“Let’s sit here, Lil Tang!’ Qin Xiangyi pulled Tang Hao’s shirt sleeve and dragged him aside.
Liu Dajun and the other people laughed when they saw this. “Hey, Qin the Femme Fatale! You’re being so intimate to our Brother Tang. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him?” They joked.
Qin Xiangyi’s composure did not falter. “Why, who’s gonna stop me? Also, when did Lil Tang become ‘your’ Brother Tang?” She joked.
“Lil Tang addressed me as Big Bro earlier. So we’re a family now!” Liu Dajun smiled.
The atmosphere became merry as the party attendees took a dig at each other.
Two more people joined the party a while later. After a round of greetings led by President Biao, dinner was soon served.
Beyond Heaven Restaurant was one of the best restaurants in the district. The dishes served there could not be found elsewhere. Tang Hao had never seen such delicacies before and wasted no time in eating everything he could.
A few dishes into the meal, Liu Dajun said, “Hey, Lil Tang! Your potions are wondrous! Frankly, your Big Bro Liu has never seen such miraculous potions in all fifty-odd years of his life.
“If I can invest some money and mass-produce the potions, we’ll be earning billions if not trillions. No problem.”
Everyone nodded in agreement when they heard this.
Tang Hao set his chopsticks aside and replied, “I’d love to, but it’s not that easy. The recipes require certain rare medicinal herbs, so the supply of ingredients is already a problem.
“The next problem is manufacturing. It requires some peculiar steps in the process, and I can’t replicate it into the big scale any time soon.”
“Oh, is that so? Too bad!” Everyone looked disappointed.
“It’s fine then. Lil Tang, you can make more and we’ll promote this for you. You can still easily make seven or eight figures out of this,” Liu Dajun said.
“I’ll have to thank all my Big Bros in advance!” Tang Hao replied gratefully.
“Don’t mention it!” Liu Dajun slapped his chest and said intensely, “Come, Lil Tang, let’s toast.”
He stood up from his seat and toasted Tang Hao.
Ninth Elder Ma, who had been silent all this while, spoke abruptly. “Little Brother Tang, I see that your potions are made from pure medicinal herbs. Your ancestors must be Chinese physicians!”
Tang Hao was taken aback. His ancestors were humble peasant farmers from the village and not Chinese physicians. If he agreed with him, and if someday these people went to Tang Village and traced his origins, the jig would be up.
He thought about it for a bit, then shook his head. “That’s not the case. Well, to be honest, these aren’t actually recipes from my ancestors. Rather, I’ve serendipitously found several medical texts from ancient times in the mountains. I studied them thoroughly and concocted these potions.”
“Oh, is that the case?” President Biao and the others looked surprised.
Ninth Elder Mawas also surprised. “Ancient medical texts? That means you should know some medical skills too?”
“A bit!” Tang Hao replied humbly.
The Scripture of the Divine Herbalist was not only an encyclopedia of herbalism but was also a medical text without comparison. In its introduction of the myriad medicinal herbs, it had also described the ways to cure many diseases and ills.
Everyone suddenly had a newfound respect for Tang Hao.
They had originally thought that Tang Hao had learned the potion recipes through his elders, and knew how to make these potions from his knowledge of herbalism. They did not expect him to know medical skills as well.
They believed that those who practiced medicine were of a noble profession. Thus, they regarded doctors with respect.
Qin Xiangyi’s eyes also brightened when she learned of this fact.
“Excuse me for my ignorance!” Ninth Elder Ma stood up and raised a cupped fist as a greeting to Tang Hao.
“You’re too kind, Ninth Elder!” Tang Hao returned the greeting.
“Eh! Lil Tang, my shoulder has been acting up these few days. The pain won’t go away. The problem has been plaguing me for the longest time. Do you have any cure for that?” Tang Changfeng said.
“It might be a frozen shoulder?” Tang Hao said.
“Right, that’s the one! It’s been causing me a lot of trouble!” Tang Changfeng replied.
Tang Hao pondered for a moment, then said, “That’s simple. Won’t take too long to cure.”
“Really?” Tang Changfeng was not ready to believe him yet.
Frozen shoulder was not a complicated trouble, but it was persistent. It usually took months or even years to recover. How was it possible that he could cure it in a short time?
Even Ninth Elder Ma looked at him with suspicion.
Tang Hao stood from his seat and said, “If you don’t believe me, then I’ll provide the treatment right now! It won’t take too long anyway!”
As he spoke, he walked behind Tang Changfeng.
“How are you going to treat me?” Tang Changfeng looked puzzled.
“With my hands, of course. Sit tight, Big Bro Tang!” Tang Hao stretched out his arms and wiggled his fingers. Then, he placed his palms on Tang Changfeng’s shoulders.
He inhaled lightly to activate the qi in his body, then channeled it to his palms.
A short while later, his fingers started to move. They pinched the shoulders in varying degrees of strength.
Tang Changfeng felt that the hands-on his shoulders were boiling hot. A warm current coursed through his body and was very comfortable.
Tang Hao stopped a few minutes later. Tang Changfeng was hoping that it was not over yet, and looked disappointed when he realized that it was.
“I’m done, Big Bro Tang!” Tang Hao pulled his hands away, “Try moving a little.”
“Lil Tang, your massaging skills are amazing! Where did you learn that? I feel so comfortable after the massage like I’ve grown a few years younger!”
Tang Changfeng stood from his seat and stretched his limbs.
A look of surprise came over his face. “Oh? It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s cured! It’s really cured!” Tang Changfeng looked ecstatic. He turned around and passionately grabbed Tang Hao’s hands.
“Amazing! You’re a legend!”
Liu Dajun still looked doubtful. “Is it really cured, Ol’ Tang?”
“It’s cured. Totally cured. I don’t feel any more discomfort. I feel very energetic too, like I’m a few years younger.” Tang Changfeng exclaimed.
“What? He’s that amazing?” Liu Dajun slapped his thigh and looked shocked.
The other people were also speechless. This sounded impossible. Did he cure Tang Changfeng’s frozen shoulder just by rubbing and massaging?
In the past, they would scoff at such a claim.
However, this was Brother Tang they were looking at. If he could concoct such amazing potions, then he could as well be equipped with amazing massaging skills.
Furthermore, Ol’ Tang did not look like he was lying.
“Damn son, you’re a legend, Brother Tang!” Liu Dajun exclaimed.
President Biao laughed and said, “I just know that our Brother Tang here is full of hidden talents!”
“Little Brother Tang, I must admit that you have opened my eyes!” Ninth Elder Ma stood from his seat. “So can you cure my legs and my back? They’ve been giving me problems”
“And me too, Lil Tang! I’ve been feeling tightness in my chest lately…”
“Me too, Lil Tang, look at this bald spot on my scalp. Is there some amazing hair growth potion for that?”
President Huang, President Li and the rest scrambled from their seats.