Knowing that his grandson, Yan Liangfei, had to break through to the third level of Inner Strength before the age of thirty-five to avert his predetermined lifespan limit, the Yan family elder abandoned the idea of having Yan Liangfei focus solely on medical arts. However, she still requested that Zhang Yang not inform Yan Liangfei about this matter, lest it distract him, especially since both she and Tang Xiaolan were safe for now.

Zhang Yang readily agreed to this request. Initially, he had also worried that the news would affect Yan Liangfei, which was why, upon leaving Jinghe Hospital, he had specifically used sound transmission to tell Qu Meilan not to reveal the truth to Yan Liangfei.

Next, Zhang Yang escorted the Yan family elder and Tang Xiaolan back to the Beijiao County Hospital, while Elder Zhang Pinglu, along with Yan Yefei and Li Juan, had already recovered the Mercedes they had left at the foot of Yanming Mountain.

After seeing off the Yan family elder and Tang Xiaolan, Zhang Yang departed from Beijiao County. Yan Yefei and Li Juan were already waiting for him, having driven the Mercedes.

"Where is the Elder?"

Zhang Yang noticed only Yan Yefei and Li Juan in the car, with Elder Zhang Pinglu absent, and immediately inquired.

"The old man isn't accustomed to cars, so he traveled back to Changjing alone. He said he needs to help Huang Longshi deal with those Japanese tumors hidden in Huaxia."

Yan Yefei quickly explained. Zhang Yang nodded upon hearing this; the Elder disliked restraint, so returning to Changjing early was quite natural.

"Then let's head back. Once we return, you and Li Juan come to my place; I'll give you the Marrow Cleansing Pills and help you cultivate anew."

Hearing Zhang Yang's words, Yan Yefei and Li Juan were overcome with joy again, tears streaming down their faces. Having endured hardship, they now felt an indescribable sense of happiness.

Upon returning to the Changjing villa, Qu Meilan had been anxiously watching the gate. She had returned from the hospital and was visibly tense, still worried about Zhang Yang and Yan Yefei and Li Juan, who had gone to Yanming Mountain ahead of time.

When she saw Zhang Yang's Mercedes, her eyes lit up; she immediately opened the door and rushed out to meet them.

Inside the car, Zhang Yang, Yan Yefei, and Li Juan were all safe and sound, completely unharmed, which caused Qu Meilan to exhale a great sigh of relief.

"Young Master, was everything smooth? Is everyone safe?"

As soon as Zhang Yang parked the car, Qu Meilan eagerly asked from outside the window.

"Don't worry, everyone is safe. Moving forward, we won't need to fear retaliation from those Koreans or Japanese."

Knowing that Huang Longshi and the others would certainly be making significant moves next, Zhang Yang felt relieved that Changjing and Huaxia would enjoy a considerable period of peace, allowing him to stop dwelling on these matters.

In fact, just as Zhang Yang, Yan Yefei, and Li Juan returned home, Huang Longshi appeared at Zhang Yang's residence, his surgical gear supplemented by an additional folder.

"Brother Zhang, this is for you."

After appearing at Zhang Yang's home, Huang Longshi directly handed the folder to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang frowned as he looked at it, then asked, "What is this?"

"A special document from Guo'an (State Security). It was specifically approved by the higher-ups; it's your special identification."

Huang Longshi explained, then opened the folder. Inside was a square, business-card-sized thin card. This card bore Zhang Yang's photo and name. Below Zhang Yang's name was the serial number A04; otherwise, it was completely blank. The back of the card was imprinted with the logo and emblem of the National Security Bureau.

In addition to this card, there was a paper commendation certificate. The writing on the certificate was quite vague, mostly glossed over, not specifying why Zhang Yang was being commended, only ultimately stating that, as a result, he was specially granted the same special status within the Guo'an Bureau as Huang Longshi, bypassing normal procedures.

"Brother Zhang, with this form of identification, things will be much more convenient for you in the future. At the very least, ordinary police and local governments will have to cooperate with you unconditionally upon seeing this."

Huang Longshi briefly explained the utility of this status to Zhang Yang. This status was specially issued to Zhang Yang as a reward for eliminating the Great Perfection realm cultivator who had infiltrated Huaxia, approved through multiple high-level clearances. It was also a means to win Zhang Yang over. This is why the approval for this status was processed in less than an afternoon.

Knowing this was the nation's form of compensation, Zhang Yang accepted it without hesitation.

Seeing Zhang Yang take it, Huang Longshi immediately bid farewell and left. He had many matters to attend to concerning the foreign cultivators lurking in Huaxia, and his visit to Zhang Yang's home was solely to deliver this form of identification.

After Huang Longshi departed, Zhang Yang specifically instructed Qu Meilan, Yan Yefei, and Li Juan not to mention today's events to Yan Liangfei, instructing them to act as if nothing had happened.

