Long Feng and Long Cheng stood beside Zhang Yang. Both possessed Neijin—Inner Strength—Long Feng being a master—but when it came to medical skills, they were leagues behind Zhang Yang.

Beyond maintaining order, they truly couldn't offer much help. Long Feng’s powerful Neijin could detoxify, but the process was agonizingly slow, and it would expose him as a Neijin cultivator. For now, all he could do was stand by.

“Zhang Yang, you must be tired. Would you like something to drink?”

Ren Lijuan approached again, speaking softly to Zhang Yang. She, too, had been constantly busy, and beads of sweat now dotted her forehead.

“No need, I’m not thirsty!”

Zhang Yang offered her a faint smile. The atmosphere was heavy; the remaining thirty or forty people sat quietly, heads bowed, each person wrestling with low spirits.

“Your medical skills are incredible. Did you learn all of this in university?” Ren Lijuan asked quietly. She felt the oppressive weight in the room and spoke just to break the silence.

Zhang Yang chuckled lightly. “No, this is inherited. A family tradition.”

His medical expertise had almost nothing to do with formal schooling; it was entirely ancestral. In both his past life and this one, he had inherited the lineage of the Medical Sage. The difference was that he had managed to better integrate modern medicine with these ancestral arts—a feat his predecessors had never achieved. He was currently the sole practitioner successfully blending the ancient and the contemporary.

“Doctor, Doctor! Xiao Ya isn't doing well!”

As they spoke, a girl sitting nearby shrieked, steadying another girl beside her. The second girl’s face was flushed crimson, she was muttering nonsense, and her body had gone limp against her companion. She displayed the exact same symptoms as those before her—a clear sign of the poison taking hold.

“Don’t panic, she will be fine!”

Zhang Yang walked over instantly. He inserted an acupuncture needle into the girl’s body, and after administering an antidote pill, she immediately calmed down, though she remained unconscious, still clenching her teeth.

Ren Lijuan followed Zhang Yang closely as he treated the girl, watching his every move. Zhang Yang was unaware that Ren Lijuan was supposed to have left with the second departing group. Her cousin, Liu Chang, had insisted on staying to care for the remaining classmates, but Ren Lijuan had been the one who pressed for her cousin to leave first. Why she herself stayed behind, Ren Lijuan couldn't quite articulate.

The girl stabilized quickly. Not long after, hotel staff returned, announcing that they had secured another vehicle. This new transport could take all the remaining people to the hospital. It was a large bus borrowed from a nearby organization. A mass poisoning affecting over two hundred people, with the potential for sudden toxic episodes, was no minor incident. After contacting the unit's leadership, the bus was immediately made available.

As others boarded, Zhang Yang administered another antidote pill to Ren Lijuan, also giving her two extra for emergencies. If these people could just hold out until they reached the hospital, they would basically be safe. Once at the hospital, Zhang Yang’s intervention wouldn't be necessary; the medical facilities there were sufficient to handle the poisoning, and even those whose symptoms flared up could receive gastric lavage treatment.

When the last vehicle departed, Zhang Yang finally walked back to his table. The whole ordeal had taken nearly half an hour. Looking at the twenty-plus empty tables in the restaurant, still laden with uneaten celebratory food and the blaring music from the sound system, Zhang Yang couldn't help but shake his head. What started as a pleasant wedding celebration had descended into such chaos. It was truly disheartening.

The good news was that the groom's poison was cleared, and the bride had also taken an antidote pill. Their wedding wouldn't be ruined; hopefully, they could celebrate happily tomorrow without any further incidents.

“Long Feng, I’m sorry, it seems we won't be leaving today,” Zhang Yang said, glancing at the time. He and Long Feng had intended to tour Xizhou; since this trip was meant for training, the location didn't matter much. However, this unexpected emergency had consumed too much time. Going out now, with fewer people around at night, felt pointless.

Long Feng picked up a slice of watermelon from the fruit platter and took a bite, smiling. “It’s fine. I actually found watching you save people quite compelling. Does saving people feel incredibly satisfying?”

Zhang Yang looked at him, slightly surprised. Even Long Cheng, standing nearby, seemed taken aback. The Long Feng before him was vastly different from the one just moments ago—a cold, detached figure who seemed foreign to the human world, always projecting an aura of distance. Now, Long Feng carried a touch of warmth, appearing more like an ordinary person. His actions showed significant growth. In the past, he never would have spoken up to calm the crowd; he would have simply watched coldly, as these people were entirely irrelevant to him.

“The feeling of saving someone is indeed quite good,” Zhang Yang replied with a slight smile. Long Feng’s grin widened.

Long Feng picked up the fruit platter, offering slices to Zhang Yang and Long Cheng before continuing. “I never felt this before. I only discovered it yesterday. After saving someone, after helping others, there’s a deep, intrinsic joy. This feeling is marvelous, even better than the breakthrough sensation from advancing in cultivation. Only now do I understand: I was stuck in a rut. Pure cultivation can lead to success, but it lacks a connection to humanity. Such an existence is incomplete!”

