"Greed is a deadly sin, you know."
Late at night, while the world was quiet, Xu Fu was still making pills. His eyes shone with excitement. Adam Dale had already fallen asleep and was snoring.
"Heh, if I don't squeeze every last drop of blood out of them, what's the point?"
"You're truly wicked, Xu Fu."
Xu Fu stopped what he was doing and glanced at Wu.
"None of this could have been done without you, right? Isn't that what our relationship is? You're just a cold weapon, without a trace of emotion or purpose. Aren't you all like that? Someday, you'll die by the roadside, and no one will care or pity you. You won't regret it, won't be afraid—born to die. So, I'll give you a reason to live. Heh."
"Do you want to control everything? The nation, power, or money?"
Xu Fu waved his hand and gave an evil smile.
"Not at all. Those things are just side products. What am I truly after? No one can answer that, not even me. I look forward to the day I finally see hell."
As Xu Fu spoke, he looked at the sleeping Adam Dale.
"This guy, even now, still believes in God. He still thinks it was God who gave him hope to survive."
"Then let's cut off that last shred of hope. We don't need hope, do we?"
Xu Fu nodded, his gaze turning vicious as he looked at Adam Dale.
Early the next morning, Xu Fu took Wu and Adam Dale to the He Family. As soon as they arrived, they were surrounded. Howard He was so angry his face turned blue, and he pointed at Xu Fu.
"You dare come here? Somebody, get me..."
"If I can cure this plague, I can cure your son. And this time, I won't take a single coin. How about it?"
With those words, Howard He's agitation immediately calmed. His demeanor softened, and he invited Xu Fu inside.
Henry He Jr.'s body was extremely weak. At his bedside hung a bag filled with medicine. Xu Fu sniffed it and started to laugh.
"Such expensive stuff. Heh, no wonder someone who should've died long ago is still hanging on."
"If it can't be cured..."
Xu Fu raised a hand and started to laugh.
"Your young master’s illness is caused by blocked blood and qi. That’s why his brain isn’t getting enough nourishment. If this drags on, he’ll end up paralyzed. His limbs often feel cold—that’s the clearest sign."
As Xu Fu spoke, he took out a cloth pouch filled with silver needles. Smiling, he looked at Henry He Jr.
"Hmph. We’ve already tried acupuncture. It was useless."
Howard He spoke, but Xu Fu just smiled, took out a small bottle of medicine, and soaked each silver needle in it. After a while, he grabbed the needles, pulled open Henry He Jr.'s shirt, and drove the drug-soaked needles into his chest.
Henry He Jr. could only whimper. Howard He watched, his heart pounding—none of the previous doctors had ever gotten such a strong reaction from his son.
After a while, Xu Fu took out a pill, dissolved it in water, and made Henry He Jr. swallow it.
"All right. I’ll come back tomorrow."
Howard He felt conflicted. He trusted Xu Fu’s medical skill—after all, Xu Fu had cured the epidemic that no other doctor could.
"What did you use this time?"
Someone asked. Xu Fu just shook his head.
"It’s real treatment. I’ve heard of this illness before—it’s internal injury, blocked blood and qi. Most doctors these days won’t touch it, because even a tiny mistake, or the wrong medicine, can kill."
"What if the boy dies?"
Xu Fu raised a finger and pointed at the sky.
"Then blame the heavens."
Meanwhile, the Su Family was celebrating. The He Family’s situation kept getting worse. Lord Simon Su threw a huge banquet, inviting everyone who’d ever been close to the He Family—he was building new alliances, determined to take everything from them.
Xu Fu and his group were among the guests.
"Doctor Xu, is there any hope for the He Family’s young master?"
After the banquet, Lord Simon Su pulled Xu Fu aside to his study and asked.
"That, I can’t say."
Lord Simon Su immediately started listing the He Family’s crimes, bringing up the incident with Mie. He claimed he’d tried to negotiate several times, but the He Family ignored him. He said Henry He Jr. had committed many evil acts—even killed people.
"So, Lord Su—what are you suggesting?"
Lord Simon Su clapped his hands, and someone immediately brought in a bundle.
"There’s 300 gold in here. Doctor Xu, you don’t have to give it your all. Last time, you worked yourself to the bone to save the He Family, but they didn’t appreciate it. Isn’t that right?"
Xu Fu understood. He took the money and left.
"Buy some food for Mie, and get him some medicine to help him recover."
As he spoke, Xu Fu casually handed the 300 gold to Wu.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Wu snuck into the He Family’s estate and entered the prison. Mie got up.
