Qi Heng barely managed to call out before the vehicle carrying Zhang Yang and the others vanished, leaving even Huang Jing behind.

Long Cheng, Huang Hai, and Su Zhantao stared, their eyes wide open once more.

"I've never seen him so frantic. Has something happened?"

Even Su Zhantao showed a flicker of anxiety. He had known Zhang Yang the longest and considered himself deeply acquainted with him.

Despite being the youngest among them, in terms of composure and stability, Zhang Yang ranked first; even the steady and quiet Huang Hai couldn't compare. All this time, Zhang Yang possessed a maturity far beyond his years. But this time, Zhang Yang had clearly lost his composure, rushing off without even offering an explanation, much less considering the substantial mess left behind to be handled.

"No, I have to go look!"

Wang Chen suddenly exclaimed, then glanced towards Qi Heng beside him, whispering, "Young Master Qi, I'm truly sorry, but I must follow. I hope nothing serious has occurred!"

Saying this, Wang Chen bolted toward his own vehicle.

"It's good that you go. Contact us immediately if anything happens!"

Qi Heng rushed after him, quickly adding the sentence. Zhang Yang's hasty departure left every one of them thoroughly perplexed, each person desperate to know what was going on.

"Qi Heng, I think we should all just head back. We can visit Hancheng another day. We are too worried about Zhang Yang looking like this!"

Long Cheng and Huang Hai exchanged a few quiet words and approached Qi Heng to bid farewell. Long Cheng knew Zhang Yang's true capabilities best; Zhang Yang was a top-tier expert at the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength—it was no exaggeration to say he belonged to the select few standing at the pinnacle of this world. In an era without Fifth Layer experts, they were the most powerful. A single phone call had caused Zhang Yang to lose his composure and leave in such a hurry. Long Cheng's heart felt a distinct unease, urging him to follow and see what exactly had transpired.

His sentiment was echoed by Su Zhantao and Li Ya.

The group insisted on returning. After all, Hancheng wasn't that far from Changjing; it was a few hours' drive entirely on the expressways.

Since everyone intended to leave, Qi Heng couldn't reasonably insist they stay. In the end, he saw everyone off. Even Huang Jing departed temporarily. With Zhang Yang gone, she wasn't particularly close to the others, and she was as bewildered by Zhang Yang's sudden departure as they were, keen to report back to her family quickly. She harbored a considerable worry herself.

Huang Jing was already quite clear on Zhang Yang's strength. Whatever could frighten someone like him to this extent was something she dared not contemplate. For her own sake, and for the Huang family’s, she needed to return and report swiftly. In her mind, Huang Jing had already categorized Zhang Yang's hurried exit as an affair among Inner Strength masters—only powerful Inner Strength experts could provoke such a reaction from him; she dismissed other possibilities.

After seeing everyone off, Qi Heng and his companions could only manage faint, wry smiles. Others could leave, but they could not; Qi Heng still had to deal with Xu Lang's mess.

The most inexplicable figure was the incontinent Xu Lang. Seeing Zhang Yang and many others depart, this fellow must have had some sort of mental break, screaming at Qi Heng to release him. The man kept issuing threats about the regrets Qi Heng would face if he wasn't freed. Qi Heng, already in a foul mood, finally resorted to giving the man a thorough beating before he quieted down. Xu Lang was nothing more than a bully who only respected strength. After receiving a sound thrashing from Qi Heng, he immediately became fearful and dared not utter any more bravado.

In the city district, Zhang Yang had driven fast, but once they hit the highway, he immediately accelerated past one hundred and eighty kilometers per hour, speeding toward Changjing.

Long Feng watched him with concern from the side. Even Zhui Feng and Shan Dian knew Zhang Yang was in a bad mood and remained silent.

"Zhang Yang, what happened?" Long Feng turned back and asked very quietly. He hadn't paid attention when Zhang Yang took the call and had no idea what it was about. Moreover, he never spied on Zhang Yang’s calls, nor would he even if he could overhear them—it was a matter of respect.

"He... he passed out!" Zhang Yang said softly, his brow deeply furrowed as he gripped the steering wheel.

Long Feng looked stunned and couldn't help but ask again, "He, who?"

"Zhang Keqin!"

Zhang Yang softly uttered the three words. Long Feng's eyes widened again; he finally understood why Zhang Yang was rushing back so desperately. Zhang Yang and Zhang Keqin hadn't seen eye-to-eye before, but that was in the past. After the misunderstanding cleared, their relationship hadn't fully reverted to that of a normal father and son, but it had significantly eased. Yet, a father and son are still father and son; that bond of blood was incomparable.

The call had come from Mi Xue. Her voice, too, had been frantic. Zhang Yang had asked Mi Xue to go back and deliver medicine, which was why she had temporarily returned. Mi Xue had been visiting Zhang Keqin daily these past few days. However, just now, Mi Xue had received a call from Zhang Keqin's secretary, Zhao Min: the leader had suddenly collapsed. A panicked Mi Xue immediately headed for the hospital, not forgetting to notify Zhang Yang on the way. No matter the reason for Zhang Keqin’s collapse, Zhang Yang was to be summoned first. In Mi Xue’s eyes, Zhang Yang was not only Zhang Keqin's son but also a divine physician—an omnipotent miracle worker.

