Niu Chuan felt as if this bumpkin was mocking him.
"Bang!" Niu Chuan slammed his hand onto the table.
"Listen here, you little punk, who do you think you are, flapping your trap in here? All the gold and jewelry we’ve brought can’t compare to that pig of yours! You’re just a kid, aren't you afraid of biting your own tongue?"
"We are all prominent figures in Huadu; why would we bring such trifles to deceive the Elder Ge and his wife? You are practically insulting us!"
"Look at you, dressed like you crawled out of a trash heap. You’re nothing but a pile of dung! You reek of pig manure! Who the hell let him in here?"
Zhang Qingfang looked extremely displeased; the men Niu Chuan had brought were all foul-mouthed.
"Husband! Look, Niu Chuan is scaring me!"
"Elder Ge, this vermin must have snuck in to try and butter you two up. Let me teach him a lesson and save face for our gangs!"
"Enough! Throw this man out! Don't let me see him again."
Gu Yunting felt a buzzing in his head.
Zhang Qingfang was already feeling unwell. Her husband had been so preoccupied with the brothers in the gang that he had neglected her. In a fit of rage, she coughed up a mouthful of black blood and collapsed.
Gu Yunting was devastated, clutching Zhang Qingfang tightly in his arms. "Qingqing! Quick, call for the divine doctor Qiu Shu!"
"Master, the anti-theft system has been triggered. It cannot be opened without a seven-star black card or higher with premium privileges!"
Gu Yunting looked at the black card in his own hand—it only had five stars! He tightened his fist.
He had mailed another six-star black card to a child. A few days ago, he received an anonymous letter claiming his son had not died but was being raised by another family. A DNA test confirmed the child was indeed of the Gu bloodline. Because of his advanced age and Zhang Qingfang’s poor health, they had put off having children again and again. He had just mailed that black card to his own flesh and blood yesterday.
"Is there truly no one who can open it? Gu Dong, you have served as vice president of the Nether Pavilion for a long time; think of something! Is there no other way?"
Gu Dong’s expression was grave. "The array on this system was set up by the servants of the Lin Family. No one can break it except those from the Lin Family! And the Lin Family perished twelve years ago. To this day, none of us have been able to crack it. It will only open automatically after an hour."
Gu Dong sighed and shook his head. "Master, it is my failure to properly manage the subordinates. I fear the Madam might..."
"You idiot, shut up!" Niu Chuan pointed at Gu Dong with a menacing glare. Years ago, Gu Dong had even been his mentor, but he certainly didn't have such a foolish teacher now.
"Brother Ting, I feel so unwell!"
Gu Yunting was filled with regret. Had he known Zhang Qingfang suffered from a congenital heart condition and possessed such a volatile temper, he shouldn't have provoked her and instead conceded to everything she wanted.
"Niu Chuan! Look at the mess you've made! If anything happens to my wife, I will kill you with my own hands!"
Niu Chuan looked aggrieved. "Boss, it really wasn't me! It was him—it was all that pig-farmer who popped up out of nowhere!"
"That’s right, Master, it’s all because of this brat! We should tear him limb from limb as a sacrifice for the Madam!"
"The priority now is to save my wife. Whoever can save her life will become the future successor of the Nether Pavilion."
Niu Chuan and the others’ eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Looking at the complex security door system, Niu Chuan glanced at the two-star black card in his hand and could only retreat in silence. This situation was a dead end. The people around them looked on in fear and panic, forced to watch helplessly as the Madam slowly slipped away.
"Since none of you can do it, let me try. However, you must agree to one thing afterward." Lin Fan spoke, word for word, to Gu Yunting.
"Damn it! You? Where did this poor wretch come from? Do you even know what you're looking at? You're actually trying to negotiate with our boss? You must be tired of living!"
Niu Chuan raised his hand to strike Lin Fan, but was stopped by Gu Dong.
"Niu Chuan, you cannot afford to delay the Madam’s life!"
"Boss..."
Gu Yunting waved his hand. "Let him try."
Lin Fan calmly stood up and walked toward the Nether Pavilion’s security system. He placed his finger lightly on the panel, and with a click, the security was disengaged.
The door swung open with a swoosh. Hearing the sound, the crowd turned back to look at the gate, stunned.
"This... this brat actually cracked the array!"
"Am I seeing things? He just touched it with his finger, and it opened!"
Gu Yunting couldn't help but stare at the man dressed in rags before him. His eyes were full of confusion.
"Impossible, this guy is just a pig seller! How could he do something like this? It must be a system malfunction! The array is so old it must have developed a flaw."
"Master, don't forget your promise," Lin Fan said, looking at Gu Yunting.
"A mere commoner dares to show off here? Everyone here is more capable than you! You actually dare to negotiate with the Master? It’s a miracle he hasn't killed you for causing the Madam’s condition to worsen! Get the hell out of here!" Niu Chuan gritted his teeth and shouted.
The divine doctor Qiu Shu arrived in a hurry at that moment. Gu Yunting was anxious. "Quick, take a look at my wife! She just coughed up blood!"
Qiu Shu had once been an apprentice to the imperial physician of the Lin Family—the healers for the four major gangs. He had studied hard for half his life and now called himself the exclusive physician of the Lin Family to everyone he met. He was renowned as the most famous divine doctor in Huadu.
Qiu Shu was dressed in white Taoist robes, his greying hair tied up with a wooden pin. He ran in carrying a medical kit. The moment he placed his fingers on Zhang Qingfang's pulse, his anxious thoughts became even more confused.
"The Madam's pulse is steady, strong, and full of vitality. The malevolent cold energy in her body has vanished. Her heart is pumping blood sufficiently; there is fresh blood supply, and her blood oxygen levels are abundant!"
"Divine Doctor, what does that mean?" Gu Yunting asked, slightly dazed.
"Master, it means the Madam’s chronic illness has mostly been eradicated. In a short time, she will be as healthy as an ordinary person! She must have recently encountered something that made her extremely happy. The joy revitalized her withered heart, allowing fresh blood and oxygen to flow in. Combined with the stimulation of some mysterious external force, her illness has collapsed on its own."
"What!" Gu Yunting was shocked.
"Has the Madam come into contact with anything recently, or ingested anything?"
Gu Yunting recalled, then shook his head. "Ever since Qingqing’s illness flared up months ago, her circulation has been poor. She hasn't had the habit of eating breakfast and has had no appetite for anything."
Zhang Qingfang slowly opened her eyes. Her complexion was rosy and glowing, and her eyes were clear and bright. She looked ten years younger, as if she had transformed back into an eighteen-year-old girl.
Gu Yunting couldn't believe his eyes. "Qingfang..."
"Madam, your illness... it's gone... Did you take anything or touch anything recently?" Qiu Shu was incredibly curious. In all the difficult cases he had treated in the great city of Huadu, this was the only instance where a congenital heart condition had spontaneously healed. He had to find the reason to bolster his reputation as a divine doctor!
Zhang Qingfang shook her head. "I was struggling to breathe when I left home, and I coughed up blood this morning. I haven't eaten a thing. I only met this young brother and touched the gift he gave me—this little piglet. I’ve been holding it for quite a while, but other than that, I haven't come into contact with anything else."