Chapter 2: Never Hold a Grudge Overnight

The two snakes slowly slithered inside. From the moment they crossed the hospital gates, their path was unobstructed—no one dared to step forward and stop them. Good heavens, these were highly venomous serpents; who would be foolish enough to get in their way? That would be courting death.

Zhuang Zhou’s whistling grew sharper, more urgent.

Upon seeing the snakes, Liang Wende turned deathly pale. His plump body began to tremble uncontrollably at the sight of them, and he kept awkwardly retreating backward, but it was useless. The two vibrant snakes seemed to have locked onto their target, crawling straight for Liang Wende’s hospital bed.

Their brilliantly patterned bodies climbed up the bed rail, then raised their heads to fix their cold, triangular eyes on the terrified Liang Wende. Their forked tongues flickered out, occasionally brushing his face.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!”

At this moment, Liang Wende had no doubt whatsoever about Zhuang Zhou’s threats. His complexion was ashen, and he dared not meet the cold gazes of those four reptilian eyes.

It’s common knowledge that the more beautiful a snake, the more deadly its poison. These two were dazzling, their markings stunning—undoubtedly lethal.

“Director Liang, do you still want to stay in this room? Mind if I send these two snakes to keep you company every day?” Zhuang Zhou asked coolly.

“No, no, please—just make them go away, far away!” Liang Wende’s voice had taken on a shrill, trembling note.

But Zhuang Zhou didn’t comply. Instead, he let out a piercing whistle, and the two snakes slithered closer, winding themselves around Liang Wende’s legs and up his body. Their cold gaze was now inches from his face, their tongues licking his skin. Liang Wende dared not move a muscle, certain that even the slightest twitch could cost him his life.

“Tell me—who wants me dead?”

Zhuang Zhou’s eyes bore into him, the two snakes coiled around the fat man’s body, threatening him.

“I—I—I don’t know! I was just following Dr. Jiang’s instructions. Please, please, get them off me!”

Liang Wende’s answer came in a sob, his voice quavering with fear.

A wave of disappointment surged in Zhuang Zhou’s heart. Liang Wende wasn’t brave enough to lie to him; the snakes, still wrapped tightly around his body, showed no reaction. That meant Liang Wende was telling the truth.

When a person lies, their blood flows faster, heart rate increases, and the body temperature rises slightly—a change imperceptible to humans or machines, but not to cold-blooded snakes, which can sense such shifts. The fact that his summoned snakes didn’t react proved Liang Wende wasn’t lying.

So, this fat man was merely a pawn for Jiang Ping’an, an insignificant thug. The real culprit was Jiang Ping’an.

“Zhuang—Zhuang Zhou, can you let me go now?”

Liang Wende was as pale as death, the two snakes still coiling and tightening around him, squeezing his fat body into rolls, yet he didn’t dare move, terrified that a single bite would be his end.

Zhuang Zhou gave a soft whistle, and the two snakes instantly released Liang Wende.

“Get out,” Zhuang Zhou said coldly.

Hmph.

He watched Liang Wende flee in panic, contempt flickering in his eyes. Liang Wende had tried to have him killed, and then bullied Sister Lin Wen afterward. Death would be too easy for him—he deserved punishment.

As the snakes wrapped around him, their venom had already seeped through his skin. It wouldn’t be fatal, but it would leave him with certain lasting “disabilities”—rotting skin, perhaps, or the loss of some essential functions. Otherwise, who would ever fear the Poison Immortal in the future? Punishing Liang Wende was just a bit of interest collected in advance; the real drama was yet to come. Zhuang Zhou smiled to himself: “It seems life won’t be boring from now on.”

In Jiang Ping’an’s office, he was checking his account on his phone, a faint smile on his handsome face as he saw the extra half a million yuan.

Jiang Ping’an was the chief neurologist at the Provincial First Hospital, an expert in neurosurgery in Dongjiang Province. Barely into his thirties, he was already a top candidate for vice president, boasting countless honors and a boundless future.

Bam!

The door burst open, and a disheveled, panic-stricken Liang Wende stumbled in. “Dr. Jiang, it’s—it’s bad—Zhuang—Zhuang Zhou is alive!”

“Who’s alive?” Jiang Ping’an was startled by Liang Wende’s sudden intrusion, barely catching his words.

“Zhuang—Zhuang Zhou is alive!”

When he finally understood, Jiang Ping’an’s face darkened. He knew Liang Wende didn’t have the guts to lie to him. A brain-dead vegetative patient come back to life? This man was truly hard to kill! Even that couldn’t finish him off!

