Jinling.
At the highway entrance, a very ordinary Audi waited. Zhong Hao paced by the car.
Seeing Chen Fan's car approaching, he, filled with joy, hurried to meet him.
Chen Fan signaled Jiang Tiansheng to open the door.
"Mr. Long, Mr. Jiang!"
Zhong Hao got into the car and quickly greeted them respectfully.
Chen Fan asked, "How is the matter you were asked to look into?"
Before he could sit down, Zhong Hao quickly said, "Mr. Chen, I've inquired. The address you mentioned did indeed belong to the Su family, but that was nearly a hundred years ago."
Upon hearing the name Su family, Jiang Tiansheng's expression shifted, and he listened intently.
Zhong Hao continued, "Back then, the Su family was a renowned clan in Jinling City, once at the peak of its prosperity! However, due to warfare, the Su family was invaded by a group of retreating soldiers. They were looted and burned, and the Su family rapidly declined as a result!"
In comparison, what Old Madam Su had said seemed to be true.
The Zhong family was considered a local power in Jinling. When Chen Fan informed the Zhong family of his arrival, he also asked them to investigate.
"As for the Su family's mansion, it has changed hands several times and is now in the possession of the local influential Sun family."
"The Sun family has been entrenched in Jinling for two to three hundred years, their power should not be underestimated!"
"Is the Su family's decline related to the Sun family?" Jiang Tiansheng couldn't help but ask.
Zhong Hao shook his head, "I'm not sure. In that era of war, there were disasters and man-made calamities. Many families declined due to such turmoil, not just the Su family, but also quite a few local families. The reasons are too distant, and very few people know them now!"
"Is the Sun family willing to sell the mansion?" Chen Fan asked.
"The Sun family doesn't lack money. The possibility of selling the mansion is extremely slim," Zhong Hao replied, shaking his head.
Chen Fan was not surprised. "Thank you for your trouble. What is the situation with your Zhong family now?"
"The situation is very bad!" Zhong Hao said with a wry smile. "Gu Zi'an tore up the post you left on the spot, saying that it's useless no matter who comes. He's determined to have the Zhong family's prescriptions and Yihetang!"
Jiang Tiansheng's face showed anger.
Chen Fan smiled, "Gu Zi'an, is it? A young master from a century-old prominent family, acting quite imperiously. Very well, let's go meet him then!"
The last time he received a plea for help from the Zhong family, as he was unable to personally intervene, he left a post under the identity of Mr. Long for the Zhong family to give to Gu Zi'an.
Leaving the post meant that he would protect the Zhong family!
If Gu Zi'an showed respect, the matter would end there.
But clearly, that Gu Zi'an did not put him, Mr. Long, in his eyes.
Gu Zi'an hailed from the century-old Gu family in Jinling. He was ambitious and had long coveted the various prescriptions developed by Zhong Yishan.
Among Zhong Yishan's prescriptions, there was the Body Tempering Pill, which also had a significant body-tempering effect for martial artists—the last jade bottle among the medicines Chen Fan had given to Chen Xing'er.
As the saying goes, "possessing a treasure brings calamity." Although the Zhong family was a significant and influential family in Jinling, they were powerless against the Gu family.
After all, the Gu family was a century-old prominent clan. Gu Zi'an's methods couldn't be too blatant, which allowed the Zhong family to barely hold on. But now, they couldn't endure any longer.
The Zhong family's medicinal ingredient suppliers had successively severed cooperation, and their stores in Jinling City were targeted by various means.
Business was secondary. For the Zhong family, the unbearable part was Gu Zi'an bringing martial arts experts to their door to coerce them.
The Zhong family's heritage was in medicine, but no one in the family practiced martial arts, making them unable to resist.
Many in the Zhong family had already wavered, wanting to force Zhong Yishan to abdicate as family head and seek refuge with Gu Zi'an.
The car drove forward. Forty minutes later, the two arrived in front of an ancient and elegant mansion.
