Outside Prosperity Pavilion, Shen Qiang called a cab for Ding Yuhuan and, after seeing her off, turned to go back into the restaurant.

Across the street, under the shade of a tree, He Pangszi's eyes flashed coldly as he turned and walked away.

"Oh, Shen Qiang, were you having a meal with Ding Yuhuan? Maybe it's really like Zhong Yongxi said before, you two are truly having an affair. If that's the case, I think you wouldn't have any chance to refuse if I challenged you to a massage competition."

Inside Prosperity Pavilion, after bidding farewell to Ding Yuhuan and settling the bill—

Shen Qiang said with a smile, "I'll pay."

Su Xiaonuan's eyes curved into a smile as she said, "Stop it, Bikang has a budget for this. I can get reimbursed when I submit the receipt."

Shen Qiang chuckled and then, as he walked out of Prosperity Pavilion with Su Xiaonuan, he asked, "What do you think of Ding Yuhuan as a person?"

Su Xiaonuan frowned slightly, "Strictly speaking, I think she's too attached to her family. There's a gap between her and the workaholic that I was expecting. However, as far as character is concerned, a girl who understands filial duty wouldn't be a bad person."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qiang sighed and said, "Actually, the tertiary hospital where Ding Yuhuan used to work is top-notch in our country. The fact that she could give up such an enviable job to come back here already shows she's a very good woman. At least, if I were to ask myself honestly, whether I could give up everything I have now to go back to the county to accompany my mom and dad, I might not be able to do it."

Su Xiaonuan sighed, "When a child travels a thousand miles, the mother worries; when a mother travels a thousand miles, the child is not troubled. She's a good person with unquestionably high medical ethics, educated, and Bikang is getting value by paying her triple the salary."

When they reached home, Su Xiaonuan called the director, Su, to discuss Ding Yuhuan's matter.

After briefly speaking with her, Shen Qiang headed to the activity room upstairs to continue refining Guiyuan Pills.

And while Shen Qiang was focused on his alchemy—

Back at his residence, He Pangszi, with a cold gleam in his eyes, looked at the chat group on his mobile phone, where Zhong Yongxi was wildly boasting about his "Flowers Opening Nine Branches" acupuncture technique.

"My granduncle said that Flowers Opening Nine Branches is merely the beginning of the Small Leaf Plum Blossom Needling Technique. A real expert can make a 'Thousand Trees Bloom.' Understand? Imagine, in an instant, a thousand instances of Flowers Opening Nine Branches—think how incredible that would be. Just picture the scene of operating one hundred and five thousand three hundred silver needles."

The girls in the group were astonished.

"Over a million needles! And to control them at that. If someone could shoot them out with the skill of a hidden weapon, who could dodge that?"

"You'd be like a sieve in minutes!"

"This is too mystical; it's simply impossible to achieve."

"Pff! You're all naive!" Zhong Yongxi arrogantly said: "Before seeing my granduncle perform Flowers Opening Nine Branches with my own eyes, I doubted countless times how one could possibly control over a thousand silver needles. But the fact is, just because I can't do it doesn't mean nobody can."

"Moreover, don't think that making a 'Thousand Trees Bloom' is the highest realm. My granduncle made it very clear, the pinnacle of Small Leaf Plum Blossom Needling Technique is 'The Plum Moves in All Directions.' My talent is inferior, and 'The Plum Moves in All Directions,' as well as 'Thousand Trees Bloom,' are probably out of reach for me, definitely no chance."

"But as long as I follow my granduncle, reaching the standard of Flowers Opening Nine Branches in the future is guaranteed."

Seeing this message made the girls in the group lively.

"Wow, Flowers Opening Nine Branches is already quite impressive. If you can achieve that, you'd be considered a first-rate medical expert in the Cultivation World."

"Wow, that's impressive. Looking at it this way, your Zhong Family will soon become the strongest medical family within your province."

"Exactly, with such formidable acupuncture techniques, I guess no one within the province can compete with your Zhong Family for supremacy."

Seeing the girls' enthusiasm, Zhong Yongxi was proud, "Well, of course. With my great-uncle's skill level in acupuncture, looking at the younger generation in the Cultivation World, he is absolutely top-notch—unrivaled in the south!"

Buzz!

The phone's vibration alert.

He Pangs looked at it, frowned, and turned off the group chat.

"I've already told you, I will have a competition with Shen Qiang. Don't nag me endlessly about it."

After several seconds of silence, the other side sent a message.

"If we wait until everyone believes that the 'Xiaoye Plum Blossom Acupuncture Technique' is unmatched, by then, even if you defeat Shen Qiang, you won't be able to shake the technique's status, so I can only give you three more days."

He Pangs frowned and after a moment, sent a message, "Shen Qiang is likely a Martial Cultivator, and even though I am one realm higher than him, I probably won't be able to beat him in a fight. If you want to see me win using Bone Setting within three days, then you need to provide me with a Martial Cultivator whose cultivation is above the Nascent Soul Stage."

"Nascent Soul Stage? If you're afraid that Shen Qiang will physically attack you, I can arrange for a Martial Cultivator at the Yin God Stage to act as your guard," replied the other side promptly.

The fatty's mouth curved into a smile as he continued to message, "Besides that, I also need you to provide three million in cash, and transfer the storefront you promised me into my name before we take action."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" responded the other party coldly, "The money is yours, the property is yours, but if you lose or simply don't compete, wouldn't I be the big sucker here?"

He Pangs sneered, "Stop pretending. I know who you are—one of the most famous medical institutions in Provincial City is Zhong's Medical Pavilion, and the other is Life-extending Hall. Both of your families rely on acupuncture to stand firm. With Shen Qiang's emergence and the 'Flowers Opening Nine Branches' technique, I believe you've been sleepless for quite a while."

"Yet you don't have the courage to challenge Shen Qiang directly, because if you lose, Life-extending Hall won't have any chance to recover. So you thought of me, hoping I can defeat Shen Qiang with Bone Setting and thus humiliate the 'Xiaoye Plum Blossom Acupuncture Technique.'"

"I may be a bit fat, but I'm not stupid. Do you think I will blindly go all-in against Shen Qiang just because you promised me verbally? To fight to the death with him? Don't forget, Shen Qiang's attitude is already very clear. He will not compete with me by ordinary means, and unconventional methods come with great risk. If I can't get the property and the three million in cash, then this matter stops here."

"I definitely won't risk my life just because of your empty promises."

The other party remained silent for a full ten minutes before finally sending a message.

"You're shrewder than I expected, but it's also for this reason that my expectation for you to defeat Shen Qiang has grown stronger. Tomorrow morning, a master will meet you. Give him a copy of your ID card, and the property will be transferred to your name. Besides that, he will act as your assistant to help you defeat that Shen Qiang."

"What about the money?" chased He Pangs.

"Send the account number, and I'll transfer it immediately, but before that, you need to give me some information. After all, three million isn't a small sum; you've got to give me some confidence."

He Pangs smiled, picturing the smiling Ding Yuhuan with her eyes crinkled up in joy.

"Getting Shen Qiang to agree to a competition isn't difficult—all it takes is one woman!"

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