"I'm not hungry!" Song Hao said absentmindedly.
"Never mind then, I'm not hungry. I'll have a good meal tomorrow after I wake up," Li Yan said with a smile.
“202 is your room, 204 is mine, goodnight!” Li Yan said as she walked to the door of her room.
"Oh! Good night!" Song Hao replied, opened the door, and entered the room.
Staring at Song Hao's figure, Li Yan stood there for a moment, lost in thought.
Song Hao entered the room, locked the door, and sat on the bed, deep in thought. Just now downstairs, Li Yan's casual remark had aroused his suspicion: "Why go to the hospital in the middle of the night? Two needles will solve it!" This indicated that Li Yan knew medicine and was proficient in acupuncture. He had tentatively asked her about it upstairs, and she had claimed to be studying economics and management—clearly a lie.
"This Li Yan must be from some medical sect!" Song Hao was startled when he realized this.
What a coincidence! To meet a woman on the street in the middle of the night who offers you a ride, and who is also a medical student—if she's not after that Heavenly Saint Acupuncture Bronze Man, what could she possibly be after?
"I really don't understand girls these days. They all seem so quiet and gentle, but they're all secretly scheming killers!" Song Hao shook his head and sighed.
It seems we can't go to Qingdao; we can't let the trouble reach Grandpa.
"Your situation is special right now, so don't trust anyone in the future!"
Song Hao recalled Tang Yu's parting words. The two hadn't spent much time together and hadn't exchanged many words, but now, thinking of Tang Yu, Song Hao felt a strange warmth welling up inside him, perhaps because it was the first time he had received care from a stranger.
"What should I do?" Song Hao was caught in a dilemma.
What if she misjudged the situation, and the other party meant well? Wouldn't she be wrongly blaming her? But this Li Yanruo really came for the Heavenly Saint Acupuncture Bronze Man, making her a dangerous person. Such cunning is beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.
Before the truth is revealed, it wouldn't be good to hastily refuse her or go back on one's word. What tricks could a young girl possibly pull? It seems we can't go back to Qingdao for now, so we'll go to Jinan. Once we're in Jinan, we can leave Li Yan behind and then take a train to Qingdao to find Grandpa. If Li Yan is a genuine traveler, things will be fine. If she has any ulterior motives, we can just get rid of her. A girl shouldn't be able to use any strong measures against herself.
Let's just pretend we don't know anything.
Thinking of this, Song Hao felt relieved, washed his face, and went to bed.
In another room, Li Yan was hiding in the bathroom, quietly making a phone call.
"Dad, the Feng Huo Tang's ambush on Tang Manor failed, but they scared Song Hao away. However, Song Hao is already in my hands. I deliberately let him hitch a ride with me on the way, posing as a traveler. Although the Tang family captured him first, they probably haven't been able to get any information about the bronze statue's whereabouts after all this time. So I want to use another method to get information out of him, without resorting to force. He's going to Qingdao this time, and the bronze statue might be hidden somewhere there. Don't worry, I won't fail this time. This Song Hao seems to be a very ordinary person, relatively easy to deal with. I want him to talk about it voluntarily and hand it over. I really can't understand why the Dou family of the Golden Needle Sect would entrust that treasure to this person for safekeeping."
It turns out that Li Yan was actually Luo Feiying using an alias.
"Yingying!" Luo Beiming's gloomy voice came from the phone. "In that case, proceed according to your plan. I will arrange for people to wait for you in Qingdao. They will help you retrieve the Tiansheng Acupuncture Bronze Man. Remember, don't disappoint me this time."
The next day, Song Hao was awakened from his sleep by a knock on the door.
"Song Hao, get up! It's almost noon, are you coming or not?" Luo Feiying's voice came from outside the door.
Song Hao glanced at his watch; it was past ten. He quickly stood up and responded.
"I'll wait for you at the Sihai Restaurant across the street. Let's go eat first," Luo Feiying said, then turned and left.