Long Feng turned back, speaking no further. He could understand the need for speed now, no matter how fast. Mi Xue was focused only on treatment, but he thought of more. Others knew only a fraction of it, but Long Feng knew clearly that Zhang Yang had given Zhang Keqin many excellent things, including that Monkey Wine and the precious pills he had formulated. Those pills were easy for Zhang Yang to make but were priceless treasures when offered outside. Under the conditioning of these pills and the Monkey Wine, Zhang Keqin's body, if not robust as an ox, should have been exceptionally healthy, perhaps even immune to all ailments.

A sudden collapse under these conditions was certainly not a good sign. It was akin to a highly accomplished Inner Strength master suddenly fainting—it could only mean either qi deviation or a critical internal injury; otherwise, such a thing should never happen. Their bodies were no longer susceptible to common illnesses. In fact, this was precisely what worried Zhang Yang.

Long Feng knew only the lesser part; Zhang Yang knew the most. He had administered not only the Monkey Wine but also finished medicines containing trace amounts of spirit herbs, which he had slipped into Zhang Keqin's food over time. Zhang Yang had no father in his past life, and the situation in this life had been dreadful before the reconciliation. After clearing the misunderstanding and mending the relationship, he deeply cherished the father-son bond. If not for something major, Zhang Keqin would have been his first thought. Now, with Zhang Keqin suddenly unconscious, Zhang Yang worried more profoundly than anyone else.

The car sped on, Zhang Yang having pushed the speed past two hundred. If the vicinity hadn't been so populated, he would have considered getting out and returning with Zhui Feng, whose speed far surpassed the car's.

On the highway, Zhang Yang’s Hummer overtook numerous cars. Some of the overtaken vehicles tried to keep up for a short while, but Zhang Yang’s car quickly disappeared ahead of them, leaving them only to curse their steering wheels in jealous frustration. Their cars simply couldn't match his speed.

After these drivers slowed down, they all jolted again. More cars were rapidly overtaking them, and this time, it wasn't just one; they were all luxury vehicles. They no longer entertained the thought of pursuit. They internally speculated which wealthy heirs dared to weave through traffic on the highway at such speeds, already assuming they were weaving recklessly.

The high-speed vehicles behind were naturally Wang Chen and the others. They had followed all the way, constantly discussing what could have happened to Zhang Yang. Fortunately, their driving skills were good, and the highway wasn't as congested as it would be later. They managed to drive steadily all the way to Changjing. From Hancheng to Changjing, driving at full speed on the expressway, they took less than two hours—more than double their usual time.

At the Provincial People's Hospital, before the car had even fully stopped, Zhang Yang leaped out and strode quickly inside. Long Feng followed, leading Zhui Feng and the others after him. Zhui Feng was behaving exceptionally well now; they could sense the anxiety churning within Zhang Yang.

Outside the Emergency Building, a beautiful girl stood looking anxious, pacing back and forth constantly. As she paced, she seemed to sense something, lifting her head immediately, revealing a flash of relief.

"Zhang Yang, you're back!"

The girl was Mi Xue, and Zhang Yang had just reached her side. Zhang Yang nodded once. "Where is he? How is he?"

Zhang Yang wasted no words. He had contemplated much on the drive over. Zhang Keqin, let alone collapsing, wouldn't even catch a cold standing in the winter rain; at most, he’d feel unwell. For him to be unconscious now definitely implied another cause. As for what that cause was, Zhang Yang needed to see the patient to know.

Mi Xue led Zhang Yang inside while explaining, "Uncle Zhang is still unconscious, in the intensive care unit. The hospital director and the experts here have been examining him, but they still haven't figured out what illness he has. They are currently in a meeting discussing it. Only Professor Li from the Provincial Hospital suspects that Uncle Zhang might be suffering from poisoning, and mentioned that the Provincial Hospital certainly cannot treat this condition. He strongly advised we transfer him immediately to Beijing; it might be too late if we delay!"

She paused here, looking up at Zhang Yang before slowly continuing, "Neither Uncle Zhao nor I agreed. We insisted on waiting for you to return. The director didn't dare make a unilateral decision either; everyone is just waiting now!"

"Poisoning?"

Zhang Yang frowned slightly. He hadn't dismissed the possibility of poisoning. Zhang Keqin's body had been regulated so well by him that ordinary viruses had no effect; only potent toxins could yield this result. However, a toxin capable of causing this level of effect couldn't be ordinary. Given Zhang Keqin’s current physique, even accidentally ingesting arsenic wouldn't cause significant harm. What poison could render him unconscious for this long?

First update. I will continue with extra updates tonight. The next chapter update is expected around 10:30 PM. RQ