"Hmph, it doesn't matter how long you've been back, even half a year is fine!" Su Muxian hung up his call.
Ye Tiancheng, on the other end of the phone, felt incredibly dejected. He wasn't feeling good, and it seemed Su Muxian had misunderstood, thinking he was seeing someone else.
"Forget it, I'll explain when I'm done with my business," Ye Tiancheng put away his phone.
Ye Tiancheng frequented this area of the Chinese medicine market, and he basically knew all the shop owners.
As soon as he got out of the car, many people surrounded him. They all knew Ye Tiancheng had struck it rich, and these old acquaintances treated him like the God of Wealth whenever they saw him.
"Brother Ye, we just got some Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus... one thousand yuan per piece..."
"Brother Ye, we have Changbai Mountain wild ginseng here, genuine dried goods, absolutely."
Ye Tiancheng found them annoying. Where were the genuine wild ginsengs these days?
The ginseng nowadays were all fakes, rumored to be glued together with plastic, like processed art pieces.
Ye Tiancheng ignored them, feeling he didn't have much time to banter with them.
Instead, he walked directly into a familiar shop.
However, the shop he usually cooperated with was closed. Seeing the tightly shut door and the dust accumulating in front of it, he realized there was a big problem. It seemed he wouldn't be able to find the few herbs he was looking for anytime soon.
Ye Tiancheng felt troubled.
"Isn't this Ye Tiancheng? Looking for Luo Da?"
"Yes." Ye Tiancheng saw Chen Xue. Why was this girl here?
"Don't ask me why I'm here, because I won't tell you," Chen Xue said with a mysterious smile.
"Actually, I don't want to know." Ye Tiancheng smiled cunningly, a smile that sent shivers down one's spine.
Chen Xue found Ye Tiancheng's smile rather strange. What did this strange, evil smile represent?
Ye Tiancheng knew she wasn't here just to wander around. According to him, Chen Xue never came without a reason. He looked at her with that evil smile, intending to remind her – "Little girl, what are you up to? How could I not know?"
In reality, Ye Tiancheng could only guess. It was impossible for him to truly know why she was in the Chinese medicine market. So, he used his evil smile to tease Chen Xue.
Chen Xue, having never seen his evil smile before, appeared quite frightened, completely unaware of what was on his mind.
"What's wrong with this strange Ye Tiancheng today? Why is he showing such an evil smile?" Before Chen Xue could figure anything out, Ye Tiancheng tapped her head.
"Do you know where Luo Da is?"
"I don't know. I'm here to find him too." Chen Xue rubbed her forehead, showing a bitter expression to Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng smiled indifferently, as if it were the most natural thing.
However, at this moment, Chen Xue's phone rang.
It was a call from her hometown.
Chen Xue had come to the Chinese medicine market to find Luo Da, hoping to get a rare herb from him. This scarce herb was related to the life of a relative. But when she arrived, Luo Da had already disappeared.
"Father says Luo Da has disappeared."
"What? Luo Da has disappeared? What do we do now?"
"We've just met Ye Tiancheng, let's ask him for advice. He's a famous divine doctor."
Thinking of this, Chen Xue naturally obeyed her father and handed the phone to Ye Tiancheng, who felt bewildered.
But he had to take the call, as he might need the Si family in the future.
"There's nothing I can do. I'm also looking for Luo Da. If you need me to save people, I don't have time. I'm very busy lately and can't go to Longdu..."
As he said this, he felt very helpless. When he couldn't even save himself, he had to decline.
Although Ye Tiancheng was very capable, some things were simply impossible. He wasn't a superman. This was the other party's thought. In fact, Ye Tiancheng refused their request without giving them a chance to speak, blocking their words from the start so he could make a bigger demand.
"No, no, don't refuse us yet. Anyway, the patient won't die anytime soon. You can come to Longdu after half a month or a month when you have time..."
The Si family patriarch on the other end of the phone said sincerely.
"If that's the case, then it's acceptable."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tiancheng nodded.
"Then it's settled," said the Si family patriarch.
Ye Tiancheng didn't have much time to stay here. He had to call Cui Yanbing of the Red Cross and ask his subordinates to find those herbs by all means.
Seeing Luo Da disappear made Ye Tiancheng feel that the Chinese medicine market had changed.
