Chapter 1: The Moment of Awakening from a Dream

  "Wake up, wake up!" A surprised and delighted voice came from beside his ear. He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, and in front of him was a blurry scene with multiple overlapping shadows. He blinked hard several times before he could see clearly that there were several faces above his head, each one filled with surprise and delight.

  Am I still alive? How is that possible? Although Gao Yuan's brain was a bit dull after just waking up, he was clear-headed and knew that with multiple gunshot wounds, all of which had hit his vital organs, he shouldn't have survived. He was an expert in hand-to-hand combat and killing people, and he was very aware of the extent of the injuries to his own body.

  His eyes slowly turned around, and everything in the house was reflected in his eyes one by one: a large wooden bed with hollowed-out carvings, thick curtains, and inside the intricately carved wooden window, bright sunlight was shining through the gaps. Standing in front of the bed, closest to him was a middle-aged man's face, with tears in his eyes, looking exceptionally sorrowful. A child of around ten years old was lying on the edge of the bed, a bit further away, a young woman was holding onto the curtain corner, and the curtains were shaking non-stop, it could be seen that she was extremely tense. Against the window, an elderly person with white hair was holding a medicine box, seemingly preparing to turn around and leave, while leaning against the door was a middle-aged woman who looked like she was in her forties.

  Who are they? How can't I recognize any of them, where am I? Why didn't I die? Gao Yuan's mind was a mess, desperately trying to figure out his current situation, but got nothing.

  "Brother Gao woke up! Brother Gao woke up!" A ten-year-old kid's face was filled with excitement, clapping his hands on the bedside, shouting loudly, "Brother Gao woke up! Brother Gao, the doctor said you were dead, I knew you wouldn't die!"

  "Qiu Dafu, come quickly, Gao Yuan has woken up!" The middle-aged man wiped away the tears in his eyes, looking at Gao Yuan who had opened his eyes with a mixture of shock and disbelief. After a while, he finally came to his senses, and his face suddenly lit up with extreme joy, shouting repeatedly.

  The white-haired and wrinkled old man dropped the medicine box to the ground with a "thud", ran to the bedside in shock, stared at Gao Yuan with wide eyes, and muttered repeatedly: "How is this possible? How is this possible? He was clearly dead, how did he come back to life?"

  "Qiu Dafu, you are the best doctor in Fufeng City, how did you do it? You said Gaoyuan was dead, but he is clearly still alive! Hurry up and come to treat him!" The middle-aged man ordered in a low voice, with a hint of authority.

  "Yes, yes, Lord Lu, I will definitely try my best, I will definitely try my best!" The old man said in a panic.

  "It's not about trying, it's about being certain. If you're not dead set on it, then don't even think about staying in Fufeng City!" the middle-aged man said coldly.

  "Yes, yes!" The old man's face grew larger and larger in his distant eyes.

  Who are they? Gao Yuan looked at these unfamiliar faces, his mind racing back and forth trying to remember, but he couldn't recall anything. His life was simple: practice martial arts, fight, earn money, find a place to let loose and have fun, then repeat the process. As he rolled his eyes, he took in his surroundings, his eyes growing wider and more bewildered, until finally, his head tilted to one side, and he passed out again.

  His coma threw the house into chaos once again.

  The doctor with the surname Qiu's face was even more tense, with beads of sweat the size of beans dripping down rapidly. Just now, he had said that Gao Yuan was already dead, and had packed up his medical box to leave, but suddenly, this guy woke up. This meant that he had misdiagnosed, and delayed the treatment time. If it were an ordinary person, it would be okay, but the problem was, there was someone in this room who could make him unable to stay in the city with just one sentence. He stretched out his hand to grab Gao Yuan's left wrist pulse, but his eyes grew wider and wider. Earlier when he had taken Gao Yuan's pulse, it was clear that there was no pulse at all, but now, it was surprisingly getting stronger and stronger.

  "Qiu Dafu, how is it? How is it?" the middle-aged man asked repeatedly, his previous excitement now replaced by a look of anxiety on his face.

