From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor-Chapter 294 - 269: Old Grievances

Xu Chunliang nodded: "Thank you!"

Hua Zhuyue has the chivalrous spirit of a Jianghu person, and after going through the fight against Tang Tianyi together, their friendship deepened significantly.

Hua Zhuyue said: "I have only one request. After you return to Dongzhou, you must not act on your own accord. Every trade has its rules; Jianghu matters should be dealt with in Jianghu, and you have to follow my lead on how to handle it."

Xu Chunliang said: "As long as my grandfather is safe, I'll do whatever you say."

Hua Zhuyue was reserved about this statement.

When Gao Xinhua returned to Dongzhou, he first went to Huichun Hall. The shopfront of Huichun Hall had been temporarily sealed, and since Xu Changshan didn't have any other properties in Dongzhou, he paid a ten thousand yuan bond, and after accepting an investigation at the sub-bureau, he returned home.

In the bitter cold weather, Elder Xu did not go inside but sat alone in the backyard, staring blankly at the koi in the pond.

Upon hearing the news, Zheng Peian immediately came over to keep him company, worried that Elder Xu might brood too much.

Elder Xu expressed that he wanted to be alone for a while and asked Zheng Peian to leave, but Zheng Peian refused to go. When Gao Xinhua arrived, he was in the kitchen cooking noodles for Elder Xu.

Gao Xinhua first greeted Zheng Peian, who whispered, "He's in a bad mood, go and console him."

Gao Xinhua handed him the salted duck he brought: "Chunliang asked me to bring this for you."

"Does he know?"

Gao Xinhua shook his head, indicating he hadn't said anything.

Zheng Peian said: "Xu Jiawen called earlier. She's taking a flight tonight. I have to go to the airport to pick her up later. It's good that you're here. It's best if someone is with him."

Gao Xinhua walked into the courtyard and coughed deliberately behind Xu Changshan.

Xu Changshan glanced back at him calmly, "You're here!"

Gao Xinhua said: "Just arrived. Chunliang also asked me to bring you a salted duck."

Xu Changshan's eyes lit up briefly, then dimmed again: "You didn't tell him about this, did you?"

Gao Xinhua nodded: "Don't worry, I didn't say a word."

Xu Changshan said: "The tiger bone and rhino horn aren't mine. Huichun Hall never engages in illegal activities."

"Uncle, I believe you."

Xu Changshan said: "The ointment is indeed from Huichun Hall, but someone altered its ingredients."

As if misfortune loves company, someone reported to the police at this moment that Huichun Hall was selling tiger bone ointment and even provided purchase receipts and some ointment samples. Preliminary examinations showed the ointment contained tiger bone, which served as evidence in this incident.

Gao Xinhua said: "What kind of vile person would frame you like this?"

Xu Changshan shook his head. He had his suspicions but couldn't speak without evidence.

Zheng Peian served the chicken noodle soup and called Elder Xu back to eat something.

Under their persuasion, Xu Changshan reluctantly ate a bit. After a few bites, he put it down and said: "I'm full, you guys can leave. I'm fine."

Zheng Peian and Gao Xinhua exchanged glances. Gao Xinhua said: "I'm okay. I'll stay and chat with you a bit longer."

Just then the back door made a sound. Zheng Peian went to check and saw Xu Chunliang walking in. Stunned, Zheng Peian said: "You..."

Xu Chunliang gestured for him to stop talking and strode into the house.

Xu Chunliang's sudden appearance shocked everyone. Although Xu Changshan didn't want his grandson to come back, amid such an incident, not having a family member around felt lonely. Seeing his grandson in front of him filled his heart with warmth: "Chunliang, why have you returned?" After saying this, he glared at Gao Xinhua.

Gao Xinhua replied with a wry smile: "I didn't say anything."

Xu Chunliang said: "Uncle Gao, you're truly something. Such a big issue happened at my house, and you didn't tell me. Did you think you could hide it? With sensibilities like that, I can't imagine how you became secretary."

Gao Xinhua sighed and said: "I knew I'd end up being the bad guy. Alright, it's all my fault, all my fault, okay?"

Seeing his grandson, Xu Changshan instantly felt better: "Have you eaten?"

Zheng Peian said: "I'll go make something. Chunliang, have dinner with your grandfather." He secretly gave Xu Chunliang a look.

Xu Chunliang understood immediately: "Alright, Uncle Zheng, give me a bowl of noodles too, the same as grandpa's."

Xu Changshan's mood visibly improved, and he even finished the bowl of noodles. Since the start of today's incident, he hadn't eaten a thing.

Seeing Xu Chunliang return, Gao Xinhua felt relieved too. He hadn't had the chance to go home yet, and now he could finally leave assured.

Zheng Peian left with Gao Xinhua; he had to go to the airport to pick up Xu Jiawen. Hearing that his aunt was coming back, Xu Chunliang felt somewhat comforted inside. At least it proved that his grandfather's three children still cared about him. After the incident, his elder aunt's behavior seemed a bit cold, making his younger aunt look better by comparison.

