Street Stories: A True Account of a Group of Blind Men in the Underworld

The next morning, Qiao Yang, An Tai, and Li You finished their breakfast early and followed Qiao Lei to board the carriage prepared for them by the manager of Wanxin Trading Company.

The wheels rolled over the rough dirt road, the dull "roll" echoing across the empty fields, breaking the silence of the countryside.

Li You's mind was still preoccupied with the previous divination, and he finally couldn't contain himself any longer, so he eagerly asked Qiao Yang:

"Brother, that child... can he really pull through?"

Qiao Yang closed his eyes to rest, his breathing steady. When he spoke, his voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness:

"The divination is static, but people are dynamic."

I have averted his death and given him a sliver of hope. The rest depends on the doctor's skill and his own fate.

An Tai leaned against the corner of the carriage, his tone heavy:

"You're forcibly changing your tune against the heavens. One wrong step and all the reputation you've built up over the years will be ruined."

"Can a great reputation outweigh the value of a living, breathing human life?"

Qiao Yang suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them:

"My livelihood in this world isn't based on making absolute pronouncements or speaking with absolute certainty, but on the conscience in my heart!"

Qiao Lei, who was listening nearby, was completely confused. He scratched his head, leaned forward, grinned, and changed the subject:

"Brother Yang, you're spouting those mysterious and profound principles of divination again. I don't understand a single word of them."

All I know is that Su Yue is still waiting for you in Baodi, and your parents are already busy preparing for your happy occasion!

Upon hearing the name Su Yue, Qiao Yang's tense expression softened instantly.

She was the woman he cherished most in his heart, gentle, dignified, and well-educated. Although he couldn't see her, hearing her laughter was like a gentle spring breeze.

On this journey, he endured hardships and slept outdoors. His only wish was to accumulate more money so that he could marry her in a grand and glorious way and protect her for the rest of her life.

"How...is she doing lately?" Qiao Yang rarely showed a hint of unease and tenderness.

"It couldn't be better!"

Qiao Lei burst into laughter, "I've been looking forward to your return home every day, afraid that you'll be wandering around and suffering hardships outside."

By the way, the tea set the shopkeeper gave you as a parting gift was a top-quality porcelain treasure. It will be perfect for serving tea to your elders at your wedding!

The group chatted and laughed, and the stress and fatigue from the past few days of travel dissipated.

"Whoa—!"

Just then, the driver suddenly tightened the reins, and the horse, in pain, reared up and neighed loudly.

Caught off guard, everyone's bodies slammed hard against the wooden planks of the carriage, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

"What happened?!" An Tai's face darkened, and he demanded sharply.

The driver's voice trembled, revealing an undisguised panic:

"Sir! There's someone blocking the way ahead!"

Qiao Yang frowned, immediately pushed open the car door, and jumped out, with Qiao Lei, who was sitting in the passenger seat, following closely behind.

In the morning mist, two disheveled figures were kneeling straight in the middle of the road!

The woman was wearing a faded blue cloth shirt, and the old man's hair was as white as snow. Both of them looked haggard and desperate—they were the mother and grandfather of the critically ill child from yesterday!

The child's mother caught sight of Qiao Yang and, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw, scrambled to him, her cries heart-wrenching.

"Sir! Mr. Joe! Please save my child! Save my child!"

The old man also cried out, "Sir, we listened to everything you said and rushed to the county hospital immediately!"

But the doctor said...that the child was terminally ill and there was nothing they could do. He told us to prepare for the worst!

Qiao Yang's heart sank suddenly, as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his body temperature plummeted.

Li You and An Tai got off the car immediately afterward, and their expressions changed drastically upon hearing about the situation.

"Brother, didn't you say there was still a chance?" Li You asked urgently in a low voice.

Qiao Yang ignored her, bent down and steadily helped the limp woman up, his arms as steady as iron, his voice carrying a chilling power:

"Don't cry! Lead the way! I want to see for myself whether this so-called calamity is truly so intractable!"

He had roamed the martial world for over a decade, divining and predicting countless fates, but never before had he been so determined to confront and fight against this predetermined destiny!

"Turn the car around! Head to the child's house!"

At Qiao Yang's command, the servants did not hesitate, and the carriage quickly turned around and sped towards the village not far away.

Inside the carriage, the child's mother was crying so hard she nearly fainted, repeatedly muttering to herself:

"Sir, I did everything you said... I even went to the county hospital, but the doctor said the child wouldn't make it through the night..."

