C1 Returning to the Old Place

Zhang Cheng meandered down the main street, his destination the city's most opulent private estate, Li Yuan Park.

He ambled with ease, puffing on a cigarette, taking in the picturesque cascade of fallen blossoms lining the street. His demeanor was carefree, reminiscent of a hermit who had long since unraveled the mysteries of life.

"The night streets have their own special charm," he mused.

Navigating through multiple intersections, he encountered throngs of people hurrying home from work. With each step, Zhang Cheng drew nearer to Li Yuan Park.

To Zhang Cheng, Li Yuan Park was somewhat of a home, being the son-in-law to the family that owned the property.

To be precise, he was a well-known son-in-law by marriage.

The whole of Leezhu City was aware that the Zhao Family had a son-in-law lacking in talent and wit. A year prior, he had fallen on hard times, inexplicably finding himself kidnapped.

Though eventually ransomed by the Zhao Family, he had been struck on the head with a brick by his captors. Rumors circulated that the blow had left him simple-minded and lame, prompting his return to his ancestral home for healing.

Back home, his father wished for him to lead a quiet life tending to the fields, but Zhang Cheng was restless, his thirst for vengeance unquenched. How could he content himself with farming?

Yet, his misfortune had turned into a fortuitous twist of fate. This return was to thoroughly investigate his newfound fortune—a legacy of knowledge that had implanted itself in his mind.

This legacy included medical skills that could revive the dead, martial techniques with explosive power, and perhaps even elements of mystical cultivation.

Zhang Cheng couldn't be certain if this was indeed cultivation, but the fleeting visions of alchemy in his mind led him to believe it might be.

Armed with such an extraordinary advantage, he felt compelled to repay the Zhao Family in some way.

Ahead lay a stretch of villas. Beyond them, he would reach Li Yuan Park.

"Brother Zhang Cheng! Wuu wuu wuu... Please save my grandfather!"

"What's the matter?" Zhang Cheng asked, looking at the distressed little girl. Instinctively, he patted her head, "Don't cry, tell me what happened, slowly."

Once upon a time, he was considered a simpleton, and only this little girl was willing to chat with him. Seeing her now, crying until her eyes were bloodshot, he felt a pang of sympathy.

As the little girl spoke through her tears, her words came out in fits and starts. Zhang Cheng pieced together what had happened.

It all started when the little girl's grandfather came to visit her mother, which led to a heated argument. Overcome with anger, the grandfather suddenly collapsed, leaving the little girl in a state of shock.

"Please, save my grandpa!" she pleaded, pulling Zhang Cheng towards her house.

Zhang Cheng was reluctant to get involved, but he remembered that the little girl's mother was a formidable woman, raising her daughter single-handedly. It was no small feat.

"Dad! What's wrong? Dad, please don't scare me! Dad?"

Upon entering the villa, he was greeted by an array of opulent decorations. In the softly lit living room, an elderly man lay on the sofa, while a striking woman in her thirties called out to him in distress.

Beside her was a young man in a suit, about Zhang Cheng's age, who looked utterly bewildered.

The woman eyed Zhang Cheng with caution. "Who are you?"

"I'm Zhang Cheng," he replied, his gaze shifting to the little girl's grandfather.

At a glance, Zhang Cheng could tell the old man was having a heart attack, and time was of the essence. Waiting for an ambulance now would be too late.

"Zhang Cheng is our neighbor from the villa next door," the little girl interjected hastily. "He used to play with me when you weren't around. He just happened to be here, so I asked him for help."

The woman gave Zhang Cheng a strange look, seemingly puzzled as to how her daughter had become friendly with an adult man.

"So, you're the neighbor. Well, this doesn't concern you. Please leave," she said bluntly, reaching for her phone to dial 120.

"You're too late to call 120 now. Is your father having a heart attack? I have medical training; let me help."

Saying he had 'medical training' was an understatement; the medical knowledge he inherited spanned over a century.

With that, Zhang Cheng approached the old man to take his pulse. In a swift motion, he produced eight silver needles and expertly inserted them into the man's acupuncture points.

"What are you doing? Little Wang, get him out of here!" The woman was clearly startled by Zhang Cheng's methods. She knew her father's condition all too well; how could a few needles possibly treat it, especially since Zhang Cheng had placed each one on his head? If it didn't cure the illness, what would happen if it ended up killing him instead?

The young man in the suit, roughly the same age as Zhang Cheng, quickly approached to escort Zhang Cheng away. However, he hadn't anticipated Zhang Cheng's surprising strength and found himself tumbling to the ground after a firm push.

"Trust me, it will be alright soon," Zhang Cheng said with an unmistakable confidence in his voice. He deftly flicked each of the eight silver needles with his index finger, and if one observed closely, they might notice a peculiar glow emanating from the needles.

This was a set of acupuncture techniques, the name of which Zhang Cheng did not know. His inheritance was filled with complexities, and he had only scratched the surface of understanding it.

After checking the old man's eyelids and deeming the time right, Zhang Cheng swiftly removed the needles and packed them away. The old man was still in a coma, but his complexion had significantly improved, no longer the deathly pale it had been moments before.

"He'll wake up in a minute. Make sure he exercises daily from now on. With three months of persistence, his illness can be completely eradicated," Zhang Cheng advised as he collected his silver needles.

The young man in the suit stared at Zhang Cheng as if he were mad and sneered, "Cure heart disease? And with exercise?" He added with a venomous threat, "Everyone knows you can't exert yourself with a heart condition! You better hope nothing's wrong with him, or else…"

Right on cue, as Zhang Cheng had predicted, the old man began to stir back to consciousness. The woman, a mix of shock and joy, rushed to his side, "Dad! Are you alright?"

Once she had taken care of her father and daughter, she turned to express her gratitude to Zhang Cheng, only to find that he had already slipped away, leaving her with a pang of disappointment.

Unbeknownst to her, Zhang Cheng had no desire for recognition. Seizing the moment of confusion, he had quietly exited the villa.

"I..." The young man in the suit felt the sting of embarrassment on his face. Before he could utter another word, he was sharply rebuked by the woman.

"Quit your incessant complaining!" the elegant woman snapped, her face stern. "I'm exhausted and need a break. You should head back now."

The young man in the suit hesitated, silently cursing Zhang Cheng's ancestors from the bottom of his heart before he withdrew from the villa.

The woman scanned the area for Zhang Cheng, but to no avail. Then it struck her that they were neighbors; locating him wouldn't be too difficult. For now, she decided, taking the elder to the hospital for a check-up was the priority.

Having left the mansion, Zhang Cheng staggered his way to Leezhu Garden Park.

The park was expansive, privately owned, with security guards on duty around the clock.

This presented a problem: Zhang Cheng didn't have an access card.

After a brief contemplation, he dusted himself off and rapped on the door of the security room before pushing it open and stepping inside.

Inside, three guards were on the night shift—one asleep, one engrossed in a computer game, and another smoking while watching the gameplay.

The two awake guards turned their attention to Zhang Cheng as he entered.

The guard eyed the unexpected visitor, his expression one of puzzlement. The man seemed familiar, yet he couldn't quite place him.

It wasn't surprising that the guards didn't recognize Zhang Cheng; his return marked a radical transformation in his demeanor.

Unless someone knew him intimately, they'd never guess he was the former son-in-law of the Zhao family.

What to do? Zhang Cheng felt a twinge of guilt for resorting to deception. But with no money and night falling, he had no choice but to seek help here, lest he end up sleeping on the streets.