After dinner, Xu Changshan pulled his grandson aside to tell him about what happened today. In fact, he had just recounted it once at the police station, but the old man still felt restless and had some things he needed to get off his chest.

Xu Chunliang inquired about the ointment, and Xu Changshan seemed like he wanted to say something but hesitated at the last minute.

At this moment, Lu Qi arrived. Xu Chunliang initially intended to speak with Lu Qi outside, but Xu Changshan thought Lu Qi had come for him, "Xiaolu, are you here to question me again?"

Lu Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, don't worry. I'm not in charge of your case. However, I just learned that there are indeed many suspicious points about the case at Huichun Hall. First of all, the theft was real, and you did lose some items. Coincidentally, someone reported that Huichun Hall was selling prohibited products."

Xu Changshan nodded repeatedly, "Indeed. If Huichun Hall truly had those things, I wouldn't dare let the police search so casually."

Xu Chunliang said, "Currently, our study has been temporarily sealed. I have some things inside as well, which my grandfather is not aware of. I want to see if I've lost anything. Actually, I already mentioned this to Lu Qi on my way back."

Lu Qi said, "I came here for this very matter. Tonight at seven, they will come to examine the site again. You can check your personal belongings under police supervision to see if anything is missing."

Xu Chunliang first advised his grandfather to rest and then brought Lu Qi to his room, turning on the air conditioning.

Lu Qi stomped his feet as he entered the room, "It's quite cold today. You and your grandfather are not short of money; you should buy an apartment to live in."

Xu Chunliang said, "I'm considering buying one nearby." He poured Lu Qi a cup of tea.

Lu Qi said, "Don't worry, it's likely not a big problem. We're checking the surrounding surveillance now. Once the suspect is found, everything will come out."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Qi took a sip of tea, "The most troublesome thing about this case is the ointment. Someone reported that Huichun Hall was selling tiger bone ointment and provided evidence, and the ointment is indeed from Huichun Hall."

Xu Chunliang said, "Didn't my grandfather say someone tampered with the ointment?"

Lu Qi said, "In the eighties, Huichun Hall was known for its ointment. At that time, it did contain tiger bone, which was not illegal then. But now, things are different. After 1993, the state legislated to ban the sale of tiger bone products, including all kinds of traditional medicine products."

"Since then, Huichun Hall has responded to the national call. My grandfather handed over all the prohibited products to the forestry bureau. You can check the records."

Lu Qi said, "We will definitely check. But the biggest problem now is that this tiger bone ointment is exclusive to Huichun Hall. No one else knows it. If someone used the Xu family's secret formula to make tiger bone ointment to harm you, it doesn't make sense."

Xu Chunliang said, "Perhaps someone cracked our Xu family's secret recipe?"

"This ointment is from Huichun Hall."

"Perhaps someone modified the original ointment?"

Lu Qi said, "You'd have to ask your grandfather. Does he have any enemies? Did he pass the formula to others back then?"

At seven, the police responsible for the Huichun Hall theft case arrived. Under their supervision, Xu Chunliang checked his items in the study.

He found that a few rubbings were lost, including a few returned by Bai Mushan.

However, the dragon bone he used as a bookmark was not lost. He didn't tell the truth and said he lost rubbings of oracle bones and a piece of dragon bone used as a bookmark.

Since the situation had occurred, he decided to take advantage, turning misfortune into fortune. He intended to point the blame toward Bai Mushan, thereby prompting the police to re-examine a case that had been dormant for twenty years.

After the police re-examined the scene, they declared the evidence collection complete. They could now move freely within Huichun Hall, but it still couldn't resume business for the time being.

Zheng Peian brought Xu Jiawen from the airport. Xu Jiawen first went to see her sleeping father without disturbing him. Upon returning to the study, Xu Chunliang had already seen off the police and was checking for any other missing belongings. When Xu Jiawen entered, he called out, "Aunt."

Xu Jiawen said, "Losing things doesn't matter; as long as people are safe, you avoid disaster by spending money."

Xu Chunliang smiled, "Nothing valuable was lost. This theft is a distraction; the real aim is to frame and defame."

Xu Jiawen angrily said, "It's truly despicable, framing an elderly man like this is absolutely vile."

Zheng Peian chimed in, "If I find out who did it, I won't let them off easily."

Xu Chunliang asked if his grandfather had any past enemies, and Zheng Peian shook his head. Elder Xu was always kind and charitable, and he had never heard of any enemies.

Xu Chunliang looked at his aunt. Xu Jiawen thought hard and shook her head.

Xu Chunliang said, "Think again, say, medical disputes or something."

Zheng Peian said, "What I admire most about your grandfather is that in all his years of practicing medicine, he never had a medical dispute. I even sought his advice on this, and he said the secret wasn't in medical skill but in treating people with sincerity."

Xu Chunliang said, "What about competitors?" Every industry has its rivalries. With Huichun Hall's prominent reputation, it's normal to arouse jealousy. From the report and the evidence provided, the one framing grandfather is definitely an insider.

Zheng Peian said, "I've never heard the old man mention it."

Xu Jiawen furrowed her brows and suddenly said, "If we're talking about enemies, there might be one."