After A Max-Level Celestial Master Transmigrated Into The Body Of A Sickly Beauty's Substitute - Chapter 2

The “Substitute Life” array had drained much of the vitality from this body. Combined with the backlash from forcibly breaking the array, Lan Ting could not stop blood from spilling from his mouth.

The young man coughed up blood, staining Lan Lin’s expensive coat. In his panic, Lan Lin felt nothing but lingering fear and shock.

The hospital nurses reacted quickly. Almost the moment Lan Lin rushed in carrying him, a nurse in white hurried over. “Please don’t panic! Hand him over to me!”

The nurse reached out calmly to soothe Lan Lin before carefully taking the unconscious youth from his back. A transport gurney was immediately pushed over. Several nurses worked together to lay Lan Ting flat before rushing him into the emergency ward.

“Dr. Li is on shift today! Contact him immediately!”

In the elevator, Lan Lin looked at his younger brother, whose life hung in the balance, and felt his palms grow cold. His mind went blank, but his body followed his instincts, answering the nurse’s questions. “I do not know the cause. He was already like this when I found him.”

The nurse’s expression darkened. After a quick emergency assessment, she took a deep breath and said, “Please prepare yourself for the worst.”

She did not elaborate, but everyone understood what she meant. Lan Lin clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his skin, and thin beads of blood began to seep from his knuckles.

As they exited the elevator, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed through the corridor. The doctor rushed over. “The operating room is ready. Take him in directly.”

Having learned the basic symptoms on the way, the doctor looked down at Lan Ting with a grave expression. The white lab coats blurred before him, the gurney wheels turned, and the lights of the operating room flickered to life.

The nurse who stayed outside helped Lan Lin with the paperwork, asking him to sign his name in the family section. Moments later, the operating room doors opened, and the doctor stepped out. “The patient is suffering from multi-organ failure. The situation is critical. I must issue a notice of critical condition to the family.”

Without waiting to explain further, he returned to the operating room.

Left alone to face the cold, closed doors, Lan Lin was calmer than he had expected. His fingertips were deathly cold. He slowly raised his hand and called his parents, who were far away in another country.

Perhaps because his soul and body were not yet fully compatible, Lan Ting’s soul detached from his body and drifted to the side as he was placed on the operating table.

Inside the operating room, the doctors were busy. The room was silent except for the sounds of medical equipment and the occasional request from the staff. Lan Ting stood with his arms crossed, watching coldly as they tested the defibrillator and scalpels against his body.

His soul looked to be in a wretched state, ragged and far from solid.

Thin strands of white mist floated in the air. As the doctors’ expressions grew increasingly grim, the mist coiled toward Lan Ting like silk threads. Strand after strand, they bound the young man’s shattered soul together. Lan Ting raised an eyebrow, surprised. He reached out slightly, and the white mist wound around his fingertips, carrying a peculiar spiritual energy.

“Faith?”

He had not expected these people to harbor such strong faith. This made things easier. Although faith was different from spiritual energy, it was enough to address his immediate needs.

“What a nuisance,” Lan Ting muttered. To die and live, only to live and die again—what a chore.

The young man flicked his fingers casually. The white mist, mixed with thin wisps of spiritual energy, gathered in his palm, piece by piece, turning from threads into a glowing orb of light. Once gathered, Lan Ting flicked his finger, and the spiritual light fell into the center of his physical body’s forehead.

As the doctor’s steady, precise scalpel descended, Lan Ting parted his lips: “Wei Yue Yan, break the curse.”

The spiritual energy gathered in his body vanished in an instant. Even in his soul state, Lan Ting’s complexion turned deathly pale. At the same time, the Wei Yue Yan star in the sky flickered. Unlike the previous massive, aggressive attack, this time the stars were faint, and pinpoints of starlight fell from the horizon, merging bit by bit into the operating table.

Then, Lan Ting slumped over, his entire soul sinking back into his physical body.

Just then, someone exclaimed in a low voice, “His heartbeat has returned!”

“What happened? The organ failure suddenly stopped!”

The red line on the monitor, which had been nearly flat, began to undulate. All the doctors present were pleasantly surprised. “Continue!”

