Jiang Haihua was sent flying through the air, slamming heavily against the living room wall before hitting the floor, battered and bruised.
Jiang Muwan gasped sharply, frozen in absolute shock as she stared blankly at the scene.
Ye Tianming looked toward Jiang Muwan with a cold, indifferent gaze. "Is this how your family treats guests?"
Jiang Haibo and Feng Hui were utterly bewildered. What on earth was going on here?
Looking at Jiang Muwan, Feng Hui finally asked, "Xiaowan, who is this person? Do you know him?"
Trembling and pale, Jiang Muwan finally opened her mouth in a shaky voice:
"Dad, Mom, he... he's my fiancé."
Chapter 10: Trouble!
The air seemed to freeze as everyone's eyes locked onto Ye Tianming.
The massive living room fell into a dead silence.
Jiang Haibo and Feng Hui were dumbfounded.
Surely their son-in-law was supposed to be some kind of bigshot?
How could he possibly be this sloppy, beggar-like fellow standing before them?
Feng Hui's face turned extremely ugly as she pointed right at Ye Tianming's nose and shouted,
"Xiaowan, are you joking with your mother? This... isn't this just a beggar? How could he be your fiancé?"
Jiang Muwan remained silent, having no idea how to answer at the moment.
On the floor, Jiang Haihua scrambled up in a wretched state, his face bruised and swollen, his expression exceptionally grim.
Jiang Haibo hurried over to steady Jiang Haihua, a forced, awkward smile on his face. "Big Brother, just now... that was a misunderstanding."
Wiping away a bloody nose, Jiang Haihua glared coldly at Ye Tianming. Taking a deep breath, he asked Jiang Muwan,
"Xiaowan, is he really your fiancé?"
Biting her lip and keeping her head down, Jiang Muwan whispered, "Yes, Uncle, I'm sorry..."
At that moment, she didn't even dare look at Jiang Haihua, regretting more than ever that she had brought Ye Tianming home only for him to beat Jiang Haihua up.
Jiang Haihua's mouth twitched, his face a sickly ashen color. He never expected this lowly servant-like figure to be Jiang Muwan's fiancé.
No matter what, appearances had to be maintained. Even with resentment burning inside him, he forced on a superficial smile and waved a hand.
"It's nothing, it was all a misunderstanding. I didn't know he was your fiancé, and what I said just now wasn't right either."
Acting as though nothing had happened, Ye Tianming smiled brightly. "Big Brother, sorry about that just now. Didn't quite know my own strength."
Jiang Haihua's mouth twitched again. In his heart, he wished he could kill Ye Tianming, but on the surface, he smiled and said,
"It's fine, nephew-in-law. Big Brother just didn't recognize you. We're all family here, just a misunderstanding."
Jiang Haibo coughed, forcing a smile as he probed cautiously,
"Young man, are you really our Xiaowan's fiancé?"
Ye Tianming glanced at Jiang Haibo. Since this man hadn't said anything too harsh so far, Ye Tianming smiled and replied,
"Uncle, if you don't believe me, I have the marriage agreement right here and can show it to you."
Jiang Haibo's brow twitched, his smile turning rather awkward.
"I believe you... Then what have you been doing out there these past few years? What do your parents do?"
Ye Tianming rolled his eyes. He certainly couldn't tell them that these past three years he had been up in the mountains training with the old man and taking on missions, could he?
With a wry smile, he answered, "Nothing much, just bumming around outside. As for my parents..."
"Wait!"
Interrupting Ye Tianming, Feng Hui turned to Jiang Muwan and demanded,
"Xiaowan, didn't you go to his house this afternoon? What do his parents do? I want you to tell me—I don't believe a word this person says."
At that moment, Jiang Muwan fell silent. After three seconds, she frowned and said,
"Mom, don't ask."
"No! I will ask! What on earth do his parents do?"
Jiang Muwan looked at Feng Hui, then glanced at Ye Tianming, and lowered her head.
"His family... his family collects trash."
"What on earth?! They collect trash??"
The room spun wildly around Feng Hui. Her own daughter's fiancé... came from a family of trash collectors?!
She thought of how she had previously bragged to Jiang Haihua's family about how formidable her son-in-law was, and how she had boasted to all her good girlfriends that her daughter's fiancé held a remarkably prestigious status.
And yet... he turned out to be a trash collector?
Right then, an unspeakable wave of emotion surged through Feng Hui's heart.
Humiliation! Rage! Absurdity!
A heavy grievance gathered in Feng Hui's chest until, like a volcanic eruption, it instantly blew wide open!
"Get out! You stinking beggar who picks up trash! This engagement is off! I thought you were some bigshot, but you're just a lump of rotten dog shit! Xiaowan, starting today, the engagement between you two is canceled! Just pretend you don't even know this person!"
