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

Zhou Qing followed Liu Ying to the top-floor banquet hall of Jinling Hotel.

The elite of Jiangnan's business community gathered here, and the atmosphere was filled with luxury amidst the clinking of glasses. Liu Ying, dressed in a light blue evening gown, was elegant and well-dressed, attracting many glances.

"Yingying is here." A voice came with a bit of sarcasm.

The speaker was a man in his early thirties, dressed in a sharp suit and with his hair neatly combed. He was none other than Zhang Junhao, a well-known second-generation wealthy man from Jiangnan City. He was surrounded by several men and women, all of them business dandies and socialites.

Liu Ying nodded and said, "Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Junhao's eyes scanned Zhou Qing, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his lips. "Is this the legendary son-in-law of the Wang family?"

The people around suddenly quieted down, waiting to see the show.

"That useless son-in-law of the Wang family?" A heavily made-up woman covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled. "Yingying, when did your vision become so unique?"

"That's right. How could the Liu family's daughter end up with such a thing?" another man echoed.

Zhang Junhao was even more direct: "Yingying, are you addicted to picking up trash? You treat trash that even the Wang family doesn't want as treasure?"

Liu Ying's face changed slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Zhou Qing gently patted the back of her hand.

"He did this to get his father's medical treatment..." Liu Ying explained.

"Hahaha!" Zhang Junhao laughed. "He's still treating my father's illness? What kind of illness can a loser who can't even support himself treat? Don't tell me he knows medicine?"

"Mr. Zhang is right. This kind of person is a burden."

"Yingying, have you been deceived?"

"Tsk tsk, the daughter of the Liu family was actually fooled by a son-in-law."

The people around them chimed in, their words becoming increasingly harsh. They all wanted to show off in front of Zhang Junhao; after all, the Zhang family was quite influential in Jiangnan City.

Zhou Qing remained calm, as if the ridicule had nothing to do with him. He picked up a glass of red wine and took a sip.

[Poison Score +10]

[Detecting that the host is being taunted, the poisoner's points increase]

"Why aren't you talking? Did you get what I said?" Zhang Junhao pressed on. "I advise you to leave Yingying if you have the guts. Don't embarrass yourself here."

At this moment, the door of the banquet hall was pushed open, and a young man walked in quickly. It was Li Shaohua, the rich second generation who had been treated by Zhou Qing in the hospital before.

Seeing Li Shaohua appear, Zhang Junhao and the others' eyes flashed with excitement. The Li family's status in Jiangnan City was even higher than the Zhang family's. If Li Shaohua also came to mock this son-in-law, it would be even more interesting.

"Shaohua is here!" Zhang Junhao took the initiative to greet him, "It's just right, you come and judge..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Shaohua walked straight towards Zhou Qing and bowed respectfully: "Brother!"

The banquet hall suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared with eyes wide open, looking at this scene in disbelief. Li Shaohua actually called this son-in-law "big brother"?

"From now on, anyone who dares to look down on my elder brother is looking down on me, Li Shaohua!" Li Shaohua glanced at the entire audience and said in a loud voice, "My elder brother's medical skills are superb. He is the most powerful doctor I have ever seen!"

Zhang Junhao's face turned pale instantly, and those who were arrogant just now also shut up.

"Shaohua, did you make a mistake..." Zhang Junhao stuttered.

"Are you mistaken?" Li Shaohua sneered. "When have I, Li Shaohua, ever made a mistake? Big brother saved my life. I will remember this favor for the rest of my life!"

The situation reversed instantly. Those who had just been mocking Zhou Qing now changed their expressions.

"Mr. Zhou, I'm sorry for offending you just now..."

"Yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding..."

"Dr. Zhou, I've long admired you..."

The speed at which these people changed their faces was comparable to that of Sichuan Opera face-changing, which made Liu Ying a little dazed.

Zhou Qing remained calm, as if the previous ridicule and current compliments had nothing to do with him.

Li Shaohua walked to Zhou Qing and lowered his voice: "Brother, I took the medicine as you said, went to the hospital for a check-up, and I feel much better now."

Zhou Qing nodded: "Yeah."

"There's one more thing." Li Shaohua said seriously, "That bastard Fang Shuwen has found a master to deal with you. I heard he's a Thai boxing champion from Silla, and he's very powerful."

"Oh?" Zhou Qing raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Brother, do you want me to find someone..."

"No need." Zhou Qing said calmly, "It doesn't matter who comes. They will all die."

After hearing this, Li Shaohua admired Zhou Qing even more. This calmness and composure was something not many people could possess.

"Brother, I will definitely learn from you!" Li Shaohua said excitedly.

Zhou Qing glanced at him and said, "Curb your lustful thoughts, or you won't live past thirty."

Li Shaohua was startled, thinking of his previous ridiculous life, and nodded quickly: "Don't worry, brother, I will turn over a new leaf from today!"

The banquet continued, but everyone's attitude towards Zhou Qing had changed. The original ridicule turned into awe, and the original contempt turned into flattery.

Liu Ying looked at Zhou Qing with mixed feelings. She knew Zhou Qing was no ordinary person, but she hadn't expected even Li Shaohua to be so respectful to him.

"How many secrets do you have?" Liu Ying thought to herself.

It was already ten o'clock in the evening when we returned to Liu's house.

Zhou Qing went straight to Mr. Liu's room. The old man was lying on the bed reading a book, and he looked much more energetic than before.

"Xiao Zhou is here." Old Master Liu put down his book. "How was the banquet today?"

"You're fine." Zhou Qing walked to the bedside. "Let me take your pulse."

Old Man Liu stretched out his arm, and Zhou Qing placed three fingers on the old man's pulse, carefully feeling the changes in the pulse.

After a moment, Zhou Qing released his hand: "Your body has recovered well, but the prescription still needs to be adjusted."

He took out a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote a new prescription.

"Ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, Ganoderma lucidum, Gastrodia elata..." Zhou Qing said as he wrote, "The age and quality of these herbs are very important."

"No problem, I'll ask the housekeeper to go buy it tomorrow." Old Master Liu took the prescription.

The next morning, the housekeeper brought his servants to buy the necessary medicinal herbs from various medicinal herb markets.

Zhou Qing checked it over and his brows gradually furrowed.

While the herbs were of the correct variety, their quality was disappointing. The ginseng was only three or four years old, and the Polygonum multiflorum was artificially cultivated, significantly reducing its efficacy.

"These herbs are no good." Zhou Qing shook his head. "They are all artificially cultivated, and their efficacy is too poor."

The housekeeper was a little embarrassed: "Mr. Zhou, this is already the best on the market."

Zhou Qing picked up a ginseng and observed it carefully: "Real wild ginseng must be at least ten years old. This three-year-old ginseng has less than one-tenth of the medicinal effect of wild ginseng."

"What should we do then?" Liu Ying asked.

"Wild medicinal herbs are hard to find nowadays," Zhou Qing pondered, "and they're expensive."

Mr. Liu patted the edge of the bed and said, "Money is not the problem. The key is whether you can buy it."

At this moment, Li Shaohua called.