Volume 1, Chapter 32: Where There Is An Abnormality, There Must Be A Demon

Zheng Qiankun was soon sent back to prison. Before parting, he taught the Li siblings a cultivation technique each as a token of gratitude for their attentive care. This left Ye Tian feeling somewhat ashamed. Having cooperated for so long, he had never once thought to teach the siblings how to cultivate, whereas his master had been far more thoughtful. These two cultivation techniques were clearly extraordinary; his master’s gesture had also served to help him win over their hearts.

After seeing his master off, Ye Tian, now free of concerns, began a deep investigation into the “Rotten Fluorescence Grass” incident. The chef who had committed the poisoning had vanished, but since he had been transferred from Zhongzhou, the investigation naturally had to start there. He needed to look into the chef’s background, such as his family members and home address. This involved official procedures, which meant he would need to leverage local influence in Zhongzhou. Having no connections there himself, Ye Tian turned to the Li family for help.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingcheng remarked with surprise, "A sect from Zhongzhou City just contacted us recently, expressing interest in partnering with our group to distribute our Rejuvenation Pills. We are currently evaluating the risks of this partnership. If we can reach an agreement, it shouldn't be difficult to ask them for a small favor."

Ye Tian knew a bit about the situation in Zhongzhou. Since ancient times, the region had been known for its rugged and martial culture. Hundreds of years ago, it was even considered a pilgrimage site for martial artists. It was only after the dawn of the new century that the proliferation of sects began to fade. Today, those martial arts sects in Zhongzhou had retreated into the shadows. Among them, there were seven most prominent ones, such as the Thousand Blade Sect, the Eagle Claw Sect, and the Wuji Sect. Although these sects had gone underground, they had centuries of heritage and intricate ties to the secular world. Many local family powers had aligned themselves with these sects to secure entry tickets for their descendants to practice martial arts.

The sect negotiating with the Li family was called the Divine Fist Sect. Among all the hidden sects, the Divine Fist Sect was considered the weakest. Even so, they were still more than ten times more powerful than the Li family, so asking them to help investigate a person from Zhongzhou should not be a difficult task.

Ye Tian immediately made the call, telling Li Qingcheng to accept the partnership. He offered very enticing terms: not only would he grant the Divine Fist Sect sales authorization for the Rejuvenation Pills, but if they could truly uncover the identity of that chef, the Li family would also grant them priority partnership for any other medicinal pills developed in the future.

***

Through some maneuvering, the partnership between the Li Group and the Divine Fist Sect was quickly finalized. With the support and cooperation of this local power, the sales of Rejuvenation Pills in Zhongzhou went very smoothly. Unfortunately, the good days did not last long; the Li family faced retaliation from the Zhou family, catching both Ye Tian and the Li family off guard.

This time, the Zhou family seemed to have the backing of other forces. They not only recovered quickly from their previous predicament but even had enough strength to strike at the Li family’s supply chain. According to several of the Li family's raw material suppliers, they were facing immense pressure from all sides and were forced to terminate their contracts with the Li family, even at the cost of paying sky-high breach-of-contract penalties.

The shortage of raw materials immediately put the Li family on the defensive. They found it difficult to find new suppliers on short notice. Consequently, the Li family had to limit sales to avoid a complete stockout. With the situation as it was, Ye Tian felt helpless, as he was not particularly skilled in corporate maneuvering—especially in a situation where the rug was being pulled out from under them.

Unable to find a way out, the Li family had to seek alternative paths, sourcing raw materials from other regions. However, restricted by local market regulations, the quantity of materials they could bring in through special channels was meager—a mere drop in the bucket. If this continued for long, the Li family’s business would surely plummet.

***

This situation persisted for over ten days. For some reason, the Zhou family suddenly relaxed their suppression of the Li family. The Li family was even able to procure some of their key raw materials from the local market again. This development puzzled the Li family. Where there is an anomaly, there must be a hidden reason, so Li Qingcheng immediately sent people to gather intelligence.

They finally obtained a crucial piece of information: recently, a high-ranking military official, General Xu Weiping, had returned to Nanjiang, where he grew up, to recuperate from an illness. The Zhou family was currently busy currying favor with the Xu family, seemingly intending to use their medical resources to help treat the elder, hoping to gain the Xu family's friendship in return. However, the Xu family had very strict codes of conduct and rarely socialized with local powers; the only ones deemed worthy of visiting were families with excellent local reputations.

Because of this, the Zhou family was worried that their own poor reputation would hinder their relationship with the Xu family, so they had reined in many of their underhanded tactics recently. This was why the Li family had gained a momentary respite.

When discussing this with Ye Tian, Li Cheng couldn't help but gasp, "It seems this Xu family really has significant influence. Even the Zhou family has to watch their step. If the Zhou family manages to get into their good graces, will we even have a way to survive?"

Li Qingcheng added, full of worry, "Indeed. If the Zhou family gains the support of the Xu family, they could walk all over Nanjiang City. Never mind our Li family; even the Sun and He families, who were previously on equal footing with the Zhou family, would have to bow their heads in submission!"

The siblings went back and forth, discussing various countermeasures and even considering the idea of running away, which made Ye Tian chuckle inwardly. Noticing his expression, Li Qingcheng said indignantly, "At a time like this, you still have the mood to laugh? Our family business has a share of yours in it, too. If it goes under, let's see if you can still laugh then."

Ye Tian stopped smiling and replied speechlessly, "You two are making a mountain out of a molehill. If the Zhou family can cling to the Xu family, there's no reason your Li family can't. Whatever the Xu family lacks, we provide—isn't it simple to build a connection?"

"Are you saying we should do like the Zhou family and treat the old General?" Li Qingcheng was inspired, but she shook her head shortly after. "No, that won't work. While the Li family knows some people in the medical system, we don't have many who could be called 'famous doctors.' We have nothing to offer."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tian’s face darkened, and he said unhappily, "Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget that the person sitting in front of you is currently the most skilled doctor in Nanjiang City. How could you overlook me?"

Only then did it dawn on Li Qingcheng that she had been blinded by her own proximity. Ye Tian had performed acupuncture on her before, and not long ago, he had even cured her aging friend in prison. However, Ye Tian had only made a move twice. Without absolute certainty, he wouldn't dare to treat General Xu casually. The old General’s illness had stumped numerous top doctors from the capital; it was certainly not an ordinary ailment. If he were to cause any mishap, it would only serve to offend the Xu family.

Seeing that both siblings lacked confidence in him, Ye Tian said helplessly, "My eye for diagnosis is sharp. I only need to take one look from afar to know if I can treat an illness. I don't even need to touch the patient, so naturally, I won't offend them."

"Are you really that good?" Li Qingcheng remained skeptical. Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes the four diagnostic methods—looking, listening, asking, and feeling the pulse—to determine a condition. That Ye Tian claimed to be able to do it in just the first step left her deeply doubtful.

Seeing she didn't believe him, Ye Tian leaned close to Li Qingcheng’s ear and whispered, "If I’m not mistaken, you are currently in your menstrual cycle, and you suffer from dysmenorrhea..."