Peerless Divine Doctor in the City of Flowers
Chapter 151: Belief Brings, Disbelief Does Not

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Belief Brings, Disbelief Does Not

"You’re screwing with my dad!"

The teacup hit the floor and shattered.

Zheng Tianxiang’s son, Zheng Ruhao, angrily stood up.

Hatred, so intense it seemed blood would drip from his eyes, permeated the air.

"Ruhao, show some respect!"

Zheng Tianxiang hurriedly tried to stop him.

After all, Lin Fan had already demonstrated his expertise by being able to diagnose the issue.

"Dad, this guy is obviously playing us. First, he spoke all mysteriously, and now he says he can’t cure it. He’s just making fun of us, and it’s just too much."

Zheng Ruhao clenched his fists, his face full of outrage.

"Ruhao, listen to your dad and sit down."

Zheng Tianxiang’s wife, Zhuang Juan, also quickly interjected.

She then turned her head and said, "Mr. Lin, please don’t take offense. My husband has been unwell these past few days, and my son is so anxious he can’t even eat properly. We made a huge mistake in our desperation. Please, master, have mercy and save my husband. Whatever you need, just command us."

"To treat an illness, one must find its cause, whether it’s due to cold, heat, or evil spirits; there needs to be a cause and effect relationship. Right now, I only know that Mr. Zheng has been invaded by an evil spirit. Although I could alleviate some symptoms, that’s merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Once he steps out of this door, if he is invaded by evil spirits again, he could die instantly. Thus, I cannot save him now; otherwise, it would be akin to indirect murder, and then wouldn’t the Zheng family have to be at odds with me until the death?"

Lin Fan’s face was stern as he sized up Zheng Tianxiang.

The evil spirit had deeply invaded him, yet his wife and son showed no signs of being affected.

That meant the evil spirit had been encountered solely by him.

"Mr. Lin, if we find the cause, can he be saved?"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Zheng Tianxiang’s eyes.

"Believe and it exists, doubt and it doesn’t, logically speaking. So, you need to recall if you’ve encountered any evil objects before getting sick, especially any new treasures you’ve acquired recently that might have brought this evil spirit into your body."

Lin Fan’s questioning made Zheng Tianxiang frown slightly.

As the head of avid collectors, his home was filled with countless antiques.

The sheer volume that came and went daily was staggering.

Asking him to recall a single cursed item was beyond him at the moment.

"Dad, could it be one of those things?"

Lin Fan’s words left Zheng Tianxiang in silence.

However, Zheng Ruhao suddenly turned pale and looked at his father.

"If it really is an evil spirit... it might just be that incident... but..."

Zheng Tianxiang’s face turned cold.

He clearly thought of something.

But he didn’t speak immediately.

His expression conveyed panic.

"Husband, what time is it now? Saving lives is urgent, so if you think of something, say it quickly."

Zhuang Juan urged anxiously from the side.

After pondering for a while, Zheng Tianxiang finally spoke with difficulty.

"Ah, actually, it’s like this. Ten days ago, someone invited me to inspect, and I saw a batch of freshly unearthed items..."

"Freshly unearthed items? What’s that?"

Li Yizhen listened with half-understanding.

"It refers to items that were just excavated, most of which are from dubious sources."

Before Zheng Tianxiang could speak, Lin Fan had already explained, "To be able to invite Mr. Zheng himself to inspect, the price must have been significant. That would suggest that the other party also has quite the background, right?"

"Mr. Lin truly is a master, nothing can escape your eyes..."

Zheng Tianxiang coughed awkwardly before continuing, "Indeed, a dealer in underground transactions found me, asking me to examine the treasures they obtained from the freshly unearthed items. Originally, I don’t deal with these kinds of things, but they said it was an artifact from the Jin Period. If it was genuine, it could be of national treasure caliber. Out of curiosity, I went with them."

"So, was the item genuine?"

Lin Fan asked with a smile.

"Yes, that’s right, it’s a genuine artifact, but I’m not sure what it actually is. It resembles a ding but isn’t one, looks like a furnace but isn’t one either. Its bronze shape is quite bizarre, with no records in historical documents. I’ve checked the related references after I came back, but I could never find a similar object anywhere. Mr. Lin, do you think I might have contracted something unclean from that object?"

Zheng Tianxiang frowned.

Looking back, the only oddity before I fell ill was this object.

"With that said, I can’t give you any answer. Bring the object to me so I can identify it, without seeing it, I don’t know whether it is or isn’t."

Lin Fan was somewhat curious himself.

It’s something that even Jiangning’s toughest, Zheng Tianxiang couldn’t be sure of.

This object must have an unusual origin.

"This object... I can’t bring it... I just went to authenticate it, and I’ve heard that they’ve found a buyer overseas. The price is absolutely astronomical, and they’re probably going to smuggle it out in the next few days."

Zheng Tianxiang shook his head helplessly.

"Smuggling national treasures is a serious crime. Mr. Zheng, you’ve been in this business yet you don’t protect the treasures—this is quite unreasonable. It seems like this evil energy is just karma coming back to you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan suddenly felt less inclined to deal with him.

As a soldier, he had little respect for such weak characters.

"Mr. Lin, although you understand our jargon, you don’t understand our business. Those who specialize in stealing are not ordinary people. Just by myself, I couldn’t possibly stop them from doing their job, and since the rules of the business are to neither hear nor ask, I have to follow them. I went there blindfolded, so I don’t even know where the stuff is."

Zheng Tianxiang looked distressed.

This business involves risking our lives.

It’s definitely not for the average person to confront.

"Anyway, here’s my final word, without the object, I can’t cure your illness. If you want to live, you’d better find that object. Even if Hua Tuo were alive, even the King of Hell himself couldn’t save you from this evil energy inside you. You have at most two more days, you’d better prepare for the worst."

As Lin Fan spoke, he stood up and began to walk out.

Some things need not be said.

"Mr. Lin, wait... I’ll try to contact them now..."

Zheng Tianxiang clearly wouldn’t let go of this lifeline easily.

He hurriedly took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Mr. Zheng, is there a problem?"

After a few rings, the call was answered.

An older man’s voice came through.

"Boss, I really need a favor. I need to see that treasure one more time."

Zheng Tianxiang said with a pleading smile.

"Mr. Zheng, that’s not really proper, is it? No second viewings of the same item, and besides, that bug already has an owner. You really shouldn’t be coveting it,"

As Zheng Tianxiang expected, the man refused outright.

"Boss, whoever buys the treasure is buying it. I just want to intercept it. That way, you’re spared the trouble, and I get the treasure. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?"

Zheng Tianxiang, having no other options, made his request shamelessly.

"You’re joking with me. You’ve seen the item, you know the price. You probably can’t afford to intercept it, can you?"

The man scoffed.

"I can’t afford it alone, but I have friends. The two of us are planning to buy it together. That should do it, right?"

Zheng Tianxiang said hastily.

"You have friends... all right, let’s meet and talk in a bit."

Zheng Tianxiang’s words made the man pause.

After a moment of silence, he set the time and place.

"Mr. Lin, I’ll need you to come with me later."

Zheng Tianxiang asked cautiously.

"Sure, but I have a feeling this is going to be very troublesome."

Lin Fan agreed without hesitation.

And he could hear the unusual tone in the voice.