I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

"We won! Zhao Gongfeng is truly mighty!"

"That was so satisfying! Let's see how arrogant they'll be after they've been skinned alive!"

The guys were so excited their faces turned red.

Su Mei's soft body almost pressed against him.

"That was so satisfying!"

Su Mei pressed Zhao Zian into a grand chair and poured him a cup of hot tea.

"Three days from now! If we win, Huichuntang will be completely finished!"

"At that time, our Jishetang will undoubtedly be the number one pharmacy in Liuxi Town! No, the only one! Those customers who were fooled by Huichuntang will all have to obediently come to us, right? Accountant Sun, you do the math, just with these extra customers, how many times will our revenue increase?"

Accountant Sun adjusted the abacus.

"Manager, it'll be more than just a few times more! With Huichuntang gone, we'll be able to take at least 80% of the business it took! Plus, with our reputation, even the wealthy families in the county will probably come here by word of mouth! At that time, our business... hehe, it'll be immeasurable, immeasurable!"

Zhao Zian remained calm throughout.

Su Mei noticed his unusual behavior.

"What's wrong with you? We're about to win big, why aren't you happy at all?"

Zhao Zian put down his teacup.

"Qian Defa won't just sit idly by and wait to die."

The inner room fell silent.

Su Mei smiled dismissively.

"What else can he do? He agreed to the competition in front of the entire town. We set the rules, they were fair and just. What tricks could he possibly pull? Does he think he can conjure up some magic pills out of thin air?"

"Of course he can't conjure up any magic pills."

Zhao Zian shook his head.

"But a mad dog cornered on the edge of a cliff won't reason with you. It will only think about how to bite you back before it falls."

"In a direct confrontation, he would undoubtedly lose. He knows this better than any of us. Since he knew it was a dead end, why did he still agree?"

Su Mei's smile vanished.

Yes, why?

In that situation, the money had to be distributed, leaving no room for refusal; they had no choice but to agree.

But now that I've calmed down and thought about it, Zhao Zian's words do make sense.

Given Qian Defa's profit-driven nature, if there's truly no room for negotiation...

He would probably throw a tantrum on the spot and would never accept such a humiliating challenge.

His agreement indicates that he believes he still has a chance to turn things around.

This opportunity lies not in the competition itself.

"you mean……"

"Three days."

Zhao Zian held up three fingers.

"These three days are enough for him to do a lot. Since he can't win openly, he'll definitely try something covertly."

Accountant Sun's face turned pale.

"You mean he'll resort to those underhanded tactics?"

"Poisoning? Arson?"

Dr. Wang also became nervous.

"We need to send more people to guard the pharmacy!"

Zhao Zian said calmly.

"The pharmacy is inanimate, but people are alive. Destroying the pharmacy is not the end of the world; as long as we are still alive, Jishetang can rise again. But what if something goes wrong with the competitors?"

Su Mei's heart sank.

The core of the competition is not the medicine, nor the pot, but the people!

It's Zhao Zi'an!

"He dares!"

Su Mei's voice turned cold.

"If he dares to lay a finger on you, I, Su Mei, will go bankrupt to make sure he dies a horrible death!"

"It's no use saying such harsh words now."

Zhao Zian gestured for her to calm down.

"From now until the end of the competition, each of us must be fully focused."

He looked at Doctor Wang and Accountant Sun.

"Gentlemen, these next few days you must be extra careful with the medicines, food, and tea at the pharmacy. Everything that goes into your mouth must be checked repeatedly. Make sure the doors and windows are locked at night, and don't give anyone a chance to sneak in."

He then turned to Su Mei.

"When you go out, you must take the shop's staff with you, the more the better. Especially at night, remember not to go out alone."

"And what about you?"

Su Mei looked at him with concern.

"The person he most wants to get rid of is you!"

Zhao Zian smiled.

"I?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If he wants to mess with me, he'd better think twice before he gets the guts."

……

Huichun Hall.

A blue and white porcelain teacup was smashed on the ground.

"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"

Qian Defa looked like a mad tiger.

Several men huddled by the doorway.

"Zhao Zian!"

He knew the contents of his medicine cabinet better than anyone else.

Chenpi is simply dried orange peel.

What is Poria cocos? It's just made by mixing regular flour with mud.

Many of those so-called ginsengs are actually carved from radish roots and then soaked in chemicals!

These things might fool ordinary people who don't know anything about them.

If we really put it on the table and compare it to the high-quality ingredients at Jishetang...

That wasn't a competition, that was a public execution!

Do not!

His life's work, the foundation of his Qian family business, must not be destroyed like this!

Since taking the right path leads to a dead end, then let's just... block the road completely!

"Someone come here!"

Qian Defa's voice was cold and sinister.

A middle-aged man walked in from outside the door.

He is Qian Defa's butler, Qian Fu.

"Shopkeeper."

"Uncle Fu".

"Tell me, are only the dead unable to speak or compete?"

Qian Fu kept his head down.

"Yes."

Qian Defa liked this about him; he never asked many questions and just focused on getting things done.

"I don't want to see Zhao Zi'an again."

Qian Defa spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I don't want to see him on the stage three days from now. I don't care what methods you use or how much money you spend, I want him to disappear."

Qian Fu raised his head.

"Shopkeeper, have you thought this through? Once this is done, there's no turning back."

"Turning back?"

Qian Defa laughed hysterically.

"Do I have any way back now? Zhao Zi'an has a knife to my throat! If I don't kill him, I'll die!"

"Listen carefully! I want him dead! Dead and clean! Don't leave any clues related to our Huichuntang!"

"How much silver?"

"One hundred taels! If that's not enough, then two hundred taels!"

Qian Defa took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket.

"Find Tu San on Blackwater Street in the south of the city; he knows what to do. Tell him I'll add another hundred taels after it's done!"

"Understood."

Qian Fu accepted the silver note.

……

Blackwater Street.

Qian Fu walked through the alley.

He knows this place well.

He turned into a narrow alley, at the end of which was a butcher shop.

A shirtless, one-eyed, burly man cuts a large piece of pork in half.

He is Tu San.

He is a middleman who specializes in taking on wet jobs.

So-called wet work refers to work that involves bloodshed.

"Buying meat?"

Tu San didn't even lift his eyelids.

Qian Fu walked to the cutting board.

"I won't buy meat."

"I can't eat anymore, I'd like to invite someone over."

Tu San stopped wielding his knife.

"Who are you inviting? And for what purpose?"

"A doctor."

Qian Fu took out a fifty-tael silver note from his pocket.

"To ensure he can never treat patients again."