Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The hall of the Shi family household.
Before entering, Shi Yu had been wondering which teenager had not only injured their Shi disciples guarding the door and barged into their home, and even dared to wait for them to arrive in the hall. Now, as he walked in and saw the man sitting arrogantly on the head seat in the hall, his expression darkened immediately.
“It’s you!”
When the old man beside Shi Yu saw the young man in white sitting in the hall, his brows furrowed and his face darkened slightly too. He could not fathom why this young man was here.
This was the man who had not only injured the few disciples guarding the door and broke into their home, but even called for them to meet him in the hall? The old man could not help but curse the disciples guarding the door for being so useless that they could not even defend their home against a sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenager.
Entering the hall alongside Shi Yu was one of the top ten medicine masters in Chu royal city, Xiao Chen. He was also one of the most reputable persons in the city recently as he had managed to detoxify a poison that the other top medicine masters in the city could not treat, and had taken only a few short days. These few days, Xiao Chen’s pharmacy was overflowing with business from customers looking to buy poison antidotes.
After news that Xiao Chen had joined the Shi family had spread, the Shi family pharmacies also enjoyed great business, as if they were giving the medicine for free. This was all because Yang Yunji, the chief of the grand Yang family, had announced that his poison had been treated by Xiao Chen.
These days, Xiao Chen looked especially radiant, as if his life had been renewed.
“Zhou Donghuang, you were the one who hurt our Shi family disciples and barged into our home?” Shi Yu demanded as he glared at the young man dressed in white, sitting in the middle of the hall.
Now, he was not even interested in the two beautiful young ladies standing behind the young man. Because, if it was indeed Zhou Donghuang who had broken into their house. That meant that Zhou Donghuang was at least as powerful as he was.
Xiao Chen may not have understood the formidability of the disciples guarding the door, but as the first young master of the family, Shi Yu was well aware.
If it was indeed him, he must be at least a level-four adept, and not just an average one! Shi Yu thought to himself, perplexed. This Zhou Donghuang, isn’t he just a bum from the inferior Yunfeng prefecture? How could an inferior prefecture produce someone like that? Or maybe… his background was just a bunch of lies. Actually, he is from… the Valley of Medicine Masters!!
Despite his young age, Shi Yu was much more mature and meticulous in his thinking than most others his age. Otherwise, he would not have come up with the conspiracy that made Xiao Chen join the Shi family.
As the thought crossed his mind, a fog seemed to settle over Shi Yu’s heart.
Impossible… simply impossible… Shi Yu comforted himself quietly.
“Xiao Chen!” Yang Zixi, who was standing behind Zhou Donghuang, shouted as she saw the man, her eyes gleaming coldly. “As one of the top ten medicine masters in Chu royal city, I never would have thought that you were so thick-skinned to claim that you were the one who treated the poison when it was actually Brother Zhou’s work… even I feel ashamed for you!”
“Your words don’t mean anything,” said Xiao Chen, grinning. “Even if you say it on the streets, nobody will believe you. Everyone will only trust the words of Yang Yunji himself. If he says it was me who treated him, then it has to be me!” As he spoke, his smile widened.
Hearing this, Yang Zixi was so furious that her body trembled. She could not believe that someone could be so shameless.
“Shameless!” Even Ren Jiapei, standing at Yang Zixi’s side, could no longer keep quiet. She scolded, “You old man, with hardly any more years left, aren’t you afraid of going to hell for doing such despicable things?”
“And you are…?” Xiao Chen recognized Yang Zixi, but not Ren Jiapei. But hearing Ren Jiapei curse him, his eyes flashed murderously.
“Medicine Master Xiao, she is the first lady of the grand Ren family, Ren Jiapei,” Shi Yu reminded him.
“So it is the Ren first lady.” Xiao Chen looked at Ren Jiapei with a look of realization. He laughed and smirked. “Lady Ren, I heard you took in this Yang Zixi? I advise you to stay out of this… if not, the Ren family will incur even more losses!” With that, his eyes glinted as the smile on his old face turned even more twisted and evil. Although he was smiling, it looked even more horrible than if he were crying.
Just then, two sets of heavy footsteps echoed from outside the hall. As Shi Yu and Xiao Chen turned to look, they saw two figures enter. The one leading the way was an old man, followed by a middle-aged man. Both of them had dominating figures with similar faces; their noses looked almost identical.
