Starting with a beautiful woman's private doctor

The shopkeeper's face was pressed against the table, his voice trembling with fear, "Boss Wang! I'm telling the truth! Think about it, what benefit would I get from lying to you?"

"She bought up all the century-old herbs in my shop by herself. Now I don't even have a single decent old herb on the counter. How am I supposed to do business these days?"

"If you don't believe me, go ask Mr. Zhang next door. His two century-old Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms were also bought by the same person last night. If you want to smash something, don't smash my shop. Go smash that guy who went on a shopping spree!"

Snake King frowned. "Who are they?"

"I don't know their exact origin, but judging from their accent, they're not locals; they seem to be from Kyoto."

The shopkeeper straightened his askew collar and lowered his voice, saying, "Boss Wang, let me tell you something. Right now, in the entire Hai Nei County, the only place that still has century-old medicine in stock is probably this pharmacy."

"A medicinal herb shop?"

Chu Nan glanced at Snake King.

Snake King's expression was not good. He released the shopkeeper and patted the dust off his hands.

"The medicine shop is the territory of the Jin family. The Jin family is the most powerful family in Hainei County. They set half of the rules for the medicinal herb conference."

"During the annual medicinal herb fair, the pharmacy holds an auction. The top-quality medicinal herbs are only sold through the auction, not on the market. However..."

"The threshold for entering the pharmacy is very high. You either need to be a member recognized by the Jin family or you need to verify your capital to prove that you have at least 50 million in working capital. I am just a small business owner, and I can't get involved in this line."

"It's alright, just take us there."

Xu Yi's tone was firm: "As long as I can save Xiao Ran, I'll accept any threshold."

Snake King looked at Xu Yi, then at Chu Nan, and stamped his foot. "Fine, I'll take you there, but let me make this clear: once we get to the pharmacy, my reputation won't be of any use."

"The Jin family has very high standards; a small vendor like me doesn't even have the right to speak in front of them."

Xu Yi waved his hand and said, "Stop talking nonsense, let's go to the pharmacy!"

The medicine shop is not located in the center of the county town, but in an old house in the eastern suburbs of Hainei County.

From the outside, the house looks like a garden building from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with white walls and gray tiles. Two stone lions stand at the entrance, and a wooden plaque with the words "Medicine House" hangs above the door. The characters are mottled and look quite old.

Two security guards, dressed in black short-sleeved jackets with walkie-talkies clipped to their waists, stood at the entrance, their eyes sharp.

There were already more than a dozen cars parked in the parking lot next door. Chu Nan glanced at them and saw that the license plates and models of several of them were not something ordinary people could afford.

One of the cars, a dark blue Rolls-Royce Phantom, had a Kyoto license plate.

Snake King led the two to the door, but before he could finish speaking, he was stopped by security. "Private premises, please leave if you do not have a membership."

"My friend is from the city and has an emergency at home. Please make an exception."

As Snake King spoke, he was about to offer him a cigarette.

"Please leave if you do not have a membership."

The security guard's tone left no room for negotiation.

Snake King's face turned pale and then red, but remembering that this was Jin family territory, he swallowed his anger and forced a smile, wanting to say something more.

The security guard was already impatient and raised his hand to shove the person, "Are you deaf? I'll say it again, no members—"

"Old Xu? What are you doing here?"

A voice suddenly came from the doorway.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a plump appearance, wearing a light gray silk short jacket, holding a gold-embossed invitation card in his hand, who had just come out from inside.

Xu Yi turned his head, paused for a moment, then recognized the other person, "Old Tan?"

"It's me!"

Boss Tan strode over and shook hands with Xu Yi. "Didn't you say you weren't interested in herbs? What brings you to the mainland? And who is this gentleman?"

He glanced at Chu Nan beside him.

"A young friend of mine has come to help my daughter."

Xu Yi briefly explained the situation.

After hearing this, Boss Tan's smile faded slightly. He patted Xu Yi on the shoulder and said, "My niece's affairs are my affairs. Don't worry, come on, let's go inside."

He turned to the security guard and said, "Old Xu is my friend. His assets are no less than mine. I'll vouch for him, and I'll take responsibility for any problems that arise."

The security guard glanced at the gold-embossed invitation in Boss Tan's hand, then at Xu Yi, nodded, and made way.

Snake King stood at the door, watching the three figures disappear behind the screen wall, and let out a long sigh.

The interior of the medicine shop is much larger than it appears from the outside.

After passing through a covered walkway, the view suddenly opened up before me.

A spacious courtyard, paved with bluestone slabs, with ginkgo trees over a hundred years old planted in the four corners, their canopies blocking out the sun.

In the center of the courtyard stood a platform about half a person's height, covered with red silk cloth; it served as the auction stage.

Dozens of rosewood chairs were set up below the stage, and nearly half of the people were already seated.

Chu Nan glanced at the people present, most of whom were wealthy merchants dressed in fine clothes and exuding an air of refinement.

However, there were a few who dressed differently, wearing short jackets or gray long gowns.

Chu Nan sensed fluctuations of true energy emanating from these people; they were either martial artists or sorcerers.

It seems that this auction at the pharmacy is not as simple as it appears.

Xu Yi was considered a wealthy man in Beihai, and he was recognized as soon as he entered the door.

Unlike the usual warm greetings, the other person simply nodded and hurriedly walked towards the direction where the crowd was gathering.

Xu Yi was a little confused, and Boss Tan lowered his voice to explain, "The Qian family from Kyoto has arrived."

Xu Yi's expression changed slightly. "The Qian family? The Qian family, one of the four great families of Kyoto?"

"right."

Looking in the direction of the crowd, Boss Tan said with a hint of awe, "The Qian family is one of the four great families in the capital. Their ancestors were hereditary marquises in the previous dynasty. The stone lions at the entrance of their old mansion are even taller than those in the Forbidden City."

"After the fall of the previous dynasty, the Qian family voluntarily relinquished their titles and declared that they would never engage in politics again, focusing all their energy on business."

"After generations of management, the Qian Group has become a golden brand in the business world of Daxia, spanning four major sectors: real estate, finance, pharmaceuticals, and energy, with six listed companies under its umbrella."

"Many important officials in Kyoto have close ties with the Qian family, but this relationship is never public. The Qian family members do not enter the court, but there are always people in the court who speak up for the Qian family."

"These aristocratic families that have been passed down for hundreds of years are not the same as those of us who have made our fortunes by taking advantage of favorable policies."

He pointed to the pale figure in the middle of the crowd, his finger pressed very low.

"The lady who came today is said to be the new generation of the Qian family's legitimate daughter, Qian Xinya."

Xu Yi glanced at it once and then looked away.

Normally, he might have gone up and handed over his business card, but now he was only focused on saving Xu Ran and didn't have time for such business dealings.

Moreover, he was well aware that the difference between Beihai and Kyoto was too great.

Along the way, he had already seen several bigwigs from the Four Seas Province come up to him with wine glasses to exchange pleasantries, but after talking for a long time, they didn't even give him a proper look.

A noble family with a history spanning hundreds of years, where even provincial officials only need to nod in greeting.

These local tycoons are probably no different from roadside vendors in other people's eyes.