"Say that again?" Ryan Ling's patience had its limits—this nasty old hag was seriously asking for it.
"What, you wanna hit me too?" The middle-aged matron sneered, totally unfazed by Ryan and staring back with pure contempt and provocation.
"Easy, bro, don't get worked up. I get that you're desperate, but there's gotta be an order—let me treat the Huo young master first, then I'll see your friend, okay?" Simon Sun quickly stepped between them, clearly hoping Ryan wouldn't lose his cool.
Ryan forced down his anger and gave a heavy nod.
This was Simon Sun's turf—of course Ryan had to respect that.
But just as Ryan nodded, the matron started shrieking again, this time locking her gaze on Simon Sun.
"Simon Sun, are you deaf too? I told them to get lost, did you hear me? My Huo young master needs treatment—there's no time for these lowlifes! Kick them out and hurry up with my young master's exam. Move it!"
Everyone present turned green at her words.
Seriously, this old woman was way out of line. In her eyes, the Huo young master was some kind of treasure, and Warren Yuan wasn't even worth dirt.
Even Simon Sun, usually so mild, was looking furious now. He clenched his fists and suddenly shouted, "Lady Four Huo, I've put up with you long enough! You need to remember whose place this is—this is the Sun family, not your Hong Kong Huo Clan. I've already agreed to treat your young master first. What else do you want? Are you saying only your clan counts as people, and everyone else here doesn't? You're seriously pushing it!"
Simon Sun’s words hit Ryan Ling like a thunderbolt. Obviously, he’d just voiced what everyone was secretly thinking—and he was totally in the right.
But before his words had even faded, Lady Four Huo shot him a cold sneer: “Oh, look at you, Simon Sun! Feeling gutsy today, huh? Finally acting like a man? Is this the first time you’ve talked to me like this? Not interested in Ice Crystals anymore? If you don’t want them, I’ll just take them back—there are plenty of rich folks overseas dying for them. Let’s go!”
Lady Four Huo turned as if to leave, and Simon’s face instantly fell. It was clear these ‘Ice Crystals’ meant everything to him, and he was being blackmailed precisely because of them.
“Cindy, what exactly are these Ice Crystals? Why’s your dad so desperate for them?” Ryan Ling wondered. He knew if he wanted Warren Yuan’s surgery to go smoothly, he’d have to get to the bottom of all this.
Cindy couldn’t hold back anymore and quickly jumped in to explain. Only after her rushed explanation did everyone finally understand the real story.
Turns out, it all started with Simon’s wife, Rose Zhan. She grew up with him, and they were the model couple. After Cindy was born, their family was the picture of happiness.
But a few years ago, Rose suddenly fell ill and passed away. Simon was shattered. He locked himself in his house, living beside Rose’s corpse, barely even caring about Cindy.
More than a month passed before Simon finally emerged, laughing hysterically. But the Sun family’s herbalists were stunned—after all that time, Rose’s body hadn’t decayed at all. She looked perfectly lifelike, as if she were just sleeping.
Later, people realized it wasn’t some miracle. Simon had used Ice Crystals to preserve her. These rare, super-cold stones are the ultimate anti-rot agent for corpses—their chill even keeps bodies hydrated and fresh, making the dead look like they’re just napping.
But Ice Crystals are insanely rare and melt super fast, so you need a steady supply to keep a body preserved.
Simon was so obsessed with his wife that he dropped everything to hunt for Ice Crystals. He finally found them through the Hong Kong Huo Clan. Their business is huge—they regularly import Ice Crystals from Antarctica, and no other family or sect can pull that off.
So Simon begged the Huo Clan for help. They saw his medical skills and agreed to supply him, but from then on, he was basically half their slave.
That’s why he hardly ever meets outsiders—he’s always busy working for the Huo Clan, sometimes even ignoring his own daughter’s problems.
Clearly, Ice Crystals are everything to him!
If they couldn’t solve the Ice Crystal problem, Simon would have no choice but to keep bowing to the Huo Clan.
Just then, my System chimed in: “Based on my analysis, Rose Zhan isn’t truly dead—she’s in a state of false death!”
“What? False death? She’s been dead for years, System!” I shivered at that.
“By ‘false death,’ I mean I sense a trace of soul energy in her, and her body’s so perfectly preserved that she might actually come back!” The System’s words were hard to believe. Honestly, I’d been focused on solving Simon’s Ice Crystal problem—never even considered this possibility.
“If she could really come back, that’d be amazing! Is there a way?” My heart pounded. Simon’s love for his wife was legendary—if I could save her, he’d owe me big time. Heck, he’d probably do anything for me, even climb a mountain of knives.
“There’s definitely a way. Don’t forget, you’re a Seventh-Grade Spirit Officer and a ghost general now. Your status is different. Just use Rose Zhan’s birth data to descend into the Netherworld and bring her soul back to the living!” The System continued.
“Go... go to hell?” I nearly jumped out of my skin—never even thought about that.
“You’re a Spirit Officer—it’s totally normal for you to visit the Netherworld. Once your rank goes up, you’ll be making trips all the time. Plus, Rose Zhan’s soul won’t be deep in hell; her lifespan wasn’t up, and she’s got unfinished business. Her soul should be lingering on the border of the Netherworld!” The System finished just as Simon Sun finally broke down, begging.
“Lady Four, wait! Lady Four, let’s talk—don’t go!” Simon Sun pleaded, panic in his voice.
“Heh, what a cheap-boned loser. Still want Ice Crystals?” Lady Four Huo had never planned to leave. She just eyed Simon with a mocking sneer.
“I do, Lady Four. Sorry, my tone was a bit harsh...”
“Kneel and beg!” Lady Four Huo roared like a lioness before Simon could finish.
Everyone froze, while the Huo Clan folks all smirked.
“Go on, kneel. If you do, maybe I’ll give you more Ice Crystals!” Lady Four Huo aimed all her venom at Simon.
Simon’s legs trembled, his face ashen as a corpse.
“Dad!” Cindy rushed over—if a man’s knees are worth gold, then Dragonridge’s Medicine King shouldn’t have to kneel for anyone.
But for his beloved wife, Simon had already lost all pride. His knees were starting to buckle.
“Senior Sun, you don’t need to kneel for someone like her—she’s not worth it! And you don’t need her Ice Crystals anymore. I’ve got a secret method to bring your wife back!” I strode over and caught Simon before he could drop.
“What... what did you say? Say that again?” Simon looked like he’d been struck by lightning, eyes wide as saucers, gripping me tight.
“I said I’ve got a secret method to save your wife!” My words rang out clear this time—everyone heard it.
Everyone stared at me in shock—even Cindy was totally dumbfounded!
“Ha! You little punk, you’re full of it. You think you can bring Rose Zhan back? She’s been dead five years! If you pull it off, the whole Huo Clan will take your last name!” Lady Four Huo sneered, and the rest of her clan burst out laughing.
“You swear?” I shot back, icy calm.
“Of course! And if you really do it, I’ll kneel and kowtow three times, and call you ‘Grandpa’ everywhere I go!” Lady Four Huo thumped her chest, swearing up and down.
“Deal. Get ready to kneel and call me Grandpa!” I said, already contacting the System and prepping to head for the Netherworld…