"Young Friend Zhao?" On the other end of the line, Wang Jiasen was taken aback when he heard Zhao Yuan's voice.
"It's me," Zhao Yuan said. "Thank you for the warning, Dr. Wang. And please, pass a message on to the Jinling Zhao Family for me. Tell them that if they want to play, I'll play along. I'm just afraid they won't be able to afford the stakes by the end!"
The moment he said this, Fang Yi and Wang Jiasen both gasped in unison.
That was the Jinling Zhao Family they were talking about! A great Medical Family with a lineage stretching back hundreds of years. Their financial resources, connections, and everything else were all incredibly powerful, yet he actually claimed they wouldn't be able to afford the stakes? 'Just how much confidence does he have in himself!'
"Young Friend Zhao, are you serious?" Wang Jiasen asked, unable to believe his ears.
"Of course!" Zhao Yuan's reply was decisive.
Seeing Zhao Yuan's immense confidence, Wang Jiasen couldn't help but wonder, 'Could it be that he has backing on par with the Jinling Zhao Family?' Then he remembered that Zhao Yuan had even learned the Wang Family's secret, uncirculated text, the *Wushan Medical Tales*, and his understanding was even deeper and more thorough than their own. 'Perhaps he really does have a powerful individual or a powerful family supporting him!'
He couldn't help but wonder what Zhao Yuan's trump card was. And where had he learned the *Wushan Medical Tales*? He mulled it over but couldn't come up with any answers.
How could he have known that Zhao Yuan's trump card was neither an individual nor a family, but the entire legacy of the Witch Doctors? With this inheritance, he had no reason to fear the Jinling Zhao Family, no matter how powerful or terrifying they might be!
"It seems Young Friend Zhao is full of confidence. I was worried for nothing," Wang Jiasen said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Zhao Yuan said, "I will remember your kindness, Dr. Wang. Once this is all over, let's find some time for tea. I'd also like to ask for your guidance regarding the *Wushan Medical Tales*."
Wang Jiasen was stunned. 'Your mastery of the *Wushan Medical Tales* is far deeper than mine, so why would you need my guidance?' he thought. But on second thought, he understood. Zhao Yuan was ostensibly asking for guidance, but in reality, he was hinting that he would impart his own knowledge of the *Wushan Medical Tales* to him!
Wang Jiasen was instantly overcome with excitement. Previously, Zhao Yuan had only recited a short passage from the general outline in the opening of the *Wushan Medical Tales*, yet his punctuation and phrasing differed in many places from the Wang Family's own research.
After he got back, he not only mulled it over himself but also discussed it with several of his family members. They all agreed that Zhao Yuan's punctuation was more profound and refined than the version the Wang Family had researched for a century! And that was just the opening! There was no telling how many more different interpretations there would be in the rest of the text! And beyond that, would his translations and understanding also prove to be more sophisticated?
Wang Jiasen had been desperately trying to find Zhao Yuan for this very reasonâto get his research and insights on the *Wushan Medical Tales*! Now, it seemed his wish was finally about to come true!
In his excitement, Wang Jiasen said repeatedly, "Excellent, excellent, excellent! I have some of the finest pre-Qingming Longjing tea waiting for your call, Young Friend Zhao. Oh, by the way, I have a question, though I don't know if I should ask."
Zhao Yuan retorted, "If I said you shouldn't, would you really stop yourself from asking?"
"Well..." Wang Jiasen was embarrassed.
Zhao Yuan's tone changed. "Just kidding. Go ahead and ask."
"I want to know, where on earth did you learn the *Wushan Medical Tales*? Don't tell me you just read it in some book! It's our Wang Family's most treasured secret; no copies of it have ever been made," Wang Jiasen said, leaving one thought unspoken: 'And what's more, this "copy" is even superior to the original our family has preserved for generations!'
Zhao Yuan smiled and replied, "My master taught me."
Wang Jiasen asked, "What is your master's name? How does he know the *Wushan Medical Tales*?"
"My master goes by the title Lingshan Doctor; he never told me his actual name. As for how he knows the *Wushan Medical Tales*, I have no idea either."
Zhao Yuan didn't reveal Wu Peng's name, inventing a title for him instead. Wu Peng was the leader of the Lingshan Ten Witches and a Witch Doctor, so referring to him as the Lingshan Doctor was quite fitting.
"Lingshan Doctor?" Wang Jiasen repeated the title a few times but couldn't recall anyone in the medical community who went by it.
'Could he be a great, reclusive Healer who has withdrawn from the world?' As a Noble Family Disciple from a medical lineage, Wang Jiasen knew that the world had many hidden mastersâpeople with extraordinary abilities but no fame. 'Perhaps Zhao Yuan's master, the Lingshan Doctor, is one of them?'
After hanging up, Fang Yi said, "Little Brother Zhao, the Jinling Zhao Family is extraordinarily powerful. How are you going to handle their retaliation?"
Zhao Yuan smirked coldly. "I'll just deal with whatever they throw at me. We'll see what moves they make first! If they piss me off, I'll march right up to their front door, challenge them, and tear down the Jinling Zhao Family's plaque!"
Fang Yi's jaw dropped, utterly shocked by Zhao Yuan's audacity. He quickly said, "Little Brother Zhao, if there's anything you need from me, just say the word!"
He and Zhao Yuan were in the same boat now. If Zhao Yuan was crushed by the Jinling Zhao Family, their partnership would likely be forced to end. The Soul-Stabilizing Incense was just starting to take off, the Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills were about to be launched, and their business was on the verge of explosive growth. Fang Yi did not wantâand would not allowâanyone to ruin all of this!
Zhao Yuan thought for a moment. "Actually, there is one thing I need your help with. Look into the Jinling Zhao Family for meâfind out what they specialize in, what their signature skills are."
"That's it?" Fang Yi was taken aback.
Zhao Yuan nodded. "That's it."
Not wasting any words, Fang Yi said, "Alright. I'll get that information for you as quickly as possible."
Twenty minutes later, Fang Yi's Audi pulled up to the gate of West Hua Medical University.
Zhao Yuan got out, waved goodbye to Fang Yi, and remembered to add a few instructions. "On the factory side, let me know when the medicine runs out, and I'll find time to go compound a new batch. Also, please hurry up with the production licenses for the Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills. The sooner they're approved, the sooner we can start."
"Don't worry, I'm more anxious about this stuff than you are," Fang Yi said with a laugh. Then his expression turned serious. "Little Brother Zhao, if there's anything else you need help with, don't be polite with your big brother!"
Zhao Yuan nodded. "I know. I definitely won't hold back!"
After Fang Yi drove off, Zhao Yuan didn't head straight into the university. Instead, he rubbed his stomach and went to a casual, homestyle restaurant he frequented.
Earlier, at Lakefront House, he hadn't gotten a chance to eat his fill because of Zhao Jingrou's interruption. He had a match that afternoon and couldn't go in on an empty stomach.
After eating, he returned to his dorm to find not only his three roommates from 301 but also a whole crowd of basketball team members squeezed into the room.
Zhao Yuan laughed. "What's all this? Holding a pre-game war council?"
The moment Liu Zhu saw him, he started complaining, "Third Bro, you're finally back! You haven't heard, have you? The guys from Clinical Class 7 are talking big, saying they're going to win today's game by more than seventy points!"