Finally, to the astonishment of the onlookers, he flattened his hand and struck Li Shiqi on the back. The single blow jolted all the Golden Needles out of her body, and Lin Feng collected them.
PFFT!
The instant Lin Feng withdrew his hand and the Golden Needles flew out, Li Shiqi sprayed a mouthful of dark blood before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
"Th-this... Mr. Lin, what's happening?"
Li Minde rushed over. Seeing Li Shiqi unconscious on the floor, he asked in a panic.
"Don't worry, she'll live."
Lin Feng waved his hand, signaling for Li Minde not to worry, then glanced back at Li Shiqi.
"Your daughter is quite lucky she ran into me. Otherwise, within three months, the yang poison would have built up and killed her instantly."
"I've forced the yang poison out now. She just needs to go home and rest for a few days. She should avoid rich, heavy foods and stick to a light diet."
"Thank you for saving her life, Mr. Lin!"
Li Minde breathed a sigh of relief at his words but still gave Lin Feng a sincere bow.
"That's not necessary."
Lin Feng glanced coolly at Li Shiqi.
He had only treated the girl as a favor to Li Minde for gifting him the manor, an extra service of sorts. Still, she was a living person, and Lin Feng couldn't bring himself to be completely indifferent.
After ordering the servants to carry the unconscious Li Shiqi back to her room, Li Minde quickly led Lin Feng toward Elder Li's room.
"After you, Mr. Lin. I just need to give my staff a few orders."
With a broad smile, Li Minde led Lin Feng to the doorway, opened the door for him, and then stepped back.
He beckoned to the butler who had been following him. His expression turned utterly ruthless, shedding the meek, subservient demeanor he'd worn in front of Lin Feng.
"Go, and bring me a list of all employees who have been hired at the manor in the past year."
"Also, I want you to investigate everyone who supplies our food and tends to the backyard garden. Find out who they've been in contact with."
"I want a complete file on every single one of them on my desk before tonight!"
Don't be fooled by the deferential, smiling, nice-guy act Li Minde put on for Lin Feng.
The fact that he could build on the foundation his father laid and become the richest man in Xijing proved he was no saint.
Now that someone was trying to harm his father and his daughter, it would be strange if he didn't retaliate.
"Yes, sir!"
The butler said nothing more, bowed respectfully, and hurried away.
Lin Feng entered the room and looked around. His gaze fell upon Elder Li on the bed, and he raised an eyebrow.
Elder Li was completely comatose. And despite being washed by an attendant every day, a faint, foul odor clung to him.
The moment the smell reached him, Lin Feng's brow furrowed. He strode forward and took the old man's pulse.
A moment later, a faint smile touched Lin Feng's lips.
'So it really is...'
He then stood up, took out three Golden Needles, and inserted them into Elder Li's Baihui, Taixi, and Shenting acupoints.
Lin Feng then pinched the sleeve of Elder Li's garment, brought it to his nose, and took a sniff. The smile returned to his lips.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a Golden Needle flew out like a bolt of lightning, tracing a beautiful arc through the air before embedding itself in Elder Li's shoulder.
The instant the Golden Needle struck, a trickle of black blood ran down from Elder Li's shoulder.
With another flick of his finger, Lin Feng sent a second Golden Needle flying. It struck the opposite shoulder with brutal precision.
The moment this second needle entered his body, a flush of color suddenly appeared on Elder Li's pale, grey-tinged face.
Like a drowning man gasping for air, the comatose man suddenly exhaled a great breath.
It was as if a pocket of foul air had been trapped in his chest all this time.
With that foul breath expelled, he seemed to grow much more comfortable.
The dark tinge to his face gradually faded, returning to normal.
But besides the faint dark aura, Elder Li's body was also covered in dense red patches.
These patches were packed tightly together, and upon close inspection, one could see they concealed thread-like patterns, almost invisible to the naked eye.
As he exhaled that foul breath, the entire room was instantly filled with an unbearably putrid stench.
But Lin Feng seemed not to smell it at all. His expression didn't change in the slightest.
"Mr. Lin, how is... BLECH!"
Just then, Li Minde happened to push the door open and enter.
The moment he stepped inside, a putrid stench hit him so hard it nearly knocked him unconscious.
He had only taken a few steps closer before he doubled over, dry-heaving uncontrollably.
But that wasn't all. His stomach churned violently, and a wave of acidic bile surged up his throat, threatening to make him vomit on the spot.
Lin Feng saw Li Minde's pathetic state but said nothing.
Only someone like him, who had studied medicine and been around all manner of strange diseases since childhood, could withstand the smell of this toxin without flinching.
It was impressive enough that Li Minde hadn't immediately run out of the room to vomit his guts out.
"Are you sure you haven't made any enemies in the past few years?"
"This condition your father has... this poison isn't something that could build up in just a year or two."
"It would take at least three years of continuous poisoning for it to get this bad. And that's only because he's been taking the medicine I prescribed for you."
"Otherwise, you'd be getting ready to mark the third anniversary of your father's death."
Sinking into a high-end leather sofa, Lin Feng crossed his legs and looked on with great interest at Li Minde, who was still slumped on the floor.
"Three years?"
Hearing Lin Feng's words, Li Minde's face fell. "Mr. Lin, I know my father's condition better than anyone. He did collapse suddenly, exactly three years ago. If it wasn't for that prescription you gave me...!"
He gritted his teeth, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists.
'As for who did it... I'm no fool. Only a handful of people have daily access to my father.'
'And according to Mr. Lin, the poison was administered daily through his food.'
'This clearly isn't some simple vendetta. Someone holds a deep-seated grudge against me and my father!'
At this thought, Li Minde froze, a grave expression flashing in his eyes.
"Could it be... Li Wentao!?"
Hearing this, a knowing smile played on Lin Feng's lips.
"I don't care who it is. In any case, your father is almost cured."
With that, Lin Feng stood up. Deciding enough time had passed, his hands moved in a blur, plucking each Golden Needle from Elder Li's body and putting them away.
"Done."
Lin Feng dusted off his hands and calmly walked out. It was only when he had left the room that Li Minde snapped back to his senses and hurried after him.
"Mr. Lin, what about my father's condition?"
"Your father is fine. He will be fully recovered when he wakes up tomorrow," Lin Feng said with a cool glance.