Late August.
In the luxurious banquet hall, flowers adorned everything.
Melodious music floated gently through the air as men and women in lavish attire sported their most appropriate smiles, holding crystal champagne flutes and discussing the grand engagement party.
Ruan Qi hid in a corner, her gaze occasionally sweeping toward Xu Xiangyang not far away.
"Mr. Xu, do you have any way to treat my father's illness? He has been suffering from insomnia for half a month now, and I have consulted many experts, but none could cure him," a middle-aged man with a troubled face pleaded earnestly to the young man before him.
Xu Xiangyang curved his lips into a smile and said to the man, "Old Master Qin's illness is indeed a bit tricky, but it's not incurable. Director Wang, I'd like to introduce someone to you. She is an expert in this field."
Director Wang quickly said, "Please, tell me."
Xu Xiangyang turned his head, glanced at Ruan Qi not far away, and said, "I have a junior sister who arrived in the Imperial Capital not long ago. Her medical skills are very profound, she can certainly cure the old master's illness."
"This..." Director Wang looked troubled.
The reason he approached Xu Xiangyang was that his reputation was big and he was capable. But his junior sister...
"Mr. Xu, if I may ask, how old is your junior sister?"
"Nineteen," Xu Xiangyang replied with a smile, pointing her out, "That one over there."
Director Wang followed his gaze and upon seeing Ruan Qi, his eyes lit up with astonishment.
This young lady was truly beautiful.
Her slightly upturned peach blossom eyes carried a hint of enchantment, the teardrop mole at the corner of her eyes adding a touch of mystery. Her tender red lips curved into a smile, and her palm-sized face was exquisitely delicate.
Such features would usually imply sensuality, but the girl's eyes were so clear and pure, mixing innocence with allure, making it hard for anyone to look away.
Director Wang would normally have taken his time to appreciate such a beauty.
But now... she was too young. Nineteen years old, she probably couldn't even tell the difference between cold medicine and fever reducers, let alone cure diseases.
Director Wang withdrew his gaze, disappointed, and smiled awkwardly at Xu Xiangyang, "Mr. Xu, I believe in your junior sister's medical skills. However, Father Qin is a stubborn man, he is only convinced by you. He said if it's not you, he won't get treated. So, you see..."
Before he finished speaking, a scream tore through the air, disrupting the entire banquet hall.
"Ah— Murder—!"
On the stage of the banquet hall, a middle-aged man was choking the bride-to-be while holding a knife in his other hand.
When he saw the groom-to-be and others rushing forward, he quickly pressed the knife against the bride-to-be's throat.
"Nobody move! Or I'll kill her!"
"I'm not moving, don't be rash," the groom-to-be dared not move any closer, his eyes nervously fixed on the man, fearful that he would harm his fiancée, "What do you want? Just say it, I'll give you anything."
The man held the bride-to-be's neck tightly and bellowed fiercely, "Qin Guozhi made me lose everything, I'll drag his daughter to hell with me—!"
Amidst the screams of the crowd, he raised the sharp knife and thrust it toward the bride-to-be's chest.
The scene was in utter chaos.
The groom-to-be rushed toward the stage like a madman.
But it was too slow!
The knife in the man's hand was moments away from the bride-to-be's chest.
Suddenly, a flash of silver streaked by.
The man holding the knife let out a painful scream.
"Aaah—!!!!"
The knife that had been in his right hand was now inexplicably embedded in his own left arm!
Blood spurted everywhere, staining the bride-to-be's snowy white dress with splashes of red.
The bride-to-be was terrified, standing still, motionless.
At that moment, a fragrant breeze passed by.
A figure dashed past the crowd at an incredibly fast speed and appeared on the stage in the blink of an eye.
Long legs arched through the air, the tips of shoes studded with broken diamonds struck like lightning, kicking the man squarely on the shoulder.
What seemed like a casual kick was filled with tremendous force.
The towering middle-aged man was sent flying by this single blow. Startled, the bride-to-be was dragged by his force and began to fall backward.
The stage was quite high, and the two had already reached the edge during the scuffle. If the bride-to-be fell, she would not die, but she would definitely suffer fractures.
The audience let out an urgent cry of alarm.
By this time, the bride-to-be also realized what was happening and turned pale with fright. She tightly closed her eyes, resignedly waiting for the impending disaster.
Suddenly, a soft hand grasped her wrist.
A strong force pulled her up from mid-air. The bride-to-be felt her waist being encircled by someone, then a tug upward, and she was back on the stage.
"Xiao Di!"
The groom-to-be stumbled over in a tumble.
The bride-to-be, Qin Qingdi, opened her eyes in a daze, as if she were in a dream.
She didn't die?
She didn't suffer any fractures?
She didn't become disabled from a fall?
Qin Qingdi looked bewildered, gazing intently at Ruan Qi who had saved her.
"You..."
Before Qin Qingdi could speak, she was pulled into an embrace by someone wailing and howling.
"My baby, you scared me to death!" the groom-to-be sobbed with snot and tears, "What would I have done if something happened to you!"
Qin Qingdi gasped for air, finding it difficult to breathe; she turned her head with effort, offering Ruan Qi an apologetic glance.
