.

“Sun Wenlong, take your flowers and leave. You’re not welcome here,” Yang Junqi said disdainfully.

Sun Wenlong ignored her, taking the flowers from the vase on the windowsill and replacing them with his own roses.

Yang Junqi’s face grew colder and darker.

“Junqi, I came to ask you to remarry me. Yu Jia needs her father,” Sun Wenlong said.

“Oh, now you remember Yu Jia? Where were you in those years when we needed you?” Yang Junqi sneered.

“It wasn’t that I wanted to leave, but there were reasons…”

“Get out!” Yang Junqi roared, hurling her pillow at him.

Sun Wenlong caught it easily and, with an arrogant glance at Lin Yi, said, “Hey, who are you? If you’re just here to visit Junqi, leave your things and go.”

Lin Yi stood up, looking calmly at Sun Wenlong.

“What, you want to hit me?” Sun Wenlong scoffed.

Lin Yi grabbed his collar and, with a show of strength, lifted him like a chick.

“Let go! Let go of me! Yang Junqi, is this guy your lover?” Sun Wenlong shouted.

Lin Yi’s gaze turned icy as he tossed Sun Wenlong out. “If I see you harassing her again, don’t blame me for being rude.”

With that, Lin Yi locked the door.

Sun Wenlong’s face flushed with anger and humiliation. He glared at the door. “Yang Junqi, if you’re heartless, don’t blame me for what I’ll do next.”

…

After a moment’s silence, Yang Junqi sighed. “Lin Yi, Sun Wenlong is my ex-husband.”

Lin Yi said nothing, quietly peeling an apple.

“I never realized before what a scoundrel he was. Back when I had no standing in the Yang family, he ran off with another woman without a second glance. Now that I have the support of one of the top ten families in the provincial capital, he comes crawling back, begging for a second chance.”

Yang Junqi rubbed her temples.

“Big sister Yang, you’re divorced. Don’t let him trouble you,” Lin Yi said, handing her the peeled apple.

“Thank you,” Yang Junqi said softly.