Ye Qiu checked his phone and saw an unfamiliar number. He quickly answered and said, "Hello, this is Ye Qiu."
"Hey, little brother, didn't you say you'd bring me something to eat? Why haven't you come back yet?" Lin Jingzhi's charming voice came through.
Ye Qiu suddenly remembered that Lin Jingzhi was still waiting for him in the hospital room.
Oh no!
This woman was unpredictable; if she got angry, things wouldn't end well for him.
"Sorry, Lin Jie. My mom just came to the hospital, so I had to take her home. I'm coming back to the hospital right away."
Ye Qiu told a lie.
"Alright, come back soon. I'm so bored here," Lin Jingzhi said.
"Okay, I'll be back soon." Ye Qiu hung up and said to the Dragon King, "Dragon King, there's still a patient waiting for me at the hospital. I need to get back immediately."
"Zhao Yun, take Xiao Ye back to the hospital."
"Yes!"
Zhao Yun immediately drove Ye Qiu back to the hospital.
On the way.
Zhao Yun asked, "Ye Qiu, be honest with me. Can Dragon King really live for another month?"
"You don't believe me?"
Zhao Yun replied, "It's not that I don't believe you; it's just that the idea of extending life seems too far-fetched, and you only gave a few injections with no visible miraculous effects."
"You're not Dragon King, so you can't sense the miraculous nature of the Reviving Nine Needles. Anyway, Dragon King will eat well and sleep soundly for the next month," Ye Qiu continued. "You should try to find someone skilled to remove the poison from his body; otherwise, no one will be able to save his life after a month."
"Got it. I'll arrange for someone to go to the desert to find a living Buddha."
The car was silent for a moment.
Ye Qiu suddenly remembered something and said, "Brother Zhao, I recall you mentioned in the car that Dragon King was the ruler of the underground world in Jiangzhou and used to be a Tiger List expert, right?"
"Yes."
"Earlier, Dragon King also mentioned that the leaders of Wudang Mountain and Longhu Mountain are currently in seclusion, aiming to challenge for the top spot on the Dragon List. Did I hear that right?"
"You heard correctly."
"I want to know, what are the Tiger List and Dragon List? They sound impressive."
"They are not just impressive; they are indeed so," Zhao Yun said. "Do you know the Forbes Rich List?"
"Yes, the people on that list are billionaires and trillionaires."
"Well, the Dragon List and Tiger List are similar ranking lists. The difference is that Forbes lists billionaires, while the Dragon List and Tiger List rank martial arts experts."
"Martial arts experts?"
Ye Qiu was curious—do martial artists have rankings too?
Zhao Yun said, "Let's start with the Tiger List!"
"The Tiger List is ranked every five years. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, martial artists gather at the Confucian Temple in Jinling for a contest. The top thirty make it onto the list."
"Before being poisoned, Dragon King was ranked twelfth on the Tiger List and was the only Tiger List expert from Jiangzhou."
"Since being poisoned, Dragon King's health has deteriorated day by day. Five years ago, during the Tiger List contest, he withdrew and didn't compete."
"So, he can only be said to have been a Tiger List expert."
"And the Dragon List?" Ye Qiu asked.
"The Dragon List…" Zhao Yun said with admiration, "Being on the Dragon List means you're a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, and your name gets carved into the stone walls of Mount Tai for future generations to admire."
"It's every martial artist's dream!"
"The Dragon List is updated every ten years. On the fifteenth day of August, martial experts from around the world gather at Mount Tai. Anyone aiming for the Dragon List can challenge any expert on the list."
"Of course, most challengers come from the Tiger List."
"There are occasionally some unknown but powerful challengers as well."
"However, the chance of success is very slim."
"Actually, the main highlight of each Dragon List update is the duels between Dragon List experts."
"Experts ranked lower on the list challenge those ranked higher."
Zhao Yun said, "In summary, every expert on the Dragon List is incredibly strong, like an unattainable peak, so powerful that it feels hopeless."
"What kind of people are on the Dragon List?"
Ye Qiu couldn't imagine the level of martial arts required to make it onto the Dragon List.
Zhao Yun answered, "In the last ranking, the Wudang Mountain leader and the Longhu Mountain leader were ranked second and third, respectively."
"Fourth was the abbot of the Tianlong Temple in Dali."
"Fifth was a woman from the Murong family in Suzhou."
"And the top spot?" Ye Qiu asked eagerly, "Who's first on the Dragon List?"
"The top spot is…" Zhao Yun seemed puzzled by the question.
Ye Qiu smiled, "I'm just curious."
Zhao Yun then said, "The top of the Dragon List is Xiao Jiu, the War God of the North. He commands a million troops, holds immense power, and has single-handedly defeated five thousand enemies. Because of this, he was awarded the title of Champion Marquis by the current emperor!"
"Ten years ago, at Mount Tai, the Wudang and Longhu Mountain leaders jointly challenged Xiao Jiu for the top spot on the Dragon List. They couldn't withstand even three of his moves. What's most terrifying is that Xiao Jiu is only thirty-five years old this year."
"What?"
Only thirty-five?
So, Xiao Jiu was only twenty-five when he contested the Dragon List.
Damn, that's ridiculously impressive!
Ye Qiu was stunned.
"This event deeply humiliated the Wudang and Longhu Mountain leaders, who have since entered seclusion, preparing to redeem themselves in the next Dragon List contest."
"However, in my opinion, their chances of success are very slim."
Zhao Yun added, "There are rumors in the martial world that Xiao Jiu's strength is approaching a god-like level, and he might even make it onto the God List."
"God List?"
Ye Qiu frowned. What's that?
"I know little about the God List. I only heard that it's ranked every thirty years and features the world's god-like experts. The specific location of the contest is unknown."
Zhao Yun laughed, "I haven't even made it onto the Tiger List, so the God List feels too distant for me."
"I wish I could become a God List expert someday," Ye Qiu said wistfully.
"You?" Zhao Yun glanced at him and laughed, "You should focus on studying medicine!"
"Don't you have any confidence in me?"
"Right now, you're just an ordinary person. Don't talk about the God List; even the Dragon List would be out of reach for you in thirty years."
"If one day I become a Dragon List expert, Brother Zhao, how about you take me on as your junior?" Ye Qiu joked.
"Sure."
Zhao Yun didn't hesitate at all.
In his view, Ye Qiu had no martial arts foundation at all. He'd never make it onto the Dragon List, let alone the Tiger List, in his lifetime.
"Next year, the Dragon List and Tiger List rankings will be updated again. I wonder if I can make it onto the Tiger List this time?"
As Zhao Yun pondered, they arrived at the hospital.
Zhao Yun gave his phone number to Ye Qiu and said, "Call me if anyone causes you trouble."
"Got it."
Ye Qiu got out of the car and headed straight for the special care ward.