Ninth In the World

Panda Novel

Di Jiu was still thinking about ways to obtain a technique he could use for cultivation, when somebody walked in again.

This time, it was a girl. Di Jiu thought she had to be younger than 20. She looked delicate and pretty in her blue pair of tight-fitting jeans and loose T-shirt. The girl, who was carrying a simple bag, looked young and energetic.

“Who are you looking for?” Di Jiu stood up.

The girl did not reply right away. Instead, she scanned the pharmacy before answering, “Are you the person that Brother Hu hired? Where is that Fox guy who used to work here?”

As soon as he heard her words, Di Jiu realized who she was. “You must be Tan Yueyue, right?”

Tan Yueyue was the granddaughter of the shopkeeper, Elder Tan Jie. Di Jiu had heard that she attended the Swallow Capital University’s Institute of Martial Arts. Even if Tan Yueyue had decided to return though, she should not have come directly to the Apricot Lake Hall. Other than the few wards outside the Apricot Lake Hall, this was no longer a medical center.

The young girl gave him a beautiful smile. “That’s right, I’m Tan Yueyue. You should be calling me boss, though.”

Tan Yueyue immediately walked over to him, put down her bag and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Di Jiu.”

“That’s a pretty nice name.” Tan Yueyue said as she walked around Di Jiu. Then she added, “You look really young. Why do you have such a serious expression? You need to relax a little and enjoy life.”

While she was speaking, she gave Di Jiu a soft pat.

Di Jiu was stunned for a moment. Was he living life too seriously? That was not like him at all. Back when he had been fooling around in Pearl City, he’d had affairs with all sorts of young ladies…

Had the elimination of his family made him this serious? Maybe Zhen Man had lost any respect she’d had for him because she had seen his behavior in Pearl City.

Even though the Di family didn’t exist anymore, Di Jiu didn’t have to live with such a heavy heart for the rest of his life. He should remember the hatred he felt, but not show it on his face all the time. Plus, it was none of his concern what type of men Zhen Man liked.

He had lived in the Ji Nation his entire life, so he could not believe that what he was missing right now were the times he had fooled around in Pearl City without restraint and the moments he had goofed around with Qu Xiaoshu. He wondered how Qu Xiaoshu was doing right now.

“What’s wrong? Is something on your mind?” Tan Yueyue lifted her hand and waved it in front of Di Jiu’s eyes.

Di Jiu laughed heartily as he suddenly stretched out his hands and grabbed Tan Yueyue by the shoulders. “You are right! I am still alive, so why shouldn’t I be as relaxed and cheerful as I used to be?”

“Hey, don’t take advantage of me.” Tan Yueyue lowered her shoulders to shrug off Di Jiu’s hands.

“What are you doing here? I’m the only person around, and I am just watching the place.” Di Jiu, who was feeling much better, felt thankful for Tan Yueyue. He was still alive. He just needed to relax a little.

Tan Yueyue sized Di Jiu up. “That serious look on your face was just for show, wasn’t it? This is your real personality, isn’t it? Just relax, I won’t deduct any money from your salary. However, since you took advantage of me and Fox isn’t here, could you do me a favor?”

“What kind of favor?” Di Jiu asked.

“I need to attend a dance party tonight, but I have too many things to do. Could you attend it on my behalf and say that you are my…”

Before Tan Yueyue could think of an appropriate word, two more people came to the door.

Both of them were wearing sunglasses, so if one did not look closely enough at them, they might not be able to tell who they were.

The moment the two of them walked in, Di Jiu immediately recognized them. It was Shi Jinshan and the guy she had been carrying on her back. Di Jiu’s face immediately became ugly.

He had saved the man’s life and gotten in trouble for it. As soon as Shi Jinshan had left, he had almost been killed by someone seeking revenge. If he had not mastered the first saber move of the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers, he would have been assassinated.

Di Jiu’s expression was dark as he wondered how long it had been since he had extracted the bullets from the man’s body. The man could surprisingly already move around on his own, which meant that he had to be very strong.

“You are alright!” Shi Jinshan shouted excitedly as soon as she saw Di Jiu. When she realized that her tone was inappropriate, she immediately shut up.

Di Jiu’s face turned even darker. From the looks of it, the woman had known that he would get in danger for helping them, yet she had not bothered warning him.