His gaze turned frosty as he glanced at the panic-stricken Liang Wende and spat out, “Useless!”

Jiang Ping’an stood up, drew a deep breath. Since he had taken the money, Zhuang Zhou must die.

Beside the ICU bed, Zhuang Zhou held his mother’s wrist, carefully feeling her pulse. It was weak, but fortunately, there was no serious harm—she had only suffered severe emotional shock and would recover with some rest.

Just then, Lin Wen’s pager went off. She spoke hurriedly to Zhuang Zhou and rushed out.

Soon after, the sound of a doctor’s reprimand came from the next room.

“Lin Wen, what’s wrong with you? The patient has been in shock for twelve minutes—where were you? The records clearly state that if there’s any deterioration, it must be reported immediately. Time is life! If anything happens to the patient, you won’t get off so easily!”

The doctor’s scolding was so harsh that even Zhuang Zhou found it grating, let alone the gentle, soft-spoken nurse next door.

Zhuang Zhou stood up and walked to the doorway, where he saw a middle-aged man in a white coat berating Lin Wen.

“How many times have I told you? Tensions between doctors and patients are high enough as it is—we have to be careful with everything. Yet you make such a big mistake. All your bonuses and attendance awards are docked. Half your salary will be withheld.”

Lin Wen hung her head in silence, tears streaming down her delicate face. She felt deeply wronged. She had only wanted to do her job, but who would have expected that Director Liang would try to take advantage of her? Out of concern for her reputation, Lin Wen couldn’t bring herself to speak of the harassment she’d suffered.

“I’m telling you, this is already lenient. If the patient dies because of your negligence, you’re fully responsible! The hospital will not only fire you, you’ll go to jail!”

The middle-aged doctor jabbed his finger at Lin Wen, his face black with anger.

“Doctor, shouldn’t saving the patient come first? Can’t the scolding and blame wait until after the emergency is over?” Zhuang Zhou could no longer stand by and watch and stepped in to defend Lin Wen. “If you don’t start resuscitation immediately, you’ll turn a living patient into a corpse.”

Standing in the doorway, Zhuang Zhou was fuming. The patient had been in shock for over ten minutes, and instead of trying to save them, this doctor was busy berating Lin Wen. Clearly, he was trying to shift the blame.

“And just who do you think you are? This is not your place to speak. Get out of the way—don’t interfere with our work.”

The middle-aged doctor glared at him, his voice cold and menacing.

“Hurry up and save the patient. If you don’t start now, they really will die.”

Lin Wen stood there, dazed, until Zhuang Zhou pulled her aside. He lowered his voice: “Sister Lin Wen, do you have a grudge with that doctor?”

Lin Wen nodded.

“Dr. Liu is our department’s deputy director. Some time ago, I caught him taking a bribe from a patient’s family. The hospital found out and he suspects I reported him. He’s been nitpicking and trying to drive me out ever since,” she whispered, choking back tears.

Zhuang Zhou nodded in understanding—so this was revenge.

Deputy Director Liu was fumbling through CPR, surrounded by a team of doctors at the bedside. All emergency measures had been exhausted, but the old man on the bed remained unconscious, the heart monitor beeping a shrill, monotone note.

Sweat beaded on Liu’s forehead. In all his thirty years of practice, he’d never faced such a tricky situation.

Just as he was at a loss, the patient’s body suddenly began to convulse violently, blood spurting from his mouth and nose.

Zhuang Zhou’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the blood. It was dark red—an obvious sign of poisoning.

“Lin Wen, if this patient dies today, just wait for the family to sue you!” Deputy Director Liu kept up his relentless scolding.

Zhuang Zhou was seething. Liu was vindictive to the point of cruelty, still kicking Lin Wen when she was down in a crisis.

“Even if the patient survives, your curses alone could kill him. Can’t even handle basic first aid—so much for the reputation of the Provincial First Hospital!”

“And who are you? Who let you in here? Don’t you know the rules? Get out now—don’t interfere with our treatment!”

Zhuang Zhou glanced at the patient. If he wanted to save Lin Wen’s job, he had to act. As long as the patient survived, there would be no grounds for a malpractice case, and Liu would have no leverage to get rid of Lin Wen.

He ignored Liu and strode to the bedside, addressing the nervously flustered doctors:

“A bunch of idiots, every last one of you. You don’t even know why the patient went into shock, but you start random resuscitation anyway. With skills like yours, you’d be better off going home!”