Outside the operating room, Lan Lin had finished his call with his parents and waited anxiously for a long time. When the doors finally opened, he hurried toward the doctor but hesitated to speak. To ease his anxiety, the doctor’s expression softened slightly. “The patient is temporarily out of danger.”

The words lifted a heavy burden from Lan Lin’s heart. He took two steps back, gasping for air in relief. Soon, Lan Ting was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for observation. Inside the ICU, the young man remained in a deep sleep.

“His will to live is very strong; he should wake up soon,” the doctor said outside the ward. “Multi-organ failure is usually fatal. But during the rescue, for some reason, the failure stopped, and he even showed signs of recovery.”

Having practiced medicine for many years, Dr. Li found the situation unheard of. Once away from the operating table, he relaxed, putting his hands in his pockets. “Situations that science cannot explain, we call miracles.”

After some time, seeing his brother—though weak, looking more at peace—Lan Lin’s emotions finally settled. He turned to pay the hospital bills, but near the window, he ran into an acquaintance.

Upon seeing the man, Lan Lin guessed his intent. His expression darkened, eyes filled with disgust, and he turned to walk away. However, the man had no sense of tact and stepped forward to block him.

“President Lan.” The man called out, quickly standing in front of him.

Lan Lin looked at the middle-aged man. “What? Is Gu Guixi dead? Are you here to collect his body?”

Steward He had not expected Lan Lin to be so blunt and stiffened in surprise. Not knowing the full story, the steward felt awkward. Usually, even if this President Lan did not like his master, he would show some courtesy for the sake of the young master of the Lan family. He had not expected such sudden hostility.

“President Lan, what are you saying? Mr. Gu only has a mild concussion and some external injuries. It is not that serious.”

Lan Lin made no effort to hide his disappointment. “That is truly a pity.”

Steward He said nothing. As people in the public area began to look over, the man, wanting to save face, chose to keep quiet. But just as he was about to leave, Lan Lin paused and suddenly asked, “Which ward is Gu Guixi in?”

Steward He hesitated. “He is in 301.”

After hearing this, Lan Lin gave a cold hum and, without another word, turned and walked away.

By dusk, as the sun went down, Lan Ting opened his eyes in the hospital bed. At that moment, a nurse happened to be changing his medication. Seeing him wake up, she immediately pressed the bedside button. Within moments, doctors and nurses rushed into the room.

Amidst the movement of white lab coats, Lan Ting remained quiet, allowing them to examine him. After observing for a long while, Dr. Li frowned. “Why does something seem wrong?”

The youth on the bed was pale, his lips colorless. With his snow-white hair, he looked like a piece of fragile white paper resting on the bed. The nurse hesitated and waved her hand in front of his open eyes. As she moved, she accidentally bumped into a cup on the side, causing a clattering sound, but the youth on the bed showed no reaction. Even as her hand waved, his dark pupils did not flicker in the slightest.

Dr. Li’s heart sank. He pursed his lips. “Notify the family. We need to run more tests.”

Everyone looked at the young man, their gazes lingering on his eyes and ears with pity. It was a pity; he was so good-looking, so why must he be like this?

Since the results were not out yet, Dr. Li did not want to jump to conclusions and did not tell Lan Lin immediately.

A while later, Lan Lin hurried into the ward, disinfecting his hands and brushing dust off his clothes. His shirt was wrinkled, as if he had just been in a fight. After cleaning up, he carefully approached the bed and sat down.

His brother was staring blankly ahead, his eyelashes fluttering occasionally. He looked much better than when he had been unconscious.

Lan Lin opened his mouth, his tone stiff. “It is good that you are awake.”

Because of Gu Guixi, Lan Lin and Lan Ting had quarreled many times, their relationship growing colder by the day. It had been a long time since Lan Lin had spoken to Lan Ting properly.

The young man on the bed remained motionless, giving no answer.

The fluctuation of spiritual power in the air was obvious. Lan Ting had sensed it the moment Lan Lin entered. But he was not in a good state; his vision was pitch black, there was no sound in his ears, and the world was dark and quiet. This silence made him deeply irritable. His hands clenched under the quilt, and his expression grew colder.

In Lan Lin’s eyes, this looked like his brother still refusing to acknowledge him. The sight fueled his frustration, but he took a deep breath and spoke anyway.

“I have already canceled your engagement to Gu Guixi.”

As he spoke, Lan Lin reached out to rub his aching knuckles.

