After passing through multiple security checkpoints, Lin Dong finally reached the villa halfway up the mountain. Even before he could enter, he heard a fierce argument erupting from within.
"Chu Wanning! Father had only just handed the company over to you when he suddenly fell ill! You must have harmed him!"
"Bullshit! Grandfather watched us grow up our whole lives; how could my sister ever hurt him?"
Seeing the volatile atmosphere inside, Lin Dong hesitated for a moment, thinking he would wait for things to calm down before stepping in. As an outsider, it wouldn't be appropriate to insert himself into the Chu Family’s internal disputes. He figured he would just go in to treat the patient once the situation was settled.
However, before he could even turn around, the villa door suddenly swung open. A young woman in a white shirt and slim-fit jeans stood there, looking down at Lin Dong with an expressionless, indifferent attitude.
"You're here."
The woman was none other than Chu Wanning.
Standing below the steps, Lin Dong looked up and found himself momentarily dazed. They say a girl changes a great deal in her late teens, but in just under three years, Chu Wanning’s transformation was immense. Her face was no longer as soft and gentle as before; a sharp, cold edge had been added to her features. Though he couldn't see the curves of her figure, her white shirt was stretched slightly taut, hinting at a hidden abundance, and her slender, shapely legs were perfectly defined by the slim jeans. Standing on the steps and looking down at him, she was the embodiment of an "ice queen."
Lin Dong steadied himself and said, "I almost didn't recognize you."
Chu Wanning was blunt, cutting straight to the point. "I know why you are here. As long as you can save my grandfather, I will tell you everything you want to know."
Chu Wanning was smart; she didn't waste time on the marriage arrangements but went straight to the heart of the matter.
Lin Dong spoke seriously, "Is the old gentleman still breathing?"
"He is," Chu Wanning replied.
Lin Dong said with confidence, "As long as he still has one breath left, even Yama himself can't take him!"
Chu Wanning had spent half a year at Taohua Spring and was well aware of the Old Divine Doctor's medical prowess. While she wasn't sure how much of that skill Lin Dong had truly inherited, the fact that the Old Divine Doctor had entrusted all of Taohua Spring to him before setting off to wander the world suggested that Lin Dong’s abilities were far from ordinary. Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have been so at ease.
"Good. Come in with me."
Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Wanning took Lin Dong’s hand as if they were truly a couple and led him into the villa. Inside, the argument had only intensified, and the family members looked ready to come to blows.
"You bastard! You’re framing me!"
"It was you who harmed the old man!"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Chu Wanning’s face. She whispered to Lin Dong, "Please, excuse the display."
Lin Dong shrugged, remaining noncommittal.
Chu Wanning cleared her throat and spoke up loudly.
"Ahem!"
"Stop arguing!"
Hearing her, everyone turned their heads in unison. Only then did they notice that Chu Wanning was holding the hand of a strange man, though they had no idea what she was trying to do.
Chu Mingyu, Chu Wanning's second uncle, was the first to lash out. "Chu Wanning, who is this?! The old man isn't even dead yet, and you can't wait to drag some stray man home to have fun with!?"
Lin Dong’s expression darkened at these words, but before he could speak, Chu Wanning stepped in.
"I call you 'Second Uncle' out of respect, so keep your mouth clean. He is my fiancé!"
Chu Mingyu was stunned for a moment, then burst into uproarious laughter.
"Haha, a fiancé? Wanning, a village bumpkin, a hillbilly, is going to marry you? Who introduced him to you? Your taste is truly blind!"
"Look at this pathetic, scruffy loser! How is he fit to step into the Chu Family home!?"
Lin Dong took a deep breath. Without a sound, he stepped forward, leaned in close to Chu Mingyu, and asked softly, "You said the person who made the introduction is blind?"
Chu Mingyu shouted, "Blind! Not just blind in the eyes, but blind in the heart!"
Chu Mingyu didn't care who Chu Wanning married; in fact, he desperately wanted her to marry some useless nobody so he could use it as an excuse to bring her down. His display of indignation was merely a roundabout way to humiliate her.
"The Chu Family is not a dumping ground for trash! Even if some people have a hobby of collecting rubbish, we will never agree to this!"
Lin Dong smiled slightly, reached out to pull out the marriage document, pointed to Elder Chu's signature, and asked with a grin, "Look closely—who is the matchmaker?"
Chu Mingyu stared, his eyes widening until he was as still as a statue.
"This...?"
Lin Dong held the document high for everyone to see. "You are all members of the Chu Family. You surely recognize Elder Chu’s handwriting, don't you?"
The Chu family members were stunned. Elder Chu had indeed mentioned that he had arranged a good match for Wanning, but they had never seen a suitor, and Wanning had never addressed it. For years, they had assumed it was just a joke by the old man. They never imagined it was real.
"It really is the Old Master's handwriting!"
"This is the marriage arranged for sister Wanning by the old man himself!"
Lin Dong tucked the document away and looked at Chu Mingyu with an amused expression. "So, who did you say was blind?"
Chu Mingyu wouldn't dare insult the Elder in public, not even if his life depended on it. With his words already spoken, he had no choice but to backtrack. "I... that was just a slip of the tongue. A slip of the tongue."
Chu Mingyu’s tone shifted, becoming vicious once more. "Wanning, even if he is the fiancé the Elder chose for you, what are you doing bringing him here now? The old man is at death’s door, and the house is in chaos. You’re in the mood to think about marriage? Are you some kind of unfilial beast?!"
The words were incredibly harsh. Lin Dong shouted in anger, "You old bastard, you..."
But Chu Wanning suppressed her own fury and held Lin Dong back, keeping her voice as calm as possible. "Second Uncle, the marriage document also bears the signature of the Old Divine Doctor. He is the Old Divine Doctor’s final disciple. He didn't come here for the sake of the marriage; he came to treat Grandfather."
Lin Dong stopped paying attention to Chu Mingyu and asked about the Elder’s condition. "Where is the old gentleman now? Take me to see him."
Chu Wanning nodded and led Lin Dong toward the second floor.
Upon entering the room, they saw several nurses attending to the patient. A middle-aged man in a white tunic was pacing back and forth, sighing heavily.
Chu Wanning nodded to the nurses and gave a brief introduction of the man. "Lin Dong, let me introduce you. This is Dr. Qin Ming. Thanks to him, Grandfather’s condition has been stabilized these past few days."
Out of courtesy, Lin Dong greeted Qin Ming, but the doctor didn't even nod, offering no response at all.
Seeing the other man’s coldness, Lin Dong ceased being polite. He walked straight past Qin Ming and prepared to examine the Elder.
He arrived at the bedside and looked at the old man. The Elder was in a deep, unresponsive sleep. His complexion appeared normal, showing no signs of a severe illness, yet his breathing was as thin as a thread, as if he were on the verge of fading away.
The only abnormality was that the Elder’s heart was beating with alarming speed—not at all like that of an elderly man. Elderly people usually have slower heart rates, and in his current weakened state, it should have been even lower. Yet, his heart was pounding violently. Where there is a strange anomaly, there is evil afoot.
This was a sign of poisoning.