Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Ning Che exhaled a breath of stale air.

The Shi family seemed shrouded in a mist, just like in the Black Pine Forest, where shadows were always indistinct and unclear.

This feeling made him very unhappy, and he felt an urge to take up a knife and kill the Shi family.

He raised his hand and pressed it against his brow.

The evidence is conclusive, so why not kill them?

"Kill them? Why not? Aren't you a hero anymore?"

"You've fallen. You weigh the pros and cons, you hesitate and look back. You see injustice but refuse to act—you're disloyal!"

More dark shadows appeared in the marrow sea, roaring madly and twisting in appearance.

Ning Che chanted the incantation, and the clear light surged, but this time he encountered an obstacle. The shadows were so solid that even the light could not penetrate them.

However, they were forced back, and the path where paper money was scattered reappeared and lingered for a long time.

Ning Che suddenly felt an urge to go in and find out what was going on, but he restrained himself. He never liked taking risks, at least not at this time, for such a meaningless risk.

However, he has already taken many risks.

The boundless darkness vanished, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw his withered right arm. Beside him, Zhao Gang met his gaze anxiously, then his anxiety turned to joy.

"Brother Xing, what happened to you just now?"

"The technique has a few side effects, but don't worry, it's nothing serious."

Zhao He didn't understand what side effects were. But in his mind, any mishap in a cultivation technique was a serious problem. Although Ning Che said there was nothing seriously wrong, he still didn't quite believe it and insisted that Elder Qian examine Ning Che before making a free medical consultation.

Old Qian agreed, and Ning Che couldn't refuse, so he checked it out.

As expected, no problem was found. If Huichuntang could cure it, how could the dignified guardian of the mountain let this Jieming Shuanghua Technique gather dust?

After a brief interlude, everyone began preparing for the free clinic.

Not much preparation was needed, and in just half an hour, a medicine stall made of old materials appeared at the entrance of East Street.

A wooden board was hung in front of the shed.

The words on the wooden board were written by Mr. Qian.

Free medical consultation.

Zhao He was shouting to attract customers, but to his surprise, many people seemed to have never seen this before. Even those who had seen it hesitated and dared not enter. Others, seemingly just curious onlookers, gathered around, and gradually the place became quite lively.

The first person to enter the shed was a woman carrying a child.

The child's face was flushed red from the fever, and he was talking incoherently.

The woman entered very quietly, as if afraid of stepping on something. She placed the child in front of Old Qian and then took out a handful of copper coins, only a dozen or so.

"If it's not enough, I'll go back and borrow some; I'll sell everything I own to make up the difference."

Ning Che said, "It's free."

The woman was skeptical, her tone filled with surprise and doubt: "Really not?"

"Really, no, don't worry," Ning Che assured him.

The woman still seemed somewhat incredulous, but the child's condition made her unable to be cautious any longer, so she had to temporarily put aside her anxieties and cooperate with Mr. Qian.

Old Qian quickly diagnosed the illness, raised his hand and cast a spell, and the child stopped talking nonsense and fell into a deep sleep. Then he selected some herbs available at the free clinic and wrote a simple prescription.

Ning Che and the other two helped out, preparing a prescription for them.

One dose of medicine can only stabilize the symptoms; it's certainly not enough to cure the disease. However, the medicine available for the free clinic is currently somewhat limited, so they can only treat the symptoms partially; the rest will depend on them purchasing more.

The woman, holding the medicine, suddenly knelt down, kowtowed heavily, and ran away with her child in her arms.

Once there's a first, there's bound to be a second.

In less than half a day, a long queue had formed in front of the stall.

The queue that was originally outside Huichuntang was shortened considerably.

Zhou Huaili stood in Huichuntang, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, but he didn't dare to come out.

He only had an eighth-grade cultivation level, similar to Elder Qian, and was a medical cultivator. He was aware of this much; if he went to fight a ruthless person like Ning Che, it wasn't impossible for the other party to stab him six bloody holes in three strikes.

Of course, although the practitioners of Huichuntang are not good at fighting, they still have some influence in the city.

But this was a family matter, and he wasn't even in the right. Since it originally belonged to the Song family, he had no right to interfere once Song Changgeng gave his approval.

The seventh-rank cultivators in this city are considered experts, and they all have some sense of propriety. Even if they have some personal relationship with him, they can't just smash up the free clinic stall without a reason.

But the Shi family didn't have this concern.

In the afternoon, three horse-drawn carriages stopped in front of the medicine shed, completely blocking the street.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a young man in a white robe stepped out. He had a jade belt at his waist and a folding fan in his hand, on which were written four characters: "Benevolent Heart Helping the World."

Lin Ye glanced at it and chuckled: "This fan is quite good at scolding its owner."

The young man ignored him, staring only at Ning Che: "You're the star guarding the mountain camp?"

Ning Che asked, "Who are you?"

"The Shi family, Shi Mingxuan."

The surrounding crowd immediately stepped back. The Shi family had been operating in Feihu City for a century, and their prestige was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people; sometimes, their words carried more weight than those of the government.

