Chapter 40: Advancing by retreating

"Where am I?" Mu Xi instinctively touched her neck. She distinctly remembered her soul-guided car crashing into a pillar, and a shard of windshield slicing across her throat.

"This is the medical office at Eastsea Academy. You're fine now," Xia Yi said, pushing the door open and tossing a receipt onto Mu Xi's bed. Glancing at Mu Xi's chest through the hospital gown, he said nonchalantly, "Fifteen thousand federal coins for the surgery. I covered it for you. When will you pay me back?"

"Surgery? What surgery?" Mu Xi looked confused, still unaware of what had transpired.

"These are the examination and surgery records," Xia Yi said again, handing her two sheets filled with writing.

Mu Xi took them instinctively, scanning them before touching her chest. Immediately, she protested, "Chest hematoma and cardiovascular repair surgery? You must be kidding. I didn't have surgery!"

"Miss, you were driving so fast without a seatbelt, and then you crashed hard. Do you really think a surgery is overkill?" Xia Yi shook his head helplessly. "Do you want me to fetch the doctor so you can ask what happened?"

"Fine, fine. Fifteen thousand federal coins, right? I'll give it to you," Mu Xi said with a shake of her head. She pulled out the amount from her soul-guided storage ring and handed it to Xia Yi.

Even though she still didn't fully understand what had happened, the receipt Xia Yi had given her bore the stamp of Eastsea Academy's medical office, making it unlikely to be fake.

Besides, if Xia Yi wanted to con her, he wouldn't do it for a mere fifteen thousand federal coins.

Wait. Mu Xi suddenly thought of something. She picked up the receipt Xia Yi had given her and scrutinized it. The payer's name was indeed Xia Yi.

Her eyes widened with realization as she looked up at Xia Yi, her watery eyes now sparkling. "You're Xia Yi!"

"Yes, I'm Xia Yi. Why?" Xia Yi asked curiously.

"You're a second-rank blacksmith?" Mu Xi asked eagerly.

"You're with the Blacksmiths' Association?" Xia Yi asked back, now scrutinizing Mu Xi. A thought struck him—she must have some connection to the association. Otherwise, how would she know so quickly about him being a second-rank blacksmith?

Narrowing his eyes, Xia Yi asked in a serious tone, "You're Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi."

Only Mu Chen's daughter would be able to identify his rank as a blacksmith this quickly.

"You're not stupid after all!" Mu Xi said through gritted teeth, glaring at Xia Yi. It was all because of him that she'd rushed back to the Blacksmiths' Association and ended up in a car accident.

Yet this "culprit" had the audacity to demand reimbursement for the surgery fees.

If Xia Yi knew he was being blamed as the "culprit" for the accident, he'd surely cry injustice.

"I've got other things to do, so I'll leave now. By the way, you should deal with the shop you crashed into yourself," Xia Yi said, shaking his head as he turned to leave.

"Hey! You haven't even told me what happened!" Mu Xi called after him. She still didn't fully understand what had transpired and couldn't let him go just yet.

"Ask the doctor yourself," Xia Yi said without stopping, leaving immediately.

He was sure that with Mu Chen being the president of the Blacksmiths' Association in Eastsea City, it wouldn't be long before he showed up here.

Xia Yi decided to leave first and wait for Mu Chen to approach him.

Given his talent in blacksmithing and the fact that he'd saved Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Chen would definitely seek him out.

Staying here and waiting would only reveal his intentions.

Sure enough, not long after Xia Yi left, Tang Wulin and Yuan Bao'er descended from the sky with Mu Chen, who appeared at the medical office at Eastsea Academy.

"Xi'er!" Yuan Bao'er rushed to Mu Xi, who was still lying on the bed, bursting into tears as she grabbed her daughter's hands and examined her. "Xi'er, are you hurt anywhere?"

"Mom, I'm fine now," Mu Xi said awkwardly. She felt completely revitalized, both in soul power and mental state, making lying on the bed feel unnecessary.

But since she'd just undergone surgery, getting up might seem disrespectful to the operation.

"Xi'er, what did the doctor say?" Mu Chen asked, curious about how his daughter seemed so energetic. The shop owner had told him her injuries were severe. How had she recovered so quickly?

"I just woke up, haven't seen the doctor yet, and I'm fine. It seems I only underwent a surgery," Mu Xi said, blushing.

"What do you mean by 'it seems you underwent a surgery'?" Mu Chen asked with a dark expression.

"The car hit the pillar, and I blacked out. I don't even know if I had surgery. All I have is this," Mu Xi said, handing the examination report and surgery record Xia Yi had given her to Mu Chen.

Yuan Bao'er snatched the surgery record from Mu Chen's hands. Upon reading it, she screamed in shock.

"Cardiovascular repair surgery!" Although she didn't understand medical procedures deeply, she knew this kind of surgery wasn't something a school clinic could handle alone.

One misstep could have cost her daughter her life.

Instinctively, Yuan Bao'er moved to check Mu Xi's chest.

"Mom, I told you, I'm fine!" Mu Xi blushed furiously, quickly stopping Yuan Bao'er. Tang Wulin and Mu Chen were still present, after all.

"We should call the doctor to get a clear explanation," Mu Chen said, taking a deep breath. He could see that Mu Xi was in excellent condition—far too good for someone who had supposedly just undergone surgery.

He was still completely confused about what had happened.

"Alright," Mu Xi nodded, pressing the call button by her bed. She also wanted to figure out what was going on.

Soon, the doctor who had performed the surgery on Mu Xi walked into the room.

"I told you, once you woke up, you could be discharged. Didn't Xia Yi tell you?" the doctor asked, looking at Mu Xi curiously.

"Doctor, what exactly happened here? Why would you perform such a surgery on my daughter?" Mu Chen asked with a grim expression.

He wasn't pleased. A school clinic daring to perform such a high-risk surgery on his daughter felt like they were playing with her life.

"I understand your concerns, but it was an emergency at the time. The blood vessels around her heart were severely damaged. There was no time to transfer her to a larger hospital. Fortunately, the surgery was very successful," the doctor said solemnly. Performing the surgery on Mu Xi had been a significant risk for him as well.

"Can you explain in more detail?" Mu Chen frowned.

"You should thank that young man, Xia Yi. Without him, the surgery wouldn't have been successful," the doctor said, his expression serious as he recounted everything he knew.

"I know. His soul skill not only heals injuries but can even regenerate severed limbs," Tang Wulin interjected.

"No wonder there's no scar on my neck," Mu Xi said, touching her neck, then her chest. She couldn't imagine what it would've been like to have scars at such a young age.

Wait a moment. Mu Xi suddenly looked up at the doctor, her face reddening as she asked, "Doctor, are you saying that Xia Yi was there helping during the surgery?"

"Is there a problem with that?" the doctor asked curiously.

"The surgery was on my chest. What do you think?" Mu Xi said through gritted teeth. No wonder she had felt Xia Yi's gaze lingering on her chest earlier.

"Don't overthink it. In the eyes of a doctor, there's no distinction between men and women. He was saving your life," the doctor said seriously.

"You're a doctor; he isn't," Mu Xi replied coldly. The memory of Xia Yi's earlier glances made her feel deeply uncomfortable.

"Wulin, how much do you know about Xia Yi?" Mu Chen asked, shaking his head. With Mu Xi safe, he could finally relax.

He had already deduced that the Xia Yi who had saved Mu Xi was the same Xia Yi who had recently taken the second-rank blacksmith test.

This sparked his interest even more. A support-type soul master with such terrifying talent in blacksmithing was rare.

"I don't know much about him," Tang Wulin admitted, shaking his head.

(End of Chapter)