Diao Cheng closed his eyes and sighed, but with a sense of relief. He opened the car door and left.
Watching Diao Cheng's departing figure, Gu Xiaofeng smiled and said, "Song Hao, I've gotten rid of Diao Cheng for you, and even saved you from a deadly disaster. Now, only my Life and Death Gate and your Heavenly Medicine Hall remain. The other forces, warned by the Life and Death Gate, have already backed down. I must obtain Ji Dongyang and the incurable divine formula he possesses; no one can stop me. Not even your father! Now, let's play this game and see who wins! You're becoming more and more likable, kid!"
“We should meet up now!” Gu Xiaofeng said, and then made a phone call to Song Hao.
"Song Hao, this is Gu Xiaofeng. There are a few important things I need to tell you now. I'll be waiting for you on the bridge over the Baishui River."
"Gu Xiaofeng wants to see me," Song Hao said to Tang Yu after hanging up the phone.
"It seems this person is also impatient and wants to get straight to the point. I'll go with you to avoid any accidents," Tang Yu said.
"No need. The Baihe Bridge is right across from Tianyi Hall, and Gu Xiaofeng wouldn't dare to do anything to me right now. He's a decent person and wouldn't try anything against me," Song Hao said.
“Alright, then you go ahead to your appointment. I’ll wait for you at Tianyi Hall. Xiao Wu called earlier. He has secretly moved Ji Dongyang to the cellar that Qiu Ru arranged in Baicao Garden. He said it’s very safe there, and no one except Qiu Ru knows about it. It’s foolproof, so please don’t worry. As long as Ji Dongyang is safe in our hands, Gu Xiaofeng shouldn’t be able to do anything to you,” Tang Yu said.
"That's good!" Song Hao said happily. "This way, we can take the opportunity of visiting Li He tomorrow to visit Ji Dongyang as well. Our activities within the Hundred Herbs Garden shouldn't arouse suspicion from the Gate of Life and Death. Qiu Ru has set very strict rules for the Hundred Herbs Garden; outsiders are not allowed to enter. Furthermore, ordinary workers cannot enter the central area either. This actually helps us."
"You think Qiu Ru is perfect in every way, but I have to remind you, don't talk about Qiu Ru's good points in front of Ying Ying anymore, or you'll start nagging me again," Tang Yu said with a smile.
“Yingying is so petty! Doesn’t she have many good points? At least her temper has changed a lot. If she were still the same as before, she would have pulled out a gun and shot someone if things didn’t go her way,” Song Hao laughed.
"You'd better not provoke her, otherwise she's capable of anything," Tang Yu said with a smile.
"What did I do to offend her! As long as I don't see her father again, I won't be angry no matter what she does." Song Hao said, turning and leaving.
"Sigh! Song Hao, when will you ever understand some things!" Tang Yu sighed as she stood there.
Song Hao arrived at the Baihe Bridge and saw a car parked in the middle of the bridge. Gu Xiaofeng, wearing a trench coat, was standing by the bridge railing, gazing intently into the distance.
Gu Xiaofeng turned around and saw Song Hao walking over. He raised his hand and smiled as he greeted him.
“Mr. Gu, now that we’re here, why don’t we go inside Tianyi Hall and have a seat?” Song Hao stepped forward and said.
"The scenery here is beautiful! I heard you grew up in Baihe Town, which is a blessing. The mountains and rivers nurture people, producing such a bright and extraordinary child like you. Besides, if I were to visit your Tianyi Hall now, I'd probably be an unwelcome guest. I'm well aware of that," Gu Xiaofeng said with a smile.
"Mr. Gu is joking. Tianyitang will always welcome friends like you," Song Hao said with a smile.
"Hehe! I'm already quite content that you consider me a friend. Song Hao, there are a few things I need to explain to you today," Gu Xiaofeng said.
“Please speak, I am all ears,” Song Hao replied.
"You've met Diao Cheng before. Do you know what he's doing here?" Gu Xiaofeng asked.