Shi Mingxuan opened his folding fan and said slowly, "I heard you were offering free medical consultations here, so I came to check it out. Treating the sick and saving lives is certainly a good thing, but medicine shouldn't be used indiscriminately, and prescriptions shouldn't be written haphazardly. If someone gets sick from taking it, who will take responsibility?"

Old Qian looked up, his tone quite impolite: "When I was practicing medicine, you weren't even born yet."

Shi Mingxuan smiled and said, "Old Qian has the qualifications, but qualifications can't be used as medicine. Look, isn't this just making things worse?"

He waved his hand.

Several burly men got off the carriage and carried a man whose face was pale, lips were purple, and abdomen was swollen. He was barely breathing.

Shi Mingxuan said, "This person got medicine from you this morning, took it, and then became like this. Free medical consultation? I think it's murder."

Lin Ye took a step forward, clenching his fist, and said, "You're talking nonsense! The medicine shed has only been open for a short time, and you're practically dead already!"

Shi Mingxuan closed his fan, his voice turning colder: "Even the mountain guardians have reason. If you try to bully us with your power—the Shi family isn't made of clay."

Ning Che looked at the man, while Old Qian had already stepped forward to take his pulse.

A moment later, his expression changed: "This is not my prescription; something has been added to the medicine."

Shi Mingxuan's smile deepened: "Look, there's still the paper you used to wrap the medicine here. Did you accidentally smuggle some poison in? Old Qian, you're getting old, your memory isn't what it used to be, I don't blame you."

As he spoke, he took out half a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to everyone to see.

Lin Ye sneered, "You think you can slander us just because you picked up a piece of paper from somewhere?"

Shi Mingxuan smiled smugly and spread his hands, saying, "Anyway, the incident happened here, so this debt should be settled on you."

Lin Ye slammed his hand on the table.

"We treat patients here, and we've never taken a single penny from anyone. We even give them the medicine on the spot, like bread. Dozens of eyes are watching us all the time. Who could possibly poison us?"

"But you, Young Master Shi, the Shi family pharmacy must have missed out on some ill-gotten gains today, and you're so distressed you won't be able to sleep tonight, so you came here to cause trouble, right?"

Someone in the crowd chuckled softly, then quickly withdrew.

Shi Mingxuan tapped his folding fan in his palm and frowned.

"Who would believe you if you just spouted nonsense? A mountain keeper's one-sided story—does it even deserve to slander the Shi family?"

Ning Che looked at him but didn't rush to speak.

The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated.

After all, the free clinic was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he hadn't made thorough preparations. Moreover, the other party's methods were even more despicable than he had imagined.

They don't really reason with people. As long as they put the words "medicine can kill people" on the free clinic tent and use the reputation that the Shi family has built up over the years to suppress it, the people will naturally be afraid, suspicious, and retreat.

Even if you trust the free clinic, who can guarantee that they won't be half-dead and carried over like that?

Ning Che reached into his robes, took out an account book, and tossed it at Shi Mingxuan's feet.

Old papers were scattered, and several pages of accounts were turned over on the street.

Shi Mingxuan glanced down at them, not even bending over, and scoffed.

"A tattered ledger dug out of who-knows-where, dares to tarnish the Shi family's reputation? Ning Che, do you think the people of Feihu City are brainless?"

Ning Che said, "Eighteen years ago, the Shi family borrowed thirty mu of medicinal fields from Dongpo, but they have not returned them."

He took a step forward.

"Fifteen years ago, seven carts carrying medicine from Huichuntang were seized. From then on, all medicinal materials from the Nanqu area entering the city had to go through the Shi family."

"Twelve years ago, the formula for Pingzhangsan (a traditional Chinese medicine) was stolen. Three months later, the Shi family pharmacy launched a new version of the medicine, and the price increased sixfold."

"Six years ago, the village chief of Caixia Village, Shigu, was forced to monopolize the Hundred-Cure Herb and send it into the Rat Swamp to breed miasma. He refused, so you silenced him forever."

The noise on the street subsided a bit.

A few accounts, a few events, taken separately, are old news; but put together, they become sharp and incisive.

But the crowd did not move forward.

The Shi family has been in Feihu City for a century. Their shop is located on the widest street, with lanterns hanging at the highest point. They also distribute porridge during festivals. When people in the city mention the Shi family, the first thing that comes to mind is "respectable".

In contrast, Ning Che and his companions, even though they were still wearing the clothes of the mountain guardians, were always a layer removed from these city dwellers.

What Shi Mingxuan grasped was precisely this layer.

He pointed at Ning Che with his folding fan and raised his voice: "Nonsense! The Shi family has protected the people of Feihu City for generations, building bridges and roads, providing disaster relief and medicine—everything we've done is out in the open! It's you who, the more you try to control the demon plague, the more chaotic things become. People have died, you've lost face, and now you want to drag the Shi family down with you!"

The burly man behind him immediately chimed in.

"Yes! They failed to keep an eye on the monster, and they also made the patient's condition worse!"

"To convict someone based on a few scraps of paper? That's absurd!"

