The others were also suspicious. What era was this, to still be pulling such an old trick?
The elderly man being treated was equally wary. "Young man, I was kind enough to give you my business, but you can't scam !"
Lin Tang said indifferently, "My description of your condition wasn't wrong, and I can clearly state where you feel discomfort. Think carefully. You must have recently visited so unclean places. Since all of this lines up, how can I possibly be a swindler?"
"This…"
The old man recalled his recent experience. As an outdoor sports enthusiast, he had indeed accidentally stumbled into a bamboo grove that was also a graveyard while hiking. A graveyard wasn't strange in itself, but what was strange was that he had sohow lost track of ti. He thought only a few hours had passed, but when he returned ho in a daze, he realized it was already the next day.
Even weirder, he had accepted this fact with surprising ease, not giving it much thought. His mind had since felt foggy. He beca sluggish and drowsy, constantly losing energy.
The man with the kidney deficiency sneered, "Caught red-handed and you still dare to argue? You're a doctor, so it's only natural you can see what's wrong with him. By asking him to recall things, you're just planting a psychological suggestion. Of course, he's going to subconsciously start thinking along supernatural lines."
"Aren't you just twisting things and looking for trouble?" Lee Encai could no longer stand it and stepped forward to retort. "Lin Tang described everything accurately, so how is he scamming anyone? Besides, he's also skilled in geomancy. What's so strange about him being able to read faces? Who made a rule that doctors can't also be fortune-tellers?"
"So, you admit he's fortune-telling, do you? Fortune-telling is nothing but a scam to cheat people out of their money! His sign should be smashed!" the man with the kidney deficiency asserted boldly, even calling for others to join him.
Many people agreed with him and began accusing Lin Tang in unison. More people blindly followed suit, abandoning their neutral stances.
Faced with the crowd's condemnation and questioning, Lin Tang was speechless.
If I had known this would happen… I should have just lied and said it was a simple illness, then used exorcism thods to treat it. Why did I have to tell the honest-to-God truth?
"In ancient tis, dicine and divination were inseparable, part of the sa class of esoteric arts. To think that divination has now fallen to such a state… alas!" a middle-aged fortune-teller, who ran a nearby street stall, thought to himself. He didn't dare to speak up, lest he be branded a con artist's accomplice. He sighed quietly. The main issue was that he was an ordinary person and didn't know of Zheng Hongsheng from Hong Kong. If he had, he would have realized that Zheng was exceptionally successful in divination, with countless powerful and wealthy believers.
Just as the crowd was about to smash Lin Tang's sign, and Ge Shijian was preparing to intervene, Lin Tang spoke up impatiently. "None of you believe , right? Fine, I'll show you!"
With that, before the old man could react, Lin Tang ford a hand seal and pressed it forcefully onto the point between his eyebrows.
SKREEEE—
A blood-curdling, eerie shriek erupted from thin air.
The next mont, a faint black aura shot out from the crown of the old man's head. It was about to dissipate, but Lin Tang forcibly gathered it into a single mass. It solidified, taking the shape of a twisted, contorting skull, and continued to emit a sound like a wailing ghost.
"Oh my God!"
"What is that thing?"
"So terrifying!"
"Heavens above!"
The crowd, shocked and horrified, scrambled backward. The old man was so frightened he collapsed onto the ground. The man with the kidney deficiency was completely dumbstruck. As his knees trembled, the urge to urinate grew ten tis stronger, and he couldn't hold it back. The urine that escaped him was ice-cold.
Lin Tang circulated his True Qi, crushing the ball of malevolent energy and purifying it completely. The surrounding temperature, which had dropped by several degrees, slowly began to return to normal. The crowd's tingling scalps and cold limbs faded away. It was as if they had gathered around a warm stove in the dead of winter; a feeling of comfort replaced their unease.
"Seeing is believing, right?" Lin Tang flicked his hands nonchalantly.
"A miracle! That was truly a miracle!"
"So incredible!"
"What… what was that just now?"
"Doctor, oh no, Master, please check again! See if I have any other problems!"
"I…"
The crowd's attitude underwent a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, from skepticism to conviction, from rejection to adulation. The old man clung to him tightly, as if he were a lifeline.
As for the man with the kidney deficiency, he touched his crotch, and his face flushed beet-red with embarrassnt. Forgetting his dicine, he scrambled to flee, terrified that soone might notice his shaful state.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the middle-aged street fortune-teller began to tremble all over with extre excitent, like a fervent believer witnessing a miracle. He rushed forward, fell to his knees, and began to kowtow. "Immortal, you must be an Immortal! It turns out immortals and demons are real, not just legends! I, too, wish to seek the Dao! Please, Immortal, take pity on and accept as your disciple, I beg of you!"
His devotion was absolute, bordering on madness. Inspired by his example, several other elderly people looked as if they wanted to do the sa.
Of course, Lin Tang wasn't about to admit he was a cultivator. He clarified several tis that he only knew a few exorcism techniques and that the so-called evil energy was just a type of toxin, nothing special.
Seeing that the middle-aged man still insisted on prostrating himself, Lin Tang grew annoyed and told him to get lost.
The middle-aged man, however, thought this was a test. He scurried outside and imdiately knelt down again.
