Chapter 234: He Lied to Me!

Realizing something was wrong, the survival instinct told Yu Shao Tang Zhu that when the cause of the matter was not yet understood, speaking more would lead to more mistakes, so it was better to observe cautiously first.

There was no sound of fighting inside Anxiang Hall, so there was no need to take action for the time being.

Yu Shao Tang Zhu was young after all, and the calm expression on his face appeared forced.

He looked ahead; from the attire of that group of Armored Soldiers, he could judge that they should be people from the Zhao Clan.

Facing the power of the Six Great Clans of Beidi, their Medicine Gang usually treated them with courtesy and caution; it was impossible for them to take the initiative to provoke trouble!

But in the current situation, what exactly had happened?

He was incredibly anxious inside, feeling both worried and heavy. He had no idea what had happened, had no way to intervene, and had no leads.

After becoming the Young Hall Master, although he was a bit conceited, he still had a good sense of his own limitations.

Leading a team of laborers composed of townspeople and mountain folk to go head-to-head with regular troops?

How many lives did he have?!

The main armed forces of the Six Great Clans were all Border Army soldiers who had been through many battles!

Look at the murderous aura on these people; it was almost solidifying, and one could feel it from far away.

What should he do!

Retreat?

Losing face was a small matter; whether he could survive this was what mattered most.

Being a coward was not terrible, as long as one could live, but the problem was that the visitors were not here with good intentions!

He was caught in a dilemma.

The morning sun dispelled the chill, and the morning light shone on the armor; the reflected golden light was unexpectedly freezing. Yu Shao Tang Zhu felt a cold chill in his heart.

Fortunately, at this moment, a steward of Anxiang Hall walked out from inside.

The steward's complexion was poor, but he was still calm; the situation should still be under control.

Yu Shao Tang Zhu felt slightly relieved.

If things had truly reached the point of no return, his father would certainly have sent someone to notify him to run away long ago.

This steward had also heard the commotion outside and, fearing that the Young Hall Master would recklessly clash with the other party, hurried out to dissuade him.

Seeing that the Young Hall Master was actually able to hold his ground, or rather, was still sensible, the steward let out a long sigh of relief.

The steward hurriedly gave the Young Hall Master a look and gestured with his hands: stay away, don't get involved blindly!

Yu Shao Tang Zhu steadied his mind, let the laborers go back to the warehouse to work first, and kept only a few people by his side to continue observing the movements of Anxiang Hall.

"Young Hall Master, why don't you come with us to the warehouse?" one person beside him advised.

If Anxiang Hall really encountered a crisis this time, there would be more opportunities to escape from the warehouse side.

Yu Shao Tang Zhu refused.

"No, I will stay here!"

He knew very well. Only if his father was there and Anxiang Hall was there could he live a good life.

But if his father and Anxiang Hall met with disaster, with his meager abilities, he would not be able to survive in this world at all.

It would be better to show his loyalty and filial piety at such a critical moment and firm up his stance of "coexisting with Anxiang Hall"!

Yu Shao Tang Zhu stayed not far away watching, and before long, he saw two elders of the Medicine Gang arrive in a rage.

Especially upon seeing the soldiers blocking the entrance of Anxiang Hall, the two elders' anger grew even more intense, and they were extremely dissatisfied with the behavior of these soldiers of the Zhao Clan.

Yu Shao Tang Zhu felt a surge of spirit.

The arrival of the Medicine Gang people was equivalent to the arrival of their Anxiang Hall's backer, giving him a bit more confidence.

However, the two elders stayed inside for a while and then left, looking heavy-hearted.

Yu Shao Tang Zhu's expectations fell through, and his mood became increasingly heavy.

It seemed that this time, the trouble was very likely on the side of Anxiang Hall!

At this time, inside Anxiang Hall.

Hall Master Yu, who usually treated people with a smiling face, was now full of gloom. Due to the intense suppressed emotions, the muscles on his face twitched slightly from time to time.

Recalling the situation in the tea room at that time, Hall Master Yu felt his blood surge and wished he could vomit blood!

At that time, he had poured tea for this Young Master Rong from Xinzhou and was about to take a sip first, but was stopped by the other party.

Subsequently, the attendant beside the other party picked out a lump of undissolved medicinal glue from the teapot.

