Let the true energy circulate for a while

……

About an hour later, lunch was over, and the patients gradually returned to their wards.

Of course, those who can go to the cafeteria to eat on their own are patients without violent tendencies and belong to the mild-mannered group.

As for the small, low building with high walls behind it, it's inhabited by tough guys. They have separate places to eat, some are accompanied by family members, and some even hire caregivers.

There is an open space to the west of the inpatient department, with fitness equipment for the elderly sponsored by the welfare lottery and a few long benches, which can be considered a mini park.

When hospitals lack promotional materials for their official WeChat accounts, they often arrange for patients with good complexions to play games or pretend to exercise, take photos, and upload them online for publicity.

The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

Next to the fitness equipment, at the stone chess table, sat an elderly man with a completely white beard and hair; it was Ouyang Zhaoming.

Sitting opposite him were Chen Ye and Chen Jianbin.

Ouyang Zhaoyang recognized the young man surnamed Chen at a glance, and was so excited that tears streamed down her face.

The elderly man, dressed in a hospital gown, took a large gulp of cola, wiped his mouth, then quietly licked his fingers, and sighed:

"Back in Dangzikou, I was attacked by the Six Tuo of the Northern Frontier and a few bald monks from Shaolin Temple. If it weren't for your help, we probably wouldn't be seeing each other today."

Chen Ye recalled, "Because of this incident, the Northern martial arts world hunted me down for almost half a year. You were a dignified sect leader, yet you insisted on stealing books from Master Mu's house!"

Ouyang Zhaoming was somewhat displeased and argued:

"Logically speaking, Mu Jiu should thank me. If I hadn't accidentally witnessed Madam Huan and that coachman from the Lu Prince's mansion having a tryst, Mu Jiu would still be unaware that the illegitimate child he's raised for over ten years isn't his at all!"

The two chatted intently, like old friends who hadn't seen each other for years!

Luckily, Chen Jianbin was sitting next to me. If it were someone else, I would have thought that the world of mental patients is quite fascinating!

Chen Jianbin grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and cracked them open with relish. As a clerical security officer who had read countless documents, he felt that there were many hidden stories to be uncovered in the simple conversation just now.

The old man reached out his hand, and Chen Jianbin placed a handful of sunflower seeds in it. The old man smiled contentedly.

"Do you remember that person? The one with the slender waist from the Lotus Flower Palace?"

"Which one? There are so many women in Miaolian Palace, I remember them all." Chen Ye glanced at his father beside him, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and started cracking them open. "Let's not talk about these old, trivial things. Have you ever eaten chocolate?"

The old man reminded her, "That Third Palace Mistress, that girl surnamed Chu, Chu Ruoyao! That tiny waist, that bottom... Didn't you two go to bathe in the marshy pool behind the mountain, and you even made me protect you from three miles away..."

Chen Ye immediately interrupted, "Senior Ouyang, how did you come to this world?"

"Wait a minute!" Chen Jianbin raised his hand. "Let me chime in, Xiao Ye, tell me more about the bathing incident."

Chen Ye explained, "At that time, I was hit by the extreme yang energy and suffered internal injuries. In order to save me, Chu Ruoyao carried me to Rutan. She used the cold water of the pool to neutralize my restless yang energy and heal my injuries."

Chen Jianbin picked at his ear and gestured, "You guys continue."

Chen Ye asked again, "Old scoundrel Ouyang, how did you get into this world?"

Ouyang Zhaoming seemed to be talking to himself: "When I was cultivating the Jade Flower Realm, I suffered a qi deviation and became possessed. I just don't know if I have any hope of becoming an immortal in this lifetime."

"What Jade Flower Realm? Son, can you become an immortal in your world?" Chen Jianbin asked in surprise. The stories Chen Ye had told him before sounded more like a martial arts world!

Chen Ye said in a low voice, "I was there for sixteen years and never saw anyone become an immortal. Talk of immortals is mostly just the supernatural tales told by storytellers. It's just that Senior Ouyang was obsessed with the study of immortals and single-mindedly wanted to achieve the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top!"

Ouyang Zhaoming said, "The three flowers are essence, qi, and spirit. Essence is the jade flower, qi is the golden flower, and spirit is the nine flowers! When the three elements are unified in the mysterious gate, one can ascend to immortality."

Chen Ye asked, "You believed that androgynous demon? You destroyed your own inner energy and went to cultivate immortality?"

Ouyang Zhaoming suddenly burst into hearty laughter, as if he had gone mad:

"I know you are all my inner demons. All of this is fake. Everything around here, every blade of grass and every tree, all these strange things, are all figments of my imagination."

Chen Ye and Chen Jianbin exchanged a glance, looking at each other in disbelief. This guy has really gone mad.

Bang! Ouyang Zhaoming slammed his fist on the table, wincing in pain: "I'm undergoing a tribulation of inner demons!!"

Chen Jianbin scoffed, "It's impossible for a person to imagine something they've never seen before."

Bang! Ouyang Zhaoming slammed his fist even harder on the stone table, enduring the pain, and choked out:

"This place is so comfortable, with delicious food, wonderful drinks, and so many fairies in white dresses. I'm just a useless piece of trash, indulging in pleasures driven by my inner demons, unable to pull myself out!"

