Chapter 527: Who am I? I'm the freakin' Ginseng King!

At that moment, the pediatric IV room, usually filled with the cries of children, echoed with the joyous sounds of their laughter and play.

"Master, isn't this enough?" Ginseng protested. He gestured towards his parched lips. He'd spat until he was dry. In his current state, he needed at least three buckets of water to recover.

Lin Fan stroked Ginseng's head and said gently, "Just a little longer, okay?"

Ginseng desperately wanted to refuse, but seeing his master's gaze, he silently lowered his head. There was nothing more he could say. Things had already reached this point.

The Evil Chicken's heart bled.

So much saliva! Given away for free! If only it were all for him! With that power, his strength would skyrocket. He'd shoot up like a rocket!

Inside the Dean's office…

"Throw them out!" The hospital director's brow furrowed upon hearing the report. Someone was treating children in the pediatric IV room, and with remarkable results. A mysterious water seemed to cure them instantly. While fascinating, the crux of the matter was that this was poaching their business.

Running a hospital was about making money. It was like going to a restaurant – you had to pay. Now, someone was using their space, cooking for free, and feeding others. This behavior was intolerable.

"But that person is Lin Fan."

"No one is exempt! Even the King of Heaven himself should be thrown out! Wait, who did you say it was?"

"Lin Fan from the Special Department. The internet calls him 'God Lin'."

The director froze, stunned. He hadn't expected such a prominent figure. This wasn't someone he could afford to offend. However, the current situation was equally intolerable.

If this continued, how could the hospital operate?

"Forget it. Pretend nothing happened."

He couldn't afford to offend him, couldn't afford to provoke him. Feigning ignorance was the wisest course of action.

The reporting doctor, seeing the director's expression, understood his fear. How cunning! Against the weak, a heavy fist; against the strong, subservience and pretending nothing happened.

Outside the hospital…

Ginseng was completely drained. He was faking it, of course, but spitting until his mouth was dry was very real.

Thinking about it all, he found it terrifying.

They really didn't treat him, the Ginseng King, like royalty. During the spitting, he even wondered if he was some kind of water dispenser.

"Ginseng, you've worked hard." Lin Fan held Ginseng in his arms, stroking his head. "You're truly amazing. Don't you feel good? Those parents are so grateful to you."

Cradled in Lin Fan's arms, Ginseng reveled in the comfort. Being held by his master was pure bliss.

As for the part about the grateful parents…

He didn't care.

"Lin Fan, I want a hug too!"

Xiao Bao tugged at Lin Fan's arm, acting spoiled. In public, Xiao Bao always sported a slicked-back hairstyle, shiny leather shoes, and a haughty expression. But with Lin Fan, he was just a child vying for attention.

"Alright."

Lin Fan adored Xiao Bao. He never refused such small requests. He picked him up, giving him and Ginseng each a side.

Xiao Bao wrapped his arms around Lin Fan's neck, beaming.

He was so grateful to those kidnappers. If it weren't for them, he wouldn't have met Lin Fan.

Just then, a young man approached Lin Fan and abruptly knelt before him.

"God Lin, please bestow your medicine upon us! Save my child! Please! He's only six years old! Because of our indulgence, he loves snacks. At only six, he's been diagnosed with stomach cancer!"

"Please, give us your medicine! I beg you!"

Zhao Hao knelt before Lin Fan, kowtowing repeatedly. He once had a happy family: living parents, a wife, a son, and a good job. Ideally, such a family should be the epitome of happiness.

But he never imagined…

That such a terrifying disaster would befall his son. From a young age, his son loved all kinds of snacks: fries, fried foods, colorful treats of every kind. He even treated them as his daily meals, throwing tantrums if denied.

Out of love and spoil, they had given in.

But they never expected… such a day would come.

Ginseng was dumbfounded, as if he'd seen a ghost. Was this guy serious? He, the Ginseng King, was a pet, not a tool. Kneeling before his master like this… did he want his master to chop him up?

Lin Fan helped the man up.

"Don't kneel, don't kneel." Lin Fan disliked people kneeling before him.

He'd learned a lot from movies.

For example:

Men shouldn't kneel casually. Only to their parents and their wives. No one else.

He felt this made perfect sense.

"Stomach cancer?" Lin Fan didn't fully grasp the severity of the disease.

Xiao Bao chimed in, "Stomach cancer is very scary. And he's only six. It's so sad. I, Xiao Bao, hate snacks the most. They have so many artificial colors and preservatives. They're very bad for your health."

Zhao Hao hung his head in shame.

Even a child understood better.

"God Lin, please save my family."

Zhao Hao had overheard the commotion in the IV room while in the hospital corridor. He felt a glimmer of hope. Learning it was Lin Fan, a beacon of hope ignited within him.

