Chapter Forty-One: A False Counterattack

"Yes, that makes sense. Let's go right away—I need to find out exactly what's going on!" Hua Li felt uneasy. He hadn't cared at all about what Su Zheng had said before, but now that Su Zheng's prescription matched Nie Feng's exactly, those words weighed differently in his heart. If he didn't get to the bottom of it, he wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace.

"Mr. Hua, is this... also a prescription?" Nie Feng noticed the paper Su Zheng had left behind and asked, slightly puzzled.

"See for yourself," Hua Li replied with a gloomy expression, tossing both prescriptions to him.

"What... what's going on here? Why are they identical? Mr. Hua, where did this prescription come from?" Nie Feng's face was full of confusion; he simply couldn't understand how this could happen.

"It was written by someone about your age, but he tried to deceive me, so I threw him out," Hua Li stared coldly into Nie Feng’s eyes.

"Uh... this, this..." Nie Feng began to sweat. He had just claimed his prescription was a unique formula developed by his master, but now, seeing two identical prescriptions, panic overwhelmed him.

"That man just said this prescription was quite ordinary. Dr. Nie, you're not being honest!" Hua Li took advantage of Wei Lao Er making a phone call, his gaze freezing over as he stared at Nie Feng.

"Mr. Hua, please don't misunderstand me. I—I didn’t mean anything by it. I didn’t do it on purpose—no, I mean, this prescription really was passed down from my master, I..." Nie Feng babbled incoherently, unable to withstand Hua Li's icy glare, his words tumbling out in confusion.

Before he could finish, A Biao interrupted him harshly, "You say it wasn't intentional? Then it was deliberate, wasn't it? In Qingyang, there are people who try to play tricks on Brother Hua, but none of them ever live to see the next sunrise!"

"Ah... Mr. Hua, please spare me, I meant no harm! I beg you, for the sake of my master, don't misunderstand me. I—I can take you to the person who wrote this prescription. I’m sure, once he knows who my master is, he’ll do everything he can to help treat you!"

Nie Feng was terrified. At this moment, he cared nothing for the three million in his bank account, desperately begging for mercy. He even invoked Luo Huichun’s name, hoping to escape disaster. As for the person who had written the prescription, Nie Feng believed that once they knew he was Luo Huichun's apprentice, they would surely speak up for him.

"Fine, bring him along—we'll go right now." Hua Li nodded slightly, granting Nie Feng a temporary reprieve.

And so, Hua Li, Wei Lao Er, A Biao, Nie Feng, and a driver sped out of the villa district, heading in one direction.

Meanwhile, Su Zheng was nearly home when he received a call from Wei Lao Er. On the phone, Wei Lao Er pleaded earnestly, hoping Su Zheng would not mind and would give his boss another chance to live.

Su Zheng snorted coldly, inclined to refuse, but remembering Wei Lao Er’s cooperation with Haoyuan Trading, he signaled the driver to pull over. He found a coffee shop and waited there for Hua Li and the others.

Before long, Hua Li and his party burst into the café.

"Divine Doctor Su!"

"You!"

Two voices rang out at once. Wei Lao Er greeted Su Zheng apologetically, while Nie Feng’s expression changed the moment he saw Su Zheng. He had never expected Hua Li's mysterious man to be Su Zheng. Remembering how Su Zheng had treated him like a guard dog at the Li family estate days ago, anger surged in Nie Feng's chest. But the situation left him no room to confront Su Zheng, and invoking his master’s name would no longer suffice.

He quickly lowered his head, thinking furiously about how to escape the predicament.

"So, your name is Su Zheng? Heh… I may have spoken rashly at Lao Er's house just now, and if my words offended you, I hope you won't take it to heart," Hua Li said with a smile, sitting across from Su Zheng and holding the two prescriptions, his demeanor becoming more polite.

Su Zheng glanced at him indifferently, then at Nie Feng, who stood silent and bowed, understanding everything.

"You've seen the prescriptions?" he indicated the papers in Hua Li’s hand, his manner calm.

"Mr. Su, what… what is going on here?" Hua Li had already dropped his airs and anxiously inquired.

"I told you, strictly speaking, your ailment is not an illness, not something that medicine or injections can cure. Even if you brought Luo Huichun here, he couldn't help you!" Su Zheng’s tone was cold, but his conviction was absolute.

"Then... then what’s causing my back pain? How can it be cured?" Hua Li asked, clearly agitated, his eyes fixed on Su Zheng.

"Your back pain isn’t caused by any internal issue—it’s your home that’s the problem. Something unclean is clashing with your constitution, slowly eating away your life essence. Right now, it’s mild, just occasional pain. But once your life essence is depleted, all your organs will fail, and not even the gods can save you," Su Zheng explained patiently.

"What? Something unclean? How is that possible?" Hua Li’s face changed dramatically, his eyes filled with doubt.

"My brother's villa was only recently renovated, and I watched the whole process. You don't mean to say I sabotaged it, do you?" A Biao’s expression grew dark; if Hua Li hadn’t kept his temper, he would have acted already.

"Nonsense! Su Zheng, you really are something, using superstition to scam people now!" Nie Feng, who had been silent, now spoke, feigning righteous indignation as he pointed at Su Zheng and shouted.

"Mr. Hua, I know what's happening here!" He quickly followed his plan, "This man is Su Zheng. He once met my master, charmed him with his talk, and tricked him into trusting him, then stole medical knowledge from him. I thought he’d use it to help others, but instead he’s using it to deceive!"

Nie Feng’s plan grew more elaborate as he explained loudly, picking up both prescriptions again. "Now you see, Mr. Hua? He learned this prescription from my master, and it's probably the only one he knows, so he uses it everywhere to trick people."

"Deliberately making random claims when he can't diagnose, always blaming evil spirits for every illness, just to scam money and then run!"

"Hmph! You won’t fool Mr. Hua today. Lucky for him I ran into you—your tricks won’t work. Get out now!"

Nie Feng shouted angrily, and his analysis seemed well-founded, making Hua Li’s face darken once again.