Since they had been discovered, the group of people hiding near Huangfu Zhan revealed themselves one by one.
"Haha, this young man really has a fiery spirit!"
"If he wasn't fiery, would you still call him a young man?"
"Indeed. To have reached the initial stage of the Innate Realm at his age and to have mastered such exquisite medical skills... If I were him, I'd be even more arrogant!"
"It's been a long time since I've seen such an unreservedly sharp young fellow."
They discussed merrily among themselves.
After a moment of shock, Huangfu Zhan smiled again.
It had been… how long had it been since a young man dared to bare his teeth at him? Let alone make such a bold claim, challenging him and all his men to fight together. This Lin Tang... he's something else!
Seeing them all laughing together, completely unafraid and relaxed, Lin Tang was also puzzled.
Are we going to fight or not?
Just then, a car pulled up nearby. Wei Shanhe and Wei Zichu got out and hurried over.
"President! Why didn't you give us a heads-up? We would have been here to welcome your triumphant return!" Wei Shanhe laughed heartily. He then looked at Lin Tang and said, "Master Lin, allow me to introduce you. This is the President of our True Martial Association, Huangfu Zhan. He is in the late stage of the Innate Realm. If you have any questions about martial arts, feel free to ask him for guidance."
Just a late-stage Innate cultivator. What guidance could I possibly ask for?
Lin Tang was increasingly speechless. But since they were friends and not enemies, there was no need to be brutally honest. After offering a few perfunctory compliments, Lin Tang said, "It was my misunderstanding. I thought you were like that Green Leaf Society, trying to subdue me by force."
"Green Leaf Society?!"
Wei Shanhe and Huangfu Zhan were taken aback, their expressions instantly turning grave. They took a closer look at Lin Tang, and only after seeing he was unharmed did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"I can't believe you managed to escape from the Green Leaf Society unscathed."
"You're incredibly lucky!"
Lin Tang was startled. "What's the matter? Is the Green Leaf Society that terrifying?"
"Of course, they're terrifying!"
"Don't be fooled by the fact that they're all women. Their poisoning techniques are incredibly vicious; they can kill a person without a trace."
"The most crucial part is their leader, Zhu Yingning. Her background is extremely powerful." Huangfu Zhan sighed helplessly and shook his head. "She's the daughter-in-law of Tang Dingbo, the Sect Leader of the Tang Sect. That alone guarantees that no one dares to lay a hand on her..."
"Why not?" Lin Tang asked, confused.
"Isn't it obvious? Her father-in-law is Tang Dingbo. Her husband—Tang Dingbo's son—died after his poison cultivation went awry, and she left the Tang Sect afterward. But they're still considered family. If anyone dares to hurt her, Tang Dingbo will definitely not let it go!" Huangfu Zhan's tone was heavy with deep apprehension.
Wei Shanhe added from the side, "It seems Master Lin hasn't heard of the Tang Sect or how dreadful they are. Even a character as defiant as Yan Renjie would give them a wide berth."
"Oh—"
Lin Tang had an epiphany. No wonder Zhu Yingning had been confident enough to promise she could protect him from being killed by Yan Renjie. It seemed the Tang Sect was truly a force to be reckoned with.
So, if I spanked her, won't her father-in-law be even angrier?
Lin Tang blinked.
Huangfu Zhan had originally intended to invite Lin Tang to join the True Martial Association. However, upon hearing that he had even refused Zhu Yingning's offer, he figured Lin Tang wouldn't agree to his either. It was truly a pity.
Huangfu Zhan sighed softly and then began to cough violently. As he coughed, his complexion grew progressively paler.
"President, what's wrong?" everyone asked, astonished.
"It's... it's nothing." Huangfu Zhan waved his hand, then looked at Lin Tang with expectation. "Master Lin, I have a favor to ask..."
"You want me to cure your poison, don't you?" Lin Tang stated. He had noticed it from the start.
"What? President, you've been poisoned?!"
"When did this happen?"
The crowd was shocked and dismayed. Huangfu Zhan was their anchor; any major harm to him could cause instability, let alone poisoning.
Having pushed himself to his limits on the way back, Huangfu Zhan had already reached his breaking point. Now that his mind was relaxed, he couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed backward, his breathing rapidly weakening. With a bitter smile, he said, "It happened during a skirmish on the border with the Japanese. I was hit by their Snow Flower. Afterward, I secretly took several detoxification pills and used my inner energy to suppress it, which is the only reason I didn't die from the poison."
"My God, it's the most terrifying Snow Flower from the Sakura Country! This... who could possibly cure this poison?"
"We're doomed!"
"President!"
Everyone wore expressions of grief, their eyes red with sorrow.
Wei Shanhe said bitterly, "President, I told you that Master Lin's medical skills are exceptional. But no matter how good he is, there's nothing anyone can do against a super-toxin like that!"
Huangfu Zhan was panting for breath. Half of his body began to frost over, as if covered by a thin layer of snow.
"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. If this poison can't be cured, you must not, under any circumstances, trouble Master Lin..." he earnestly instructed them.
