Chapter 164: Blood of Yin and Softness

"Of course, did you really think I was joking with you?"

Seeing Chen Rong's skeptical expression, Tao Yang assumed Chen Rong thought he was just playing around, so he spoke directly to him.

Chen Rong, standing nearby, could somewhat accept the idea of "letting blood," but the sudden need for a blood transfusion caught him off guard—where on earth could they get so much plasma right now?

"Give me a moment, I'll call the hospital right now and have them send—"

Before Chen Rong could finish his sentence, Tao Yang bluntly interrupted him.

"At this hour, who do you expect to deliver plasma to you? Besides, given Zhang Shen's current state, how could he possibly endure being jostled around?"

Hearing Tao Yang's words, Chen Rong's immediate reaction was, "Then what should we do?"

Likely noticing the hesitation on Chen Rong's face, Tao Yang placed a hand on Zhang Shen's shoulder and said, "It's not that there's no way, the real question is whether anyone is willing to 'bleed' for him."

At that, Chen Rong sensed an underlying meaning in Tao Yang's tone and immediately pressed, "Stop beating around the bush. Just say it! As long as there is a sliver of hope, I'm willing to try."

Hearing Chen Rong's response, Tao Yang instead shook his head, glanced at Wang Ying, and said, "I need her help, not yours!"

Both Chen Rong and Wang Ying were naturally startled by this. Chen Rong couldn't understand why Tao Yang had set his sights on Wang Ying's blood; as far as he knew, it was only their first time meeting, so how could Tao Yang possibly know that Wang Ying and Zhang Shen's blood types matched? Wang Ying harbored the exact same question. However, for Wang Ying, "letting blood" wasn't the difficult part—the real issue was whether her blood could truly save Zhang Shen's life.

Sensing the disbelief radiating from Chen Rong and Wang Ying, Tao Yang explained, "The poison afflicting Zhang Shen is of the utmost yin nature. Right now, I happen to need yin-soft blood to restrain it."

With that, Tao Yang looked up at Wang Ying, though her expression remained completely unreadable. Tao Yang continued, "Principal Chen is advanced in years, and his constitution is not particularly robust. Most importantly, because you are male, you are naturally ruled out."

"But, this..."

Chen Rong wanted to argue further, but Tao Yang's words carried the weight of an imperial decree, leaving no room for doubt.

"If that's truly the case, then our only hope lies with Wang Ying!" Even as the words slipped out, Chen Rong had a second thought—something didn't quite feel right.

"Look here, old friend, you aren't pulling my leg, are you? What exactly is this 'yin-soft blood' nonsense? You can't just ask my student to 'bleed' for no reason!"

If he wanted Wang Ying to willingly "bleed" to save Zhang Shen, Tao Yang needed to provide a thoroughly convincing explanation. Otherwise, not only would Wang Ying refuse, but Chen Rong himself wouldn't let it pass.

Thus, Tao Yang took his time explaining: "The so-called yin-soft blood refers to young women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five who have never engaged in sexual intercourse. Their bodies possess a natural anti-infection system, which resides within their blood. Do you understand now?"

In truth, Wang Ying was listening even more intently than Chen Rong, and she naturally realized that she fit every single one of the conditions Tao Yang had listed. At that moment, Chen Rong chimed in with another question: "Then how many milliliters of blood do you need from Wang Ying?"

Without rushing to answer, Tao Yang looked at the basin of black blood before replying, "Not much. Five hundred milliliters will be sufficient."

Thinking that five hundred milliliters wasn't an exorbitant amount, Chen Rong turned to look at Wang Ying. He had privately expected the young girl to feel awkward or even resistant, especially since Wang Ying hadn't uttered a single word since Tao Yang first mentioned "letting blood."

Little did Chen Rong know, Wang Ying's next sentence would completely floor him.

"Dean, are you sure five hundred milliliters is enough? If it's not, I can give more."

The moment those words left Wang Ying's lips, Chen Rong's primary feeling was utter disbelief; he had never imagined she would be so fiercely generous at a time like this.

Hearing this, Tao Yang chuckled repeatedly and said, "Don't worry, young lady! If more is needed, I'll ask you for it."

In reality, Wang Ying had no idea why Tao Yang had chosen her instead of Hao Lei or Ye Qiong waiting outside. If Hao Lei fell into the category of someone who might have had prior relations, Ye Qiong certainly didn't—up to now, no man had ever managed to touch the heart of the aloof Miss Ye.

However, from the very moment Tao Yang had asked the three young women to step outside, he had been observing every single move they made. In particular, when he saw Wang Ying desperately fighting to hold the door and force her way back in, Tao Yang became convinced that this "fiery" young girl was destined to be the one to save Zhang Shen.

"What should we do next?"

Seeing that Wang Ying had agreed, Chen Rong anxiously turned back to Tao Yang.

Meanwhile, Tao Yang appeared utterly composed. Now that the hardest medicinal ingredient had been found, the rest was simply a matter of infusing this yin-soft blood into Zhang Shen's body.

"I have two methods in mind. Which one would you like to choose?"

"Two methods?"

Once again bewildered by what tricks Tao Yang had up his sleeve, Chen Rong asked, "Yes, two! One is fast, the other is slow, though both amount to much the same thing."

Tao Yang's cryptic response left not only Chen Rong bewildered, but Wang Ying as well.

"Spit it out! Do you plan on waiting until Zhang Shen dies before announcing the answer?"

At this, Tao Yang simply shrugged and said, "The first method is to make a small cut on Wang Ying's finger and let the blood drip directly into Zhang Shen's mouth. The other method is to let the blood drip from the cut into an empty bowl, and have Zhang Shen drink it down in one go. However..."

Here, Tao Yang hesitated again, driving Chen Rong to distraction.

"However what?"

"However, given Zhang Shen's current lack of strength, it might be difficult for him to swallow a whole bowl of yin-soft blood. Therefore, I suggest we use the first method. What do you think?"