Chapter Twenty-Seven: An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Friend

Tang Wei opened her eyes in a daze, feeling a surge of spiritual energy within her body. Upon closer inspection, she realized she had advanced to the second level of Foundation Establishment. It seemed that her misfortune had turned into a blessing.

She looked around, noting that she was likely in a hospital. Wanting to inquire about the elderly woman, but finding herself alone in the room, she decided to call for a nurse.

Within two minutes of pressing the bell, someone entered. "You're awake! Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Tang Wei sat up and asked, "May I ask where I am? Who brought me here? How is the elderly lady?"

The nurse replied with a cheerful smile, "The old lady is fine now. You were brought here together with her. After Mr. Yao instructed the hospital to arrange a deluxe room for you, he went to accompany her. You've been asleep for three days. A few family members have been staying with you, but perhaps they haven't arrived yet today."

"Oh, so I'm all right then?" Tang Wei asked casually.

"You're fine, just exhausted. Now that you’re awake, you can be discharged!" The nurse answered thoroughly.

"Thank you so much!" Tang Wei expressed her gratitude sincerely; such dedicated people were rare nowadays, and whatever the reason, it was worth a thank you.

"No need! Please rest for a while. I’ll go inform our director," the nurse said.

Hearing that the nurse intended to notify the director, Tang Wei asked in confusion, "Why inform your director?"

The nurse kept smiling. "I’m not sure either. The director instructed us to notify him as soon as you woke up. Perhaps he needs to see you."

Tang Wei nodded, recalling what she had done when the old lady fainted, and realizing the nurse had witnessed it. The director probably wanted to see her because of that incident.

Soon, voices carried in from outside the door: "That expert you mentioned is in this room!"

Another person responded, "Elder Li, would I lie to you? Please, slow down, there’s no need to rush. She won’t run away."

"How could I not be anxious? I’ve spent eighty years searching for an acupuncture master to revive the reputation of the Li family in traditional medicine!" As the words faded, a knock sounded on the door.

Two elderly men entered. One appeared to be in his fifties, dressed neatly, but the near-baldness at the top of his head marred Tang Wei’s impression—otherwise, she might have given him a passing score in her mind. The other wore a traditional Zhongshan suit, looked to be seventy or eighty, with hair completely white but a spirited demeanor. This must be Elder Li, who had spoken outside.

Elder Li looked around. "Where is your expert? Don’t tell me it’s this young girl!"

Tang Wei bristled at his dismissive tone—so she was being judged through a crack in the door, was she? What was wrong with being a young girl? Couldn’t a young girl perform acupuncture? The hospital director interjected confidently, "Elder Li, it’s her. Our Xiao Yuan watched her perform acupuncture—needles sunk several centimeters, and the exposed ends even trembled. If Xiao Yuan hadn’t reported it in front of Director Zhong, the news might not have reached your ears."

Elder Li nodded. "Xiao Zhong knows I’ve spent my life searching for a master of traditional medicine. Of course he’d let me know immediately." He turned to Tang Wei, doubt clouding his face. "Young lady, is it true? You stopped a cerebral hemorrhage with acupuncture?"

"Respect your elders! Respect your elders!" Tang Wei repeated to herself, trying to quell her anger at his tone. After composing herself, she replied, "Yes, sir. May I help you with something?"

"I wish to know who your master is. Would you be willing to tell me, so I may pay him a visit?" Elder Li’s tone was sincere at the end, making it hard for Tang Wei to refuse. "Sir, my master won’t meet with you."

"I will persist until he agrees. If I could combine the lost Thirty-Six Heavenly Needles with my family’s traditional theories, Chinese medicine could stand shoulder to shoulder with Western medicine!"

Tang Wei sighed. He was only obsessed with medicine—why should she be so petty? Once she understood, she replied calmly, "Sir, my master is not a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and I didn’t use your Thirty-Six Heavenly Needles to save the patient. I used the inner power my master taught me. But my skill is insufficient, so I had to borrow external means. Also, I have no idea where my master is. He’s always wandering; if he doesn’t come to find me, I won’t see him either."

Elder Li muttered in disappointment, "It’s just a kind of inner energy... Heaven, am I never to realize my life’s hope?" Tears welled up in his eyes.

Unable to bear his disappointment, Tang Wei tried to comfort him. "Sir, don’t lose hope. Since my inner power can achieve an effect similar to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Needles, why don’t I teach you the method? Perhaps you can create an improved version."

Elder Li’s eyes lit up. "Really? I could truly develop a new Thirty-Six Heavenly Needles?"

Tang Wei couldn’t be certain and replied vaguely, "Who knows? At least there’s hope. Weren’t the techniques of the ancients created through their own efforts? I’m sure you can do it too!" She offered more comforting words, leaving Elder Li so excited that he asked for her address before departing. Only after he left did Tang Wei regret her loose tongue—she had just given herself a huge headache. Was she really to teach such an old man the path of immortality? No, she had to consult Xiao Ling for advice.

Not long after, Tang Feng arrived. At first, when the family heard Tang Wei had fainted again, everyone rushed to the hospital. Upon learning she was merely exhausted and would recover after a good rest, they returned home reassured, leaving only Tang Feng to look after her.

When it came time to settle the bill, Mr. Yao from the hospital had already paid for everything. Tang Wei left the hospital with Tang Feng without a care. She’d planned to return to the countryside, but it was already dark and there were no buses running.

