The Ning Family Medicine Shop was not small, and used to be a single storefront that had a fairly large courtyard behind it. Under a locust tree, there was an old well, giving the entire yard a sense of tranquil quietude.

Flanking the courtyard were two bungalows to the east and west, constructed with green bricks and azure roof tiles, which were quite elaborate. Ding Fan now understood why Ning Luomei coveted this property.

Its favorable location and serene environment made this house something money might not be able to buy.

Ning Luoxi led Ding Fan to the eastern wing room. Upon entering, Ding Fan saw an elderly man lying on the sickbed, his complexion extremely pale and gaunt.

The elder was unconscious at the time. Ding Fan swept over him with his Divine Sense and saw that the elder's condition was indeed perilous. Ding Fan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, noting how lucky it was that he hadn't arrived half a day later, or the elder's life would have been beyond saving.

Dang dang dang... Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from the front shop.

"It seems my sister and the others have brought my second uncle here..." Ning Luoxi said with some worry.

Ning Luoxi's second uncle had a fiery temper. Since Ding Fan had broken Qin Han's finger earlier, if the second uncle showed up, he would likely be hostile towards Ding Fan.

"Get me a box of Silver Needles, and then you should go outside to hold them off," Ding Fan said as he took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, "Don't let them disturb me..."

Ning Luoxi hesitated when she saw Ding Fan preparing to treat his father, but she didn't ask any questions.

She then ran out and fetched a box of Silver Needles as Ding Fan had instructed. It wasn't a difficult task to find a Silver Needle in the Ning Family Pharmacy.

Her father had been unconscious since the morning, and although Ning Luoxi wasn't trained in medicine, she still knew some medical theory from growing up in the medicine shop with her father. She realized that her father's condition was unlikely to hold on much longer.

Although Ning Luoxi hadn't known Ding Fan for long, she felt a sense of trust in him. Even she didn't understand why she felt this trust, but because of it, she was willing to let Ding Fan attempt a treatment.

While Ning Luoxi was fetching the Silver Needles, Ding Fan had already removed the upper clothing of the elderly man. Taking the Silver Needles from Ning Luoxi, he immediately started to apply them to the elder's body without delay.

Ding Fan's acupuncture was remarkably fast, and his technique was sophisticated. Although Ning Luoxi had seen her father use acupuncture to treat diseases, it couldn't compare to Ding Fan's skill. His hands moved so quickly that they created afterimages.

Even with her limited understanding of acupuncture, Ning Luoxi could tell that Ding Fan was exceptionally skilled. Suddenly she felt hopeful that maybe Ding Fan could really cure her father's illness.

Dang dang... The knocks on the door of the pharmacy grew louder and louder.

Ning Luoxi knew that distractions must be avoided during acupuncture. She carefully backed out of the room, closed the door, and then hurried to the front to open the door.

"Why did it take so long to open the door? I thought you were dead!" shouted a middle-aged man arrogantly as he strode in after the pharmacy's main door was opened.

This man was Ning Luoxi's second uncle, Ning Zhanlun, currently the head of the local police station.

"You've arrived, Second Uncle," Ning Luoxi greeted with great respect.

"Where's that wild man of yours? Let him come out. He was acting so tough earlier. I want to see if he can still put on airs now..." Ning Zhanlun said as he entered, followed by Ning Luomei and Qin Han.

"Second Uncle, Ning Luoxi conspired with an outsider to take over this medicine shop all for herself. When we reasoned with her, that man started getting tough with us. Look, even my fingers were broken..." Qin Han said, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Ning Luoxi, I thought you were quite reliable before, but now you're conspiring with outsiders to bully your own family!" Ning Zhanlun said coldly, looking at Ning Luoxi.

"Second Uncle, her reliability was all just for show. Otherwise, how could she have deceived Dad into keeping her here? When her shameless mother abandoned my father, if she hadn't pretended to be pitiable, she would have been cast out long ago," Ning Luomei added from the side.

Ning Luoxi and Ning Luomei were not full sisters, having different mothers. Ning Luomei's mother passed away when she was very young, and later Ning Luoxi's father remarried and had another child. However, after Ning Luoxi was born, that woman ran away from home, rumored to be with a wealthy man.

As Ning Luomei brought up this past, Ning Zhanlun's face became solemn. Ning Luoxi's father, Ning Zhanshan, was his elder brother, and he took his wife's departure very hard. Reminded of those times, Ning Zhanlun became furious.

