The elder clarified the situation to the onlookers, who all scorned the woman on the ground. Some even took the opportunity to kick her.
Long Xiao approached the woman and asked, "Tell me, who sent you to cause trouble at Xinglin Grass Hall?"
The woman looked at the elder, who replied, "Don't look at me, I'm not your father."
It wasn't appropriate to interrogate her in front of so many people. As Long Xiao was contemplating how to make her tell the truth, Luo Tianshui entered, dragging the burly man like a dead dog.
With a thud, the burly man was thrown to the ground. Luo Tianshui clapped his hands and said, "Trying to run, huh? You didn't even consider where you were."
After speaking, Luo Tianshui turned and went back to the rear courtyard.
Long Xiao kicked the man on the ground and said, "You tell me yourself, or should I call the police for an interrogation?"
Hearing that the police would be involved, the burly man panicked. Extorting money from Xinglin Grass Hall wasn't a major offense, but if the police investigated his past actions, he feared he'd spend the rest of his life in prison.
"I'll talk, I'll talk. It was President Lin who hired us," the burly man confessed.
"Which President Lin?" Long Xiao inquired.
The burly man informed Long Xiao that President Lin was Lin Xin. Lin Xin had paid each of them fifty thousand yuan to slander Xinglin Grass Hall, ideally to the point of forcing it to close down.
Long Xiao found it strange. Lin Xuan had already resigned as CEO of Lin Group and passed the position to Lin Xin. Why was he still causing him trouble?
Long Xiao's intelligence agency wasn't fully established yet, so it wasn't useful. However, he knew that every power in Donghai had its own intelligence system.
Long Xiao turned to Bao Tie and said, "Bao Tie, help me investigate this. Why is Lin Xin targeting me?"
"Brother Long, he's just Lin Xin. We can just capture him and interrogate him. He wouldn't dare not talk."
Long Xiao sighed and shook his head. "No, he's a relative of my wife. If we capture him and force him to confess, the Lin family will come after me."
Bao Tie nodded and said, "Alright, I'll send someone to investigate."
The burly man and the woman were then grabbed by Zhang Eryong and Bao Tie and thrown out the door.
The onlookers once again formed a line, waiting for medical consultations.
With Long Xiao's help, Mingyue and Mi Tianfu finished seeing all the patients and dispensing medicine without taking too long, sending them all on their way.
After Xinglin Grass Hall quieted down, Mingyue let out a long sigh. "Master, I'm exhausted today. Should we have an extra meal?"
Long Xiao looked at his gluttonous disciple and smiled. "Alright, everyone will have a big meal together."
Upon hearing that there would be an extra meal, Xue Meiqin immediately took Zhang Eryong and Bao Tie to buy groceries. Mingyue ran to Luo Tianshui's room and called him out.
Luo Tianshui was an excellent cook. He had been low-key when he first arrived at Xinglin Grass Hall, so others were unaware of his talent. Later, when Mingyue discovered it, she always wanted him to be their chef.
"Tianshui, we'll have to trouble you again," Mi Tianfu said politely.
Luo Tianshui glanced at Long Xiao. Seeing that Long Xiao said nothing, he reluctantly went to the kitchen to cook.
Mi Tianfu and Mingyue moved a large table into the courtyard and brought out a case of Maotai from the warehouse.
Since Xinglin Grass Hall became popular, Mi Tianfu had asked someone to buy over ten cases of Maotai and over ten cases of Wuliangye, storing them in the warehouse under the pretense of needing them for medical treatment.
Soon, Xue Meiqin and the others returned with a large amount of seafood. Mingyue joyfully exclaimed, "Let's get drunk!"
Various seafood dishes were laid out on the table. Long Xiao asked Mingyue to call Tong Hui and the only hospitalized patient to the front courtyard.
The elder, the sole patient, was touched to see a table full of seafood.
At hospitals, patients were only presented with various bills. Here, however, there was an abundance of seafood and fine wine.
As everyone was taking their seats, the courtyard gate of Xinglin Grass Hall was pushed open, and the brothers Lu Tianxing and Lu Tianzhi walked in.
"Brother, we brothers are here to mooch a meal," Lu Tianxing announced loudly.
Upon seeing the two, everyone quickly stood up to greet them.
Long Xiao walked a few steps forward to meet them and said, "Welcome, gentlemen."
Mingyue ran into the house and brought out two chairs for them to sit.
As Lu Tianxing entered the courtyard, he spotted the elder who was the only patient.
"Why are you here?" Lu Tianxing asked the elder nervously.
The elder did not recognize Lu Tianxing. He looked at Lu Tianxing and asked, "Do we know each other?"
Lu Tianxing shook his head and said, "We shouldn't. I saw your son's case file, and it included photos of your family."
The elder sighed and said, "That unfilial son is utterly wicked. I no longer acknowledge him. Whatever he does outside has nothing to do with my grandson and me."
Looking at the elder's gritted teeth, it was clear he deeply resented his son.
Long Xiao poured the elder a drink and said, "Tell us, uncle. Think of it as telling us a story."
The elder nodded and said, "My name is Xin Sihai. I've also done some things I shouldn't have in the past. We won't talk about that here."
Long Xiao nodded slightly, took a sip of wine, and, like everyone else, looked at Xin Sihai, waiting for him to tell his story.
Xin Sihai told them that his son, Xin Yifei, was a martial arts prodigy from a young age. By his thirties, his strength had already reached the early Xuan realm.
Martial arts required comprehension and inheritance. His son had only high comprehension but no good inheritance. Therefore, even at thirty-five, his strength had not progressed one bit.
One day, Xin Yifei returned home and told Xin Sihai that he had found a master with an ancient inheritance. He decided to leave home and cultivate diligently under his master's guidance.
Despite Xin Sihai's pleas, Xin Yifei abandoned his wife and child and left with his master.
Last year, Xin Yifei suddenly returned home. He told his father that he intended to develop in Donghai and that his strength had already reached the middle Xuan realm.
Xin Sihai initially thought this was a good thing, that his son had had a change of heart and returned to live a good life. He never expected that the actions his son took next would cause him to directly expel his son from the family and disown him.
"Uncle Xin, what did your son do that made you disown him?" Mingyue asked curiously.
Xin Sihai sighed and said, "He committed heinous acts of bullying and oppressing people."
Seeing that Xin Sihai was reluctant to elaborate, Lu Tianxing said, "Have you heard of the Donghai Brutes?"
Mingyue, Mi Tianfu, and Zhang Eryong hadn't. Xue Meiqin glanced at Long Xiao, who also shook his head, indicating he hadn't heard of them.
Xue Meiqin said, "I heard my father mention them. Several reclusive experts in Donghai were crippled by them."
Lu Tianxing nodded and said, "Yes, the Donghai Brutes are very powerful. There are four of them, and the leader is Xin Yifei. Our police have always wanted to arrest the four of them, but we don't have police officers strong enough to reach the Xuan realm, so we can't apprehend them."
This was also the police's dilemma. Who would become a police officer if they had reached the Xuan realm? Such a possibility was almost non-existent.
Matters of the martial world were usually handled within the martial world, and the police generally didn't intervene. However, these four individuals were too cruel, and their actions had too severe of an impact. The police had to get involved.
Xin Sihai sighed and said, "I can't control him. I truly can't. If I were stronger than him, I would have killed him long ago."