Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Fear flashed across Li Tianlai's face. He was truly terrified.

He knew about the poison Gao Wei had administered; in fact, he had knowingly helped Gao Wei deceive others.

If this got out, his reputation wouldn't just be ruined.

Moreover, the Ji family was one of the largest real estate developers in East Sea. They could crush him with ease.

Terrified, Li Tianlai didn't dare utter a word. He looked at Zhao Dong with pleading eyes, begging him not to reveal the truth.

Zhao Dong regarded Li Tianlai with a smirk. Finally, mustering his courage, Li Tianlai stammered, "Mr. Zhao, Mr. Ji, I... I don't know anything. Please don't look at me."

Zhao Dong was about to speak when he suddenly caught Ji Xiong's eye. Ji Xiong's gaze seemed to plead with him not to say anything.

Zhao Dong was momentarily puzzled, but in the next instant, he understood.

Looking at Li Tianlai, he said meaningfully, "Dr. Li, I won't say any more. You should leave now."

Li Tianlai hadn't expected Zhao Dong to actually let him off the hook. He was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he nearly burst into tears.

Without another word, he bowed to Zhao Dong and the Ji family, then scurried away in disgrace.

Wu Qiuyue, however, was completely baffled. She bit her lip and said, "I'm going to confront that bastard Gao Wei!"

Zhao Dong said calmly, "Auntie, don't bother. Gao Wei has likely already fled."

Wu Qiuyue was stunned. Ji Xiong also sighed and said, "Qiuyue, listen to Mr. Zhao. Don't go."

Wu Qiuyue looked at the two of them, confused. Ji Xiong then sighed softly and said, "Mr. Zhao, if I'm not mistaken, Gao Wei was the one behind the poisoning, and Li Tianlai was his accomplice, correct?"

Zhao Dong nodded. "That's right. It seems you had already guessed, Mr. Ji."

Ji Xiong smiled. "Indeed. But Mr. Zhao, do you know why I didn't want you to expose Li Tianlai?"

Zhao Dong pondered for a moment before replying, "Mr. Ji, you were worried I would make too many enemies. Besides, Li Tianlai and Gao Wei are not ordinary people. Without evidence, it would be difficult to do anything to them."

Ji Xiong remarked with admiration, "Mr. Zhao, you are truly no ordinary person. Exposing this affair would have only created two more enemies. By not exposing Li Tianlai today, he will undoubtedly be deeply grateful to you. In a sense, Mr. Zhao, you've gained a friend instead of an enemy."

Watching from the side, Wu Qiuyue and Ji Xueyao had thoughtful expressions on their faces. They hadn't considered that point.

Ji Xiong sighed. "I knew that Gao Wei was no good, to think he'd stoop to such despicable means. Xueyao, you must be careful around him from now on. Don't have a falling out with him, but you must always be on your guard."

Ji Xueyao nodded emphatically. "I understand, Dad!"

"Today, our whole family is indebted to Mr. Zhao. If not for him, Xueyao would have walked right into the tiger's den, and our Ji family would have slowly been infiltrated and controlled by the Gao family. Mr. Zhao is our family's savior! From this day forward, if you ever need the Ji family's help, Mr. Zhao, you only need to ask! I, Ji Xiong, am willing to go through fire and water for you!"

With that, Ji Xiong turned to Wu Qiuyue. "Qiuyue, go fetch the century-old ginseng I've treasured and present it to Mr. Zhao!"

Wu Qiuyue went to get the ginseng without a second thought. Ji Xueyao was taken aback; her father had treasured that ginseng for over a decade, and she never expected him to give it to Zhao Dong.

When the ginseng was brought out, Wu Qiuyue smiled and said, "Mr. Zhao, this is a token of our family's gratitude. Please accept it!"

Zhao Dong raised an eyebrow. The ginseng was teeming with an incredibly rich Spiritual Energy—enough to help him break through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement!

At that thought, Zhao Dong's eyes lit up with eagerness. He didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the ginseng, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Ji! In that case, it would be disrespectful of me to refuse!"

Ji Xiong smiled gratefully. "We're just glad you're not displeased, Mr. Zhao. I never imagined someone so young could possess such skill. We consulted countless doctors, and all of them were helpless, yet you cured her ailment with ease! You are truly a miracle worker!"

Zhao Dong smiled modestly. "You're too kind, Mr. Ji. It was nothing."

Ji Xiong glanced at Ji Xueyao with a smile. "Xueyao, I hear Mr. Zhao is your classmate. You must get along well with him, do you hear me?"

Ji Xueyao glanced at Zhao Dong, her pretty face blushing slightly. She bit her red lip and said, "I know, Dad."

Ji Xiong suddenly turned to Zhao Dong with a grin. "Mr. Zhao, what do you think of my daughter, Xueyao?"

