A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

In just half a month, Yang's Medical Clinic became increasingly well-known, and in the eastern part of the city, no one was unaware of the name of Doctor Yang.

One by one, the patients were cured. Old Sun, who used to suffer from heart problems, can now walk on the street with a cane. The child who had been coughing for a month can now play and jump around. And Yang Hu snatched that local tyrant from the south of the city back from the clutches of death.

As these stories spread throughout the city, Yang's Medical Clinic's reputation surpassed that of several century-old pharmacies. People seeking treatment lined up at the clinic's entrance as early as dawn, wearing holes in the bluestone pavement outside.

That day, shortly after noon, after a group of patients had just left, a small blue sedan chair suddenly stopped outside the clinic. The sedan chair was lifted, and a man in his fifties stepped out.

The man was tall and strong, with a scar on his left eyebrow that ran from the corner of his eyebrow to his temple. He wore a white silk robe and a black belt around his waist. He exuded a menacing aura, making people afraid to even glance at him.

Behind them were five burly men, each carrying bulging bags.

The men were terrified and didn't dare to breathe.

Lu Rou cautiously ran to Yang Hu's side and whispered, "Young Master, this person is no ordinary person."

Yang Hu, however, knew.

That scar, that menacing aura—that's the leader of the local tyrant in the south of the city, also known as Scarface!

The casinos, pawnshops, and porters on this street in the south of the city are all under his control. He gets involved in all sorts of shady dealings. Where would you normally see such a big shot? Why did he come here in person today?

"May I ask who Dr. Yang is?" Scarface's voice was rough, like scratches on a stone.

"That's me," Yang Hu said, bowing respectfully. "I'm truly honored to have you here, Scarface."

Scarface glanced at him, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes beneath his hooked nose.

I originally thought the person who saved the person was an old man with a white beard, but it turned out to be a young man of twenty years old.

"A few days ago," Scarface said bluntly, "one of my henchmen was poisoned, and I saved him."

It was just a small favor.

"To my Scarface," Scarface said, emphasizing each word, "a life-saving debt is no small matter!"

With a wave of his hand, five or six assistants behind him brought over a heavy mahogany box.

Upon opening the red box, one finds it filled with gold and silver.

"I appreciate Scarface's kindness." Yang Hu didn't even glance at the red boxes. "However, I already paid the consultation fee that day. This is too much; it makes me uncomfortable."

Scarface narrowed his eyes.

He had spent most of his life in the south of the city, and he was used to seeing people who were greedy and ungrateful, and people who were all smiles.

This young man is a doctor. Even though he saw a box of gold and Scarface's face, he kept a straight face and refused to take it back. Such composure is truly rare.

Yang Hu has a plan.

Accepting this box of gold is simply a normal expression of gratitude between doctor and patient, and the matter is settled.

But what Scarface wanted was never money!

Scarface is the spies he needs most right now in the south of the city!

Put the money back, and the feelings remain!

"Alright." Scarface smiled meaningfully and took the box away. "Then I'll express my gratitude in another way!"

He sat down opposite them and dismissed the servants around him.

"I investigated that poisoned wine. It wasn't one of Scarface's gang who poisoned it, but another group." Scarface lowered his voice. "It was because of the business on that street in the south of the city, and they wanted to make an enemy of you, Scarface, to kill my right-hand men first!"

Yang Hu listened quietly.

"I've caught those guys." A savage glint flashed in Scarface's eyes. "I'll settle this score with them! I'm here today for two reasons: first, to thank you for saving my life, and second..."

He paused.

"You've saved your brothers too. From now on, in this area south of the city, we'll be Scarface's good friends. If you need anything, just let me know!"

"Scarface, you're being too polite." Yang Hu clasped his hands together: "Treating people is a doctor's duty."

"Duty," Scarface laughed. "So many doctors would be paralyzed with fear at the sight of Scarface's face, no one would dare to take your brother's life! And you did. That goes beyond what the word 'duty' can express."

He sat down again, seemingly genuinely intending to befriend me.

Yang Hu's heart skipped a beat.

The informants in the south of the city are even more effective than those in the government. Being able to get along so well with the local tyrant is a huge advantage when it comes to investigating things!

What he wanted was not that box of gold!

"Since you say so, I do have a question," Yang Hu pressed on, "You're familiar with Zhou's Grain Store in the city, right? I've been thinking of buying some old rice to use as a medicinal ingredient. I've heard they buy from there quite often, but I don't know if the price is cheap."

Scarface's eyebrows furrowed slightly:

"Zhou Ji, huh!" he sneered. "That grain shop is a shady place. If you need to buy medicinal ingredients, don't go there!"

"Um?"

"His grain all comes from the black market," Scarface's voice lowered further. "They buy and sell at night, heading out of the city. My men have seen it several times on the porters' routes; the carts don't go into grain warehouses, they head north!"

Head north.

Yang Hu's heart sank!

To the north is the border.

This matches what Old Manager Sun said again!

"Thank you very much for your guidance, Scarface." He said calmly.

"Don't get involved with his family." Scarface stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "His family has connections, they're backed by officials, we can't afford to offend them."

Scarface left, and the staff left in the clinic were stunned for a long time.

Scarface, a notorious tyrant in the south of the city, whose killings were so brutal they left no trace, was someone the city's officials avoided. This ruthless man actually came to a young doctor in his twenties to befriend, calling him brother and promising to become good friends.

If word gets out, no one in the city will dare to look down on Yang's Medical Clinic's reputation anymore.

This little miracle doctor's reputation is not only hard, it's practically as hard as a hole in the sky!

Yang Hu, however, lacked that kind of cunning.

He stood blankly at the door, watching the blue sedan chair disappear into the distance, his mind filled with Scarface's words:

The grain in the weekly diary was sent north at night; someone was behind it.

To the north lies the border, where barbarians are invading and supplies are critically low. Yet, Zhou Ji's grain continues to be sent north at night. This is not business; it's simply throwing Da Cheng's grain into the wolf's belly.

Weekly reports, military supplies, border defense—those who have official backing not only have their connections grown stronger, but they are also getting closer and closer to that unseen hand.

That night, he told Qin Ying what Scarface had said.

Qin Ying listened for a long time.

"Backed by powerful officials," she murmured. "The person who can record these shady dealings and manipulate military supplies is definitely not an ordinary official."

She looked up at Yang Hu.

"Military supplies, food, and the ability to control the government," she said. "Back when I was on patrol, I was ambushed. Along the way, there were no checkpoints or documents being transported. If there was even the slightest gap in communication, the barbarians would never be able to ambush me there. It wasn't just this grain merchant and this corrupt official who were able to accomplish this."

Her voice was as cold as ice.

"The higher this line goes, the more dangerous it becomes. Pulling it out could shake half the court."

"I know," he said.

But there was not a trace of fear in his eyes.

No matter how well that hand was hidden, he would find it out one by one.

Outside, in the direction of Zhao Ya's residence in the west of the city, the spies have changed several times in the past two days, and their surveillance has become increasingly close.

Yang Hu glanced at it and frowned slightly.

The eyes watching his courtyard were never still, and he knew they were after his family. This trouble was bound to come sooner or later.

What he wants to do now is to use Scarface as a lead to get a clearer picture of the whole weekly journal.

There are informants on the rocky hill along the road north of Zhouji's grain supply route, backed by officials. Who is the most hidden one at the end of these lines?