“This man is Yingying’s senior brother. Let’s see what she thinks before making a decision,” Song Hao said.
"This Li He caused an accident to the Golden Needle Sect members because he leaked the secret of the Heavenly Saint Acupuncture Bronze Man. I'm afraid Kong Fei and Fu Zhongqi won't let him off the hook," Tang Yu said.
“I will try to persuade them and explain things to them; these are not problems. I’m considering whether to tell Aunt Dou Haiqin about this and explain Li He’s current situation. It would be best if this feud between them could be resolved,” Song Hao said.
Tang Yu said, "We need to be careful about this. I heard Yingying mention that Li He had a romantic entanglement with one of Aunt Dou's nieces, and because of the acupuncture bronze figure incident, the Dou family was almost ruined, and now they are enemies. If they find out that Li He is in your hands, they will definitely ask you for him. At that time, will you hand him over or not? Besides, this matter also concerns Yingying!"
Song Hao nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. I really hadn't thought of that much. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, we can have Kong Fei and Fu Zhongqi go to the pharmaceutical factory on some pretext tomorrow morning to avoid the time when Li He arrives at Tianyi Hall. And to keep it a secret, we need to secretly receive Li He tomorrow. Just let Grandpa and Teacher Wu and the other elders know. Let's settle Li He in the Wansongling Herb Garden first, and then we'll figure out how to treat him. We'll explain to Aunt Dou when there's a suitable opportunity later."
Tang Yu said, "This is the only thing we can do for now."
Just then, the door opened, and Luo Feiying and Wu Changfeng rushed in.
"I just notified you and you're back in less than ten minutes. How did you get back so quickly?" Song Hao asked in surprise.
"After searching for so many days without success, I gave up. Just on my way back, I received a call from Sister Tang Yu, who said she had found Li He's whereabouts. Where is he?" Luo Feiying asked.
"It was the people from the Gate of Life and Death who informed us that we had discovered Li He's whereabouts, and they will bring him here tomorrow," Song Hao said.
"You mean the people from the Gate of Life and Death discovered Senior Brother Li He, but haven't caught him yet?" Luo Feiying asked.
"That should be the case. However, since his whereabouts have been discovered by the people of the Gate of Life and Death, he will not be able to escape," Song Hao said.
"I don't think so," Luo Feiying said. "Senior Brother Li He learned martial arts from an old folk martial arts master when he was young, and he even won a national Sanda championship once. When he escaped from my Luo family that day, he injured more than a dozen people! The Life and Death Gate couldn't subdue him unless there was a master by his side. Moreover, he has needles in his hand, which are acupuncture points, making them an extremely powerful weapon. Especially when he is provoked, even a master would find it difficult to subdue him. Back then, when he sneaked into the Golden Needle Gate to steal the techniques, he was hiding a whole set of skills."
"This Li He is actually so powerful!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise. "However, with Gu Xiaofeng from the Life and Death Sect around, they should be able to capture him."
"Song Hao, how did you get involved with a secret martial arts sect like the Gate of Life and Death? Why would they help you? And what about the Heavenly Physician Sect?" Luo Feiying asked blankly.
Aside from Tang Yu, Luo Feiying knew very little about the relationship between the Gate of Life and Death and the Heavenly Doctor Gate and Song Hao, as well as Song Hao's mysterious background.
"We met by chance before because of that bronze statue," Song Hao said.
"So that's how it is! Do you know why things have calmed down regarding the acupuncture bronze figure, Song Hao? Besides your Taoist master, there's also the Gate of Life and Death and the Heavenly Medicine Gate. These two forces have made everyone in the world afraid to look at you with disdain, and they no longer dare to covet that bronze figure from you. You already knew the people from the Gate of Life and Death and became friends with them, which led to the Heavenly Medicine Gate withdrawing their order," Luo Feiying said in surprise.
Song Hao and Tang Yu exchanged a smile upon hearing this, but did not reveal the reason behind it.
“However!” Luo Feiying added, “Even if the people from the Life and Death Sect make a move, they won’t be able to capture Senior Brother Li He easily. I think they might not be able to send him over on time tomorrow.”
"I don't think you need to worry about that. As far as I know, the members of the Life and Death Sect have never made a mistake. Especially with their sect leader Gu Xiaofeng personally taking charge, there's no chance of anything going wrong," Song Hao said.
Tang Yu said, "Song Hao is right. The people from the Life and Death Gate will handle this matter well. Song Hao and I have already discussed it. After we pick him up tomorrow, we will secretly send him to Wansong Ridge and settle him in Qiu Ru's Hundred Herbs Garden. Then we will find a way to treat him properly. Since Li He is in some danger, Xiao Wu and I will handle this matter. Remember, never let Kong Fei and Fu Zhongqi know that they are disciples of the Dou family of the Golden Needle Gate and have a grudge against Li He. Even now, we haven't let them know Yingying's true identity, otherwise it will be difficult to get along with them."
"Thank you, Sister Tang Yu and Song Hao, you've thought of everything so thoroughly," Luo Feiying said gratefully.
"By the way, Song Hao, there's something else I don't understand. Gu Xiaofeng, the sect leader of the Life and Death Gate, is an extremely special person. He wouldn't personally show up here unless there's something special. It shouldn't be that Senior Brother Li He led him here. They must have accidentally discovered Senior Brother Li He's whereabouts and thus helped you out. Gu Xiaofeng must have another purpose for coming here," Luo Feiying added.
