In the receiving chamber of the Yang family mansion.
There were three people already waiting in the receiving chamber when Patriarch Yang Yunji and Third Master Yang Yunchong arrived.
One of them was seated at the place of honor in the receiving chamber and was an imposing middle-aged man wearing a dark gold mandarin gown. He had a solid, muscular build, curly sideburns, and a dignified forehead.
He sat there as though he were superior to everyone else.
Although it was presumptuous for a visitor to seat himself at the place of honor, Yang Yunji and Yang Yunchong did not dare show any hint of displeasure.
Not only that, they even bowed to the visitors in greeting when they entered.
“Yang Yunji acknowledges Patriarch Shi.”
“Yang Yunchong acknowledges Patriarch Shi.”
The person seated at the place of honor in the receiving chamber of the Yang family mansion was the patriarch of the tycoon Shi family of the Chu royal city, Shi Hao.
Besides being the patriarch of the tycoon Shi family, Shi Hao was also a powerful level-seven adept of the Qi-gathering. In the Shi family, his ability was second only to the level-eight adept of the Shi family.
There were two people standing behind Shi Hao. One of them was his eldest son Shi Yu, and the other was one of the ten great medicine masters of the Chu royal city, Xiao Chen.
The sight of Yang Yunji and his previously white head of hair that was now almost half black left a shocked expression on Xiao Chen’s face, and his eyes showed a sense of disbelief and surprise.
When he had seen Yang Yunji the previous day, he had been in a different state entirely. Yang Yunji now seemed to be a totally different person today. Not only Xiao Chen, but Shi Yu too had a similar reaction when he saw Yang Yunji.
Of course, not only Xiao Chen but also Shi Yu were immediately able to tell that the amount of poison in Yang Yunji’s body was significantly less.
“Patriarch Yang, from the current situation… the poison in your body should be completely purged three days from now,” Xiao Chen declared, looking at Yang Yunji.
“Correct.”
Yang Yunji could barely conceal the excitement on his face when Xiao Chen brought this topic up. “In two more days, the poison in my body will be completely purged.”
“This is all thanks to Medicine Master Zhou’s efforts.”
Although he looked down on that youth in private, he did not dare voice out his true thoughts. Otherwise, it would be a point of ridicule that the patriarch of the Yang family and the entire Yang family by extension repaid grace with spite. This was not something he wished to see.
“Medicine Master Zhou’s efforts?”
Shi Yu laughed as he looked at Yang Yunji. “Patriarch Yang, regarding what you said… I fear you are mistaken?”
“It is obviously Medicine Master Xiao Chen’s effort; how could you give credit to others? Such ungratefulness will definitely become a topic of conversation.”
As he finished, Shi Yu gave Yang Yunji a meaningful look.
“Young Master Shi, what do you mean by that?”
Yang Yunji frowned subconsciously, and a suspicious expression spread across the face of Yang Yunchong who was standing beside him. He was unsure what Shi Yu really meant.
It was a matter of fact that his big brother’s poison was treated by that youth named Zhou, so why say it was the effort of Medicine Master Xiao Chen?
“I mean exactly what I say.”
Just as the brothers Yang Yunji and Yang Yunchong were beginning to get confused, Shi Hao, the patriarch of the tycoon Shi family spoke up in a booming voice with a tone that brooked no argument.
“Oh?”
Yang Yunji and Yang Yunchong instinctively looked at Shi Hao.
Shi Hao looked back at Yang Yunji and casually said, “After the poison in your body has been purged in several days’ time, and only if the Yang family announces to the public that it was Medicine Master Xiao Chen who helped you purge the poison… the Shi family will give the Yang family a medicine shop located near the center of the Chu royal city.”
Almost as soon as Shi Hao had spoken, Yang Yunji’s eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened in an instant.
A medicine shop located near the center of the Chu royal city?
Although the Yang family also had medicine shops in the Chu royal city as well, they were all located in more remote areas in the Chu royal city, and the business from those shops was sparse compared to medicine shops located near the center of the Chu royal city.
The value of a medicine shop near the center of the Chu royal city was even greater than the value of all the other medicine shops that the Yang family owned.
“Patriarch Shi, are you serious about this?”
Yang Yunji looked at Shi Hao with glittering eyes, seeking further confirmation.
“What? Are you doubting what I, Shi Hao, says?”
Shi Hao smiled coldly. “Does the patriarch of a tycoon family like me need to cheat the patriarch of a grand family like you? Laughable!”
“Patriarch Shi, I meant no offense, I was simply too excited.”
Yang Yunji smiled awkwardly.
“Do you agree to this?” Shi Hao asked casually.
“I agree! Of course, I agree!”
Yang Yunji nodded without a trace of hesitation, as though he was afraid that Shi Hao would rescind the offer if he delayed.
“Big Brother!”
At the same time, Yang Yunchong recovered his wits and looked distastefully at Yang Yunji. “If you agree to this… how will you explain this to Medicine Master Zhou?”
“This doesn’t seem right.”
“Moreover, if Zixi knows about this, she will definitely not agree,” Yang Yunchong said, voicing out his apprehension.
Yang Yunji smiled coldly, “That Medicine Master Zhou is merely a village bumpkin from an inferior-level prefecture, we’ll just pay him off with some silver and dismiss him… even if he is unwilling, what can he do? Could he possibly go against our Yang family? As for Zixi, she’s just a little girl, what does she know?” Yang Yunji said casually.
