Chapter 113: Confused, Truly Confused

Chen Yang, of course, did not recognize the bald man, but he maintained a proper level of courtesy and asked, "Where is Mr. Shen?"

The bald man smiled and said, "No hurry. You haven't passed my three trials yet; do you really think you'll see Mr. Shen?"

"Three trials?" Chen Yang gave a cold laugh. "What three trials?"

As he said this, Chen Yang thought to himself, *What kind of nonsense is this? If I truly want to see Mr. Shen, no one here can stop me.*

The bald man chuckled and said, "The first trial: drink the tea."

As he spoke, he pointed to a white porcelain cup on a square table nearby, which appeared to already contain tea.

Chen Yang gave a cold smile, said nothing, and walked over to the table, intending to drink the tea. He was being cooperative only because he wanted to see what the man was up to. However, when he reached the table and looked into the cup, he was struck by sudden, extreme anger.

It was not tea at all; it was a cup of saliva.

Chen Yang furrowed his brows, while the bald man and his henchmen wore malicious grins. Seeing Chen Yang’s hesitation, the bald man sneered, "This is called the 'opening tea.' You must drink this first before we can proceed with any discussion."

"And if I refuse?" Chen Yang asked, eyeing him coldly.

The bald man sneered, "If you don't drink it, first, you won't see Mr. Shen, and second, you’ll be leaving with one less arm and one less leg."

"Is that so? Then you drink it." Chen Yang picked up the cup and splashed the contents onto the bald man’s face.

The henchmen immediately surrounded Chen Yang. Chen Yang scanned the room, then looked at the bald man and laughed. "That’s more like it. Let’s cut to the chase. Today, we’ll let our fists do the talking. Whoever has the harder fist has the right to speak."

The bald man pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the saliva from his face. His expression tightened, and he shouted, "Damn it, kill him!"

The men rushed at Chen Yang. With a lightning-fast kick, Chen Yang sent five of them flying. He followed up with three quick punches, dropping three more youths to the floor. Without waiting for them to regroup, he took the initiative, punching and kicking with the cold precision of a combat machine.

Within moments, all of the bald man’s subordinates were rolling on the ground. Seeing this, the bald man panicked. *Chen Yang is this strong? I didn't expect this. I truly didn't expect this.*

He was none other than the "Brother Sun" whom Qin Chao had addressed with such respect the previous night. His full name was Sun Quan, from the neighboring city of Guangyang. Having made a name for himself there, he had heard that Lin-hai was paved with gold and had brought his brothers to seek their fortune. He had met Qin Chao at a dinner, and Qin Chao, seeing his potential and needing help in Lin-hai, had actively courted his favor. This led to Qin Chao using his own sister as a bargaining chip to get Sun Quan to retaliate against Chen Yang—resulting in the elaborate trap of abducting Shen Donghua to draw Chen Yang out.

Sun Quan had thought the performance would go perfectly, but it had fallen apart halfway through. Feeling flustered, he stood up from his chair and frowned. "Mr. Chen, you certainly have some skills."

"Where is Mr. Shen?" Chen Yang asked coldly.

"Mr. Shen is right inside. Rest assured, I haven't harmed him," Sun Quan said earnestly.

Chen Yang continued to sneer. "Are you afraid? Who are you?"

Sun Quan replied, "My name is Sun Quan, from Guangyang. I came to Lin-hai to make my way. I heard that you and Mr. Shen were big figures here, so I wanted to use this method to make your acquaintance."

"Make my acquaintance?" Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh. So this guy went through all this trouble just to meet him and Shen Donghua? Interesting. Very interesting.

Of course, Chen Yang didn't buy it. This explanation was far too ridiculous. He grabbed Sun Quan by the collar and asked coldly, "Tell me the truth. I want the truth."

"I am telling the truth," Sun Quan insisted, looking troubled.

"In Lin-hai, my people are everywhere. I can do whatever I want with you," Chen Yang warned.