Even the legendary monk on his pilgrimage for scriptures had to endure eighty-one tribulations. I am prepared to face any hardship!
Lin Tang was speechless. This fanatic is truly terrifying.
Still, the man was acting as a living advertisent. He attracted the attention of more passersby, who gathered to ask what was happening. Then… they also got in line.
Ge Shijian was beaming, smiling so wide he couldn't close his mouth. He was well-known in the Jiangbei traditional dicine circles, and his business was usually steady. But it had never been as booming as it was today. If every day were like this, wouldn't his clinic's reputation reverberate throughout the entire country?
***
To avoid a surprise attack, Wei Shanhe and the others had not remained at the Jiangbei branch. Instead, they were hidden in another secret location. He received a call from Huangfu Zhan himself on a specially made anti-tracking phone.
"Okay, I understand. We'll be there on ti. President, you must hold on!"
After he hung up, Wei Zichu and the others gathered around.
"Grandpa, what did President Huangfu say?"
"He said the Star Evil Group has agreed to an exchange of hostages. The location is the Fude Bridge on Crescent Moon River in the city outskirts. The ti is 11:45 AM."
"This…"
Everyone was stunned and fearful. They knew Wei Shanhe currently had zero combat power, and the rest of them were a ragtag crew. Go to a hostage exchange?
Isn't that like sending a lamb to the slaughter, never to return…
"Should we just forget it?"
"It's too risky!"
"I think we should renegotiate. Have them release their hostage first. Once we confirm he's safe, we'll release ours. The two sides should have no contact."
"They'd never agree to that, would they?"
A heated discussion broke out among them, though no one dared to voice the thought that the President might have already been permanently crippled, making his rescue aningless.
"My mind is made up! If you don't wish to accompany , I won't force you," Wei Shanhe said without expression. Giving up on Huangfu Zhan was impossible for him.
After his n hesitantly backed away, Wei Zichu said with concern, "Grandpa, our side is at a huge disadvantage."
"Sigh, there's nothing to be done. Zichu, when the ti cos, you shouldn't go. If sothing were to happen to …"
"I won't!" Wei Zichu cut him off, her eyes red as she insisted, "If we die, we die together! I will never leave you behind, Grandpa!"
"You silly child!"
"What if I call Brother Lin? His… his poison arts are so formidable, he could definitely be a great help."
"It's useless. Poison arts are ultimately an unorthodox thod. As long as they take precautions, it won't be very effective. Master Lin has already done so much for us; we have no right to ask him to risk his life like this."
Facing Wei Shanhe's firm refusal, Wei Zichu opened her mouth. I almost revealed that Lin Tang's martial arts are still intact… but I promised to keep it a secret. How can I break my word?
Wei Shanhe again tried to persuade her not to go with him to her death, but she stubbornly refused.
"Sigh, alright then." Wei Shanhe sighed and said he was going to the bathroom. Instead, he secretly found one of his n and ordered him to find a chance to knock Wei Zichu unconscious.
Unfortunately for him, Wei Zichu overheard the command.
"Grandpa, you're cheating!" Wei Zichu pouted.
"Sigh, I'm only doing this for your own good… Do it!" Wei Shanhe ordered sharply.
"Yes!" The subordinate charged toward Wei Zichu.
"No! I won't let you!" Wei Zichu fought back fiercely but was at a disadvantage after a few moves. She turned and fled.
"President Wei, should I keep chasing her?"
"Follow her. Keep an eye on her and don't let her follow ."
"Understood!" the subordinate said, secretly pleased, and imdiately tailed Wei Zichu.
Annoyed, Wei Zichu tried running in circles to shake him but couldn't get away. Left with no choice, she called Lin Tang. Learning he was at the clinic, she headed straight there.
When she arrived, it was noon, and the sun was shining brightly. Only a few patients remained in the clinic, and Lin Tang dispatched them with remarkable efficiency. He hadn't encountered any particularly serious cases all morning, so his True Qi was barely depleted.
"Brother Lin, quick, help knock out the guy who's chasing !" Wei Zichu shouted as she burst in.
"Tell exactly what's going on," Lin Tang said, calmly sipping his tea.
"Sigh, it's like this…"
After she explained, he replied, "A hostage exchange? Alright, I'll go with you." Seeing Wei Zichu's small, worried face looking so pitiful, Lin Tang rubbed her head.
"But you…"
"Don't worry. I don't fight battles I'm not certain I can win."
Lee Encai, who had poured Wei Zichu a cup of tea, overheard and chid in. "If you go, you'll definitely have to fight, won't you? Wouldn't that blow your cover? How will you explain that to your wife?"
"Well…" Lin Tang gave a mysterious smile. "As long as I change my face, it won't be a problem, will it?"
"Change your face?"
"How?"
Both girls were stunned.
Then, right before their eyes, Lin Tang's body let out a series of sharp cracks, like popping beans. He actually shrank by ten centiters. Then, he wiped a hand over his face, and his features changed completely!
"Oh my!"
"Am I seeing things?"
Wei Zichu and Lee Encai were utterly astonished. They had never imagined that Lin Tang possessed such a heaven-defying skill.
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