"Who said it can't be cured?" Lin Tang asked, puzzled. "It's just a particularly nasty cold poison. All it requires is for me to spend a good deal of time to gradually expel it. Can you all stop acting like you're about to prepare his funeral?"
"Is that true?!"
"Master Lin, you... you can really neutralize the poison?"
"That's unbelievable, isn't it?"
"What do we need to prepare? Please give us your instructions. Also, how much time will you need, exactly?"
Lin Tang placed his fingers on Huangfu Zhan's pulse. He raised his other hand and nonchalantly made a "three" gesture.
"Three weeks? Or three months?"
"...What are you talking about? I meant three hours!" Lin Tang rolled his eyes.
The crowd was speechless.
Damn it! How is a mere three hours a 'good deal of time'? Doesn't he know that people who show off get struck by lightning?
As Lin Tang focused his full attention on detoxifying Huangfu Zhan, Wei Shanhe stood guard nearby, vigilant against any potential disturbances. When his phone rang, he rejected the call without a glance and then powered it off. He had no mind for other matters right now; the president's safety was the top priority.
The person calling him was a dejected Ge Shijian.
In fact, Ge Shijian was not the one who had leaked the news about the Chaoyuan Buqi Soup's reappearance. It must have been someone from the hospital who spread the word without permission. This had caused a swarm of old masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine to flock over, all of them eager to obtain the recipe to study and analyze it. Without Lin Tang's permission, how could Ge Shijian dare to make such a decision on his own? When he tried to contact Lin Tang, he found he was blocked. Just then, Shen Youling arrived, and he felt like he had found his pillar of support, hoping this "Master's wife" would make the decision. But his Master's wife was acting as if her soul had left her body, giving no reaction at all! Why did her family members also look as though they had been struck by lightning? Their reactions were far too strange.
At that moment, Shen Youling's mind was indeed in utter chaos. She never could have imagined that Lin Tang was the new master Ge Shijian had recently taken! That he was the creator of the Chaoyuan Buqi Soup, a formula that even Sun Siwei revered! And that the Chaoyuan Buqi Soup was the very thing that could cure her grandfather's illness! He had already prescribed it for her, yet she had completely distrusted him. She had even driven him away, saying she wanted to sever all ties. Afterward, she took a huge detour, only to end up at his apprentice's door begging for the medicine.
What is this? It's too ironic, truly, utterly ironic!
"It's just as Lin Tang said. I'm the biggest fool in the world," Shen Youling murmured to herself.
After recovering from her stupor, Shen Jiayue became indignant. "There must be a misunderstanding here! And even if that guy knew the recipe, he could have just explained it clearly! I think he deliberately told us half the story just to mess with us. He's such trash!"
Dong Mingfeng's cheeks were burning, feeling as if Lin Tang had slapped her across the face. To save face, she immediately chimed in, "Exactly! He just got lucky and stumbled upon some recipe somewhere. If he had just presented it as a betrothal gift from the start, none of this would have happened. He just wanted a free ride, plain and simple..."
"Mom!" Shen Youling shouted angrily. Using a term like "free ride" was a direct insult to her own daughter.
"What's the use of yelling at me? Hurry up and contact your selfish husband! Tell him to get his ass back here and write out the prescription!" Dong Mingfeng threw her head back confidently.
Shen Youling was at a loss for words.
I already drove him away, how am I supposed to call him back? Besides, I still don't even have his phone number...
You people... what are you talking about? Ge Shijian grew more and more confused as he listened.
Shen Youling lowered her head and said softly, "I'm sorry, Dr. Ge. Please don't call me Master's wife; I'm not worthy of the title. I... I personally severed my relationship with him..."
"Pah! What 'severed relationship'? You were just angry. You can't take that seriously, can you?" Dong Mingfeng hurriedly covered her daughter's mouth, wishing she could slap some sense into the foolish girl.
Didn't she hear them saying how valuable this recipe is? If she wants to break up, she has to get her hands on the recipe first! It's called marital joint property! As for Lin Tang reciting the ingredients before... nobody was recording, who could possibly remember it all? We have to get it from Ge Shijian.
Shen Jiayue and Shen Xin also spoke up to clarify the situation, asserting their claim.
Then, Dong Mingfeng waved her hand dismissively at the many old medical masters present. "We've decided to open a pharmaceutical company to develop and sell this. You all can forget about getting a freebie. Scram, all of you!"
But the old masters were unwilling to give up. Some tried to persuade her with grand ideals about advancing medicine for the benefit of all mankind. Others offered to sign written guarantees, promising to only study it internally and never leak it. A few even made snide remarks, questioning what right she had to the recipe when the couple had already broken up.
Hearing this, Dong Mingfeng flew into a rage. "Get out! Get out, you bunch of shameless old fossils! The divorce papers haven't been filed, so why can't I change my mind? I'd rather use this recipe as toilet paper than let you see it! What are you going to do about it?"
She grabbed Ge Shijian and barked her orders, "Hurry up and throw them all out! Then, transcribe a copy of the recipe and give it to me."
Shen Xin also chimed in with a command, "My grandfather is still ill. Brew another dose of this... soup for us."
Ge Shijian was speechless.