Ruan Qi smiled nonchalantly and stood up.
The man she had kicked away was now subdued by the hotel's security, and Qin Qingdi's father was on the phone, reporting to the police.
Seeing there was nothing more for her to do, Ruan Qi dusted herself off, preparing to leave the scene.
At that moment, a commotion arose among the crowd.
"Old Master!"
"Old Master, what's wrong?"
"Someone come quick! Old Master Qin has fainted!"
The faces of the Qin family members instantly turned pale.
Old Master Qin had always had a weak heart; he had just undergone major surgery earlier in the year and narrowly escaped death. The doctors had repeatedly warned him against getting startled or angry. Yet the kidnapping of Qin Qingdi had terrified the doting grandfather to the point of illness.
"A doctor! Where's Lu Xing? Call him over quickly!"
The Qin family's personal doctor, Lu Xing, hurried over in a rush.
He checked Old Master Qin's eyelids, his expression growing extremely grave.
"Old Master Qin is in critical condition! We don't have enough equipment here, send him to the hospital quickly, perhaps... we can still see him one last time."
Lu Xing's words, like a death sentence, sent the Qin family into a state of panic.
Qin Qingdi stumbled off the stage, holding Old Master Qin's hand, tears streaming down her face.
"He can still be saved. Why are you crying?" A gentle, youthful voice cut through the anxious clamor, reaching Qin Qingdi's ears.
Qin Qingdi looked up and saw the young girl who had just rescued her.
"What do you mean by that?" Qin Qingdi asked hoarsely.
Ruan Qi did not reply. She extended her hand to check Old Master Qin's pulse, then seemingly out of nowhere, pulled out a silver needle.
Lu Xing, who had been speaking with the Qin family, turned his head just in time to witness this scene.
He was startled and lunged forward in a single leap, grabbing Ruan Qi's hand.
"What are you doing!" he shouted sternly.
At Lu Xing's outburst, everyone's attention was drawn over. On seeing the silver needle in Ruan Qi's hand, the Qin family members' faces underwent a dramatic change.
"Young lady, you... you..." Qin Qingdi's father, considering that Ruan Qi had saved his daughter's life, deliberately softened his tone, "Young lady, this is not a place for you to fool around. You..."
"I'm not playing around," Ruan Qi interrupted him, "I'm treating a patient. He can still be saved."
Father Qin was at a loss for words and looked at Lu Xing for an explanation.
Lu Xing said with a cold face, "I've been a doctor for over twenty years; I may not claim to have the best medical skills, but I don't mistake the living for the dead. No one knows Old Master Qin's condition better than I do. He has already had one major surgery and absolutely cannot withstand a second shock. With his current condition, it's impossible to save him."
As Lu Xing said, although his medical skills might not be the very best, he was quite renowned in China. Otherwise, the Qin family wouldn't have engaged him at great expense as their personal doctor.
If Lu Xing was certain of this diagnosis, then this young girl...
Everyone looked at Ruan Qi with skepticism.
Ruan Qi remained unfazed; she pinched the silver needle in her hand and made a statement that almost made Lu Xing's blood boil.
"Just because you can't save him doesn't mean I can't either."
With that, she pushed Lu Xing's hand aside.
"Step aside, I need to save someone."
A silver needle, thin and long, pierced into Old Master Qin's flesh. The speed was so fast, it was nothing more than a blur to the onlookers.
Father Qin quickly came to his senses and rushed over to stop Ruan Qi.
"Family Head Qin, please wait a moment."
A pleasant male voice emerged from outside the crowd.
Xu Xiangyang pushed through the people blocking him and walked briskly inside. He first glanced at Ruan Qi, bending over to administer the needle, ensuring she wasn't injured, before turning to Father Qin with a polite smile.
Father Qin recognized Xu Xiangyang.
This Mr. Xu came from a medical family. Not only were his father, grandfather, and grandmother well-known medical experts, but it was also said that his ancestors served as imperial physicians in the palace.
Moreover, Xu Xiangyang himself was a very famous medical expert. Although only thirty years old, he had surpassed his parents in accomplishments.
Seeing Xu Xiangyang, hope ignited in Father Qin's eyes; his first thought was—maybe he could save Old Master Qin!
"Doctor Xu, can you... can you please save my father?"
There were reports from Imperial Capital saying that Xu Xiangyang trained under a very mysterious and highly skilled medical master.
Father Qin looked at Xu Xiangyang expectantly.
Xu Xiangyang slowly shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't save him."
Father Qin felt his heart plummet from a great height, shattering to pieces.
"But my junior sister can," Xu Xiangyang said then.
Father Qin's emotions, so inflated just a moment ago, became suspended in uncertainty as he urgently asked, "May I ask who your junior sister is..."
"She's right there," Xu Xiangyang said, nodding toward Ruan Qi. "She is my junior sister, Ruan Qi."
Father Qin was still struggling to process the information.
How had that young girl suddenly become Xu Xiangyang's junior sister?
"Doctor Xu, this... she..."
"Family Head Qin, please be assured," Xu Xiangyang smiled politely, "If my junior sister says she can save him, she will definitely save him."