Chapter Fourteen: You Get What You Wish For!
The servant brought in a lavish breakfast, but Xue Yuan didn’t move a muscle. After all, who knew if there was another Wang Sheng in the mansion? Without Jian Qi testing the food for poison, he wouldn’t dare eat a single bite!
So he planned to go outside to a breakfast stall to get something to eat.
As he stepped into the courtyard, he happened to run into Zhao Huaichun.
“Doctor Zhao! Doctor Zhao! Who are you treating today?”
Zhao Huaichun snorted angrily, “Not treating anyone. I’m here to scold! My reputation, Zhao Huaichun’s brand, has been ruined this time!”
“Ah, ruined? Where? Who ruined it? Can it be fixed?”
“Ruined by your mansion’s steward, Qian! That scoundrel! I’ve warned him over and over to curb his lust, but he just won’t listen! What should have been a trivial matter of a couple of inches I could easily handle has come to this!”
Zhao Huaichun’s curses echoed like thunder, probably audible even inside where Qian Zhongxian was.
But Xue Yuan wasn’t surprised at all.
Zhao Huaichun was no ordinary man. Rumor had it he was a benefactor of Prefect Chen; years ago, he personally cured the Prefect’s wife of a strange illness!
Moreover, he was a close friend of Chu Yanxiu, the head of the Egret Academy and a great Confucian scholar. The two were often seen discussing the Way, well-known to everyone.
With connections like that and his fame as Ningzhou’s top healer, who in Ningzhou would dare cross him?
Still, Xue Yuan was delighted to hear him rant and laughed heartily. “Oh dear, so you slipped up this time? What a pity!”
Zhao Huaichun glared at Xue Yuan’s foolish grin. “What are you laughing at?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a fool—what’s wrong with having a little fun?”
Zhao Huaichun paused, then realized he was arguing with a fool.
But no matter who it was, no one could go easy against him!
“I’ll tell you, I’ve been practicing medicine for thirty years and only failed twice! This time won’t be the third. Tomorrow I’ll return to my sect to plead for medicine; I’ll cure him—at least recover thirty percent!”
Xue Yuan was stunned.
What? Thirty percent recovery? What kind of background did this old man have, and where was his sect? Was it really that miraculous?
As Zhao Huaichun turned to leave, Xue Yuan called after him hurriedly.
“Hey, Doctor Zhao?”
“Old Zhao? Grandpa Zhao?”
“Brother Chun? Little Chunzi?”
“Come on, discuss giving up on the treatment?”
Zhao Huaichun marched toward the gate, not even looking back. But just as he reached the gate, he suddenly turned around.
“By the way, when I came last night, I saw a blindfolded man standing at your door. Tell me, does he have a problem with his eyes?”
Xue Yuan nodded. “Yes, poisoned, they say.”
Zhao Huaichun brightened. “Haha, just as I suspected—it must be ‘No Light,’ a unique poison from White Cloud Mountain!”
Xue Yuan snapped, “Why are you laughing?”
“I’m a medical fanatic!” Zhao Huaichun replied matter-of-factly.
Xue Yuan nodded. “Oh, then it’s fine.”
“Tell him to come to my clinic tomorrow. Within a month, I’m fifty percent confident I can cure him! Give me a year, and I’m absolutely certain!”
“A whole month?”
“You dumb fool, what do you know! If those villains from White Cloud Mountain don’t provide the antidote, no one in the world but me and my master can cure it!”
“I spit on you!”
Xue Yuan spat in his face.
“That poison was cured last night—why would I need you?”
“Cured overnight? I spit on you!”
Zhao Huaichun retaliated, spitting back.
“If it’s really cured, I helped cure him, you old fool with dog eyes looking down on people, I spit on you!”
“You’re a fool and still know how to detoxify? I spit on you!”
“You’re talking nonsense! I’m a fool, but my mother says I have a rare talent for medicine. Believe it or not, I spit on you!”
“I don’t have time to waste on you. Make sure he comes tomorrow, or if treatment is delayed, the blame’s on you! Wait, come back!”
“What for?”
“I spit on you!”
“Damn you, old man, if you’ve got the guts, stop right there! I’m coming for you!”
But Zhao Huaichun just bounced away, carrying his medicine box.
Xue Yuan was furious but amused inside.
“Old man, you’re interesting!”
He fixed his gaze on Zhao Huaichun and glanced at the tags hovering above his head.