With that, Feng Hui lunged straight at Ye Tianming, grabbing and tugging at him like a madwoman, trying to force him outside.
Nearby, Jiang Haibo hurriedly stepped in to pull Feng Hui back, trying to placate her.
"Dear, don't get so worked up! Can't you just talk properly? Why are you putting your hands on him?"
Like a furious lioness, Feng Hui roared at Jiang Haibo, "How can I not get worked up?! How can my daughter possibly be engaged to this trash-collecting loser?! Am I supposed to let her end up like me, married to a useless piece of trash like you?! Get out! Make him get out!"
Jiang Haibo froze, wilting completely into silence.
Unable to watch any longer, Jiang Muwan shrieked,
"Mom! That's enough!"
The entire living room instantly fell silent as Jiang Muwan, her eyes brimming with tears, cried out,
"Mom, can you please calm down! I'm begging you. I'm the one who brought him here, it's all my fault... all my fault... Stop yelling at him. I made a mistake..."
Before Jiang Muwan could even finish, a shrill alarm suddenly wailed from the villa's second floor!
Jiang Haibo's face changed instantly. "Something's happened to Dad!"
Without a second thought, the crowd swarmed in a chaotic rush toward the second floor!
No one cared about Ye Tianming anymore; that piercing alarm was coming directly from the specially converted medical care room on the second floor!
Elder Jiang was in there, and when that alarm sounded, it meant his condition was extremely critical!
Jiang Muwan didn't have time to hesitate either. She started for the stairs, but just as her foot touched the step, she suddenly paused.
She turned her head to look at Ye Tianming.
Ye Tianming met her gaze, his expression remaining completely calm and unruffled.
Biting her lip with a complex expression, Jiang Muwan finally forced out in a strained voice,
"Ye Tianming, you should leave. You saw how it is—my parents and my uncle's family can't tolerate you. When I publicly said today at your house that I was willing to marry you, I really just wanted to help you out, I didn't mean anything else... Besides, since you signed that contract for me today, I'll send you some money later as compensation."
Ye Tianming gave a cold smile. "What are you trying to say?"
Biting her lower lip with a look of guilt, Jiang Muwan said,
"I'm trying to say that if I gave you the wrong idea, I'm sorry. But we are not people of the same world. Go back, find some obedient and sensible woman to live a good life with, and don't make your parents worry anymore."
With those words, Jiang Muwan gave Ye Tianming one last complicated look and turned to head upstairs.
Watching her retreating figure, Ye Tianming let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Fine, I get your point. We'll have nothing to do with each other from now on."
"However, before I came down the mountain, the old man specifically instructed me to visit your Jiang Family and check on your grandfather for him. Since your grandfather is sick and in trouble, and I happen to know a bit of medicine, I might as well go take a look."
Jiang Muwan's footsteps faltered. After three seconds of silence, she lowered her head and sighed,
"Alright, then come along. After you've seen my grandfather, we will have nothing more to do with each other."
"Fine."
Ye Tianming followed behind Jiang Muwan.
Reaching the second floor, the two walked to the end of the corridor and pushed open the door to the innermost medical room.
Chapter 11: Divine Doctor Li Appears
Inside the room, several members of the Jiang Family were gathered around a hospital bed as Ye Tianming cast his gaze forward.
Lying on the bed was an elderly man with kind features, but he looked utterly weathered and feeble.
The old man's eyes were closed, his skin darkened, his breathing faint and intermittent, and his lips bruised purple—he had completely slipped into a coma.
The various instruments hooked up to his body blared an endless stream of alarms!
Squinting as he took a single glance at the old man, Ye Tianming's brows instantly locked together!
He saw through the situation at once!
The old man had been poisoned. It was an extremely subtle type of neurotoxin, one that even modern medical equipment couldn't detect!
Yet to him, this kind of poison was a mere drop in the bucket; he was far too familiar with it.
Over the past three years, the old man had formulated over six thousand types of poisons for him to temper his body with, encompassing virtually every named poison in existence.
This had rendered Ye Tianming virtually immune to all poisons. Combined with his heaven-defying medical skills, he saw right through Elder Jiang's condition at a single glance.
To him, curing it would be effortless, but to anyone else, it was practically a death sentence.
He didn't speak up immediately because he suspected that Elder Jiang's poisoning might not be so simple.
At that moment, Jiang Haibo was pacing back and forth in the room, anxiety written all over his face as he muttered,
"Why isn't Divine Doctor Li here yet? What are we going to do?! Could something have happened to him?"
A heavy gloom hung over the room; if Divine Doctor Li failed to show up, they truly had no recourse.
Sighing heavily, Jiang Haibo took out his phone.
"I'll swallow my pride and call Divine Doctor Li again. If he can't make it... then Heaven must really be coming for Dad's life."
