Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 109 - 104 Cai Family’s Enemy

Wang Jian had considered this possibility before, but in this peaceful era, he didn’t let his mind linger on malicious scenarios, chalking it up to an accident instead. As a doctor, he didn’t feel the need to overthink it.

Cai Qiong nodded, affirming his unspoken question. "If our family makes a move on the source of medicinal ingredients, it will definitely affect the interests of many people."

She left one thing unsaid: this was also why Cai Xing’s health condition had to be kept secret. If something were to happen to Cai Xing now, it wouldn’t be surprising if those directors decided to withdraw their investments. Her father, Cai Xing, was undeniably the cornerstone of Cai’s Enterprise. Many people had invested because of him, so it stood to reason they would leave if he were gone.

That was why the Cai Family had been keeping a low profile recently. Aside from their frequent contact with Wang Jian, they hadn’t made any other significant moves. Otherwise, the task of meeting with Zhao Chunming wouldn’t have fallen to her.

There were two reasons for this. First, Cai Qiong had only recently returned to the country and was still an unfamiliar face to outsiders. Second, she never involved herself in the family’s business—not even holding a nominal position in the company. She lived quietly as a doctor and therefore rarely drew any attention.

Wang Jian still felt something was off. "This business with Secretary Zhao’s Gu Poison seems to trace back more than a month," he reminded her. "Could someone have been plotting against him since then?"

Li Shuang listened nervously from the side, realizing he’d overheard some of the Cai Family’s secret plans. Swallowing hard, he interjected, "Isn’t that a bit strange? If it’s just for business, why go to all this trouble? Couldn’t they just kidnap the person, like they did with Liu Zi?"

That was a typical thought. If Cai Qiong hadn’t been privy to inside information about the city’s markets, she might have thought the same thing.

Cai Qiong sighed and said slowly, "Troublesome? Compared to the other things they’ve done, this is simple enough. If Wang Jian hadn’t been here, what do you think would have happened to Secretary Zhao?"

Li Shuang was stunned for a moment, then understanding dawned on him. "He would have just... disappeared, right?"

"Exactly. No one would have known what happened. They would have just assumed he died suddenly," Cai Qiong said. "That way, there’s no risk involved and no trouble at all. If it weren’t for Wang Jian, even the victim would have been kept in the dark, let alone us."

It was fine not to think about it, but once the matter was laid bare, the implications were chilling and overwhelming. It was true; if undetected, the act would be a minor affair—not troublesome in the slightest, and far less of a big deal than him and Liu Zi getting captured. Li Shuang felt like he had learned something new again.

Right now, however, Li Shuang wasn’t concerned with the method. He looked at Wang Jian, his voice a little shaky. "Xiao Jian... why don’t you check me too? See if I have any Gu Poison in me, just in case that Gao fellow’s hands aren’t clean..."

His sudden fear was not unwarranted; the whole affair was simply too creepy.

"Liu Zi is being held by Gao Yang. They wouldn’t do this to him too, would they?" Li Shuang thought of his friend and added cautiously, "Gao Yang is ruthless. Would he really kill someone for the sake of business?"

"Gao Yang probably doesn’t have the ability to..."

Killing for profit was a tale as old as time, nothing remarkable there. Cai Qiong was initially unconcerned, but Li Shuang’s words put her on high alert. Echoing his worry, she turned to Wang Jian. "Still... we really should get checked. If you weren’t here, no one would be able to detect anything in advance. By the time medical equipment found something wrong, it would be too late."

"It’s not quite like that," Wang Jian explained. "With modern medical technology, many instruments are far more accurate than I am."

Cai Qiong didn’t believe a single word. Based on what she knew of him, Chinese medicine was one thing, but Wang Jian was another entirely; he wasn’t bound by conventional rules. Chinese medicine couldn’t compare to modern instruments, but Wang Jian certainly could.

Regardless of what Wang Jian said, Cai Qiong had already made up her mind. She wanted him to check her family members, too. What if someone had secretly poisoned them with Gu Poison as well? The very thought was terrifying.

Cai Qiong spoke decisively. "If you don’t have anything else to do, come home with me."

