Chapter 9

Xin Lin's expression remained calm, and her wrist, which held the sword, did not tremble at all. It seemed as if the fierce battle and the bloodshed before her eyes were just illusions, unable to cause any ripples in her heart.

But a bone-chilling coldness rose from the base of Chen Guo's spine, quickly spreading throughout his body, even making him forget the intense pain in his palms. He had no doubt that if he or his subordinates made any sudden moves, the sharp sword that pierced his palms would not hesitate to pierce his throat.

In fact, the tip of the sword, gleaming with cold light, was less than seven inches away from his neck. If Xin Lin exerted a little more force, he would immediately have a third bloody hole in his body.

"Mr. Xiao, I failed to recognize your greatness and offended a high master. I apologize to you. However, Mr. Xiao, if you just leave like this, it would be better to kill me with one sword. Death is inevitable, but I'd rather die quickly!"

Chen Guo couldn't see Xiao Fan, so he was speaking to Xin Lin.

Xin Lin stood between him and Xiao Fan.

Everyone was shocked.

They didn't expect that despite the unfavorable situation, Chen Guo would not take a single step back. It was truly unknown how important the so-called Wu Yang wood was to him.

"Old Seven, shut up!"

Seeing Chen Guo still being stubborn, Yin Zhengzhong was greatly alarmed and shouted loudly.

Xiao Fan loosened his grip on Yin Zhengzhong's ox-head cane.

Yin Zhengzhong stumbled, took two steps back, and looked at Xiao Fan with a mix of shock and fear.

Xiao Fan took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xin Lin. He looked at the thin, purple, and foul-smelling blood dripping from the blade, frowned slightly, and said softly, "Boss Chen, the Yama Medicine Hand is indeed powerful, but it must be used gradually. You have already gone into a state of mental and physical imbalance."

Chen Guo gave a bitter laugh, enduring the intense pain in his palms, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Mr. Xiao is indeed a great master. I overestimated my abilities, but I was forced to do so."

Hearing Yin Zhengzhong's rebuke, Chen Guo finally realized that the gap in strength between him and the other party was too great, completely on different levels. Even Yin Lao's move had put him at a disadvantage, let alone Chen Laoqi.

Xiao Fan sighed lightly and said, "Jia'er."

Xin Lin's wrist trembled slightly, and the extremely thin and fine sword was swiftly withdrawn from Chen Guo's palms. With another slight tremble, the sword vibrated like a steel wire, and in an instant, all the blood droplets on the blade were shaken off, leaving the sword gleaming and spotless, without a trace of blood.

Chen Guo cried out and took several steps back, leaning against the door of the trading hall to steady himself. Looking at his blood-soaked palms, he was momentarily at a loss.

"Boss Seven..."

Several subordinates rushed forward. One of them tore off his shirt and hastily bandaged Chen Guo's wounds with strips of cloth.

"Quick, call a doctor."

Old Six, who had been stabbed in the wrist, called out hoarsely.

Xiao Fan said, "Boss Chen, to treat the toxicity of the Yama Medicine Hand, bleeding from the palms is one of the methods. Just bandage it simply, don't rush to stop the bleeding."

Chen Guo gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you for your advice."

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment and said, "Boss Chen, let's talk privately."

Chen Guo's eyes immediately lit up, and he said excitedly, "Mr. Xiao, what did you say? Talk privately?"

"Um."

Xiao Fan nodded slightly and took a step forward.

Xin Lin followed quietly behind, her steps light and silent.

The dozen or so men at the door, seeing Xiao Fan walking slowly towards them, involuntarily tightened their grips on their knives but stepped aside, looking at the two with a mix of awe and indescribable fear.

After so many years in the underworld, they had finally witnessed what a true top master looked like.

Even a ruthless character like Boss Seven had no ability to defend himself!

"Quick, quick, open the presidential suite downstairs... quick..."

Chen Guo called out hurriedly.

Just now, when his life was on the line, Chen Seven was drenched in cold sweat but still maintained his dignity. Now, seeing a glimmer of hope, even the composed Chen Seven could not remain calm.

People need hope to live.

The presidential suite of Qingyuan Grand Hotel was no less luxurious than those in famous five-star hotels, opulent and magnificent.

"Please, please, Mr. Xiao, Miss Xin... Miss Xin, please sit!"

Chen Guo hastily bandaged his hands, the bandages turning red with blood, but he didn't care. Besides, Xiao Fan had clearly said that bleeding was part of the treatment. Although Chen Guo was not an expert in medicine, he could see that the blood flowing from his palms was faintly purple, not the bright red or dark red of normal people, indicating that it was toxic blood.

Xiao Fan sat down lightly on the luxurious leather sofa.

Xin Lin stood beside him, calm and quiet, the extremely thin and fine sword nowhere to be seen.

A beautiful waitress hurriedly served the distinguished guests tea. It was clear that she was very nervous, her arms and whole body trembling slightly as she brewed the tea.

She was not a room attendant but a waitress in the trading hall, having witnessed the intense scene just now.

Chen Guo waved his hand, and the waitress immediately left.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed at the door.

Yin Zhengzhong had arrived. Standing at the door, he did not enter but clasped his hands and said respectfully, "Mr. Xiao, may I listen in?"

