The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

The moment he stepped inside, the rich aroma of herbs washed over him.

An open space formed the center of the room, flanked by traditional Chinese medicine cabinets. The walls of small, square drawers stretched for dozens of feet, a truly spectacular sight.

Several apothecaries hurried back and forth, filling prescriptions.

Further in was the decoction area, where steam billowed, raising the temperature throughout Hundred Herbs Hall.

The hall was bustling with customers, most of whom had brought their own prescriptions to be filled.

When Xiao Ye entered, no one came to greet or guide him.

He walked up to the counter on his own and tapped on the glass. "I'm looking for your boss. I need to buy some rare herbs."

An employee glanced up at him. "Tell me what you need first, then I'll get the boss."

"Wunan Grass and Wubei Grass."

The employee jotted down the names and quickly disappeared into the back.

A moment later, a man in his twenties wearing a traditional long gown emerged.

He wasn't tall and had a slender build. With his delicate, oval face, charming eyes, and fair skin, he looked almost feminine.

He looked at Xiao Ye and smiled faintly. "Those two herbs you're after are in short supply across the country right now, so naturally, the price has gone up."

"If you still want them, the price is over a hundred thousand. If you can accept that, I can give you one of each."

"To be blunt, my Hundred Herbs Hall is the only place that has them right now. So, what do you say? Can you accept the price?"

Xiao Ye just stared at him without saying a word.

This clearly displeased Xiang Huaqing. "Sir, please answer my question. Do you want them or not? If you don't answer, then I'm not selling!"

Only then did Xiao Ye speak. "Xiang Huaqing."

"Eh? You know me?" Xiang Huaqing was surprised. That wasn't the name he used here.

"Of course I do! I'm Xiao Ye!" Xiao Ye stepped forward and thumped him on the chest with his fist.

Xiang Huaqing stumbled back until he hit the medicine cabinet.

Seeing this, a nearby employee's expression soured. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Several others also closed in, ready to throw Xiao Ye out if he tried anything else.

Xiang Huaqing froze for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "So it's you, you bastard!"

"It's fine, all of you, get back to what you were doing. Don't worry, he's a friend of mine!"

In a clearly good mood, Xiang Huaqing beckoned to Xiao Ye. "Quick, follow me."

The two of them went into the back courtyard.

All kinds of medicinal herbs were laid out here, drying in the sun.

They crossed the courtyard and entered a room at the rear, which served as Xiang Huaqing's current living quarters.

"Xiao Ye, it's been what, seven or eight years? How'd you get so ugly?"

"I'm in disguise," Xiao Ye said, also very happy. He hadn't expected the Divine Doctor that Yuan Tiancheng mentioned to be his old friend.

"How's your master doing these days?"

Xiang Huaqing sat down and picked up a teacup. "He took off to wander the world ages ago, left me all alone. Just like your master."

Xiang Huaqing's master and the Lingxiao Daoist were good friends.

Xiao Ye and Xiang Huaqing had even lived together on the mountain for a time—about two years. They had a deep bond, and Xiang Huaqing was one of Xiao Ye's very few friends.

The two caught up for a long while.

Finally, Xiang Huaqing had someone bring out the two herbs. "Here, the herbs you wanted."

Xiao Ye opened the package, his brow furrowing slightly. "I need these for an antidote, but they're not old enough. Do you have any with more age on them?"

"This is it. These two are all I have on hand. If you want better, you'll have to go to the Yuan Family."

"About two months ago, they bought thirty-year-old specimens from me for half a million. If you're lucky, they haven't used them yet."

Xiao Ye hadn't expected the herbs to be with the Yuan Family.

"Who in the Yuan Family has them?"

Xiang Huaqing shook his head. "I don't know who specifically, but I'm sure it was someone from the second branch of the Yuan Family."

'So it's the second branch,' he thought. 'No wonder Yuan Tiancheng didn't know.'

'But if I go myself, I might not be able to get the herbs.'

'Once they find out the herbs are for Yuan Tiancheng's antidote, they might even destroy them.'

At this thought, Xiao Ye looked at Xiang Huaqing.

The look in his eyes startled Xiang Huaqing, who jumped to his feet. "What are you doing? Let me tell you, I like women! I'm not into hard-bodied guys like you!"

Xiao Ye barely resisted the urge to punch him. "Get lost! I like women too!"

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Oh, just a favor." Xiang Huaqing relaxed, patting his chest dramatically. "As long as you're not in love with me, we're good. My charm is just too powerful, after all."

"Ever since I came to Shanghai, the line of people pursuing me would stretch from here to the city limits."

Knowing how narcissistic his friend was, Xiao Ye didn't bother arguing and simply explained Yuan Tiancheng's situation.

"I get it. You want me to go to the Yuan Family and get those two herbs back for you, right? Fine. For the sake of our long friendship, I'll help you!"

With that, Xiang Huaqing stood up. "Let's go! We'll head over right now!"

"What's the rush? I'll go with you."

It was true that Xiang Huaqing's medical skills were superb, but physically, he was a total weakling.

It was as if heaven had converted all his potential physical prowess into medical expertise, leaving his limbs undeveloped.

Worried that Xiang Huaqing might run into trouble, Xiao Ye, after putting on his disguise, accompanied him to the Yuan Family estate.

The Yuan Family was, at that very moment, still searching for Yuan Tiancheng.

But thanks to Xiao Ye's concealment, their search was fruitless. They would never guess that Yuan Tiancheng was currently hiding out in Shanghai's most exclusive villa district.

The moment Xiang Huaqing arrived, he received a warm welcome from the Yuan Family.

"Divine Doctor, what brings you here so suddenly today?"

Xiang Huaqing made himself at home, plopping down on the sofa. "I have something very important to discuss."

A Yuan Family elder beamed, his smile so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. "Divine Doctor, please, speak your mind! If there's anything the Yuan Family can do to help, we will not hold back!"

'A Divine Doctor could bring so much to the Yuan Family.'

'Not to mention, the Yuan Family had plenty of elders, and every single one of them was terrified of dying.'

Xiang Huaqing smiled faintly. "I seem to recall selling you a set of Wunan Grass and Wubei Grass about two months ago, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. And they were fifty-year-old specimens."

Xiang Huaqing's smile vanished, his expression turning serious. "You haven't prepared them for use in medicine yet, have you?"

"N-No, we haven't!" The elder was startled by his sudden change in demeanor. "Divine Doctor, is there... a problem with the herbs?"

'One question was all it took to bait out the truth that they hadn't used the herbs yet.'

Once he had his confirmation, Xiang Huaqing continued, "Of course not. How could there be a problem with herbs that I sell?"

Xiao Ye sat motionlessly to the side, completely unnoticed. Everyone's attention was fixed solely on Xiang Huaqing.

'I can't believe Huaqing's so famous in Shanghai now,' Xiao Ye thought. 'Even a family like the Yuans is trying to curry favor with him.'

"Then..."

Xiang Huaqing held up a hand, cutting the elder off. "My herbs are fine. But I need to take them back."

"Why?"

"Because someone more important needs them."

Xiang Huaqing lowered his voice. "Hasn't your Yuan Family always wanted to climb to the next level? Well, an opportunity is now staring you right in the face!"