"What for?" Wang Jian asked, surprised. "Even if you want me to perform examinations, we need to prepare. There’s no need to rush."

Cai Qiong’s face flushed red. She knew she was being anxious, but she couldn’t be blamed—the situation was terrifying, and her family was involved.

Seeing her flustered expression, Wang Jian chuckled. "You’re quite cute when you’re anxious."

"What nonsense are you talking about..." Cai Qiong shot him a look, but before she could say more, Wang Jian interrupted. "Planting a Gu Poison isn’t that simple. It’s best to be fully prepared and then conduct the examination slowly. If it’s hidden deep, rushing might cause us to miss it."

"I’ll check Li Shuang first." Seeing Cai Qiong’s expression soften, Wang Jian knew she had listened to his reasoning. It’s so much easier to communicate with a sensible woman, he thought, then continued, "If we find traces of the poison on him, it will basically confirm our suspicions."

"But if..." Wang Jian lowered his voice, "there’s nothing, then we definitely can’t afford to alert our enemy. Even with Secretary Zhao’s illness, it’s best to tell people it’s just parasites. Understand?" He said this not only for Cai Qiong but for Li Shuang as well.

Cai Qiong nodded. "Don’t worry, I’ll arrange it." With the Cai Family’s resources, a small matter like this wasn’t difficult.

They both looked at Li Shuang, who nodded repeatedly. He understood the stakes; the best thing he could do was keep his mouth shut.

With that settled, Wang Jian began to check Li Shuang’s pulse right there outside the hospital while Cai Qiong stepped aside to make a phone call.

Wang Jian had just placed his fingers on Li Shuang’s wrist when Li Shuang asked, "How is it?"

Li Shuang’s mind was filled with the gruesome sight from Zhao Chunyang’s house, and he was terrified of what Wang Jian might say next. This is way scarier than Gao Yang. Even after we get Liu Zi back, I have to bring him to Wang Jian for a full checkup. How could I rest easy otherwise? His mind raced with these frantic thoughts, but he didn’t become more talkative. On the contrary, the more he thought, the quieter he grew, as everything now depended on Wang Jian.

Wang Jian remained silent, his expression thoughtful. He rested his fingers on Li Shuang’s left wrist, feeling the throb of his pulse. It was completely different from Zhao Chunyang’s—Li Shuang’s was full of vitality. Before this incident, Wang Jian would have considered it the normal, healthy pulse of a young man. But just as he was about to answer, he felt a faint, irregular beat beneath his fingertips.

"Hm?"

Wang Jian frowned. When he focused on finding the beat again, it vanished. He waited a long moment before it suddenly reappeared, just for an instant.

This terrified Li Shuang. "Is there a problem?" he asked quickly. "There is, isn’t there? Do I have one of those things in me, too?" He swallowed hard, purely out of fear.

Wang Jian shook his head. "Hold on, let me check more carefully. Your hand might start to feel a little warm, but don’t be nervous. Tell me immediately if you feel anything unusual."

Without waiting for a reply, Wang Jian began to guide Li Shuang’s own qi. "Follow my instructions," he said. "Adjust your breathing."

Li Shuang was too tense; Wang Jian could tell from his rapid breathing alone, without even needing to feel his pulse. So Wang Jian began to call out the rhythm, "Breathe in... breathe out," making Li Shuang follow his commands.

With Li Shuang’s breathing under control, it became much easier for Wang Jian to guide his qi. To any onlookers, however, it simply looked like Wang Jian was touching Li Shuang while telling him how to breathe. Passersby stared at the strange scene. There were plenty of people near the hospital entrance, and the two men’s actions were in full view.

Even Cai Qiong was momentarily stunned when she returned from her phone call. Good grief. If I hadn’t heard those sounds from his room last night, I might have started to question his sexual orientation.

"Did you find anything?" Cai Qiong asked as she approached. "This examination method of yours isn’t really suited for the outdoors."

Hearing this, Wang Jian looked up and noticed the stares of the onlookers. His face darkened, and he immediately pulled his hand back.

Li Shuang, however, didn’t care about them and asked anxiously, "So, what’s the verdict?"

"Hmm." Wang Jian cleared his throat and nodded, then said in a low voice, "There is, in fact, a problem."