"I don't know, but this person is an assassin; he must have come here to kill someone," Song Hao said.
“That’s right, he came to kill someone, and your target is you,” Gu Xiaofeng said.
Song Hao was taken aback: "Really? But this person's behavior is a bit strange, though he said he came to help me."
“He wasn’t lying. If he couldn’t help you, he had no choice but to kill you. Do you know who sent him?” Gu Xiaofeng said.
“The person who wants to kill me is obviously my enemy,” Song Hao replied.
“He’s both an enemy and a relative; his boss is Tianyi Group.” Gu Xiaofeng deliberately left his sentence unfinished.
“Family! Tianyi Group!” Song Hao exclaimed in surprise, “Why did they kill me?” Then he sneered, “They were murderers to begin with, so it’s not surprising.”
“Why are you still holding a grudge against your biological parents? I’m not talking about the person you were thinking of, but someone else, your uncle Qi Yanfeng,” Gu Xiaofeng said.
"He's the one who wanted to kill me!" Song Hao exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, and some misunderstandings between you and your biological parents were caused by your uncle. Back then, your father planned a car accident to get closer to your current grandfather, Song Zihe. He intended to injure Song Zihe's son, then use the Heavenly Medicine Sect's secret medicine to heal him, thus gaining Song Zihe's favor. However, your uncle, Qi Yanfeng, bribed the driver, who then killed Song Gang, and subsequently murdered the driver on the mission. He wanted to prevent your father from getting close to the Song family and thwart his plan. Under these circumstances, your parents had no choice but to continue the plan, forcing them to send you to the Song family. You weren't originally part of this plan; due to unforeseen circumstances, you were temporarily placed in. It was because of this that your father was able to successfully succeed as the head of the Heavenly Medicine Sect, as they reluctantly allowed their son to complete their plan, a son who would inevitably become..." "A successful plan. This shows how fierce the struggle for the position of leader of the Heavenly Medicine Sect was back then. Your parents' actions were truly painstaking, not only for themselves but also for your future, so that you could fight for everything you would have. Qi Yanfeng, after failing in every scheme, finally decided to kill you and sent Diao Cheng. Fortunately, he and I had a master-disciple relationship, so he refrained from taking action for my sake, instead persuading you to hand over Ji Dongyang to extricate you from this trouble. However, an unexpected change occurred. You've met that man named Hong Huang, haven't you? He's also one of Qi Yanfeng's men, a man who changes his stance with the wind. After weighing the pros and cons, he betrayed Qi Yanfeng to your father, revealing the entire plan. As a result, your father took emergency measures, removing Qi Yanfeng from all his positions and sending him to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean to live out his remaining years. That's how it happened. Your father instructed me to tell you the truth. Your parents are always concerned about you," Gu Xiaofeng said.
"Even so, what can we do! Uncle Song Gang was still killed by them. Can these be used as an excuse to shirk responsibility? This is unforgivable. Please tell the Qi family that I had no relation to them before, and I still do not. My surname is Song, and I am a descendant of the Song family," Song Hao said resolutely.
“Song Hao, you’re too stubborn!” Gu Xiaofeng shook his head and said, “What happened back then is in the past and cannot be undone. Your parents did this for your future. Even if they hadn’t sent you to the Song family, other members of the Qi family would have been sent there. But your parents chose you despite their pain. You should understand their good intentions. Moreover, the mistake was your second uncle’s fault, not your parents’ intention. Even today, everything your parents have done for you should be forgiven. They have eliminated all difficulties and dangers for you. You will never see Diao Cheng again, and the danger posed to you by the Qi family has been eliminated. Your Tianyi Hall is developing very well, and the Tianyi Group will be yours in the future. All of this stems from what you consider to be the mistake of that plan back then.”
"Mr. Gu, is this all you came here to say? The Qi family means nothing to me anymore. Let's not discuss this further," Song Hao said coldly.
