From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Bai Lan said, "Forgive my frankness, Mr. Xu, but deep down, you harbor prejudices and arrogance against our ethnicity."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "I have no intention of looking down on you, are you perhaps being a bit sensitive?"

Bai Lan was not angry, she still looked at Xu Chunliang calmly and said, "It seems it’s best we avoid discussing this sensitive topic, to preserve our harmony."

Xu Chunliang said, "Agreed."

Being so close to Bai Lan, he could clearly smell her fragrance. Although she had used some kind of perfume, Xu Chunliang still picked up a faint, fresh scent, the same fragrance that lingered in his room last night. Xu Chunliang could almost conclude that it was Bai Lan who had appeared in his room last night, as this particular scent hadn’t been found on anyone else.

Bai Lan said, "Regardless, I am very grateful to your friends. This visit was too rushed; I promise, next time I’m in town, I’ll host a proper appreciation for them."

Xu Chunliang said, "There’s no need for that, besides, they all have their own things going on, and who knows when they’ll gather again."

Bai Lan said, "I’m sure there will be an opportunity; my flight is in the morning."

Xu Chunliang nodded, "Then I wish you a safe journey."

Bai Lan said, "I’ll contact you first the next time I’m here."

In his heart, Xu Chunliang thought there wasn’t that kind of friendship between them, but for the sake of propriety, he nodded. He was still wary of Bai Lan, as she came from the Peninsula, and given his strained relations with Mingde Group led by Huang Youlong, he must guard against them setting him up with a beauty trap.

If it was an ordinary money issue, Xu Chunliang could easily strip away the pretense and fire back. But when it came to matters involving relationships, he had to be cautious, as the way to deal with a beauty trap was completely different; removing the disguise was easy, but putting it back on was difficult.

Xu Chunliang hadn’t gotten to this stage without reason, but what was Bai Lan doing in his room last night? How did she get his room card? She entered his room without touching anything else—could it really be just to see where he showered and bathed?

Xu Chunliang intentionally asked, "Miss Bai, what brand is your perfume?"

Bai Lan was slightly startled, her expression full of doubt.

Xu Chunliang explained, "I’m very sensitive to smells, and I can easily distinguish any scent. Your fragrance has a fresh herbal aroma, just like the first wisp of fragrance from flowers opening in the early morning. It’s very fresh, very pleasant."

Bai Lan became even more alert, "Mr. Xu’s sense of smell is that good?"

Xu Chunliang nodded, "My ability in this regard is much stronger than the average person. If you were standing with dozens of people, I could still find you with my eyes closed."

Bai Lan laughed, "That’s almost a superpower; Mr. Xu should use such a talent to be a detective."

Xu Chunliang touched his nose, and said meaningfully, "I can also smell the scent of blood on you."

Bai Lan’s cheeks flushed red, she said angrily, "You’re quite rude, don’t joke about others’ physiological issues."

Xu Chunliang shook his head, his gaze falling on Bai Lan’s right hand, and Bai Lan subconsciously clenched her fist.

Xu Chunliang reached out to grab Bai Lan’s left hand and then used his left hand to pull up her sleeve. Bai Lan didn’t blame Xu Chunliang’s abruptness and rudeness. As Xu Chunliang rolled up her snow-white sleeve, he saw her forearm, as fair as ice and snow, wrapped in bandages.

Bai Lan looked at Xu Chunliang and said each word slowly, "Now I believe it, your nose is even sharper than a dog’s."

Xu Chunliang released her hand, just as his phone rang. It was Liu Haiyu calling again, who had already arrived outside the hotel and reported the car number to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang guessed it was about last night’s matter, so he calmly finished breakfast with Bai Lan, then leisurely walked to the hotel’s underground parking lot.

Liu Haiyu was sitting in a Great Wall Tank, and upon seeing Xu Chunliang approaching, he quickly flashed the lights at him.

Xu Chunliang opened the car door and sat in, saying irritably, "What do you want now?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Tell me the truth, did last night’s incident really have nothing to do with you?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Are you annoying or what? Can’t there be trust between people? I’m upright and honest, if I did it, why would I hide it from you?"

Liu Haiyu said, "That old lady was killed by over a dozen snakes and bats biting her, there aren’t many people who have this ability." He stared directly into Xu Chunliang’s eyes, clearly believing Xu Chunliang had such capabilities.

Xu Chunliang said, "There are plenty of people with that skill all around the world. Go to Siam, go to Tianzhu; there are many people there playing with snakes."

Liu Haiyu continued, "According to the two security guards, an uninvited guest wearing an old man’s hat barged into their surveillance room at the time."

Xu Chunliang found it amusing, thinking he was simplifying things too much and had forgotten about it. Initially, Liu Haiyu had arranged a green old man’s hat for him, no wonder this guy cast suspicion on him.

