Cao Degui was filled with regret. It was as if his head had been touched by a ghost. Why had he ever thought of opening a sanatorium at Bai Mang Lake?
Yet, he couldn't help but ask, "Cheng Xiaofan, I've never offended you before. Why are you treating me like this?"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled faintly and said, "If you weren't eyeing my Bai Mang Lake and daring to come here, would I be treating you like this?"
"Do you know why your cars couldn't enter after reaching the archway of the Golden Village I built?"
"It's because I set up a magic array on the village archway. Anyone with ill intentions who tries to pass through will be trapped by the formation."
"The reason you were able to enter is that after I received your call, I opened the gate of the formation here, which allowed you to come in."
He waved his hand and continued, "Cao Degui, the people behind you are all lining up to give me their welcome gifts."
"Stop wasting my time and be quick about it."
"My patience has a limit. Don't make things unpleasant for yourself!"
At this point, Cao Degui completely broke down.
He knew that the US dollars he had in a Swiss bank were no longer safe.
To avoid jail time, Cao Degui had no choice but to transfer the money he had in the Swiss bank to Cheng Xiaofan's account via mobile banking.
In his mind, it was fortunate that he still had a large collection of gold bars hidden in his underground chamber.
With those gold bars alone, he and his descendants would never have to worry about food and clothing for generations.
*Ding!*
Cheng Xiaofan received a mobile text message notification. He opened it, nodded with satisfaction at Cao Degui, and patted him on the shoulder.
He said, "Well, you've done well. You can go now."
Cao Degui didn't dare to utter a word and walked downstairs.
The people downstairs saw him and swarmed around.
"Old Cao, has your illness been cured?" someone immediately inquired.
Cao Degui's mouth twitched several times. He forced a smile and said, "It's cured. This young man certainly has some skills!"
Another person nearby asked, "Did the fellow named Cheng demand any consultation fees?"
Cao Degui replied, "No, he didn't even mention anything about consultation fees!"
At this moment, Diao Shaoyang said, "That's good of him. After all, we are all influential figures. I doubt he would have the guts to ask for a fee."
"Diao Shaoyang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Xiaofan's voice called out from the attic above.
Diao Shaoyang chuckled and said to the people beside him, "He's calling me!"
"After I go up, I'll take the opportunity to give him a lesson on how to handle relationships with influential people!"
With that, he excitedly ran upstairs.
Less than twenty minutes later, Diao Shaoyang slowly came down from upstairs.
"Mr. Diao, has your illness been cured?"
A group of people surrounded him again and asked.
Diao Shaoyang's expression was the same as Cao Degui's when he came downstairs.
His mouth twitched a few times before he said, "Cured, it's cured."
"This young man is truly a miracle doctor. One can't help but be impressed!"
Cao Degui snorted inwardly.
What is there to be impressed about, you fellow Diao!
Do you think I can't see that your heart is shattered into a million pieces, and you can't even shed a tear?
"Gao Daquan!"
Just then, Cheng Xiaofan's voice called out from upstairs again.
Gao Daquan immediately responded loudly, "I'm coming!"
He then laughed heartily at the people around him, saying, "I'll go see how this young man treated my illness."
...
It took nearly three hours for Cheng Xiaofan to finally "treat" the "illnesses" of those people.
He then gathered them all on the attic and chuckled, "Esteemed elders, thank you very much for coming to Zhuxi Village this time."
"And of course, thank you for cooperating with my treatment!"
"After all, as influential figures from the capital, it's not easy for you to deem me, Cheng Xiaofan, worthy of your presence, traveling from afar, day and night, to be here."
Cheng Xiaofan then reclined on a rocking chair, smoking and drinking tea.
He waved his hand at Cao Degui and the others and said, "Gentlemen, I'm very busy and won't be able to keep you here for dinner."
"You can all leave now!"
Cao Degui and the others exchanged glances, each feeling so wronged that they wanted to burst into tears.
Especially with the mingled scent of golden tea and spiritual smoke, their stomachs rumbled with hunger.
Having lived most of their lives, none of them believed they hadn't lived a life of soaring success and vibrant splendor.
Who would have thought that this trip to Zhuxi Village would result in such a major setback, leaving them like a mute eating bitter herbs, with suffering they dared not voice?
"Thank you, Divine Doctor Cheng. We shall take our leave!"
As the leader of their group, Cao Degui had to force a smile and say to Cheng Xiaofan.
Cheng Xiaofan ignored him, closed his eyes, and appeared to be in a state of meditation.
Cao Degui awkwardly led the more than ten people downstairs.
As soon as they left the bamboo attic, Cheng Xiaofan's eyes suddenly opened, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He said, "Interesting, very interesting."
Before those people had even left the courtyard in front, Cheng Xiaofan's triumphant words were heard by Cao Degui and the others without missing a single syllable.
The dozen or so men didn't make a sound. They lowered their heads, descended the slope, and got into their cars.
After watching the cars drive away from the back mountain, Cheng Xiaofan took out his phone and immediately dialed Zhang Heng.
"Teacher, I have to tell you, I just sent that group of people away!"
Zhang Heng was surprised and said, "No way, you sent them away that quickly?"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "Yes, after each of them presented me with a welcome gift, my objective was achieved. Why would I keep them here for dinner?"
Zhang Heng asked curiously, "Xiaofan, did they really give you welcome gifts?"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "Teacher, would I lie to you?"
Zhang Heng knew Cao Degui and the others well enough. The fact that they voluntarily presented "welcome gifts" to Cheng Xiaofan meant that Cheng Xiaofan must have used some extraordinary means.
As for the specific methods used, he didn't want to inquire further.
He believed that with Cheng Xiaofan's cleverness, he wouldn't have used any heavy-handed tactics on them.
Zhang Heng said jokingly, "You're quite ruthless. Since they offered welcome gifts, you should at least have offered them a meal!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "The food here is quite expensive."
"I was worried they couldn't afford it!"
"Alright, Teacher, let's end this conversation. I have something else to attend to immediately!"
Zhang Heng chuckled, "Okay, you go ahead and be busy!"
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Xiaofan immediately summoned Po Tianying.
"Po Tianying, please trouble yourself again. Give me a ride to the capital."
"Screeeech—"
Po Tianying immediately carried Cheng Xiaofan, let out a loud cry, and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the capital.