At a restaurant called Sihai Restaurant across from the hotel, Luo Feiying had already ordered a sumptuous meal.
Seeing Song Hao enter the restaurant, Luo Feiying waved and greeted him.
"What, are you inviting others too?" Song Hao asked, somewhat surprised to see the table full of food.
"Why invite anyone else! These dishes are for the two of us. Don't worry, you don't need to pay, it's on me. When we get to Qingdao, you'll have a good time with me for a few days, and you'll have to cover all the expenses!" Luo Feiying said with a smile.
"What a waste!" Song Hao muttered to himself. He then sat down and said, "By the way, Miss Li..."
"Just call me Li Yan, calling me 'Miss' sounds awkward," Luo Feiying interrupted Song Hao before he could finish speaking.
“Alright, Li Yan, there’s something I need to tell you. I’m not planning to go to Qingdao anymore. I’ll go to Jinan instead. Will you still take me there?” Song Hao said.
"Go to Jinan!" Luo Feiying was greatly surprised upon hearing this. Disappointment inevitably appeared in her eyes.
Song Hao had already noticed the instantaneous change in her expression and sighed inwardly, "As expected!" He already felt that this Li Yanguo was someone of great importance and not so simple.
"If it's inconvenient for you, I can go to the station and take the train," Song Hao said.
"It doesn't matter where I go, Jinan it is, it's shorter. I'll be your driver, you can use this car as you like, I don't have anything else to do anyway, I'm just here to have fun." Luo Feiying concealed her surprise and smiled to hide it. In her heart, however, she was puzzled. "Did I give myself away? Why did Song Hao change the location? Humph! Even if he suspects me, it doesn't matter, I'm definitely sticking to you. I won't give up until he reveals the whereabouts of the Holy Acupuncture Bronze Man from that day."
The Record of Strange Writings, Chapter 30: The Ice and Fire Divine Needle (1)
The human body itself contains the great medicine.
Those who say a disease is incurable have not yet found the right treatment.
—(The Inner Canon, Ling Shu)
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Song Hao's sudden suggestion to change the destination to Jinan surprised Luo Feiying. She changed her mind quickly, saying Jinan was acceptable. Seeing how persistent she was, and how increasingly clear her intentions were, Song Hao tacitly agreed. He reasoned that since the other party had set her sights on him, it wouldn't be easy to shake her off. Rather than letting her hide in the shadows and plot against him, it was better to let her be in the open, so that even if something changed, he could detect it. He could find an opportunity to escape after arriving in Jinan; it would only be a two-day journey at most. He needed to keep the other party in check first.
With each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts, the meal was rather uninteresting.
Seeing Song Hao's composed demeanor, seemingly without any suspicion towards her, but noticing a hint of a cold smile on his lips, giving him an unfathomable air, Luo Feiying was suddenly startled. "Is this kid playing dumb with me? Have I underestimated him?"
"We must succeed before reaching Jinan. We need to find other ways to delay things along the way. I refuse to believe that a duck that's already in our grasp can fly away again!" Luo Feiying sneered inwardly.
After finishing their meal, Luo Feiying paid the bill. Song Hao sat there casually, picking his teeth with a toothpick, and casually asked the waiter for two more expensive cans of drinks, saying he'd drink them on the way—clearly making fun of Luo Feiying. "You're willing to drive me around, and cover all the expenses for food and lodging? Trying to build a relationship, trying to get close? Fine, I'll accept it. Why not?" Originally, Song Hao had intended to treat her to the meal, but after seeing through her intentions, he accepted this "kindness" without a second thought.
Luo Feiying also sensed something was amiss. She swallowed her resentment and kept smiling, but in her heart she thought fiercely, "Don't be so smug. It won't be too late to deal with you after I get my hands on that bronze man."
"Hehe! Miss Li, I'm sorry to have troubled you again!"
Song Hao took the two expensive cans of drinks from the waiter and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"It's alright! Brother Song certainly knows how to find opportunities to enjoy life!" Luo Feiying said with a strange smile.