This was not good news, meaning their reliance on those special herbs would need to change channels, and finding those herbs in the future would encounter more obstacles.
Chen Xue said at this moment, "Don't you think this herb market has changed?"
"I know. Do you have any news?"
"It's about someone's interests. I vaguely feel a force trying to redistribute this market. Those who don't want to leave are threatened and harassed. I'm not actually here to find Luo Da and herbs, but to investigate the changes in the market and re-strategize."
At this point, Chen Xue revealed the purpose of her visit to Ye Tiancheng.
Hearing this, he smiled indifferently and said to her, "Actually, some things seem very obvious, but when you truly get involved, the water here is very deep. Everyone is constantly fighting for profit, making the world murky, dirty, and ridiculous."
"There's no point in talking about some things. Goodbye, Miss Chen Xue."
Ye Tiancheng wanted to maintain some distance from this woman. Before, because of this woman, Su Muxian had been quite jealous of him.
Seeing him wanting to leave, Chen Xue blocked his path. "I'm not a tigress who will eat you. Will you die if you stay with me a little longer? If you're willing to go with me, I'll take you to a free and beautiful place."
"Is this place related to Luo Da?"
"Of course. I just feel there's something wrong with a place, but whether we can find the person we both want to find is hard to say."
Chen Xue's words seemed to imply she had other hidden motives.
"Let's go, don't delay!" Ye Tiancheng didn't want to waste any more time. Otherwise, time would not permit. He knew that person with the super-bacteria still needed those few medicinal ingredients.
The two hurried outside, opened the car door, and Ye Tiancheng asked Chen Xue to get in.
Actually, this little girl had her own car, but to be alone with him, she readily accepted his invitation.
"Tell me what you know. I feel you're more cunning than me. You know things but don't tell me. Don't you know I hate being kept in suspense the most?"
"If you really hate me, then we'll go our separate ways."
Chen Xue glanced at Ye Tiancheng displeasedly and said.
"Wake up, little girl. I'm afraid of you. Let's hurry towards our target."
"Heh heh..." Chen Xue sneered at him.
"You could have explained the problem just now. Why are you still hiding it from me?" Ye Tiancheng realized at this moment that Chen Xue desperately needed a stable supplier of rare herbs.
If some forces wanted to interfere, it would indeed be troublesome.
Ye Tiancheng was very busy now. If he encountered more trouble, even with all his might, he wouldn't be able to handle it.
"I heard you've been attacked by two groups recently. Do you need my help, Chen Xue?" Chen Xue suddenly said.
"No need. What's there to fear from mere petty thieves?"
"Oh my, you really know how to brag."
"What do you mean by that? You don't believe in my strength?"
Ye Tiancheng was unhappy hearing her words. This clearly showed a lack of faith in his abilities.
"Just teasing you. How could I not believe in your abilities? I admire your abilities immensely."
Saying this, she gave him a teasing smile.
Led by Chen Xue, they soon arrived in front of an abandoned factory.
The atmosphere here was very quiet, as if in this bustling city, this place was a forgotten corner.
The factory had a major accident over a decade ago, and it was rumored to be haunted.
After that, it was considered a forbidden zone in the city.
Therefore, no one dared to come to this place anymore.
"This godforsaken place, why is it so detestable?" Ye Tiancheng looked at the exterior of the abandoned factory, vaguely feeling a sense of unease.
"How is it? Only I, Chen Xue, could find this place, right? Don't be fooled by the quiet exterior. If you look closely, you'll see that hidden places, not easily discovered, are equipped with micro-cameras."
"I see..."
Who was Ye Tiancheng? He had cultivated the Soul Refining Art, so his perception was hundreds of times better than others. What Chen Xue could find, Ye Tiancheng had already discovered.
Chen Xue puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased.
She had intended to show off in front of Ye Tiancheng, but unexpectedly, he didn't praise her.
"Let's go, we're going in. It seems the rumors of this abandoned factory being haunted are related to living people."
Ye Tiancheng smiled indifferently and took the lead.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng walk ahead of her, Chen Xue immediately rushed forward and walked in front of Ye Tiancheng.
"Be careful, the one walking at the front is the most likely to die. If a young girl like you dies, China will lose one beauty and gain one bachelor."
"Pfft!"