"Why do you say so? Have you scoped him out?"

The shifty eyed man chuckled and looked at the youth like one looking at an idiot.

"Let me enlighten you. Normally, when powerful clans want to send their heirs for experience, they send them to tough places with powerful competition and danger to hone their skills. But his family sent him to a lower realm instead of a higher one. It can only mean that he's too weak to survive the competition in a realm higher than the one he came from. And if they send him out in their realm, people would be too terrified to fight him because of his family's background. Those not terrified would be his family's rivals eager to kill him to take revenge for an old feud. Neither of these two situations are what they want to see. To remedy that, of course, they would send him to a lower realm where his strength won't be too lacking compared to other geniuses. In my honest opinion, he's just an over pampered spoiled brat doted to death by his family, one of the people born into the lap of the greatest luxury. Why will he need to cultivate hard? He lacked neither money, nor power. He may not be strong but he could always command the sects disciples to get things done, he also has access to unlimited wealth. His type has never worked hard for anything. Look at his face and hands, so fair and tender like that of a woman's. Does he seem like a cultivator that gets by through shedding of blood and adversity? He also acts like an arrogant prince." He said, sneering at no one in particular.

"But if it's indeed as you say, it's better not to underestimate him. Even if he's a lazy and over pampered heir, he definitely has some skills. A random technique from his clan would definitely be powerful, how much more that of an heir from a main branch? He might be weak by the higher realm standards, but he's definitely not useless. Otherwise, they won't let him leave with so many treasures." Another youth said, this time a girl.

"But where did he get those herbs? How could he bear to bring out so much precious materials just to detoxify a random bunch, a gamble that might not work. He's not even confident of totally healing them, yet he brought out the herbs knowing that they might be a waste. People born rich are truly eccentric."

"Or perhaps, he has too much to notice if this much disappears. If he's willing to sacrifice this much to save a random group of girls he just met from trouble, doesn't it mean he still has more saved up? Or is he so stupid that he's willing to use all the herbs meant to ensure his safety on others?"

The eyes of a youth beside the last speaker narrowed in contemplation.

"There's only one way to find out if he has too much, or is just stupid." He whispered, a devious thought forming in his mind.

And he was not the only one who had such thoughts. From youths as young as seventeen, down to the gray haired elders had the same malicious intent. Kill Anthony and take the things on him. Indeed, treasures breed danger and enmity.

Chu Lan was also watching Anthony with a mixture of suspicion and greed in his eyes, then a bit of worry.

Anthony immediately noticed the eyes around him and chuckled. He prepared the baikang herb and used it for the first step. Once he had made sure that all the patients drank them. He began the second step, he would push them to a sitting position and hit their back with a controlled amount of force, which made them throw up a black liquid before he laid them back. Then came the acupuncture needles. With a wave of his hand, more than 950 acupuncture needles made with strands of his energy appeared on their bodies at exactly the same spot, not even a millimeter away. Using his special golden needles would be a hassle since the set would only be enough for two people at a time.

Two people from the crowd began to approach the booth and the guards standing with Miao Miao quickly stepped forth and blocked them.

"What are you doing?" One of the thugs asked, frowning at the guards.

"I'm sorry, honored guests, but no one is allowed to enter the booth since it's being used as a makeshift clinic." The shorter of the guards said, blocking their advance with his left hand while tightening his right hand on his sword.

"What's the meaning of this? Are you trying to hurt the guests?" The first thug asked.

"Of course not, as long as the guests approach us with sincerity, we will treat them with the utmost respect. However, this place is out of negotiations. Treatment is being carried out. It won't do to distract the physician and his assistant. Please wait patiently till they're done, then you can see them as often as you may wish."

"What are you talking about? Are you guarding against us? My good friend is among the victims, are you trying to say that we would intentionally distract him and cause harm to our very good friend? Is that what you are trying to say?"

"If you say it like that then that must be what you think. I'm sorry but no one is allowed to enter. Please go back."

The second thug stepped forward with a diplomatic smile on his face.

"There's no need to make a big deal out of this. We only need to see the condition of the friend inside."

"If you enter now, you will be doing him more harm than good. They're at a very tricky point. The attending physician needs all the concentration he can muster to avoid making a costly mistake. We definitely won't let you in."

The two thugs face contorted into a malicious glare, finally showing their true thoughts.

"Hmph. If we want to get in, do you think you can stop us?" The first thug said, reaching for his weapon.

"They can't, but I can." Xinglan said loudly, stepping forward. She had initially been sitting cross legged with her sword on her thighs, meditating behind the guards. But the thugs were taking more than what could be tolerated, keeping silent was no longer possible.

"Little girl, this is none of your business. Step aside lest you get hurt." The first thug said rudely.

Xinglan slashed out with her sword, sending them a few meters away.

"This place is off limits, you better stay far away."

Within an hour, Anthony completed the process, but some of the immortal herb extracts were still remaining, alongside some unused herbs. He returned the unused herbs and covered the extracts.

"Young master An, how is it?" Miao Miao asked, coming to stand beside him.

Anthony sat cross legged to recover the energy he lost, and began to meditate.

"They need a few minutes."

Color had already returned to the faces of the patients and their vitals had returned to normal. The guests were craning their necks to see if Anthony succeeded, but he had dimmed the candles, making it impossible for the rest to clearly see what was happening.

Soon, the first streaks of dawn showed up and Miao Miao brought food for Anthony. After he checked it for poison, he accepted it.

"What's going on? Why are they not waking up yet?"

"It's already morning, but there's still no news. Didn't he boast that he would definitely be able to cure them?"

"I told you all that he was lying. Even an old physician couldn't do anything about it, how could an over pampered spoiled young master know what to do?"

"I knew it, what a waste of those precious herbs."

"My son, give me back my child." A woman wailed, throwing herself on the floor.

"This is getting out of hand." A'Jiu whispered and quickly stood up to intervene.

Chu Lan quickly pulled her back down.

"The situation is very tricky. You should not interrupt to avoid getting caught in the storm. Think about what a bad reputation would do to your family's businesses. Besides, it's better to stay in the background. If they truly find themselves in a huge problem, it will be easier to rescue them and send them to safety if people don't always connect you to them. Moreover, it's that young master's headache if they die or fail to make full recovery, not your friends. Just stay here and watch." Chu Lan whispered, holding her tightly.

The truth was that the real show was about to begin, and he didn't want his baby to get implicated. As long as he held her tight, she won't act recklessly or be implicated. A'Jiu looked at him in confusion. But she was a girl raised to obey instructions from the men in her life, namely her father, brother and husband. As for the male servants and workers, she could order them around as she pleased. But there was no room for argument with her own family. Like always, she obediently sat down, not asking questions.

'The show is about to begin. Once I succeed, I will become powerful enough to protect what's mine and command enough authority to keep her safe. It's almost done, no going back now.'

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