Chapter 102
Lu Hanzhi’s eyes immediately lit up. “How do I cure her? Which item should I use?”
The system replied, “The treasure chest may drop a rare blueprint for the Breaking Malefic Formation.”
Lu Hanzhi frowned and asked, “Is the treasure chest the only way?”
To him, the treasure chest was like Schrödinger’s box—there was no telling what he would get.
The system remained indifferent. “There is also a rare exchange section in the store, which does not offer discounts. The host may browse at his discretion.”
Lu Hanzhi eagerly opened the artifact exchange section and scrolled all the way down, finally finding the entrance to the rare exchange section at the bottom.
The moment he entered, a wave of overwhelming luxury washed over him.
Everything in the rare exchange section was wrapped in golden packaging, with only the labels beneath indicating their value.
At last, he spotted the name “Breaking Malefic Formation” among the list of rare items—but when he saw the required exchange points, he nearly coughed up blood.
He counted the zeros. It seemed utterly impossible for him to afford it in this lifetime.
He read the small print beneath the number: “This item is classified as a rare exchange item. No discounts apply. Free exchange vouchers cannot be used. It has a low probability of being obtained from treasure chests.”
After reading the fine print, Lu Hanzhi silently exited the rare items exchange section.
He figured he should just focus on completing his missions for now.
He focused on completing as many missions as possible, accumulating treasure chests. Next time, he planned to open ten at once—surely, he would eventually unlock the Breaking Malefic Formation.
After all, he had even obtained the rare forging blueprint for a crossbow. He firmly believed that the spell-breaking array would appear someday as well.
But when exactly would that “someday” be?
Would it take a thousand years? By then, his cousin would have already grown old—what meaning would the truth hold for her then?
Still, as the saying goes, as long as one’s intelligence doesn’t decline, solutions will always outnumber difficulties.
Wasn’t it just about completing missions?
After exiting the exchange shop, Lu Hanzhi returned to the mission panel.
It was rather remarkable—his business, Han Ji, had been operating for less than a year yet had already taken the capital by storm, even expanding to the surrounding four provinces.
Furthermore, many of the projects he managed were being widely imitated by the common people—what one might call “piracy.”
Though the quality of these imitations was far inferior to Han Ji, they had the advantage of being cheap.
Lu Hanzhi had no intention of cracking down on these copycats. After all, in this era, making a living was no easy feat.
The economic downturn in the Great Zhao was closely tied to the imperial monopoly on commerce, with the emperor controlling vast financial resources.
Allowing a flourishing market with diverse competitors was the best way to quickly improve the wealth of ordinary citizens.
Lu Hanzhi stepped in front of the mission panel and accepted a new mission.
A prompt immediately sounded: “Congratulations, Host. You have now unlocked the fourth phase of your missions. Please bind your development area. Completing this mission will reward you with one exchange point!”
It seemed the system was rather excited, probably because Lu Hanzhi hadn’t completed a mission in a while.
Lu Hanzhi greeted the system cheerfully, “Long time no see. Did you miss me? Your mission storylines are honestly way too complicated—so much so that I even ended up losing my virtue. Oh, by the way, do you happen to have any contraceptives? I feel like Doctor Lin’s contraceptive pills aren’t very reliable.”
The system dutifully responded, “The effectiveness of Doctor Lin’s contraceptive pills is approximately sixty percent. There is indeed a failure rate. The host may take the system’s emergency contraceptive pill within seventy-two hours for better results.”
Lu Hanzhi expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, that’s reassuring.”
As he chatted with the system, he bound the new development area.
Looking at the map, the new development area didn’t reveal much information. Lu Hanzhi asked, “What exactly am I developing this time?”
The system replied, “As always, the host must visit the bound area in person to find out.”
Lu Hanzhi knew the system wouldn’t make things easy for him.
But it was already too late tonight—he would have to check it out tomorrow.
The area he was developing was located near the estate in the southern suburbs.
