“What on earth is going on?”
Jī Bái Jùn awoke from his faint once more, only to open his eyes and find a Martial Artist holding a knife to his throat. His already timid nature shattered, his eyes rolled back again…
“Damn it, Little Chicken, if you faint again, I’ll throw you in the river to feed the fish!”
Zhāng Fán cursed. At the scolding, Jī Bái Jùn jolted, his complexion finally regaining some normalcy. He looked around the scene with confusion.
“Do not be disrespectful to Young Master Ji!” Bǎi Méishēng berated. The Martial Artist then lowered his blade.
“Sister Meisheng, believe me, he can’t harm me one bit. With his strength as merely a First Stage Martial Master, he’s no match!” the tallest man among the five said gravely, his gaze sharp as lightning, ready to strike Zhāng Fán at any moment.
“I said stop. You have no business here anymore. You may leave,” Bǎi Méishēng sighed.
“But…” the Fifth Stage Martial Master looked troubled, thinking she was worried about him being accidentally injured. Bǎi Méishēng interrupted him impatiently, “I said it’s fine, it’s fine. Just listen to me.”
The five Martial Artists from Misty Rain Pavilion exchanged glances, and the gamblers present looked on with suspicion, wondering what kind of act this was. Could Bǎi Méishēng, this strong woman, be so afraid of death?
“Are… are they really leaving?”
Zhōu Kūn crawled up from his feigned death. To his surprise, the Martial Artists actually left the Earth grade gambling hall as Bǎi Méishēng had instructed. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Zhōu Kūn immediately boasted, “A bunch of cowards! Come on! Come fight your Grandpa Zhou for three hundred rounds! Scared your pants off? Don’t dare?”
“Little Kunzi, just spare it. They’re already far away. If you have the guts, run out and shout. Let’s see,” Zhāng Fán said disdainfully. Zhōu Kūn awkwardly scratched the back of his head and chuckled, “No, it wouldn’t be good if someone died. It’s not a good day for bloodshed. It’s fine to give them face.”
“Little Kunzi, I didn’t realize your intelligence had improved. This move is good. Keep it up.”
Zhāng Fán found the situation with this fellow both exasperating and amusing. The Zhōu Kūn before him was much more clever than the fool who met his end in the original plot.
Coupled with the fact that he, like Zhāng Fán, was merely a bit-part character destined to die in “Super Son-in-Law,” Zhāng Fán couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie. Two unfortunate souls supporting each other might just make it.
“I’ve sent them away. Are you afraid I, a weak woman, would try to kill you?” Bǎi Méishēng said, attempting to break free from Zhāng Fán’s grasp.
“Cough, cough, I almost forgot. My apologies.”
Zhāng Fán coughed twice and released his “salty pig’s hand.” He thought that if anyone was to blame, it was Bǎi Méishēng’s beautiful hands, which were irresistible. If not for the birthmark on her face, she would have been perfect.
“Are you sure you weren’t lying to me just now?” Bǎi Méishēng asked, rubbing her wrist, which still ached from being squeezed. She took the veil handed to her by Xiǎo Méi and put it back on.
The atmosphere between them suddenly lightened. Zhāng Fán nodded and said, “That’s right. Just give me some time, and I can give you back a beautiful life.”
Zhāng Fán’s lips curved into a charming arc. Hearing this, Bǎi Méishēng couldn’t hide her excitement. It was Zhāng Fán’s words, “I can cure your face,” that struck her heart.
No woman in the world doesn’t love beauty. No matter how successful her career or how powerful she is, caring about her appearance is human nature. No one can escape it.
“Let’s talk privately.”
Bǎi Méishēng pondered for a moment and made a gesture for him to follow.
“Hold on, pay the consultation fee first. I’ll give you a discount, only eighteen thousand, plus your winnings, that makes a total of twenty thousand silver taels.”
