Medical Sage

”Let’s not be hasty,” the wrinkle-faced elder said slowly, setting down his teacup. ”Since they want to buy this Jade Pendant from me, it’s quite obvious that this is no ordinary piece of jade.”

For a young man of such an extraordinary background to still want this Jade Pendant proved one thing: it was likely not as ordinary as he had first thought. Perhaps it has some astonishing origin or secret.

As he considered this, he placed the Jade Pendant back in his palm to fiddle with it, but he still couldn’t discern anything special. At this, his murky eyes flickered, and he suddenly pulled three ancient bronze coins from his robes.

”Second Ancestor?” Yuue Kunlun was taken aback, his expression changing. Outsiders might not know, but as the Patriarch of the Hong Kong Yuue Family, he knew exactly what this meant.

Their Yuue Family’s ’Second Ancestor’ was not only a terrifyingly powerful Ability User but also a renowned Master of Mystic Studies. Of the five arts—mountain, medicine, life, physiognomy, and divination—his Second Ancestor’s specialty was the last: the Divination Technique.

However, such mystical methods had many restrictions, demanded a toll, and even went against the harmony of heaven, potentially causing a celestial backlash. For this reason, the Yuue Family’s Second Ancestor rarely chose to use this ability anymore. He was no longer as impulsive as he had been in his youth. After all, he was now ninety years old. His understanding of fate had deepened, and he was more afraid than ever of the backlash from mystic studies, which could very well cost him his life.

”I’ll give it a try. If I can’t handle it, I’ll stop before it’s too late,” the wrinkle-faced elder said impassively, picking up the ancient bronze coins.

The three ancient bronze coins looked exceptionally primitive, their color a faint purple with patches of rust that gave off an indescribable aura of ancient vicissitude. The front of each was clearly stamped with the four characters ’Heavenly Origin Treasure.’ They were in perfect condition, circulating an ungraspable, mysterious energy. Clearly, these were not ordinary antique coins that circulated on the market. They were a type of precious ancient currency unique to the community of mystic divination. To this day, fewer than ten existed in all of Huaxia, yet three of them were right here. That alone spoke to their value.

”Second Ancestor, be careful.” Seeing this, Yuue Kunlun knew he could no longer persuade him and could only offer a nervous warning.

As one of the two pillars of the Hong Kong Yuue Family, any harm coming to the Second Ancestor would be an unacceptable blow, even if it wouldn’t be enough to shake the family’s standing.

The wrinkle-faced elder ignored him. He placed the three ’Heavenly Origin Treasure’ coins in his left palm, his expression turning grim. He suddenly began to gesticulate wildly, muttering and chanting incantations that magically caused the three coins to levitate in mid-air.

At this sight, even a man like Yuue Kunlun, a legendary figure in both Hong Kong and Macau, couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle and a chill run down his limbs.

”Hm?” Just then, the wrinkle-faced elder frowned, an uncertain sound escaping his lips.

He quietly observed the resulting trigrams, then with a wave of his hand, caught the three levitating coins. He placed them in his palm again, but this time on the right, shook them, and tossed them back into the air while resuming his chant. This time, however, he began to make calculations with his fingers, his expression solemn. Beads of sweat started to form on his aged face.

”Sec—” Yuue Kunlun’s heart leaped into his throat. He dared not interrupt the Second Ancestor in this state, so he bit back the rest of his words. His own face grew tense, and sweat beaded on his brow.

A moment later, the three levitating coins suddenly emitted a sharp cracking sound. The wrinkle-faced elder went ”PFFT!” and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood, causing Yuue Kunlun’s face to drain of color.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG... All three ancient coins had shattered, the pieces falling to the ground with a crisp, ringing sound.

Looking again at the elder, Yuue Kunlun saw he was now clutching his chest tightly with one hand, his gaunt, old face flushed an unnatural crimson.

SPURT!

The wrinkle-faced elder coughed up another mouthful of blood. His face turned visibly pale, and his breathing became short and rapid.

”Second Ancestor! Second Ancestor, are you alright?” Yuue Kunlun finally cried out in alarm.

”I’m fine. Not dead yet.” After spitting up the blood, the elder seemed to feel some relief. He waved a hand impatiently to show he was alright, but his eyes remained fixed on the broken coins on the ground, his expression a mixture of shock and wonder.

Seeing this, Yuue Kunlun couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. ”Second Ancestor,” he said slowly, ”that was truly reckless of you.”

”Reckless or not, it doesn’t matter,” the elder sighed, shaking his head. ”To think that in the end, I couldn’t divine a single clue... It seems this Jade Pendant truly has an astonishing origin. I never would have expected it...”

