Divine Level Witch Doctor

At the entrance of the traditional-style manor, a huge crowd of reporters had gathered—at least a hundred of them!

When they saw the minibus approach, the reporters swarmed it like a pack of wolves that had scented blood, surrounding the vehicle completely. Camera flashes flickered incessantly, dazzling the eyes of those inside.

It was a scene that not only Zhao Yuan and the other young people had never witnessed, but many of the teachers and professors on the bus hadn’t either.

Only a handful of people, like Ma Guotao and Qiu Haogu, had ever seen such a grand spectacle, and only at major, internationally influential medical conferences.

For a moment, everyone on the bus was utterly shocked.

”My god, why are there so many reporters? This is insane,” Yang Zi clicked her tongue in amazement.

Qiu Haogu was also surprised, but after a moment of thought, he understood. ”The incident where the Jinling Zhao Family slandered Zhao Yuan for impersonating them caused a huge stir. While it might not be common knowledge for everyone, there’s hardly anyone in the medical community who hasn’t heard of it. This medical duel today is a continuation of that scandal, so it’s only natural it would attract so much attention. Besides, one man challenging an entire family is a huge hook in itself. Of course the media wouldn’t miss it.”

Yang Jingbo sighed. ”But this is just too many reporters, isn’t it? The international medical exchange conference held at our university didn’t even draw this big of a crowd.”

Ma Guotao’s thoughts ran deeper than those of the professors who were purely in academia.

He narrowed his eyes and said, ”Among these reporters, there’s definitely a group hired by the Jinling Zhao Family. The previous slander incident seriously damaged the Jinling Zhao Family’s reputation. They’re desperate to restore their good name, or at the very least, divert public attention so people stop focusing on their vile act of slandering Zhao Yuan. A medical duel is undoubtedly an excellent choice for them. As long as they win, they’ll make sure the reporters focus their stories on topics like ’the Noble Medical Family’s reputation is well-deserved’ and ’a centuries-old legacy cannot be challenged.’ This would let them turn their current predicament around in one fell swoop!”

It had to be said, although Ma Guotao’s speculation was full of ’conspiracy theory’ flavor, upon careful consideration, it was very likely the truth.

Liu Zhu said unhappily, ”Zhao Yuan, it looks like the Jinling Zhao Family is pretty confident. They seem sure they can beat you.”

Zhao Yuan smiled. ”Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to disappoint them. I’ll make them shoot themselves in the foot!”

”You can do it!” Lin Xue led the cheer, and the four girls and three boys all started rooting for Zhao Yuan. Their actions influenced the professors on the bus, and soon everyone was cheering for him.

The doors of the minibus opened, and Zhao Yuan and the others got out one by one.

The moment he stepped off, Zhao Yuan was swarmed by reporters. Microphones and voice recorders were thrust at him from all directions, nearly poking him in the face.

A few reporters at the very front, their voices loud, posed several extremely pointed questions.

”Zhao Yuan, where did you get the nerve to challenge the Jinling Zhao Family? You’re just a freshman. You haven’t even mastered the basics of medicine. Isn’t challenging authority so rashly a bit of an overreach?”

”The Jinling Zhao Family is a Noble Medical Family with a legacy of several hundred years. They’ve left an indelible mark on the history of medicine. Isn’t it incredibly arrogant of you to challenge them?”

”Many netizens are saying this is just a clumsy attempt at self-promotion. What are your thoughts? Are you just trying to use the Jinling Zhao Family’s fame in the medical world to make a name for yourself?”

Hearing these questions, Zhao Yuan had yet to react, but the expressions on the faces of Ma Guotao and the others changed in unison.

This wasn’t an interview! It was clearly a preemptive power play to intimidate Zhao Yuan!

Ma Guotao and the others immediately concluded that the reporters asking these sharp questions must have been hired by the Jinling Zhao Family!

The Jinling Zhao Family was using the mouths of these reporters to question Zhao Yuan, to berate him, and to disrupt his Mental Realm!

If Zhao Yuan were just an ordinary student, it would be strange if he *didn’t* get nervous and flustered in this situation. Once his composure was broken, he naturally wouldn’t be able to perform well when the medical duel began.

To secure a victory, the Jinling Zhao Family was resorting to such underhanded tactics. They were truly shameless and despicable! However, this also proved one thing indirectly: the Jinling Zhao Family could not afford to lose this medical duel!

Ma Guotao, fearing Zhao Yuan would be affected, quickly instructed Qiu Haogu, Yang Jingbo, and the others, ”Quick, stop these reporters from asking questions and get Zhao Yuan inside!” He also fought his way through the crowd to stand between Zhao Yuan and the reporters, shouting, ”If you have any questions, ask them after the medical duel is over. For now, we are not accepting any interviews!”

Ma Guotao wanted to protect Zhao Yuan, but he never expected his actions would stir up a hornet’s nest.

The reporters raised even more, even sharper questions.

”Are you refusing to be interviewed because you’re scared?”

”Are you afraid of losing the medical duel, or are you afraid of something else?”

”Did the Jinling Zhao Family really slander Zhao Yuan? They’re a Noble Medical Family with a centuries-old legacy. Why would they slander a university student for no reason? Could there be something fishy about this whole affair? Are you refusing to be interviewed now because you’re afraid you’ll slip up if you say too much?”

Not far off, a few Jinling Zhao Clan Members standing at the manor’s entrance saw the situation but didn’t come over to help. Instead, they were secretly enjoying the show.

They couldn’t wait for Zhao Yuan to be overwhelmed and hounded by these reporters.

Seeing these reporters trying to turn black into white and reverse the narrative on the Jinling Zhao Family’s previous slander of Zhao Yuan, Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan were furious. They immediately rebuked them, ”Which shameless bastard said that just now? And you call yourself a reporter? Trying to twist the truth like that, do you have any professional ethics at all?”

”How am I twisting the truth? I’m raising doubts and pursuing the facts!” a fat, bespectacled reporter yelled, putting on an air of self-righteousness.

Of course, he wouldn’t mention that he had accepted a ”hardship fee” from the Jinling Zhao Family the previous night.

Seeing how shameless he was, Liu Zhu and the others grew even angrier and were about to let loose a string of curses, but Zhao Yuan pulled them back.

Despite being surrounded by reporters and facing a barrage of pointed questions, Zhao Yuan’s face showed not a trace of panic. He remained calm and composed as he said, ”The reason we aren’t accepting interviews is that the medical duel is about to start. We can’t let an interview delay the main event, can we? However, I can give a brief answer to those few questions you just asked.”

The scene instantly fell silent. Everyone pricked up their ears, eager to hear how Zhao Yuan would respond.

Would he dodge the questions and beat around the bush? Or would he lose his temper under provocation and start cursing them out?