Playboy: Medical and Martial Master

”What did you say? She wants to have your baby?! Are you serious?”

Hearing this shocking statement from Sun Zhe, Chen Ruoyi’s almond-shaped eyes went wide, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Sun Zhe gave a wry smile. ”I’m certainly not taking it seriously, but judging by her expression, she wasn’t joking.”

Chen Ruoyi scoffed softly and mumbled, ”Does she have no shame? Making a request like that the first time you meet... With so many men in this village, are all of them subpar? Why did she have to pick you the moment you arrived?”

Chen Ruolong leaned in. ”Sis, why don’t you have his baby, then?”

SLAP!

Chen Ruoyi smacked him on the head, then turned to Sun Zhe. ”So, did you agree?”

Sun Zhe shook his head with a light chuckle. ”Do you think I would?”

Chen Ruolong spoke up again. ”If I were you, I would!”

He looked at Sun Zhe with envy, his voice filled with excitement. ”Seriously, boss, I’m so jealous. I got a peek at the door just now—that figure, those legs, that chest... Unbelievable!”

”So why didn’t she ask me to have a baby with her? I think my genes are pretty decent, too.”

SLAP!

Chen Ruoyi smacked his head again, chiding playfully, ”Decent, my ass! With your genes, any kid you have would be as dumb as you are.”

Chen Ruolong looked aggrieved. ”Sis, how can you say that about your future nephew?”

Ignoring him, Chen Ruoyi asked Sun Zhe, ”Did you find out about the person you’re looking for?”

”Yes. She’s in the Dragon Prison Abyss.”

”But the Priest says that place can’t be entered casually, and it’s extremely dangerous inside. She needs to perform some kind of ritual and ask the ancestors for permission before I can go in.”

Chen Ruolong waved his hand dismissively. ”Tch. All this hocus-pocus.”

”We don’t have a choice,” Chen Ruoyi said with a helpless sigh. ”It’s their custom and their rules.”

Chen Ruolong changed the subject. ”By the way, boss, do you know what this place is?”

”Dragon Taming Village,” Sun Zhe replied.

Looking mysterious, Chen Ruolong asked again, ”But do you know the history of Dragon Taming Village?”

Sun Zhe shook his head. ”No.”

Chen Ruolong’s expression turned serious. ”Boss, let me tell you. Earlier, my sister and I were chatting with Yao Xiong, and he told us about the origin of Dragon Taming Village and their Dragon Taming Race. Man, it’s a wild story!”

Sun Zhe’s curiosity was piqued. ”How so?”

Chen Ruolong began to build the suspense. ”You know Zhu Di from the Ming Dynasty, right?”

Sun Zhe nodded. ”Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. Anyone who’s watched a historical drama knows him.”

Chen Ruolong pressed on. ”Then do you know about an advisor he had named Yao Guangxiao? He was also called the Black-robed Chancellor, or the Demon Monk.”

Hearing the name, Sun Zhe frowned slightly in thought. ”The name sounds familiar, but I don’t know much about him.” Then, as if realizing something, he asked, ”Are you saying that the Dragon Taming Race are descendants of Yao Guangxiao?”

This time, Chen Ruoyi spoke up. ”After helping Emperor Yongle Zhu Di ascend the throne, Yao Guangxiao worked with Liu Bowen to capture and nurture dragons. Their goal was to help Zhu Di consolidate the Ming Dynasty’s Dragon Qi.”

Sun Zhe’s interest grew. ”Go on.”

”It involved the Dragon Capturing Skill and the Dragon Taming Skill,” Chen Ruoyi patiently explained. ”And this place is where Yao Guangxiao first started raising dragons. To put it simply, you can think of this village as his experimental base.”

”The ancestors of the people in this village were the relatives and servants Yao Guangxiao brought with him. Over time, they settled and multiplied here, becoming the so-called Dragon Taming Race.”

”And the Dragon Treasure that was stolen? That’s the key to Yao Guangxiao’s entire dragon-taming operation.”

”It’s said to be a Dragon Pearl refined from an ancient true dragon. When ordinary animals are exposed to the Dragon Pearl’s aura, they mutate and become what are known as Jiao Beasts.”

”But this is all just what Yao Xiong told us. Whether any of it is true is impossible to verify.”

Sun Zhe sighed in amazement. ”It’s a big world, full of wonders!”

”So, do real dragons actually exist in this world?”

Chen Ruoyi replied, ”I don’t know about dragons, but Flood Snakes are real. We’ve seen them ourselves.”

Chen Ruolong chimed in from the side, ”As the saying goes, a great snake becomes a python, a great python becomes an anaconda, and a great anaconda becomes a Flood Snake. After a Flood Snake passes a lightning tribulation, it becomes a Flood Dragon. And with continued Cultivation, it can become a true dragon.”

”But speaking of which, our dad bought a ’true dragon’ last Chinese New Year.”

Sun Zhe was taken aback. ”Your dad’s that amazing? Where did he buy a true dragon?”

Chen Ruolong pretended to think. ”At a store. I remember that ’true dragon’ cost him several thousand. It was pretty expensive. Later, all our relatives smoked it.”

Lines of exasperation appeared on Sun Zhe’s forehead. ”I’m going to kick you.”

Chen Ruolong roared with laughter. ”And what’s more, I’ve had a ’full-package dragon service’ before! So you see, boss, dragons do exist!”

SLAP!

Chen Ruoyi smacked him on the head again. ”Of course dragons exist! And then there’s you, you big, dopey dragon!”

”...”

Amid their lighthearted banter, the trio walked into the guest courtyard.

Just as they entered the main gate, Sun Zhe saw two men and a woman talking in the yard. Seeing the three of them, the group cast curious glances their way.