Hall Master Yu's first reaction was—the other party was intentionally framing him to stir up trouble!

The tea room opened by their Anxiang Hall—boiling the tea, serving the tea, until it was delivered—the entire process was operated by their own people.

After the tea was brought into the tea room, the whole process was also completed under his own eyes.

That is to say, throughout the entire process, no outsiders were involved!

And Rong Huan and his party looked like they had come prepared, so it was no wonder Hall Master Yu would be suspicious.

At first, Hall Master Yu thought: I want to see what other tricks you brat have!

However, after waiting and waiting, what he waited for was the truth that his own people were indeed involved!

Hall Master Yu's mood at that time could be described as furious!

If this matter were exposed, the Medicine Gang might not help their Anxiang Hall, and might even sacrifice their Anxiang Hall directly to appease the situation!

To clear their name and save themselves, they could only cooperate with the investigation as much as possible and then provide compensation.

Therefore, when the Patrol Guard Division wanted to make arrests, Anxiang Hall was very cooperative.

The whole matter was not difficult to investigate.

The main person who took action was Zhang Dalang; the others did not know what Zhang Dalang was actually going to do, but seeing the benefits Zhang Dalang gave, they helped out.

They often did this kind of thing, and it never caused a big deal; this time they also thought it was the same as usual, who knew—

Hall Master Yu was puzzled; no matter how he thought about it, he could not understand.

Why did Zhang Dalang want to make a move against Rong Huan?

What was he after?

Hall Master Yu's mind instantly spun a conspiracy theory, wondering who exactly was directing Zhang Dalang from behind the scenes.

Regardless of who was directing him, one thing was certain—Rong Huan had sensed it early on, which was why he went with the flow and used the situation to his advantage!

However, Zhang Dalang was still being detained by the Patrol Guard Division, so Hall Master Yu had no way to clarify the reason.

For now, he could only resolve the matter at hand first.

The fact that the Patrol Guard Division brought witnesses and material evidence to demand accountability instead of starting a fight directly meant there was still room for negotiation.

To appease the other party's anger, Anxiang Hall would have to bleed heavily this time!

Hall Master Yu was mentally preparing himself to be fleeced.

As the person involved in this incident, Wen Gu stayed at Anxiang Hall for a while before leaving.

Discussing the compensation matters was left to the specialists from the Patrol Guard Division.

As he left, Wen Gu heard the people from the Patrol Guard Division behind him being sarcastic and mocking: "The Medicinal Herbal Tea at this Shenyi Gu is truly one of a kind—a 'deadly' kind!"

Walking out the door, Wen Gu saw a young man craning his neck and looking around not far away.

Seeing Wen Gu, the young man looked hesitant and lingered, wanting to strike up a conversation but not daring to.

Wen Gu walked over: "Yu Shao Tang Zhu?"

Yu Shao Tang Zhu hurriedly cupped his hands in a salute: "Young Master Rong!"

Before this, Yu Shao Tang Zhu had looked down on Rong Huan and had often gossiped about him in private.

But now that the situation was unfavorable and his circumstances were poor, Yu Shao Tang Zhu was so compliant it was almost fawning, stammering: "I wonder if this time—inside—"

Wen Gu did not answer directly; he looked up at the sky, as it was already nearly noon.

He said to Yu Shao Tang Zhu: "Let's go eat first; the matters inside won't be finished in just a few words."

Leaving these words behind, Wen Gu departed; he was going back to his master's sect on the mountain.

Standing where he was, Yu Shao Tang Zhu did not dare to lose focus, and he had even less appetite to eat, so he continued to wait outside.

How big of a matter could this be, to take so long to discuss!

Inside Anxiang Hall, the compensation negotiations were still dragging on.

From morning until afternoon, it consumed almost the entire day before it was finally concluded.

According to the agreement, the Patrol Guard Division returned the people they had detained for this incident to Anxiang Hall, including the ringleader, Zhang Dalang.

Having stirred up such a huge mess, Hall Master Yu could certainly have ignored the lives of these people, but to figure out the reason, Hall Master Yu spared no expense in paying a large amount of compensation to buy them back.

Once the people from the Zhao Clan had all left, the anger that Hall Master Yu had been suppressing finally erupted.

For a time, the sounds of intense cursing and smashing echoed from inside the room.