On the plaque, the words "Medical Family" proclaimed their heritage and foundation.
But as soon as they got out of the car, Zhong Hao's expression suddenly changed.
In the parking lot outside the main entrance, a Lamborghini Veneno was parked.
This car was extremely luxurious, costing over eighty million yuan, and was the preferred mode of transport for Gu Zi'an.
"Mr. Long, Gu Zi'an is already here!" Zhong Hao said.
Chen Fan glanced at the flamboyant and dazzling super luxury sports car, adjusted his clothes, and said, "This is quite coincidental, it will save a lot of trouble!"
He strode towards the Zhong family mansion.
Inside the Zhong family's main hall at this moment, a man in his late twenties was sitting in the main seat, crossing his legs, and leisurely drinking tea.
Beside him, an old man with a feminine appearance said indifferently, "Zhong Yishan, Young Master An appreciates your talent and skill in medicine, yet you repeatedly test Young Master An's patience."
"Are you going to hand over your prescriptions or not? If not, don't blame Young Master An for not being polite!"
Zhong Yishan, around fifty years old, had a dark complexion and looked like an old farmer.
He stood in the hall, silent.
"Third Brother, why are you so stubborn?"
Zhong Yihai, whose eyebrows bore some resemblance to Zhong Yishan's, tugged at Zhong Yishan and anxiously persuaded him, "The Gu family is powerful, and Young Master An has a noble status. It is our fortune to be able to connect with the Gu family. For the Zhong family to pledge allegiance to the Gu family is not without its merits. Just hand over the prescriptions!"
"Your stubbornness will only bring disaster to the Zhong family!"
Anger flashed in Zhong Yishan's eyes, and he said, "This is the foundation of the Zhong family's existence. How can it be handed over to outsiders?"
He questioned loudly:
"Young Master An, you are a prominent family with centuries of heritage. How can you engage in such extortion? What will people think of the Gu family?"
"Extortion?" Young Master An slammed his teacup onto the table, and the cup instantly shattered. He sneered and said,
"Zhong Yishan, it seems I've been too lenient with you?"
"Today, I'll tell you clearly. Hand over the prescriptions and sincerely make medicine for me, and everything will be fine."
"I have lost my patience with you. If you dare to say no today, I will break your legs and find someone else in your Zhong family who is willing to cooperate with me!"
Zhong Yishan did not care about this. He said, "Young Master An, even if you break my legs, I will not give you the prescriptions. They are far more important than my life!"
Gu Zi'an was enraged by this.
The old man with the feminine appearance stepped forward and reached out to grab Zhong Yishan.
His movements carried a faint sound of thunder, clearly indicating he was a skilled practitioner.
"Young Master An, Young Master An, please wait," Zhong Yihai said, sweat beading on his forehead. "Please wait a moment, give me some time, I will persuade Third Brother!"
Gu Zi'an waved his hand and scoffed, "Zhong Yishan, your son is called Zhong Hao, right? The eldest young master of the Zhong family. I can't be bothered to hide it anymore. Think carefully. If you refuse me again, perhaps your son might have an accident?"
"Clouds are unpredictable, and no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. At that time, when you, with white hair, send off your black-haired son, what good will it do to take the prescriptions to your grave?"
He said it lightly, but Zhong Yishan's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
He hadn't expected Gu Zi'an to be so despicable as to threaten him with his son's life.
He had poured his heart into his son's upbringing. Compared to his son, the prescriptions were no longer that important.
For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.
"Clap clap!"
Just then, applause rang out, and Chen Fan and Jiang Tiansheng walked into the courtyard.
Chen Fan walked calmly into the hall and said, "A century-old prominent family, actually using the lives of others' family members as threats to seize recipes and industries. The Gu family has such great prestige, such fine family traditions!"
"Mr. Long?"
Zhong Yishan, filled with unease and fear, was suddenly overjoyed.