Chapter 130: Retaliation

At the hospital, Ou Xiaolu was surrounded by several emergency doctors, all firing questions at him, eager to understand the secret behind his acupuncture.

Ou Xiaolu didn't know how to answer. He couldn't very well tell them he had used up a Resurrection Stone, so he simply started bluffing.

"My acupuncture isn't your run-of-the-mill practice. In Eastern terms, it’s known as the 'Heavenly King’s Golden Needle for Life Preservation.' It was used by emperors in the old days, intended to bring them back to consciousness for a few moments before death so they could settle their final affairs. It’s only recently been passed down. This technique requires precise placement of the golden needles; if you miss the acupuncture point, the patient is essentially dead. So, it’s not that I don’t want to teach you—it’s impossible to teach. My role is merely to shock the patient back to life; the rest is up to you, isn't it?"

Ou Xiaolu spoke with great courtesy, even flattering the doctors. They came to view him as a capable and honest man. If it weren't for the injury to his hand, they felt he would have had no trouble serving as a lead surgeon at a major hospital in New Xinxiang. Consequently, they held him in high regard and clapped him on the shoulder, saying, "You're quite something. We should work together sometime."

Once the doctors dispersed, Charles approached. He said nothing, simply dropping to his knees before uttering, "Rhino-Tiger!"

"Get lost, go look after your mother. Take a few days off; I don't have the time to request leave for you."

As he spoke, Ou Xiaolu shooed Charles away. Once Charles was out of sight, Ou Xiaolu muttered to himself, "Why does it feel so strange seeing him act so sullen? Have I really gotten that used to having a comic foil around?"

Walking out of the hospital, Ou Xiaolu felt as if he had forgotten something. *Right.* He slapped his forehead. His experience points were sufficient for an upgrade, but the incident had sidetracked him, and he had nearly forgotten.

He glanced around, ultimately deciding to return home first. Upgrading now would be convenient, but he lacked a suitable card to transform into an avatar. Why had he been so impulsive? If he had been a bit firmer, he wouldn't have had to use that Resurrection Card.

Grumbling to himself, Ou Xiaolu waddled out of the hospital. The Roadside Ghost was waiting outside, and upon seeing him, it stepped forward: "My Lord, where to now?"

"Go find the Cowardly Ghost. Have him sniff out the details of Charles's mother's accident. Find out which shameless scoundrel hit her and ran. Leaving a mess for me to clean up—it cost me a Resurrection Stone. Once I track him down, I’ll make him pay."

For the Five Ghosts, Ou Xiaolu's request was a trivial matter. Before long, the Roadside Ghost returned with the Cowardly Ghost in tow.

The Cowardly Ghost cowered behind the Roadside Ghost, whispering to Ou Xiaolu. The more he heard, the more speechless Ou Xiaolu became, until finally, he slapped his thigh hard.

"I knew it. The Sacred Blood Council is practically wiped out; how could anyone still have the guts to stir up trouble in New Xinxiang? It turns out it's just some clueless idiot!" Ou Xiaolu pondered. The Sacred Blood Council couldn't be completely annihilated as Wayne had suggested; at the very least, there needed to be someone to keep these types in check.

Thinking of this, he grew angry again. If not for this accident, he would have been upgraded by now, waiting for his avatar to manifest.

"Go," he said viciously, "take me to that guy. I won't have peace of mind until I've earned back the cost of that Resurrection Stone from him."

The Cowardly Ghost was startled by Ou Xiaolu’s fierce expression and hurried to lead the way.

Since he wasn't dragging anyone along this time, Ou Xiaolu moved with ease. In no time, he followed the Cowardly Ghost to an apartment building near the center of New Xinxiang.

This was an upscale area of the city. Most of the residents were people with a bit of money, though compared to the great families, they were nothing special—just people getting by, busy with their daily grind. To outsiders, they were elites and white-collar professionals, but they knew the truth: they weren't doing well at all. Every monthly paycheck went straight toward loan repayments, leaving them with almost no savings. Because of this, the residents rarely interacted, and when Ou Xiaolu appeared in the neighborhood, no one bothered to notice or pay him any mind.

"The person you mentioned lives here?" Ou Xiaolu asked, looking at the apartment building.

The Cowardly Ghost nodded firmly, signaling that there was no information he couldn't dig up.

"Not bad. You’re far more capable than those idiots in the Sacred Blood Council. They still haven't found the escaped Boss Cheng. Why don't you go look for him? His features are quite distinct—he lost both his arms."

The Cowardly Ghost hesitated, then held up a single finger.

Ou Xiaolu knew what it wanted. He took out a small vial of mystical potion, opened it, and tapped it for the ghost.

Having received the potion, the Cowardly Ghost was as excited as the Martial Ghost, darting around Ou Xiaolu. Its excitement lifted Ou Xiaolu's spirits.

With the potion in hand, the Cowardly Ghost was even more diligent, leading Ou Xiaolu directly to the door of the hit-and-run driver before taking his leave to search for Cheng Ming.

Standing outside the door, Ou Xiaolu used his electrostatic field to sense the interior. He found only one man sitting inside, drinking.

Ou Xiaolu paused for a moment, then transformed into a bolt of purple electricity, passing through the wall and into the room using the guidance of his field.

His entrance caused quite a stir. The man, who had been drinking, heard the commotion, looked up, and stared at Ou Xiaolu, stunned and at a loss for words.

Ou Xiaolu stared back at him and asked, "Did you hit someone today?"

The man finally snapped out of it and shouted, "Talk to my lawyer if you have any business! I’m not saying a word."

Ou Xiaolu’s expression turned cold, and he spoke with even greater severity: "Did you hit someone today?"

"I told you, talk to my lawyer! Until my lawyer gets here, I'm not saying anything."

"Understood. Thank you." Ou Xiaolu nodded at the man. With a flick of his finger, a shark the size of a fingertip flew toward the man. It moved with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, it bit the man’s hands clean off.

"If you can't drive, don't drive anymore. And one more thing: I'm not a cop, and I don't have time to talk to your lawyer."