Gu Zi'an tossed the examination report aside, his expression filled with shock and uncertainty.
Was he not poisoned after all?
Had Mr. Long been toying with him?
He recalled the scene at the time, the pressure and aura emanating from Mr. Long still sent shivers down his spine.
Such pressure was something even his Seventh Uncle, the most deeply cultivated in martial arts within the family, had never possessed.
Why would a Hua Jin master bother to play games with him?
And wasn't the Zhong family's greatest skill in various medicinal concoctions?
Mr. Long had said that without an antidote in three days, he would die a gruesome death. He would know the truth in three days.
But he dared not gamble, dared not risk his own life.
"If I find out you've been toying with me, I'll make you wish you were dead..."
He muttered the threat to himself before getting out of the hospital and into his car.
"Young Master An, shouldn't we go and see Uncle Xiang?" his subordinate asked.
Gu Xiang, with three of his limbs broken, was naturally recuperated in the hospital.
"See him for what? His lack of skill got me so disgraced," Gu Zi'an said coldly. "Drive!"
Hearing Gu Zi'an's words, the subordinate felt a chill and cautiously asked, "Young Master An, where are we going then?"
"The Zhong family!"
"To the Zhong family again?"
The subordinate was taken aback.
He didn't dare to ask further. Upon arriving outside the Zhong family mansion, Gu Zi'an wiped his face, put on a smile, and got out of the car to knock on the door.
Soon, Zhong Yishan was alerted. He came to greet them, his expression wary and somewhat uneasy.
"Patriarch Zhong, please inform him that Gu Zi'an has come to seek an audience with Mr. Long!" Gu Zi'an said respectfully.
"It's exactly as Mr. Long predicted!" Zhong Yishan thought to himself, but he said, "Mr. Long has already gone to the Jinling Grand Hotel!"
Gu Zi'an shot Zhong Yishan a resentful glance and turned to leave.
However, after taking two steps, he suddenly turned back, grabbed Zhong Yishan's hand, and said, "Patriarch Zhong, you are a master of medicine. Please examine me and see what poison I have ingested!"
Zhong Yishan hesitated.
"Zhong Yishan, that Mr. Long will eventually leave Jinling. Think carefully. If you offend me, what will be the fate of the Zhong family!"
"If you give me the antidote, I will cease to trouble you from now on, and this matter will be settled," Zhong Yishan's expression shifted slightly.
Under Gu Zi'an's coercion, he took Gu Zi'an's pulse.
After a while, he said, "I detect no signs of poisoning on you!"
Gu Zi'an's face changed, and he was about to slap Zhong Yishan. But mid-motion, he remembered something, stopped himself, and turned away with a flick of his sleeve, saying, "Zhong Yishan, if you dare to deceive me, you'll regret it!"
With that, he got into his car and sped away.
Zhong Yishan shrugged. Gu Zi'an didn't believe his truthful words.
"Father, Gu Zi'an's reaction is exactly as Mr. Long predicted. Even if you told him the truth, he wouldn't believe it!"
Zhong Yishan shook his head. "He is inwardly malicious yet suspicious. Gu Zi'an is completely in Mr. Long's grasp!"
Closing the door, he sighed again, "Mr. Long is truly a divine being!"
Leaving the Zhong family, Gu Zi'an headed straight for the Jinling Grand Hotel, where he quickly learned that Chen Fan and Jiang Tiansheng were staying in the presidential suite.
He arrived outside the suite and was stopped by Jiang Tiansheng's bodyguards.
He plastered a smile on his face and requested to see Mr. Long.
The bodyguard knocked and reported. Chen Fan's voice came from inside: "Have him wait at the door!"
Gu Zi'an was furious upon hearing this.
As the eldest young master of the Gu family, when had he ever been treated with such disrespect?
But after careful consideration, he still dared not storm off.
After waiting for a few minutes, he asked the bodyguard to report again.
However, the bodyguards completely ignored him, chatting and laughing amongst themselves as if Gu Zi'an didn't exist.
Gu Zi'an's face turned ashen with anger.
Yet, the more he was treated this way, the less he dared to leave.
Time ticked by, and he stood outside the door for over an hour, his legs starting to feel weak.
In his heart, he wished he could tear Chen Fan to pieces, but he still dared not lose his temper and leave.
The more he was treated with such disdain, the more he felt that Chen Fan had something to rely on.
His family had a lineage of two to three hundred years. Having grown up in such a prominent family, he knew that there were many things in this world that ordinary people couldn't understand.
For instance, poisons. In ancient royal courts, there were countless poisons that could kill silently.
His wait was agonizing, his emotions fluctuating.
Finally, the door opened, and Jiang Tiansheng walked up to him with a mocking sneer and said, "Young Master An, please come in!"
Gu Zi'an finally felt a sense of relief.
Otherwise, the torment of waiting was too unbearable.
Entering the suite, he saw Chen Fan standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the night view of Jinling.
"Long... Mr. Long!"
Seeing Chen Fan's figure, resentment surged in his heart. Gu Zi'an gritted his teeth in hatred, but bowed his head and said respectfully.
"Investigate the residence located at No. 36, Ni Ping Lane, Xiayun District, which is currently owned by the Sun family. Find out who has held it over the past hundred years."
Chen Fan said indifferently, "Also, I need to visit this Sun family residence. You make the arrangements."
Gu Zi'an was taken aback, his mind racing to figure out Chen Fan's purpose.
"You can go now!"
After saying this, Chen Fan added.
This attitude made Gu Zi'an's heart boil with rage.
"What about the antidote?" he asked.
"You're not poisoned, why would you need an antidote?"
Chen Fan turned back and said calmly.
Not poisoned?
Gu Zi'an sneered inwardly, thinking, "Who are you trying to fool? If I'm not poisoned, would you dare to order me around like this?"
"The matter is simple."
His heart longed to devour Chen Fan alive, but after a moment's thought, Gu Zi'an put on a fawning smile and said, "I will definitely handle it as quickly as possible. Please spare me, Mr. Long, and give me the antidote."
"I've already said you're not poisoned, so why do you need an antidote?"
Chen Fan said with a half-smile.
Gu Zi'an inwardly seethed but chuckled, "Mr. Long, I will cooperate with you. This is a trivial matter and will be resolved quickly. Please be merciful and grant me the antidote!"
Chen Fan picked up a glass of wine from the table and walked towards Gu Zi'an.
Gu Zi'an's expression tensed.
Chen Fan casually raised the glass, and the wine poured onto Gu Zi'an's head. The red liquid trickled down Gu Zi'an's face.
"Scram!"
Then, Chen Fan uttered a single word.
Gu Zi'an shuddered, wiped the wine from his face, bowed his head, and said subserviently, "Yes, yes, I'm leaving now!"
He dared not say anything more, turned, and left.
Jiang Tiansheng watched the scene, his face twitching slightly. He asked his subordinate to fetch a mop to clean up.
"Mr. Chen, has Gu Zi'an's temper become so good?"
He said with a smile.
Chen Fan replied casually, "Some people are indeed like beaten dogs. The more you step on them, the more at ease they feel and the more diligently they will work."
Jiang Tiansheng chuckled at this. He could indeed feel a sense of subservience emanating from Gu Zi'an.
Even though Chen Fan had explicitly stated that he wasn't poisoned, Gu Zi'an simply refused to believe it and insisted on an antidote.
"Mr. Chen, what should we do next?"
Chen Fan said, "Take the picture and go to the antique market to buy some things. Also, inquire if any fragments of compasses have appeared on the market!"