Just as Qin Yongping's consciousness was swept away by that mysterious white light, a sharp and piercing siren wailed from afar, drawing closer by the second. First, an ambulance raced to the scene like a shooting star, followed closely by police cars wailing in pursuit.
Zhou Qingqing, half-crazed with anxiety, accompanied the unconscious Qin Yongping into the ambulance and headed straight for the hospital. Upon arrival, the medical staff swiftly wheeled Qin Yongping into the emergency room to begin intensive treatment. Since no other relatives or friends were available to tend to the injured patient at the time, the police had no choice but to conduct a detailed questioning and take statements from Zhou Qingqing right there in the hospital.
Through Zhou Qingqing's account, the police gained a general understanding of how this malicious assault had unfolded. However, what proved thorny was that although they immediately pulled up surveillance footage from the surrounding area of the incident, all they could manage to obtain was a blurry silhouette of the suspect hurrying away, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
Just as the case investigation hit a dead end, Zhou Qingqing suddenly recalled an important clue: she had ridden the same bus as the suspect! Armed with this crucial piece of information, the police wasted no time contacting the bus company and successfully locked onto the suspect's clear physical features from the vehicle's surveillance video. Acting decisively, the police immediately deployed and launched an operation to apprehend the suspect.
Meanwhile, inside the emergency room, after a race against time by the medical team, the bleeding from Qin Yongping's wound was finally brought under control. Afterward, the doctors arranged a series of comprehensive and meticulous physical examinations for him. Throughout the entire process, Zhou Qingqing kept an anxious vigil by his side, running around busily without daring to rest for even a moment.
Fortunately, the various test results showed that although Qin Yongping had fainted from excessive blood loss, thankfully no vital organs had been damaged. As long as he remained hospitalized for observation for another day or two, and provided his condition showed no signs of further deterioration, he would be able to smoothly complete his discharge procedures and go home to recuperate.
Inside the jade pendant space, Qin Yongping was like a newly enrolled elementary school student, concentrating wholeheartedly on practicing his cultivation method. Since this was his first exposure, the dantian, acupoints, and circulation routes were all like paths shrouded in mist to him, leaving him completely baffled. Fortunately, with the artifact spirit acting as a patient mentor, lighting his path forward like a beacon, he finally gained a preliminary grasp of the profound mysteries of the White Tiger Heart Scripture.
"The White Tiger Heart Scripture is divided into a total of nine layers, with each layer containing endless profound mysteries. Mastering the first layer will make it difficult for you to meet an adversary in Foundation Establishment. Follow the heart scripture to practice for five cosmic cycles to consolidate your cultivation, and then you can go out to find the medicinal ingredients on this prescription to prepare for Foundation Establishment." The voice of the artifact spirit echoed in Qin Yongping's ear.
"Senior artifact spirit, don't you have these medicinal ingredients here?" Qin Yongping asked, filled with hope.
"No, these are all common medicinal ingredients. Why would the White Tiger Venerable keep such worldly trifles?" The artifact spirit's reply was like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the flame of hope in Qin Yongping's heart.
Qin Yongping sighed helplessly, pondering to himself: "It looks like I'll have to figure something out on my own. When the time comes, I'll ask my master to see if he has anything he can sponsor me with." With that, he settled his mind and continued practicing. At first, his movements appeared slightly clumsy, like a toddler learning to walk; but as time went on, he gradually grew proficient. By the time the fifth cycle ended, he had already mastered the application of the cultivation method completely.
"Senior artifact spirit, I have finished my practice. How do I go out, and how do I get back in future?" Qin Yongping asked eagerly.
"The jade pendant space has already recognized you as its master and is closely connected to your consciousness. You only need to use your intent to control it to come and go freely." The artifact spirit's words brought a sudden flash of insight to Qin Yongping's mind.
After bidding farewell to the artifact spirit, Qin Yongping left the jade pendant space. When he opened his eyes once more, he was startled to realize that outside had already grown deep into the night. He struggled to sit up from his unfamiliar surroundings, but at that very instant, a piercing, bone-chilling pain suddenly struck his chest, causing him to let out a soft groan involuntarily: "Ah..."
This slight sound immediately woke Zhou Qingqing, who had been dozing against the edge of the bed. Seeing her face filled with concern, she hurriedly rushed over to Qin Yongping and said, "Qin Yongping, you're finally awake! That's wonderful! How is it? Does your wound still hurt badly? The doctor said your body is extremely weak from excessive blood loss, so you mustn't move around recklessly. You must get a good rest."
Looking at the woman filled with worry before him, Qin Yongping's heart was overflowing with gratitude. He said in a sincere and earnest tone, "So I'm in the hospital. Zhou Qingqing, thank you so much for coming to take care of me."
Hearing this, the corners of Zhou Qingqing's eyes instantly turned red, and tears began to well up within them. She choked out a reply, "I'm the one who should be saying thank you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered this kind of injury at all. It's all my fault. Seeing you in so much pain now, my heart feels so dreadful... I'm sorry!" Before she could finish her sentence, crystal-clear teardrops like broken pearls were already sliding down her fair cheeks.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Am I not safe and sound?" Qin Yongping comforted her softly.
"Fortunately, it didn't hit anything vital, or I really wouldn't have known what to do... Did you want to get up just now because you were thirsty? I'll go pour you a cup of water right now." Zhou Qingqing finished speaking with a sniffle, then turned to pour some water.
Qin Yongping took the cup of water, drank it down slowly, and then stammered, "Thank you! Um, well, I actually wanted to go to the bathroom."
A blush instantly bloomed across Zhou Qingqing's cheeks, making her look like a ripe apple. "You're injured, so don't use too much force when getting up. I'll help you up."
After thanking her, Qin Yongping headed toward the direction of the restroom.
After he finished using the restroom, Zhou Qingqing carefully supported Qin Yongping back to a lying position, as if she were cradling a precious piece of porcelain. Qin Yongping said softly, "Qingqing, you must be utterly exhausted today after being busy the whole day. Just bear with it for now and rest by leaning against the bed for a moment."
Zhou Qingqing's face was written with exhaustion, as if all her strength had been drained from her body. She nodded slightly. "I'll rest for a bit. If you need anything, remember to call me."
A smile played at the corners of Qin Yongping's lips as he nodded gently.
Today's events felt like an illusory dream to Qin Yongping, lingering in his mind and making it hard for him to fall asleep for a long time. He pondered to himself that since he couldn't sleep anyway, he might as well use this opportunity to practice. Thus, moving as lightly as a nimble cat, he carefully sat up and began to cultivate...
As his practice deepened, the time it took to circulate Qi for one cycle grew shorter and shorter. Moreover, he could no longer feel the slightest pain from his wound. When the fifth cycle concluded, the dawn of a new day was just about to break, and Qin Yongping gently laid back down on the bed like a tranquil autumn leaf, closing his eyes to rest for a moment for fear of being noticed by others.