That evening, Wu Dazhi took the apple given by Ye Tiancheng and indeed felt his body relax considerably. Otherwise, with the tumor having grown so large and spread to other organs, Wu Dazhi had been in so much pain for the past week that he couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning, groaning incessantly in misery.
The next morning, Wu Dazhi went to the hospital early to queue for an X-ray. Even the doctor was shocked.
"I didn't expect this chemotherapy to be so effective. Your tumor has shrunk significantly. If it stabilizes, the one-year survival period I mentioned before will likely be extended by ten or even twenty years."
Wu Dazhi was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He finally saw new hope. He immediately rushed to the vegetable stall and, in front of all the media, admitted his mistake.
"I apologize to everyone. Because I have cancer, I was short of money for treatment, so I took money from someone to slander the vegetable stall. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have been blinded by greed. The vegetables at the stall are truly excellent, nutritious, and can even clear impurities from the blood. I hope everyone will come and try them. The prices are also very reasonable."
When Hou Mingzhu saw this report on television, she was so angry her face contorted. She hadn't expected Wu Dazhi, after taking her money, not only failed to do her bidding but also advertised for the vegetable stall in front of the media. Was there any justice left in the world?
"This double-dealing scoundrel! Find someone to break his legs."
"By the way, Miss Hou, Wu Dazhi came just now. He returned all the hundred thousand yuan you gave him and said he would never do anything against his conscience again."
With the money returned, Hou Mingzhu's anger subsided somewhat, but even if his legs weren't broken, she wouldn't let him off completely.
"Find someone to beat him up. Beat him until his nose bleeds and his face looks like a pig's head. Don't think I'll let him off just because he's a cancer patient."
Hou Mingzhu, furious, sent people to teach Wu Dazhi a lesson. At this moment, Wu Dazhi had just expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Ye Tiancheng and was walking out of the vegetable stall.
Of course, Ye Tiancheng wasn't there. Today, for a rare change, he wasn't holed up in his shack. Ye Tiancheng was cultivating in the deep mountains. Wu Dazhi only saw Xiao Pang, so his words of gratitude could only be conveyed through Xiao Pang.
As soon as he stepped out, a group of people swarmed him, grabbed Wu Dazhi, and shoved him into a car. Xiao Pang saw it but it was too late. At this point, he could only seek help from Ye Tiancheng, who was cultivating in the deep mountains.
"Brother Ye, something bad has happened! Wu Dazhi, who spoke at the vegetable stall, has been captured."
Ye Tiancheng was absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, dressed in a white robe, sitting cross-legged in the forest with his eyes closed. Half of his body was floating as he meditated.
"Xiao Pang, you know my style. I'm not a neighborhood committee aunt. Perhaps you shouldn't bother me with every little thing. If you're afraid of getting beaten, just take a few hits. It won't kill you anyway. If you trouble me with such minor matters, I'll be overwhelmed."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was unwilling to intervene, Xiao Pang had to reveal more details.
"By the way, Brother Ye, those people who took Wu Dazhi just now, I thought they looked a bit familiar. If I'm not mistaken, some of them seemed to be under Hou Mingzhu."
Ye Tiancheng, who had been indifferent to this scuffle, immediately came to his senses at the mention of Hou Mingzhu.
"I've been looking for the person behind the scenes who wants to harm me. How could I have forgotten that woman? Hou Mingzhu has always seen me as a thorn in her side. If there's an opportunity to oppose me, that woman would likely be at the forefront."
"So, Brother Ye, are you going to intervene? I think Wu Dazhi is quite pitiful. After suffering from illness for so long, he's become so thin."
"This time, I'll do it for your sake, Xiao Pang."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng set off without even changing his clothes. He wasn't acting for Wu Dazhi's sake, but rather because he was eager to find out who was behind the scheme.
The car that captured Wu Dazhi drove him to the outskirts before stopping. With a screech of brakes, Wu Dazhi was dragged out of the car.
"You've got some nerve, you brat! You betrayed our boss. Did you ever think about what happens when you take money but don't do the job, and ultimately betray your master?"
"I've already returned the money. I strayed for a moment. Please, spare me! I don't want to die!"
Wu Dazhi had just regained hope for life, only for these people to suddenly appear and intend to beat him severely. Moreover, they looked ferocious, and it was possible they intended to kill him, which completely terrified Wu Dazhi.
"If you don't want to die, then don't do such wicked things. We'll beat you to death today, dig a hole, and bury you right here!"
Wu Dazhi knelt among the group, trembling incessantly, rubbing his hands together like a fly, begging helplessly.
"Please, sirs, spare my life. I truly don't want to die. If you want money, I can give it to you. I don't have it on me right now, but I'll find a way to gather it for you. Please, don't kill me!"
Those people were paid to do a job and would show no mercy. Just as disaster was about to strike, Ye Tiancheng suddenly descended from the sky, still wearing the white robe he used for cultivation, looking ethereal and graceful.
Before anyone could react, they all felt a massive tremor. Then, except for Wu Dazhi, everyone else fell to the ground neatly, instantly losing their ability to resist.