Song Hao and Tang Yu were both taken aback when they heard this; what Luo Feiying said made sense.
Tang Yu glanced at Song Hao, her expression worried. Had something happened to Tianyi Group?
Song Hao said, "Gu Xiaofeng isn't really a friend of mine. I always feel there's something strange about him; he can appear in front of you at any time, like a shadow that you can't shake off. Yingying is right; he must have something else on his mind for coming to Tianyi Hall this time, otherwise, given his status, he wouldn't show up so easily."
"Could it be that Song Hao is facing danger again?" Tang Yu was suddenly startled, and her expression changed abruptly.
That evening, during dinner time, Song Hao sat down with his two senior brothers, Wu Chen and Wu Yue, in the staff canteen of Tianyi Hall. The canteen had prepared vegetarian food especially for them. These two had been sent by Shangqing Temple to assist Tianyi Hall, using Taoist medical techniques to treat illnesses with excellent results. Their reputation was no less than that of renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioners like Song Zihe and Lin Fengyi, and they were deeply respected by everyone. Accompanying them was Wu Feizi, who possessed extensive knowledge of all medicinal herbs and was currently assisting Qiu Ru in managing the Hundred Herbs Garden at Wansong Ridge.
"Junior brother, the Heavenly Medicine Hall is now making great strides and showing a magnificent new look! You have truly fulfilled Master's grand vision," Wuchen said to Song Hao with admiration.
"Yes! I didn't expect your progress to be so rapid. Not only did you establish Tianyi Hall, but you also built Baicao Garden and Tianyi Hall Pharmaceutical Factory. It's truly unexpected." Wuyue also expressed her admiration.
"You flatter me, my two senior brothers!" Song Hao said with a smile. "The industrial development related to Tianyitang has only just begun. In my plan, I also want to establish a Tianyitang Traditional Chinese Medicine College to cultivate future talents. Judging from the current development trend, Tianyitang is not yet capable of treating all the diseases in the world. Therefore, I also want to establish branches of Tianyitang pharmacies in various regions of the country at the appropriate time, so as to maximize the use of Tianyitang's unique medical resources and benefit the world. In the future, I even want to set up branches of Tianyitang overseas, so that foreigners can also benefit from traditional Chinese medicine and let the world understand the true charm of traditional Chinese medicine!"
“Master’s judgment of character is excellent! Junior Brother’s ambition is truly a blessing for the medical profession! This is something that no one in the medical profession throughout history has been able to do or even think of. We should do our utmost to help Junior Brother realize this wish.” Wuchen said with a face full of reverence.
"With the Tianyitang Pharmacy, pharmaceutical factory, herb garden, and the future Tianyitang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its branches all over the world, we can create a comprehensive kingdom of traditional Chinese medicine that can cure all diseases in the world. This is a feat unparalleled in history!" Wuyue said excitedly.
"My ideal is to create a new era of traditional Chinese medicine!" Song Hao said with a smile.
"What a great era for traditional Chinese medicine! Let us old folks help you realize it!" Wu Qiguang brought over his lunchbox to join in the fun.
"Master Wuchen, the Taoist acupuncture theory you explained to me is quite insightful. I will need to learn from you more in the future," Wu Qiguang said as he sat down.
"This is also an opportunity for us to exchange ideas with Tianyitang. Mr. Wu did not keep it a secret and told us the secret technique of the Ice and Fire Divine Needle. However, we will never be able to achieve that magical effect of ice and fire in this lifetime," Wuchen said with regret.
“This kind of ice and fire technique on needles is also very difficult to master! Throughout history, there have been no more than seven people who have achieved it. Song Hao is quite a surprise to me,” Wu Qiguang said with a smile.
“Junior Brother is exceptionally gifted, a medical prodigy, and possesses a unique understanding of acupuncture. His skill in acupuncture has already transcended the ordinary and entered the realm of sainthood. Our master once said that Junior Brother Song Hao could become a leader in the medical field in the future,” Wu Yue said.
"Haha! Well said. We can see Song Hao's ability to lead a group of heroes just from Tianyi Hall! The reason I accepted the invitation to come here is because I was moved by his sincerity and ambition. It is time for traditional Chinese medicine to rise again! Therefore, Heaven has sent down this person who will revitalize the medical profession." Wu Qiguang laughed.
"Stop praising me, or I'll really get carried away!" Song Hao laughed.
At this moment, a security guard from the security department came over and handed Song Hao a letter: "Mr. Song, we just found a strange letter on the ground at the gate. It's addressed to you, but we don't know who threw it there."
"Oh!" Song Hao took the envelope and glanced at it. It had the words "To be received by Song Hao personally. Do not open by others" written on it.
"Who is this?! Why didn't they just come in and find me?" Song Hao said, opening the letter and then pausing to read it. It read:
Song Hao, this letter must not be seen by anyone. I am in great danger. Please come to my rescue immediately with Tang Yu. You and Tang Yu are the only people I trust most. And do not bring any outsiders. I will be waiting for you under the bridge over the Baishui River.
A letter urgently arrived from an old friend at the Yuehe Copper Mine!
The letter was written in a hurried and messy handwriting, suggesting it was written under duress.
"A friend from the Yuehe Copper Mine? Is it Wang Li? No, he doesn't know Tang Yu." Song Hao thought blankly.
"So that's where he came from!" Song Hao suddenly realized.