"Hello, Secretary Zhuo..." Chen Fei rose from his seat in a daze, instinctively reaching out to shake the man's hand. He hadn't expected the other party to actually be looking for him. But this was strange; he really didn't recognize the man.

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone present, including Huang Tao, was utterly stunned and disbelieving.

It was now obvious that Chen Fei genuinely didn't know the man, yet the city's number one leader had gone out of his way to call and find a reason to make a special trip to 'visit' him. It was simply unbelievable.

After all, Zhuo Qun was the Secretary of an Earth Level city, a man who possessed considerable influence and capability not just within Jiangnan Province but throughout the nation. What's more, he had been parachuted in from Capital City.

So, was he truly showing so much respect to a mere young man in his twenties?

Perhaps only Huang Tao and Gao Zhinan could understand the situation; everyone else was completely baffled. This was a true urban marvel!

"Mr. Chen, you needn't be doubtful. We are indeed meeting for the first time tonight. However, I came here especially on behalf of an elder," Secretary Zhuo Qun said in a hushed voice, as if he had seen the puzzlement on Chen Fei's face.

"An elder?" Chen Fei became even more curious upon hearing this. An elder? Which elder?

"That's right."

Secretary Zhuo Qun nodded and then continued in a lowered voice, "Mr. Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"

"Of course. Please, Secretary Zhuo," Chen Fei replied readily, standing up. Given the man's distinguished status as the city's top leader, he naturally wouldn't throw his weight around. Besides, he was genuinely curious: who was this elder the secretary had mentioned? Was it someone he knew?

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Chen." Secretary Zhuo breathed a quiet sigh of relief. This young man seems rather easy to talk to, not nearly as difficult as Elder Xunn made him sound on the phone.

In that case, treating the illness shouldn't be too much of a problem. With these thoughts in mind, the two entered a private room in the hotel. As soon as they were inside, Chen Fei could no longer contain his curiosity. "Secretary Zhuo, may I ask who this elder you speak of is? I don't seem to know any elders with the surname Zhuo. Could it be that you've mistaken me for someone else?"

"You jest, Mr. Chen. There's no mistake. Do you recall Elder Xunn?" Secretary Zhuo asked with a smile.

"Elder Xunn... wait, do you mean Dr. Xunn Lun?" Chen Fei was momentarily startled, then a figure suddenly flashed in his mind.

"Yes, it is indeed Mr. Xunn," Zhuo Qun confirmed.

Seeing that Chen Fei dared to mention Mr. Xunn's full name so casually, a flash of surprise appeared in Zhuo Qun's eyes. He proceeded cautiously, his voice even a bit tense, "The thing is, Elder Xunn has an extremely difficult patient, one that even he isn't very confident about treating. Therefore... therefore, he wished to ask for your assistance, Mr. Chen. He has already set off from Capital City and is on his way to Northern Mountain now."

As he spoke these words, he honestly didn't know how he managed to say them. After all, Elder Xunn was a man of immense status and divine medical skill, the Master of the Medical Sage Hall of Huaxia. Yet now, he was seeking help from a young man barely in his twenties.

If it weren't for Elder Xunn's personal request that he say these exact words, and his own numerous rehearsals, he genuinely would have found it impossible to say them, given his deep-seated reverence for the man. That was no joke.

Even with all his astuteness, Zhuo Qun couldn't help but wonder to himself, Just what is this kid's background? Who is he? Is he really worth Elder Xunn going to such lengths for?

"A difficult patient?"

Chen Fei was somewhat taken aback, not expecting this turn of events. To be blunt, that old doctor's skills were extraordinary; he was the most formidable medical practitioner Chen Fei knew of—Aside from myself, of course.

But for even him to consider a patient difficult, the situation had to be truly serious and dire.

"Secretary Zhuo, do you know the nature of the illness?" he inquired, his eyes flickering with interest. Despite the gravity, he seemed quite eager.

"...It's poison," Secretary Zhuo replied slowly after a moment's hesitation, choosing not to reveal too much.

"Poison?"

Chen Fei's brow furrowed slightly, but his expression quickly calmed. He smiled, "I understand. Thank you for taking the trouble to come here personally tonight, Secretary Zhuo. When Dr. Xunn arrives in Northern Mountain, just have him notify me. I should be in the area for the foreseeable future."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

A look of joy bloomed on Secretary Zhuo's face. But then, as if unable to stop himself, he leaned in and said in a low voice, "However, Mr. Chen, the patient's identity is quite... unusual. So, I was wondering if you were confident..."

"Secretary Zhuo, in my eyes, a patient is a patient. Their identity doesn't make them special," Chen Fei interrupted him directly. "Besides, I haven't even seen the person yet, have I? So as for confidence, I really can't say at this point. Let's wait until I've met the patient."

