Chapter 142: Repaying Favors and Uninvited Guests

In an old alley, Shi Tiexin looked like a terrifying butcher from a horror film, dragging someone along the ground by one leg.

Naturally, they had already exited the mystic realm.

And as for dead people—with the mystic realm in play, no one would truly die, of course.

However, if the guy being dragged didn't get some medical attention right away, it was hard to say what his fate might be.

Wang Jiaxu was now barely recognizable. His entire body looked as though it had been trampled by a rampaging dinosaur, with scarcely a single intact patch of skin left. As Shi Tiexin dragged him by the ankle, Wang Jiaxu’s face scraped roughly against the ground, leaving a horrifying trail of blood, yet he showed not the slightest sign of waking up.

Shi Tiexin glanced down at him.

Well, the beating might have been a bit heavy-handed.

But I wasn't just venting my anger; I simply returned the blows that those thugs had given me back then, adding neither extra weight nor discount. Every punch I took in the past, you take the exact same number of punches today. It's completely fair.

Of course, if your physique is weak and you can't handle it, there's nothing I can do. Besides, my striking power is quite formidable, and it carries a special attribute—that's also beyond my control.

Individual differences, you know!

Dragging him all the way to the entrance of the old alley, Shi Tiexin pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Instantly, the ringback tone began to play.

It was a sweet children's voice singing a little tune.

"Nurse aunty, you are so pretty, you are so pretty~~"

"Your pristine uniform blooms with fragrance, blooms with fragrance~~"

"Shuttling through the wards, without a single fear of fatigue~~"

"Your steps are as light as an angel flying~~~"

What on earth is this?!

Even with Shi Tiexin's aura still brimming with murderous intent, this ringback tone left him somewhat amused and exasperated. The children's voice in the ringback tone sang quite well, seeming full of affectionate admiration for these angels in white. But when Shi Tiexin pictured the actual demeanor of that particular "angel in white," he couldn't help wondering if the song was meant to be sarcastic.

*Buzz.* The call connected, and the familiar voice of the cheerful nurse sister came through.

"Hello, good day! Nursing Department of the Uptown Central Hospital. How may I help you?"

Just listen to that! How standard the pronunciation, how pleasant the voice! Who could ever guess what her true nature was like?

"I'm here to repay my debt."

Today happened to be the scheduled day for repayment.

"What?!" The voice on the other end instantly went up an octave, her momentum surging at once. "Who said anything about making a massive early repayment?! Have you got a death wish? I'll blow your head off!"

Tsk tsk tsk, how familiar! Everyone at the Sharp Breath realm is like this, always threatening to blow someone's head off at the slightest provocation. She's even more savage than me.

Shi Tiexin was momentarily speechless. "I'm not planning a massive repayment. I'm just making my regular installment."

"Oh, not a massive repayment? Well, that's a relief, that's a relief~" The nurse sister immediately let out a sigh of relief. Just from her tone, Shi Tiexin could picture her grinning from ear to ear like a money-grubber. "Mister, how much are you paying this time?"

"One hundred points."

"One hundred points?" The nurse sister's voice changed instantly. "You don't need to call me personally for such a trivial matter! Just use the repayment system to transfer it to me yourself. I've got plenty of big business to handle, and I'm very busy. If you waste my time with such petty matters again, watch out, I'll—"

"Blow my head off, right? Yes, yes, understood, understood. I won't call you in the future. But I'm not bothering you today just for this hundred points; I've got a major business opportunity here." Shi Tiexin glanced down at Wang Jiaxu, who looked like a leaking bag of blood. "I saw a conscious—well, unconscious citizen on the roadside, beaten into a thoroughly miserable state. Without a Level 3 medical treatment, I'm afraid he'll never recover properly for the rest of his life."

"Level 3 medical treatment?" The nurse sister perked up, then quickly asked, "Can that fellow afford it? Don't tell me he's just some penniless wretch."

"Rest assured, this guy definitely has medical insurance. It might not be comprehensive, so total coverage is out of the question, but covering half of it should be no problem. Besides, his financial condition is perfect for your hospital's 'financial products'—twenty or thirty thousand points will be a breeze." Shi Tiexin decided to add one more detail. "Right, his Nian Qi has scattered, and his brain might need some deep restoration requiring ten or eight days of treatment, otherwise his intellect might suffer somewhat in the future."

"Understood!" The nurse sister was instantly galvanized. "Big business is knocking! Quick, send me your location and secure the scene. Don't let other hospitals beat us to it! By the way, if you're pulling my leg, watch out, I'll—"

"No need to repeat the thing about my head. Just hurry up and send someone to snatch the money—I mean, to provide emergency rescue." Shi Tiexin suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, since I brought you such a huge piece of business, that little gift we agreed on last time..."

"Talk to me after you finish paying your debt!"

*Click.* The call was disconnected.

If she said she wouldn't give a gift, she wouldn't give a gift. This nurse sister certainly had principles. Could that be considered a virtue? Well, aside from being principled, Shi Tiexin soon discovered another virtue of the nurse sister: high efficiency.

In less than five minutes, an autonomous rescue vehicle patrolling the Muyuan District came barreling down the road, pulling a sliding drift as it screeched to a halt right at the mouth of the alley. Nowadays, there was no need to dispatch vehicles from the hospital itself, which made the response time remarkably fast. Shi Tiexin tossed Wang Jiaxu into the vehicle like a slab of dead meat, slammed the door shut with a loud *clang*, and the rescue vehicle sped off into the distance without wasting a single minute.

Watching Wang Jiaxu head straight for Level 3 medical care, Shi Tiexin touched his chest. Ah, warm, strong, beating with vibrant energy. I really am a good person with a conscience.

Ha!

Though he couldn't say he had fully avenged his past grudges, managing to deal with Wang Jiaxu and cutting off He Chong's lackey still brought Shi Tiexin a deep sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, by introducing this lucrative piece of business, any lingering sense of indebtedness toward the nurse sister's ambiguous favor was now settled.

Yet, just as he was about to leave, someone spoke up unceremoniously not far behind him: "Hey, interesting!"

In an instant, every hair on Shi Tiexin's body stood on end, because he hadn't sensed even the faintest shred of presence. In his perception, the space behind him was nothing more than an empty old alley. Yet out of this empty old alley, someone had spoken like a living ghost!

An expert!

Someone who could approach within two meters of Shi Tiexin's back without making a sound and without letting him notice—in this pugilistic world, there were only a select few capable of that: the old grandpas in the Uptown parks, the square-dancing grandmas, the white-robed demon nurse sister, President Liu of the sweatshop factory, and a whole bunch of other miscellaneous people...

Fine, fine! Shi Tiexin currently couldn't be considered much of a fighter, and a whole bunch of people could easily crush him! The person standing behind him speaking like a ghost wasn't necessarily some peerless master; out in the real world, they might just be ordinary.

But right now, in this old alley, to Shi Tiexin, this person was an unadulterated expert.

And with high probability, an expert of the Sharp Breath realm who could easily blow his head off.

Shi Tiexin turned around. And there, he saw a young man dressed in ancient, flowing robes with wide sleeves. The youth walked up beside him, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, shaded his eyes with a hand to gaze into the distance where the rescue vehicle had vanished, and spoke casually as if they were old acquaintances: "Sent to the hospital?"