Vincent? The head of the Hindon family? He was in Steinberg!Instantly, Eugene's face turned pale.But Zakary, blinded by rage, kept cursing. "I don't care who this Vincent is! Tell him to get over here and apologize! Otherwise, if Mr. Targery Senior gets mad, he'll be as good as dead!"That sentence shook Eugene to his core. "Shut up!" he roared, raising his hand and slapping Zakary across the face. The slap left Zakary reeling, and knocked him to the ground. "Mr. Targery Senior, why'd you hit me?" he asked while holding his face. He was utterly confused.Eugene glared at him with fury and said, "You idiot! Are you trying to get me killed? Do you have any idea who Vincent is?""I… I don't know... But he can't be as powerful as you, right?" Zakary replied, full of resentment.He thought Eugene had lost his mind. After all, it was just some man named Vincent! Was it worth hitting Zakary in front of everyone?"You're truly clueless!" Eugene snapped, raising his cane and pointing
Vincent looked sickly. An elderly man in a blue robe was currently checking up on him."What's the diagnosis, Dr. Evans?" Vincent asked.He'd fallen ill after returning from a private art exhibition, feeling weak, with aching limbs, dizziness, and occasionally even coughing up blood.Michael Evans was Vincent's personal doctor, known for his medical expertise.He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mr. Hindon, it's nothing serious. It's just a common cold exacerbated by some underlying conditions. "I'll give you a few acupuncture treatments and prescribe some medicine. Rest for a few days, and you should be fine."Vincent nodded, "Thank you, Dr. Evans.""There's no need to thank me, Mr. Hindon. It's my duty," Michael replied with a smile before leaving to prepare for his treatment.Vincent coughed a few more times and asked the man in the black suit who had entered, "Is he here?""Yes, he's waiting in the parlor," the man replied."Bring him in," Vincent said as he c
As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the sitting room became tense. Vincent's expression darkened significantly, and his already unhealthy complexion turned even more grim."What did you say?" Vincent asked coldly, every word laced with anger.The man in the black suit also frowned, his expression showing displeasure at Sebastian's words. Who dared to curse Vincent, predicting he wouldn't live past the night? That was a death wish!Michael, however, just smirked, thinking that Sebastian must be insane to say such things to Vincent.But Sebastian remained unruffled. "Mr. Hindon, it's your choice to believe it or not. But from what I see, you won't last through the night. Even if I make the Life Prolonging Pill, you won't be around to receive it.""How dare you!" Vincent roared, slamming his hand on the armrest. In his sudden burst of anger, he coughed violently, spitting out blood.Michael was alarmed. He rushed toward him and said, "Mr. Hindon, you mustn't get agitated, or
The man in the black suit glared at Michael. "If anything happens to Mr. Hindon, you won't survive, either! Someone, lock him up!"Two guards immediately rushed in, grabbing Michael and restraining him."It's not my fault!" Michael protested in fear. He never expected Vincent to react like this.Vincent managed to force out a few words, his voice faint and strained. "Get… Sebastian…"After saying that, he fell unconscious.The man in the black suit quickly got up, instructing his men to carry Vincent to the bedroom. Then, he ran out to find Sebastian.…Sebastian had taken a taxi back to the grocery store.Outside the store, Eugene was still there, seemingly waiting for Sebastian. Hans and James stood nearby as well.Seeing Sebastian step out of the car, Hans and James quickly approached him and asked, "Mr. Ballard, what did Mr. Hindon want with you?""Mr. Ballard, are you okay? Did Mr. Hindon do anything to you?"Sebastian smiled and replied, "I'm fine."Eugene also walked
"Please, Mr. Ballard, save Mr. Hindon," the man in the black suit said, his head touching the floor. Sebastian watched him for a moment, then sighed and said, "Alright, I'll go, just because of your loyalty."He walked out of the grocery store, brushing past Eugene, who stood there like a deer in headlights.Eugene quickly adjusted his attitude, forcing a couple of awkward laughs. "Mr. Ballard, it was all a misunderstanding earlier. I hope you won't hold it against me."Sebastian glanced at Eugene without a word and got into the car. The man in the black suit jumped in and sped off.As the car drove away, Eugene felt his legs trembling, a thin film of sweat forming on his forehead.If Mr. Hindon's aide had to beg on his knees, then Sebastian was no ordinary person. Hans and James came out, and Eugene asked, "Hans, what does Mr. Ballard like? I need to prepare a generous gift as an apology."Hans pretended to be surprised. "Mr. Targery Senior, what are you planning?"But the s
Then, in front of the man in the black suit, Sebastian used the small knife to cut open each of Vincent's ten fingers, allowing dark blood to flow from them.The man in the black suit was both astonished and anxious by the sight. "Mr. Ballard, what are you doing?""Bloodletting," Sebastian replied calmly."Bloodletting?" The man was confused, wondering what was going on.Sebastian explained, "Mr. Hindon's system is filled with toxins. We need to reduce the toxicity by draining some of his blood.""Is this safe?" the man asked, still doubtful.Sebastian chuckled and said, "You'll see soon enough."After collecting a small basin of dark blood, Vincent's complexion began to improve. He wasn't as dark, and his breathing seemed to stabilize a bit."Mr. Ballard, it's working! Should we keep going?" The man was getting excited.Sebastian shot him a look and said, "Keep going, and your superior will die from blood loss.""So, what do we do next?""Lay him flat and get a set of cuppi