"Dude, don't overthink it. This isn't your inner demon. This is Earth. You've traveled through time. Do you even know what time travel is?" Chen Jianbin comforted him.

Chen Ye tugged at his father's sleeve, but the latter remained silent.

Ouyang Zhaoming held his head and wailed, wiping his snot and tears on his hospital gown, but he didn't care at all.

At this moment, Director Li, who was not far away, came over, took out a tissue, and handed it to the old man to wipe his tears. He frowned and said:

"What did you say that upset him? He's been feeling a bit better these past couple of days. Wu... no, Sect Leader Ouyang, let's go back to the ward. You have a performance at the tea party this afternoon."

Chen Jianbin looked surprised: "Your hospital even has tea parties?"

Director Li winked and whispered, "Oh, just playing around with the patient."

After saying this, he helped the old man up and, as they walked, advised him, "This afternoon, your 'The Storyteller of the Jianghu' is scheduled to be the third performance. We are the head of the Weishan Sect; we can't lose face!"

"Your daughter just said on the phone that she's coming over this afternoon and has donated 400 bed sheets, 200 boxes of sugar-free cookies, and protein powder to the hospital..."

The two walked away slowly, and Director Li kept coaxing the old man by saying something. Then, the old man let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha. You little rascal, you have a sweet voice, I like it. If it were twenty years ago, I would have liked to pass on the Northern Darkness Divine Art to you..."

……

Chen Ye watched their retreating figures with a complicated expression, then turned his head and asked, "Dad, what do you think about this?"

"Let's take it one step at a time. Is this still the world I know?" Chen Jianbin shrugged, looking rather helpless.

Chen Ye: "By the way, we only got halfway through what happened before. What did my mom's workplace find in the big tomb in Los Angeles?"

Chen Jianbin: "Her level is not high enough, and she doesn't know the specifics either. Be careful when you participate in the competition, don't hurt anyone."

Chen Ye signed up for this commercial competition, and winning the championship would be a piece of cake for him. The 200 million yuan prize money was indeed very tempting. To be honest, Chen Jianbin was also tempted.

"How many matches will we have to play?"

"These are just preliminary rounds in various locations. The finals are in Los Angeles. Hey, what a coincidence! I can visit my mom right now, and we can spend a few days together in Los Angeles."

"Okay."

Chen Jianbin instructed, "The preliminary rounds in Xincheng are organized by your Uncle Tang's company. If you need anything, just contact him. With your father's connections, you can handle it. We'll talk about the rest after the preliminary rounds."

Chen Ye suddenly asked, "Are you and Uncle Tang on good terms? What kind of person is he?"

Chen Jianbin thought for a while, then smiled wistfully: "Hey, you're all grown up now, so let me tell you, Tang Long is a businessman, but he's not an ordinary businessman."

My dad grew up with Tang Long. Later, I went to police academy and he joined the army. We lost touch for a few years. He liked playing with knives and guns when he was a child. He became a non-commissioned officer in the army and I heard that he joined a special operations platoon and eventually became an instructor. He was very good at fighting!

After retiring, he joined a fighting club, competed, and even won awards at the provincial level. When he was 26, he was injured in the groin while intervening in a fight at the Los Angeles train station.

"Huh?" Chen Ye didn't quite hear clearly.

Chen Jianbin sighed: "It's just that my testicles are damaged, so I'll never be able to have children in this lifetime."

"Because of that incident, he retired, opened a gym, and gradually developed it into what it is today. He has sponsored many impoverished children in mountainous areas, as well as children in welfare homes. Over the years, he has donated a great deal of money."

Chen Ye asked in surprise, "He's been doing charity work all this time?"

Chen Jianbin nodded solemnly: "Only my mother and I know about his charity work. His mother is a Buddhist and says that the Tang family line ended because of karma and retribution, because they committed too many sins in their past life. Sigh."

Chen Ye remained silent.

Chen Jianbin added, "Most entrepreneurs do charity work to make a big fuss, wanting everyone to know. But your Uncle Tang does charity quietly. In his mother's words, what's that saying again? It roughly means that doing it intentionally for others to see and to seek rewards doesn't count as doing good deeds!"

"He's in business, so he's bound to have his tricks and cunning, which is normal! But he's a man with principles! Also, he used to say that he would earn money from rich people and donate it to poor children. He's quite a talent, which is why I felt comfortable sending you to him."

Chen Ye nodded and said, "Indeed, the people who go there to learn boxing or buy gym memberships are all from well-off families. Especially the private yoga classes, most of them are rich women, and I've noticed that many of them are not chaste."

How did you know?

"Dad, last time an aunt asked me... never mind, I won't say anything more."

Chen Jianbin's expression suddenly changed!

"Speak! You must speak! I'm telling you, this world is far more treacherous than you imagine!"

At that moment, Chen Jianbin's phone rang, and he found that it was Tang Long calling.

"Your Uncle Tang called."

Chen Jianbin answered the phone: "Hello, Lao Tang."

"Chen Lao Er, your nephew is quite talented. I have a plan to mentor him!"

Chen Jianbin asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing special. I'll come to your house tonight to talk in detail."

"No, I'll come find you. We're together right now anyway."

"Alright, I'll brew a pot of good tea."

Beep, Chen Jianbin hung up the phone, a proud expression unconsciously appearing on his face.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"Come on, let's go find your boss together."