Chapter 20: The King of Counterfeit Medicine
Page (1/3)
Once bitten by a snake, one becomes wary of well ropes for ten years.
In the orange grove, Liao Xiaoqin had once set a trap for them. For the moment, they dared not rush forward recklessly.
I noticed the cave entrance was not very wide, with several large stones nearby. If we piled them up, it might withstand several waves of attacks. I lowered my voice and said to them:
“Fatty, help me move all the big stones to the cave entrance to hold them off for a while!”
“Qingguo, quickly call Wu Ping and tell him to bring more people for backup!”
“These guys probably aren’t after you. When Wu Ping arrives, don’t mind me. Please get my sister-in-law out safely. If Meng Xun can survive this whole, I will be forever grateful!”
Fatty Dong immediately turned and helped me carry the stones, reeking of heavy alcohol.
“Cut the crap! Daoist won’t abandon you just because he accidentally pushed you into a pit, will he?!”
At that moment, a man’s voice came from outside, polite in tone.
“Doctor Xu! I am Xiao Daguang from Lian Tang Ji Guang Pharmacy. This matter has nothing to do with you. Please step outside the cave; I will arrange for someone to escort you home safely. As for the fright you just experienced, I will personally come to apologize another day!”
Xu Qingguo’s eyes widened in surprise.
I turned to ask, “You know him?”
Qingguo nodded, her brows furrowing slightly.
“When did you two offend the counterfeit medicine king, Xiao Sanpi?”
The counterfeit medicine king, Xiao Sanpi? That name was new to me!
I shook my head.
“I don’t know. Only my sister-in-law knows.”
Qingguo even raised her eyebrows, chuckled, and patted my shoulder.
“Fools, stop moving stones!”
“Fairy sister will save you all!”
Xiao Sanpi continued shouting loudly outside.
“Doctor Xu! Doctor Xu!”
Qingguo snapped back impatiently.
“Are you calling my soul? I’m not deaf!”
“Doctor Xu, we have private matters to settle with those two fellows. Come out quickly to avoid accidental harm!”
“Xiao Sanpi, when did you stop selling fake medicine and start beating drums?”
“Please, Doctor Xu, step outside!”
“Hehe! No chance!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Xiao Sanpi paused for a few seconds, then suddenly raised his voice.
“Leave a little room for others; it’s good for future encounters!”
“Doctor Xu, why harm the harmony among peers for two strangers?”
Page (2/3)
Qingguo was furious, picked up a stone, and hurled it fiercely.
“Who said I’m peers with a dog like you?! Listen carefully, one of them is my patient, the other a patient’s family member. If you dare lay a finger on them during my treatment, you’re cutting off Xu Group’s financial lifeline! If I don’t shut down your Ji Guang Pharmacy, may the character ‘Xu’ be forever reversed!”
“So, you must be protecting them and opposing me?”
“Laughable! A dog dares to stand against a man?!”
Fatty Dong and I were dumbfounded, unsure if she truly had power or was merely fueled by reckless courage.
Insulted, Xiao Sanpi exploded in rage and shouted loudly.
“Damn it! This woman has no shame—charge in!”
My scalp suddenly tightened. I grabbed my dagger.
“Don’t interfere! Escape when there’s a chance!”
I was ready to block the cave entrance and strike anyone who came.
Unexpectedly, Qingguo kicked me hard.
“Move aside! Do you think you’re Bruce Lee?”
She dashed out of the cave swiftly, hands behind her back, chin arrogantly raised.
“Anyone who dares step forward half a pace, I’ll have Second Master smash their dog brain!”
Fatty Dong and I were stunned but quickly flanked her, ready to fight.
Yet, as soon as Qingguo spoke, the attackers all halted, unwilling to move further. They turned to glance nervously at the lanky, triangular-eyed Xiao Sanpi beside them.
Xiao Sanpi’s eyebrows twitched violently; his facial muscles spasmed.
“This isn’t Second Master’s business!”
Qingguo arrogantly stepped forward, letting the heavy rain soak her, her delicate face full of disdain. She pointed a slender finger at Xiao Sanpi.
“Who’s in charge here— you or me?!”
For a moment, I was dazed.
