Li Zhengxi couldn’t bear to see Li Minghan tortured by Ye Qiu any longer and said, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk…”
However, Ye Qiu didn’t stop.
“Bang!”
Ye Qiu threw a punch, breaking another of Li Minghan’s ribs.
“Ah—”
Li Minghan screamed in agony, writhing in pain.
“You bastard, what are you doing! Stop hitting Minghan, I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything.”
Li Zhengxi said to Ye Qiu, “The plot to harm Old Xu was my doing alone, it has nothing to do with Minghan, let him go.”
Ye Qiu threw Li Minghan to the ground and said, “Li Zhengxi, you’d better tell me every detail of this matter. If I find out you’re hiding anything, I’ll kill Li Minghan right in front of you.”
Xu Zhiming shouted, “Li Zhengxi, what the hell is going on? Why did you plot to harm my father?”
Li Zhengxi took a deep breath and said, “This matter starts with the dispute between Chinese and Korean medicine.”
“When I went to China last time, I wanted to use my medical skills to defeat Ye Qiu and the four great Chinese medical masters, to prove to the world that Korean medicine is the greatest in the world.”
“If I succeeded, upon returning home, I would become a national hero, admired by thousands, and even the president would meet me.”
“But I never expected that China would become my nightmare.”
“Ye Qiu’s medical skills were just too extraordinary. I competed against him in so many matches, and I didn’t win a single one.”
“When this news reached Korea, many media outlets reported it. Not only did I fail to become a hero, but I was mocked by the Korean public.”
“Some said I overestimated myself, some said I brought shame upon myself, and others said I disgraced Korea…”
“In short, many people insulted me with all sorts of harsh words.”
Li Zhengxi’s face showed defiance as he continued, “I represented Korea to challenge Chinese medicine. Though I lost, I did my best. Even if I didn’t achieve glory, I put in the effort. Why should they insult me?”
“Not only did they insult me, but they also insulted Minghan and my family.”
“It didn’t stop there. After Minghan and I returned to Korea, we were like rats crossing the street, despised by everyone.”
“Minghan was sacked from his job, my students abandoned me, and all the honours I had worked so hard to achieve as Korea’s medical sage were gone overnight. I became a laughingstock in the Korean medical community.”
“Even the authorities wanted to charge Minghan and me with crimes.”
“Some people splashed paint on my doorstep and smashed my windows, making life unbearable for my entire family, with no peace day or night.”
“Korea no longer had a place for us.”
“So, Minghan and I decided to leave Korea and start a new life abroad.”
Hearing this, Ye Qiu understood Li Zhengxi’s motive for harming Old Xu and asked, “So, before leaving, you planned to get money from the Xu family?”
Li Zhengxi nodded.
“I did some research and found that living abroad requires a lot of money. I had to secure a large sum before leaving to ensure my family could live comfortably abroad.”
“Among the people I know, Old Xu is the wealthiest.”
“So, I set my sights on him.”
Xu Zhiming was furious and cursed, “You bastard, my father saved your life, and you still harmed him. You’re an ungrateful wretch.”
“Mr. Xu, I was desperate, I had no other choice but to resort to this.”
Li Zhengxi said, “Once I had my target, I began to make a plan.”
“My first thought was kidnapping, but Mr. Xu is a prominent figure with bodyguards, so I couldn’t act.”
“I had to think of another way.”
“At that time, I stumbled upon some information that a tomb-robbing gang had excavated an ancient tomb and retrieved many valuable items.”
“Knowing that Old Xu likes antiques, I contacted the gang and spent over a hundred million to buy a dozen ancient paintings.”
“After acquiring the paintings, I devised a new plan. I intended to coat the paintings with a slow-acting poison, and once Old Xu was poisoned, I would step in to treat him, taking the opportunity to get money from Mr. Xu.”
“But after much thought, poisoning was too risky.”
“Firstly, Korea has many skilled doctors who might be able to cure the poison, rendering my efforts futile.”
“Secondly, if the police investigated, I would be the prime suspect.”
“I thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a perfect plan.”
“Unexpectedly, the leader of the tomb-robbing gang approached me again, offering to sell me a very special painting.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Was it Li Chengye’s painting?”
“Yes,” Li Zhengxi said. “When I saw that painting, I was stunned. I never imagined there could be such a magical painting. Just one glance, and I was trapped in an illusion, unable to break free.”
“The leader of the gang told me the painting was eerie, and if someone looked at it frequently, they would be forever trapped in the illusion, unable to wake up.”
“Without hesitation, I bought the painting.”
“I also researched Li Chengye’s background. He was a genius painter, known as a demon master, who had once used such paintings to kill an emperor.”
“Coincidentally, Old Xu was hosting a banquet at his home, which was a golden opportunity for me.”
“At the banquet, I presented the dozen ancient paintings to Old Xu, and as expected, he was delighted.”
“Later, when no one was paying attention, I secretly gave Old Xu Li Chengye’s painting. When he saw it, he was astonished…”
“Wait a moment!”
Ye Qiu suddenly interrupted Li Zhengxi and asked, “You just said that one needs to look at the painting frequently to become trapped in the illusion and not wake up. How could you be sure Old Xu would look at it often?”
Li Zhengxi replied, “I used a little trick.”
“When I handed the painting to Old Xu, I specifically told him that viewing it regularly would benefit his health and help him live a long life.”
“Later, when Old Xu fell into a coma, it proved he took my words to heart.”
That cunning old fox!
Ye Qiu cursed inwardly.
Xu Zhiming could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward and kicked Li Zhengxi to the ground, roaring, “You bastard, my father saved your life, and you came up with such a sinister plan to harm him. Are you even human?”
“I’ll kill you.”
Bang!
Xu Zhiming kicked Li Zhengxi again, still not satisfied, and rolled up his sleeves to hit him further.
“Uncle Xu, calm down,” Ye Qiu said. “The most urgent thing now is to wake Old Xu.”
Xu Zhiming suppressed his anger and asked Li Zhengxi, “Since you caused my father to fall into a coma, you should know how to wake him, right?”
Li Zhengxi nodded, “I do.”
“How?” Xu Zhiming asked.
Li Zhengxi said, “I know a way to wake Old Xu, but, Mr. Xu, you must agree to one condition of mine.”