Zhao Dong was startled. Ji Xiong continued cheerfully, "If you're also interested in my daughter, Mr. Zhao, why not give it a try? I, Ji Xiong, will give you my full support!"

"Dad! What are you saying!" Ji Xueyao cried out, her face so red it looked like blood might drip from it.

Zhao Dong quickly became flustered. "Mr. Ji, you must be joking. I'm just a poor kid; I wouldn't dare to aim so high. Besides... I have other things to do, so I should get going. Goodbye, Mr. Ji!"

With that, Zhao Dong made a hasty exit. Ji Xueyao watched Zhao Dong's retreating back and pouted. Why did he run off so fast? Does he really look down on me that much?

Wu Qiuyue, standing to the side, asked, "Honey, were you being serious just now, or were you joking?"

Ji Xiong replied with a serious expression, "Of course I was serious. I've met countless people in my time, and Xueyao's classmate is clearly no ordinary person. I can also sense that the boy has a good character. For someone so young to possess such medical skills... he's truly remarkable!"

Wu Qiuyue nodded. "That's right. With such medical talent at his age, his future will be extraordinary. Xueyao, your dad is right. Zhao Dong is a good kid. You need to seize this opportunity!"

Ji Xueyao's face turned even redder. She stamped her foot and said shyly, "Dad, Mom, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

She turned and ran out of the room, leaving Ji Xiong and Wu Qiuyue to share a knowing smile.

They could both tell that their daughter didn't dislike Zhao Dong. Their relationship could definitely go further!

That would be an excellent development for the Ji family.

Meanwhile, Gao Wei returned to his villa in a sorry state and began smashing things like a madman.

"Damn it, I was so close! I was just a hair's breadth away from getting Ji Xueyao! Where the hell did this damned Zhao Dong come from!"

He punched the television, and the screen shattered instantly. His hand started to bleed, his eyes red and savage.

"Ji Xueyao! So you never liked me at all! You actually like that loser Zhao Dong! Just you wait! Men, find out what Zhao Dong's background is! I swear he and I cannot live under the same sky!"

Gao Wei's roars echoed through the villa...

By evening, Zhao Dong had returned to his small courtyard, where his parents were sitting.

Seeing him return, his father, Zhao Kangyou, immediately waved him over. "Little Dong, come here!"

Zhao Dong knew his parents were going to ask why he had been taken by Wang Hao and how he had returned.

He scratched his head and spoke first, "Dad, Mom, I know what you want to ask. Don't ask anything. Just pretend you don't know, and don't say anything to anyone who asks."

As expected, the two of them exchanged a glance, then looked deeply at their son without saying a word.

A moment later, Zhang Cuimei stood up and smiled. "Little Dong, we know you don't want us to worry. We understand. You're an adult now, so there are some things that are hard to talk about. But you need to be careful out there, you understand?"

A warmth spread through Zhao Dong's heart. "I know, Mom!"

Zhang Cuimei and Zhao Kangyou went to make dinner, while Zhao Dong returned to his room and locked the door.

With the medicinal herbs he bought today and the century-old ginseng from the Ji family, breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement would be no problem at all.

Once he broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, he could take on an eighth-level Inner Strength expert. He would even have a fighting chance against Xiao Liufu, the ninth-level Inner Strength user from today—he might even be able to kill him in a counterattack!

The humiliation of being pinned to the ground by Xiao Liufu, one of Hong Wu's subordinates, made Zhao Dong realize more than ever that in this world, strength is the only thing that matters.

Without strength, he could be eliminated in an instant. With such powerful experts working for Hong Wu, he couldn't afford to slack off.

Moreover, Xiao Hongtian would surely be back for revenge soon. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible!

Arranging the herbs in front of him, Zhao Dong activated the Mystic Sky Technique, directly absorbing the Spiritual Energy from within them.

Although refining these herbs into pills would yield a better effect, he currently lacked the means to do so and could only make do with this method.

The effect was diminished, but it was still enough for him to break through.

The herbs withered quickly as a rich Spiritual Energy rushed into Zhao Dong's body like a torrent.

His bones became harder than before, his meridians more resilient.

His Dantian, originally the size of a bottle cap, expanded to nearly the size of an egg.

After absorbing all the Spiritual Energy, Zhao Dong circulated the Mystic Sky Technique and felt his body fill with terrifying power.

Fourth level of Qi Refinement—a successful breakthrough!

He clenched his fist and threw a punch through the air, causing a series of small sonic booms to ring out.

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Dong's eyes. He had grown stronger again!

Now, if he faced Xiao Liufu again, he could fight him head-on and even kill him.

"Dong, someone's here to see you! Come and see who it is!"

Zhao Dong quickly tidied up and opened the door.

He had just stepped out when he saw a captivating figure. He scratched his head and smiled.

"What are you doing here?"