Lu Hanzhi decided to take a carriage there first thing in the morning.
At that moment, Yuwen Min walked in from outside, carrying Ah Chan in his arms. “Doctor Lin came to perform acupuncture on Ah Shu. He recently studied a new acupuncture technique in a medical text and wants to test its effectiveness.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded and asked, “There won’t be any side effects, will there?”
“Side effects?” Yuwen Min echoed.
Lu Hanzhi thought for a moment before explaining, “Uh… I mean, unintended consequences.”
Yuwen Min shook his head. “Doctor Lin never attempts anything he isn’t confident about. At worst, it won’t be effective, but it won’t cause harm.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded and took Ah Chan from him.
Meanwhile, Ah Chan, with tiny hands clutching the table, was eagerly reaching for a pastry.
Lu Hanzhi handed him a piece, then suggested, “Shall we go take a look?”
Yuwen Min hesitated, looking a little awkward. “It’s… not very appropriate.”
Lu Hanzhi looked puzzled. “Why not?”
Yuwen Min explained, “The acupuncture is being performed on Ah Shu’s back, so she needs to…”
Lu Hanzhi immediately understood. “Ah, then we won’t go.”
But then something didn’t sit right with him. “Wait a minute! Doctor Lin is a man, and Ah Shu is an unmarried young lady!”
Yuwen Min sighed. “The maids are assisting to ensure proper decorum.”
Lu Hanzhi still wasn’t reassured. “No, I have to go see for myself.”
Yuwen Min had no choice but to follow with Ah Chan in tow. However, as soon as they stepped into Suxin Zhai, they were met with utter chaos.
Doctor Lin’s voice rang out from inside: “Young Lady Ah Shu, please calm down! Could you put your clothes back on first? You’ll catch a cold like this—quick, someone restrain her!”
Lu Hanzhi immediately rushed inside, but Yuwen Min stopped at the entrance.
He knew that as a Xiao Langjun, Lu Hanzhi could go in without issue, and as a doctor, Doctor Lin also had a legitimate reason to be inside.
But as another man, Yuwen Min felt it was inappropriate for him to enter.
Lu Hanzhi pushed open the door and was greeted by a scene of complete disarray.
Ah Shu was wearing only a small undershirt, with a skirt covering her lower half, leaving her entire back exposed.
The maids were trying to drape clothing over her, but she was struggling fiercely, refusing to cooperate.
Shattered cups and plates littered the floor, yet no one had managed to subdue her.
Lu Hanzhi had expected this—there was no way Ah Shu would obediently allow herself to be pricked with needles.
She probably didn’t understand that the acupuncture was meant to help her. All she knew was that it hurt, and she was likely terrified.
Watching her resistance to pain, Lu Hanzhi murmured, “Could this be… PTSD?”
Ah Shu had suffered countless injuries and endured immense torment in the past. It was no surprise that she feared pain.
Doctor Lin sighed in exasperation. He had no choice but to pull out his anesthetic needle, swiftly stepping forward and catching Ah Shu as she tried to climb up a pillar. With a precise motion, he inserted the needle into her neck.
Instantly, Ah Shu collapsed into Doctor Lin’s arms like a rag doll.
With a grave expression, Doctor Lin carried her back to the bed. The maids quickly drew a curtain around her, leaving only her delicate back exposed for the acupuncture treatment.
Lu Hanzhi’s lips twitched slightly. Clearing his throat, he stepped forward and asked, “Um… we’ve known each other for so long, but I never actually caught your full name, Doctor Lin.”
Still recovering from the commotion, Doctor Lin responded in a calm voice, “Lin Chongyun.”
Lu Hanzhi couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. “That’s… a great name. Ahem…”
Lu Hanzhi wanted to speak but hesitated, yet Doctor Lin saw right through his thoughts and said, “Brother Lu, if you have something to ask, just ask. No need to beat around the bush.”
Lu Hanzhi let out an awkward chuckle and said, “Alright, alright. Well… I just wanted to ask—Doctor Lin, are you married?”
