Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy-Chapter 281 - 283 Defying Fate (1/7)

"Congratulations to those who have successfully passed the initial test of the first round. However, this is not yet entirely over..." Wu Fa's calm voice came through the loudspeaker. "After all, we still need to test if your medicinal decoctions, pills, and potions are actually useful. Next, I will send people to bring your concoctions to the high tower. I have invited a number of medical appraisers and brought in specialized equipment to determine if the medicines you have produced are up to standard and effective."

From the high tower, servants dressed as waitstaff emerged. They had all been temporarily hired by Wu Fa for one thousand yuan an hour. This wage was enough to drive most in the service industry wild, ensuring their absolute obedience.

The servants carefully labeled the medicines made by the little girl, Huangfu Jiusi, and the others to keep them separate, then carried the trays into the high tower.

Before long, a voice came from the loudspeaker. "Number One, Han Kongni from Bang Nation, disqualified."

"Nonsense! That's utter nonsense! Impossible!" a physician from Bang Nation shouted, his face dark with rage as he glared at the tower in Yang City. "Hua Tuo and Bian Que left their texts on our soil! I learned authentic traditional medicine, and I made authentic pills! You can't do this!"

His words, however, only drew the anger of the surrounding people from Dragon Country.

"What do you mean, Hua Tuo and Bian Que left texts in your country?"

"Could you please stop spouting such nonsense?"

"People from Bang Nation are truly shameless."

"..."

The storm of criticism made Han Kongni punch the platform in fury. His teachers back in Bang Nation had told him this, and many books there said the same—how could it be wrong?

But he knew he couldn't argue with the crowd. Clenching his teeth, he turned and stormed out of the square. Soon after, several more physicians left the area, some in anger, others blushing with embarrassment, too ashamed to face anyone.

"Some people may seem impressive, but their fates were already sealed. They are merely here to be stepping stones," Huangfu Jiusi remarked as he watched the departing figures. He then turned to the little girl with a smirk. "Kid, you tried to pass off a beverage as a medicinal decoction. You'll be leaving soon, too."

"You idiot," the little girl retorted from her platform, making a sound of disgust.

Huangfu Jiusi gritted his teeth, but with the entire audience watching, he couldn't very well charge up there and discipline a child, could he? If word of that got out, what would become of his reputation? All he could do was stand there and seethe.

The little girl chuckled. "I just love the look on your face when you can't stand me but can't do a thing about it," she whispered. "Moron... idiot... come on, bite me."

Huangfu Jiusi glared at her, his teeth grinding together so hard they audibly scraped.

"Don't be impulsive," Huangfu Huisheng advised him. "She'll be leaving soon enough."

Huangfu Jiusi felt a bit better after hearing that. That's right! This little kid will be another stepping stone for me. But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the loudspeaker crackled to life again. "Number 102, Huangfu Jiusi, disqualified."

"What?" Huangfu Jiusi was thunderstruck. This was impossible. The first round was child's play for him. How could his medicinal decoction be disqualified?

Another announcement followed. "Testing is complete. All remaining contestants have passed."

Huangfu Jiusi's face turned grim as he shot a venomous glare at the little girl. Does that mean she passed? While I failed?

"No! I don't believe it!" The blow was too much for Huangfu Jiusi to bear. In his eyes, this Divine Doctor Conference was his golden opportunity to make a name for himself. How could he fail? He had left the medical university on his own, telling his classmates and teachers, "When I return, it will be as a graduate."

He had also told his grandfather, Huangfu Huisheng, "You'll be first, and I'll be second. I'm still going to make a name for myself!"

Those words echoed in his ears. Huangfu Jiusi clenched his fists and charged toward the high tower, intending to demand an explanation from the people inside. Why was his medicinal decoction disqualified? How could that little girl's concoction, which looked and smelled like a common beverage, have passed?

He had barely rushed in, however, before he was unceremoniously kicked out by security guards. These guards had been specially hired by Wu Fa, and having witnessed his power, they followed his orders without question.

"No... you can't do this to me!" Huangfu Jiusi's face was a mask of fury as he scrambled up from the ground, ready to charge again, only to be held back by Huangfu Huisheng.

"Grandfather, you have to believe me," he pleaded, looking at his grandfather with desperation. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Huangfu Huisheng's eyes flickered. His grandson certainly had talent, but he was lazy and liked to cut corners. It was a bad habit he'd had since childhood. For instance, if a teacher asked the class to copy a problem from the blackboard, which read, "Xiao Ming has five candies," he would simply write: "Ming, five."

"Grandfather, you..." Huangfu Jiusi gritted his teeth. Under the scornful gazes of the crowd, he stormed out of the plaza, cursing under his breath. "Why won't you believe me? How can a child's beverage pass? It's not fair! This world is so unfair!"

Many watched him leave, and upon hearing his indignant rant, the younger people in the crowd just sneered.

*Fair?*

Anyone else could complain that the world was unfair, but Huangfu Jiusi? He was the grandson of the great Huangfu Huisheng, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His starting line was leagues beyond almost everyone else's. His complaints only invited contempt.

"I can't believe the little girl actually passed!" Qin Yuhan clapped her hands with joy as she watched the events in the plaza unfold.

"Her aptitude is excellent. Among the remaining contestants, her current skill in the medical arts ranks second," Wu Tian said with a smiling nod.

Qin Yuhan was taken aback. She had assumed Wu Tian thought the little girl would take first place. How was she only second?

"Second?" After a moment's thought, Qin Yuhan sighed. "You don't know this, but she's always been fiercely competitive. She started talking far earlier than other babies her age. In kindergarten, she won every competition she entered; she never lost. I know it's good for a person to experience loss at least once, but if she loses this time, I'm afraid she'll cry for a very long time."

"Did I say she was going to lose?" Wu Tian chuckled. Although the little girl's skills were currently second among those left, and even though a loss wouldn't be bad for her, Wu Tian couldn't bear to see his daughter lose in such a minor competition.

"If I want her to be first, then she will be," Wu Tian declared. "The decrees of Heaven can be defied."

Qin Yuhan and Murong Yezi were stunned by his statement. As he spoke, Wu Tian seemed like a supreme deity, declaring, "If I wish it, Heaven must provide. If I forbid it, Heaven must not possess."

"So, the person you mentioned whose skill surpasses the little girl's... are you referring to Huangfu Huisheng?" Murong Yezi asked, puzzled.

Wu Tian simply shook his head, indicating that it was not him.