After he finished, the room returned to silence. Lan Lin looked at the expressionless youth who kept his eyes open, a sense of unease gnawing at him.

“Xiao Ting?”

Just as he spoke, a knock came from the door. Lan Lin turned to see Dr. Li holding a report.

Ten minutes later, Lan Lin’s voice was hoarse, his gaze fixed tightly on the report in his hands. He struggled to speak. “What does this mean?”

Dr. Li sighed. “Lan’s eyes, ears, and throat have all been affected to varying degrees. Since you do not know what caused these injuries, it makes it difficult for us to narrow down the diagnosis. But the hospital will do its best.”

Lan Lin crumpled the report in his grip. After a long silence, he asked in a rasping voice, “Is his life in danger?”

Dr. Li replied, “His vital signs are stable, and he is temporarily out of danger. However, his illness is mysterious, and we need to observe him for a few more days.”

“Can it be cured?”

The doctor did not give a definitive answer. “The hospital will try its best.”

For such a pampered and beloved brother to suddenly suffer such a disaster was a devastating blow. Dr. Li soon signaled for the nurses to leave, giving Lan Lin space.

Lan Lin took a long time to compose himself before returning to the bedside.

Had Lan Lin been a practitioner of the Dao, he would have been able to see the thin spiritual energy gathering in the room, eventually flowing into the young man’s spirit center. The energy was gentle, repairing the shattered shell bit by bit.

After a while, faint sounds of wind began to enter his ears.

Escaping the cursed silence, Lan Ting’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed. When the sound of a door opening echoed, he turned his head.

Lan Ting had not moved since waking; this turn of his head was a massive effort. Lan Lin, previously filled with grief, saw this and a spark of hope immediately ignited.

“Xiao Ting?”

He walked over and pressed the call button. As he did so, Lan Ting turned his gaze toward him.

“Xiao Ting, can you hear me?”

It was a silly question. Lan Ting did not want to answer, but upon reflection, he remembered this was not his old life. He paused, his expression softening, looking exactly like the original owner of this body.

Lan Ting nodded. Lan Lin stood up, overjoyed.

Dr. Li returned. Lan Lin immediately walked over and said, “Doctor, look! There is a mistake in the report. My brother can hear!”

“He can hear?” Dr. Li was surprised. He went to the bedside and performed a detailed examination. Throughout the process, the youth on the bed remained quiet, obedient, and cooperative, appearing truly pitiful.

“Strange. During the previous examination, there was truly no hearing, but now it has recovered.”

Dr. Li took a sharp breath. Lan Lin asked quickly, “What about my brother’s eyes and throat?”

The doctor shook his head. “His eyes show no reaction to light stimulation; he still cannot see. As for his throat… Mr. Lan, can you speak?”

Lan Ting, on the bed, blinked. As they hoped, he opened his mouth and said, “Ah.”

No effective syllables came out; the sound was dry, short, and nothing more than a meaningless breath.

Lan Lin’s expression darkened, but being able to hear was already a massive improvement. He quickly adjusted his mindset.

After a few more checks, the doctor said, “There are indeed some special cases, such as stress-induced blindness and mutism following major trauma, but the prognosis is uncertain.”

In front of Lan Ting, Lan Lin did not ask the doctor if he could be cured. He nodded, sent the doctor away, and peeled an apple for his brother. After finishing, he remembered the doctor’s instruction that he could not eat yet, so he set the apple on the bedside table, untouched.

Soon, someone knocked on the door. A police officer in uniform stood outside, waiting quietly. Lan Ting sensed it and turned his head. Lan Lin tucked the quilt around him, soothing him.

“Brother will go take a look.”

The youth, half of his face buried in the quilt, nodded. “Okay.”

The door closed, leaving only the sound of equipment in the room. Lan Ting coughed silently a few times, closed his eyes, and felt a familiar ripple in the air. It was that vengeful ghost.

The ghost he had freed from the jade Buddha, which was bound tightly to Gu Guixi, had awakened.

Lan Ting yawned, a touch of color returning to his pale face. He reached up and touched the corner of his eye. As if he had suffered no backlash at all, he slowly threw off the quilt and stepped off the bed, pulling out the needle from the back of his hand and removing the sensors.

