Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

Mei Changjin was able to speak properly the following afternoon.

He leaned against the headboard, drank half a bowl of rice porridge, and looked much better than when he was first rescued.

Ye Chen administered acupuncture to him again, forcing out some of the cold energy that had been lingering in his lungs and bones.

The cold air was extremely stubborn, as if it had lived in Mei Changjin's body for decades and could not be completely cleared away in a short time, but at least it allowed him to talk about some old stories.

Jiang Ruoxi sat on the edge of the bed, her hands folded on her knees, as if waiting for a particularly long story.

Mei Changjin spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse, like scooping water out of an old well filled with dust, ladle by ladle.

It turns out that Mei Changjin was also from Medicine King Valley when he was young.

He was originally an orphan, but was taken in as a medicine apprentice by an old pharmacist from the previous generation of Medicine King Valley, and grew up with Su Youdao, Ye Changfeng and others.

After the old pharmacist passed away, Mei Changjin went down the mountain and returned to Meixi to marry Mei Hanyan, the older sister of Jiang Ruoxi's mother.

When Jiang Yuanshan and Mei Ruxue got married, Mei Changjin even went to the wedding banquet.

From that time on, his relationship with Jiang Yuanshan was more than just that of brothers-in-law; it was more like that of brothers.

"Yuanshan and I were both drawn into this matter by Brother Changfeng. You should know what happened afterward."

Mei Changjin said, his gaze falling on the roof beam, as if looking at the distant sky through the old tiles: "At first, it was just Yuanshan who said that there was an ancient cave in Longyin Mountain. He accidentally discovered a few ancient bricks while doing exploration. Later, he discussed it with your father and then approached Su Youdao. They thought it was just a cave left by an ancient doctor and wanted to protect it from being ruined by outsiders. But the people from Heishui got wind of it from somewhere. Since then, none of us have had a peaceful day."

Mei Changjin said that after Ye Changfeng and Jiang Yuanshan came out of the ancient cave, they were like different people and became a bit strange.

Ye Changfeng began searching for Blackwater's branches, and single-handedly took down three of them.

Jiang Yuanshan then abandoned the work of the geological team and spent his days drawing maps, marking out all the water veins, underground channels, and old alleyways of Longyin Mountain and Wuyi Ferry.

When Mei Changjin asked him why he was drawing these, Jiang Yuanshan only said, "Some things can't be achieved by force alone; we have to leave a path for those who come after us."

"Later, your father was surrounded by them, and it seemed like there were a lot of them on the other side." Mei Changjin paused for a long time after saying this.

He closed his eyes, his throat moved, and then he continued, "That night it was raining heavily. Your father sent someone to tell me that if he didn't return before dawn, I should go to the riverbank to look for his sword. I went, and the sword was stuck in the riverbank, but he was gone. I searched along the river for most of the night and only found half a straw sandal."

Ye Chen clenched his back teeth, his nails digging into his palms.

He had once paid respects to his father by the river, but hearing the story of that year again still felt like his heart was being torn apart.

Mei Changjin added that after Ye Changfeng went missing, people from Heishui began to come to his door one by one.

Jiang Yuanshan and Mei Ruxue went into hiding, while Mei Changjin and his wife Mei Hanyan were also chased and dared not go home.

After Jiang Ruoxi was born, Mei Ruxue's health deteriorated day by day. Mei Changjin and Jiang Yuanshan both suspected that Heishui had given Mei Ruxue an extremely cold and yin poison back then.

Jiang Yuanshan re-entered the ancient cave in search of an antidote.

He went and never came back.

"Ru Xue also failed later." Mei Changjin's voice was even lower.

"Before she died, she left this old city map and a handkerchief to Ruoxi. She also asked me to put two things in a small cave in the northern mountain of Meixi. When I went to put the things there, I was followed by Wei Qing's men. Later, it was that cellar."

Mei Changjin looked at Jiang Ruoxi with deep regret in his eyes: "Ruoxi, if I had been more patient back then, I might have been able to watch over you until you grew up. But when your mother passed away, I couldn't even go to see her off."

Jiang Ruoxi had cried until she was silent, only shaking her head repeatedly, unable to utter a single word.

Ye Chen gently patted her back and said to Mei Changjin, "Uncle, it's not your fault. You risked your life for Ruoxi. We'll walk the rest of the way."

Mei Changjin sighed and then brought up Wen Jiuhong again.

He said that Wen Jiuhong only started coming to ask him questions frequently in the last three years.

There was only one question: what was inside the third level? Besides the Heavenly Physician's Creation Technique, what else was sealed inside?

Mei Changjin said that every time Wen Jiuhong came, he would not bring paper and pen. He would just say the question once, and if he couldn't hear it, he would sit for a while. When he left, he would have someone refill the blue flame.

Wen Jiuhong never got angry, nor did he resort to torture; he simply waited patiently.

He seemed to be waiting for something, waiting for Mei Changjin to lose his temper and, like those who were slowly roasted to death by the cold, yin fire, to lose his composure and say whatever came to mind.

"This man is cunning and far more terrifying than the likes of Wei Qing. Moreover, he is adept at using schemes and disguises," Mei Changjin said.

"Uncle, could you elaborate?"

"Wen Jiuhong is very cunning, and he knows the origin of the iron chain on my foot. The chain is an antique and has no key. Even he can't open it. He just put the chain on my foot. When I couldn't stand it anymore and begged him, he told me that the key to the chain was in my father's grave."

Ye Chen's pupils shrank: "My father's grave? Haven't my father's remains never been found?"

Mei Changjin smiled bitterly: "That's where his cleverness lies. He not only locked me up, but also gave himself an excuse that he would never have to fulfill. But he didn't expect that you could actually cut the chains with the Kuzhao Sword. He calculated everything, but he didn't expect that the Kuzhao Sword would recognize you as its master."

Ye Chen looked down at the sword leaning against the wall.

The sword lay in its sheath, as still as an old piece of wood sinking into the deep of night.

But Ye Chen could never forget the sword's cry when it severed the iron chain.

That was the sword left by his father, but it cut through the shackles that had bound Mei Changjin for twenty years.

It was as if everything was preordained, proceeding according to a pre-arranged script.

The sky gradually darkened again.

Jiang Ruoxi leaned on Ye Chen's shoulder, stopped crying, and quietly listened to the sound of raindrops falling on the banana leaves again.

A very faint smell of smoke drifted in from outside; it was Ghost Servant and Han Song starting a fire and boiling water in the corridor.

This bungalow deep inside the old sugar factory is like a deserted island that has been temporarily forgotten.

But Ye Chen knew that Wen Jiuhong was searching for them step by step, looking for their weaknesses to exploit.

The final standoff will come soon.

This time, it's not them going to the main headquarters; it's the people from the main headquarters who will come here and take the initiative to find Jiang Ruoxi and Ye Chen.

Ye Chen looked down at Mei Changjin, then at Jiang Ruoxi.

Both of them were here, and he was actually looking forward to this day coming soon, so that it could be resolved sooner.

Currently, it's not too late to develop this strategy.

Some debts must be settled.

Even if the wind and rain are fierce outside, even if the Blackwater headquarters overturns the entire river.

Ye Chen would never back down an inch.