"Don't underestimate me. You think a mere needle technique can be exchanged for my Tianyi Nine Needles? Keep looking down on me then." Li Se scoffed.
Yan Luo's expression darkened. As the owner and resident doctor of Zhongcao Hall, he was somewhat well-known in Qingyun City. His reliance was on this Yan Family Needle Technique. Now, with Li Se dismissing it so easily, he naturally felt offended. "You've gone too far. While my Yan Family Needle Technique may not be as good as Tianyi Nine Needles, it is still a renowned technique. Since you're unwilling to exchange, perhaps I can buy it from you?"
"Name your price!" Yan Fei said with a cold snort.
"Not selling!" Li Se's reply was very direct. He wouldn't impart the Tianyi Nine Needles to such a greedy person. If Yan Luo were a good doctor, he might even teach the technique without payment. But unfortunately, Yan Luo was not.
"You..." Yan Luo started to say something.
"If the young divine doctor won't sell, does Zhongcao Hall intend to seize it by force?" Nie Huacan said calmly.
Yan Luo's face grew grim. He truly desired the Tianyi Nine Needles. If he could learn it, his medical skills would advance to another level, allowing him to amass more wealth. However, Li Se was unyielding, and he was powerless to do anything.
"Young divine doctor, may I ask your name?" Nie Huacan inquired.
"Li Se."
"Divine Doctor Li, may I invite you to a meal?" Nie Huacan invited.
"Sure!" Li Se did not refuse.
After having a meal with Nie Huacan, they exchanged contact information. Nie Huacan said, "Divine Doctor Li, I will do my best to help you find the Violet Leaf Heavenly Lotus."
"Thank you," Li Se nodded.
"It is I who should thank you. If it weren't for you, my father might have already..." Nie Huacan sighed softly.
"Mr. Nie, there's something I'd like to say, if I may?" Li Se suddenly asked.
"Please speak freely, Divine Doctor Li," Nie Huacan replied with a smile.
"Your father is getting old, and it's normal for some symptoms to appear. It's you, however..." Li Se's expression turned solemn. Nie Huacan's forehead was darkened, and a faint black aura was coiled around him. This indicated a life-threatening situation.
"What's wrong with me?" Nie Huacan asked, confused.
"Mr. Nie, if you believe me, it would be best if you didn't go out this week. Otherwise, there might be a disaster involving bloodshed," Li Se said gravely.
"This..." Nie Huacan hesitated. He didn't particularly believe in fortune-telling; he believed more in human determination conquering fate. However, Li Se's sudden words made him apprehensive.
"That's all I have to say." Li Se didn't say anything more. Whether Nie Huacan believed him or not was beyond his control.
After Li Se left, Nie Huacan pondered whether he should stay home for the week. Just then, his phone rang: "Oh, what did you say? The Crystal of Love is already being auctioned? No matter the cost, you must bid for the Crystal of Love. Never mind, I'll come personally!"
...
"Sister Min, what's wrong?" Li Se, who was driving, received a call from Zhang Aimin.
"That old scoundrel Zhang Mao wants to see us," Zhang Aimin's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Do you think we should see him?"
Li Se was taken aback, then smiled. "See him? Why not? Let's go see what this old scoundrel has to say."
At the sanatorium, Li Se and Zhang Aimin walked hand in hand. From a distance, they saw Zhang Li kneeling before Zhang Mao.
"You good-for-nothing, who gave you the authority to act on your own?" Although Zhang Mao's voice was weak, everyone could tell he was very angry. He even coughed continuously after speaking.
"Dad, I..." Zhang Li tried to explain.
*Slap!*
Zhang Mao slapped him hard. "Who allowed you to lay a hand on Divine Doctor Li? He is my savior!"
"Grandpa, that kid also beat Brother Long," Zhang Aiqing said resentfully.
"You still have to endure it!" Zhang Mao snorted coldly.
Zhang Li felt wronged. He was being made a scapegoat. The decision was clearly made by Zhang Mao, but he was forced to take the blame. Although he was unhappy, he was powerless. After all, he held no status in the family.
"Ah, Divine Doctor Li, Xiao Min, you're here," Zhang Mao said with surprise as he saw Li Se and Zhang Aimin approaching from afar.
He then pointed at Zhang Li, looking extremely disappointed, and said, "I heard about what happened yesterday. It is I who have failed you. This unfilial son actually dared to attack you, my savior!"
"Heh." Li Se merely smiled, knowing perfectly well that Zhang Li was taking the fall. This was a ploy to gain sympathy.
Zhang Aimin watched coldly. "Is there something you wanted to see us about?"
"Xiao Min, I am your grandfather," Zhang Mao said with a bitter expression.
"Can I get up now?" Zhang Li asked.
"Continue kneeling!" Zhang Mao commanded.
Zhang Li dared not say another word and continued to kneel.
Tang Ru said with dissatisfaction, "Dad, if you ask me, they are also at fault in this matter. Yuanfeng Pharmaceuticals should rightfully belong to our Zhang family..."
"Shut up!" Zhang Mao reprimanded.
Tang Ru then stopped speaking but glared resentfully at Li Se and Zhang Aimin. "Why did we give birth to such an unfilial daughter!"
Zhang Aimin seemed not to hear, her expression unchanged.
"Xiao Min, I asked you to come mainly to apologize. The incident yesterday was due to my poor supervision. But as you can see, I am now confined to a wheelchair." Zhang Mao's eyes held a trace of unwillingness, but he was truly old. Even a top doctor like Li Se could only extend his life by half a year.
"Just say what you need to say," Li Se said, not wanting to beat around the bush.
Zhang Mao's face was filled with desolation. "Xiao Min, Divine Doctor Li, my time is short. Since I fell ill, the Zhang family has also been in decline. Xiao Min, you are also a member of the Zhang family, and I hope you can contribute to the Zhang family. I'm not asking for Yuanfeng Pharmaceuticals to be transferred to the Zhang family, but I only hope that the hemostatic and analgesic drugs can be exclusively licensed to the Zhang family. With these two medications, the Zhang family can remain standing in the capital in the future. This is my last request in life. Will you agree?"
Zhang Aimin remained silent, gazing at Zhang Mao. After about five minutes, she finally said, "Agreed!"
"Really?" Zhang Mao's face lit up with joy.
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Cheng's eyes. As long as Zhang Aimin took a step back, he could then slowly absorb Yuanfeng Pharmaceuticals. He had plenty of such methods.
"However, I have a condition," Zhang Aimin added. She glanced at Zhang Mao and the others, and said word by word, "I want to be the leader of the Zhang family!"