Chapter 4: Doubt

The one gesturing to the servant was none other than Ye Yuan, who had been standing nearby all along.

Seeing Ye Yuan stop him, the servant was quite puzzled. However, Ye Yuan was the young master of the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, and with his notoriously bad reputation, the servant naturally dared not offend him.

“Uncle Qian, this medicine is wrong; it will kill people,” Ye Yuan stepped forward and said in a low voice.

Ye Yuan was no longer the reckless fool his predecessor had been. After all, this was family, so he naturally wanted to save face for the other party, thus keeping his voice very low.

This master physician was called Qian Miao. He had been a guest elder in the Ye family for many years, with seniority and high status. Although his skill in the Dao of alchemy was inferior to Ye Hang’s, he was by no means mediocre. Hearing such nonsense from a junior who knew nothing, his expression immediately darkened.

“Xiao Yuan, what nonsense are you spouting? Your past antics were one thing, but if you try to ruin the foundation your father worked so hard to build, I, Old Qian, will be the first to not let you off! You must understand that the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion’s current status is not only due to the head of the family; we old bones have also contributed greatly! Enough, step back. There are still many patients waiting to be treated.”

Qian Miao clearly had deep feelings for the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, but he had no patience for Ye Yuan. A tiger father begetting a dog son—Qian Miao had often felt sorry for Ye Hang.

Today, this brat was causing trouble for him again, even making alarmist claims that he was harming people. How could he show any good humor? If not for Ye Hang’s sake, he would have slapped Ye Yuan flying long ago.

Ye Yuan had anticipated Qian Miao’s reaction and paid no heed to the sarcastic remarks. After all, his predecessor had indeed been quite extreme.

If Qian Miao’s diagnosis did not concern the reputation of the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, Ye Yuan would not have stepped forward and would have continued playing the part of the idle rich.

If they followed his prescription, the burly man before them would not only fail to be cured but would become even more poisoned, and he might not even survive the night.

For the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, beast hunters were an important source of customers. Beast hunters faced danger every day; minor injuries were as common as daily meals. Moreover, when they ventured into the Boundless Forest, wound medicine, recovery pills, and even antidotes were essential, forming a significant source of income for the Ye family.

If this burly man died in the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, it would be a heavy blow to the Ye family’s reputation among beast hunters. Some competitors might even use it to attack the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, and the losses would be immense.

Thinking of this, Ye Yuan had no choice but to step forward and correct Qian Miao’s misdiagnosis.

Before Ye Yuan could say anything, Lü’er, who was beside him, became indignant. She pouted and said to Qian Miao, “The young master is not talking nonsense. If he says so, he must have his reasons.”

Ye Yuan glanced at Lü’er in surprise, thinking that this girl actually trusted him so much. His predecessor had often played tricks on her, and given his track record, how could Lü’er still believe in him?

Trust was one thing, but Ye Yuan knew that Lü’er’s words had escalated the matter. Masters were not to be profaned, especially when these two juniors repeatedly questioned his skill.

Sure enough, Qian Miao’s face darkened as if it could drip water. He said in a deep voice, “You ignorant little girl, go ahead and tell me: how am I harming people? For the poison of the Seven Fiend Cloud Python, even if Ye Hang were here, this would be the treatment. And you two milk-fed brats dare to criticize my prescription? If you can’t explain yourselves clearly today, you’ll be waiting for a spanking!”

Although Qian Miao was usually aloof, he disdained to use tricks on servants, and no one in the Ye family dared to offend him. But today, these two young people had made him lose face. If he didn’t assert his authority, he would no longer be able to hold his head up in the Ye family.

The burly man hadn’t expected this commotion either. He stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. Why were the family members quarreling among themselves?

However, although Qian Miao’s reputation in the capital was not as great as Ye Hang’s, he was still widely known and ranked among the top in the entire Medicine Fragrance Pavilion. On one side was a renowned master, on the other a wet-behind-the-ears kid. Even a fool knew whom to trust.

The burly man hadn’t known who the young man was at first, but after Qian Miao’s outburst, he realized: could this be Master Ye’s good-for-nothing son?

As a beast hunter, he naturally wasn’t ignorant of affairs in the capital. This young master’s reputation was probably even greater than Master Qian’s.

Such a wastrel dared to criticize Master Qian’s diagnosis? Was this kid so bored that he wanted to kill him?

Thinking this, the burly man immediately flew into a rage. He had provoked no one, yet his life was being casually endangered. This young man was young but had a vicious heart!

“Young sir, Master Qian is treating me. Please do not disturb us!” the burly man said in a low voice. Although his words were polite, his intention to drive them away was clear.

It was only because the Ye family’s power was not something he could afford to offend that his words were not harsher.

“Hey, my good man, please wait a moment. I, Qian Miao, have devoted my life to the Dao of alchemy and have treated countless mortals and martial artists. Never have I been slandered as someone who harms people. Ye Yuan, today you will tell me: how am I harming him!”

Qian Miao’s stubborn temper had clearly flared up. He insisted on teaching Ye Yuan a lesson before he would let the matter rest.

“This… Master Qian, the poison in me becomes more dangerous with every moment of delay. Please don’t let anger get the better of you. Treat me first. They are just two ignorant youngsters spouting nonsense,” the burly man advised earnestly, not expecting Master Qian to take it so seriously.

But Qian Miao waved his hand dismissively and said, “Don’t worry, it won’t take much time. I have some confidence in handling this poison; I won’t let you die from it. If this matter isn’t clarified today, how can I continue to sit here and hold consultations in the future?”

Then he turned to Ye Yuan and said darkly, “Go ahead and speak! If you can’t give a proper explanation, don’t blame me for acting on my seniority and complaining to your father!”

Ye Yuan had been silent all along. Now that Qian Miao asked, he spoke up: “This man is not poisoned by the Seven Fiend Cloud Python.”

“Nonsense! Both my companions died in the jaws of that beast, and I barely escaped with my life. Do you think I could be mistaken? You brat, I have no enmity with you, so why do you want me dead?” Before Ye Yuan could finish, the burly man interrupted him angrily.

“Haha…” Qian Miao laughed heartily, tears almost streaming from his eyes. Then he said, “Did you hear that? Utter nonsense! Ignorant child, get out of here now! If you cause trouble again, I’ll have you thrown out!”

The fact that Qian Miao could diagnose the poison at a glance was convincing in itself. Moreover, the burly man had escaped from the python’s mouth—how could he be mistaken?

Beast hunters dealt with beasts all day long. Apart from their families, they were most familiar with beasts, making it even less likely for them to be mistaken.

“Get lost, don’t delay Master Qian from treating us!”

“This brat is even undermining his own father. He’s hopeless!”

“If I had a son like that, I’d beat him to a pulp with a stick.”

By now, the onlookers couldn’t stand it anymore. They thought this was just another farce by Ye Yuan and started shouting for him to leave.

Lü’er, who had been so confident earlier, now lost her nerve. She tugged at Ye Yuan’s sleeve timidly. However, instead of retreating, she stepped forward half a pace, shielding Ye Yuan, afraid that the crowd might attack him.

Ye Yuan was touched, but he shook his head and said calmly, “What you see with your own eyes may not be the truth. This man is indeed not poisoned by the Seven Fiend Cloud Python, but by the Seven-Colored Cloud Python.”