Her own house had been empty so long she couldn’t be bothered to clean it, so she stayed with Tang Feng for the night. After three days of sleep, Zixuan should have completed his reconstitution yesterday, but she hadn’t had a chance to check. She was worried whether he’d succeeded. Ignoring her three noisy nieces and nephews, Tang Wei sat in a daze on the sofa. In truth, her consciousness had already entered the inner space to investigate.

She saw Zixuan, dressed in the padded coat she’d bought him last time, spinning around her with smug vanity. Tang Wei beamed, "Well, aren’t you handsome!"

"Do you like it, Weiwei? If your physical body were here, you could touch and see for yourself—this is a real body now!" Zixuan declared proudly.

"You should call me ‘big sister’! Why are you calling me Weiwei again? You’re already disobeying my first rule—be careful or I won’t take you outside!" Tang Wei threatened.

"But you only come up to my chest. Calling you big sister is too awkward. How about we forget that rule? I’ll do anything else you say. Besides, I can go out by myself now," Zixuan bargained.

"Hmph! If you go out like this, people will think you’re crazy. Who wears padded coats these days?" She tugged at her own thin clothes. "See? This is what people actually wear now!"

"So what should I do?" Zixuan frowned.

"Call me big sister and I’ll buy you new clothes tomorrow," Tang Wei grinned triumphantly.

"No way." Zixuan refused staunchly, threatening, "I’ll do anything else you say, but not that. Otherwise, I’ll go out in these clothes and follow you everywhere—if people think I’m crazy, you won’t escape suspicion either."

"You—" Tang Wei was infuriated by his tone and was about to deal with him when she felt her physical body being shaken. She instantly withdrew from the inner space to find her niece Niuniu pushing her, upset at being ignored. Tang Wei had no choice but to placate the child.

That night in the inner space, Tang Wei compromised: Zixuan didn’t have to call her big sister, but he had to obey her in everything else. Only after repeated promises did she agree to buy him clothes.

The next day, with Tang Feng out, Tang Wei persuaded Tang Jing to accompany her shopping. At the men’s clothing store, Tang Jing found it odd that her sister was buying men’s clothes for no apparent reason. Tang Wei decided to tell her the truth: her junior disciple would be arriving soon, entrusted to her care by their master.

Tang Jing, not being one to pry, accepted her explanation and continued shopping with her through the women’s boutiques.

As they entered one store, they heard a familiar female voice complaining loudly just inside, "I ask you to shop with me and you look so reluctant. Is it so hard to say whether something looks good or not? You look like I owe you millions!"

A man’s impatient reply followed, "It’s always shopping with you. Can’t you come by yourself? I’m busy as it is—where do I have time to hang around here with you? Tang Wei never made me shop with her. Women’s business..."

He hadn’t finished when the woman, upon hearing the name Tang Wei, erupted. "Tang Wei, Tang Wei—so you still remember your old flame? Is she that much better than me? Then why didn’t you marry her? With a figure like hers, of course she wouldn’t want you to shop with her—she’d be embarrassed!"

The man muttered softly, "You’re not much better yourself these days."

The woman exploded. "Fang Minghui! Who made me this way? If it weren’t for bearing your family a son, would I have gained all this weight? What, now you’re disgusted with me? Don’t forget who helped you become a department chief. If it weren’t for my father, would you have what you have today? If you’d married Tang Wei, you’d still be running errands for others. That wretched woman—"

Tang Wei could no longer stomach their shameless bickering. To argue like this in a clothing store—who knew what their daily life was like? Hearing Tian Meiling mention her again, Tang Wei couldn’t hold back any longer. "Well, what a surprise—fancy running into acquaintances here. Shopping for clothes too?"

She let her gaze linger on Tian Meiling, who was infuriated by the scrutiny. Comparing their figures, Tang Wei now had curves in all the right places, skin fair and glowing—she was clearly in another league. Tian Meiling, unable to compete, lashed out. "Yes, I stole your man, so what? You think I’m low, but I’m not as bad as you—an unmarried mother. Trying to win him back with those two brats? Keep dreaming!"

Tang Wei retorted with a laugh, "My children aren’t his, so relax. I have no interest in your man—not even as a gift!"

Fang Minghui couldn’t bear it anymore. "Tang Wei, don’t be like this. I’m still their father, and even if you hate me..."

Tian Meiling cut him off. "She said they’re not your kids. You still want to claim two bastards?"

The word ‘bastards’ hit a nerve—her children’s parentage was already a sore spot for Tang Wei. She replied angrily, "My children are not bastards. Their father is my fiancé, who will be back in a few days. If you want to shame me, let’s all drop the pretense. Fang Minghui, don’t flatter yourself—I don’t hate you. You’re not worth my time or resentment. Tian Meiling, rest assured, I wouldn’t want the man beside you even if you gave him to me. If I could go back in time, even if you hadn’t taken him, I’d have dumped him myself. Only you would treasure such rubbish. He suits you perfectly—make sure you hold on to him. With your temper and looks, who else would want you?"

She turned away and addressed the sales assistant, "Could you bring me this one, that one, and that one to try in a small size?" She shot Tian Meiling a pointed look, driving her to stomp her foot and drag Fang Minghui toward the exit.

Seeing Fang Minghui still gazing at Tang Wei, Tian Meiling snapped, "What are you looking at? She doesn’t want you anymore!" She marched up to him and shouted, "Fang Minghui! Are you coming or not?"

Seeing his wife fuming, Fang Minghui reluctantly followed her out. He actually wanted to ask about the children, but today was clearly not the time—he’d have to wait for another chance. Now that he’d tasted the benefits of power, he wouldn’t jeopardize his future for a woman.