Vincent wanted to kneel, but Sebastian hurriedly stopped him and smiled. "Mr. Hindon, it's no big deal."Vincent smiled gratifyingly.Sebastian reminded him by saying, "Mr. Hindon, you should be more careful. Whoever managed to place vermin poison in your body without c detection is not to be taken lightly."Vincent's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Ballard, can you tell where this vermin might have come from?""It's hard to say," Sebastian replied, "but if someone managed to poison you with vermin, it's likely someone who's been close to you, someone who has easy access to you."Vincent's body tensed, and his gaze snapped toward the man in the black suit standing beside him.The man in the black suit was terrified. He dropped to his knees and began to plead, "Mr. Hindon, it's not me!"Sebastian quickly said, "Mr. Hindon, it's not him for sure. He is very concerned about you and tried his best to save you."Vincent nodded and said, "Alright, get up." Then, he added, "Thanks for the reminde
Sebastian frowned. "Why are you in such a rush? What are you going to do?"Rosalie said, "I made a deal with a local pharmaceutical company in Riverville, so I'm going over to sign a contract and check the goods."Sebastian nodded and did not say anything else.After that, he stood up and left the Longevity Pill that he had refined in the store. He also left a note.He had no idea where Robert had been for the past two days, as there had been no sign of him at all. After that, Sebastian closed the store and got into the car with Rosalie. They began to drive toward Riverville, which was about three hours' drive away. …Riverville was a city near the mountains. It was known in Sunway as the city of medicinal herbs.In Riverville, there were plains of medicinal herbs and apothecaries everywhere, as well as pharmaceutical companies.Half of Riverville's economy was based on medicinal herbs, and every family there planted medicinal herbs and other ingredients.Riverville was sur
Even though Declan had already said that the old man was only in shock and didn't have a cerebral infarction, the middle-aged man still wanted to hear the opinion of a young traditional medicine doctor like Sebastian! He must be either crazy or an idiot!"If he applies that needle, your father's complexion will go from pale to dark at once. When that happens, it'll only be even more dangerous," Sebastian said impassively."Stop talking crap, Sebastian! My grandfather is the elder of the Healer Sect! Are you implying that he's not as good as you are?" Bryce yelled angrily, pointing at Sebastian.He was furious. "Sebastian, are you doubting my skills in medicine? You're a rookie in the medical field. I only complimented you at the dinner table out of politeness. Did it go to your head?" Declan demanded curtly, his expression changing."You're trying to prick the acupuncture points on the base of the patient's neck as well as in the center of his chest so that you can unblock his br
"Wow, it really is Mr. Byrne Senior! Hello, hello!" A slightly pudgy middle-aged man exclaimed. He hurried forward and shook Declan's hand heartily.Declan frowned and looked at him for a long time, but he couldn't remember where he had seen the pudgy man before.There were too many people who tried to flatter Declan every day, and he couldn't possibly remember every single one of them."Who are you?" Declan asked, his brow furrowed as he shook the man's hand. "Mr. Byrne Senior, you're so busy, so of course you won't remember me! I'm Fritz Thomson! I had the pleasure of meeting you two years ago while I was shooting a documentary about traditional medicine," Fritz said courteously.Declan finally nodded. Fritz was either a reporter or a director. It wasn't surprising that Declan had forgotten who he was.Although the Healer Sect was also among the mystic martial arts sects, it was very different from the Nine Sects. The Healer Sect had always had close connections with the sec
Sebastian waved a hand slightly at the middle-aged man and said, "I'm not a genius doctor. I'm just an ordinary traditional medicine doctor. However, that old man is in a very dangerous situation. You must not touch him!"He spoke urgently when he saw that the middle-aged woman was propping the old man up so that he was lying on her lap.The middle-aged woman looked up at the middle-aged man. She was clearly hesitant.They were on the top floor, and the tiled floor was so cold. She didn't think that it would be safe for her to let the old man just lie on the floor. "Listen to Dr. Ballard! You won't go wrong!" the middle-aged man said quickly to her."Dr. Ballard? He's nothing compared to my grandfather!" Bryce exclaimed. He was annoyed to hear the middle-aged man addressing Sebastian so respectfully.After all, Declan was the elder of the Healer Sect. There were even numerous sage doctors who had to treat Declan with respect as their senior in the industry!Who did Sebastian th