Xu Chunliang wasn’t afraid of his suspicions; he wouldn’t find evidence anyway: "Lao Liu, I find you becoming more and more pointless; you never think of me for good things but always associate me with bad ones. If you keep this up, we can’t be friends."

Acting angry, Xu Chunliang opened the car door to leave, Liu Haiyu hurriedly pulled him back, "Don’t be mad, please don’t be angry."

Xu Chunliang said, "How dare you ask me not to be angry? I’m a venerable government official, a law-abiding citizen. I don’t even dare to run a red light, yet you insist on connecting me with a murder case. Liu Haiyu, are you serious? If I have a fault, it’s knowing and not reporting. I haven’t handed you over to the police yet. What should I do? Maybe I should escort you over right now to be a good citizen who fights injustice?"

Liu Haiyu said smilingly, "Brother, don’t be mad at me; I’m not suspecting you. I just think you’re quite capable."

Xu Chunliang said, "There are countless people assassinated in the world every day; am I responsible for all murders and arson just because I’m capable?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Don’t be mad; it’s all my fault. I just wanted to remind you that those two are no ordinary people. One is the Grand Lama Kang Ren from the Tadun Temple in Mongolia, and the other is Protector Huang Caiyao from the Five Gods Sect in Miaojiang."

Liu Haiyu didn’t realize Xu Chunliang’s displeasure and continued, "The Five Gods Sect is remnants left from the Five Poison Sect long ago. They worship toads, spiders, snakes, scorpions, and centipedes, considering these five poisonous creatures as sacred. They use a mysterious method to manipulate and control these creatures to achieve unspeakable objectives and use their venom to create poison. In short, these people are insidious and malicious with nothing they won’t do."

Xu Chunliang said, "Did you read that from a martial arts novel?"

Liu Haiyu chuckled, "I used to think the Five Poison Sect only existed in novels, but later I learned their poisonous remnants still persist, continuing to this day."

Xu Chunliang didn’t want to argue with him, but judging from Huang Caiyao’s actions, she indeed possessed some methods of the Five Poison Sect. If dealing with ordinary people, it might have been fine, but it’s unfortunate she encountered himself, who is the ancestor of the Five Poison Sect.

Xu Chunliang said, "If this old woman is so formidable, how did she end up bitten to death by a snake?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Perhaps those poisonous creatures suddenly went mad, or maybe she encountered someone more skilled than herself."

Xu Chunliang detected the subtle hint in his words and deliberately said, "Could it be the lama had a secret affair with this old lady Huang and tragically took his life?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Tadun Temple has an extremely powerful Heart Method called the Brahma Sound Spell. It’s said they can use some spells to control people’s spirits. This Grand Lama Kang Ren is one of the experts."

Xu Chunliang said, "You mean this person has the power to control others’ minds?" He paused, acting surprised, "Could it be your subordinate’s previous suicide is related to him?"

Liu Haiyu sighed and said, "I feel it should be like that, but unfortunately, there’s no concrete proof now."

Xu Chunliang said, "You came just to chat about this? I’m not interested, and can’t help you with anything."

Liu Haiyu said, "These two have obviously been recruited by Mingde Group, which shows Mingde’s intentions in entering the country are not simple."

Xu Chunliang said, "Do you even need to say that?" He always thought the relevant departments were too negligent with the Mingde Group issue. For a foreign company with ulterior motives like Mingde, they should be decisively expelled rather than being tolerated over and over again, letting them wreak havoc in China.

Liu Haiyu said, "By the way, I’ve found some materials about Bai Lan."

Xu Chunliang looked at Liu Haiyu, his gaze somewhat disdainful. Lao Liu had been playing tricks with him from the start; now, realizing Xu Chunliang wasn’t willing to cooperate, he wanted to coax him with some benefits.

Xu Chunliang said, "A person of no importance, I no longer need her information."

Liu Haiyu was dumbfounded, "But..."

Xu Chunliang said, "She returned to the country today."

Liu Haiyu swallowed a bit, feeling rather upset. Xu Chunliang didn’t want to hear it after all, and thus information has timeliness. If you don’t provide it when needed but give it later, it’s worthless.

It’s not that Xu Chunliang didn’t want to hear, just that the more he showed interest, Liu Haiyu was likely to keep secrets. The more indifferent he pretended to be, the more Liu Haiyu wanted to spill it out.

Liu Haiyu contemplated that speaking now might make him seem foolish. He hesitated for a moment but finally reminded Xu Chunliang, "You should still be careful of her. She’s the adopted daughter of Lexus’s CEO Li Bingxing. By the way, Mingde Group’s boss Huang Youlong is Li Bingxing’s son-in-law."