Xiao Fan smiled and nodded, saying gently, "Old Yin, please come in."

Yin Zhengzhong placed his cane by the door, walked forward quickly, and bowed slightly to Xiao Fan before sitting down.

The door to the presidential suite was gently closed from the outside.

"Boss Chen, let me take your pulse first."

"Ah, yes, yes..."

Chen Guo hurriedly extended his left hand and placed it on the marble coffee table.

Xiao Fan extended three fingers and gently placed them on Chen Guo's pulse, concentrating on the diagnosis. After a moment, he switched to Chen Guo's right hand, his brows furrowing slightly, and his expression becoming more serious.

Chen Guo's heart sank, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Mr. Xiao, my illness..."

Xiao Fan gently waved his hand to stop him, pondering and said, "Boss Chen, your condition is a bit more serious than Brother Deng Tongtian's. Brother Deng's condition was due to excessive tonics, but his constitution is stronger than yours. Treating his illness is relatively easier. In your case, without Wu Yang wood, it would indeed be difficult to cure."

"Yes, yes, that's right. The prescription I have also includes Wu Yang wood... Mr. Xiao, I don't need much, just six qian (a traditional Chinese unit of weight) would be enough. Six qian of Wu Yang wood, that's what the prescription says..."

Chen Guo said hurriedly, full of hope.

"Six qian?"

Xiao Fan smiled and shook his head slightly.

"Six qian of Wu Yang wood? Do you think you can handle six qian of Wu Yang wood?"

Xin Lin, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, her tone full of disdain and no hint of politeness.

Chen Guo was greatly embarrassed but dared not argue.

Xiao Fan said, "Boss Chen, what kind of prescription is this? Can you show it to me?"

"Ah, of course, of course, it's convenient..."

Chen Guo nodded repeatedly, taking out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. The blood on his hands had stained his neat, high-quality shirt, but he paid no attention to it.

This was a handwritten prescription. The original had been framed and stored in a safe by Chen Guo. It was a prescription from the Republic of China era, obtained by his master from a hermit. Over the decades, if not properly stored, it would have been eaten by insects and rats.

Xiao Fan took the prescription and examined it carefully, a look of surprise flashing across his face.

This was the only time he showed such an expression tonight. Otherwise, he always seemed calm and composed, making people doubt his real age, wondering if he was not a young man in his twenties but an old monster with the secret of eternal youth.

"Jia'er, take a look."

The look of surprise vanished quickly, and Xiao Fan handed the prescription to Xin Lin.

Xin Lin took the prescription, glanced at it briefly, and said coldly, "Six qian of Wu Yang wood. If you take this and don't die, there would be no deaths in the world!"

Chen Guo, who had just calmed down a bit, broke out in cold sweat again. He wiped his forehead and said, "Mr. Xiao, Miss Xin, this is not a prescription I wrote myself. It was given to me by my master a long time ago, and it wasn't written by him either..."

Yin Zhengzhong interjected, "I have seen this prescription. Apart from Wu Yang wood, the other ingredients seem to be fine..."

Chen Guo had been seeking medical help for several years and had consulted Yin Zhengzhong, an experienced old hand. Strictly speaking, Yin Zhengzhong was not a traditional Chinese medicine doctor but a pharmacist. However, in traditional Chinese medicine, a pharmacist who is proficient in pharmacology is often a good doctor as well.

Yin Zhengzhong had never commented on Chen Guo's prescription or discussed Wu Yang wood with him. This was because Yin Zhengzhong had only heard of Wu Yang wood in passing during his early years in the underworld and knew nothing about its properties, so he had not mentioned it to Chen Guo.

"Old Yin, the biggest problem with this prescription is the dosage of Wu Yang wood. Boss Chen, can you tell us where this prescription came from?"

Xiao Fan asked politely, always showing respect to senior figures like Yin Zhengzhong.

"Sure, sure, it's like this..."

Chen Guo quickly explained the origin of the prescription to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan nodded and said, "Wu Yang wood is extremely rare, and few people have even heard of it, let alone used it. It's understandable that the dosage is a bit high. Overall, the prescription is very appropriate. If the dosage of Wu Yang wood is halved, it can be used as is... Boss Chen, let me stop the bleeding for you. Bleeding too much at once is a bit excessive."

As he spoke, Xiao Fan's wrist turned, and three bright, leaf-shaped knives appeared in his fingers. They looked like acupuncture needles but were actually leaf-shaped knives, crafted so intricately that they were hard to distinguish at a glance.

PS: Thank you to the following readers for their support: Xi Li Yu, Shengren Fancheng Dushi, Ci Ge Pai Jinbi, Cai Shushu, Dushu You Dadao, Wu Liang Dashu, Liu Weihong, You Tian You, Zheng Xiaoming, Wan Ju Jin Xiang Zhi Lian, WWLLPS, S Qingsou Wenyue, Xiao Ye Ai, Muyu San Feng, Dan Kan Lishi, Shao Ban You, Xi Shui Han, Zimu Dami, Cang Yun Lang, Sumei E, Liu Er 1979, Nag106, Nvren De Laogong, Lao Zhou Lao Zhou, Jin Liufu 66, Yitian * Dahan * Jun, Yan Xilou L, Huishuohua De Che, Fanhua Ruyun, Wenwen Cai, etc.