Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 5: The Hospital Sends Pills, Turning Crisis into Safety

Lin Chen clutched the jade bottle containing the Qi and Blood Pill tightly to his chest and ran wildly. His "Star Chasing Step" continued to traverse the city streets and alleys, his figure moving so fast that only a faint afterimage could be seen, nimbly avoiding all oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The wind whistled in his ears, dispersing the scent of grass and wood from the forest, but it could not calm his rapidly beating heart.

Half an hour ago, when he fought the black-bristled wild boar in the Qingmang Forest, his eyes were sharp as knives, and he showed no fear whatsoever. But now, the closer he got to the Qingyang City Mining Area Hospital, the more sweaty and cold his palms became, his knuckles turning white from gripping them so tightly. The small jade bottle was already warm from his touch, its coolness seeping through the fabric and into his skin, but it couldn't suppress the surging anxiety in his heart—he couldn't let anything happen to his father; he had to get there in time.

This family is no longer susceptible to any storms.

His parents had toiled in the mines for over a decade, their calluses so thick they could wear through fabric, their backs slightly hunched from the daily grind. They often went hungry, rarely seeing a meal with meat, and wouldn't buy themselves even the cheapest item, yet they saved every penny to buy him training materials and pay for his martial arts classes. Now, his father had been severely injured by a ferocious beast while protecting his coworkers. If he couldn't even grasp this last glimmer of hope, he would never forgive himself.

What usually takes more than half an hour, he completed in less than ten minutes.

The white hospital emergency building stood before him. As soon as he stepped into the stairwell, the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with alcohol and a faint whiff of blood assaulted his nostrils. The corridors were filled with families of the wounded from the mining area; cries, voices, prayers, and the ticking of hospital equipment mingled together, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere. Lin Chen rushed into the corridor, heading straight for the third-floor ward area reserved for the wounded from the mining area. From afar, he spotted a thin figure huddled on a bench.

Mother Su Lan's hair was disheveled, with a few strands of silver hair clinging to her sweaty forehead. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, like ripe peaches, and there were still traces of tears on her face. She clutched a crumpled medical report tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning blue from the force of her grip. She looked as if a gust of wind could knock her over, and she was so thin that she was just skin and bones.

Hearing hurried footsteps approaching, she abruptly raised her head. A hint of confusion flashed in her dim eyes, but upon recognizing Lin Chen, a glimmer of light instantly ignited within them. She quickly stood up, gripping the handrail, her voice hoarse yet filled with hope, "Xiao Chen... why are you back? The money... have you raised the money? The doctor said... said that in two more hours, your father will..."

Before she could finish speaking, her voice choked with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

Seeing his mother like this, Lin Chen felt as if a sharp blade had pierced his heart, and his eyes instantly reddened. He strode forward, reaching out to support his mother's body, which was trembling violently from the emotional turmoil. With his other hand, he took out the jade bottle, which had been warmed by his body heat, from his chest and carefully handed it to her. His voice was tinged with a barely perceptible sob, but it was unusually firm: "Mom, the Qi and Blood Pill is here. Dad can be saved."

Su Lan stared intently at the small white jade bottle, unable to believe her eyes, frozen in place. Trembling, she reached out her hand, her fingertips touching the cool surface of the bottle, then quickly withdrew it, repeating this several times before finally daring to carefully accept the jade bottle, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.

"It really...it's a real Qi and Blood Pill..." she murmured to herself, large tears falling onto the bottle. "Xiao Chen, where did you get this Qi and Blood Pill?" Her voice was filled with worry. "Mom, I earned it from the Green Forest outside the city." The Green Forest is so dangerous, are you...are you injured?

She suddenly realized what was happening, her eyes filled with panic. She grabbed Lin Chen's arm and looked him up and down. She knew her son's cultivation level; at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, let alone hunting second-tier ferocious beasts, even a low-grade first-tier ferocious beast like the Azure-Striped Wolf could kill him.

Lin Chen quickly pulled his mother's hand away, hiding the small cut on his arm from a branch, and gently reassured her, "Mom, I'm fine, really. I was lucky enough to run into a badly injured black-bristled wild boar in the forest. Look, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Go get the doctor, we need to treat Dad first."

He dared not tell his mother that he had broken through four levels of cultivation, let alone that he had fought many ferocious beasts in the forest, including a healthy second-tier ferocious beast, the Black-maned Wild Boar, for fear that she would be frightened if she knew.

Su Lan looked at him with some skepticism, but seeing that he was indeed alright, she finally relaxed. Clutching the jade bottle, she turned and ran towards the nearby nurses' station, shouting as she ran, "Doctor! Doctor! We have Qi and Blood Pills! Please, please save my husband!"

Dr. Li, who was on duty, rushed over upon hearing the commotion. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the jade bottle in Su Lan's hand. He quickly led the nurse to open the ward door. Lin Chen wanted to follow them in, but the nurse stopped him outside the ward door.

"Family members are waiting outside; please do not disturb the doctors during treatment."

Lin Chen nodded, stepped back, and stood in front of the glass window at the entrance of the ward, his gaze fixed on his father on the hospital bed.