Qiao Yang sat upright with his eyes closed, his face as cold and hard as stone.

The divination clearly indicated a dead end, but he refused to believe it. Could a precious human life really be so cheap?

An Tai sat beside him, his expression grave, and advised in a deep voice:

"Qiao Yang, that divination shows that the offspring transforms into the official ghost, which is an omen of death by ghost. You have already done everything you could. If you are truly powerless to reverse the situation, no one in the world will blame you."

"Uncle-Master, I don't ask anyone to blame me."

Qiao Yang suddenly opened his blind eyes. "But I can't just watch a life go by like this! I can't do it!"

Li You clenched his fists, his blood boiling: "Brother! You really have a way?"

"The divination is static, but people are dynamic."

Qiao Yang spoke slowly and deliberately, each word ringing with conviction and conviction: "Today, we'll help if we can, and we'll fight them to the bitter end!"

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the child's house, Qiao Yang jumped down and, supported by the child's mother, strode into the house.

On the earthen bed, the child's body was burning hot, his little face was abnormally bluish-purple, and his breathing was weak, yet there was still a stubborn rise and fall.

Qiao Yang squatted down, gently placed his fingers on the child's wrist, and immediately spoke, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"The child still has a chance! Get in our carriage immediately and rush to the major hospital in Tangshan! The driver knows the way well, we won't waste a moment!"

The porter looked troubled and hesitated before saying:

"But... the shopkeeper instructed me to make sure you all get to Baodi."

Qiao Lei also became anxious and quickly advised:

"Brother Yang, if we take a detour to rescue her, it might take us two days to get home. Miss Su is still waiting for you anxiously in Baodi!"

Qiao Yang shook his head without the slightest hesitation, his righteous spirit awe-inspiring:

"We can't wait a moment longer to save lives! The shopkeeper is a wise and righteous person, and Su Yue is kind-hearted. If they were here, they would definitely support us in doing this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he instructed the child's mother to pick up the child and get into the car quickly. With his proud spirit, he insisted on using human strength to challenge fate in this materialistic world!

After everyone got into the carriage, Qiao Yang kicked Qiao Lei out, firstly to let him go home and inform his parents and Su Yue so they wouldn't worry; secondly to lighten the weight of the carriage.

The carriage sped along, with Qiao Yang staying by the child's side, checking his pulse every few moments with a calm and reassuring demeanor.

He only performed the most basic first aid: loosening the collar, keeping the child lying on their side to prevent choking, and feeding the child some plain water every now and then. He didn't use any fancy techniques; it was all practical life-saving common sense.

An Tai, Li You, and the child's mother stood guard by the side, not daring to breathe.

For the first time, they discovered that Qiao Yang was not only good at divination and fortune telling, but also more calm and reliable than doctors when it came to life and death.

As evening fell, the lights of Tangshan General Hospital pierced the darkness.

The mother carried her child down and rushed into the emergency room, followed by Qiao Yang, whose voice was clear and strong:

"Emergency! Child has high fever, lung congestion, and is at risk of seizures! Breathing is stable on the way; there's still hope!"

The on-duty doctor rushed over, and after a thorough examination, his expression changed drastically, but then he breathed a sigh of relief:

"They brought you here just in time! Any later and it would have been really dangerous! How do you family members know so much? Your positioning and care were all correct!"

Qiao Yang said calmly, "The decision was made on the way; we can't afford to delay."

The doctor gave him a deep look, asked no more questions, and immediately arranged for emergency treatment.

The red light is on.

The child's mother slumped onto the bench, crying until her body went limp, but it was no longer despair, but the lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

The old man and the child's father also arrived at the hospital shortly afterward. Upon hearing the situation, they knelt down before Qiao Yang:

"Sir, you are our family's savior... The doctors in the county said there was no hope, but you pulled him back from the brink of death!"

Qiao Yang spoke calmly:

"I didn't pull anyone along; the child held on by himself, and the hospital could treat him. Divination is static, but people are dynamic; paths are made by walking, and lives are saved by people."

An Tai patted Qiao Yang's shoulder heavily, and Li You also shook his hand.

They used to think Qiao Yang was just a martial arts master, but today they truly understand—

What he excels at is not divination, but conscience, ability, and the courage to confront a dead end head-on.

Soon after, the emergency room lights went out.

The doctor walked out of the operating room, took off his mask, and smiled with relief.

"He's out of danger! Observe him for another night, and he'll most likely be out of danger. You...you really saved his life."

With those words, everyone's hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.