Cao Fei’s mouth was opened wide. He did not know how to react!
“Why, am I not welcome here?” Tang Hao said seriously.
“No… no such thing! I welcome your presence here, Uncle Tang!” Li Zhengtao said with an ugly smile on his face.
He knew that Tang Hao was very close to his father. If his father caught wind that he was disrespectful toward Uncle Tang, he would be in big trouble.
“Let’s go in, Uncle Tang!” Li Zhengtao said with a forced smile.
“Wait!” Tang Hao said.
“What’s wrong, Uncle Tang?”
“A few people here mocked me earlier!” Tang Hao said coldly.
“What? How dare those people mock Uncle Tang! Who are they?” Li Zhengtao roared angrily.
Everyone started to look guilty.
Many people had indeed said bad things about Tang Hao earlier.
However, the ones who mocked him openly were Liu Junjie and his friends.
Everyone silently shifted their gaze toward Liu Junjie and his gang of friends.
Liu Junjie trembled and his face turned pale as a sheet.
“There’s no such thing, Young Master Li!’ Liu Junjie waved his hands frantically.
He was truly panicking at that moment. If he had crossed Young Master Li, he would have to say goodbye to that circle of friends.
“Throw them out!” Tang Hao said coldly.
“Yes, yes! I’ll get the security here now to throw these bastards out!” Li Zhengtao said urgently. Then, he took out his phone and called the security post outside.
Soon, several burly security guards came over. They dragged Liu Junjie and his friends away.
“Are you satisfied now, Uncle Tang?” Li Zhengtao said with a smile.
Tang Hao nodded.
“Come, let’s go in!” Li Zhengtao escorted Tang Hao inside.
Everyone was shocked when they saw that scene, but at the same time regretful.
They did not expect Tang Hao to have such a relationship with Young Master Li. If they had known earlier, they would have made friends with Tang Hao.
The incident was soon forgotten, and the festivities resumed in the hall.
The gathering ended at about nine o’clock.
Li Zhengtao saw Tang Hao off.
Tang Hao sent Liu Bingyao to her dormitory building, watched her go upstairs, and got a cab to return home.
Chapter 259 - Medicinal Herb Market
Tang Hao left home very early the next morning.
He was going to the medicinal herb market in the city.
Recently, he had devoted his free time to the study of pill-making, and he had quickly exhausted his supply of medicinal herbs. He needed to replenish his inventory, and also try his luck on finding some rare herbs.
Many ancient medicinal herbs had gone extinct in modern times, though there might still be some rare ones growing deep in the mountains. Someone might have plucked them and brought them to the market.
Tang Hao had often heard of stories like that.
His car was still in the workshop, so he went to the market by bus.
The medicinal herb market was located in the south of Provincial City. Its scale was much bigger than the market in Westridge District.
The market was densely packed with stalls. Most of them were distributors, but there were retailers too.
The market was already very crowded even though it was early in the morning.
Tang Hao walked past the stalls and recognized every herb there.
He had completely memorized the Scripture of the Divine Herbalist. He was also very familiar with most modern medical texts, and discerning the herbs was no challenge to him.
When he focused his gaze on a herb, the name of the herb along with its effects appeared in his brain.
Most customers in the market were old. They were there to either stock herbs for their apothecaries or personal use. Not many of them were as young as Tang Hao.
Tang Hao received a lot of attention no matter where he went.
Tang Hao bought many herbs as he walked in the market. He bought all the lingzhi and ginseng he could find.
There was never going to be enough lingzhi and ginseng even though he planted his own. He was not short of money anyway.
From the west entrance of the medicinal herb market, Tang Hao went eastward. There were a lot of street stalls there.
The medicinal herb market was just like any other wet market. The anchor stores were concentrated in the center, while the street stalls surrounded the periphery.
Tang Hao looked around. Suddenly, he seemed to have discovered something.
In one of the street stalls in front of him were several bunches of mundane-looking herbs.
He quickly went over.
He soon discerned that the grass was a medicinal herb named blue nandina.
Blue nandina was very rare. Tang Hao had thought that the plant had gone extinct if he had not seen it right in front of him.
It was not an expensive or potent herb, but he knew that wherever blue nandina grew, another herb named Flower of Youth would also grow there.
Tang Hao had been keeping a close eye on news about that flower, though he had never seen it before. Finally, he had found a lead.
If he could find out where the blue nandina grew, there was a big chance that he could find Flowers of Youth there as well.
Of course, that was only a possibility.
The Flower of Youth was just like the Flower of Rotting Poison. It only grew at places with an abundance of qi.
Qi flow was thin in modern times. Perhaps the Flower of Youth had died out a long time ago and only the blue nandina left.
Tang Hao thought for a while, then he crouched in front of the stall owner and spoke to him. “Where did you get this herb, Boss?”
The stall owner was a plainly-dressed man in his fifties.
He glanced at Tang Hao. “From the mountains. Where else? Do you want it? I can give you a discount if you take everything.”
“I’ll take it, on the condition that you tell me the location where you found it,” Tang Hao replied.
