Chapter 4

When they stepped outside, Guo Ming’s mother’s face was clearly not good, and she frowned, saying, "Are you really giving up on Ming?"

"It’s not that I want to give up, but Ming has no chance anymore, right? There are still over ninety days left. Do you think Ming can create a miracle?" Guo Zhengze shook his head and sighed, "It’s better to let things take their natural course. At worst, he’ll go to a third-rate high school. Then I’ll find someone to see if I can buy him a place in a university."

"That’s all we can do." Guo Ming’s mother thought for a moment and nodded. Then, as if she remembered something, she hurriedly said, "Right, I’ll go buy some pork ribs for Ming and make him a soup when I get home. You stay here and watch over him."

"I know, be careful on your way." Guo Zhengze said softly.

Perhaps neither of them realized that this was the turning point for Guo Ming. Their former disappointment would eventually turn into a joy they could hardly imagine.

Guo Ming felt an intense pain all over his body, as if every bone in his body was being shattered one by one. The excruciating pain made Guo Ming let out a loud, agonized scream.

Guo Zhengze, who was watching Guo Ming, was also startled. Seeing his son’s face suddenly contort and blood gush from his seven orifices, he was terrified and immediately shouted loudly.

The doctors and nurses quickly arrived, and an old doctor frowned, puzzled, "What’s going on?"

"I don’t know either. He suddenly became like this." Guo Zhengze said anxiously, "Doctor, you have to do something. He’s my only son! I’ll do anything, even if it means bankrupting myself."

The doctor thought for a moment but couldn’t figure it out. As he approached Guo Ming, he suddenly caught a foul smell. With years of medical experience, he knew this wasn’t the patient’s excrement. Then he seemed to remember something and shook his head, thinking it was impossible.

But he lowered his head and sniffed again, and his expression changed slightly. He gently pulled back Guo Ming’s clothes and saw a thick, pitch-black layer covering his previously smooth skin. As Guo Ming’s clothes were opened, an unbearable stench spread.

The people present almost fainted from the smell, and even Guo Zhengze felt dizzy, taking a few steps back and quickly covering his nose.

He naturally saw the source of the stench and changed his expression, saying, "Doctor Li, what’s going on?"

Doctor Li, in his sixties, was a highly skilled physician and the best in the county. Many large hospitals in the provincial capital had offered him high salaries, but he stayed because of his attachment to the county.

"Could it be the legendary 'washing the bones and purifying the marrow'?" Doctor Li thought, but he immediately dismissed it, thinking it was something from martial arts novels. He took Guo Ming’s pulse and said after a moment, "There are many toxins in the body, and for some reason, your son has expelled all the accumulated toxins from these years. Don’t worry, his internal organs are fine. We just need to wait and see."

Fortunately, it was this old doctor; otherwise, someone else might have interrupted Guo Ming’s 'washing the bones and purifying the marrow.' The old man was actually refining Guo Ming, and with one palm, he expelled all the toxins from Guo Ming’s body. From then on, he would have a new life.

In fact, when a person is born, their body is the cleanest. As they grow, toxins accumulate in the body. And infants are the smartest, learning at a rate ten times faster than adults, easily mastering several languages.

Three days later, Guo Ming was discharged from the hospital and returned home.

As soon as he got home, he locked himself in his room to quietly reflect on the changes in his body. He wasn’t a fool. After careful thought, he concluded that he had encountered a martial artist by sheer luck. His vision, which was around 4.8, now far exceeded the highest 5.3. This was a significant improvement. He also felt his body becoming stronger. His skin, which was slightly dark before, was now smooth as jade. But the most important change was his memory, which had improved by at least ten times.

He opened an English dictionary and started reading.

Three hours later, Guo Ming’s mother knocked on the door and said softly, "Ming, it’s time to eat."

Guo Ming didn’t respond. His mother, finding this strange, pushed the door open and saw her son deep in thought. She shook her head with relief. Although Guo Zhengze had thoughts of giving up on his son, she, as a mother, never did.