“Greetings, my benefactor. I’m Fei Qi. Thank you so much for saving my life.” The man’s face was pale, but his movements were swift. As he spoke, he bowed and cupped his fists to show his deep respect.

Di Jiu did not say a word, but Tan Yueyue covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Did you travel forward in time from antiquity? Why are you so old-fashioned?”

“The Fei family teaches all its members to repay any life-saving favors with their own lives, so if there is anything you would like me to do, I would never say no,” Fei Qi said with a straight face.

If Tan Yueyue had not been present, Fei Qi might have confessed that he had almost endangered Di Jiu.

Di Jiu, who could sense that Fei Qi was not someone who bit the hand that fed him, nodded his head. He hated dealing with ingrates. The Ji Nation’s King Ming Yi, Wu Bahu, had been a typical example of an ingrate. Too bad that his father had trusted in him too deeply. Di Jiu used to be as pure and naive as a child. Before he had discovered his desire to explore his martial roots and his love of women, he had always been fooling around in Pearl City. How could he have suspected that his fifth brother had been killed by Wu Bahu?

Tan Yueyue, who could sense Fei Qi’s sincerity, stopped laughing. “How did Di Jiu save you?” she asked.

Fei Qi did not answer. Instead, he looked questioningly at Di Jiu.

Di Jiu laughed. “I operated on him. This is my boss, by the way.”

“I had a serious injury recently, and Doctor Di operated on me and saved my life,” Fei Qi replied with a straight face.

From his point of view, Di Jiu had basically told Tan Yueyue everything.

“You know how to operate on people?” Tan Yueyue eyed Di Jiu doubtfully. She had thought that his job was just to watch the place, sweep the floors and keep it clean. Plus, there was no condition that anyone working there had to know how to operate on people.

“It was a small surgery. I failed my entry test at university, but I met a master who was very knowledgeable. My master was the best doctor in China. He could treat diseases that could not be treated at normal hospitals very easily. I learned almost all his skills, so you could say that I have surpassed my master,” Di Jiu told them casually as his mind traveled back to the days he had spent fooling around in Pearl City and having the time of his life. He was not lying. There were a few masters who had taught him before, but their skills were most likely no better than his right now.

Ever since he had been enlightened by Tan Yueyue, Di Jiu was feeling much more relaxed. He had survived, so there was no reason to place unneeded pressure on himself. Compared to how he had been feeling when he had first gotten there, when he had been eager to return quickly so that he could kill Wu Bahu, Di Jiu was definitely feeling very different right now.

“You are really good at blowing your own horn. You aren’t trying to woo me, are you? I’m a student at the Swallow Capital University’s Institute of Martial Arts. You sure are very daring.” Tan Yueyue was stunned as she stared at Di Jiu.

Di Jiu chuckled. “You are very different from my usual type…”

“Your skin is really thick,” Tan Yueyue sneered at him. There was nobody at the Swallow Capital University who could beat her in terms of looks besides Ceng Beizi.

“Doctor Di’s medical skills are indeed shocking. I have never met a doctor with better medical skills than him,” Shi Jinshan said seriously as she stood next to them.

“Your skills are really that good?” Tan Yueyue asked uncertainly, sizing Di Jiu up again.

Di Jiu gestured with his hand. “There is no doubt about this. Tell me more about that party that you want me to attend.”

“It’s actually great that you’ve studied medicine. If anybody asks you, tell them that you just graduated from the medical school of Duke University. Don’t forget to mention that you are my younger cousin.”

When she finished speaking, she took a box and an invitation out of her bag. She had been so stunned by Di Jiu’s bragging that she had forgotten all about the favor that she had asked him for. She could imagine how many women the guy had lied to in the past. If his medical skills were really that good, why would he work there as a guard?

“Please give this present to Su You and wish her a happy birthday. My grandfather came down to Luo Jin to visit a friend, so I have to meet him urgently. Little You knows what I’m about to do. If nobody asks you any questions, don’t say much. Just leave as soon as you give Su You her present and eat some light snacks. Remember, the party is tonight at 8 pm at the Rising River Club.” As soon as Tan Yueyue finished giving him instructions, she stuffed the items into his hands without giving Di Jiu any time to say no. Then, she bade Di Jiu goodbye and stepped out of the compound with big strides.

Di Jiu felt helpless. All he could do was keep the items. He was her employee after all. Although he was obviously older than Tan Yueyue, he still had to pretend that he was her younger cousin.