Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Shunzhong immediately straightened his face and shouted,
“Don’t talk nonsense! Daoist Priest Ling Fengzi is a true expert. Don’t mention it again!”
Seeing this, everyone could only give up on persuading him. They secretly mocked Ye Shunzhong for being deceived.
Ye Shunzhong did not want to continue this topic. He immediately invited Zhang Jinduan to treat his father and brought him to the Old Master’s courtyard.
Only the juniors from the various houses remained here. They looked at each other before focusing their gazes on one of the young men with a long sword on his back.
“Brother Heng, what do you think of this Daoist Ling Fengzi?”
The young man in tight clothes who was questioned by everyone was called Ye Heng. He was a junior of the Ye family’s second branch. He was a different kind of person at home. When he was young, he did not like to do business and study. He only liked martial arts and often pestered his family’s guards to practice martial arts and spar. More than once, he had given his elders a headache.
However, he did not expect Ye Heng to have such an excellent foundation. He was really good at martial arts. Later on, a martial arts expert took fancy to his aptitude and accepted him as a disciple.
This martial arts expert was an elder of the famous Wu Mountain Sect in River Spring. Ye Heng had also entered the Wu Mountain Sect by chance and became an inner disciple. He had been taught sword techniques and internal energy, and his martial arts was strong.
After mastering his martial arts, he went down the mountain and returned to Ning Tian Prefecture. He stayed here to guard the sect’s branch hall, but he usually stayed in the Ye family’s mansion. Because his skills were extraordinary and he had experience in the martial world, he was quite popular among the younger generation.
When Ye Heng heard the other cousins’ questions, his eyes flashed as he snorted,
“This Daoist is most likely a cheat. Even the Sect Master of my Wu Mountain Sect can only fly quickly on the water. He can only run 40 to 50 feet on the water at most. It’s impossible for him to walk slowly on the river. Although I don’t know how this Ling Fengzi did it, it must be a trick of the martial world. It’s like fishing for copper coins in boiling oil or holding a spear to the throat. Hmph, I didn’t expect someone to cheat my Ye family!”
Everyone nodded repeatedly in agreement. They did not believe Zhou Jing’s deeds at all.
“This person came to freeload and even had a high and mighty attitude. It’s annoying. Does he really think we’re fools… Brother Heng, we have to expose this liar!”
Ye Heng nodded, then smiled confidently,
“I already have a plan. I’ll find an opportunity to expose his deception in front of me and tease him, causing him to lose face, and he will naturally slip away… Heh, just watch my methods then.”
…
On the other side, in the innermost residence within the Ye Manor.
Ye Shunzhong and the other uncles gathered in the Old Master’s room to watch Zhang Jinduan treat him.
Old Master Ye lay on the bed, his consciousness blurry. His breathing was weak, the face ashen.
A few months ago, he was still a fat old man, but now, he was so thin that he was only skin and bones. He was almost unrecognizable as a human. His hair had almost all fallen off, leaving only a lock of white hair hanging loosely on his head. He looked quite miserable.
Zhang Jin sat in front of the bed and took Old Master Ye’s pulse. His frown deepened.
After a long time, Zhang Jinduan released his fingers and took out a silver needle. He inserted a few needles into the old man’s acupoints before looking at the result. Then, he fell silent.
Seeing this, Ye Shunzhong hurriedly came over and asked in a low voice, “Doctor Zhang, have you found out what illness my family’ s Old Master has contracted?”
Zhang Jinduan stroked his beard with a puzzled expression as he replied,
“It’s strange. His pulse is weak, and his blood essence is weak, but I just can’t find any lesions. It’s as if he’s aging naturally and is about to die of old age… I’ve been a doctor for many years, but this is the first time I’ve encountered such a thing. Brother Ye, did your grandfather really get sick only a few months ago? Were there any signs or symptoms at that time?”
“Of course not. The illness acted up without any warning and suddenly became like this.” Ye Shunzhong was quite anxious as he asked, “I wonder if Doctor Zhang can treat this illness?”
Zhang Jinduan stroked his beard and smiled bitterly, “I’ll give it a try.”
Although he said that, everyone in the room could tell that he did not have much confidence.
The members of the Ye family beside him revealed depressed expressions, but their eyes met in private, hiding their joy.