The old man, with a broken arm, trembled a few times. Enduring the intense pain, he dared not cry out, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
Watching the old man spewing blood, Long Xiao was also taken aback. He hadn't expected his full-power punch to be so potent. It certainly hadn't possessed such power when dealing with Tu Tian a few days prior.
Taking out silver needles from his pocket, he flicked them out, piercing several acupoints on the old man's shoulder. The profuse bleeding instantly stopped.
The old man's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling as he said, "Thank you, thank you, young brother."
Long Xiao looked at the shattered bone and flesh on the ground, sighed, and shook his head, saying, "I apologize, I didn't control my strength well and made a mistake. Your arm cannot be saved."
Long Xiao turned to Su Guoqiang again and asked, "Who is in charge in Nankou now?"
Su Guoqiang's expression was extremely grim. He moved his lips, then said with resignation, "You are in charge in Nankou. May I ask for your honorable name, brother?"
Long Xiao stood up and said, "My name is Long Xiao, from Xinglin Grass Hall Medical Clinic in Donghai. If you want revenge, come find me."
"No, I wouldn't dare. Young Master Long, please give me an account number, and I'll transfer the funds immediately."
Long Xiao waved his hand, saying, "No need. My clinic has just opened. Just send me some medicinal herbs. You won't be shortchanged on the money, but the quality of the herbs must be guaranteed."
"Young Master Long, rest assured, I will arrange it immediately," Su Guoqiang said, bowing and standing before Long Xiao.
Long Xiao stood up, preparing to leave. He glanced at the God of Wealth enshrined in the southwest corner of the shop and said, "There's something wrong with your God of Wealth. Smash him and see what's inside his belly."
Su Guoqiang seemed not to understand Long Xiao's meaning and just stared at the God of Wealth without speaking. Long Xiao walked up to the God of Wealth, picked it up, and then smashed it down with a swing.
With a bang, the God of Wealth shattered, and a small black box fell out of the hollow interior. The box hit the ground and its lid sprang open, revealing a strip of cloth with black and red writing.
Su Guoqiang crouched down and picked up the cloth. He was startled to see that it bore his birth date and time.
"How can this be my birth date and time, and written in blood?"
"This is a curse. It seems to have been placed not long ago. If it had been left longer, it would have led to bankruptcy at best, or utter ruin at worst."
Hearing Long Xiao's words, Su Guoqiang's hands trembled, and the cloth fell to the ground.
"Could it be that... could it be that the recent events are all related to this cloth?"
Su Guoqiang told Long Xiao that he had been plagued by bad luck recently. First, his wife was hospitalized after a car accident, and he himself inexplicably fell seriously ill. A few days ago, a batch of medicinal herbs had burned down, resulting in heavy losses, and several of his associates who were procuring herbs in South China had been severely injured.
He had always believed that in his line of work, one couldn't always have smooth sailing and that accidents were inevitable. He hadn't expected to be cursed.
"Young Master Long, can you tell who did this?" Su Guoqiang asked.
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "My strength is not enough to tell yet. But I can be sure that this curse was carried out by someone close to you, or someone involved with them. Without knowing your birth date and time, such a curse couldn't be cast."
Su Guoqiang nodded thoughtfully and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Long. I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Long Xiao turned and walked to the door. After a moment's thought, he said, "Do you have yellow paper and cinnabar here? I'll write you a talisman. Even if someone tries to harm you again, it will ensure your safety."
There was a shop selling funeral supplies and offerings at the entrance to the market. Su Guoqiang hurriedly sent a shop assistant to buy yellow paper, a brush, and cinnabar.
Long Xiao was already proficient in basic talismans. He picked up the brush and, with flowing movements, drew two talismans of safety. He told Su Guoqiang to keep one for himself and one for his wife to carry.
After finishing the talismans, Long Xiao went directly to the parking lot and drove back to Donghai.
After Long Xiao had driven away, Su Guoqiang carefully examined the two talismans in his hand. He picked up his phone and made a call to an acquaintance.
This acquaintance was the best master in Nankou, whom the high-ranking officials of Nankou sought for help with their troubles.
"Master Lingyun, I have two talismans here. Could you please take a look for me?"
"What kind of talismans?" Master Lingyun asked, puzzled.
"The person who drew them told me they were ordinary talismans of safety, meant to avert misfortune and bring good luck."
"Ordinary talismans of safety? How could they avert misfortune and bring good luck? You've been deceived."
"Master Lingyun, he could tell at a glance that I was being cursed, and these two talismans were drawn for me by him voluntarily."
"Is that so? All right, let me take a look."
When Master Lingyun arrived, Su Guoqiang handed him the talismans.
As soon as Master Lingyun received the talismans, he felt a rare influx of vital energy that refreshed him.
"A master, a true master! An ordinary talisman of safety possesses such potent life energy. These are treasures! Carrying these two talismans will undoubtedly ward off illness, eliminate disaster, and bring continuous good fortune."
To receive praise from Master Lingyun, one's skill in the art of talismans must be considerable. Su Guoqiang's eyes, as he looked at the talismans, gleamed with joy and excitement.
He hadn't expected to turn misfortune into good fortune. Although Old Xing had lost an arm, he not only had his curse removed but also obtained two precious talismans.
The more excited Su Guoqiang became, the more apologetic he felt towards Old Xing. Thus, on the spot, he transferred ten million yuan to Old Xing via his mobile phone, considering it a reward for his unwavering loyalty.
Master Lingyun inquired about the person who had drawn the talismans, and Su Guoqiang told him it was a young man named Long Xiao. Master Lingyun was astonished. The knowledge of talismans was profound, and there wasn't much information left behind. Therefore, anyone who could be called a master was typically over fifty years old.
A young man in his early twenties far surpassed himself in drawing talismans; it was quite bizarre. Master Lingyun was eager to meet Long Xiao and ask the questions in his heart.
He didn't know Long Xiao's address in Donghai, and the only place he could tell Master Lingyun was Xinglin Grass Hall.
"Good, with this, it will be easier. I'll go find him tomorrow," Master Lingyun said happily.
Long Xiao returned to Donghai in high spirits. He went directly to Xinglin Grass Hall, first asking Mi Tianfu if there were any difficulties in treating patients, and then rushed to the pharmacy to refine a batch of pills infused with life energy.
After refining the pills, he inwardly observed his dantian and found that the basketball-sized green energy sphere had not shrunk. This put Long Xiao at complete ease.
He spent the afternoon refining a thousand pills for treating various complex illnesses. With these pills, any disease that wasn't too unusual could be treated. Even if he wasn't at Xinglin Grass Hall, Mi Tianfu and Mingyue could treat complex illnesses.
He kept ten pills of each type for himself and gave the rest to Mingyue and Mi Tianfu. Long Xiao helped dispense medicine for a while. As dusk approached, he closed the clinic and then hurried back to the Lin family.
Lin Xuan was feeling dejected. After taking the prescription, the pharmaceutical factory's technicians had many details they didn't understand, saying the medicine couldn't be manufactured.
Long Xiao took the prescription and carefully explained the details to Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan still didn't understand, so he had to agree to go to the pharmaceutical factory the next day.