As he did all this, none of the equipment in the room triggered an alarm.

The youth walked slowly, but every step was precise, bypassing obstacles in his path. Feeling the distance behind the ward door, Lan Ting tilted his head. “So far.”

The police were talking to Lan Lin far away. Turning the corner of the corridor, they could not see the ward door opening as someone slipped out silently.

Lan Ting snapped his fingers. The next second, a wisp of Yin energy floated out, acting as an arrow to guide his way. This Yin energy was the same little trinket he had plucked from the vengeful ghost when he shattered the jade Buddha.

There were many people in the hospital corridor doing rehabilitation. Although Lan Ting was wearing a hospital gown, he did not look out of place. It was just his face, and that snow-white hair, that drew curious gazes.

Lan Ting’s expression remained normal. He could accurately avoid pedestrians a second before colliding with them, making it impossible for anyone to tell he was blind.

Following the Yin energy through several turns and taking the elevator, Lan Ting finally stopped at the corner of ward 301. Many people were gathered at the door of 301. By their clothing, one could tell there were bodyguards, police, and lawyers. The lawyer was communicating with the police outside; the situation inside the room was unknown.

There were too many people; entering rashly would definitely not work.

Lan Ting’s dark eyes flashed. He could not see, but he could hear and feel.

The air was heavy with the breath of the living. The youth lowered his eyes, his gaze shifting toward the sliver of Yin energy. He raised his hand, plucking at the Yin energy as if playing an ancient zither.

Inside the ward, Gu Guixi’s entire head was wrapped in gauze, revealing only his eyes, nose, and mouth. He lay on the hospital bed, his eyes sinister. Standing in the room were his parents. A luxuriously dressed middle-aged woman was crying, her eyes red and swollen, spewing profanities and cursing the Lan family.

No one noticed the red light that flashed across Gu Guixi’s body.

Listening to his mother’s cursing, Gu Guixi grew impatient. He was about to speak, but the next moment, his entire world went black.

“Mom.”

The woman, who had been ranting, stopped and looked at her son. “What is it, Xiao Xi?”

The visible part of Gu Guixi’s eyes curved. He looked down and subconsciously smoothed his temple.

“I am a bit tired. You all should go out first,” he said. He added, “Stay further away. You are talking outside, and it is giving me a headache.”

A concussion headache was not a minor ailment. Upon hearing this, his mother immediately became nervous, softening her voice. “Should the bodyguards leave, too?”

“Yes.”

His mother was still worried. “What if the bodyguards leave and that Lan Lin comes back to cause trouble for you?”

“He will not.”

The middle-aged woman wanted to say more, but meeting Gu Guixi’s eyes, his gaze inexplicably made her heart jump. But the next second, Gu Guixi’s eyes curved again. “It is fine. Hurry up and go out.”

Outside the ward, Lan Ting did not wait long. Soon, the presence at the door of 301 began to dissipate. After they had retreated to a certain distance, Lan Ting walked in slowly.

Inside the room, Gu Guixi stood there, his eyes vacant, staring at Lan Ting as he entered. Behind him, a female ghost dressed in red, her Yin energy radiating, clung affectionately to his back. Her nails were long and sharp.

Lan Ting’s pupils did not flicker. He casually reached out and tore apart all the fingernails that were about to poke into his pupils.

Lan Ting flicked his finger against the Yin energy. “I suggest you behave.”

The female ghost paused, saying gloomily, “What do you want to do?”

“Nothing.”

The young man’s movements were impossibly fast. The vengeful ghost could not even see what seal he had cast; she only knew that a wound had been sliced into Gu Guixi’s chest.

A drop of blood from the heart flowed into her spirit center. The wounds caused by being trapped and tortured by the jade Buddha for too long were gradually healing.

The heart blood of a living person gathered half of their spiritual energy and was linked to the soul; to a vengeful ghost, it was a potent supplement. This one drop was enough for the ghost to cling tightly to Gu Guixi until she recovered, eventually bringing him to his death.

The ghost looked at Lan Ting, her expression complex. “Who are you?”

“Knowing too much is not good for you.”

Having said the last sentence, the Yin energy slipped from Lan Ting’s fingertips and returned to the ghost. The young man’s frame was thin and sickly; he turned and disappeared outside the door.

Lan Ting curled his lips. This is interesting.