Zhāng Fán’s hard stance, prioritizing money above all else, made Bǎi Méishēng want to curse. A person like him, who valued money over life, was indeed quite rare.
“You know what will happen if you deceive me. You don’t need me to say it, no matter what forces you have behind you,” Bǎi Méishēng said through gritted teeth.
“If I deceive you, I’m dead,” Zhāng Fán replied calmly. Bǎi Méishēng looked at him and nodded, then turned to the dealer, Little Four, saying, “Go get twenty thousand silver notes.”
“Sister Meisheng, isn’t this amount of silver… a bit too much?” the dealer asked, breaking out in a cold sweat. A loss of twenty thousand silver taels would make even the wealthy Misty Rain Pavilion feel the pinch. If their master found out, he wouldn’t survive either.
“I will explain it to him personally,” Bǎi Méishēng said. Reassured, Little Four immediately ran to get the silver notes.
A few minutes later, a thick stack of silver notes issued by the Qinyan Kingdom, each with a face value of one thousand taels, was handed to Zhāng Fán. The gamblers present were overwhelmingly envious and jealous. They never expected this kid to actually get such a huge sum as a “fine,” though they wondered if he would live to spend it.
“Money… so much money. Brother, what exactly happened between you two? I don’t quite understand,” Jī Bái Jùn said, looking at the pile of silver notes in Zhāng Fán’s hand, completely bewildered.
“Nothing much happened. You see, Miss Bai was attracted by the heroic presence of both of us and wants to treat us to lunch,” Zhāng Fán said with a smirk, happily tucking the silver notes away.
With this money, not only would it be enough to win over Jī Bái Jùn, but there would also be several thousand taels left over. His extravagant life of luxury was about to begin!
Hearing Zhāng Fán say this, Bǎi Méishēng was embarrassed and speechless, wishing she could disappear into the ground. Zhāng Fán, seeing through her, laughed, “As expected of me, predicting everything. See? Isn’t this situation exactly as I said.”
“Mmm…” Bǎi Méishēng responded in a voice as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, secretly vowing that if this guy dared to deceive her, she would make sure Zhāng Fán never saw the next sunrise!
After a triumphant return from the Earth grade gambling hall, under Bǎi Méishēng’s ‘warm hospitality,’ she took Zhāng Fán and Jī Bái Jùn to the best restaurant in the Royal Capital. In a private room that cost a hundred silver taels a day, they indulged in fine wine and delicacies.
“Brother Fan, having you as my friend, Jī Bái Jùn, is a great fortune in my life. I toast you with this cup!”
Jī Bái Jùn raised his wine pot and said emotionally to Zhāng Fán.
“…Chicken Breast, you are truly talented. I am also extremely honored to be your friend.”
Seeing Jī Bái Jùn look at him as if he were a savior, Zhāng Fán flattered him while patting his pocket with a sense of loss and anxiety.
Just moments ago, his waist had been bulging, with a large stack of silver notes he had ‘borrowed’ like toilet paper from Jī Bái Jùn in the restroom. Now, only two notes remained.
It truly hurt his heart. Especially after inquiring about the land and housing prices in the Royal Capital, his heart bled even more. In the Royal Capital, a thousand square meters of property near the palace cost only ten thousand silver taels. This meant Zhāng Fán had practically given away two luxury mansions in prime locations. It was hard not to feel heartbroken!
After several rounds of drinks, Zhāng Fán discovered that his alcohol tolerance had greatly increased since becoming a Martial Artist. He drank several bottles of high-proof liquor without even a tremor, while Jī Bái Jùn, the village idiot from a wealthy family, was already swaying unsteadily from drunkenness.
Furthermore, his appetite had also increased significantly. After devouring food like a starving ghost, he was only half-full. Bǎi Méishēng, sitting opposite him, glared at him with the eyes of a famished specter, unwilling to be defeated by such a gluttonous man.
“Are the drinks and food to your satisfaction? Shall I have more brought over?” Bǎi Méishēng asked coolly.
