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

Lin Fan was in a particularly good mood after returning from the Wang family mansion. Those so-called secret manuals, in his view, were just ordinary Chinese medicine classics, far less profound than the medical traditions he imagined.

"Master, how is the Wang family?" Xiaoyu asked curiously.

"Nothing special, just some basic medical books." Lin Fan waved his hand casually. "How about you, how's your acupuncture practice going lately?"

Xiaoyu pouted, "It's still the same as always. Even piercing an apple is crooked. Master, when do you think I can be as good as you?"

"You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry." Lin Fan knocked her head with a smile, "The path of medicine requires perseverance and understanding."

As he was speaking, hurried footsteps were heard outside the clinic. A middle-aged man in a suit pushed the door open and walked in, a professional smile on his face.

"Excuse me, is this Doctor Lin?" the man said, speaking in a slightly stiff Mandarin. "I'm the business manager of Huakang Pharmaceutical Company, my last name is Tian."

Lin Fan looked at the man before him, feeling a sense of disharmony. While his Mandarin was standard, some of his pronunciations were clearly not those of a local.

"What's the matter?" Lin Fan asked calmly.

Manager Tian rubbed his hands together and said, "Well, our company has heard that you are an excellent doctor, and we'd really like to work with you. Are you interested?"

"Cooperation?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "What kind of cooperation?"

"We hope to compile some traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions and promote them to a wider market." Manager Tian's eyes gleamed. "Of course, the compensation will definitely not disappoint you."

Lin Fan's heart was filled with alarm. He had seen this kind of trick many times. On the surface, it was a promotional collaboration, but in reality, it was most likely an attempt to steal the traditional Chinese medicine formula.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in business cooperation." Lin Fan refused directly.

Manager Tian's expression turned grim, but he quickly regained his smile. "Doctor Lin, there's no need to rush to refuse. Our company is strong and has a great influence internationally. Cooperating with us will greatly benefit your career development."

"No need." Lin Fan's tone became even colder. "Please go back."

Seeing this, Manager Tian could only leave in frustration. But as he reached the door, he turned back to look at Lin Fan, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Xiaoyu and the others walked away before he spoke: "Master, that person just now gave me a strange feeling."

"It's definitely not right." Lin Fan nodded. "Next time someone like that comes along, just reject them directly."

At the same time, in the office of Huakang Pharmaceutical Company, Manager Tian was reporting to a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Yamada, Lin Fan was very alert and directly rejected our proposal." Manager Tian said in Japanese.

Yamada pushed his glasses up. "As expected. A Chinese medicine practitioner with real skills wouldn't be fooled so easily. I guess we need to change our strategy."

"Then what do we do next?"

"Let's contact the Wang family first." Yamada sneered, "Since Lin Fan has learned their secret techniques, the Wang family must be resentful about it. We can take advantage of this."

The next day, Manager Tian showed up at the Wang family's old house.

When Mr. Wang saw him, his face was not good: "Who are you?"

"Mr. Wang, we are from Huakang Pharmaceutical Company." Manager Tian respectfully handed over his business card. "I heard that your family has some ancestral medical secrets, and we hope to cooperate in promoting them."

Mr. Wang took the business card, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes: "Promotion? What do you mean?"

"We're helping you spread this valuable medical knowledge to a wider audience so more people can benefit from it," Manager Tian observed. "Of course, we'll also provide corresponding compensation."

Several people from the Wang family looked at each other and saw the excitement in each other's eyes.

"But..." Old Master Wang pretended to be embarrassed, "Our family's secret manual has been stolen."

"Stole it?" Manager Tian pretended to be surprised. "Who is so bold?"

"That's Lin Fan!" Wang Lao Er said indignantly, "He stole our Wang family's treasure while we weren't paying attention!"

Manager Tian was secretly delighted, but outwardly he was filled with righteous indignation: "This is too much! This behavior is simply a blasphemy against traditional medicine!"

"That's right!" Old Master Wang nodded repeatedly, "We looked for him, but he refused to admit it."

"Mr. Wang, if you trust us, we're willing to help you get justice," Manager Tian said. "Our company has a certain influence in the industry, and we can use legitimate channels to get him to return the secret manual."

Mr. Wang's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Of course. But we need some evidence to prove that those secret books are indeed yours."

"That's easy." Old Master Wang immediately had someone bring out some old medical book fragments. "These are our Wang family's ancestors' heirlooms. That's what Lin Fan learned."

Manager Tian took the fragments and sneered inwardly. He thought these things were of limited value, but if he could use them as an excuse to contact Lin Fan, he might be able to get something more valuable from him.

"Okay, we'll find a way." Manager Tian put away the remaining pages, "but it will take some time."

After leaving the Wang family, Manager Tian immediately contacted Yamada: "Mr. Yamada, the Wang family has been dealt with. They do hold a grudge against Lin Fan."

"Very good." Yamada nodded with satisfaction. "Now we can proceed to the next step of the plan."

A few days later, Lin Fan was seeing a patient in the clinic when he suddenly received a strange phone call.

"Hello, is this Dr. Lin? I'm from the Chinese Medicine Association." A female voice came from the other end of the line. "We'd like to invite you to an academic exchange meeting."

Lin Fan frowned: "What academic exchange meeting?"

"It's a seminar on the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese medicine, and many well-known experts will be attending," the female voice continued. "We think that with your medical skills, you should participate in such an academic exchange."

"Sorry, I'm not interested in this kind of activity." Lin Fan refused directly.

"Doctor Lin, please don't be so quick to refuse," the woman said hurriedly. "This conference has a special exhibit: a rare copy of the Hua Tuo Classic, brought back from overseas. The organizers hope to find a truly competent traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to authenticate its authenticity."

Lin Fan was stunned. "The Hua Tuo Classic"? That was the medical text left behind by the legendary doctor Hua Tuo, long lost. If a single copy truly existed, it would be a true treasure of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

"The Hua Tuo Classic? Is it real or fake?"

"Absolutely true. We borrowed it from a private collector. It's said to be a national treasure that was lost overseas sometime ago," the woman said sincerely. "Doctor Lin, a renowned doctor like you would be very interested in this kind of ancient book, right?"

Lin Fan was silent for a moment. To say he wasn't interested would be a lie. The Hua Tuo Classic held a fatal allure for any practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.

"Where is the meeting held?"