Chapter 17: An Innocent Victim

"You're such a liar," Nalan Wushuang said angrily. "Why would you say that? I’m an honest guy, and I can guarantee you that all I said was true," Qin Haodong said with grievance. "Then how old are you?" "21!" "How old is the kid you mentioned?" "Four!" "So, you've been in a relationship for five years." "No, we met each other only 2 days ago." "You're just talking nonsense, you asshole." Nalan Wushuang would've kicked him out of the car if she weren't busy driving. How could this guy be so serious while making up all these stories? "I am not talking nonsense — I am telling you the truth!" Qin Haodong said innocently. "You..." Nalan Wushuang began, then snapped her mouth shut. She knew she would totally lose it if she didn't stop talking to him. The Audi A6 darted out of the city and finally pulled over at the gate of a large sanatorium. It had large-brick walls and houses with fancy tiles and had been created by the Jiangnan Military Force. It was said that all the residents here were military leaders above divisional commander level. Nanlan Wushuang parked the car and lead Qin Haodong into the grounds. Qin Haodong took a look around the grounds while as they walked. It was a nice place with much more Spiritual Qi around than the urban area, making it the best place for recuperation. They weren’t far into the sanatorium grounds when a man in his twenties approached them. He had a large silk box in his hand and, judging by his fancy clothes, was likely rich. "Shuangshuang, why didn't you answer my calls?" the young man asked as he stopped in front of Nalan Wushuang with a smile. "Zhang Dazhi, I told you not to bother me, unless it’s important!" Nalan Wushuang said in a resentful tone. "I do have something important!" said Zhang Dazhi fearfully. He raised the silk box in his hands and said, "I heard that you're looking for thousand-year Ginseng for your grandpa. I happen to have a friend who runs an herb business and asked him for help — this is the best Korean Ginseng he found for me. I heard it was a hundred-year one, so I came to give it to your grandpa as a gift." He opened the box with an obsequious smile. There was a snow-white Korean Ginseng lying inside. At first, Qin Haodong didn't care about Zhang Dazhi at all, because he was more than another admirer of Nalan Wushuang, and it seemed that she hardly had any interest in him. When he saw the Korean Ginseng, though, he couldn't help but widen his eyes. it was 600-700 hundred years old and giving out very thick Spiritual Qi. This Korean Ginseng, combined with his Blood Ginseng, were the two main ingredients of his Foundation Core. He had to get it, somehow. It was a nice gift, just bad timing. He felt bad for Zhang Dazhi, because he knew it must have taken him a lot of effort to find such an aged Korean Ginseng. Nalan Wushuang would've treated him in a totally different way if he was here two days earlier, but now, she wouldn't even bother to look. Nalan Wushuang barely glanced at the box. She stared at Zhang Dazhi, and said, "I don't need it, just take it away." "But..." Zhang Dazhi was confused. When he’d heard did Nalan Wushuang when he heard that she was looking for a Thousand-year Ginseng. He had used all his connections to find the ginseng, and it cost him more than 10 million yuan to get it out of Korea., all just to hear this beauty laugh. Instead, her expression was getting colder by the second. "Shuangshuang, don't be so impulsive. This Korean Ginseng will help cure your —" "I said I don't need it!" Nalan Wushuang interrupted Zhang Dazhi before he could finish. She knew the better the ginseng was, the more harm it would do to her grandpa. His gift wouldn’t help her grandfather, so she held no interest in him at all. She also knew that if she didn't make it clear to Zhang Dazhi, he would keep harassing her. She then grabbed Qin Haodong’s arm and said, "My family has already invited Doctor Qin to help grandpa. You can keep your hands away from this." Zhang Dazhi gave Qin Haodong a once-over, and said to the angry Nalan Wushuang, "He must be one of those gigolos of yours. How could he be a doctor?" "Watch your mouth, Zhang Dazhi," said Nalan Wushuang, her quick-tempered flaring. "How does it have anything to do with you, even if he was a gigolo of mine?" Qin Haodong felt awkward. He was here just to cure Nalan Jie, but had somehow become the idiot's rival in love and lowered to the status of "gigolo." "Shuangshuang, how can you not know my feelings for you after such a long time? We'll make a perfect couple. What good is this gigolo? He’s too pale and tender to be a real man. I think he may be gay —" "Enough!" Nalan yelled before he could finish. "Zhang Dazhi, shut your hole!" "You..." Zhang Dazhi glared at her in fury, but he was too afraid to flare up in front of Nalan Wushuang. He pursued Nalan Wushuang for her beauty and powerful family, but he greatly feared her