Zhang Yang’s surprise deepened at Long Feng’s words. He never expected such introspection from Long Feng—the man who always considered himself superior and never bothered engaging with ordinary people. It was truly remarkable to hear him say this. After his recent refounding and cultivating a higher-level Xinfu (Heart Method), Long Feng had undergone a profound transformation.

“Let’s go back and rest. Look how exhausted even Lightning is. We need good rest before setting off tomorrow. We won’t stop at Lake Ezhou; we’ll head straight for Jingxiang City!”

Long Feng grinned, then left the restaurant first, carrying a few extra watermelon slices in hand as he walked. The current Long Feng was worlds apart from the one before his seclusion, a change Zhang Yang was both willing and eager to witness.

The next morning, the three set off by car. Xizhou was merely a place they were unexpectedly detained; it wasn't a primary destination for their journey. By noon, Zhang Yang called Xiao He to inform him they had left.

Xiao He had been busy throughout the night and the following morning. Many people had been poisoned the night before, and some collapsed on the bus headed to the hospital. Fortunately, thanks to the antidote pills Zhang Yang had prepared in advance, they all escaped serious harm. Even at the hospital, others suffered flare-ups, but with the doctors’ aid, everyone was pulled back from the brink.

According to Xiao He’s later tally, about thirty people had severe reactions, while the rest were hospitalized for observation, as varying amounts of residual toxin remained in their systems. Out of the two hundred plus people, everyone except those who took the antidote pills required admission; they ended up spread across six different hospitals—a mass poisoning event rarely seen in the entire city of Xizhou.

Xiao He mentioned that many reporters had been alerted. Some even sought him out, but thanks to prior arrangements ensuring no one spoke carelessly, the press failed to gather any significant details. Zhu Qing and Liu Chang were not at the hospital as they were busy with their wedding. Their classmates were being looked after by Xiao He and Ren Lijuan. This was why they hadn't contacted Zhang Yang sooner, unaware he had already departed.

On the phone, Xiao He couldn't help but grumble a bit, complaining that Zhang Yang was too inconsiderate to leave without saying goodbye, leaving them no opportunity to offer thanks.

The cause of the poisoning had also been preliminarily identified: two specific dishes had accidentally contained seeds of the Mandragora flower. Coincidentally, these two dishes were the tastiest and were consumed the most. Consequently, the most people were affected. Most of the young men had eaten more than the women, explaining why the male reaction rate was higher. As for the groom, Zhu Qing, his heavy alcohol consumption accelerated the toxin's effects, causing him to be the first victim.

The hotel management had stepped forward, agreeing to cover all treatment costs and provide compensation to every affected person. The chef responsible for the gross oversight was fired. Fortunately, the widespread poisoning did not result in any severe long-term consequences or fatalities—a fact that astonished even the hospital doctors. So many people poisoned so deeply, yet the response was so effective, especially the timely treatment of those who reacted first. Such handling was extraordinary.

This outcome made the poisoned individuals realize the critical role Zhang Yang played during the crisis. Without him, several of the deeply affected would have faced serious trouble, and fatalities would have been a distinct possibility; the result would certainly not have been this manageable.

After hearing the details, Zhang Yang simply smiled. For him, it was merely being in the right place at the right time. As a doctor, he couldn't ignore such an emergency, even if none of the victims had been his classmates. The final outcome was positive, and the incident served as a stark reminder for the hotel to exercise greater caution in the future. Many mass poisoning events stem from small errors escalating into catastrophe.

Hanging up with Xiao He, Zhang Yang paused, then called Zhu Qing. He wasn't close to Zhu Qing, but he felt they had a connection since they met under such circumstances. Zhang Yang had a good impression of Zhu Qing’s character; when trouble struck, Zhu Qing didn't attempt to shift blame but accepted responsibility—a rare trait in a wealthy young man. Zhang Yang felt his intervention the previous day had not been misplaced.

When Zhang Yang called, Zhu Qing had just finished the wedding ceremony and was exhausted. Thankfully, his use of Zhang Yang’s Neijin detoxification meant his recovery was significantly better than others who had suffered acute reactions. Upon seeing Zhang Yang's name, Zhu Qing immediately offered heartfelt thanks. Upon learning Zhang Yang had already left, he complained at length about losing the chance to express his gratitude. Zhu Qing clearly understood the extent of Zhang Yang’s contribution the night before—it was no exaggeration to say Zhang Yang had saved his life.

Zhang Yang merely smiled at Zhu Qing’s courtesy, then shared something with him. Upon hearing the news, Zhu Qing’s jaw dropped, his expression a mix of disbelief. He questioned Zhang Yang repeatedly. Only after receiving firm confirmation did he run back, ecstatic, to share the wonderful news with his new bride, Liu Chang. For them, this was utterly unexpected news, a true surprise.