Sun Zhe walked up to them and got straight to the point. ”Excuse me, are you with the Su Family’s herb-gathering team?”

”We are. And you are...?”

”My name is Sun Zhe. I’m here to see President Su.”

”So you’re Divine Doctor Sun!” The woman’s face lit up with excitement as she hurried over. ”My name is Su Ai! I’m Nanzhi’s cousin!”

”Divine Doctor Sun, Nanzhi has told me about you. She said your medical skills are incredible, that you can even cure the Su Family’s cold decay disease!”

”Er... I just learned a few things when I was young.”

”Divine Doctor Sun, you’re too modest! Your timing is perfect. The Great Tributor is gravely injured. Could you please take a look at him?”

A moment later, Su Ai led Sun Zhe to a guest room.

An elderly man with white hair lay on the bed, his breathing as faint as a silk thread. He was barely clinging to life, and his skin was turning black.

”Divine Doctor Sun, this is our Su Family’s Great Tributor, Su Chunming,” Su Ai explained. ”Nanzhi and I both grew up under his care.”

”He was injured this time trying to protect Nanzhi...”

Sun Zhe’s heart grew heavy. He nodded and said, ”Let me take a look at him.”

After examining him for a short time, Sun Zhe’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Su Chunming’s injuries were severe, and his body was filled with a potent poison. He was being kept alive only by some of the Dragon Taming Race’s secret medicines.

Su Ai asked cautiously, ”Doctor Sun, how is Grandfather Tributor?”

Sun Zhe released Su Chunming’s wrist. ”I can save him, but I’ll need some specific herbs. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to the Priest about it later.”

Su Ai’s eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion. ”To save Grandfather Tributor, Nanzhi went to a very dangerous place. It’s been two days, and I have no idea how she is now.”

Hearing this, Sun Zhe’s mood grew even heavier. Without a word, he took out his pouch of silver needles and began using them to suppress the poison in Su Chunming’s body.

Time passed slowly.

By the time Sun Zhe withdrew the last needle, night had fallen.

Just then, Yao Xiong arrived at the guest courtyard. He announced that the Priest was holding a bonfire banquet to welcome her guests and invited Sun Zhe’s group to attend.

Under Yao Xiong’s guidance, Sun Zhe and his friends returned to the bluestone square.

A massive bonfire was already blazing in the center of the square, with several whole lambs roasting over the flames.

A large crowd of men and women in the unique attire of the Dragon Taming Race, young and old alike, were holding hands, singing and dancing around the fire in a boisterously festive atmosphere.

As soon as Sun Zhe’s group arrived, a cluster of children ran over, happily grabbing their hands and enthusiastically inviting them to join the dance.

Being naturally shy, Sun Zhe shook his head and refused.

Chen Ruolong, however, spotted many beautiful young women among the dancers. He excitedly ran over and immediately started doing the ’Subject Three’ dance, his flamboyant moves eliciting roars of laughter from the crowd.

The atmosphere seemed to have infected Chen Ruoyi as well. She tugged on Sun Zhe’s hand, pleading, ”Come on, dance! I want to see you dance.”

With a serious expression, Sun Zhe firmly shook his head no.

Yao Xiong, ever the thoughtful one, stepped in. ”Miss Chen, you go ahead. The Priest has matters to discuss with the Guardian Spirit Immortal.”

Sun Zhe shot Yao Xiong a grateful look, then beat a hasty retreat.

A short while later, Yao Xiong brought Sun Zhe to the entrance of the main hall.

Yao Yuelong was sitting at a long table, speaking in low tones with several Elders. She wore the same clothes as before, but she had added some dazzling silver hair ornaments that made her appear even more sacred and noble.

As Yao Xiong led Sun Zhe to a seat beside her, he gave her an awkward little smile.

Yao Yuelong raised her cup to him. ”Welcome to Dragon Taming Village,” she said with a soft smile.

Sun Zhe clinked his cup against hers. ”Thank you.”

Yao Yuelong’s red lips parted to take a small sip of the strong liquor. Her gaze drifted over the bustling crowd in the square below as she asked, ”Have you made your decision?”

Sun Zhe feigned confusion. ”Decision about what?”

Yao Yuelong knew he was playing dumb. ”It doesn’t matter if you’ve decided or not,” she said lightly. ”This is a debt your father owes me. It’s time for the son to pay.”

A bitter look crossed Sun Zhe’s face, and he quickly changed the subject. ”The Su Family’s Great Tributor is badly injured. I need to find some medicinal herbs to cure him.”

”It’s useless,” Yao Yuelong said. ”He’s been deeply poisoned. Only the Dragon Eye Mushroom from the Dragon Prison Abyss can detoxify him.”

But Sun Zhe countered, ”It’s not that complicated. I really can heal him.”

Hearing this, Yao Yuelong gave him a long, searching look. ”That’s right, I forgot your surname is Sun. What herbs do you need?”

Sun Zhe took out a list he had written earlier and handed it to her.

Yao Yuelong glanced at it. ”Just like your father,” she commented. ”Your handwriting is atrocious.”

Sun Zhe was speechless. ”...”

”I have most of these herbs in my personal collection,” Yao Yuelong continued. ”When do you need them?”

”Saving a life can’t wait,” Sun Zhe said hurriedly. ”If it’s possible, I’d like to gather the herbs right now.”

At his words, the corner of Yao Yuelong’s mouth curled up in an almost imperceptible smile. ”Very well.”

She had just drugged Sun Zhe’s drink and was wondering how to get him alone, not expecting him to give her the perfect opportunity himself.

”Follow me.”

Yao Yuelong stood, walked over to exchange a few words with the Elders, and then led Sun Zhe away from the feast.

...