"I’ve been starving for days. You guys are so slow. Why not just let me out? I want to stretch my legs tonight."
Wu shoved some finely chopped meat and other things through the bars.
"Out? What do you want to do?"
After eating, Mie grinned.
"Isn’t it obvious?"
"Xu Fu wants you to stay put."
Wu turned to leave.
"Ha! I haven’t even met that guy. What kind of person is he? Is he just a coward hiding in his shell?"
"Who knows? Just stay quiet—unless you want to die."
Early the next morning, Howard He immediately sent for Xu Fu. When Xu Fu arrived, he found a table set for a feast. That night, Henry He Jr. vomited black blood, and by morning, he could move again. Howard He was overjoyed.
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"Doctor Xu, you’re a miracle worker!"
Xu Fu just smiled faintly, handed Howard He some pills, and told him to have Henry He Jr. take them twice a day.
Seeing the results, Howard He gratefully accepted Xu Fu’s pills.
Seven days later, news of Henry He Jr.'s recovery reached the Su Family. Lord Simon Su immediately sent for Xu Fu.
As soon as Xu Fu entered, he saw Lord Simon Su with a sour look, his face tied up in annoyance.
"Hmph. Doctor Xu, if a man doesn’t keep his word..."
Xu Fu leaned in close to Lord Simon Su’s ear and whispered with a wicked grin.
"He’s cured, but he won’t live long. I added a little something extra."
Immediately, Lord Simon Su burst out laughing and planned a banquet to celebrate Xu Fu.
"Lord Su, Henry He Jr. won’t live much longer. I should leave—I don’t want to take the blame. So, I hope I can..."
Xu Fu didn’t finish his sentence, and Lord Simon Su looked annoyed, but still handed Xu Fu another 200 gold and let him go.
After Henry He Jr. regained movement, he ordered Mie—who hadn’t been tortured for a long time—to be brought out. Henry He Jr. glared at Mie, raised a sword, and prepared to kill him.
But Howard He rushed over to stop him—after all, Lady Julie Zhou had personally intervened several times.
After beating Mie viciously, Henry He Jr. sent him back to the prison.
"Hmph. That bastard Xu Fu—just wait until I get out. He’ll pay for this."
On the third morning, the whole He Family was in an uproar. Henry He Jr. coughed up blood and died. Howard He was devastated—he gathered his family and went to his son-in-law, the commander of Zhuo Prefecture, to launch a citywide search for Xu Fu.
But at that moment, Xu Fu was still at the inn, not planning to flee. When they found him, soldiers surrounded the inn and arrested Xu Fu. He was alone.
News of Xu Fu’s capture quickly reached Lord Simon Su. He was terrified—he hadn’t expected Xu Fu to stay in the city and get caught. Now that the He Family had him, Lord Simon Su feared everything would unravel. The He Family might be weakened, but they still had connections: the eldest son worked at court, and the son-in-law was commander of Zhuo Prefecture.
"Tell me—how did my son die?"
Xu Fu was tightly bound, Howard He raised a sword, his head throbbing with rage, a wet cloth wrapped around his forehead.
"I was acting on someone’s orders."
Xu Fu’s words twisted Howard He’s face with rage—he pressed the sword against Xu Fu’s throat.
"Was it the Su Family? Tell me."
Howard He’s son-in-law, Commander Zhou, was furious too. He immediately sent someone to notify Lady Julie Zhou. Howard He knew: if the truth came out, the Su Family would be finished. All he needed was Xu Fu’s testimony, even if it was a lie, as long as he said it in front of Lady Julie Zhou.
"Xu Fu, if you don’t want to suffer, just tell us. I promise, when this is over..."
"Why? You’re not desperate to kill me for murdering your son?"
A flicker of anger crossed Howard He’s face. His hand shook on the sword. Commander Zhou immediately gripped Howard He’s hand.
"Father-in-law, this is a huge matter. I think we should wait until my father arrives before making a decision."
Xu Fu was thrown into the prison. As he entered, Mie, who was lying on the ground, got up and looked at him.
"So you’re Xu Fu, huh?"
Xu Fu sat on the ground in the cell next to Mie and glanced at him.
"What’s wrong? You don’t like how I handled things?"
"Not exactly. I just want to know when I can get out. This place is boring. But you—how’d you end up in here?"
Xu Fu leaned against the wall and laughed.
"You don’t get to butt in. Just do as I say. When the time comes, I’ll need you to say one thing. Heh—this place will be chaos soon enough."