As evening arrived, Yan Liangfei returned from work at Jinghe Hospital, completely oblivious to anything unusual. He was bursting with excitement upon arrival.

Seeing Yan Yefei and Li Juan present made him even more animated. He immediately gathered everyone together to recount the car accident at Jinghe Hospital that day, focusing heavily on how Zhang Yang, with his miraculous touch in the operating room, had pulled two severely injured drivers back from the brink of death.

"Do you know? That was a craniotomy! One of the drivers even suffered massive, spurting blood loss during the operation due to a ruptured cavernous sinus caused by bleeding from the middle meningeal artery and a skull fracture. It completely stunned all of us doctors! Everyone believed he was surely dead, but Master personally performed an end-to-end venous anastomosis, saving that driver's life! I always thought Master was invincible in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but I never expected your Western medicine skills to be so exquisite! A venous anastomosis—even internationally, that is a pinnacle procedure recorded in textbooks!"

Just as Yan Liangfei was excitedly detailing the surgery from earlier that day, Zhang Yang's phone rang; it was Guo Yong calling personally.

The surgery that morning had lasted over two hours, but Zhang Yang had rushed off as soon as he heard news concerning the Yan family elder, without even bidding farewell to Guo Yong.

"Zhang Yang, why did you leave today without even telling me? Do you know the sensation your surgery caused in Changjing? How could you perform such an exquisite, high-level operation with the outdated medical equipment at our Jinghe Hospital, yet disappear immediately afterward? I haven't been able to get through to your phone until now..."

Guo Yong's tone, while sounding accusatory, was saturated with praise for Zhang Yang.

The massive bleeding caused by the ruptured cavernous sinus—resulting from the middle meningeal artery bleed and skull fracture—was venous, yes, but a major vein rupture meant the bleeding wouldn't stop; the patient was essentially already dead. To halt the hemorrhage, one had to suture a vein only a millimeter thick; failure to do so would result in the patient's death during the operation.

Even at large hospitals equipped with precise and advanced medical technology, few had a high success rate for such a procedure. The success relied heavily on the lead surgeon's skill and mental fortitude. Under such circumstances, Zhang Yang's outstanding completion of the surgery, coupled with deliberate publicity from the hospital, naturally caused a sensation.

Zhang Yang shook his head helplessly. For him, the surgery itself was trivial. Before his rebirth, he was already famous for mastering both Chinese and Western medicine. In this instance, however, using TCM would have been less direct and effective than immediate surgery, so he chose the craniotomy. As for the sudden complication requiring precise venous suturing, it was child's play for the Great Perfection realm Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang didn't dwell on the immense honor this surgery would bring him. After agreeing to visit Jinghe Hospital tomorrow as Guo Yong requested, Guo Yong finally hung up, ceasing his barrage of calls.

...

Over the next few days, Zhang Yang helped Yan Yefei and Li Juan ingest the Marrow Cleansing Pills, completing the process of remolding their bodies. Afterward, he also gave them the Inheritance Pills he had prepared long ago.

After the reshaping, Yan Yefei and Li Juan immediately sensed the profound difference in their bodies; their physiques underwent earth-shattering changes.

Especially after taking the Inheritance Pills, a faint wisp of Inner Strength immediately gathered within them.

When Yan Yefei and Li Juan condensed that slight trace of Inner Strength within their bodies, the two adults, in their late thirties or early forties, openly wept, completely disregarding appearances.

Mi Xue, who had been staying close to Zhang Yang, witnessed this and could not comprehend why they were so agitated and thrilled.

Mi Xue was Zhang Yang's wife. Cultivating with Zhang Yang's assistance, she naturally hadn't suffered the hardships that Yan Yefei and Li Juan had. In fact, Mi Xue was the most relaxed person besides Zhang Yang; she only needed to dual-cultivate with him daily to cultivate effortlessly, achieving results far surpassing the efforts of many who cultivated bitterly. She herself was unaware of this fact.

Seeing Yan Yefei and Li Juan so ecstatic about being able to cultivate again, Mi Xue also became very dedicated to her own cultivation over these few days.

Mi Xue had unconsciously already reached the initial stage of the second level of Inner Strength. With this new effort, she was now showing signs of breaking through to the intermediate stage of the second level.

Her diligent cultivation meant that Zhang Yang enjoyed truly blissful days during this period—a joy that, naturally, could not be expressed to outsiders.

Seeing Mi Xue so committed, Zhang Yang was delighted. Furthermore, after their dual cultivation sessions, he secretly prepared various spiritual elixirs for her to take, used to stabilize her Inner Strength cultivation and help strengthen her physical body, allowing it to better adapt to its increasing power.

After one night of intense passion, Mi Xue finally had her wish fulfilled; her cultivation unknowingly broke through to the initial stage of the second level.