Although rheumatoid arthritis is one of the five most difficult diseases to treat, and conventional means can’t cure it, the Qiao family is rich and controls the medicinal material market in Jianghuai. With Doctor Jiang Qi’s medical skills, Qiao Yuanting’s condition, although incurable, should not have deteriorated to this state by the age of fifty.
This was the doubt that Su Chengyu had from the beginning.
After arriving at the Qiao family, Su Chengyu observed secretly and found that Qiao Yuanfeng and Jiang Qi were exchanging glances. Although others hadn’t noticed, he couldn’t conceal it from Su Chengyu’s Divine Sense. This made him even more suspicious that Jiang Qi had tampered with the treatment.
After all, it was just recently discovered that Jiang Qi’s apprentice had deliberately prescribed a harmful drug to Xia Ruolan, and Su Chengyu believed that if the master is not upright, the apprentices would be crooked too. Jiang Qi, the old fellow, isn’t any good either. He definitely had done these harmful deeds before.
Although he had left the Qiao family, his Divine Sense was still enveloping the place. He could hear the conversation between Qiao Yuanfeng and Jiang Qi clear as day.
Su Chengyu cursed under his breath, as expected, this old Jiang Qi was plotting something bad.
Upon grasping the conspiracy between Jiang Qi and Qiao Yuanfeng, Su Chengyu didn’t wish to get involved in this muddy water anymore. He was going to deal with Jiang Qi on his own.
"There’s no need for further discussion, I’m taking my leave."
Qiao Yuxuan quickly blocked Su Chengyu, pleading anxiously, "Mr. Su, I beg you to save my dad."
"Mr. Su, please help us. Whatever reward you ask for, we can agree." Qiao Anran said.
"I can’t save him." Su Chengyu replied dismissively.
"How could that be? Doctor Jiang said you could save him. I know, my mother’s attitude just now was abhorrent, and she offended you. But you’re a distinguished person, we hope you won’t stoop to her level." Qiao Yuxuan tried desperately to keep him.
At this moment, Wang Haili also came out and bowed, "Mr. Su, I apologize! I was blind and offended you. I apologize and hope you can forgive me."
Seeing that Su Chengyu was unmoved, Wang Haili gritted her teeth and slapped herself, saying, "Mr. Su, I’ve slapped myself as a form of punishment. I beg for your forgiveness."
Su Chengyu frowned, as Qiao Yuxuan said, "Mr. Su, I’m begging you on my knees, please save my father."
"There’s no need for that, let me think about it." Su Chengyu waved his hand to prevent Qiao Yuxuan from kneeling.
At this time, Jiang Qi and Qiao Yuanfeng came over. Qiao Yuanfeng maintained an anxious look and pleaded, "Mr. Su, you must save my elder brother. The Qiao family will never forget your kindness."
Jiang Qi also persuaded, "Mr. Su, please do us this favor."
Su Chengyu sneered in his heart, then nodded, "I can help, but on one condition."
Qiao Yuxuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "Just say it, even if you have ten conditions, or a hundred, we can agree."
"I can pick any medicinal material from the Qiao family’s medicine repository at will. I heard you have a thousand-year-old ginseng, I want that too."
"No problem! As long as you heal my father, you can take as much as you want from the Qiao family’s treasure of medicinal materials," Qiao Yuxuan immediately agreed.
"Okay, then I’ll give it a try." Su Chengyu agreed with a nod.
The thousand-year-old ginseng and the Qiao family’s medicine repository were indeed too tempting for Su Chengyu, worthy of the risk he was taking.
"Thank you, Mr. Su, our whole family is grateful!" Wang Haili said.
Immediately the mother and her two sons respectfully invited Su Chengyu back. Jiang Qi and Qiao Yuanfeng exchanged glances, feeling secretly pleased. Their plan to kill two birds with one stone had succeeded!
Su Chengyu entered Qiao Yuanting’s room and said, "Everyone out, I don’t like being disturbed when I’m treating a patient."
Everyone swiftly exited the room, waiting anxiously in the lobby. Wang Haili held Qiao Anran’s hand, eyes fixed on the room door. Each minute felt excruciatingly slow.
Jiang Qi checked his watch, estimating the time the poison would take effect in Qiao Yuanting’s body. The poison he used was concealed ingeniously and hardly noticeable. Once it activated, Qiao Yuanting would surely die, unless a special Detoxification Spirit Pill was used, even the most miraculous life-saving Spirit Pill would be useless.
An hour passed, minute by minute. Wang Haili and the Qiao siblings were restless and anxious, and Jiang Qi was somewhat puzzled. By now, the poison should have taken effect, why was there no movement from within the room?
At this point, Su Chengyu walked out of the room with a grim expression. Wang Haili hurriedly approached him asking, "Mr. Su, how is he?"
Su Chengyu shook his head. "There was nothing else I could do. Mr. Qiao is dead."
Hearing this, Wang Haili and the Qiao siblings were struck as though by lightning. Wang Haili fainted on the spot, but thankfully Qiao Anran was there to catch her. Jiang Qi and Qiao Yuanfeng exchanged a satisfied glance.
"How could this happen? How did my dad just die?" Qiao Yuxuan, pale-faced, rushed into the sickroom.
Jiang Qi and Qiao Yuanfeng immediately followed into the room, feeling for a pulse and checking for breath. Qiao Yuanting was indeed dead.
When Wang Haili came to, she staggered into the room, breaking into uncontrollable tears.
Jiang Qi gave Qiao Yuanfeng a significant look, who then immediately accused Su Chengyu. "Was it you who murdered my brother? My brother’s illness was severe, but Doctor Jiang had stated that he could live for a few more years at least. How did he just suddenly die after you treated him?"
Once Qiao Yuanfeng said this, the grief-stricken Wang Haili quickly turned her gaze to Su Chengyu.
"You killed my husband. What are your intentions?" Wang Haili screamed at Su Chengyu.
The Qiao siblings cast wary glances at Su Chengyu as well; after all, Qiao Yuanting’s sudden death was too strange.
"Mrs. Qiao, please calm down! How could Mr. Su have hurt Mr. Qiao?" Jiang Qi played the role of peacemaker.
"How could he not?! He had us all thrown out. Who knows what he did to my husband alone in there? I’m sure he holds a grudge against me, and that’s why he killed my husband!"
Wang Haili rounded on Su Chengyu, pointing and shouting. But Qiao Yuxuan remained rational saying, "Mom, hold on. We must find out the cause of Dad’s death. We can’t speculate and accuse Mr. Su without evidence or results."
"Mr. Su, how did my father die so suddenly? You were the only one in there, you must know what exactly happened. If we’ve wronged you, I will apologize. But if my father was indeed killed by you, our Qiao family is no pushover, we will not let this slide!"
Qiao Yuxuan angrily said.
"Death by poison." Su Chengyu stated.
"Poisoned? How did he get poisoned? What type of poison?" Qiao Yuxuan quickly asked.
"I’m not sure." Su Chengyu replied calmly.
"Aren’t you a Divine Doctor? Shouldn’t you know what poison it is? Some Divine Doctor you are! I think you’re quack, a quack who hurts others!" Wang Haili loudly accused, lost in insanity.
"Let me have a look."
Jiang Qi went over to Qiao Yuanting’s corpse, taking out silver needles and inserting them on several acupuncture points. After a moment, he pulled them out; the silver needles had turned black.
"It really was death from poisoning! Mr. Su.... why would you use poison?" Jiang Qi asked incredulously.
Su Chengyu gave a cold smirk watching Jiang Qi’s theatrics.