Since Declan had coincidentally met Sebastian at the dinner table that day, he had thought of bringing the latter over to his side. That way, Sebastian could work for him. "Sebastian, I'm planning to make an exception and take you as my apprentice. What do you think?" Declan asked again when he saw that Sebastian was ignoring him.Sebastian continued to ignore him. Did he really thought he could be Sebastian's mentor? The old man must be crazy!"Sebastian, you should hurry and kneel to my grandfather! You're lucky to get him as a mentor! My grandfather hasn't accepted any apprentices for 20 years!"Bryce glared at Sebastian, whom he felt was being far too tactless. There were countless people fighting to have Declan as a mentor."Mr. Byrne Senior, I don't wish to have a mentor. Besides, no one is qualified to be one," Sebastian said impassively. "You little—"Declan was furious. Sebastian was far too arrogant! He was already humbling himself by deigning to take Sebastian as an
Bryce saw the anger in Declan's face, so he said reluctantly to Larys, "I'm sorry, Mr. Compton. I've acted impulsively."Acted impulsively? It would have been better if Bryce hadn't apologized at all. His apology had made Larys even angrier. He clearly had no respect for Larys at all if he could slap him just out of a moment's impulse. Larys was the mayor of Steinberg. How could he just let things go just because Bryce had said that he had been impulsive? "Mr. Compton, my grandson is young and ignorant. Please don't hold it against him." Declan had no choice but to speak up and apologize to Larys on Bryce's behalf. Larys could only nod. He smiled slightly and said, "Forget about it. Make sure that it doesn't happen again."Once everyone was seated once more, Bryce continued staring viciously at Sebastian. It was all Sebastian's fault that he had been slapped twice by Declan!He couldn't just let him go, but he didn't dare to cause any more trouble at the dinner table. Howeve
"People always say that you can see what a person is like from looking at their family. I can see that it's true," Sebastian said impassively.That was a harsh insult to Declan. It implied that Bryce's rude behavior was a reflection of Declan's lack of good character, and that their family didn't have good manners.Declan turned purple with rage. Ever since he had become one of the esteemed members of the Healer Sect, everyone in the martial arts community always spoke respectfully to him, especially those of the traditional medicine community. All of them were polite whenever they met him.However, Sebastian had insulted him thrice in a row, and each insult was worse than the last. Rosalie couldn't help but laugh. She leaned on Sebastian's shoulder and turned her head away, her slender figure trembling with the effort of not laughing out loud."You're terrible! You've insulted them so slyly!" Rosalie whispered in Sebastian's ear.Sebastian reached out to put an arm around her t
Sebastian's expression turned cold at once. What was so important about an elder of the Healer Sect? Was there any reason for him to make so many people wait?Besides, the banquet had been set at 9:00 pm, and both he and Rosalie had arrived on time. Why should Declan be treated differently?Sebastian had never had any patience with people who used their age as an excuse to do whatever they wanted to."Forget it. Calm down, both of you, and let's both refrain from saying anything else."Larys stood up quickly to smooth things over. Both Sebastian and Julian remained silent out of respect for him. However, they both exchanged icy looks.Now that the conflict had subsided, Larys leaned closer to Sebastian and whispered, "Mr. Ballard, I'll be honest with you. I can't afford to offend either you or Mr. Byrne. Please help me out and refrain from pursuing this matter further."Larys was being sincere. He was in awe of Sebastian's allies, but Declan had equally powerful allies supporting
Upon hearing Rosalie's words, Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head.The Nine Sects wouldn't dare to say a thing to the Ballard Estate, who in turn thought nothing of the Healer Sect.Andreas snorted in laughter and said, "If you had said so 100 years ago, even I would have had to concede. However, times have changed now.""What do you mean?" Rosalie looked curiously at Andreas. It seemed that Sebastian's cousin was very familiar with the Healer Sect. "About 12 years ago, they went on the wrong path. If you check thoroughly, you'll probably find that the development of many new medicines was related to the Healer Sect. However, they are not the refiners!"Rosalie seemed to be deep in thoughts. Her brow darkened as she said thoughtfully, "Do you mean to say that the Healer Sect has abandoned the art of medicine and has decided to go in the direction of the art of pill refining instead?"This made Andreas see Rosalie in a different light.Medicine and pill refining were very
"Are you talking about your cousin? He doesn't look like a businessman at all, though. He looks more like…"Rosalie put her chin in her hands, her brow tightly furrowed. However, she couldn't find an appropriate way to describe Andreas.He felt very strange to Rosalie. There was a kind of energy he had that was difficult to express in words. "It doesn't matter whether he's a businessman or not. He just has to have money. Why don't we discuss it with him tomorrow? I think he'll probably support you unconditionally," Sebastian said confidently."Really? But if we develop a similar medicine, won't we be going against the Croydons? That doesn't seem right."Lorcan was a friend of Oliver's, after all. That meant that he was a friend of the Griffins. Rosalie didn't want to make such an important family their enemy in business. "With that contract, we have to show the Croydons that they shouldn't become ungrateful, nor should they use their force against us!" Sebastian exclaimed in a