I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Qian Fu knelt down to reply.

"That kid is dead."

Qian Defa paused, his hand holding the wine glass still.

"Which kid?"

"That Zhao Zi'an from Jishetang!"

Qian Fu replied, "Tu San's men just sent word that the matter... is settled!"

Qian Defa sat up straight.

"really?!"

"Absolutely true!"

"You don't trust Tu San to handle things? They said they blocked that kid on his way home, and the two of them did it cleanly and efficiently, barely spilling any blood. The body has been thoroughly cleaned up and thrown into the Willow Creek River; even the fish won't find a bone!"

Qian Defa laughed wildly.

"Hahahaha! Good! Good riddance! Good riddance!"

"Zhao Zian, you ignorant little bastard! You think you can fight me? You're still too green!"

These days, he has lost his appetite and cannot sleep at night.

That kid was stuck in his heart, making him restless.

Now, this thorn has finally been removed!

"Master, what about Tu San...?"

Qian Fu reminded him.

"Reward him! Reward him handsomely!"

Qian Defa waved his hand generously.

"Tell Tu San, the final payment will be increased by 30%! Make sure his men keep their mouths shut! This matter is to be kept under wraps. Anyone who dares to utter a single word will have their entire family fed to the fish in the Willow Creek River!"

"Yes! Yes!"

Qian Fuying said.

"Go! Get the medicinal herbs from the storeroom... no!"

A cunning glint flashed in Qian Defa's eyes.

"Pack up all the inferior, moldy, and worm-infested stuff!"

Qian Fu was taken aback.

"Master, this is..."

Qian Defa chuckled coldly.

"The competition is about to begin. I was initially a bit wary of that kid, but now..."

"I'm going to trample Jishetang's signboard into the mud in front of the whole town!"

"Without Zhao Zian, that little wench Su Mei is nothing! Those old bastards at Jishetang are just useless trash! I'll show them who the real medical master is in Liuxi Town!"

"Brilliant! Master, you are truly brilliant!"

Qian Fu followed suit with his flattery.

.....

Three days.

The central square of Liuxi Town.

A high platform was erected in the center of the square.

"Look! Manager Qian from Huichuntang is here!"

Qian Defa wore a dark purple silk robe and had a jade pendant hanging from his waist.

Several men carried several large boxes, which contained the rotten medicinal herbs he had prepared.

On the other side of the platform, the flags of Jishetang looked rather lonely.

Su Mei stood there with Accountant Sun and Physician Wang.

Qian Defa looked around and saw that Su Mei was all alone except for those two old guys.

Zhao Zian was indeed not there.

Haha! He's really dead!

Qian Defa walked towards Su Mei.

"Yo."

"It's only been a few days, Manager Su, how come you've become so haggard? Has it been because of you that you've become so thin?"

Su Mei raised her head.

"What brings you here, Manager Qian?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Qian Defa's eyes narrowed into slits as he laughed.

"I was just expressing my concern. I heard that your esteemed physician, Dr. Zhao, has gone missing? Oh dear, what a tragedy! So young, what a pity!"

"With such superb medical skills, Dr. Zhao must be blessed with good fortune. Manager Su need not worry too much."

These words, if heard by others, might be a source of comfort.

But to Su Mei, every word sounded like a needle.

That old scoundrel! He's the murderer!

"No need for Manager Qian to trouble himself."

Su Mei turned her face away.

"No!"

The money was now closer to being raised.

"Manager Su, let's not beat around the bush. Without that kid, can your Jishetang still survive?"

"Look at you, a woman, always out in public, how hard it is. Why don't you hand over Jishetang to me, and you come work as the manager of my Huichuntang? I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury, a hundred times more glamorous than you are now!"

"You're dreaming!"

Su Mei's pretty face flushed bright red.

"Bah! You old bastard! Even if our Jishetang closes down, we will never let a despicable person like you get away with it!"

Sun, the accountant standing to the side, could no longer bear it.

"presumptuous!"

Qian Defa's henchmen stepped forward.

"What? You want to fight?"

Dr. Wang also stepped forward.

"Heh, why bother getting angry with two old men?"

Qian Defa waved his hand.

"Manager Su, don't push your luck. Today, I'd like to see who your Jishetang will send to the competition."

"Who was it that said they'd show me what real medicinal herbs are at this conference? Where are they? Why aren't they here?"

"Are you scared? Or... are you unable to come?"

Su Mei's face paled slightly.

Her eyes welled up with tears, making her look truly pitiful and endearing.

"You've gone too far with the money!"

The surrounding people whispered among themselves.

"Isn't this Manager Qian going too far? He just comes to our door to provoke us like this."

"That's right, it's really not easy for Manager Su, a woman all by herself."

Qian Defa was not angry at all; on the contrary, he was even more pleased with himself.

Once Zhao Zian is dead, Jishetang will be nothing more than meat on his chopping block, at his mercy!

"This is going too far! Manager Su, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Qian Defa shrugged.

"This competition was personally agreed to by your Jishetang's Physician Zhao. Now that he's not coming, am I supposed to compete against thin air?"

A gong sounded from the high platform.

The competition has begun.

The meeting was presided over by Zhang, the registrar of the county government.

"The time has come! Let's begin! Representatives from Jishetang and Huichuntang, please come to the stage and prepare!"

Qian Defa walked up to the high platform.

"Fellow villagers! Today, Huichuntang will certainly live up to your expectations and show you what truly top-quality medicinal herbs are!"

The staff of Huichuntang led the applause and cheers from below the stage.

Registrar Zhang looked in the direction of Jishetang.

"Where is the representative from Jishetang? Please come to the stage immediately!"

"Manager Su, what...what should we do?"

Dr. Wang's voice was dry.

Su Mei did not answer.

Zhao Zian, where are you?

They said that three days from now would be the deadline for paying out the money!

The time is almost here!

On the high platform, Qian Defa's smile was unrestrained.

"Registration Officer Zhang, it seems that no one from Jishetang will accept the challenge."

"According to the rules, if no one goes up on stage, it's considered... an automatic surrender, right?"

Registrar Zhang frowned.

"That's the rule. I'll ask one last time, Jishetang, will you send someone to the stage for the competition?"

The audience was silent.

Su Mei felt like she was about to collapse.

Could it be that Zhao Zian's plan has failed?

Could it be that something really happened to him?

Qian Defa was overjoyed.

This is exactly the effect he wanted!

He wanted to show Su Mei his pride in front of the whole town.

They trampled Jishetang's century-old reputation under their feet and crushed it to dust!

"Registrar Zhang!"

"Since no one at Jishetang is capable of fighting, I think we don't need to wait any longer."

"Please announce that they are Jishetang..."

"Just admit defeat!"