The stall owner’s eyes sparkled. “Don’t tell me this is something incredibly precious?” He muttered.
Then, his excitement quickly died down.
Many people had passed by his stall and none of them even glanced at the hern. He did not believe that the kid in front of him was more knowledgeable than the other people who were much older than he was.
That kid looked too young.
The stall owner grinned. “I’ll tell you if you buy the entire bunch. It’s fifty yuan!”
“OK!” Tang Hao did not say anything further. He took out a fifty-yuan note from his wallet, handed it over, and stuffed all the blue nandina into his backpack.
The stall owner straightened out the fifty-yuan note and grinned widely. “I’m a man of my word, kid. I’ll have to let you know that it’s very deep in the mountains though! You’ll need to be at my level of experience to find it. You’re still too young, it’s too dangerous.
“You don’t know what’s inside the mountains. There might even be supernatural presences that steal your soul.”
He continued rambling for a while more, then he said, “You should know the mountain range to the west of the city, right? It’s from there. Our village is called Dirtclod Village. There’s a road leading into the mountains. Just follow that road, go past a few mountains, and you’ll soon find it.”
Tang Hao memorized the directions.
He stood up and continued walking around.
He soon had another discovery.
Not far away, there was a bunch of medicinal grass on a street stall. The grass was entirely red, and the stems were crooked and looked ugly.
“Bloodhemp grass!” Tang Hao’s eyes sparkled.
Bloodhemp grass was another rare herb. If he could activate its latent potency, it would be able to increase blood production in a patient’s body.
The pill
that he gave Lil Xin’er last time had bloodhemp grass as one of the ingredients.
“This is good stuff!” Tang Hao muttered to himself. He quickly walked ahead and spoke to the stall owner. “I want all of these, Boss! How much is it?”
The stall owner lifted his head to look at Tang Hao. He was about to tell the price when someone shouted, “Wait a second!”
That voice sounded old.
“I want the entire bunch!”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows. He turned to see who it was. An elderly man in a traditional Chinese suit came over. He looked to be in his sixties, but he was healthy and spirited.
His gaze was sharp as he walked.
Everyone exclaimed in surprise as he walked over.
The stall owners instantly became friendly when they saw him. “Divine Doctor Hu!” They greeted him.
The old man smiled and waved his hands. “Oh, don’t call me a Divine Doctor! I’m not deserving of that title!”
“You’re being modest, Divine Doctor Hu. There’s no one more deserving of that title than you!” The stall owners said.
“Just call me Mr. Hu!” The old man said with a smile.
He continued speaking to Tang Hao as he walked over. “Hey, young man, I’m sorry about this, but I need those herbs, you see…”
Before Tang Hao could say anything, the stall owner stood up. He bagged up the bloodhemp grass and handed it to the old man.
“Here, take this, Divine Doctor Hu!” The stall owner said eagerly.
Tang Hao’s brows were locked even tighter. He was the one who saw the bloodhemp grass first.
“Oh, I can’t possibly…” The old man hesitated.
“It’s fine! You’re a divine doctor. You have first dibs to all my herbs!” The stall owner walked ahead and stuffed the bag of bloodhemp grass into the old man’s hands.
“Wait!” Tang Hao shouted unhappily.
Everyone turned to look at Tang Hao.
Divine Doctor Hu’s hands froze in mid-air.
Chapter 260 - Tang Hao’s Prescription
“I’m the one who wanted the herb first!” Tang Hao’s tone of voice was impassive.
Divine Doctor Hu’s face blushed red with embarrassment.
However, the stall owners all around looked indignant.
“Hey, you’re just a child. How could you speak like that?”
“Don’t you know who he is? He is a famous divine doctor. He needs the herbs to save the sick and dying. What could a child like you possibly do?”
Everyone shouted in agreement.
Most of the stall owners were at least middle-aged. They were booing Tang Hao.
Divine Doctor Hu coughed lightly. “Ahem, my young friend, I really need these herbs.”
“And I don’t?” Tang Hao retorted.
Divine Doctor Hu was shocked. Then, he burst out laughing.
‘Isn’t this kid still a teenager? And he says that he needs those herbs? I don’t think he even knows what they are!
‘This is such a joke!
‘What does he need the herbs for? Make tea?’
Divine Doctor Hu burst out laughing again when he thought of that.
“I’m not fooling with you, my friend. I need the herbs. A patient is waiting for me.”
Divine Doctor Hu grinned. “I don’t mean to look down on you, but I don’t think you ever know what herb this is! You’ll only squander it! Why don’t you let me have it instead?”
The stall owners booed even louder when they heard that.
In their eyes, Divine Doctor Hu needed the herbs to help his patients. They did not know what use the kid had for the herb.
“What does the kid know?” Some of them mocked out loud.
Tang Hao smirked and said nonchalantly. “It’s bloodhemp grass. Common knowledge.”
Divine Doctor Hu’s expression stiffened. He looked incredibly surprised.
‘Bloodhemp grass is incredibly rare. Not many people should know about it. So how would this kid know?’