[Confucian Daoist Rank Seven Mid-Level | Medical Maniac | Disciple of Wind and Thunder Valley | I’m the best, I’m the greatest | Little Junior Sister’s third husband isn’t me | Don’t trust Chu Yanxiu | Qian Zhongxian’s illness starts with his brain | County Magistrate Li is a corrupt official | The Prince is a fool]
As usual, Xue Yuan ignored the last tag—damn it!
He focused on the first tag: Confucian Daoist Rank Seven Mid-Level?!
In this world, aside from martial cultivation, there was Confucian cultivation, which he knew.
But he’d heard it was extremely difficult to reach even the lowest ninth rank, with less than one in ten succeeding.
Yet Zhao Huaichun, cultivating medicine through Confucianism, had reached mid-level rank seven?
He truly was a medical fanatic!
Also, Wind and Thunder Valley must be his sect. Xue Yuan had never heard of it before, but it must be a powerful, hidden sect to produce disciples like this.
Xue Yuan’s heart pounded.
“Such talent, such a sect—I should do everything I can to recruit him!”
His thoughts became clearer.
He understood that to control his own fate, he needed sufficient power.
Money, talent, and military authority—these three formed the foundation of power.
“Military authority is the hardest to get, but once I secure money and talent, it’s only a matter of time!”
...
There were many tags, but most were irrelevant to Xue Yuan now, so he just made a mental note.
He returned indoors and washed his face.
Then he went out again.
Usually, when he left, the guards stopped him. Without permission from the princess or steward, he couldn’t leave the mansion gates.
But today, the guards all pretended not to see him.
Obviously, Jian Qi had beaten them into submission!
Xue Yuan felt he was no slouch either. Besides forcing Qian Zhongxian to play the plum blossom trick, he had beaten the princess so badly her backside was bruised; she reportedly had to sleep lying on her stomach!
And County Magistrate Li Yuanwang had two ribs broken by his kicks and was still bedridden.
One word: satisfying!
“But now, they’ll surely seek revenge. What should I do?”
Though Qian Zhongxian and Li Yuanwang were troublesome, Xue Yuan knew killing them wasn’t an option.
If the emperor learned of their deaths, he’d suspect something major in Jiangnan and send experts to investigate—experts even Jian Qi might not be able to withstand, since he was not yet a Sword Saint.
“So I have to outwit and outplay them.”
He pondered and realized their first move would likely be to take out Jian Qi.
But dealing with Jian Qi was simple.
As county magistrate, Li Yuanwang could easily accuse Jian Qi of some crime and order his arrest.
If Jian Qi complied, he would be taken away and “accidentally” die in custody.
If he resisted arrest, he could be charged with “opposing the court and attacking officials,” a capital offense under Da Qian law!
No one would listen to claims of wrongful accusation; instead, they’d ask, “If you’re innocent, why not explain it at the yamen?”
Once charged, Li Yuanwang could submit the case and call in the Divine Constabulary.
The Divine Constabulary was the world’s top law enforcement agency; no matter how skilled, none had ever escaped their pursuit.
Then Jian Qi would either flee or be caught—and without Jian Qi, Xue Yuan dreaded what tortures awaited him.
That was just one plan he could think of; Li Yuanwang surely had others.
“To stop them, the only way is to expose Li Yuanwang’s collusion with Prince Yu or his framing of the richest man to seize his property!”
“If I can find proof, I can control him!”
“But how to find it?”
Xue Yuan walked, lost in thought, until he reached the mansion gates.
The morning sun wasn’t harsh.
But suddenly, something flashed in his eyes.
He saw a young woman kneeling at the foot of the stairs.
She looked about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a plain pale blue long gown. Her hair was piled high, with a few strands falling messily by her ears. Her unadorned face was as fair as jade with a faint blush, like a delicate peach blossom stretched for ten miles. Her phoenix-like eyes were as deep as a moonlit pond—stunningly beautiful.
Though kneeling, her back was straight, emanating a resolute aura, like a sharp sword not yet drawn.
Xue Yuan admitted he hadn’t seen such a beautiful and unique woman in a long time.
As his gaze moved up, he saw she held a large petition paper high.
At the top was a bold character meaning “Injustice.”
Xue Yuan hurriedly pulled a guard over and asked, “What’s wrong with this young lady?”
The guard, now careful not to offend the prince, quickly replied, “My lord, she is Su Ruowei, daughter of Ningzhou’s richest man, Su Baichang. She says her father was framed by County Magistrate Li and his property forcibly seized. She wants to see Steward Qian to seek justice for her father!”
Xue Yuan burst out laughing.
What a coincidence—just as he thought, here it was!