Just as he pulled out his phone, the door was pushed open and a young man walked in with a smile.
"Uncle, put the phone away."
Everyone turned their heads and froze in surprise. Jiang Haibo exclaimed in astonishment,
"Young Master Shen? Why is it you?"
The newcomer was Shen Chenghua, young master of the Lónghǎi Shen Family!
Although the Shen Family was not one of the Six Great Influential Families of Lónghǎi, their strength had risen steadily year after year!
By now, they were practically on par with the Six Great Families!
Shen Chenghua smiled faintly. "Uncle, of course I'm here to help. Look who else is here."
With that, Shen Chenghua bowed respectfully toward the hallway and said, "Divine Doctor Li, please come in."
As his voice trailed off, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard slowly walked in!
The members of the Jiang Family immediately wore looks of pleasant surprise!
"Divine Doctor Li! It really is you? You've finally come!"
STROKING his beard, the old man smiled. "This old man couldn't very well refuse after Young Master Shen tracked me down at the place where I was treating patients today and personally drove to pick me up. It would have been unreasonable not to come. Very well, I'll break my rule today and look at your family's matter first."
Hearing this, the group cast waves of grateful looks toward Shen Chenghua.
Jiang Haibo never expected Shen Chenghua to lend a hand, while beside him, Feng Hui's face blossomed with joy.
She grabbed Shen Chenghua's hands, beaming as she said,
"Young Master Shen, thank you so much today! How kind of you to still keep our Jiang Family in mind!"
Shen Chenghua glanced at Jiang Muwan and smiled at Feng Hui.
"You're too kind, Auntie. Xiaowan and I are great friends, so her matters are my matters. Helping out is only right."
With that, he looked back at Jiang Muwan. The implication behind his words was crystal clear.
Anyone with eyes could hear it.
However, Jiang Muwan merely frowned slightly and said nothing.
For some reason, lately this Shen Chenghua kept finding ways to try and connect with her.
She wasn't stupid; of course she knew why a man would care about a woman for no reason.
Yet she really couldn't summon any romantic feelings for Shen Chenghua.
She couldn't explain it either. Logically speaking, Shen Chenghua was cultured, and a CEO of the Shen Group at such a young age.
He could be considered a youth of great promise—the kind of perfect catch girls chased after anywhere.
She didn't dislike him, and even thought he was pretty good.
But it was just "pretty good"; she genuinely couldn't call it liking.
Because Shen Chenghua's persona was just too perfect—so perfect it felt fake.
Handsome, wealthy, gentle, considerate... he seemed to lack any flaws whatsoever, overflowing entirely with merits.
Yet it was precisely this abundance of merits that made Jiang Muwan feel something was slightly off. His perfection lacked reality.
Still, she was very grateful that he had brought Divine Doctor Li. Smiling slightly at Shen Chenghua, she said,
"Young Master Shen, thank you so much today."
Shen Chenghua waved his hand with a smile. "Xiaowan, there's no need for thanks between us. We can chat properly later—let Divine Doctor Li examine Grandpa's condition first."
Jiang Muwan nodded, and the group took a few steps back as Lǐ Zōngnián stepped forward.
Sitting beside the hospital bed, he pinched Elder Jiang's pulse with his fingers.
Eyes closed and brows furrowed, the hearts of the Jiang Family members jumped into their throats.
Yet everyone harbored their own hidden thoughts...
Unnoticed in the corner, Ye Tianming watched this "Divine Doctor Li" thoughtfully, his eyes brimming with amusement.
Soon, Lǐ Zōngnián opened his eyes, his tone grave. "The old man's condition is very poor. His breath is unstable, his vital energy is exhausted, and his meridians, limbs, and internal organs have suffered varying degrees of damage. Has the old man been injured recently?"
Ye Tianming sneered inwardly. A divine doctor, my foot—he couldn't even detect this level of poison and called himself a divine doctor. He was probably just another half-baked charlatan!
The members of the Jiang Family looked at one another in dismay. Jiang Haibo shook his head and said,
"No, Father has been staying right here at the estate and rarely goes out. Even when he does, someone always accompanies him. He definitely hasn't been injured."
"Not injured?"
Lǐ Zōngnián raised an eyebrow and grabbed the pulse again. This time, beads of sweat actually formed on his forehead!
The next second, his expression shifted and he snapped his eyes open.
"The old man has been poisoned!"
"What?!"
The faces of the Jiang Family members changed dramatically, while in the corner, Ye Tianming raised a brow in slight surprise.
He actually managed to spot it. It seemed he had a bit of skill after all.
Frowning beside the bed, Jiang Haihua asked, "Divine Doctor Li, is this true? What kind of poison has my father contracted?"
Squinting gravely, Lǐ Zōngnián said, "If this old man isn't mistaken, it is the Nine-Cold Evil Poison! It is a chronic poison that erodes a person's vital organs! That is what the old man is suffering from."
