The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 38: Unwelcome Visitors

The Huaxia Traditional Chinese Medicine Forum is now in an uproar. “Professor Meng and the other experts have truly boosted the prestige of TCM!” “Yes, yes! Professor Meng is the best, and all the experts are the best!” “TCM is on the rise from now on; no one will dare to look down on us anymore.” “Does anyone know who ‘Master Fang’ is that Professor Meng mentioned? If a master like that could offer us some guidance, we’d benefit from it for the rest of our lives.” Just as everyone was excitedly expressing their praise for Professor Meng and the others and rejoicing over the rise of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a question from one netizen caused everyone to fall silent for a moment—and then suddenly go wild. “Exactly, exactly. Does anyone know who Master Fang is?” “If anyone knows, speak up.” “Everyone, help us track down Master Fang’s address so we can go seek his wisdom and pay our respects.” However, no one knew Master Fang’s true identity, and the forum was flooded with comments offering rewards for information on his whereabouts. After several days of the commotion, the number of tourists coming to the village to see the python and the white eagle had dwindled, finally giving the villagers—who’d been busy for days—a chance to catch their breath. At that moment, Fang Yun was lying alone in a rocking chair in the courtyard, bored out of his mind. Fang Changsheng and Wang Jiu had gone to the market in the neighboring town, and Feng Xiu’er—who had never been to a market before—had tagged along, leaving only the father and daughter at home. The energetic Niuniu had long since gone off to play with the python and the white eagle. Just then, several cars pulled up at the entrance to Fang Yun’s courtyard, and a group of people got out. The group consisted of a dozen or so men and women. Two younger men were carrying an unconscious elderly man; they had heard somewhere that Fang Yun was a skilled doctor and had come specifically to seek his help. As soon as they entered the gate, a young man as thin as a twig addressed Fang Yun in a commanding tone: “You’re Fang Yun, the one with decent medical skills, right? Hurry up and take a look at my dad.” Although Fang Yun was annoyed by the man’s tone, since the patient had come to him, he figured he might as well take a look. “I don’t treat this kind of illness. Take him away.” Fang Yun’s expression turned cold as soon as he examined the patient, and he ordered them to carry the man out immediately. The man’s face was pale, and his lips were blackened. Judging by his symptoms, this was clearly a case of yang depletion caused by excessive indulgence. He appeared to be well over fifty years old—for someone so elderly to have indulged to such an extent, it was obvious he was no good. No wonder these people didn’t dare take him to a major hospital for treatment. This condition is entirely curable at a major hospital. “What did you say! How dare you refuse to treat my father? Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father, mother, and grandfather are?” The skinny man flew into a rage upon hearing that Fang Yun refused to treat his grandfather and was even trying to send them away. He charged forward, jabbing his finger in Fang Yun’s face and bellowing. Fang Yun’s gaze turned cold as he swatted the skinny man’s hand away. “Who you are, or who your whole family is—I have absolutely no interest in knowing. I’m not a cop; I have no interest in checking your family’s household registration.” “My dad is the town mayor, and my grandpa is a member of the county CPPCC. If you don’t cure my dad, don’t expect to have an easy life from now on.” The skinny man brought up his grandfather and father’s positions in an attempt to intimidate Fang Yun. “So what? Get out of here. You’re not welcome here.” Fang Yun didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids to look at him. The most disgusting people were those who talked about their families all day long and used them to intimidate others whenever trouble arose. They weren’t children anymore, yet they were still so childish. The skinny guy was a bit taken aback. The last time he’d brought up his family, these country folk had immediately fallen into line, but this time, the farmer standing before him didn’t seem to care about his family at all. Instantly, the skinny guy flew into a rage. “Fine, fine, just you wait. I’ll have your house torn down right now. If I don’t make you kneel before me and apologize, I’ll write my own surname backwards from now on.” “Get lost!” A single glare from Fang Yun sent a chill down Ma Gan’s spine. The threats he’d been about to hurl suddenly stuck in his throat. He had no choice but to order his men to carry his grandfather back, vowing to himself that once he got home, he’d have someone teach Fang Yun a lesson. “Oh my!” Niu Niu, bouncing back from outside, collided head-on with Ma Gan as he stormed out of the courtyard, sending her plopping down onto the ground. “What kind of ill-mannered little brat are you? Don’t you have eyes in your head when you walk?!” Ma Gan took out all the anger he dared not vent on Fang Yun on Niuniu instead. “Waaah… Daddy. Niuniu’s scared.” Niuniu had already been in so much pain from landing on her bottom that she was on the verge of tears; when Ma Gan yelled at her, she couldn’t help but burst into tears and call out for her father. Fang Yun, who had heard Niuniu’s cries from inside the house and rushed out, was furious when he heard Ma Gan berating her so viciously that he’d actually made her cry. He grabbed a brick from the ground and smashed it hard into Ma Gan’s mouth as he continued to rant. Ma Gan let out a piercing scream; his lips were smashed to a bloody pulp, and two of his front teeth were knocked out. Seeing his mouth full of blood, he clutched his lips with his hand, rolling around on the ground in agony, wailing and calling out for his parents. With a “whoosh,” the dozen or so men and women who had come with Ma Gan swarmed around Fang Yun, pointing at him and hurling insults. Yet, intimidated by his ferocity, none of them dared to lay a hand on him. One of the women pulled out her cell phone to call the police. Fang Yun bellowed, “Shut up, all of you!” The crowd immediately fell silent. Not bothering with them, Fang Yun gently helped Niuniu to her feet. “Niuniu, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” No one had ever spoken harshly to her in her entire life, so the little girl was terrified; she just clung to Fang Yun, sobbing