Chapter 14

"It's not that," Cheng Shouping replied, tiptoeing to peer inside, "Miss Ji is the daughter of Doctor Ji, not only is she extremely beautiful, but she is also the kindest and most gentle person. She often treats the poor for free, and she is very popular in the city. Most of these people are here just to catch a glimpse of Miss Ji."

Zu An pursed his lips, "Xue'er is also very beautiful in your mouth, and this Miss Ji is also very beautiful. How many beautiful women have you, a mere book boy, seen? How can you tell the difference between beauty and ugliness?"

Cheng Shouping's face turned bright red, but before he could respond, a red-faced man in the crowd turned around upon hearing their conversation, "What do you know, boy? Miss Ji is as beautiful as Miss Chu from the Duke's mansion in our Bright Moon City. However, it's said that Miss Chu recently married a wimp, so let's not mention her. Now, Miss Ji is my only dream goddess."

Zu An's face darkened severely. This guy was cursing a monk in front of a monk. If he let this slide, he would be unworthy of the title of keyboard warrior.

So he leaned in, pretending to listen intently, and suddenly shouted, "What did you say? You said Miss Ji is your wet dream goddess?"

His voice, now much louder due to his current rank, echoed through the crowd, and everyone turned to look at him.

The red-faced man panicked, "You're talking nonsense, I said dream..."

Before he could finish, Zu An interrupted him, "Oh, you said you came here today to steal some of Miss Ji's undergarments. How disgusting, I'm ashamed to be in your company."

As he spoke, he pushed the man, ostensibly to distance himself, but in reality, to push him into the crowd.

"I didn't, I didn't..." The red-faced man, sensing the hostile gazes around him, hurriedly tried to explain, but someone shouted, "Beat him!"

He was immediately swallowed by the crowd.

Lu Renjia's anger value +666!

Zu An neatly adjusted his clothes and walked straight to the front door.

Cheng Shouping blinked, surprised by this move, but quickly followed.

At that moment, a voice roared from inside, "Get lost, all of you! You're disturbing my sleep with all this noise."

The previously closed door slowly opened.

"Doctor Ji is out, Doctor Ji is out."

The crowd, which had been beating Lu Renjia, suddenly swarmed back to the door, leaving a pitiful man covered in footprints and blood lying on the ground.

Zu An carefully observed the man who emerged. He had a gaunt face, and one could still see traces of his youthful handsomeness, but now he was unkempt, with a full beard, prominent dark circles, and a strong smell of alcohol. He looked like a disheveled middle-aged man.

Zu An did not underestimate him, as the roar had left his ears ringing, indicating that the man's cultivation was far higher than his own.

This is more like it. The man in front of him exuded the aura of a master, much like a wine-sword immortal, except his face wasn't as round.

"Doctor, where is your daughter?" someone asked with a fawning smile.

Doctor Ji glanced at him, "Who are you?"

"Doctor, don't you remember me? I'm Wang Fugui, I often come here," the man hurriedly introduced himself.

"I don't remember," Doctor Ji said, poking his ear with his little finger and flicking it away, "I only remember beautiful girls or rich patrons... cough, customers. You definitely haven't paid me before."

Wang Fugui laughed, "I haven't been treated by you, but Miss Ji has treated me a few times..."

Before he could finish, Doctor Ji interrupted him, furious, "I've been wondering why my business has been getting worse lately. It turns out it's because that money-losing daughter of mine is treating you for free. Get lost, all of you."

"Money-losing daughter?" Zu An was taken aback. To describe his daughter like that, is she really his biological child?

"We're here for Miss Ji, not you..." The man's voice weakened under Doctor Ji's glare.

"Not here. I sent her out of town to gather herbs so she wouldn't interfere with my business," Doctor Ji said, pulling out a chair and lying down comfortably, "If you want treatment, either pay 100 taels of silver for a consultation or complete my task. Otherwise, get lost, or don't blame me for being rude!"

Seeing that their dream goddess wasn't there, most of the people dispersed, clearly having learned from past experiences. However, some who genuinely needed treatment remained, pleading, "Doctor Ji, we really can't afford 100 taels of silver. Please be lenient."

Doctor Ji took a sip from his wine gourd without even looking at him, "I, Ji Dantu, can cure all diseases, but I can't cure yours."

The man panicked, "I haven't even described my symptoms yet, how do you know you can't cure me?"