"Nine-Cold Evil Poison?!"
The Jiang Family members were terrified, standing there dumbstruck.
With a pale face, Jiang Haibo stammered, "Divine Doctor Li... can you cure this poison?"
Squinting, Lǐ Zōngnián took a deep breath, hesitating for half a second before saying,
"This poison is extraordinary. I can only try my best."
"Alright! Divine Doctor Li, our entire Jiang Family depends on you! As long as you save my father, name your own medical fee."
Lǐ Zōngnián waved a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Then, pulling a set of silver needles from his pocket, he prepared to drive them into Elder Jiang's body!
Just as the needles were about to pierce down, a casual voice suddenly rang out from the corner.
"You've got it wrong. This isn't the Nine-Cold Evil Poison. Besides, your needle technique has huge flaws. If you actually drive those in, it will only backfire!"
Chapter 12: Believe It or Not
Ye Tianming's voice echoed through the room. With a shrug, he added,
"If you don't believe me, go ahead and pierce him. Within an hour after you do, something is bound to happen to the old man."
Lǐ Zōngnián's hand froze in mid-air, his expression turning exceptionally ugly.
Having practiced medicine in Lónghǎi for many years, he had earned the title of Divine Doctor Li thanks to his exceptional medical skills.
Where hadn't he been met with respect all these years?
Yet today, someone was picking faults with him?
And the one picking faults was just some punk kid!
Lǐ Zōngnián's face instantly darkened as he rebuked angrily,
"Where did this junior come from? How dare you question me? Absurd!"
Beside him, Shen Chenghua also furrowed his brow. Saying Divine Doctor Li was useless was practically saying that the person he had brought was useless, too!
Staring at Ye Tianming with an unfriendly look, Shen Chenghua demanded,
"Brother, do you know who you're talking to? This is Lónghǎi's medical master, Mr. Lǐ Zōngnián! How dare you question Divine Doctor Li? May I ask what your name is?"
Ye Tianming shrugged. "I don't have a title, but I know a bit of medicine, and Elder Jiang definitely doesn't have the Nine-Cold Evil Poison."
Shen Chenghua immediately raged, "Divine Doctor Li himself said it's the Nine-Cold Evil Poison, yet you still dare to talk nonsense! You've got some nerve!"
Lǐ Zōngnián cast a cold glance at the Jiang Family members and said,
"The two of you from the Jiang Family, if you look down on this old man, you can just say so, and I'll take my leave! There was no need to bring in some brat to humiliate me! I'm leaving right now!"
With a flick of his sleeve and a cold snort, Lǐ Zōngnián immediately stood up to walk out.
The Jiang Family members turned pale with fright; if Lǐ Zōngnián left, Elder Jiang would be truly finished!
Jiang Haibo hurriedly stepped forward to grab Lǐ Zōngnián, speaking with a bitter expression,
"Divine Doctor Li, please be the bigger man and don't lower yourself to a child's level. The boy doesn't know how to speak properly—we believe in you!"
At that moment, Jiang Haibo felt extremely displeased, blaming Ye Tianming for talking too much. He almost wanted to chase Ye Tianming out right then and there.
Yet, after all, this was the person personally designated by that old gentleman from back then.
He hesitated over whether to kick Ye Tianming out.
Meanwhile, Feng Hui didn't bother thinking about all that. Pointing right at Ye Tianming's nose, she spat with flying spittle,
"You brat, why are you so shameless? Like a stubborn plaster, why do you keep following us? Are you really planning to leech off our family? Get out of our Jiang Family right now! Don't make me have someone throw you out!"
Having a finger pointed in his face and being cursed at like that stirred up Ye Tianming's temper as well. He narrowed his eyes and sneered coldly,
"I came here because the old man instructed me to visit Elder Jiang. I have no intention of leeching off your Jiang Family."
"You still dare talk back! You clearly harbor evil intentions and want to latch onto my daughter to get into our Jiang Family!"
"Besides, what kind of thing are you? What qualifications do you have to see Elder Jiang? Bah! Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the reflection? Talk about seeing Elder Jiang—do you even fucking deserve to?"
A few flickers of cold intent flashed through Ye Tianming's eyes. If not for the old man's sake, if the Jiang Family dared speak to him like this, a snap of his fingers could turn the Jiang Family to dust and erase them from Lónghǎi!
Right at that moment, however, Jiang Muwan suddenly stepped forward, blocking in front of Ye Tianming as she said to Feng Hui,
"Mom, stop yelling at him. I'm the one who brought him up here. He said he knows a bit of medicine and wanted to take a look at Grandpa..."
Feng Hui retorted, "He knows shit about medicine! What he said just now was just to fool you—he was clearly talking out of his ass. How could someone as young as him know medicine? Bah!"