A patient with an unusual identity? It was painfully obvious. Why else would they travel a thousand miles to Northern Mountain to find him, even sending a City Secretary to pave the way? However, that wasn't something he needed to concern himself with. He was simply curious about what kind of illness, what kind of poison, could stump even that old doctor and leave him helpless. That was what truly occupied his mind right now. Nothing else mattered.

"Ah, my apologies, I misspoke," Zhuo Qun said with an embarrassed smile. He knew he had said the wrong thing and quickly tried to move on.

Meanwhile, although the atmosphere in the main hall seemed lively, everyone could feel an invisible pressure weighing down on them.

Initially, they had wondered if the new number one leader would show up tonight. He had, but not for their great leader Mayor Huang. Instead, it was all for a young man in his twenties.

What was more terrifying was that both of their top leaders, Mayor Huang and Secretary Zhuo, were bowing and scraping to the young man to an excessive degree. These were the city's undisputed number one and two leaders, showing such deference to a youngster.

They wouldn't act this way even if a provincial leader came to visit, would they?

With this thought, nearly everyone was distracted, occasionally casting stealthy glances at the room where Chen Fei and Secretary Zhuo had gone to speak privately.

「Peony Hotel. A private, high-level suite.」

A haughty young man in his twenties, wearing a cap and sporting carelessly dyed blond hair, sat sprawled on a sofa. With his legs crossed and nose in the air, he looked down on Zhang Long and his wife, Zhao Le. A sneer played on his lips. "I'm telling you two, you'd better not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. It's been days. I'm sure you know what's expected by now. And a heads-up: if you keep stalling, it's no skin off my back, but Young Master Yang isn't so patient."

"Young Master Yang?" Zhang Long's expression changed. It was the first time he had heard the name of the person behind all this, and a sense of foreboding crept into his heart. In Northern Mountain, anyone addressed as Young Master Yang could only be...

SMACK. The arrogant young man slapped his own mouth lightly. "Ah, look at this damn mouth of mine. Looks like I slipped up again," he said with a cold smirk. "Anyway, I'm here on behalf of Young Master Yang to talk business. First option: five hundred thousand. You hand over the storefront and the medicinal cuisine recipes. Second option: one hundred thousand, and we acquire seventy percent of your Green Bamboo Medicinal Cuisine's shares. Pick one."

"You... you... aren't you being disgustingly greedy?! Our storefront alone is worth at least five million, not to mention the priceless medicinal cuisine recipes! This is daylight robbery!" Zhao Le trembled with anger, unable to contain her outrage.

Their demands were utterly preposterous. They wanted to strip them of both flesh and bone. They were bullying them too far.

"Greedy?"

The arrogant young man just sneered. He tilted his head, looking down at Zhao Le with contempt as he blew a ring of smoke. "It's your own fault for dawdling and making Young Master Yang lose his patience. Frankly, the fact that you're getting any money at all is already generous. Otherwise, with the Health Bureau and the Fire Department showing up for inspections every day, do you really think you could keep your business running peacefully?"

"At worst, we'll just sell the restaurant and leave Northern Mountain to start over somewhere else! I refuse to believe your reach is that long!" Zhang Long shot back, unable to hold back his anger. He had long suspected they were behind all the trouble, but it had only been speculation.

But now, not only had the other party brazenly admitted it, but they were using it to threaten him. How could he not be furious?

"Sell the restaurant? Leave Northern Mountain?"

The arrogant man feigned a look of surprise, which quickly melted into even deeper disdain. "Not unless you're willing to leave Jiangnan Province entirely. With Young Master Yang's status, is there anyone in the Inner Circle of Jiangnan Province who wouldn't show him some deference?"

He paused, his sneer deepening. "Besides, with Young Master Yang in the picture, do you really think you can just sell the store whenever you want? If he doesn't give the nod, who would dare process your paperwork? Who would dare buy your restaurant?" He spoke as if this was the natural order of things, a clear case of bullying those without connections.

"You... you... don't push us too far! If you really want to drop all pretense, we'll see who gets destroyed in the end!" Zhao Le finally snapped, pointing a finger at the man's nose and cursing.

Their Green Bamboo Medicinal Cuisine storefront alone was worth at least five million. That didn't even include their recent booming business, which had the restaurant packed with high-paying guests every single day. Countless people had offered huge sums for a piece of the pie and were turned away. Yet this person was being so outrageous it was basically daylight robbery.

Their shamelessness was sickening.

"You damn bitch! Just because I'm trying to be civil, you think I, Gou Qiang, am a pushover?" the arrogant young man finally roared, losing his temper. He thought they were being completely ungrateful and were overestimating their own abilities. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be for Young Master Yang to shut down your pathetic little shop with a single word?"

Mutual destruction? With just them?

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