540: Chapter 529: The Challenge Begins 540: Chapter 529: The Challenge Begins Ning Fan’s original intention was to not let Xu Xiaoqing follow him.
Although there wasn’t anything wrong with Xu Xiaoqing following him, Ning Fan knew that this matter was out of the ordinary.
Since the Tang Clan had issued a challenge poster, their purpose had already become very clear.
If it were merely a contest between Elder Tang and Ning Fan, there would have been no need to do so; all Elder Tang wanted was to retrieve the Tang Clan’s plaques.
But now that Elder Tang had issued a challenge poster, it indicated that his goal still lay in the reputation of the Tang Clan.
The prestige that the Tang Clan had painstakingly built up over hundreds of years had already experienced a severe shake-up when Ning Fan took the Tang Clan’s plaque.
Although Ning Fan did not publicize it at the time, and there were no outsiders present at the entrance of the Tang Clan.
However, when Ning Fan carried the plaque away, that scene was witnessed by many people.
After all, Ning Fan carried the plaque away in full view of the public, and by now, it was no secret at a certain social level.
What the Tang Clan intended to do this time was definitely not a silent challenge, to win victory, and then to retrieve the plaque quietly.
What Elder Tang wanted to do was to proclaim to the world that the Tang Clan’s Medical Technique was to be compared with Ning Fan’s Medical Technique; to win with Medical Technique and retrieve the plaque.
The plaque was indeed important, but in comparison, Elder Tang was more eager to reclaim something more important than the plaque, and that was the reputation of the Tang Clan!
And Ning Fan didn’t want Xu Xiaoqing to be involved in any struggle involving these matters.
For an ordinary girl like her, attracting attention was definitely not a good thing.
But…
The next morning, at the crack of dawn.
Ning Fan stood at the door, looking at the excited Xu Xiaoqing who seemed almost ready to soar into the sky, and said with a serious expression, “I need to repeat this one more time, once we get there, don’t follow me.
You can enjoy the spectacle, but don’t let others realize that we know each other, okay?”
Although Xu Xiaoqing didn’t quite understand, in her eagerness to join the excitement, she hurriedly nodded her head like a pecking chicken.
Seeing her agreement without hesitation, Ning Fan’s heart was still not at ease.
He somewhat regretted agreeing to this young lady.
“Alright, alright, let’s go, I will definitely be obedient,” Xu Xiaoqing reassured Ning Fan again.
The two of them walked out the door, originally planning to drive there.
But as soon as they stepped out, Ning Fan saw a black sedan not far from the villa’s entrance.
Standing beside the sedan was an elderly man, the same one who had previously appeared alongside Elder Tang, probably a housekeeper or someone of similar status.
“Mr.
Ning, may we depart now?” The elderly man, upon seeing Ning Fan come out, respectfully bowed and then spoke.
Ning Fan was somewhat surprised; Elder Tang had actually sent someone personally to pick him up, which was quite considerate.
“Alright, let’s go,” Ning Fan didn’t put on airs, since they had come to fetch him, it saved a lot of trouble.
In the car, the elderly man did not engage in much conversation with Ning Fan.
Although Ning Fa had expected that since the challenge poster had been sent out, there would probably be quite a crowd of onlookers.
But it was only when Ning Fan truly arrived at the Tang Clan that he suddenly realized he might have underestimated the influence of the Tang Clan.
At the small square in front of the Tang Clan’s entrance, it was already overcrowded.
The parking lot prepared ahead was already crammed with various luxury vehicles by now.
Looking around, some socialites and even some seniors from the medical community had all gathered here.
The Tang Clan’s prestige in the medical community was at its zenith, and with someone challenging the Tang Clan, of course they wouldn’t miss the opportunity to witness the drama.
At this moment, Elder Tang was patiently waiting in the center of the square with some people from the Tang Clan.
When he saw the old man walking over with Ning Fan, Elder Tang slowly rose to his feet and smiled over at them.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoqing had discreetly slipped into the crowd as soon as she got out of the car.
After all, her purpose in coming was to enjoy the spectacle—nothing else mattered.
“Am I late?” Ning Fa asked, looking around somewhat sheepishly.
“Not at all, you’re not late.
It’s just that these onlookers are too eager,” Elder Tang said with a chuckle.
The crowd, originally milling about aimlessly, suddenly noticed someone appearing in front of Elder Tang and all turned to look.
“It’s true, that’s Ning Fan!” someone shouted from within the crowd.
All eyes instantly turned towards Ning Fan.
Many in the crowd didn’t recognize him, having heard only of his reputation.
Now, with the person they had been anticipating for so long before them, their thoughts were greatly varied.
Because Ning Fan was, truly, very young!
What kind of person was Elder Tang?
He was a generation’s Saint in the medical realm, capable of upholding the entire Tang Clan, and a grandmaster in the medical community.
Being able to contend with Elder Tang on the same stage was undeniably the dream of many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, though, of course, they only dared to dream.
Over the years, Elder Tang hadn’t achieved his status by sleeping his way through.
His Medical Technique was well-known in the community of traditional Chinese medicine for a long time.
And here was Ning Fan, standing before Elder Tang, looking far too young.
In the world of traditional Chinese medicine, talking about one’s seniority is far more serious than in other fields.
The older one is, the more formidable their skills—that seems to have become an unspoken rule.
After all, traditional Chinese medicine often values not just innate talent, but the absolute precious experience accumulated over the years.
How much experience could a young person possibly have?
So, when the crowd saw Ning Fan appear, a large part of them felt somewhat disappointed.
Because in their view, this challenge seemed far less exciting than what they had imagined before arriving here.
An elder of Elder Tang’s standing, dealing with such a young person, wouldn’t that be an easy catch?
Their knowledge of Ning Fan taking away the plaque was there, but Ning Fan hadn’t defeated Elder Tang at that time.
It was clear that Ning Fan had some skills, but he had only defeated Tang Xinyuan after all—against other young people, victory or defeat seemed almost evenly matched in their eyes.
But contending with Elder Tang would surely be different.
Ning Fan could hear intermittent sighs resonating from the surroundings.
“It seems that many people don’t have high hopes for me in this challenge,” Ning Fan said, glancing around with a peculiar expression.
“What are you talking about?
I know your capabilities.
They think so merely because you’re too young.
I believe as the challenge goes on, you’ll surprise everyone,” Elder Tang said, waving his hand politely.
How could one judge the sole disciple of Guiguzi by age alone?
Elder Tang had never underestimated Ning Fan from the beginning.
Ning Fa nodded without saying much more.