Being able to build Anxiang Hall into the largest medicinal hall on East Third Street, Hall Master Yu was no fool; he could certainly see that Rong Huan and the people from the Patrol Guard Division had been fishing from the start, setting a trap just waiting for Zhang Dalang to jump in!

And the damn fool Zhang Dalang had taken the bait!

Not only did Zhang Dalang jump in himself, but he also dragged in several of Anxiang Hall's laborers!

The laborers from Anxiang Hall who had just been released knew the internal punishment methods of the medicinal hall very well, and they scrambled to shout: "Hall Master! I really didn't know what Zhang Dalang had done; I thought he was trying to curry favor with a noble!"

"Me too, Hall Master, I really didn't want to harm our Anxiang Hall!"

"Our whole families depend on the medicinal hall for a living! We didn't dare to betray you!"

Hall Master Yu remained silent.

These people might truly have been ignorant, but these were secondary; the focus of the entire incident was Zhang Dalang.

He had his subordinates take these laborers away, leaving only Zhang Dalang behind.

Having been interrogated by the people from the Patrol Guard Division, Zhang Dalang looked listless when he was thrown over, appearing half-dead.

Hall Master Yu now wished he could tear the man to pieces.

This scourge!

Not only did he poison a guest in the shop, but even he, the Hall Master, had been calculated into it!

Hall Master Yu's gaze swept over him like a knife, and he asked in a suppressed voice: "Why did you make a move against Rong Huan?"

Kneeling on the ground, Zhang Dalang did not dare to look up: "He was investigating the old Su Family matter!"

Hall Master Yu's brows furrowed tightly.

When the Su Family, medicinal merchants of Shenyi Gu, met with disaster back then, it coincided with the beginning of chaotic times when supplies were in short supply; seeing the Su Family fall, they and other medicinal halls had taken the opportunity to divide up the Su Family's resources.

When the Su Family met with disaster back then, there were all sorts of speculations, and more people believed that the Su Family had encountered something unclean outside, which was why they met with disaster.

Hall Master Yu had also been suspicious once, but as a beneficiary, he didn't dwell on it much afterward.

He hadn't expected that it was actually Zhang Dalang who had done it back then!

He had indeed heard some time ago that the people from the Xinzhou Xunweis were curious about the Su Family's disaster from back then.

Did Zhang Dalang hear the news and panic, leading him to make a move?

Hall Master Yu looked down at the person on the ground, his eyes dark: "What did you tell the people from the Xinzhou Xunweis?"

Zhang Dalang slumped his shoulders and replied in a low voice: "I told them everything I could—the people from the Xinzhou Xunweis used Evil Poison to force me; they poured water containing Evil Poison onto my wounds!"

Fearing that Hall Master Yu would think he was useless and execute him internally, Zhang Dalang hurriedly rolled up his sleeves to reveal his wounds.

Hall Master Yu's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Zhang Dalang again: "They gave you an Antidote Pill to eat?!"

Zhang Dalang nodded repeatedly: "Yes! That man surnamed Rong said the antidote effect is best within an hour, so I had no choice but to—"

Hall Master Yu's eyes flickered.

He had indeed developed the intent to kill Zhang Dalang.

Even tearing him to pieces would hardly satisfy the hatred in his heart!

Just as he was about to have someone do it, hearing Zhang Dalang's words, Hall Master Yu turned his head and instructed his personal attendant: "Invite the honored master over!"

Since an incident occurred at Anxiang Hall and it involved Evil Poison, Hall Master Yu immediately invited a famous doctor from the Jingli Institute, just in case.

While waiting for the famous doctor, Hall Master Yu asked Zhang Dalang, "So, you have seen the Antidote Pill from Xinzhou? What does it look like? How effective is it? Can you taste how many medicinal ingredients are in it?"

In these chaotic times of the Evil Plague, what could be more important than an Antidote Pill?

If one could discover even a little information about the Xinzhou Antidote Pill, what would the compensation given away today even amount to? It could be earned back quickly!

Hall Master Yu inquired in detail.

For the sake of a chance to survive, Zhang Dalang answered everything in detail, leaving nothing out.

Before long, a famous doctor dressed in plain clothes walked over slowly.