“Grandfather! Father!” Shi Yu called. This was none other than the former Shi family chief, Shi Ji, and the current chief, Shi Hao.
“Shi Hao!” As the man walked in, Yang Zixi glared at him with eyes filled with hatred. This was the man who had killed her third uncle, Yang Yunchong.
“Greetings, old Chief.” Even Xiao Chen, one of the top ten medicine masters in the city, did not dare be disrespectful when meeting Shi Ji. He hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Shi Ji was not only the old chief of the Shi family, but also the pillar of strength of the family and a formidable level-eight adept! It was solely because of him that the Shi family could become a tycoon family. If the family did not produce another level-eight adept in the next century, they would fall to the status of a grand family again.
“Chief.” On the other hand, Xiao Chen was more relaxed towards Shi Hao, the current chief.
“Medicine Master Xiao,” responded Shi Ji with a nod. He walked past Xiao Chen and Shi Yu and bowed in greeting to the young man in the head seat. “Shi Ji of the Shi family greets this young master. How should I address you?” Shi Ji asked cordially.
Shi Hao was hardly surprised at the respect with which they treated the young man, but Shi Yu could hardly restrain his disgust. But he was well aware of the reason for his grandfather’s actions. He must have also suspected that the young man was from the Valley of Medicine Masters.
“Zhou Donghuang,” came the response as Zhou Donghuang glanced at Shi Ji. “You are the level-eight adept of the Shi family?”
“Yes,” Shi Ji answered quickly, afraid to be rude.
“Shi Hao, chief of the Shi family, greets Young Master Donghuang,” called Shi Hao as he bowed respectfully.
Seeing this, Xiao Chen was stunned. “Chiefs, what are you doing? This lad is just someone from an inferior prefecture… Chief, you know him, he was the one who detoxified the poison for Yang Yunji, Medicine Master Zhou.” Xiao Chen looked at Shi Hao, perplexed.
“What?!” Hearing this, Shi Hao’s face dropped in fear. He turned to the young man in fright as he muttered, “He… he is that teenage medicine master? Wasn’t he from an inferior prefecture? How can someone from such a place enter level-four of the gathered qi or even level-five at such an age?”
Shi Hao was shocked. He felt his skin crawl because he realized he had messed with the wrong person.
A teenage medicine master. The Valley of Medicine Masters. Shi Hao realized that these two were inextricably connected. No wonder this teenager who had attained at least level-four of the gathered qi at such a young age could possibly treat the poison of Yang Yunji. It was simple for someone from the Valley to achieve something like that.
“Young Master Donghuang, you… you are from the Valley of Medicine Masters?” Shi Hao asked nervously as he breathed in deeply, harboring this last tinge of hope. If he was really from the Valley, then he was done for. If not, this could be solved easily.
“The Valley of Medicine Masters?” Hearing the question, Zhou Donghuang was first taken aback, then laughed condescendingly. “Why? You want to find out if I am from the Valley before thinking of what to do next?”
Shi Hao smiled awkwardly as his thoughts had just been exposed.
Zhou Donghuang said flatly, “If you want to find out if I am from the Valley, then call Yang Yunji here… I can’t be bothered to make another trip there. Today, let’s settle everything here.”
“I will get Yang Yunji here right away,” responded Shi Hao as he rushed out.
“Valley of Medicine Masters?” As Shi Yu stared at Zhou Donghuang suspiciously, Xiao Chen looked again at Zhou Donghuang as his expression darkened.
He could not figure it out: how did this teenager become linked to the Valley of Medicine Masters?
“Yu’er, what is going on here?” Shi Ji turned to Shi Yu and whispered.
“Grandfather.” Shi Yu threw a cautious look at Zhou Donghuang, then told the full story to Shi Ji.
Shi Ji was usually focused on his practice and rarely got involved in such matters. Although he was aware and even surprised that Xiao Chen had joined the Shi family, he was still not clear of the circumstances.
Hearing Shi Yu’s story, Shi Yu’s expression transformed drastically. He could not blame his son or grandson for anything because he too would have done the same. But what nobody expected was that the teenage medicine master who had treated Yang Yunji, whom everyone had simply taken no notice of, could possibly be from the Valley.
“Grandfather, he may not be from the Valley,” reminded Shi Yu.
Shi Ji smiled bitterly, “I hope so.”
