Xia Yunfan did not even look at Chu Tianxiong and the others; to him, they were nothing more than a bunch of worthless trash.
There was simply nothing in this world that Xia Yunfan wanted to do that anyone could stop.
Let alone the mere Chu Family, back when he had a clandestine rendezvous with the eldest daughter of the Shen Family—a top-tier aristocratic family in the Capital—the elite retired special forces guards protecting the Shen Family had not even detected his presence.
Besides the Shen Family, he had once stolen the Princess of Never-Setting Sun out of her royal castle because she longed for freedom.
He had also wandered through the forbidden grounds of the Tianxuan Sword Sect in the company of the sect's twin saintesses.
Wherever Xia Yunfan wanted to go and whatever he wanted to do, there was nothing he could not accomplish.
This collection of good-for-nothing parasites from the Chu Family, whose ages added up to several centuries, certainly did not warrant a second glance from Xia Yunfan.
Xia Yunfan looked sincerely at Xinyue. "Do you trust me?"
Xinyue nodded and said, "I trust you."
Yet her words carried a hint of inner conflict.
If Xia Yunfan's master had come instead, she would have firmly believed that the beautiful and noble woman could cure her grandfather.
But Xia Yunfan was different. He had only been studying medicine for two years. In ancient times, the first three years of studying medicine were spent doing odd jobs at a pharmacy; he could not even be considered an apprentice yet.
Still, reflecting on the fact that Brother Fan had studied under that master for two years, surely... surely he must possess extraordinary medical skills.
Xinyue gritted her teeth and stamped her foot. "Go ahead and do it, Brother Fan. Whatever happens, I'll take responsibility."
Xia Yunfan smiled and said, "Rest assured, I won't let you down."
As he spoke, Xia Yunfan walked toward the Elder of the Chu Family.
"Stop right there!"
Chu Tianxiong and the others blocked the front of the hospital bed, glaring furiously at Xia Yunfan.
"The person on that bed is my father," Chu Tianxiong said arrogantly. "I don't trust you. Get the hell away from here."
Xinyue stepped forward. "I trust him. If he fails to cure Grandfather, I will forfeit my position as heir."
What?!
Whether it was the members of the Chu Family or the medical staff in the villa, everyone stared at Xinyue in utter shock.
The Chu Family was a wealthy aristocratic family!
They possessed so much wealth that even if an ordinary person started saving money all the way back from the age of the apes, they still wouldn't have enough to equal it.
Yet Xinyue was willing to give it up just like that.
Chu Tianxiong flatly refused. "No way. I cannot hand over my father's life to trash who has only studied medicine for two years and isn't even worthy of carrying Divine Doctor Chen's shoes."
Xinyue said anxiously, "Second Uncle, Brother Fan has guaranteed he can cure him with just three acupuncture needles. It's only three needles..."
"Not even one needle..."
Xia Yunfan interrupted Chu Tianxiong. "Could it be that the poison in this old man's body is your doing? Is that why you're trying so hard to stop me?"
At these words, Chu Tianxiong's expression shifted dramatically, his anger mingled with a touch of a guilty conscience.
Everyone present was sharp and seasoned, and they could all sense from Chu Tianxiong's expression that something was amiss.
"Second Master's complexion doesn't look right. Could it really be that he poisoned the Elder?"
"Even a passerby knows what's on Sima Zhao's mind; everyone in the Chu Family knows Second Master has been dying to get his hands on the family."
"No matter how much he wants this family, he wouldn't poison his own biological father, would he? I still think accusations of poisoning are completely groundless."
The crowd whispered among themselves, and one could sense that more people still trusted Chu Tianxiong.
Chu Tianxiong said furiously, "You actually dare to slander me for plotting against my own father! You have malicious intentions, and I suspect you're a spy sent by another aristocratic family. Someone grab him!"
The Chu family members standing behind Chu Tianxiong stepped forward one after another, all casting hostile glares at Xia Yunfan.
With ferocious grins, they cracked their knuckles and advanced toward Xia Yunfan.
Xinyue stepped between them and Xia Yunfan. "Let's see who dares! Back off, all of you!"
After all, she was the primary heir of the Chu Family. With her protecting Xia Yunfan, the other family members still had to think twice.
Chu Tianxiong said coldly, "Xinyue is in league with an outsider to harm the Elder! Grab her and that little bastard together!"
Damn it!
The rest of the onlookers from the Chu Family finally realized something was terribly wrong.
Chu Tianxiong was staging a coup!
Xinyue was the Elder's designated heir in the first place, and the future of the Chu Family belonged to her; she had no reason to harm the Elder.
Yet with Chu Tianxiong pinning such a huge crime on her, Xinyue was finished.
Sure enough, upon hearing Chu Tianxiong's words, the fierce expressions on those people's faces intensified even further.
Xinyue clenched her fists so tightly that her palms broke out in a cold sweat.
She had chosen Xia Yunfan over Chen Chong, gambling everything she had; if she failed, she would lose it all.
Faced with her grandfather's critical condition and her second uncle's harassment, she felt terrified, nervous, and utterly helpless.
"A woman should obediently stand behind her man. Leave the matters here to me—I guarantee I'll return a healthy grandfather to you."
Just when Xinyue felt engulfed in the deepest darkness, that voice—which had felt like a ray of light in her childhood—appeared once more.
Xia Yunfan pulled her behind him; he had never harbored the habit of hiding behind a woman's skirts.
Besides, he wanted to make an example of them so that no future traitor in the Chu Family would ever dare to bully his wife again!
Xia Yunfan faced the group of troublemaking Chu family members. "I have never been a patient man. Either step aside on your own, or I'll break your legs and throw you out."
Damn it!
How arrogant.
Those around them had not expected Xia Yunfan to be so brazen.
And those few members of the Chu Family were utterly incensed.
"Bastard, you actually dare to look down on us!"
"Get him! I'm going to break his bones and make him beg me to stop on his knees."
"I'll go first, nobody fight me for it!"
Amidst their angry curses, the men quickly rushed toward Xia Yunfan.
An astonishing sight unfolded: instead of retreating, Xia Yunfan charged straight into the midst of them.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
He raised his fists and swung them casually, moving as if he were swatting away mosquitoes, yet heavy thuds rang out each time his blows landed on someone.
The men he struck were sent flying backward instantly.
In the blink of an eye, not only was Xia Yunfan untouched, but all the Chu family members were sprawled across the ground.
Step by step, Xia Yunfan approached Chu Tianxiong, whose face had now turned completely pale with terror.
Even his speech trembled as he spoke. "You... you brat are finished! For beating up so many people, I'll make sure you rot in prison!"
"You were the one leading the charge to bully my wife just now, weren't you? Considering that you're my wife's second uncle, I'll give you a chance: get on your knees and apologize to my wife, and I'll spare you."
Xia Yunfan spoke as casually as if discussing the weather, but everyone knew that was impossible.
Given Chu Tianxiong's temperament, he would never kneel to anyone, especially since he still viewed Xinyue as a junior.
Chu Tianxiong said through gritted teeth, "I'd rather die than kneel to that little girl Xinyue!"
"Since you have such a stiff spine, I can grant your wish!"
With a flick of his left hand, Xia Yunfan produced two silver needles between his fingers and gave them a subtle wrist-flick.
Before anyone could see clearly, two streaks of silver light flashed, piercing directly into Chu Tianxiong's knees.
And right at that moment, in full view of everyone, Chu Tianxiong did something that none of them could have ever anticipated.