Yang Yunchong smiled bitterly but did not pursue the matter.
After all, the allure of the promise made by the patriarch of the Shi family was too enticing, and if he was in his big brother’s position, he might have agreed as well.
“One more thing.”
Shi Hao continued speaking, “My son Shi Yu has taken a fancy to that Yang Zixi of your Yang family… if the Yang family will match her with my son, my Shi family will provide the Yang family with valuable medical formulas in the future, and I guarantee that all the medicine shops owned by the Yang family will at least double their profits!”
The promise that Shi Hao now made took Yang Yunji’s breath away.
However, he could only give a bitter smile at the condition that Shi Hao imposed. “Patriarch Shi, perhaps you are not aware… that niece of mine is willful, and I am unable to force her to marry Young Master Shi. If I had a way, I would have married her off to Young Master Shi when he approached us with the subject of marriage… but that girl Zixi, she threatened to take her own life, and I could do nothing about it.”
Yang Yunji gave a long sigh as he finished speaking.
He sighed not just at his helplessness regarding Yang Zixi’s will but also because the Yang family had missed the opportunity to gain the formulas that the Shi family could offer them.
“So I’ve heard from my son.”
Shi Hao was not surprised by what Yang Yunji had said, and he spoke indifferently as he continued, “Therefore, Patriarch Yang, you have another option.”
“If she rejects marriage to my son, as long as you expel her from the Yang family and announce it publicly that she is no longer a Yang family member, the Shi family will still provide you with the formulas,” Shi Hao said.
This caused Yang Yunchong’s expression to change completely.
Yang Yunji however, looked at Shi Hao with shining eyes. “Will the formulas provided also allow the medicine shops owned by the Yang family to earn more than twice their current profits?”
Seeing Shi Hao nod, he immediately agreed. “Excellent! I agree!”
“Big Brother!”
Yang Yunchong never imagined that his big brother would agree. He said in a low voice with a foul expression on his face, “If you do this, how can you honor the memory of your deceased second brother? Don’t forget… that year, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-Law were killed by the bandits while covering your escape!”
As he finished, Yang Yunchong’s expression became more foul.
“Even if Second Brother and Second Sister-in-Law had not protected me, they would probably not have escaped with their lives anyway.”
Faced with Yang Yunchong’s rebuke, Yang Yunji’s expression did not change, and he said flatly, “They did save my life… but in the years since, I have done my best to bring up their only daughter, and I have fulfilled my obligations to them.”
“Now that their daughter has grown up… it is time she makes some contribution to the family clan,” Yang Yunji said matter-of-factly.
In reply to Yang Yunji’s words, Yang Yunchong said in a low voice, “I cannot agree to this!”
“Even if you don’t agree, it is beyond your control.”
Yang Yunji swept a cold gaze over Yang Yunchong. “The patriarch of the Yang family makes the decision, not you!”
“If you expel Zixi from the Yang family, then expel me together with her.”
Yang Yunchong looked furiously at Yang Yunji. “Even if you don’t care for her, I do!”
“Enough!”
Just as Yang Yunchong finished speaking, Shi Hao rose with an impatient shout and sprang towards Yang Yunchong like a hound.
Pong!!
Shi Hao delivered a punch which sent Yang Yunchong flying before he even had time to react, and he crashed heavily into the wall of the receiving chamber and fell without a sound.
Yang Yunchong was only a level-five adept of the Qi-gathering and naturally could not withstand Shi Hao, who was a level-seven adept of the Qi-gathering.
Even if Shi Hao had not attacked unexpectedly, Yang Yunchong would have been hard-pressed to defend against Shi Hao’s attack.
“Patriarch Yang, I don’t believe you object to us helping the Yang family to clean house?” Shi Hao asked.
After killing Yang Yunchong with a single blow, Shi Hao looked at Yang Yunji with a mocking smile who was staring slack-jawed at him.
Yang Yunji was pale with fear and waved his hands hurriedly as he said, “No objections, no objections… many thanks to Patriarch Shi for helping the Yang family clean house!”
Would he have dared to object? Shi Hao was an outstanding level-seven adept and could easily kill Yang Yunji if he wanted to.
Of course, because of the restrictions imposed by the imperial court of Yunyang country, Shi Hao did not dare kill the patriarch of a grand family indiscriminately, but roughing him up was not out of the question.
Within the country of Yunyang, the wholesale slaughter of families and extinguishing their roots was forbidden between the powerful families… after a family had sprung up, they would have the royal family’s protection as long as they were able to put on record before the royal family that they were a family of renown.
And behind the royal family was the imperial court. The orders of the imperial court were carried out by all the royal courts. The reason for such restrictions was because the imperial court wanted to establish order within the country of Yunyang to protect the internal stability of the country.
Otherwise, there would be families slaughtering each other everywhere, and the people of Yunyang country would have no way of making a living. This was not something the imperial court of the country of Yunyang wanted to see.
“If only that slut is expelled from the Yang family and is denied the support of the Yang family… she will be fish on my cutting board, and I, Shi Yu, will be able to do whatever I wish!”
Shi Yu’s eyes glittered at Yang Yunji’s agreement.
His father had included this condition at his suggestion, and he considered it a reward from his father.
This time, the addition of Xiao Chen, the intermediate-level medicine master, to the Shi family was all due to his effort, and therefore, his father had agreed to give him this reward.
Comments