Old Feng hadn't expected Yan Hao and Shi Xinxin's feelings to be so deep; it wouldn't be a quick matter to truly make Yan Hao work for him.
With his wings not yet strong and having suffered heavy losses a few days prior, he essentially had no spare energy to openly suppress the Shi and Sheng families.
This had caused him considerable hardship these past few days.
He didn't want to just swallow his pride and suffer in silence.
Even though the Shi and Sheng families were still pretending not to have found the technology, he wouldn't just watch the fish he'd caught slip away.
Shi Xinxin was a child with exceptionally high talent, but she was too loyal and righteous. He hadn't nurtured her properly over the years, and after only a few exchanges, she had started to suspect him.
It was like an egg hitting a rock, overestimating her own strength.
He didn't fully trust Yan Hao either. Yan Hao's feelings for Shi Xinxin weren't enough to entrust him with more sensitive matters; ultimately, he would have to handle it himself.
He picked up the phone and dialed a number he hadn't contacted in a long time.
"Hello." Old Feng flicked the residual ash from his hand.
"Ah, it's Old Feng. After so many years, you've finally decided to contact me. I can never repay your life-saving kindness. Please, tell me your command, and I will not disappoint."
A fawning laugh came from the other end.
His words were filled with excitement, showing his profound respect for Old Feng.
Hearing the words "life-saving kindness," Old Feng's lips curled in a mocking smile.
This oblivious man actually thought he was the one who had saved him back then.
That person had been blind. Because he had spoken a few words to him while bringing Shi Xinxin out to save people, he had become his benefactor.
Of course, he wouldn't expose him. Why would he cut off such a useful hand so casually?
Shi Xinxin could never have imagined that the person she saved back then would become a stumbling block in her path to developing her influence.
It could now be said that he had been keeping soldiers for a thousand days to use them in a critical moment.
"Has your health recovered over the years?"
Old Feng feigned concern, his tone still full of care.
Old Feng snorted inwardly. Having lived for sixty or seventy years, how could he not outwit a wavering man in his forties?
"Your medicine is superb. I had completely recovered back then. Now I am strong and healthy, just waiting for your command!"
Upon hearing Old Feng's concern, Zhu Guo was even more overjoyed.
"Actually, I thought that saving your life was more virtuous than building a seven-story pagoda, and I never intended to trouble you again."
"But..."
Old Feng dangled the bait, making Zhu Guo incredibly anxious.
"Old Feng, who are we kidding? If it weren't for you back then, I don't even know which level of hell I'd be in by now!"
Zhu Guo was a bit impatient. He had navigated the world for years and wasn't afraid of death.
Hearing him say this, Old Feng slowly began to speak, his tone laced with urgency and worry.
"I have a young apprentice, who has been distant from me in recent years. She even wants to leave the sect, turn against me with all her skills..."
Old Feng sighed audibly as he spoke, as if filled with regret.
Zhu Guo, as if bewitched, spoke indignantly.
"You are so upright and noble. This apprentice is clearly unsettled and has not truly inherited your teachings."
"So, you are unable to personally guide your young apprentice back to the right path now?"
Zhu Guo asked tentatively, afraid he had misinterpreted.
"Yes, she opposes anything related to me whenever she sees it. She has been deluded by her inner demons."
"I just need you to do me a small favor, to let her understand the dangers of the world. As long as she can return to assist me, I will surely guide her back to the righteous path."
Zhu Guo held his phone, listening attentively, as if missing even a single word would be his fault.
"Old Feng, you are truly thinking deeply about your apprentice. Leave this matter to me. Young people, when they face a setback, immediately clamor for a backer."
"I guarantee that your young apprentice will obediently return to the sect and accept your true teachings!"
"Please tell me about your young apprentice..."
Zhu Guo said ambiguously, demonstrating his loyalty.
Old Feng, weaving lies, told Zhu Guo some information about Shi Xinxin.
He hung up the phone, looked at the white bone poisonous bamboo he was growing, and a murky aura emanated from him.
"I don't believe the pharmaceutical technology belongs solely to the Sheng family. How long can your Shi family contend with me?"
His eyes were venomous and sinister, his expression twisting in madness.
On Zhu Guo's end, after compiling the information he had, he reverted to his arrogant and indifferent demeanor, showing none of the subservience he displayed before Old Feng.
He sat on his high throne and spoke to a group of his subordinates below.
"Prepare yourselves. We are changing locations for our mission. Next stop, Yun City."
He waved his hand gently, and the people below lowered their heads in unison, acknowledging his command.
He slowly walked down from his seat, passing by his assistant without looking, tidying his collar.
"Investigate Miss Shi Xinxin, the eldest daughter of the Shi family in country M."
"Yes."
...
Yan Hao hung up the phone, the innocence in his eyes completely gone, replaced by endless disappointment.
His master was lying.
Yan Hao had been merely a highly skilled apprentice in medical arts at the sect. His family background was also nonexistent.
It was just like Shi Xinxin in those days.
However, Yan Hao also knew that a tall tree attracts the wind. He had cultivated his own influence behind everyone's back.
From the moment his master had sent him to Yun City, he had become vigilant.
He had also investigated the primary reason his junior apprentice sister had come to Yun City.
He hadn't intervened in that matter, as it was his junior apprentice sister's family affair. However, upon seeing the words "Sheng Ji," he couldn't remain calm.
Firstly, his master's intimate knowledge of his junior apprentice sister's whereabouts was a major cause for concern. Not to mention using the excuse of having him work with his junior apprentice sister to monitor her movements.
And the biggest issue. The competition between the directors of the First and Second People's Hospitals was something anyone with a motive could uncover.
Yet, his junior apprentice sister was an authoritative academician at the First Hospital, and what was his master's intention in sending him to the Second Hospital?
Then there was the biggest secret weighing on his heart: the period when his master took his junior apprentice sister on travels to practice medicine.
On the surface, it was for training, but in reality, they were saving people under the banner of Old Feng, accumulating immense credibility for him.
His junior apprentice sister possessed exceptional talent, and his master allowed her brilliance to shine without suppressing it. Even her decision to hide her identity only came after she suffered a loss.
Seeing his master's strictness towards his fellow disciples and his doting affection for his junior apprentice sister, the stark contrast made it impossible to believe he wasn't acting deliberately.
Yan Hao couldn't bear to think any further, let alone about the half-truths his master had told him during their call.
Even so, Yan Hao didn't know whom to believe.