Father Lin Jianguo lay on the white hospital bed, his entire body wrapped in thick white gauze. Blood was still seeping from the gauze wrapped around his abdomen and right arm. His face was ashen from blood loss, his lips were dry and cracked, and his breathing was so weak that his chest barely rose and fell. His usually calloused hands, capable of lifting hundreds of pounds of ore, now hung limply at his sides, an IV needle inserted into the back of his left hand.

Seeing his father like this, Lin Chen was completely unaware that his fingernails were digging deep into his palms and bleeding.

He remembered his childhood, when his father would lift him above his head with those rough, calloused hands, smiling and saying he would make him a powerful martial artist. He also remembered how his father would quietly bring him a bowl of hot porridge every time he practiced late into the night, with an egg hidden at the bottom that he couldn't bear to eat. He remembered how his father volunteered to work in the most dangerous mining area to raise money for his martial arts training, and when he returned with wounds on his arms from being scratched by ferocious beasts, he would always smile and say it was nothing, just an accidental scratch.

Previously, he could only watch helplessly as his parents risked their lives for him because he was powerless. Now, thanks to the Star Martial Inheritance, he also has the power to protect his family, and he must never let such a thing happen again.

Inside the ward, Dr. Li carefully pried open the father's mouth, poured out the Qi and Blood Pill from the jade bottle, ground it into powder, dissolved it in warm water, and slowly fed it into his mouth.

Time passed slowly, each second feeling like an eternity.

Lin Chen stared intently at his father's face on the hospital bed. A miracle occurred. About ten minutes later, the previously pale face gradually regained a faint hue; the faint, almost nonexistent rise and fall of his chest became steady and strong; seeing his father's improvement, Lin Chen's brows, which had been furrowed with anxiety, relaxed completely, and he felt completely relieved.

Half an hour later, Dr. Li came out of the ward and gave Lin Chen and his mother a happy smile: "Alright, the patient is out of danger. This Qi and Blood Pill is very effective and has stabilized his condition. With a month of rest and some basic healing medicine, he will make a full recovery without any aftereffects."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Li! Thank you so much!"

Upon hearing this, Su Lan's legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground, but fortunately Lin Chen caught her in time. She leaned against her son, covered her face with her hands, and burst into tears. This time, it was not a cry of despair for life, but a cry of relief at surviving a disaster.

Lin Chen gently patted his mother's back, his tense spirit from the entire afternoon finally relaxing. He let out a long sigh, feeling all his strength drain away, yet also experiencing an unprecedented sense of peace.

Thankfully, he made it in time. Thankfully, his father was unharmed.

He helped his mother sit down on the bench and poured her a glass of warm water: "Mom, rest for a while. Dad's fine now. You haven't eaten all day, I'll go downstairs to the cafeteria to buy you something to eat."

Su Lan took his hand, shook her head, and looked at him with teary eyes: "Mom isn't hungry. Xiao Chen, you've suffered so much. It's your parents' fault for making you suffer with us and for making you take such a big risk for us."

"Mom, don't say that." Lin Chen squatted down and looked at his mother earnestly as he replied, "You are my parents, it's only right that I protect you. You used to protect me, now it's my turn to protect you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unwavering conviction. Su Lan looked at her son before her and suddenly realized that the quiet little boy who used to follow her around had grown into a strong man capable of protecting their family. A hint of relief flashed in her eyes, but even more so, heartache.

Lin Chen let his mother rest on a bench in the hallway outside the ward, while he slowly walked into the ward and sat down by his father's bed.

His father was breathing evenly and sleeping soundly. Lin Chen reached out and gently grasped his father's rough hands, feeling the warmth from his palms.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on Lin Chen and his father's pale face. The ward was quiet, with only the soft beeping of the medical equipment.

Lin Chen looked at his father's face, then turned to look out the window. Beyond the distant horizon, the outline of the Qingmang Forest was faintly visible, and further away, there was the boundless wilderness of ferocious beasts, and the higher and farther martial arts sky.

He knew that his father's healing was just the beginning.

In this world where martial prowess reigns supreme, the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—has never changed. The beast tides in the mining areas could erupt again at any moment, the bullying by aristocratic families will not cease, and the hardships faced by the lower classes are ever-present.

To truly protect his family, to free his parents from the hardships of the mining area, and to live a stable life, he must become stronger.

His cultivation at the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm was not enough. He needed to advance step by step to the Blood Qi Realm, Qi Gathering Realm, Meridian Opening Realm, and so on, to enter the top martial arts academy and become a true powerhouse.

Lin Chen slowly clenched his fist, feeling the surging blood and qi within his body. The cultivation path of the "Ancient Star Martial Body Forging Technique" in his mind flowed automatically, and the spiritual energy around him quietly gathered, causing his cultivation to steadily improve without a sound.

His eyes were clear and firm, without the slightest hint of confusion.

The strong are not judged by their origins, and those from humble backgrounds have no fixed destiny.

From the moment he awakened his Star Martial Core, from the moment he used his own power to obtain this life-saving pill, his life was completely rewritten. The young man's martial spirit became increasingly unbreakable.

Lin Chen's extraordinary journey is slowly unfolding amidst the warmth of family affection in this humble family.