Seeing her son studying diligently, Guo Ming’s mother didn’t want to disturb him and quietly left the room.

Guo Ming’s mother waited by the TV for her son, but an hour passed, and he still hadn’t come out. Checking the time, it was already 1 PM. Could Ming have been studying for five hours straight? Her eyes sparkled with joy. Her son’s newfound love for learning was good news for her. Who wouldn’t want their son to excel? She used to be embarrassed to talk about her son with neighbors. When they praised their own children, she could only awkwardly agree. Perhaps from today, her son would give her a pleasant surprise.

She tiptoed to peek at her son and smiled as she returned to the sofa, saying softly, "I’ll see how long you can sit still and study today."

As time passed, Yu Xia felt tired and fell asleep on the sofa.

Suddenly shivering, Yu Xia woke up, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and looked at the clock. It was already 5 PM. She hadn’t slept well since Guo Ming’s injury, and today she had slept for four hours.

Recalling something, she hurried to her son’s room. Opening the door slightly, she saw her son writing rapidly, apparently working on something. Unable to resist, she opened the door and walked in, patting Guo Ming’s shoulder gently, "Ming, take a break."

Guo Ming paused, looked up at his mother, and realized he had been sitting there for a long time. Checking the clock, his eyes widened in surprise, "How is this possible? I’ve been studying for nine hours."

"Ha ha, Ming, learning isn’t achieved in a day. Come to the living room, I’ll reheat your food."

Guo Ming stretched and smiled, "Mom, reheat the food first. I’ll come out in a bit."

"Okay!" Yu Xia smiled and left.

Guo Ming rested his chin on his hand, a smile on his face. After nine hours of study, he was certain of his transformation. His memory had reached a terrifying level. He believed that three months would be enough to surprise everyone.

The next day, Guo Ming rode his bike to school, not to attend classes but to get his books. The school was very open-minded. Near graduation, if you felt you couldn’t learn at school, you could study at home with your parents’ consent.

No one missed Guo Ming’s departure, except for Shui Mengyao, who glanced at him. No one paid attention to this almost invisible person. Guo Ming saw everything and vowed to prove their mistake with his own strength one day.

Guo Ming left. In fact, with the high school entrance exam approaching, the teachers weren’t teaching new material but were giving exams. They would grade the exams in the afternoon. This went on every day. Guo Ming couldn’t learn much here, so he decided to go home. No one here missed him, and he had no one to miss either. It was like a transit station in his life; his mission was over, and he left without any sentiment.

Guo Ming brought all his books home, which startled Yu Xia. She asked urgently, "Ming, what’s going on?"

"Mom, trust me. I’ll get the admission notice from No. 1 High School. Don’t worry about the rest. I have my plans." Guo Ming said seriously.

Seeing her son’s determined look, Yu Xia smiled and nodded. "Son, you’ve grown up. Okay, I won’t ask about your affairs. Is there anything you need help with?"

"Yes, Mom, go to the bookstore and buy all the past high school entrance exam papers. The more, the better." Guo Ming smiled.

Guo Zhengze was strict with Guo Ming’s pocket money but never restricted his studies. Yu Xia was even more supportive. She could sense the change in her son. Since the accident, he seemed to have become a different person, and a better one. She bought all the exam papers from the bookstore, making several trips, buying over a hundred. This would have scared anyone else, but Guo Ming just smiled and said, "Mom, keep an eye on the latest exam papers. Don’t worry about the rest."

Yes, Guo Ming was about to start his first intensive study period. He first studied the textbooks thoroughly before moving on to example problems. After finishing the old example problems, it was already mid-month, and his first important exam was approaching—the monthly exam, which was held every month.

Guo Ming put down his work and rode his bike to school. The exam was the next day, and he needed to get his exam ticket today.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he sensed the atmosphere was off. His arrival caused some students to change their expressions. What had happened? Guo Ming was puzzled but didn’t plan to ask. He went to his lonely seat at the back, took out a high school entrance exam practice paper, and started reading.