"Mr. Ye, it's you! I thought a god had descended from heaven. I even thought it was some immortal who came to save me!"
"Alright, stop your exaggerated praise. Hurry and leave. I don't want the following scene to cause you any psychological trauma."
Logically, Wu Dazhi should have fled after being rescued. If he stayed, it would only be to get beaten again.
"No, Mr. Ye, no, Brother Ye, you saved me. I can't leave you here alone. I must fight alongside you. They have too many people; you definitely can't defeat them alone."
"Are you sure?"
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng circulated his true qi again. The people lying on the ground were bounced up and then fell back down with a thud. These people suffered a second round of injury, groaning in pain and grimacing.
This time, Wu Dazhi truly witnessed Ye Tiancheng's extraordinary methods, and he trembled slightly. However, he quickly calmed down.
"Brother Ye, what have you cultivated? Your martial arts are too formidable!"
"You must have seen wrong. It was clearly these people who got up and fell down themselves. It has nothing to do with me. Don't go out and talk nonsense."
He immediately understood Ye Tiancheng's meaning and quickly responded that he had indeed seen nothing. These people had probably received divine retribution, which was why they were beaten into such a state.
Ye Tiancheng thought that Wu Dazhi was teachable and not completely foolish. He told him to go find Xiao Pang first, get a position from him, and work at the vegetable stall.
Not only was his physical illness addressed, but he also found a job after being unemployed for a long time. It was truly a double blessing, an unexpected turn of events. After expressing his gratitude, Xiao Pang left the scene.
Ye Tiancheng wouldn't let those people escape so easily. After another round of beatings, all the thugs were kneeling before Ye Tiancheng, begging for mercy.
"Great God Ye, your power is too immense. We were merely watching from the sidelines. Please, be magnanimous and let us all go."
"Of course, I can let you go. After all, I am not a cruel person. Seeing how pitiful you are, I have compassion. However, let me say this first: you'd better not lie. Honestly tell me who instructed you to do this. If you dare to conceal anything, I guarantee you won't live to see your families today."
After Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, the thugs fell silent, kneeling on the ground, looking at each other. No one dared to be the first to betray their master, as betrayal was a grave offense. However, if they didn't speak now, Ye Tiancheng's temperament suggested he would keep his word and let them all die here.
"It was Hou Mingzhu, Miss Hou supported us in doing this. But Brother Ye, we were just trying to make a living and took money for the job. We have no enmity with you personally. We hope you won't tell that narrow-minded woman Hou Mingzhu, as she'll kill us if she finds out."
As expected, it was that woman Hou Mingzhu causing trouble. Upon hearing the confirmed answer, Ye Tiancheng paid no attention to these insignificant thugs. After telling them to scram, Ye Tiancheng arrived outside Hou Mingzhu's house.
The sky was already darkening. Hou Mingzhu was having her nutritionist prepare her a fitness meal. Hou Mingzhu was very particular about her figure and had been trying to improve her physical condition. Of course, it was also because she had gained some weight previously, so she wanted to lower her body fat percentage. After eating the fitness meal, she still had ten kilometers to run.
"Miss, Mr. Ye is here and wishes to see you."
"Which Mr. Ye?"
Hou Mingzhu's brain was not functioning properly from eating fitness meals. Perhaps not eating carbohydrates at all caused such problems. So, when she heard "Mr. Ye," she didn't immediately react and didn't think it was Ye Tiancheng, otherwise, she would have been very agitated.
"It seems that Miss Hou is too busy with important matters and forgets everything, even me. I'm a bit hurt."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's voice and seeing him walk in from the doorway, Hou Mingzhu nearly choked on the boiled egg she was eating.
"Why are you here?" Hou Mingzhu reacted immediately and began to scold him, "I didn't let you in yet, and you just walked in. Ye Tiancheng, aren't you a bit impolite?"
"If we're talking about impoliteness, I'm probably not even qualified to be your grand-disciple. Hou Mingzhu, we don't have any grudges, do we? Why have you been sending people to cause trouble?"
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Hou Mingzhu realized he knew about her behind-the-scenes machinations. Not wanting to lose face, she quickly told the butler to leave, and also asked the maids and nutritionist who were serving her to leave.
"Hou Mingzhu, do you think I won't lay hands on women? I suggest you hire more bodyguards to protect yourself. You are very dangerous alone in front of me. I'm afraid I might lose control and act."
Hou Mingzhu leisurely drank her water and deliberately blinked at Ye Tiancheng.
"I know you well enough. You possess a mysterious power. I am no match for you. Even if I called all my bodyguards, they probably wouldn't last more than a few seconds against you. Why bother inviting humiliation?"
Ye Tiancheng circulated his true qi, and the water cup in Hou Mingzhu's hand, as if out of control, fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces.
Hou Mingzhu was clearly startled, but she still pretended to be unfazed on the surface, as she couldn't afford to lose face in front of Ye Tiancheng.
"The fact that I came directly is considered giving you plenty of face. I could have come without announcing myself, but thinking that you are my fiancée, I don't want to make things too absolute."