"I’m not lying! It’s the truth!" Sun Quan exclaimed.

Chen Yang stared at him, eyes cold. Though he suspected the man was full of lies, he didn't care anymore. The man couldn't stir up much trouble in Lin-hai, and Chen Yang didn't want to waste more time. "Do you want me to let you go?"

Sun Quan nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes..."

"Fine. I’ll give you a way out: crawl back to Guangyang and don't let me see you in Lin-hai again. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Sun Quan agreed quickly.

"Where is Mr. Shen?"

"In the back room."

"Get out." Chen Yang pushed him aside and headed inside.

He found Shen Donghua with one hand tied to the bed frame. Fortunately, he looked fine and had not suffered much, which put Chen Yang’s mind at ease. He untied the ropes and asked, "Are you alright?"

Shen Donghua smiled. "Mr. Chen, I knew you would come to save me."

"As long as you're safe," Chen Yang said with a faint smile.

When Chen Yang led Shen Donghua out, he was surprised to see Sun Quan still there, looking at him with intense, expectant eyes. Chen Yang remained cold, ignoring him as he led Shen Donghua toward the exit.

After only two steps, Sun Quan called out, "Mr. Chen!"

Chen Yang looked back.

"I want to follow you," Sun Quan said excitedly. "I want to work for you and Mr. Shen."

"Work for me?" Chen Yang laughed, and Shen Donghua did as well. The fact that Sun Quan wanted to work for him was completely unexpected. It was truly, incredibly interesting.

Chen Yang thought for a moment and said coldly, "Go back to Guangyang. I don't need anyone here, and I don't want to see you in Lin-hai again."

"Mr. Chen, my men can be loyal to the death! We just want to accomplish something great," Sun Quan pleaded.

"I don't need anyone. Go back," Chen Yang insisted.

Sun Quan looked utterly disappointed, but Chen Yang ignored him and left with Shen Donghua.

Chen Yang took Shen Donghua back to the hospital. Little did he know that at that very moment, in his mother-in-law Han Qin’s room, Qin Guoshan—having listened to some friend’s advice—had brought in a seventy-year-old acupuncturist to treat her.

Although Qin Guoshan had decided to trust Chen Yang, deep down, he still had doubts. Chen Yang was just too young—how could he possibly be an expert in acupuncture? This seventy-year-old man, however, was a different story. With fifty years of experience, Qin Guoshan placed his full trust in him. After the session, Han Qin had fallen asleep.

At six in the evening, Chen Yang arrived at the hospital after work. Upon entering the room, he noticed immediately that his mother-in-law’s complexion was wrong—it was flushed, not a natural color. As a miracle doctor, he could tell instantly.

"Dad, Mom’s complexion looks abnormal," Chen Yang asked.

"Yes, I know," Qin Guoshan replied flatly.

"Did she take some medicine she shouldn't have?" Chen Yang inquired.

Qin Guoshan had initially wanted to hide it, but since Chen Yang had already noticed, he gave in. "Chen Yang, I’ll be honest. A friend of mine knows an acupuncturist with fifty years of experience. I invited him over this afternoon to treat your mother."

Chen Yang was speechless. He remained silent for a long time, not knowing what to say.

Qin Guoshan continued, "Don't overthink it. He’s seventy-five years old; he’s certainly more experienced than you."

Chen Yang couldn't help but shake his head and give a bitter, helpless laugh. *Ignorance is truly terrifying.*

Unable to suppress his frustration any longer, Chen Yang said angrily, "Dad, do you have any idea how foolish you've been?"

Qin Guoshan looked displeased. "Is that any way to speak?"

"Dad, don't you realize? First, I just finished treating Mom, and she must not have acupuncture again within a week. Second, after my treatment, you cannot let someone else interfere with the steps of the therapy. If that acupuncturist had used stronger needles, Mom’s life could have been in danger!"