"Xiao Tian?"
"Why are you here?"
"You... are you injured?"
Li Erguai looked at Lin Xiao Tian in surprise.
Lin Xiao Tian's face was pale, and he said with difficulty to Li Erguai, "Brother Erguai, do you have any gauze at home?"
Li Erguai nodded, then helped Lin Xiao Tian into the house.
After entering, Li Erguai began to find gauze for Lin Xiao Tian. The wound was on his back, so Lin Xiao Tian couldn't reach it. He asked Li Erguai for help.
When he saw a black, festering wound on Lin Xiao Tian's back, Li Erguai could no longer contain himself.
"Xiao Tian, this won't do. Shall I take you to the hospital?"
Lin Xiao Tian shook his head. "Brother Erguai, I can't go to the hospital. This matter cannot be told to anyone."
"Why?"
"It's nothing, Brother Erguai. It's better for you to know less about this matter. It will be good for you."
Li Erguai stared at Lin Xiao Tian, then said very seriously, "Xiao Tian, I'm your brother. Don't you trust me?"
Seeing Li Erguai's persistence, Lin Xiao Tian took a deep breath. "Brother Erguai, I went to a dangerous place before, and that's where I got this wound. I've been looking for a way to treat it recently, but unfortunately, to heal this wound, I need very advanced herbs."
"I went to Black Mountain and roughly figured out the location of the herbs, but unfortunately, that place is deep in Black Mountain, and there are very dangerous beasts inside."
"The wound on my body was caused by those beasts."
"I told you, Black Mountain is not a place ordinary people can go. You're too reckless." Li Erguai sighed after speaking.
Looking at Li Erguai, Lin Xiao Tian lowered his gaze.
Li Erguai's concern seemed genuine. Was this also an act?
But Lin Xiao Tian dared not be careless, so he continued:
"Brother Erguai, you are the only person I can trust now. Do you know why I didn't notify the Lin family about my injury?"
Li Erguai was confused. "Why?"
"With the kind of injury I have, I can only last a few more years at most." Lin Xiao Tian said seriously.
Li Erguai looked bewildered. "You... you're going to die?"
Lin Xiao Tian nodded.
"Then you should tell the Lin family! They have a large enterprise; they can surely find you a skilled doctor!"
Lin Xiao Tian gave a bitter smile. "Are there any doctors in this world more skilled than me?"
"But... but you can't just wait to die like this, can you?"
Silence fell between them. Lin Xiao Tian looked at the expression on Li Erguai's face, his heart filled with conflict.
"Brother Erguai, if I tell the Lin family about this, I will lose my position as heir. I want to take a gamble. I am already the Lin family's apparent heir. As soon as the old lady passes away, I will be able to take over the Lin family. So... you must keep this a secret for me. For this period, you cannot tell anyone about my situation here."
Li Erguai nodded seriously upon seeing this. "Xiao Tian, don't worry. I am your brother, and I will always be on your side."
Next, Li Erguai helped Lin Xiao Tian to the bed, and Lin Xiao Tian stayed at Li Erguai's house for the night.
The next day, Li Erguai went out to work, and Lin Xiao Tian stayed in the house.
Soon, a day passed.
On this day, Lin Xiao Tian looked extremely weak from the outside, finding it difficult even to get out of bed and walk.
Lin Xiao Tian told Li Erguai that he would be very weak for the next few days, but he would recover to a state close to normal after a few days of rest, and no one would be able to tell he was sick.
Li Erguai expressed his hope that Lin Xiao Tian would get well soon and advised him to rest well.
Night deepened.
With the perception of his divine sense, Lin Xiao Tian could clearly see that Li Erguai was not asleep.
This state continued until midnight, until several people appeared in his divine sense.
These people were all unfamiliar faces, and judging by their footsteps, they were clearly martial artists.
A moment later, they arrived at Li Erguai's door.
Li Erguai glanced at his phone, then opened the main door.
The three men were well-coordinated. The tallest one entered Li Erguai's house, while the other two stood guard outside.
Li Erguai pointed him towards the bedroom where Lin Xiao Tian was, then offered his own neck. The tall man knocked Li Erguai unconscious.
From this situation, it was clear that the parties involved had planned this beforehand.
Li Erguai's actions were also to provide himself with an explanation in case he was held accountable by the Lin family in the future.
It had to be said that the arrangement was perfect.
The tall man cautiously approached Lin Xiao Tian's room, but Lin Xiao Tian reacted quickly. The moment the door opened, he dashed towards the window.
The tall man noticed Lin Xiao Tian's movement and quickly gave chase.
The man guarding outside also spotted Lin Xiao Tian and immediately pursued him.
Lin Xiao Tian pretended to be struggling but managed to temporarily escape their encirclement.
The next scene was Lin Xiao Tian fleeing, with the three men in pursuit.
Finally, Lin Xiao Tian had nowhere to run; behind him was only a pond.
This pond was the one Lin Xiao Tian had contracted.
Lin Xiao Tian panted and struck a fighting stance towards the three men.
"Who sent you? Do you know who I am?" Lin Xiao Tian glared at them angrily.
The three men did not answer Lin Xiao Tian. Their professionalism was commendable.
The tall man attacked Lin Xiao Tian. Lin Xiao Tian appeared very weak but still managed to repel the tall man in a difficult manner.
The tall man looked surprised.
"The rumors were indeed true. You are indeed very powerful!"
He had intended to deal with Lin Xiao Tian quietly, but as a martial artist himself, Lin Xiao Tian's strength deeply impressed him, making him unable to refrain from admiration.
"It truly is a case of a tiger brought down to the plains, bullied by dogs." Lin Xiao Tian said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The tall man chuckled triumphantly. "Still talking tough when you're facing death?"
After speaking, the tall man signaled to the other two.
This time, the three of them attacked together.
But Lin Xiao Tian was too strong; he managed to repel all three of them. One of them took a palm strike from Lin Xiao Tian, breaking three ribs, but he was a professional and could still fight.
"It's still not certain who will die." Lin Xiao Tian sneered.
Veins bulged on the tall man's face.
"It seems I was careless."
After saying this, a pistol appeared in his hand.
The muzzle of the pistol was fitted with a silencer. This pond was some distance from the village, so even if a shot was fired, it would be difficult for anyone to notice.
"Heh heh, coward." Lin Xiao Tian spat out another mouthful of blood. "You are indeed Fang Wenhua's subordinates. Your personalities are exactly like his—cowards."
"Say whatever you want. You're going to die anyway."
The tall man raised the gun and aimed at Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian simply stopped moving.
Just as the tall man was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly stopped.
"Our boss has something to say to you."
Next, the tall man threw his phone to Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian took the phone, and a familiar voice came from the other end.
"Hello! Xiao Tian, long time no see. Forgive me, I can't see you off in person this time."