  "Don't worry, he just fainted from excessive blood loss. The pulse shows that there's no danger to his life at all. It's truly unbelievable, unbelievable!"

  "That's good, that's good!" The middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief. "My old friend only left this one root behind, if he died like this, I'd have no face to meet him with after I die."

  "Don't worry, Master, his physical condition is robust and healthy. Since he has passed the most critical moment, there will be no more concerns about his life." Dr. Qiu hastily said. "I'll write a prescription for him right away."

  Upon hearing Qiu Daifu's affirmative words, almost simultaneously, a sigh of relief echoed through the room.

  "Zhang Yi!" the middle-aged man shouted loudly.

  "Sir!" A young servant-like person walked in from outside the door and stood before the middle-aged man with his head bowed.

  "You stay here and take care of Gaoyuan for now! Be careful!"

  "Yes, I understand!"

  The woman standing by the door walked over with light footsteps and stood in front of the middle-aged man, bowing slightly.

  "Lord Lu, this time Gaoyuan almost lost his life for the sake of my family, please allow me to repay him with a small favor, let me take care of Gaoyuan's affairs." The woman's face was weathered from the wind and frost, making it impossible to tell her actual age, but upon closer inspection, between her eyebrows and eyes, she must have been a stunning beauty in her youth.

  A middle-aged man flashed a hint of disgust in his eyes, staring at the woman, "Ye Shi, this time you're lucky to have escaped unscathed. Otherwise, I would never forgive you."

  The woman lowered her eyebrows and eyes, "Sir, you are seriously injured from afar. Taking care of the patient is still a bit more meticulous for women, please allow me to do it."

  Looking back at Gaoyuan who was unconscious on the bed, the middle-aged man let out a heavy sigh. "Forget it, this time Gaoyuan suffered for your sake, so let him rest his mind. Ye Shi, I advise you to leave Fufeng City as soon as possible. Staying here will only bring more trouble."

  "The common woman has done nothing wrong, the common woman will not leave!" The woman raised her head, with a stubborn look in her eyes.

  Looking at the woman, the middle-aged man suddenly sighed and said, "No matter whether you leave or not, after this incident, I will never allow Gaoyuan to have any connection with you again. In Fufeng City, no one dares to protect you either. In my opinion, it's better for you to leave as far away as possible."

  "Thank you, sir! Fufeng City is still a place of Great Yan and a place with laws. I, as a civilian, will not leave!"

  Upon hearing the woman's stubborn words, a flash of anger crossed the middle-aged man's eyes, and he let out a heavy hum before turning around and walking out of the room. "You're on your own!"

  As they spoke, the doctor had already finished bandaging Gao Yuan's wound on the bed, written a prescription and handed it to Zhang Yi to fetch medicine. He also picked up his medical box, preparing to leave. Walking in front of the woman, he hesitated for a moment before saying: "Madam Ye, Lord Lu has a cold face but a warm heart. He let you go because he wants what's best for you. You're a widow with children, staying in Fufeng City, who can protect you? Even Gao Yuan ended up like this today, not to mention others. If you don't leave, one day you'll suffer greatly."

  The woman hung her head low and didn't say a word. Looking at the woman's appearance, Dr. Qiu shook his head and walked out.

  "Mother!" The young woman standing at the corner of the bed walked quietly to the woman's side, her clothes patched and clean, with a delicate face and eyebrows like flowers. Although she was not very old, it could be seen that she was a beautiful girl, but she looked malnourished and thin, as if a gust of wind could blow her away. Her expression showed fear, "Mother, what should we do? Why don't we leave this place far, far away?"

  "Xiang Er, we can't leave Fufeng City." The woman raised her face, with a determined look, "We can't leave here."

  "But mother, I'm scared!" The girl clung tightly to the woman's leg, her thin body trembling with fear.

  "Don't be afraid, I'm here!" She stretched out her arms and pulled the girl and a slightly younger boy into her embrace. The woman's face was filled with sorrow, yet also showed unwavering determination. "Jing'er, I believe that one day we will see the clouds part and the sun shine through, and our hardships will come to an end!"