The mountain path was rugged and bumpy, causing Liu Zheng to feel as if two things were pressed tightly against his back.

Late in the traverse, he didn’t bend over but kept his back straight, causing those two things to press even closer against him.

As a result, a surge of irritation welled up within him.

A certain part of his body swelled because of the fire in his heart.

Indeed, Liu Zheng was suffering in silence.

He even silently vowed never to wear such tight jeans again.

Finally.

Liu Zheng had carried Liu Sumei back to the village.

Having brought her to the doorstep, Liu Zheng stood up straight and said, "Su Mei sister-in-law, I won’t take you inside."

He pointed to his upper body and said, "I’m shirtless right now, which isn’t great. If someone saw us, they might think we were up to something."

Seeing Liu Zheng setting her down and about to leave, Liu Sumei panicked.

She grabbed Liu Zheng’s arm and said, "Little Zheng, don’t go just yet. Come inside with sister and I’ll introduce you to my sister. Also, I’ll take off the clothes and give them back to you."

The reason he didn’t want to go inside was precisely what Liu Zheng feared most.

So, before Liu Sumei could react, he snatched the basket from her hand and sprinted toward his own home.

He ran swiftly, and by the time Liu Sumei reacted, his figure had already disappeared into the distance.

While sprinting home, Liu Zheng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Now, he could say he had nothing—no house, no car, no savings.

If he really took a liking to Liu Sumei’s sister, what could he offer to marry such a girl into his family?

After a while pondering, he got home, changed into a T-shirt, grabbed the basket, and went straight to the county town.

The journey being long, by the time he reached the county town, it was already getting late.

Seeing the day darken, Liu Zheng didn’t waste words and headed directly for the largest chain of traditional Chinese medicine shops in the county town.

"The quality of today’s medicinal herbs is good; they should fetch a decent price and stop Liu Kai and his lot from causing further trouble."

The largest chain of traditional Chinese medicine shops in the county was the Benevolent Heart Medicine Shop.

Based on past experience, Benevolent Heart Medicine Shop was known to purchase medicinal herbs with a fair amount of integrity.

Moreover, the herbs Liu Zheng had harvested today were wild medicinal herbs of excellent quality.

In the entire county, only the Benevolent Heart Medicine Shop would pay a high price for them.

As he was about to enter, Liu Zheng took the basket off his back.

Just as he was stepping into the shop, he noticed a young man rushing out of the door.

The young man ran fast and nearly collided with Liu Zheng as he exited.

However, he was quick to react, sidestepping Liu Zheng and then hurriedly left the shop.

Liu Zheng, not understanding what was going on, walked into the shop with his basket.

But.

Upon entering, Liu Zheng was stunned by the scene before him.

There were quite a few people in the shop, but everyone’s face bore a look of concern.

An elderly man with long white whiskers that gave him the appearance of a sage seemed extremely anxious, rubbing his hands and pacing back and forth.

At that moment, he appeared terribly fretful, repeatedly wringing his hands and stomping his feet.

"What should we do, what should we do! If something happens to President Qin in our store, how will we explain this?"

Following his gaze, Liu Zheng looked over and quickly saw a very beautiful woman lying on the floor of the pharmacy’s hall.

Next to her was a middle-aged man, frowning as he took her pulse.

The white-bearded old man’s brows were deeply furrowed, and he turned to look at the shop assistant beside him, waving his hands and saying, "Hurry up, what are you standing around for? Fetch some cold water, and bring some chairs over so President Qin doesn’t catch a chill lying on the ground."

After issuing his instructions, he turned his head to the pulse-taking middle-aged man and asked, "How is she, how is President Qin’s condition?"

The middle-aged man’s expression was extremely solemn, his brow furrowed.

He took a deep breath, steadying his hands, and looked up at the white-bearded elder, his eyes filled with fear and helplessness.

"The situation is very, very bad, but... this medicine has been working for several years, how come it can’t save President Qin this time?"

Hearing this, the white-bearded elder swayed unsteadily, nearly collapsing, his eyes becoming somewhat scattered.

"This... Before, we’ve always been able to save President Qin, this time... does it mean that President Bai is to just wait for death?"

Seeing everyone so anxious and the beautiful woman lying there in such crisis,

Liu Zheng set down his carrying basket and stepped forward, saying, "I can save her life."

Upon hearing Liu Zheng’s words, a glimmer of hope seemed to light up in the old man’s eyes.

However,

when he turned to look at Liu Zheng and realized he was just a young lad, his expression immediately soured.

He didn’t say anything but sighed deeply.

Yet, the middle-aged man taking the pulse of the beautiful woman, upon hearing Liu Zheng’s claim, couldn’t help but turn his head to look at him.

Seeing such a young Liu Zheng, he couldn’t suppress a cold laugh and angrily rebuked, "Boy, who do you think you are? To so boldly claim you can cure President Qin’s illness?"

Being questioned, Liu Zheng felt irritated.

But now was not the time for such concerns.

To him, healing and saving lives was paramount.

Giving the middle-aged man a glance, Liu Zheng ignored him and turned to the white-bearded elder, saying, "This President Qin, she is suffering from a poison that attacks the heart, and a single Snake Gallbladder is enough to bring her back from the dead and keep her alive."

Hearing his words, the elder paused before his eyes lit up with a gleam.

"So, young man, you truly possess medical skills?"

Liu Zheng nodded and then immediately began searching through his carrying basket.

Seeing Liu Zheng nod, the middle-aged man’s face flashed with scorn.

He spoke firmly to the white-bearded elder, "Cheng Lao, you mustn’t believe him. We already knew about using Snake Gallbladder, and I bet he has just been eavesdropping on our conversation outside."

After addressing Cheng Lao, the middle-aged man turned to Liu Zheng with a sneer, adding, "Kid, there’s no need to pretend; you’re surely a spy sent by our rivals. Even if you’re not a spy, I reckon you think our Renxin Pharmacy is an easy target."

His voice was fierce with anger as he added, "We’ve already administered Snake Gallbladder to President Qin before, to no avail. What’s more, I believe you wish to intervene in treating President Qin only because you find her attractive and want to take liberties with her."

Liu Zheng was at a loss for words, almost fuming with rage.

What a joke?

He was simply trying to save a life.

How did it come to this, turning him into a villain with their accusations?