Even with my mastery of mystic studies and divination, I couldn’t discern the slightest clue about this Jade Pendant. The implication is obvious. The pendant itself must hold, or be tied to, some astonishing secret. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been ’warned’ and punished so severely for just a minor ’probe’! It’s almost unbelievable.

”What? Even you couldn’t find a single clue, Second Ancestor? In that case... should we still sell it?” Yuue Kunlun was stunned at first, but then his eyes lit up, and he spoke with sudden eagerness.

If this Jade Pendant truly holds an astonishing secret, then the Yuue Family doesn’t need to sell it. Wouldn’t it be better to uncover that secret for ourselves?

But the wrinkle-faced elder shook his head. ”Make the arrangements. I want to meet this young man.”

”Second Ancestor?” Yuue Kunlun was taken aback. A meeting? If we’re not going to sell it, what’s the point?

”Kunlun, don’t be too greedy,” the elder said calmly, having sensed his nephew’s unspoken question. ”We don’t even know the first thing about this Jade Pendant’s origins, and we can’t find out. Why should we wade into these muddy waters? What if the consequences are unimaginable? Is it worth making an enemy of that young Mr. Chen for no reason? Do you think it is?”

The old saying that an elder’s wisdom is boundless certainly seemed to be true. He could see further than Yuue Kunlun and was better at resisting temptation. Why be so greedy and invite disaster over a so-called ”astonishing secret” when they didn’t even know what it was? It simply wasn’t necessary.

”...You are right, Second Ancestor. I was wrong.” Yuue Kunlun felt a jolt of realization and spoke slowly, his back drenched in sweat.

It’s true, the Jade Pendant might contain an astonishing secret, but besides that young Mr. Chen, who knows if that secret is a blessing or a curse? Not to mention, that young man is not someone to be trifled with. Even Second Ancestor is wary of him. Under the circumstances, there’s no need to be overly greedy... one wrong move could lead to disaster.

”Alright, make the arrangements,” the elder said softly as he got to his feet unsteadily. ”Since young Mr. Chen wants to buy this Jade Pendant from me, I should at least meet him and get acquainted.”

”Yes, Second Ancestor. I’ll arrange it at once.”

「...」

By one or two in the afternoon, Chen Fei was relaxing in a high-end, low-key Volkswagen Phaeton, sipping a cup of milk tea. A faint smile played on his lips; he was clearly in a very good mood.

How could he not be? In the day or two since arriving in Hong Kong, not only had his cultivation finally broken through to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, making him a true Mid Stage Qi Cultivation expert, but he had also acquired a damaged Magic Artifact that seemed to hold an incredible secret about that Foundation Establishment Level Expert. With all that happening, he was naturally motivated to take the next step.

So now, he was on his way to Great Wave Bay, where the Hong Kong Yuue Family had bought a parcel of land and built their own little kingdom. He just hadn’t expected them to be so prompt. It had only been a night, meaning they must have just learned of his desire to buy the Jade Pendant, yet they had already agreed to meet.

He wasn’t sure if it was Chen Yaoyang’s influence or his own, but either way, the result was all that mattered. Hahaha.

About half an hour later, Chen Yaoyang drove into a top-tier private villa area in Great Wave Bay. They were waved through without any stops, and the car soon came to a halt before an inconspicuous courtyard-style house deep within the area.

”Mr. Chen, we’ve arrived.” Chen Yaoyang got out of the car and opened the door for Chen Fei.

At the same time, an imperious-looking elder in his sixties, flanked by a few sharp-eyed bodyguards in black suits, approached them. This elder was none other than the current Clan Leader of the Hong Kong Yuue Family—Yuue Kunlun.

”Clan Leader Yuue.” Seeing the man himself, Chen Yaoyang was visibly startled for a moment before his expression quickly shifted to a smile as he extended his hand.

”Hello, Clan Leader Chen. And you must be Mr. Chen,” Yuue Kunlun said, shaking the former’s hand. ”I am Yuue Kunlun, the current Patriarch of the Yuue Family. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His gaze immediately shifted to Chen Fei, who had just stepped out of the car. Inwardly marveling at the young man’s age, he extended his hand with an unhesitant smile.

”Hello. I’m Chen Fei. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clan Leader Yuue,” Chen Fei said. ”About the Jade Pendant...” His mind was entirely focused on the Magic Artifact, so even someone of Yuue Kunlun’s status didn’t command his full attention. After the briefest of pleasantries, he cut straight to the chase.

”The Jade Pendant... Please, come with me. Second Ancestor is waiting for you inside,” Yuue Kunlun said, a glint in his eye as he gestured toward the house.

”Second Ancestor... wait. Could he mean *that* person...” HISS... Upon hearing Yuue Kunlun’s words, Chen Yaoyang was first stunned, then he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath, his face a mask of utter shock.

Is that man... still alive?