Lin Ming was the sort of businessman who, once someone had him by the throat, had no choice but to cooperate.
He gave a bitter smile and said to Wei Jie, "Young Wei, a while back, someone did buy a batch of slaves from the Myriad Domains Region. That batch came from the Pill Virtue Palace. However..."
"Brother Lin, just say what you need to say," Wei Jie urged.
"The one who brokered that deal is also a boss from the Yulong District, but he's ranked in the top ten in Liuli Royal City. A small-timer like me doesn't even come close to that level."
"Which one?" Wei Jie pressed.
"Myriad Puppet Hall."
"Myriad Puppet Hall?" Wei Jie was stunned.
"That's right, Myriad Puppet Hall. Behind them stands the Sikou clan." Lin Ming laid it out plainly, no longer hiding anything.
"The Sikou clan?" Wei Jie's expression darkened immediately. The Sikou clan was one of the very few sworn enemies of the Wei family in Liuli Royal City.
Lin Ming laughed bitterly. "Young Wei, let's leave it there. I only ask that when the time comes, you don't sell me out. My little bit of assets couldn't survive a single squeeze from Myriad Puppet Hall."
Wei Jie said with a straight face, "Rest assured, Brother Lin. I am not the sort of person who betrays his friends."
Lin Ming waved his hand. This news wasn't all that classified, actually — nearly every boss in their circles already knew about it.
He then looked toward Jiang Chen with a pleading expression.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Boss Lin, your condition isn't a disease, it isn't poison, and it isn't an evil qi affliction either."
"Then what is it?" Lin Ming asked in frustration.
"Where do you normally live?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, when you rest at night, you have a pet beside you."
"You... how did you know?" Boss Lin was shocked.
"I also know that the pet you keep resembles a cat, but it isn't actually a cat — it's a variant species that merely looks like one."
"What? I always thought it was a cat. Is there something wrong with the cat? But I've had those Pill Kings examine my bedroom and look at my cat. None of them said anything about it."
"That's because they're ignorant," Jiang Chen said with a light smile. "The cat itself is perfectly fine. You could have any Pill King examine it, and they wouldn't find a thing wrong. There's nothing wrong with the cat."
"Then... then what exactly is going on?" Lin Ming's lips trembled with excitement. He felt that after years of suffering, there was finally a ray of hope for solving this mystery.
"Once I explain it, it's practically worthless. Go home, kill that cat, and then I'll write you a prescription. Take it for about a month and you should be fully recovered."
"Really?" Lin Ming's voice quivered.
"Would I have any reason to lie to you?" Jiang Chen said lightly. "Bring me paper and a brush."
Lin Ming personally prepared the paper and brush and placed them respectfully before Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen didn't hesitate — he picked up the brush and wrote out a prescription.
"This is the prescription. Get the Spiritual Medicine, toss them all together, and brew a decoction — nothing fancy. Just drink it."
Lin Ming instinctively took the paper, still finding it hard to believe. The whole thing felt like a dream.
If Jiang Chen hadn't accurately described his living habits, he would have written this man off as a fraud — someone just brushing him off with nonsense.
But his instincts told him that this time, the answer was genuine.
The other man's tone, his bearing — there was nothing fraudulent about any of it. He could even read a certain disdain in those eyes, as if to say: deceiving you simply wasn't worth his time.
In that moment, Lin Ming's emotions surged. He felt as though the nightmare he'd endured for years had finally come to an end.
"Go fill the prescription. I'll be going."
Jiang Chen could see Lin Ming's agitation, but as an alchemist, he had witnessed this sort of reaction countless times across both his past and present lives.
Last time, when he'd saved Wei Jie, hadn't Wei Jie's subordinates worn the exact same expression?
Lin Ming grabbed Wei Jie's hand. "Young Wei, this time I, Lin Ming, owe you a debt. If you ever need anything in the future, just come find me. As long as it's within my power, I will never refuse!"
He didn't dare grab Jiang Chen's hand, feeling that this mysterious Zhen Shi was unfathomable. He wouldn't presume to reach out so boldly.
Wei Jie simply smiled with a carefree air. "Brother Lin, you're too kind. I've always enjoyed making friends. If Brother Lin feels I'm worth knowing, let's keep in touch going forward."
"Absolutely, absolutely." Lin Ming was still trembling with emotion.
Wei Jie patted him on the shoulder. "You're lucky, Brother Lin. Brother Zhen here — his alchemy talent runs deep beneath the surface. He rarely takes action, but when he does, he never fails."
"Yes, yes." Lin Ming agreed wholeheartedly. His condition had stumped Pill King after Pill King, yet this Master Zhen Shi had merely glanced at him a few times and described his symptoms perfectly. No ordinary person could accomplish that.
Compare a man to a man, and one will die of shame; compare goods to goods, and one will be thrown away.
Compared to this Master Zhen Shi, those Pill Kings were nothing but overrated frauds!
He escorted Wei Jie and Jiang Chen respectfully all the way to the door, and Lin Ming nearly broke down in tears. These symptoms had tormented him for far, far too long.
Clutching the prescription in his hand, it felt heavier than a million Saint Spirit Stones.