Chapter Twenty-Two: Despicable Targeting

A week of nonstop consultations had left Yan Yuanqing feeling deeply fulfilled. Although most of the cases he encountered were simple, the sensation of helping others alleviate their pain, restoring their health and happiness, gave him a profound sense of accomplishment. In fact, it was even more intense than when he had treated Fan Qing’er. After all, that had been just one patient, but now, day after day, he experienced this feeling anew.

“Yurou, I’m home!” Yan Yuanqing pushed open the door, calling out cheerfully. Ever since he had helped Shi Yurou out of trouble in the main hall, the icy barrier that once separated them seemed to be thawing; their conversations at home had become more frequent and natural. But today, Yan Yuanqing looked around the room in confusion, not seeing any sign of Shi Yurou.

“How odd—she’s always home when I return. Where could she have gone today, and why didn’t she leave a note?” Yan Yuanqing was puzzled, though not overly worried. Yet as the evening wore on and darkness deepened, even his attempts at self-reassurance could not keep him from growing restless.

“Something’s definitely wrong!” Yan Yuanqing threw on his coat, stepped outside, and began searching the Shi family compound for any trace of Shi Yurou.

“Heh, now that useless son-in-law isn’t around, what are you going to do? Run? Why aren’t you running?”
“Yeah, weren’t you all high and mighty in front of the patriarch before? What happened now? Come on, slap the brothers’ faces—hit us hard!”
“If you don’t leave us utterly humiliated, we won’t be so polite to you!”

Suddenly, Yan Yuanqing heard several voices from a distant courtyard, their tone vile and disgusting. There were both men and women, all seemingly young. As if sensing something, Yan Yuanqing immediately rushed toward the source of the voices.

Caught off guard, the three young people turned to face Yan Yuanqing, but one of them had already raised his hand. With a sharp slap, a glaring red handprint appeared on Shi Yurou’s face. Yan Yuanqing’s eyes instantly blazed crimson. In a flash, he appeared beside the young man, driving an uppercut into his jaw. Blood and shattered teeth sprayed into the air as the young man’s body was sent flying, landing in a distant pond with a splash.

The other two, faced with Yan Yuanqing’s wrathful, almost demonic presence, trembled like leaves in a storm, a foul odor beginning to spread. They had been frightened into losing control of themselves.

“Get out, or die!”

Yan Yuanqing clenched his fists