legendary temper. He couldn't afford to irritate Nalan Wushuang, but Qin Haodong was another story. "Stay away from Shuangshuang, you gigolo boy! Your death will come so quick, you won’t even see it coming." As the idiot got more and more annoying, Qin Haodong said, "Get out." "What? How dare you speak to me like that! I'll disable you for your tongue!" Zhang Dazhi jumped at Qin Haodong. Nalan Wushuang moved in front of Qin Haodong and said shouted, "What are you doing, Zhang Dazhi? He's a guest of my family! Now get out of here while I’m still acting civil!" She would have already punched Zhang Dazhi if their fathers weren't good friends. Seeing that Nalan Wushuang was ready to go on a rampage, Zhang took a few steps back. He certainly knew how capable the woman could be. He studied Taekwondo for a few years, but he was no match for her. If a fight broke out, he would be slaughtered. But he still didn't give up. He pointed at Qin Haodong, yelling. "Gigolo boy! No man would hide behind a woman! I dare you to come forward and have a man-to-man fight with me!" There was no way this coward gigolo would dare to answer his challenge. The moment Qin Haodong quailed, quick-temper Nalan Wushuang would favor him. Qin Haodong just considering how he could get the ginseng, and now the idiot had presented it to him on a platter. He gently pushed Nalan Wushuang aside. Then he smiled and said to Zhang Dazhi, "You want to fight?" "I bet you won’t. A real man wouldn’t hide behind a woman." Zhang Dazhi was confident; he had been learning Wushu since he was young, and while he was definitely no match for anyone in the Nalan family, he could easily beat the gigolo before him. "Why would I be afraid of you?" Qin Haodong said. "Why don’t we make things more interesting? How about a wager?" "A wager? What do you want to bet for?" Zhang Dazhi asked. "The ginseng in your hand. If I beat you, you'll give it to me. Are you in?" "Well..." Zhang Dazhi hesitated. Angry as he was, a ten million yuan ginseng was a large bet. "What? Are you quailing? Weren't you the real man here just now?" said Qin Haodong. Then he held Nalan Wushuang's slender waist in his arm. She blushed but didn't move, letting him hold her. Being mocked by this… this gigolo with his arm around the woman he’d loved for years, Zhang Dazhi forgot about the risks. "Fine! And what if you lose?" "If I lose, you can do whatever you want." Qin Haodong didn't care —there was no way he could lose against such an idiot. Zhang Dazhi smiled wickedly and said, "If you lose, I'll break your legs. And you'll have to stay away from Shuangshuang forever." "Zhang Dazhi, you've crossed the line!" Nalan Wushuang yelled. "Really? I'll say I am the one suffering loss because the ginseng is worth ten million, and all he has are his legs!" Qin Haodong stopped Nalan Wushuang before she could continue. "He’s right. The bet is fair enough for me. I'll gamble my two legs for his ten million." "Are you sure this is going to work? Zhang Dazhi knows Taekwondo and Wushu." Nalan Wushuang whispered to Qin Haodong. She knew that Qin Haodong's medical skills were extraordinary, but she did not know how his fighting skills were. "Don't worry, he's just an idiot!" Qin Haodong said. He stepped away, then turned to face Zhang Dazhi. Zhang Dazhi's lungs were nearly exploding from anger. "Messing with my woman? I'll blow your head today." His left foot kicked straight toward Qin Haodong's temple. As his left foot got closer and closer to Qin Haodong's head, he began to grin. Suddenly, a force like a train ran into his chest, and his ribs were almost crushed by the power. He flew backward like a cloth bag, then fell heavily on the ground. Qin Haodong kicked Zhang Dazhi away and picked up the silk box. Nalan Wushuang was shocked — even she couldn’t have defeated Zhang Dazhi so easily. What kind of freak was he? His fighting skills were as sharp as his medical prowess. As stupid as Zhang Dazhi might be, he could figure out that Qin Haodong had set him up. He struggled to pick himself up from the ground but failed. "You bastard, how could you trick me?" The kick was heavy enough, but Qin Haodong had pulled his feet a little for the sake of the Korean Ginseng, or Zhang Dazhi would be disabled for the rest of his life. Qin Haodong held the ginseng, smiled and said, "That's not right. It was you that initiated the fight, after all. Sometimes, people have to pay for their arrogance." "Gigolo boy! Just wait for me, this is not over yet!" Zhang Dazhi shouted, his face contorted in anger. "You want to mess with me? Fine, but next time I won't show any mercy, unless you send me ginseng as good as this one." In the meantime, several guards ran over to investigate the disturbance. They noticed Zhang Dazhi lying on the ground, and said, "Miss Nalan, what has happened here?" Nalan Wushuang waved her hand, and said, "Nothing to concern yourself with. Go about your business."