Zhao He gripped the hilt of his knife, enduring the pain with all his might.

Lin Ye couldn't hold back any longer; his neck turned red, and he immediately wanted to rush forward.

Ning Che raised his hand to stop Lin Ye.

It's easy to hit someone, but with this medicine stall today, once you strike first, things will get complicated.

Old Qian stood behind the medicine table, his face deeply wrinkled. He looked at the account book on the ground, then at the crowd, and suddenly gave a bitter smile.

Seeing that Ning Che had no further tricks up his sleeve, Shi Mingxuan laughed even more unrestrainedly: "Hahahaha—what? Speechless now? I think this free clinic is just a front for murder! Today you either come with me to the government office to confess your crimes, or..."

Before he could finish speaking, a shrill shout squeezed through the crowd, interrupting him.

"Don't believe him! The Shi family is a scammer!"

Everyone turned around.

The first woman to arrive at the free clinic that morning was carrying a child, her hair disheveled, and she had lost one shoe. She squeezed through the crowd, bent her knees, and knelt in front of the medicine stall.

The child in her arms had woken up; the fever had subsided, and although his face was still pale, he could open his eyes and look at people.

The woman held the child tightly in her arms, pointing at Shi Mingxuan and cursing, "My child had a fever for three days, and the Shi family pharmacy asked for ten thousand coins! Ten thousand! We couldn't even raise that much money if we sold our house! It was Old Qian who treated the child for free and even gave him medicine."

She took out a medicine packet from her bosom and held it above her head.

"Look everyone! This is the medicine prescribed by Old Qian, it's perfectly clean, where would the poison come from? The Shi family is only trying to harm people because they're afraid no one will buy their expensive medicine!"

Shi Mingxuan shouted, "Shut up! What do you, a poor woman, know about pharmacology?"

The woman looked up and spat, "I may not understand pharmacology, but I know my son is alive!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd stirred, and soon, a thin old man leaning on a wooden cane pushed his way forward.

"Let me say something too. I've been coughing for half a year, and the Shi family said I needed to take three doses of Jin Dan San, each dose costing five thousand coins. I wouldn't even be worth fifteen thousand coins to them with my old bones. Today, it was Old Qian who gave me acupuncture and prescribed some medicine, and now I can walk again."

More people stepped forward, all speaking at once about the free clinic. Some had received treatment there, while many more had witnessed others being treated firsthand.

They stood up for the sake of "righteousness".

A dozen or so people crowded in front of the stall, including the old and the young, some carrying children, some helping the sick, and a man selling steamed buns.

He was sweating profusely as he held up the medicine bag, muttering, "If I had known we were going to argue, I would have pushed the stall over here and sold the medicine while yelling at each other, so as not to delay business."

Lin Ye, amused by what he heard, slapped down a bronze fish-shaped coin: "Push it over here, I'll cover all the steamed buns, and everyone who wants to curse the Shi family gets a share. You need to be full to have the energy to curse!"

The man selling steamed buns indeed responded, accepted the bronze fish, and turned to squeeze out of the crowd.

Sure enough, he pushed the stall over shortly afterward.

Someone in the crowd laughed out loud.

The discussion has shifted direction.

"Shijia Pharmacy is really expensive. I borrowed money from three different pharmacies to get medicine for my mother the year before last."

"Is the Shi family treating us like fools?"

"They'd even use life-saving medicine to set up a scam; their ancestral graves must be burning with malice!"

The insults piled up on Shi Mingxuan, one after another.

He stood in the middle of the street, his folding fan still in his hand, his previous air of a noble young master somewhat fading.

Lin Ye didn't hold back at all, his finger almost touching his nose: "What are you still doing here? Can't you see everyone loves taking our medicine? Who do you think you are? Get lost!"

"That won't do." Ning Che also laughed, "That man has to stay. We'll rescue him first, then report to the authorities and see who harmed him. You report, and I'll arrest the culprit."

Lin Ye burst into laughter, and Zhao He chuckled twice in response.

Shi Mingxuan's face turned somewhat green, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "A bunch of lowly commoners, how dare they rebel against the Shi family?"

Lin Ye clenched his fist: "Who are you calling a piece of trash, you bastard? Say one more word and I'll crack your head open!"

Shi Mingxuan ignored him and smashed the folding fan on the ground with a bang.

"Smash this shabby shed! Cripple these scoundrels who slandered the Shi family! If anything happens, the Shi family will take responsibility!"

Eight burly men drew their knives simultaneously.

The blade was drawn, its cold light flashing across the medicine stall. The people in the front row cried out and backed away, several patients were jostled and stumbled, and medicine packets were scattered all over the ground.

Zhao He stepped to the front of the shed, his steel knife already drawn.

Lin Ye raised his fist, eight streams of blood energy already coiling around his body: "Cultivators bullying the sick, the Shi family is truly something else. Come, let grandpa see your skills!"

Ning Che raised his hand and pushed Lin Caiwei behind Old Qian, adding, "Be careful with the medicine box."

The next instant, the first burly man's knife had already slashed at the front of the tent.