"Ning Luoxi, don't think about playing games in front of me. As long as I'm here, you will not get to throw your weight around!" he said, slamming his hand on the table and standing up. "Tell me where you're hiding the man who broke Qin Han's fingers."

"He... he's gone..." Ning Luoxi said with her head bowed, her eyes red as she lightly bit her lip.

Ding Fan was in the midst of treating a patient; how could she possibly allow her second uncle and the others to disturb him? She knew she couldn't stop them, so she had no choice but to lie.

"Hmph! Gone? I wonder if you're hiding him in your bed," Ning Luomei said, stoking the fire and fearing the situation wasn't big enough. "Keep in mind, you and that slutty mother of yours are both experts at seducing men!"

Slap... Ning Zhanlun walked over, swung his hand, and slapped Luoxi across the face. "Speak! Did that man ask you to hide him in your room?"

Luoxi's right cheek swelled up immediately. Tears streamed down her face, though it was unclear whether it was due to the pain or the sense of injustice.

"Second uncle... that person really has left."

"Whether he's gone or not is not up for debate, we can simply go check in her room," Ning Luomei said coldly after casting a disdainful look at Luoxi.

Ning Zhanlun nodded his head. "Luoxi, take me to your room to have a look."

Kneel thump...

Right then, Luoxi knelt down. "Second Uncle, I can't go to my room right now..."

Ding Fan was currently administering acupuncture to her father, and although she did not know if it would cure her father's illness, even a one percent chance was worth clinging to.

If Ning Zhanlun and the others went to the backyard and disturbed Ding Fan, the slim chance of curing her father's illness would vanish.

"Ha! Forbidden from entering your room?" Ning Luomei sneered. "We had just left and you already locked the medicine shop's door; you couldn't have been so eager to go to bed with that wild man already, could you?"

"You! Ding Fan isn't that kind of person, he's currently treating daddy..." Luoxi said.

"Oh, really, he's still here. Treating an illness?! Luoxi, I've noticed you're getting better and better at making up lies. Daddy has terminal liver cancer, the hospital has already given up on treating him. You just bring back any wild man and claim he can cure him. Could it be that the wild man you brought back is some expert from Yanjing, a scholar from abroad?!" Ning Luomei said with a cold snort.

Qin Han joined in. "Second Uncle, this Luoxi, she and her mother are both like vixens. In the past, her mother abandoned my dad to elope with a rich man. Now, Luoxi is contemplating the same, waiting for the old man to kick the bucket so she can hoard all his wealth. Second Uncle, you have to stand up for us.

Luoxi's mother deceived my dad back in the day; we can't let this little fairy deceive us anymore. Claiming to treat daddy, draining all the family's money – I reckon she's secretly stashed it away. After dad passes, all that's left is this house. We don't want to fight with Luoxi over the property; we just want to preserve father's hard-earned legacy..."

Saying so, Qin Han broke into tears.

Ning Zhanlun coldly looked at Luoxi. "Luoxi, my brother has saved a good sum with this medicine shop over the years. If you claim that all the money was spent on treatment, it won't fool me. I won't talk about the money with you now; you've already taken a lot. Now don't be greedy, go get the property deed for the shop.

As the head of the Ning Family, I decide that the house will now belong to Luomei and her family."

"Second uncle... that's not okay..." A look of panic spread across Luoxi's face. The house represented a lifetime of effort for Ning Zhanshan, and if it was to be given to Luomei, it surely wouldn't last long before being squandered.

"Luoxi, you sure have grown a spine, daring to ignore even your second uncle's word," Ning Luomei said from the side.

"Go get the property deed now!" Ning Zhanlun pointed at Luoxi's nose as she knelt on the ground, speaking coldly.

Luoxi knelt there, stunned, suddenly unsure of what to do.

"Take your wild man and get out of here in a little while. You won't need to worry about daddy; we will see to his care in his final days…" Ning Luomei said with a victorious air, looking at Luoxi.

"Cough cough..." At that moment, a soft coughing sound came from behind the door.

Upon hearing the sound, the medicine shop fell silent. Ning Luomei felt as if struck by lightning, recognizing the cough as her father Ning Zhanshan's. But how could that be? Ning Zhanshan was supposedly on his deathbed...

Ning Luomei slowly turned her head to look. There, standing at the back door, was indeed Ning Zhanshan.

Although still frail, Ning Zhanshan's complexion was rosy, his eyes full of life; he bore no resemblance to a man on his deathbed.

"It seems you all can't wait for me to die to claim your space," Ning Zhanshan said coldly…