She wasn’t the elegant, intelligent, charismatic female doctor from the TV screen—instead, she resembled a fierce and formidable heroine from the martial underworld.
Xiao Sanpi’s face turned purple with rage, his eyes filled with hatred and resentment.
“Xu Qingguo! Give me a straight answer—what exactly do you want today?!”
Qingguo snorted coldly and replied calmly.
“Let me say it again: during my treatment of patients, anyone who interferes is cutting off my financial lifeline!”
Xiao Sanpi: “You…”
After a long silence, Xiao Sanpi’s jaw clenched so hard it looked ready to burst, his forehead veins bulging, pupils bloodshot.
“Fine! We’ll escort Miss Xu and company back to the clinic. We’ll talk after your treatment!”
“Suit yourself!” She flicked a yellow leaf off her shoulder with her fingernail, glanced at me, and said, “Carry the patient. Let’s go!”
Xiao Sanpi stayed silent, glared viciously, and raised his hand.
His men quickly parted to make way.
In the critical moment, Qingguo had invoked the “Second Master,” making Xiao Sanpi and his men dare not act rashly.
Page (3/3)
Yet, having finally found clues about me and Liao Xiaoqin, Xiao Sanpi would not let us slip away.
His implication was clear: he intended to follow us all the way, likely waiting outside the clinic until Qingguo’s treatment was over, then strike.
He had shown Qingguo a huge favor, and she could only help so much.
What he would do next was beyond her control.
Still, a brief respite was more than enough for me.
Once my sister-in-law awoke and understood the situation, I would deal with these scoundrels.
I turned and entered the cave, lifting Liao Xiaoqin onto my back.
We hurried down the mountain.
Xiao Sanpi and his men trailed closely behind, never leaving our side.
The men who had captured us in the village were not part of this group but clearly all belonged to the same faction.
Apparently, after leaving the Hu Mountain foreigner’s tomb, they split into two teams: one watching me and Qingguo, the other tailing Fatty Dong.
At the foot of the mountain, we boarded the four-wheeled vehicle we had arrived in, speeding toward Qingguo’s clinic.
Six vehicles accompanied us—two on the left, two on the right, one in front, one behind—forming a convoy like a boss’s inspection tour.
On the vehicle, I asked Qingguo:
“Who exactly is Xiao Sanpi?”
She explained.
“In his early days, he was a rogue selling dog skin plasters, later dealing in Southeast Asian tiger balm. In recent years, through some inexplicable stroke of luck, he made a fortune, opened a pharmacy that virtually monopolizes the traditional medicine trade in northern Jiangxi. Even the old, established drugstores in Zhangshu have to bow to his dock.”
“But his pharmacy sells mostly fake medicines, cheating people without a second thought. He’s a scoundrel!”
Fatty Dong asked, “Who’s the Second Master? Sounds badass.”
Qingguo smiled faintly and replied simply:
“He’s my father’s sworn brother, an old-school big shot in the ‘Pi Sect’—a faction of veteran street medicine sellers whom Xiao Sanpi dares not offend.”
The Pi Sect, also known as the Tired Sect or the Pickers’ Sect, are old-school medicine peddlers.
Among the eight major factions of the underworld—Shock, Tired, Drift, Register, Wind, Fire, Nobility, and Essential—these groups are shrouded in mystery and notorious for their dark tales.
However, the eight factions no longer live by wandering the streets as in old times but have evolved with the era, adopting new business models.
For example, many Pi Sect members now run clinics, pharmacies, herb farms, private hospitals, and health product marketing.
Though the underworld changed, its core remains.
An old Pi Sect big boss is overwhelmingly dominant over the likes of Xiao Sanpi.
No wonder Qingguo was so arrogantly confident.
I pieced it together carefully.
My sister-in-law entered the ancient tomb, was poisoned by a rare venomous parasite nurtured by corpse water, causing paralysis in her legs. She evaded enemies for two years until I was sent to raise the divine banner and ask Qingguo to treat her with the Taiyi Divine Needle. Someone had shadowed us in the Hu Mountain foreigner’s tomb, and after leaving, our hiding place was discovered. Those chasing us are involved in the medical trade.
All these elements seem connected to the Pi Sect?