Upon learning of Zhang Dalang's condition, the famous doctor swept away his previous indifference, his gaze becoming fiery and his movements hurried as he immediately put on gloves to carefully examine the wound on Zhang Dalang's arm.

He wiped away the medicinal powder on the wound and used some force to make the already scabbing wound split open again.

Zhang Dalang's face twitched.

The wound was not large, but forcing a scabbing wound to split open was still somewhat painful. However, compared to his life, this bit of pain could be ignored.

The famous doctor looked at the wound and the color of the blood flowing from it, his brows gradually knitting together.

He took off his gloves and placed his fingers on Zhang Dalang's pulse to examine it carefully. He then checked Zhang Dalang's eyeballs, eyelids, mouth, and other areas again.

Soon, the famous doctor's furrowed brows were replaced by disappointment, and his previous eagerness was swept away, replaced by even more anger than before: "He has never been afflicted by evil!"

It was a complete waste of time!

The famous doctor waved his sleeves in anger, wiped his hands, and prepared to leave.

Hall Master Yu was stunned and hurriedly asked, "Honored Master, what do you mean by that?"

The famous doctor said angrily, "Exactly what I said!"

Considering the benefits Anxiang Hall usually provided, the famous doctor suppressed his anger and explained, "His wound has no Evil Wound, and his internal organs show no Evil Injury. If he had truly been afflicted by Evil Poison, his internal organs would have undergone changes; even if he had taken an Antidote Pill within an hour, it would be impossible to recover as good as new within a day!"

The famous doctor shook his head and sighed as he left.

Whether that Antidote Pill from Xinzhou was real or not could not be confirmed now; no one had seen it with their own eyes.

He had thought he would get to see something new this time, but who would have thought it was just a scam!

The famous doctor was deeply disappointed.

It was not that Hall Master Yu did not understand, but for a moment, he was unwilling to believe it.

Either Zhang Dalang was lying, or Zhang Dalang had been deceived!

Looking at Zhang Dalang again, he also had a face full of disbelief.

Hall Master Yu laughed in anger.

His usually festive face was now as gloomy as if a storm were about to break: "I said it before, if the Exorcism pill from Xinzhou were real, it would definitely be extremely rare; how could that brat Rong Huan possibly get his hands on it?"

The highest official rank of the Patrol Guard Division stationed at Shenyi Gu was merely that Patrol Lieutenant surnamed Yang; if even that person could not get the pill, how could Rong Huan, a mere outsider in the Patrol Guard Division, possibly obtain it?!

Zhang Dalang was also stunned at this moment.

Recalling the situation at the time, he indeed had not seen the entire process of the other party taking action.

With his knowledge and understanding, a glass bottle of that level of clarity was not easy to come by; he had never suspected there were two identical glass bottles!

And thus, he had never suspected the other party was bluffing!

Zhang Dalang wailed miserably, "He tricked me!"

Hall Master Yu looked at Zhang Dalang as if looking at a dead object and ordered his attendants, "Drag him out!"

Zhang Dalang came to his senses and shouted loudly, "Hall Master, spare my life!"

He could no longer harbor any hope, and this was indeed his last chance to survive.

Zhang Dalang said hurriedly, "There is one more piece of news! I have another important piece of news to report! Back then, the Su Family hid a batch of smuggled overseas medicinal ingredients!"

Hall Master Yu had just sat down, but he sprang up: "Such an important matter, and you only say it now?!"

Overseas medicinal ingredients were extremely precious nowadays, and thinking that his own faction could not swallow it all, Hall Master Yu said to his attendants, "Inform the elders of the Medicine Gang—"

Suddenly realizing something, Hall Master Yu asked Zhang Dalang sternly, "Did you tell the people from the Patrol Guard Division about this too?"

Zhang Dalang curled up and did not answer.

Hall Master Yu wished he could immediately grab a knife and chop him to pieces!

He was simply not worth keeping alive!

"No wonder the people from the Patrol Guard Division kept dragging things out until the afternoon!"

They were just stalling for time to divert attention!

The people from the Patrol Guard Division might have set off early in the morning, and now, the sky outside was growing dark, making travel at night inconvenient—

Good things go to those who are fast; those who are slow get nothing.

Being one step slow means defeat!

By the time they sent people out, that batch of medicinal ingredients would likely have already fallen into the hands of the Patrol Guard Division!

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