Doctor Lin’s hand, holding the acupuncture needle, paused for a moment before he replied, “No. Brother Lu, why don’t you wait outside?”
Lu Hanzhi gave an embarrassed laugh and said, “Alright, alright… uh, actually, my cousin is eighteen. Although she has been plagued by illness, if she recovers, she will surely be a fine young lady. Doctor Lin… would you consider it?”
Before Lu Hanzhi could finish his sentence, Doctor Lin grabbed him and threw him out.
Outside, Yuwen Min and Ah Chan frowned in unison as they watched Lu Hanzhi get tossed out. They both spoke at the same time.
Yuwen Min: “What happened to you?”
Ah Chan: “Father?”
Lu Hanzhi rubbed his nose, cleared his throat, and said, “Nothing, nothing. Doctor Lin has quite a temper, huh?”
Yuwen Min glanced at him and said, “I told you not to bother him.”
Lu Hanzhi smoothed out his messy hair and replied, “I know Doctor Lin is both virtuous and talented. I just came to take a look, that’s all.”
With that, Lu Hanzhi picked up Ah Chan, looked up at the sky, and said, “Time for bed, time for bed! I must have been worrying about things that don’t concern me.”
Who would ever take a liking to Ah Shu, that silly girl?
Not only was she foolish, but also ugly. Even if she recovered, who knew if there would be any lasting side effects?
For someone like Doctor Lin, a renowned physician, that would be completely unfair.
After all, he was the disciple of the legendary doctor Luo Hanyi, with a boundless future ahead of him.
Behind him, Yuwen Min asked, “Are you still having dinner?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “No!” He had completely lost his appetite.
Ah Chan, however, shook his chubby little hands and shouted at his father, “Father!! Eat!!!”
Lu Hanzhi: …
Eat, eat, eat! That’s all you know how to do!
He stopped in his tracks, handed Ah Chan to Yuwen Min, and returned to Hanyu Pavilion.
He was truly exhausted. These past few days, he had been running around non-stop while also setting up Su Wan’ning.
By now, Su Wan’ning was probably so angry she had passed out.
Thinking about it made Lu Hanzhi happy.
Carrying that happiness, he drifted off to sleep.
And had an incredibly sweet dream—he dreamt of pressing Su Wan’ning to the ground and rubbing her face into the dirt.
He pulled her hair, scratched her face, and even dreamt of shattering the illusion of her so-called breathtaking beauty.
Underneath that illusion, Su Wan’ning’s true face was hideous and ghastly, like a vengeful ghost, while Ah Shu, once restored, was as beautiful as a celestial maiden.
Doctor Lin had once refused Ah Shu’s hand in marriage, only to regret it bitterly, to the point that he wished he could turn back time.
When he woke up, he felt groggy and dizzy—damn, that dream had been exhausting.
The sun was high in the sky, and Lu Hanzhi suddenly realized that Ah Chan hadn’t returned to Hanyu Pavilion last night.
Just as he was wondering about it, Luan Feng walked in, carrying Ah Chan, her face beaming with joy as she said, “Young Master, Little Prince slept in His Highness’ chambers last night. His Highness was incredibly patient—he put the little prince to sleep before resting himself. Afraid that he might crush him, he even slept on the very edge of the bed. Young Master, His Highness truly cares about you and the little prince.”
Hearing this, Lu Hanzhi didn’t feel comforted. Instead, an overwhelming sense of guilt washed over him.
Ah Chan was his child to begin with. Should he tell him?
He felt that he should. Keeping it a secret forever wasn’t a solution.
But once he revealed the truth, their connection would be nearly impossible to sever.
If one day he left, how would he face a Yuwen Min who no longer saw him as a stranger?
The corners of his lips curled up slightly as he asked, “Is that so? Where is His Highness? I have something to tell him.”
Author’s Note:
Lu Hanzhi: There’s something I don’t know if I should say or not.
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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