Doctor Ji finally glanced at him, "Because you have poverty disease. How can I cure that?"

"You have no medical ethics, what kind of doctor are you!" The man's face turned red with indignation and walked away.

Doctor Ji continued to lie on his chair, humming a tune, ignoring him.

At this moment, a lecherous-looking man approached, holding a colorful booklet and quietly handed it over, "Doctor Ji, this is the latest edition from Heavenly Realm."

Doctor Ji sat up, snatched the booklet, and flipped through it. Zu An, standing nearby, noticed some half-naked young women in the pages.

"This is good," Doctor Ji instantly hid the booklet in his clothes, patted the man's shoulder, and said with a look of approval, "You can go in. I'll treat you later."

What the hell? Zu An was stunned, thinking, I have "The White X of Young Women," "Chronicles of the XX Era," "Transforming into a Dragon at the First Encounter with the Wind"... I wonder if they would work. Unfortunately, I can't draw, or I could just make one to offer him.

"Why can he go in?" The others, unaware of the situation, protested.

Doctor Ji glared at them, "Can't I just like him? If you want to go in, either pay the consultation fee or complete my task."

"But your task is too difficult, it's deliberately making things hard for us," someone complained.

Zu An noticed a sign at the door, which read today's task: "I need ten dogstones from fierce wolves for my Qi Transformation Pill."

He had heard of dogstones, a stone-like substance found in a dog's stomach, usually spherical or ellipsoidal, grayish-white or grayish-black, with functions to calm wind, resolve stagnation, and detoxify.

But what is a fierce wolf?

Hearing the complaints, Doctor Ji looked at them with a disdainful expression, "If it were easy, why would I set it as a task?"

The others panicked, "But each fierce wolf is at least a second-rank, and the leader might be third-rank."

"Worse, they often travel in groups, from dozens to hundreds. Going there is a death sentence for most people."

"Moreover, dogstones are extremely rare. You might not find one even from ten fierce wolves."

...

"Shut up!" Doctor Ji glared at them, "It's not that the fierce wolves are too strong, but that you are too weak. If you were fourth-rank, this task would be a piece of cake."

The crowd muttered, "A fourth-rank cultivator could be the lord of a small city. How can we compare?"

Zu An watched coldly, realizing from their conversation that most of the cultivators left were second-rank, with no third-rank. This made him feel not too weak.

"You can take the task if you want, or get lost. I'm not forcing you," Doctor Ji said impatiently, "Don't block my door. Get lost, get lost."

Zu An couldn't help but pull Cheng Shouping aside, "Is he so arrogant that he's not afraid of being beaten?"

Cheng Shouping was startled, made a shushing gesture, and pulled him to a quiet spot, "Doctor Ji's strength is unfathomable. A few years ago, some people tried to force him, but do you know what happened?"

"They were beaten out?" Zu An asked, seeing his serious expression.

Cheng Shouping looked at him with a "you lack imagination" expression, "Their graves are now overgrown with grass."

"So harsh." Zu An rubbed his chin, "Doesn't the government do anything?"

Cheng Shouping explained, "Doctor Ji has helped many strong people over the years. Even the city lord treats him with respect. Besides, those people attacked first, so the matter was dropped."

Zu An was still unsatisfied, "Can't the task be completed?"

"Of course not," Cheng Shouping said matter-of-factly, "Those with low strength can't complete it, and those with high strength don't need to. A few years ago, people complained about his high consultation fees, so he deliberately set impossible tasks to silence them."

"Ah, I see!" Zu An realized that Doctor Ji had designed the task to be impossible.

Wait, he suddenly thought of something and looked at Cheng Shouping. This guy knew he couldn't complete the task but still brought him here, probably to see Miss Ji.

Thinking of this, he said with a dark face, "You go back to the Chu residence. I'll wander around on my own." His happiness was at stake, so he had to try, no matter how difficult the task. After all, he had a dagger that always hit and a vial of paralyzing poison. If he was careful, he might have a chance.

Of course, he had to keep this from the Chu family. He was still considered a waste in their eyes, and there were people in the Chu family who wanted him dead. If they knew he had improved, their next attack would be even more fierce.

Remember one word: survive. Survival is the key!

Cheng Shouping was surprised, "Master, you're not thinking of taking on that task, are you?"

Zu An thought he was that obvious. Before he could explain, Cheng Shouping hurriedly said, "Master, do you know why the wolves are called fierce black wolves?"