“No need. If he drinks any more, this kid will be kneeling and calling me ‘Daddy.’ Better not. Let’s talk about your face,” Zhāng Fán said, his expression turning serious. He looked at Bǎi Méishēng purely as a patient, “Take off the veil. I need to examine it carefully.”
Zhāng Fán’s request caught Bǎi Méishēng off guard. Although it was extremely embarrassing, she didn’t sense any malice from this man. After some thought, she decided to trust Zhāng Fán for the moment.
“Hmm, this is called Ota nevus, also known as upper jaw brown-blue nevus, or ocular dermal melanocytosis. Did it start out very small and become more noticeable as you got older?” Zhāng Fán asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You… how do you know?” Bǎi Méishēng was somewhat surprised. Even if she didn’t understand what Zhāng Fán was saying, she felt a sense of awe, as if this man was somewhat reliable.
“I told you, because I’m a doctor. You know, someone who saves lives and heals the wounded.”
“Saves lives and heals the wounded? You…” Bǎi Méishēng’s eyes held contempt. This guy was cunning and especially insidious. Hearing the words ‘saves lives and heals the wounded’ from his mouth was truly grating.
“That’s right, it’s me. I didn’t want to be a doctor, but my grandfather, father, and mother forced me to attend medical school. Damn it… what am I saying.”
In his excitement, Zhāng Fán accidentally revealed his background and quickly stopped himself. He came from a family of doctors. For five generations before him, everyone was a renowned practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine or a medical expert who studied in Japan and America. Yet, he was just an ordinary emergency room doctor. It wasn’t that he lacked talent, but rather that he simply didn’t like it; his passion lay elsewhere.
Who knew that the very thing he disliked the most would become the most useful thing in this world? Zhāng Fán had to admit that this was the sole reason he was still alive.
He, Zhāng Fán, was an emergency room doctor and also a general practitioner. While skin and urinary diseases weren’t his specialty, he had some understanding of cell proliferation issues like this. In clinical practice, this wasn’t a difficult or rare disease; any county-level hospital could handle it.
The image of no less than five methods for removing the birthmark flashed through his mind. Zhāng Fán’s expression suddenly changed, and he looked dumbfounded, “I almost forgot where I am. This darn place has no electricity, no equipment, and no medicine. This…”
The most effective method in clinical practice was to use a laser to remove birthmarks. Zhāng Fán was stunned for a long time. Bǎi Méishēng, seeing the difficulty on his face, couldn’t help but feel disappointed and muttered to herself, “Forget it, I was too naive to place my hope in an untrustworthy person.”
Zhāng Fán’s expression turned somber. As a medical professional, his greatest fear and taboo was a patient’s lack of trust. He looked at Bǎi Méishēng and said word by word, “You can say that I, Zhāng Fán, am untrustworthy and unreliable, but you can choose to believe in my medical skills and knowledge!”
Hearing this, Bǎi Méishēng’s face showed a hint of admiration. She couldn’t ignore the unique charm radiating from this man. She nodded at him, stood up, and said, “Then please remember the agreement between us. I’ll take my leave now.”
Bǎi Méishēng stood up, leaving Zhāng Fán with an impeccable and beautiful retreating figure.
Zhāng Fán watched her, finding her back more and more captivating, which only deepened his sympathy. He muttered to himself, “Could this be considered someone who could rely on her looks but chose to rely on her skills? People like that are the most detestable. Although, I’m the same. I’ll still let you rely on your looks again.”
However, as Bǎi Méishēng reached the door, she suddenly turned around gracefully and said with a playful smile, “We’ll meet again, Xue Family slave, Zhāng Fán.”
“You… you investigated me!?”
Hearing this, Zhāng Fán’s face turned ashen. The shred of sympathy he had just mustered vanished completely. With a bang, he crushed the wine glass in his hand.
This hateful woman is so… annoying!