I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

"I…we don't have that much cash."

"Then find a way." I sat on the chair. "I have plenty of time to wait."

The man with glasses exchanged glances with several others, and finally gave in. They made phone calls and collected money from different sources.

An hour later, 250,000 yuan in cash was placed on the table.

"The extra 50,000 is considered compensation for mental damage." I said to Liu Jianguo.

Liu Jianguo looked at the money with tears in his eyes. "Little brother, thank you so much this time."

"You're welcome, it's nothing." I stood up. "Let's go."

Before leaving, I glanced back at those people. "Stay away from Uncle Liu from now on, or I'll get more than just a beating next time."

It was already late at night when we returned to the old man's house. Hearing a knock on the door, the old man got up and opened the door. When he saw us coming back, a worried look appeared on his face.

"Jianguo, why are you back so late?"

Liu Jianguo told his father everything that happened tonight. After listening, the old man was silent for a long time.

"Dad, it's all my fault. I almost hurt you." Liu Jianguo lowered his head guiltily.

"Silly boy, it's good to correct your mistakes as soon as you know them." The old man patted his son's shoulder and then turned to me, "Little brother, you have helped our family a lot this time."

"Master, this is what we should do."

The old man was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked towards the inner room. "Wait a minute."

A few minutes later, the old man came out holding an ancient wooden box. When he opened the box, a well-formed ginseng lay quietly inside, emitting a faint fragrance.

"I picked this in the mountains when I was young and have kept it for decades." The old man handed me the box. "Nothing can express my gratitude better than this."

I looked at this ginseng and felt a little moved. It was indeed a rare and good thing, but I couldn't accept it.

"Master, this is too valuable. I can't accept it."

"You must accept it." The old man insisted, "If it weren't for you, we two would still be kept in the dark."

I thought about it and said, "How about this, I'll let Dr. Liu buy it. It's a reasonable deal."

The old man wanted to say something, but when he saw my determined expression, he finally nodded.

"In that case, I can't let you suffer any loss." The old man stood up again, "I have some other medicinal herbs here, see if you can use them."

It turned out that the old man had been a herbalist in his youth, and his home had a lot of good things. Liu Ying and I carefully selected some of them, all of which were rare treasures rarely seen on the market.

"Grandpa, you've preserved these medicinal herbs so well." Liu Ying couldn't help but admire.

"These are all my old skills." The old man said with a smile, "I hope they can be put to good use."

We agreed on a price, and while it wasn't cheap, the herbs were definitely worth it.

"With these, the old man's condition will improve a lot." Liu Ying said to me.

It was already two in the morning when I returned to the Liu family's house. I reconstituted the prescription, adding the few precious herbs I had just acquired.

"The effect should be better this time." I said to Liu Ying.

"Thank you for your hard work." Liu Ying's tone was a little distressed. "It's too dangerous tonight. What if something happens..."

"Don't worry, I know my limits." I patted her hand, "Besides, those people are not worth my serious attention."

Over the next few days, the old man's condition did improve significantly. His face became much rosier, his appetite returned, and he was even able to get out of bed and move around.

But what’s strange is that the Liu family didn’t mention a word about the Wang family’s visit, as if nothing had happened.

**Chapter 3: Undercurrent**

Just when I thought things were over, new troubles arose.

That morning, I was sorting medicinal materials in the clinic when Liu Ying rushed in.

"Oh no, something happened." Her face was a little pale.

"What's wrong?" I put down the work in my hands.

"Look at this." Liu Ying took out her mobile phone and opened a page of a traditional Chinese medicine forum.

There was a popular post on the page titled "Questioning the Sources of a Young Chinese Medicine Practitioner's Apprenticeship." When I clicked on it, I saw a joint statement from several well-known Chinese medicine practitioners questioning the source of my medical skills.

"They said you're too young to have such advanced medical skills. They suspect you've stolen some family's secret medical formula." Liu Ying's voice trembled. "And these people are all very famous in the industry."

I looked carefully at these people's names and made up my mind. "The Wang family's handiwork."

"What do you mean?"

"These people only care about money and not people." I sneered, "The Wang family paid them to question my lineage."

Liu Ying was a little worried, "If this continues, will it affect your reputation?"

"Fame?" I shook my head. "I never rely on fame for a living."

That being said, I know I can't let this matter go. The Wang family is forcing me to reveal my true colors.

"They want to know my lineage, right?" I picked up my phone. "Then let them know."

I registered an account on the forum and replied directly to the post.

"I understand that you, the seniors, are questioning my lineage. However, the quality of medical skills cannot be proven by words, but by practice. If you, the seniors, are interested, I am willing to accept an open medical competition."

This reply quickly caused a stir, with some supporting it and others opposing it, and the debate was extremely heated.

"Isn't it too risky for you to do this?" Liu Ying asked worriedly.

“How can I shut them up without taking risks?” I closed my phone. “And I have confidence.”

In the afternoon, my cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, is this Dr. Li?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the phone.

"Yes."

"I'm Zhang Ming, Secretary General of the Municipal Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I saw your reply on the forum, and our association is willing to organize an open medical exchange meeting."

"When?" I asked directly.

"If you agree, let's set it for this weekend."

"No problem." I agreed readily.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Ying was still a little worried. "What if..."

"There's no chance of that happening." I interrupted her. "It's time to let someone know what real medical skills are."

Over the next few days, this incident caused quite a stir in the TCM community. There were those who supported me, and there were those who questioned me. But regardless, this medical exchange was destined to be a fascinating one.

The Wang family naturally got the news as well. When Old Master Wang heard it, his face turned extremely gloomy.

"This kid is quite courageous," said Old Master Wang grimly. "Since he wants to be in the spotlight, let him see what a true family of traditional Chinese medicine is like."

"Grandpa, what do you mean?" Wang Hao asked.

"Contact our old friends and have them all come and watch this great show." Old Master Wang's eyes flashed coldly, "I want to see what this kid has the nerve to be so arrogant."