Back in the car, Heizi took out a cigarette and lit it, but the sight of it imdiately brought Wang Jian’s words to mind. What rotten luck. He took a fierce drag from the cigarette before flicking it out the open window. Quit smoking? It’s not that easy.
Heizi frowned, staring at the nearby courtyard he had just left. This Doctor Wang really has so skill. He completely played and made almost forget my purpose. Before I even knew what was happening, Wang Jian was already leading out. The sll of herbal dicine in the clinic was overwhelming, and I couldn’t tell if the Ginseng King was even there. Since the soft approach didn’t work, does that an I have to use force?
Feeling a burning sensation in his lower abdon, Heizi fell silent. Damn it, how am I supposed to make a move now? This isn’t right...
Still, Heizi didn’t have the guts to tell Lu You about the situation directly. If Lu You had to co himself, the consequences would be even more severe. So, Heizi just sat there in the car, waiting. Ti without cigarettes felt like an eternity. He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until Wang Jian finally finished up and ca out of the courtyard.
By then, most of the villagers had gone ho for dinner, and the streets were nearly empty. Occasionally, one or two people could be seen sitting on small stools at their doorsteps, eating from their bowls while enjoying the mountain scenery.
Heizi followed Wang Jian all the way to his doorstep, making no effort to hide as he walked directly up to him.
"Doctor Wang... I’m sorry," Heizi said, approaching Wang Jian and taking off his sunglasses. "I’m actually here to retrieve sothing that belongs to my boss."
Wang Jian was taken aback. Hearing the noise, Xu Qian ca out of the courtyard. Seeing Wang Jian with Heizi and not understanding the situation, she asked, "Is this your friend?"
Wang Jian glanced at Heizi, then at Xu Qian, and finally nodded. Of course, he knew Heizi was up to no good. What kind of patient follows his doctor ho and starts a conversation with ’I’m sorry’? But since his sister-in-law was there, Wang Jian chose to de-escalate. "He’s a patient of mine, and he has sothing to discuss with . You go inside first. I’ll be right there."
Wang Jian behaved as usual, and Xu Qian, unsuspecting, returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Only after Xu Qian had left did Wang Jian turn to Heizi and say, "You’re here for the Ginseng King, aren’t you?"
"Hmm?" Heizi was caught off guard by Wang Jian’s directness. "How did you know?"
"To date, I’ve only had run-ins with two groups of patients who wanted to cause trouble," Wang Jian said, counting on his fingers. "The first was Li Long and Zhao Hu, and the second is you."
"The first ti they ca to see , they actually tried to kidnap ," Wang Jian laughed. "The next ti they showed up, they were covered in blood. If they hadn’t found the Ginseng King, Zhao Hu would be dead. Because of that, they gave the Ginseng King," he recounted. "Believe it or not, at first, I didn’t even realize they had given it to . It was my junior apprentice who found what Li Long had left behind while cleaning the clinic. Later, they sent soone to tell that people would definitely co looking for because of this Ginseng King..."
Wang Jian shrugged and looked at Heizi. "I just didn’t expect anyone to co so fast."
Heizi was silent. He had chased down high-interest loans in the past and had encountered all kinds of debtors when collecting: people who pleaded poverty, people who cried and wailed, people who fought back with knives, and even those who threatened suicide. But he had never t anyone like Wang Jian.
Heizi was unsettled, pausing for a long mont before continuing, "Since you already know, I don’t need to say much more. That Ginseng King from Li Long and his friend—my boss needs it to save his life, so I have to take it back. If you’re not willing..."
He was about to issue a threat to make Wang Jian understand the consequences, but to his surprise, Wang Jian spoke first. "Alright, just wait. I’ll go find it for you."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and shouted toward the house, "Qianqian, do you know where I hid that dicine I put away earlier?"
"I know," Xu Qian’s voice called from the house. "What’s wrong? Do you need to get it for you?"
"Yes!" Wang Jian laughed. "I told you soone would co for it."
Hearing this, Xu Qian glanced at Heizi, then nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll go get it. You two should co inside and sit. It’s windy out here."
As she untied her apron and headed inside, she didn’t forget to add, "I have soup simring on the stove. If you hear it start to boil, go check on it."
Wang Jian replied, "Go on, don’t worry. I’ll watch it." Then he turned to Heizi and asked, "Why don’t you co in and sit for a bit? Have so tea?"
Seeing Heizi’s strange expression, Wang Jian smiled. "You don’t need to be so wary. I’m right here; I’m not going to run off. I knew from the start that the Ginseng King belonged to soone else, so I never touched it. I was just waiting for soone to co claim it. If I’d known who it actually belonged to, I would have returned it myself long ago."
"I’ve been in this ga a long ti, but this is the first ti I’ve t soone like you," Heizi said with a bewildered look. "That’s the Ginseng King. Even if you don’t use it yourself, you could sell it for over ten million, no problem. To soone who desperately needs it, it could even be priceless."
Wang Jian led Heizi to a couple of stools in the yard and sat down. Hearing Heizi’s words, he laughed out loud. "Because I’m not greedy."
"I have no need to bring that kind of trouble on myself over a single ginseng root."
As he spoke, Wang Jian added a warning, "Since your boss wants a Ginseng King like this so badly, he must be critically ill. His body must be failing, and he needs sothing like this to hang on to life. But I have to warn you, a Ginseng King like this is extrely potent. Taking it might not prolong his life; it might kill him instead."
"What do you an by that?" Heizi asked, puzzled.
Wang Jian shook his head and explained, "There’s a saying in Chinese dicine: ’All dicine is three parts poison.’ But this ’poison’ doesn’t an it’s literally venomous or toxic."
Heizi had always taken the saying literally, so Wang Jian’s interpretation piqued his interest. Knowing Wang Jian was highly skilled in dicine, he was eager to learn more. "Then what does it an?"
"In Chinese dicine, we focus on the dicinal properties of herbs, which are used to either stimulate or inhibit certain functions depending on your body’s condition. When a sick person takes dicine, its effect isn’t just to strengthen their body; it can also strengthen their illness," Wang Jian said. "Does that make sense?"
Heizi nodded subconsciously. "You an, it strengthens both the good and the bad parts at the sa ti."
"Exactly," Wang Jian smiled. "That ’three parts poison’ refers to how it also strengthens the unhealthy parts of the body."
"So, while the dicinal properties of this Ginseng King are powerful, I’m afraid your boss won’t be able to handle it," Wang Jian said with a sigh. "If that ’poisonous’ aspect causes his body to collapse completely, then no amount of nourishnt will do a damn bit of good."
Although Heizi didn’t understand dicine, after hearing Wang Jian’s explanation, he suddenly felt that taking the Ginseng King back might not be such a good idea after all. Unfortunately, the matter was out of his hands.
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