He rushed to find Lin Fan in a frenzy.

"Ginseng," Lin Fan whispered, glancing at Ginseng. Old Zhang, standing nearby, looked eager, sensing a challenge. If he were allowed to handle this, it would certainly be a test of his abilities.

"Master, you're too kind. I don't understand humans very well, but I know human desire is endless. Saving one person won't save everyone. If others learn about this, it will bring a lot of trouble. Your kindness will be remembered, but when things go wrong, many will curse you."

Ginseng was helpless. He didn't claim to understand the human heart completely, but his previous master was an immortal, and he had interacted with other immortals. Even immortals were like this, let alone humans.

"Yes, you're right. But I think since I have this ability, and I've encountered this situation, why not help? Can you tell me honestly, does helping others affect you?" Lin Fan asked seriously.

If it affected Ginseng, he would help this man, but he wouldn't let Ginseng continue such sacrifices.

He truly wanted to help more people.

But if the joy of helping others was built upon Ginseng's suffering, he couldn't do it.

Ginseng wanted to make up an excuse, but seeing the seriousness in his master's eyes, he knew it was time for the truth.

"It doesn't affect me," Ginseng admitted.

Indeed, there was no impact.

Everything he'd said before was an act. How else could he demonstrate his own value?

Lin Fan softly said, "Can you help him?"

Ginseng looked at Lin Fan. His gaze was clear, as if to say: Master, you've already spoken. Do you think I wouldn't help?

"Here, cup your hands," Ginseng instructed.

To Zhao Hao, these words were like a heavenly chorus. He rushed to Ginseng, cupping his hands as if receiving some sacred relic.

Then, he saw Ginseng tilt his head back like an old man, as if some years-old phlegm was stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

The Evil Chicken blinked, tilting its head with a look of disgust. As Ginseng struggled to produce whatever it was, the Evil Chicken felt incredibly nauseated.

Ginseng hocked a loogie into Zhao Hao's palms.

The '82 vintage phlegm was finally out.

Ginseng's throat felt much better. It felt fantastic.

Zhao Hao stared at the multicolored lump in his hands. It didn't smell foul; instead, a surprisingly pleasant aroma emanated from it. The Evil Chicken, with its keen sense of smell, immediately caught the scent.

Its eyes widened.

This was definitely not comparable to mere saliva.

If only he could swallow it! The Evil Chicken didn't find the phlegm disgusting at all.

Gaining power wasn't shameful.

"Take it home and dissolve it in water," Ginseng instructed.

Zhao Hao, treating it like a precious treasure, carefully cupped his hands, afraid of dropping it. He profusely thanked Lin Fan and hurried away.

"Ginseng, you're amazing," Lin Fan praised.

Ginseng smiled…

He never took these small matters to heart.

He'd already planned his escape route.

Word would spread, attracting all sorts of people with serious illnesses. This was the worst-case scenario he could imagine.

He looked down…

At the short tendrils sprouting from his body, equivalent to human hair. Plucking a few and boiling them in a pot would create the ultimate tonic soup.

Don't think that just because he, a ginseng, grew on this planet, he was ordinary.

He was the Ginseng King!…

A being coveted even by the ancestors of the great interstellar clans.

Back in the hospital…

Zhao Hao rushed back to the ward, carefully holding Ginseng's phlegm. He meticulously transferred it into a cup. The families of other patients in the ward shook their heads at the sight.

A child with a serious illness…

It drove the adults to the brink of madness.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Hao's wife asked.

She knew her husband had been on edge lately, nearing his breaking point. But not only Zhao Hao, she was the same. They didn't know what to do anymore.

Zhao Hao replied, "I've obtained divine medicine. It can cure our son."

Divine medicine?

The surrounding families shook their heads. As expected. When all avenues were exhausted, and despair set in, people started believing in these deceitful things. Even those who never believed in such things would change their minds under such circumstances.

"Don't be crazy! The child is already like this! Can you please stop doing this?" Zhao Hao's wife roared angrily.

She was usually very virtuous, but facing this situation, her emotions had long been suppressed.

Seeing this…

She couldn't help but lash out.

Zhao Hao poured warm water into the cup and looked at his wife. "I'm not crazy. Just now, God Lin was treating the feverish children in the IV room. When I found out, I immediately went over and begged God Lin to help me. God Lin is kind. Seeing my child's suffering, he bestowed this divine medicine upon me."

Then…

Zhao Hao carefully helped his child sit up. "Son, take your medicine."

His wife tried to stop him.

But Zhao Hao glared at her and said firmly, "Trust me, just this once."

That look silenced his wife.

The other families in the ward shook their heads.

This guy… was a bit foolish.

His son had stomach cancer.

What was that thing just now?

Could it cure illness?

A joke.