"Alright, that's your family matter, and as an outsider, I shouldn't say anything more." Gu Xiaofeng shook his head and said, "Now, let's talk about our business. All the forces have already retreated thanks to our efforts, so there's no need to fight over them anymore. When are you going to hand over Ji Dongyang to me?"
Song Hao chuckled and said, "Mr. Gu is still so stubborn! I don't even know where Ji Dongyang is, and I haven't even met him yet."
Chapter Fifteen Protection
“Song Hao!” Gu Xiaofeng frowned and said solemnly, “What I’m telling you today is that I won’t leave here until I see Ji Dongyang. If you hand this person over to me now, I can guarantee his safety and will reward you with the secret technique of the Medicineless Divine Formula in the future. You should be able to trust my words, Gu Xiaofeng. This is currently the best way to resolve this matter; there is no other way. I don’t believe you can hide someone forever, or that he will always be willingly protected by you. You have patience, but Ji Dongyang may not. Besides, if you just tell him about the sincerity of our Life and Death Sect in wanting the Medicineless Divine Formula, it will benefit him, you, and all of us. Yet you are so stubborn; it’s not that you want to keep this medical secret for yourself, is it?”
"Mr. Gu! I can tell you clearly now that I have no interest in that so-called 'miracle cure without medicine.' Furthermore, those of you eager to obtain it have no idea what it is. Do you really believe it to be a panacea that can cure all diseases? It's not like that. Even if Ji Dongyang were willing to tell you this secret technique, you might not be able to master it. It requires extremely profound knowledge and understanding of Yin-Yang and Five Elements numerology, something ordinary people cannot comprehend. The Ji family, a medical sect, has not been renowned for its medical skills in recent years, but rather for researching the 'miracle cure without medicine.' The Ji family has devoted their entire lives to this research. Even Ji Dongyang himself was familiar with the principles of Yin-Yang and Five Elements numerology from a young age, studying and comprehending it together with his grandfather. Therefore, while this technique is extraordinary, it cannot be popularized and cannot be considered a legitimate medical practice. Even if you obtain the principles and methods of its application, it will be useless," Song Hao said.
Gu Xiaofeng smiled and said, "What you say makes sense, but for my Life and Death Sect, these are not problems. Understanding the mechanism of the Divine Formula without Medicine is only a matter of time. So, as long as you hand the person over to me, I will handle everything. In the future, I will repay you with a copy of the secret technique of the Divine Formula without Medicine. Why not?"
Song Hao said, "So Mr. Gu's insistence on getting Ji Dongyang's man was also to get him to help you succeed sooner. Of course, these things may not be important, but does Mr. Gu know that forcing Ji Dongyang to reveal this secret technique against his will is no different from that of a robber who steals people's property? Based on this alone, even if I knew Ji Dongyang's whereabouts now, I would not tell you."
“I don’t want to force anyone, I just want to find him and make a deal with him. It’s mutually beneficial, and I don’t think he would object. But you’ve hidden him away, causing both of us to lose this opportunity to cooperate, which is unfair, isn’t it?” Gu Xiaofeng said.
Song Hao smiled and said, "If Ji Dongyang really wanted to discuss this business with you, he would have come to you long ago, since he is a businessman himself. Why would he avoid you? It can only be said that you have brought him danger."
"Song Hao!" Gu Xiaofeng said impatiently, "I didn't expect you to be so eloquent. Alright, I won't waste my breath on you. In short, my Life and Death Sect is determined to get Ji Dongyang. You can hide him for a while, but you can't hide him forever. He will appear one day. At that time, I certainly won't be begging you like I am today." After saying that, Gu Xiaofeng turned around, got into his car, and drove away.
"No need to see me out!" Song Hao waved his hand.
Tianyitang.
When Tang Yu saw Song Hao return, she quickly stepped forward and asked, "What does Gu Xiaofeng intend to do?"
"This person saved us from a dangerous situation. That Diao Cheng was an assassin sent by Qi Yanfeng of Tianyi Group."
"What! Qi Yanfeng is finally going to make a move against you!" Tang Yu was shocked to hear this.