uncontrollably. The little girl had just returned the python and the white eagle to their cave; if those two massive creatures had seen Niuniu being bullied, it might very well have ended in a fatality. Fang Yun was filled with disgust for the people before her. “All of you, get out of here—or don’t blame me for getting rough.” Faced with Fang Yun’s icy glare, the group didn’t dare utter a word; they helped Ma Gang to his feet and slunk away. They weren’t stupid enough to mess with such a fierce troublemaker—staying there and provoking him would surely get them beaten up. They figured they’d return with reinforcements to arrest him once they’d safely made their escape; by then, they could take their revenge however they pleased. Their retaliation came quickly. Just as Fang Yun had finally managed to make Niuniu smile again, a police car arrived at the entrance to his courtyard, led by the woman who had just called the police, drawing a crowd of tourists and villagers. The woman led the two police officers into Fang Yun’s yard, where they spotted him amusing Niuniu. She immediately pointed at Fang Yun and told the officers, “He’s the one who beat up the town mayor’s son.” Both officers were from the town’s police station, and they usually spent their time cleaning up after the town mayor’s son. Today, upon receiving a report that the town mayor’s son had been severely beaten, they had rushed to the scene immediately. They never imagined anyone would dare to hit the town mayor’s son—now they had another chance to suck up to the town mayor. “You’ve got some nerve, kid. Get up and come with us,” one of the officers said, pulling out his handcuffs and preparing to cuff Fang Yun. Fang Yun was instantly furious. In the countryside, if you’re taken away by the police, your reputation is ruined—people will point fingers at you behind your back whenever they see you. In the minds of rural folk, only those who’ve done something wrong get arrested by the police. Especially when they’re led away in handcuffs. “Niuniu, go inside and watch cartoons. Daddy has something to take care of—I’ll be right back.” Watching his precious daughter, who had grown frightened again by their arrival, go back inside, Fang Yun’s anger flared even more as he felt heartbroken for her. Turning to face the two police officers, who were looking somewhat impatient, Fang Yun clenched his fist, ready to strike. As his martial arts prowess had skyrocketed, his temperament hadn’t kept pace; he was now extremely hot-headed and domineering. Whenever someone angered him, he wanted nothing more than to settle the matter with his fists. Moreover, Fang Yun was convinced that teaching those two police officers a lesson would pose no problem—the state wouldn’t come after him just because of two officers who were acting as accomplices to the bad guys. “Stop it! What do you think you’re doing?!” Old Li, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, dissuaded Fang Yun from striking. As soon as Old Li arrived, he launched into a tirade at the officers: “Who gave you the audacity to arrest Master Fang, the legendary healer of the traditional Chinese medicine community? What right do you have?” Hearing Old Li’s words, Fang Yun felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. When had he become a “miracle healer” in the world of traditional Chinese medicine, let alone “Master Fang”? The woman and the two police officers knew immediately they’d bitten off more than they could chew the moment they heard the terms “miracle healer” and “Master Fang.” In China, anyone honored with the title “Master” is no ordinary person—though, of course, that doesn’t include so-called “masters” in the folk tradition. The two officers hurriedly explained, “We received a report from this person claiming that Master Fang had injured someone, so we came to investigate.” The woman dared not conceal anything and recounted today’s events exactly as they happened. Old Li, having held high-ranking positions for many years, exuded an air of authority that commanded respect even without raising his voice, leaving her with no courage to embellish the story in the slightest. “Serves him right!” Upon hearing that Fang Yun had struck the man because he’d knocked Nuonuo over and then hurled such vile insults that he’d made her cry, Old Li couldn’t help but curse under his breath. He loved the adorable Nuonuo with all his heart. “That patient is the town mayor. He’s in his fifties and has suffered a loss of yang energy due to excessive indulgence.” Fang Yun interjected coldly from the side. This remark instantly turned Old Li’s face crimson with rage—everyone knew exactly what it meant for a man in his fifties to be indulging excessively. “Fang Yun, rest assured—I’ll handle this properly and give you a satisfactory answer.” Knowing that Fang Yun’s remark reflected his deep dissatisfaction with these people, Old Li hurried to reassure him. Old Li had actually come to this village for convalescence with another purpose in mind: to keep an eye on Fang Yun and prevent him from acting recklessly, and to step in and help resolve any issues that arose. If an unrestrained Heaven-level cultivator were to fly into a rage and resort to violence, no one could stop him. As for the consequences then—only Heaven would know. The woman and the two police officers, seeing Old Li’s fury, quickly slunk away. Old Li immediately dispatched police officers to investigate the town mayor’s family. The results of the investigation instantly sent Old Li into a rage: a mere town mayor in a remote mountainous area had embezzled over ten million yuan in just three years. The subsidies allocated by the state for road construction and the “Grain-for-Forest” program had all been embezzled by a few corrupt officials in the town. Furthermore, during his tenure, he had used his power to arbitrarily take advantage of women who sought his assistance, and he had even maintained two mistresses on the side. His father, a member of the county Political Consultative Conference, had bribed several officials to act as his protectors. Ma Gan, relying on his father’s influence, ran rampant in the countryside—getting into fights, drinking, gambling, and frequenting brothels. He preyed on several young women in the town and threatened them not to report him to the police. The very next day, officials from the city arrived and took Ma Gan’s entire family away, along with several officials from the county and town. Everyone immediately applauded with delight, saying that justice had finally been served. The villain had finally gotten his just deserts.