As the Soul Number One was annihilated, a blue light shot towards the Qilin Jade. The Qilin Jade instantly emitted a green light, which then shot towards Liu Sandao.
Liu Sandao did not dodge, in fact, he could not dodge at all.
The green light seemed to have locked onto him. The moment it touched Liu Sandao, it instantly merged into his body.
Liu Sandao immediately felt a surge of energy intending to travel throughout his entire body.
Having cultivated frequently, Liu Sandao quickly realized that this was the rhythm of true qi circulating.
He went with the flow and sat down to meditate.
Bai Suxiang had already broken free from the spell Liu Sandao had cast, but Liu Sandao's gaze remained fixed on the camera, showing no discernible change.
Meanwhile, Li Langqing was speaking with the older doctor. The doctor said, "The hospital has already paid the expert fee. This money should be returned to the patient's family!"
Li Langqing replied, "That's what I was thinking. The reason I accepted the surgery earlier was to put the family's minds at ease! Since you've said so, we will certainly follow your example!"
The others listened and nodded in agreement.
The surgery proceeded smoothly. Li Langqing took the excised stomach outside the operating room to show the patient's family. This was a hospital regulation; anything removed had to be shown to the family to ensure they understood the procedure. Wang Shuxiang was informed that the patient could be moved to a ward after an hour of rest.
Knowing the surgery had gone well, Wang Shuxiang was overjoyed, and her demeanor visibly relaxed.
The camera continued to roll. Bai Suxiang didn't know what Liu Sandao was doing, but for the sake of the interview, she had to talk to Li Langqing.
Li Langqing was happy to talk to Bai Suxiang, as it showcased the reality of his work.
Only by allowing her to understand fully could they truly move forward together.
Before speaking with Bai Suxiang, Li Langqing placed the envelope he had just received under Wang Langsheng's pillow.
Bai Suxiang witnessed this and was deeply moved. It was truly remarkable for someone to remain unmoved by such temptation.
"With so much money, aren't you tempted?" Bai Suxiang asked.
"No matter how much it is, I cannot take this money, because if I did, it would hurt here!" Li Langqing said lightly, with ease and peace. As he spoke, he lightly tapped his chest with a half-clenched fist.
Bai Suxiang understood; he meant his conscience would ache.
"You're amazing!" Bai Suxiang said, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Heh heh heh, you flatter me!" Li Langqing smiled sheepishly.
At this moment, Liu Sandao's true qi had already completed one full circuit within his body. It was much gentler than at the beginning. Another week of circulation would allow it to be completely absorbed by his body.
That sliver of energy, upon entering his body, moved like a swift dragon, rapidly opening up his internal meridians, as if awakening long-dormant acupoints. As Liu Sandao inhaled and exhaled, the various energy gates and acupoints opened and closed, and an unprecedented power began to fill his body. Through this repetition, his cultivation took a solid step forward.
Although it was only one step, compared to his previous stagnation when studying the "Ruoshui Fu" and the "Fude Handbook," it was a world of difference.
"So, all this time without progress was simply because there was no killing intent?"
A thought flashed through his mind.
Such a thought should not be entertained. It did not align with his principles, and it was unlikely that progress could be achieved through combat.
Just as Liu Sandao was nearing the end of his second week of circulation, Bai Suxiang nudged him.
"Liu Sandao, we're done, we're leaving!"
Liu Sandao, still disoriented, mumbled, "Wait!"
"What? Are you confused? The operating room is almost empty. Besides, they'll need to clean up and prepare for the next surgery soon. Hurry up, don't dawdle!" Bai Suxiang said, reaching to remove his hand.
Liu Sandao clasped her hand. Bai Suxiang instinctively felt a flutter of heat.
This was Liu Sandao's first time holding her hand, and his grip was broad and firm! If the circumstances were different, Bai Suxiang wouldn't have wanted to pull away.
But she still blushed and withdrew her hand.
"What are you doing!" she said with a feigned scolding, and then ran out of the operating room.
Fortunately, Liu Sandao had just finished absorbing the true qi circulating through its second cycle. Otherwise, being disturbed by Bai Suxiang might have caused him to lose all his progress.
When his consciousness fully returned to his physical body, he saw Bai Suxiang running out.
"That crazy girl, she didn't even wait for me. Where should we film next?" Liu Sandao, carrying the turned-off camera, walked out of the operating room.
The camera had felt somewhat heavy earlier, but now it felt light. Liu Sandao realized that as his cultivation took a small step forward, these things had become trivial.
Perhaps it was due to the recent integration of true qi, but Liu Sandao managed to catch up to Bai Suxiang with a few quick strides.
She entered a ward, and when Liu Sandao reached the doorway, he saw it was bed 23.
At this moment, there were many people in the ward. Most of them were relatives of Wang Shuxiang, who had come to help.
"Hey, look, isn't this the red envelope you gave out? How is it here?" someone exclaimed. Wang Shuxiang immediately stepped forward.
"This? I clearly gave it to him personally... you all saw me give it to him... how?" Wang Shuxiang stopped speaking, but she guessed that Dr. Li must have specifically returned it.
"Don't be like that. The hospital regulations don't allow accepting red envelopes, so the doctor must have returned it to you!" Bai Suxiang said, as she knew the situation.
"Yes, yes, that must be it. I knew it! It's not fashionable to accept red envelopes anymore! How could anyone dare to accept one if you give it so openly! Hahaha!" a man said. This remark caused Wang Shuxiang's heart to tighten again, but she quickly relaxed.
Based on her intuition, Li Langqing seemed like a very upright person, and he must have returned it intentionally. She would ask him privately later.
"Stop talking nonsense here. You all should go back now. It's enough for just me and Xiao Xiang to be here. You can come in the evening to take shifts! Let's go!" a woman said to the others.
Generally, patients who have just undergone surgery need rest. Also, family members need to constantly monitor the patient's condition. As long as there are no major issues within 48 hours, the patient's post-operative recovery will be stable.
These were all instructions given by Li Langqing, so these 48 hours were extremely critical. Someone must stay by the patient's side, and family members must constantly monitor the instruments. If any anomaly occurs, they must immediately call for a doctor or nurse.
Everything that happened here was reported to the arriving Qianlai by the Ten-Faced Rakshasa.
Qianlai would not believe mere verbal accounts, so the Ten-Faced Rakshasa used magic to record the entire process.
Once brought before Qianlai, he would be able to see everything at a glance.