"And this is?"
Lin Liping and Feng Lulu glanced at the clean-cut Ma Long.
"He's Ma Long, my driver," Jiang Xinghai said, patting Ma Long on the shoulder.
Driver?
Ma Long wanted to cry but had no tears. What could he possibly say?
"Ma Long, these two are Lin Liping and Feng Lulu, the owners of this Jishan Hall." Jiang Xinghai and Lin Liping walked into Jishan Hall.
"Ma Long, nice car," Feng Lulu remarked. She was a car enthusiast.
"How about I take you for a couple of laps, Miss Feng?" Ma Long offered enthusiastically.
"Not today. We have business to attend to in a bit." Feng Lulu turned and walked into Jishan Hall.
From start to finish, no one invited him into Jishan Hall.
Ma Long was now in a bind—he couldn't leave, but he couldn't stay either.
'If I leave, I should at least tell Jiang Xinghai, right?'
'But if I don't leave, what am I supposed to do here?'
'Am I really going to be Jiang Xinghai's driver?'
「Inside Jishan Hall.」
"Xinghai, Nong Cuiru called earlier," Lin Liping began, pulling Jiang Xinghai down to sit. Her expression was heavy with worry as she explained the situation in detail. "She said the assessnt is scheduled for two o'clock this afternoon, sharp. Her tone was incredibly cold. It must be because her grandson, He Zixing, was turned into an idiot. I have a really bad feeling about this."
Jiang Xinghai just smiled upon hearing this. "Liping, you don't need to worry. I guarantee I'll pass today's assessnt with flying colors. If she deliberately tries to obstruct us, it won't just be her grandson who's an idiot. I'll do the sa to her."
"What?"
"Brother Xinghai..."
Lin Liping and Feng Lulu were utterly shocked.
'Who was Nong Cuiru?'
'One of the ten great Saint Hands of the Dragon Country's National dical Hall!'
'The matriarch of the He Family of Central State, a renowned dical and Martial Family!'
Turning He Zixing into an idiot had already been shocking enough for Lin Liping and Feng Lulu.
And now, Jiang Xinghai wanted to turn Nong Cuiru into an idiot too?
"And that's not all," Jiang Xinghai added. "If Jishan Hall can't join the National dical Hall today, I'll make the entire Central State pay the price."
"This...!"
"Brother Xinghai..."
"Mr. Jiang..."
It wasn't just Lin Liping and Feng Lulu who were struck speechless; even Ma Long, who still didn't know what was going on, was completely baffled when he heard ntion of the He Family of Central State.
But Jiang Xinghai just chuckled. "Liping, there's one thing I don't understand. Why are you so set on having Jishan Hall join the National dical Hall?"
"In the Dragon Country, the National dical Hall is the pinnacle of the dical arts."
Lin Liping explained earnestly, "Across the entire country, is there anyone in the dical field who doesn't want to be recognized by the National dical Hall? It's a form of honor and affirmation."
"If Jishan Hall's dical skills are superior to the National dical Hall's, then what's the point of joining?" Jiang Xinghai asked.
"Xinghai, the National dical Hall was founded to be the most authoritative body recognized by the state. Even if Jishan Hall's skills are superior, it still has to go through the proper procedures with the Imperial City, so..." Lin Liping explained patiently.
"I see."
Jiang Xinghai nodded. "We'll join for now. But don't worry, I'll find a way to get Jishan Hall independently recognized by the Imperial City. Then we can leave the National dical Hall."
"Is... is that even possible?" Lin Liping was stunned.
Feng Lulu was so shocked her jaw dropped.
"Mr. Jiang, aren't you oversimplifying things?" Ma Long also chid in.
"Ma Long, you've been listening for a while, so you understand our intentions. Why don't you share your thoughts?" Jiang Xinghai didn't refute him.
Ma Long looked slightly awkward. "Mr. Jiang, to be honest, I don't know much either. But to get a single pharmacy independently recognized by the Imperial City... forget the Imperial City, would the Jizhou National dical Hall even approve it? And what about the National dical Halls in Central State and the Provincial City? The application has to be submitted step-by-step through all of them."
"When you get down to it, isn't it all just about connections and favors?" Jiang Xinghai laughed.
This response left the three people present speechless.
He was right!
Most of it really did co down to connections and favors!
But one's dical skill couldn't just be an empty reputation, either.
"Mr. Jiang has arrived!"
Just then, an old man's voice ca from outside the door. It was none other than Xue Zhong, one of the ten great Saint Hands of the National dical Hall.
"Master Xue," Lin Liping and Feng Lulu said in unison.
Ma Long seed to recognize him as well. "It's the renowned Master Xue from the Jianghu! I had the honor of eting Master Xue once in my youth. Seeing you again now still gives a refreshing feeling, like a mountain breeze. Forgive my lack of respect."
Xue Zhong's gaze lingered on Ma Long for a mont before turning back to Jiang Xinghai. "Mr. Jiang, this man is...?"
"This man can be trusted," Jiang Xinghai said, giving the bewildered Ma Long a aningful look.
Only then did Xue Zhong relax. "Mr. Jiang, I t with Nong Cuiru today and relayed your ssage exactly as you instructed. As expected, she flew into a rage."
Jiang Xinghai nodded, as if he had anticipated it all along.
"She's going to raise the difficulty of Jishan Hall's assessnt," Xue Zhong said, extrely frustrated.
"What do you an by 'raise the difficulty'?" Lin Liping asked hurriedly.
Since Xue Zhong knew Jiang Xinghai was representing Jishan Hall in the assessnt today, he wasn't too worried. He explained, "On top of the written exam, they're adding a practical component. They'll randomly select ten people from the street for a consultation using the four-character mantra of Chinese dicine."
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