Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

In this way, not only do the prisoners behind high walls not know that their whimsical peer has already died outside the prison, but they also think she has gone to a freer and broader world.

Similarly, those outside the high walls won’t care about a prisoner’s life or death either.

Huo Wen’an hummed, acknowledging Xu Xingguang’s analysis.

"Doesn’t this achieve the best of both worlds?"

"That old woman is really vicious!" Xu Xingguang cursed, "So venomous, yet she lives so long. Our Brother A Zui, such a good person, almost became a short-lived ghost. Heaven really is unfair."

The grave and heavy atmosphere was easily dispelled by Xu Xingguang’s words.

Huo Wen’an chuckled deeply, then said to Xu Xingguang, "Do we continue the chat? If not, I’ll head to bed." Poor him, a patient who just recovered from a serious illness. Following Xu Xingguang around today, he’s already exhausted, barely able to move his fingers.

"There’s one more thing." Xu Xingguang murmured, "Yin Su is only a neurology doctor, and the Hundred Medicines Conference is only open to traditional Chinese medicine doctors, so why was she on the guest list?"

Mentioning Yin Su, Huo Wen’an’s mood became heavier, he said, "Xingguang, I have a hypothesis."

"Hmm?"

Huo Wen’an said, "I think Huo Xin might have been living in Cangshan Town all these years."

"But the townsfolk of Cangshan Town have never seen her."

Huo Wen’an sneered, he said, "The Cangshan Mental Hospital no longer has any patients; now it’s only home to homeless or physically disabled elders, and the townspeople rarely go there."

"Even if Huo Xin did live there, it’s not hard to avoid drawing attention. Also..." Huo Wen’an rubbed the python pattern ring on his thumb and said, "Do you know what the predecessor of the Cangshan Mental Hospital was?"

This Xu Xingguang truly hadn’t noticed before.

Huo Wen’an said, "It was called the Cangshan Neurological Research Institute."

A research institute is far grander than a mental hospital, entirely different in nature.

"The Cangshan Neurological Research Institute was established over ninety years ago. Its first dean, the founder of the institute, was a man named Ying Tu. But for some reason, the institute only operated for twenty years before it closed. Later, Yujiang City took over the premises and directly renamed it to Cangshan Mental Hospital."

"Where did you find this information?" Xu Xingguang asked Huo Wen’an.

Huo Wen’an said, "While you were meeting with Old Madam Ying and the others, I talked with Jin Yunhai. Surprisingly, he knows the history of the Cangshan Mental Hospital."

"How does he know?"

Huo Wen’an said, "He said that more than ten years ago, a townsman reported that a serial killer was found at the Cangshan Mental Hospital, armed with chemical weapons, extremely dangerous. By coincidence, Jin Yunhai was just passing through Yujiang City at the time and personally went to the mental hospital, capturing that serial killer."

"That person was the head of the mental hospital, which fell apart because the dean went berserk and killed several patients."

"The dean?" Considering Huo Wen’an grew up in Cangshan Town and had been to the mental hospital to play, Xu Xingguang asked him, "Did you know that dean?"

"I’ve seen him." Huo Wen’an said, "He was an old man who always seemed to be smiling. I can’t imagine him killing people furiously. I remember the dean had a son, very handsome, a psychologist who ran a psychological clinic in the city."

"He was a brother who made it easy for people to trust him, treated me very well, and treated my sister even better. I remember once my sister was nearly violated by a man who came to the village to make purchases, and she was too scared to leave home for days afterward. It was that big brother who successfully healed her and made her let go of her mental defenses."

"A person capable of raising a son to become a psychologist hardly seems like a serial killer. This matter reeks of oddity."

The herb bath shouldn’t be soaked for too long, so Xu Xingguang quickly got up, shook out the bathrobe, put it on, and, while filling the water, told Huo Wen’an, "You can come in now."

Only then did Huo Wen’an push the door open and come in.

He found a blow dryer in the drawer, held it, and said to Xu Xingguang, "Your hair roots are wet, come here and let me dry them for you."

Considering Huo Wen’an’s frail condition, Xu Xingguang said, "You sit on the bed; I’ll come over right away."

"Alright."

Huo Wen’an leaned against the head of the bed, and Xu Xingguang lay sideways on his lap, letting him dry her hair. Once it was dry, Huo Wen’an massaged her head. He didn’t understand the pressure points, so Xu Xingguang guided him on what to do.

Huo Wen’an learned very earnestly.

Xu Xingguang was so comfortable that she almost fell asleep, but suddenly heard Huo Wen’an say, "Actually, I later met that brother."

Xu Xingguang turned over, half-asleep, lazily replied, "Where?"

"In Huo Wei’s underground laboratory."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingguang immediately snapped awake.

She sat up with a jolt and asked Huo Wen’an, "Are you saying that the poor man subjected to experiments by Huo Wei, whom you sent to the Divine Concealment Island Hospital for treatment for years but eventually ended up committing suicide by jumping into the sea, was the dean’s son?"

"...Yes."

This is also why Huo Wen’an always remembered that experimental subject. "At that time, I’d just arrived at Divine Concealment Island and hadn’t gained a foothold yet. Plus, after being through so much torment, he probably didn’t want to reunite with me either."

"How can it be such a coincidence?" Was Huo Wei’s experimental subject coincidentally the dean’s son, or was there a deeper conspiracy behind this?

"Brother A Zui, let’s find some time to return to Cangshan Town soon."

Huo Wen’an said, "Why don’t we fly directly to Yujiang City from Chuancheng?"

Thinking that Huo Wen’an carried his medication with him, Xu Xingguang also found it feasible. "I’ll call Song Chi then, let him go back to Cangshan Town tonight. Perfect timing, several plots of herbs need harvesting, so Zheng Lie and Cheng Yue can go help too."

"You sure know how to make full use of resources."

"Then it’s settled."

The next day, during breakfast, when it was mentioned that they weren’t returning to Divine Concealment Island and instead flying to Yujiang City, Cheng Yue and Ye Mingluo were a bit surprised.

Ye Mingluo asked Xu Xingguang, "What are you going to Yujiang City for?"

"There are two herb fields reaching maturity; we need to go back and handle the medicinal materials."

"Oh, that works too."

Before the plane took off, Xu Xingguang received a WeChat from Zhang Zhiyi: [Xingguang, Old Madam Ying’s 90th birthday, I heard you also went?]

Having not been in touch with Zhang Zhiyi for a long time, Xu Xingguang was somewhat surprised to suddenly receive a message from her.

Thinking that Xiahou Huai Gui might have already returned home by now, and that her senior sister probably heard this from him, she said: [I went, today we’re going back to Yujiang City, sister, if you’re not busy, you can come to have dinner in Cangshan Town tonight; by the way, I haven’t introduced you to my partner yet.]

Zhang Zhiyi readily agreed.