The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

Xiang Huaqing only spoke halfway before stopping. "I can't go into the specifics, but rest assured, I will be sure to tell them...

"...that these two precious herbs were provided by you, the Yuan Family."

The elder's eyes darted around. "Divine Doctor, how about this? Can we discuss it for a moment?"

Xiang Huaqing nodded calmly. "Of course. I'll even give you a little hint."

He raised a hand and pointed upward. "You know what I mean."

The elder's eyes lit up, and he hurried away.

He left Xiang Huaqing and Xiao Ye in the care of others, completely disregarding etiquette.

Xiang Huaqing lifted his teacup, the aroma wafting to his nose. "Mm, not bad. This year's new Maojian tea."

He glanced at Xiao Ye with a soft chuckle. "When you're dealing with wily old foxes like him, you have to let their own minds do the work."

Xiao Ye just smiled without a word. He had known how clever Xiang Huaqing was since they first met.

'This guy could swallow a man whole without spitting out the bones.'

'Anyone who trusted him blindly was like a sheep walking into a tiger's den.'

「Meanwhile.」

The elder sprinted to the Yuan Family's rear courtyard and summoned everyone.

Yuan Tianhui set aside his work and came to attend the meeting.

The elder explained what Xiang Huaqing had said, even raising a hand and pointing upward for emphasis. "You all know the kinds of circles the Divine Doctor moves in."

"He rarely takes action personally, usually just selling herbs. The few times he has intervened, it was for the top families in Shanghai."

"I've heard he's a man of strong character. Even when facing the rich and powerful of Shanghai, he isn't the least bit afraid. In fact, he's completely at ease."

"For him to be unwilling to say more, and to point upward like that... I suspect he's referring to an Official Family!"

Money alone doesn't command respect; you also need power.

And the impression Xiang Huaqing gave was that he was referring to the latter.

The Yuan Family is already wealthy enough; what we lack is the latter!

For some reason, even though this should have been a good thing, Yuan Tianhui had a bad feeling. "He didn't say it outright? Or give any other information?"

The elder shook his head. "No, but his gesture said it all. Whoever it is, they're definitely more powerful than our Yuan Family."

"He also said this is the Yuan Family's chance to ascend to the next level!"

"Tianhui, hurry up and bring out those two herbs!"

Yuan Tianhui was reluctant. "How about this? Let me go meet them first, and then we'll see."

'The elder was inwardly displeased. Yuan Tianhui was just a candidate they had collectively pushed forward.'

'He had a bit of a brain, but not much. He was also sufficiently greedy and ambitious.'

'A man like that makes the perfect puppet.'

'If he were too cowardly, others could easily take advantage of him. But without ambition, he would grow lazy.'

'They didn't just want to prop someone up; they wanted him to do all the thankless, difficult work.'

'And now, this Yuan Tianhui was actually starting to think he was a somebody, daring to contradict their opinions!'

The elder's face darkened. "Tianhui, I know what I'm doing when it comes to the Divine Doctor. We have no quarrel with him, so there's no reason for him to harm us."

"He's the one who sold us those herbs in the first place. Since we have no use for them, we might as well use them to curry a favor."

"No. I'm still going to see for myself." With that, Yuan Tianhui stood up and left.

The elder snorted. "It seems he's forgotten his place!"

"Get a few men and go fetch those herbs!"

"We can't let that fool Yuan Tianhui ruin such a golden opportunity!"

"If Yuan Tiancheng weren't so rigid and by-the-book, we wouldn't have had to resort to this good-for-nothing!"

Yuan Tianhui had no idea what was being said about him behind his back.

He strode into the front hall and immediately spotted the two men sitting on the sofa.

His gaze locked onto Xiao Ye.

Though their faces were different, the feeling Xiao Ye gave him was deeply unsettling. It was a bit like the person who had saved Yuan Tiancheng before!

The bad feeling in his gut intensified.

Xiang Huaqing looked at him and asked coolly, "Where are they?"

"Divine Doctor, I was wondering, who is it that needs these herbs?"

"These two herbs are extremely rare. If we're to part with them, we need to know who they're for."

Xiang Huaqing's smile slowly faded. "I've already told you. It's someone from up high. I can't say anything more."

"What's there to hide?" Yuan Tianhui seemed to think that becoming the Yuan Family Patriarch had made him some kind of big shot.

'So what if Xiang Huaqing was some Divine Doctor? So what if people respected him?'

'At the end of the day, he was still just someone who served the rich and powerful.'

With a cold expression, Xiang Huaqing stood up. "If you're unwilling to hand them over, then forget it."

"I will report back to the person involved that the Yuan Family was unwilling to cooperate."

With that, he turned to leave.

Yuan Tianhui didn't try to stop him, his eyes still fixed on Xiao Ye.

'This man... he really does resemble him!'

The other members of the Yuan Family arrived. Seeing that Xiang Huaqing was about to leave, they rushed forward. "Oh, Divine Doctor! You've only just sat down. Why are you leaving so soon?"

Xiang Huaqing sneered. "There's no need to say anything. It's your family's property, after all. I won't force the issue."

"However, before I came, I already informed this person that the Yuan Family was in possession of the herbs. Now that I'm returning empty-handed, they will certainly know what happened."

"I came in good faith to offer the Yuan Family an opportunity, but you don't know how to appreciate it."

"In that case, let's not have any further dealings. From this day forward, my Hundred Herbs Hall will no longer do business with the Yuan Family!"

Hundred Herbs Hall didn't just deal in common herbs; it also had many extremely precious and hard-to-find ones.

Without it, procuring necessary herbs in the future would become a major hassle for the Yuan Family.

The elder's brow furrowed, and he shot a dissatisfied glance at Yuan Tianhui behind him. "Divine Doctor, my sincerest apologies."

"The younger generation in the family can be thoughtless. I've already had someone bring the herbs."

"We only hope the Divine Doctor can put in a few good words for the Yuan Family."

With that, he beckoned with his hand. A man holding a box stepped forward and opened it, revealing the very Wunan Grass and Wubei Grass that Xiao Ye needed.

Not only were they of sufficient age, but their quality was also excellent—they were rare, top-grade specimens.

Xiang Huaqing didn't accept it. "You should settle this among yourselves first. I'd rather you not come looking for me with more trouble later."

The elder quickly forced an obsequious smile. "Divine Doctor, rest assured, it's already been settled!"

Behind him, Yuan Tianhui was furious. "Elder! What do you think you're doing? I am the Patriarch of the Yuan Family now, and I have not given my consent!"

Although Xiao Ye's face had changed, his build and the aura he exuded were much the same as before.

'It doesn't matter if Xiao Ye is the same person who saved Yuan Tiancheng or not!'

'On that point alone, Yuan Tianhui didn't want to hand over the herbs.'

The elder's expression instantly darkened. "Tianhui, stop this nonsense! This is a family decision!"

Yuan Tianhui's tone was even more forceful than before. "I am the Patriarch!"

"It seems Tianhui has been overworked lately and has grown a bit confused. Men, take Tianhui down to rest!"