“Since you know that it’s bloodhemp grass, then you should know its functions! Bloodhemp grass is good for improving blood circulation, healing bruises, and replenishing vital energy. The effects would be greater if you combine it with other herbs,” Divine Doctor Hu said.
Tang Hao laughed. “What a senseless waste!” He spat out each syllable.
Divine Doctor Hu was shocked.
He was wondering if he had misheard. A teenager of eighteen years was telling him that he was wasting precious herbs!
That was utterly ridiculous!
He might not consider himself as a divine doctor, but he was confident of his herbology skills.
The Hu family had been physicians for almost four centuries. His name, Hu Huaichun, was also very famous in modern times.
However, he had been insulted by a teenager!
He could feel his anger rising.
‘That kid is too brazen!’ He thought as his face darkened.
“Did you say that I’m senseless wasting the herb? Tell me then, how are you planning to use it without wasting it?” He said coldly.
“You’ve underestimated the restorative properties of bloodhemp grass. With another combination of herbs, it could stimulate blood production in the patient’s body. That could help someone who had suffered major blood loss.
“It’s a senseless waste of this precious herb if you use it for a recovering patient’s recuperation. There are so many other herbs that could do the same thing. You don’t need the bloodhemp grass for that.
“You should know that bloodhemp grass is incredibly rare! You’re using an incredibly rare herb to perform a function of which there are many common substitutes. If that’s not a senseless waste, I don’t know what is!” Tang Hao’s tone of voice became sterner as he spoke.
Hu Huaichun had no response to that.
However, he remained indignant. “You’re right that there are many medicinal herbs that can restore a patient’s vital energy, but none of them are as potent as bloodhemp grass. There is no substitute for bloodhemp grass if you want the best results!
“Shouldn’t I use the best available herb to treat the patient?”
Everyone cheered when they heard that.
“That’s a divine doctor for you! He’s always thinking about the best for his patients!”
Tang Hao grunted nonchalantly. “There’s no substitute because your prescription is bad!”
Hu Huaichun nearly burst out laughing when he heard that.
‘This kid is saying that the Hu family prescription is bad?
‘How arrogant can he be to make such a claim?’
“You talk big, kid! Show me your prescription then! If you can’t show me something better, then you’d better take those words back!” Hu Huaichun said coldly.
His gaze toward Tang Hao was full of frustration.
‘This kid is too arrogant! Whose apprentice is he? How dare he look down upon the Hu family?’
Tang Hao glanced at him and said calmly, “You want a prescription? Sure, I’ll come up with one for you now.”
Then, he turned around and headed into the market.
Hu Huaichun was stunned.
He had thought that the kid was only bluffing, but he seemed like he was actually going to do it.
Then, he smirked coldly.
He could not believe that the kid could come up with a prescription that was better than what the Hu family could do.
Some of the stall owners packed up their stalls and followed behind them.
They could not afford to miss the drama. They wanted to see how the kid would humiliate himself.
‘That kid is only a teenager. How dare he challenge Divine Doctor Hu? Has he lost his mind?’
More people saw that scene and followed behind.
Very soon, a large group of people was gathered behind Tang Hao and Hu Huaichun.
They were discussing intensely among themselves as they walked.
“Did you hear that? Someone is cha
llenging Divine Doctor Hu!”
“Really? Who’s the idiot? He’ll only humiliate himself! Who’s Divine Doctor Hu, if not one of the greatest luminaries in the Chinese medical world?”
The commotion soon reached a substantial portion of the medicinal herb market.
Everyone in the market knew who Divine Doctor Hu was. He was a respected figure.
More people crowded around. They looked at Tang Hao mockingly.
Tang Hao walked in front. He looked absolutely calm.
He swept his gaze across his surroundings as he walked.
Suddenly, he stopped walking. He picked up a shopping basket and started putting herbs inside.
Then, he continued walking.
He turned to his sides occasionally and picked up some more herbs.
Hu Huaichun regarded him with condescension. He thought that the kid was only putting up an act. However, when Tang Hao picked up the fourth ingredient, his expression turned grim.
The herbs that Tang Hao picked truly had the effect of restoring vital energy. Furthermore, the properties of those herbs did not clash with each other.
Coming up with a prescription was not merely mixing herbs of similar properties. One needed to consider their potencies and side effects.
About four minutes later, Tang Hao stopped. There were eleven different herbs in his basket.
“It’s done!” Tang Hao turned around and showed the basket to Hu Huaichun.
“This… is my prescription!”
Chapter 261 - I Submit
Everyone around him burst out laughing.
Everyone had expressions of mockery on their faces.
Who was Divine Doctor Hu?
He was one of the most prominent figures in the Chinese medicine world.
A teenager was showing off his prescription in front of Doctor Hu. Did he not know who Doctor Who was?
Hu Huaichun did not laugh. Instead, his expression was grim.
He could see that the prescription was genuine, and not merely some herbs thrown together.
He could not yet tell how effective Tang Hao’s prescription was.
He stepped forward and took the basket.
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