I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The mole relayed the information it had gathered.

Liu Mang laughed.

"Haha...hahahaha!"

"Shamanistic rituals? Wang Jingtian, oh Wang Jingtian, I thought you'd made some progress, but I never imagined you'd be this stupid!"

"The Nine Fiends Locking Dragon Formation is a wondrous array from the Xuanmen sect. It draws upon the earthly dragon veins, invisible and formless, killing silently and without a trace. Let alone a country doctor, even if a Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain came, without three or five powerful magic treasures, he wouldn't be able to discern a single clue!"

"He actually thinks he can break the formation with chicken blood and dog hair? That's utterly ridiculous!"

The groundhog lay on the ground, too afraid to make a sound.

"It seems the Wang family's fate is truly sealed. That old man probably won't last much longer, and this kid is quickly being corrupted by the evil energy to the point of losing his mind."

Liu Mang muttered to himself.

The Wang family was the biggest obstacle to his dominance of the county.

Once the Wang family falls, the entire county will be his.

"but……"

Liu Mang then changed the subject.

"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Although Wang Jingtian is not capable of great things, he is arrogant and unruly. There must be a reason why he is taking this so seriously."

"Why does that country doctor named Zhao Zi'an have Wang Jingtian's complete trust? This doesn't make sense."

"Go down."

Liu Mang waved his hand.

"Yes, Alliance Leader."

Liu Mang was the only one left in the room.

A shamanistic ritual? Chicken blood and dog hair to break a mysterious formation?

So stupid.

He knows Wang Jingtian too well.

They are arrogant and self-important, and even in death, they want to die with dignity.

How could someone possibly pull off such a humiliating stunt in public?

This is not reasonable.

Unless... he believed it.

He wants to go and see for himself.

Look at Zhao Zian, is he a dragon or a snake?

"Someone come here."

A dark figure appeared behind him.

He was Liu Mang's confidant, Yan Song, his shadow.

"Go to the Wang family to get the next greeting card."

Liu Mang turned around.

"It is said that Mr. Liu, a wealthy merchant in the city, has long admired the name of Dr. Zhao Zian, the divine doctor of Liuxi Town. His family has a stubborn illness that is difficult to cure, so he has prepared a small gift and would like to invite Dr. Zhao to Zuixianlou, firstly for a consultation, and secondly to establish a good relationship."

"Remember to be humble and courteous."

Liu Mang added.

"Understood."

Yan Song's voice was hoarse.

……

The Wang Family Residence, Tingxue Xiaozhu (Listening to Snow Pavilion).

Zhao Zian sat cross-legged on the couch.

Little White yawned.

"Master, all this stuff you've made smells awful."

Zhao Zian didn't even lift his eyelids.

"That's called a smokescreen."

"Who do you think these things are for?"

"Wasn't it meant to break that dark, indistinct formation?"

The little fox tilted its head.

"Although I feel these things are completely useless."

"Of course not."

Zhao Zian smiled.

"These things are bait, a performance for the fish. What I want to catch is that self-righteous fisherman on the shore."

"A fisherman?"

The little fox was confused.

"The person who set up this Nine Fiends Locking Dragon Formation is a master of this technique. The formation is intricately linked, drawing upon the earth's fiendish dragon veins. This is something no ordinary sorcerer could accomplish. The person behind it has grand ambitions."

With his current cultivation level, it would be almost impossible for him to forcefully break the formation, and he might even suffer a backlash.

But there is never just one way to break through an enemy's formation.

The best doctors govern the country, the average doctors treat people, and the worst doctors treat diseases.

Similarly, the best way to break the formation is to deal with the person who set it up.

There was a knock on the door.

"Sir, it's me, Jing Tian."

"Come in."

Zhao Zian opened his eyes.

Wang Jingtian pushed open the door and entered.

"Sir, everything you ordered has been prepared. The best cinnabar in town, freshly killed rooster blood, pure black dog hair... nothing is missing."

Zhao Zian handed him a piece of paper.

"Go yourself and, according to the directions drawn here, at the beginning of Hai hour (9-11 PM), sprinkle the rooster's blood on the east gate of the mansion. At the exact moment of Zi hour (11 PM-1 AM), bury the black dog hair under the west wall. At the end of Chou hour (1-3 AM), scatter glutinous rice all over the courtyard..."

Wang Jingtian nodded.

"Jing Tian understands!"

Less than half an hour later, Uncle Quan came to report.

"Young master! Sir!"

"A steward has arrived outside the manor, saying he is here on orders from Master Liu, a wealthy merchant in the city, to pay you a visit!"

"Oh? Master Liu?"

Wang Jingtian, who was directing his men to move glutinous rice, frowned.

"Is there such a person in the county town?"

Quan Bo shook his head.

"Yan Song was extremely generous, presenting a 500-year-old blood ginseng as a gift! He said that their Master Liu had heard of Mr. Zhao's reputation as a divine physician and wanted to invite him to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion for a chat so that he could treat his intractable illness."

Five-hundred-year-old blood ginseng!

"Master Liu... his surname is Liu..."

Wang Jingtian pondered the surname.

"Sir, this is a trap! It's definitely a test from that old fox Liu Mang!"

"I know."

Zhao Zian put down his teacup.

"The fish has taken the bait."

Wang Jingtian was taken aback, then realized what was happening.

"Then...sir, are you going? Zuixianlou is Liu Mang's territory; going there would likely be fraught with danger!"

"Go, why don't you go?"

Zhao Zian stood up.

"They've set up the stage and put on a great show; wouldn't it be incredibly disrespectful if we didn't go and support them?"

"Don't worry, a trap is a trap because the prey doesn't know it. But if the prey knows it's a trap from the beginning and deliberately steps into it..."

"Then, it's hard to say who the hunter is and who the prey is."

"Please ask the manager to wait a moment, I'll be right back after I change my clothes."

……

Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)

Liu Mang was already waiting there.

Yan Song stood by, not daring to utter a sound.

Where is he?

Liu Mang asked.

"Reporting to the Lord, they have already gone upstairs."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Master Liu, Mr. Zhao has arrived."

"Please come quickly!"

Liu Mang personally rose to greet him.

The door opened, and a young man walked in.

Is this Zhao Zi'an?

"Dr. Zhao! I've long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can see you are indeed a young and promising talent, a true dragon among men!"

Liu Mang went to meet him.

"Master Liu, you flatter me."

Zhao Zian cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am just a humble countryman, unworthy of the title of divine doctor."

The two took their seats as host and guest, respectively.

Liu Mang personally poured Zhao Zian a full cup.

"Mr. Zhao, please."

Zhao Zian picked up his wine cup, but did not drink.

"Master Liu, you are so kind as to offer your guidance?"

Liu Mang laughed heartily.

"To be honest, Mr. Zhao, I've been having some health problems lately."

"Oh?"

Zhao Zian raised an eyebrow.

"I would like to hear the details."

"Ugh."

Liu Mang sighed.

"I always feel tightness in my chest and shortness of breath. I've consulted countless famous doctors, and they all say that I'm healthy and there's nothing wrong with me. But my own feelings are very real."

Zhao Zian shook his head.

"Master Liu's illness is indeed not a physical ailment."

"It's a disease of power."

"Illness?"

Liu Mang was puzzled.

"good."

Zhao Zian smiled.

"Some people like to bury things in other people's yards. If they bury them shallowly, it's easy to spot. If they bury them deep, it's hard to find them for a while, but over time, these things underground will affect the fortune of the land, making the homeowner restless and causing everything to go wrong."