Chapter 76 Someone You Can't Afford to Offend

Ming Cheng’s words made the couple tremble in terror.

The middle-aged woman hurriedly begged for mercy.
“Don’t—don’t hit us! We’ll tell you, we’ll tell you everything!”

“It was the street pharmacy. They saw your business thriving, and that you were treating the poor for free, stealing away a lot of their customers. So they paid the two of us eight hundred yuan to put on an act and ruin your reputation. We were blinded by greed, please, have mercy on us, we beg you… sob, sob…”

Once she finished speaking, Ling Xiao finally retracted his foot. The woman thought he had spared them, and quickly knelt, bowing her head with a forced smile.

“Thank you, divine doctor, thank you—”

Before she could finish, Ling Xiao kicked her, sending her flying across the street, where she landed in a dead faint.

“Wife!”

The middle-aged man cried out in horror, but Ming Cheng swung his fist and knocked him unconscious as well.

The onlookers all shuddered, a fresh wave of fear rising at the ferocity of Ling Xiao and Ming Cheng.

Ling Xiao ignored their stares and spoke curtly.
“Xiu’er, call the police to clean this up. Ming Cheng, come with me.”

“Yes!” Ming Cheng’s eyes gleamed—he loved nothing more than a chance to dish out a beating.

As the two strode out, the crowd hurriedly parted, clearing a path, not daring to block their way or risk offending them.

Ling Xiao led Ming Cheng straight to the street pharmacy.

It was a large store offering both Chinese and Western medicines, with a dozen or so pharmacists bustling about inside. The bigger the shop, the more it took advantage of its customers. Except for a rare few, most of the pharmacists wore impatient expressions—as if the patients weren’t clients at all, but a band of beggars waiting for charity.

Ling Xiao entered, hands clasped behind his back. A physician by the door was playing on his phone. He glanced up at their entrance, then lowered his head and continued playing.

Ming Cheng strode up and, without a word, kicked him to the ground, then took the chair and offered it to Ling Xiao.

“Master, please sit.”

The physician scrambled up, jabbing a finger at Ming Cheng’s nose and cursing.

“Hey! How dare you hit people? In broad daylight—do you have no respect for the law?”

Ming Cheng sneered, slapped him hard and sent him sprawling.
“With scum like you, you think you can talk about the law? Say another word and I’ll beat you to death!”

The other pharmacists rushed over at the commotion.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing, beating people like that?”

“Yeah! Do you even know who owns this pharmacy?”

Ling Xiao cast a cool glance their way, lighting a cigarette.

“I couldn’t care less. I only want to know where your boss is—and how long it’ll take him to crawl out here.”

“Hah! Such arrogance. You think someone like you is fit to meet our boss?”

“That’s right. Our boss is a renowned doctor—he’s not someone you can just stroll in and see.”

Ling Xiao exhaled a stream of smoke, his gaze turning impatient.

“If you won’t say, then I’ll use my own methods. Ming Cheng, smash the place up.”

“With pleasure!” Ming Cheng’s eyes glittered as he began demolishing the pharmacy. The pharmacists rushed to stop him.

“Hey! You can’t just destroy other people’s property!”

“Stop right now, or don’t blame us for getting rough!”

“I’ve no intention of being polite with the likes of you!” Ming Cheng, bored with just breaking things, started thrashing the physicians as well.

Cries of pain echoed through the shop as customers fled in terror, desperate not to get involved.

At the height of the chaos, an elderly doctor with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses slowly descended the stairs.

“Enough!” he barked, his face dark as he glared at Ling Xiao and Ming Cheng.
“You’ve got some nerve—coming into my pharmacy, beating my people and smashing my things. Do you even know who I am?”

Ling Xiao flicked ash from his cigarette, crossing his legs with an icy expression.

“I’ll ask you once—is it you who paid people to cause trouble for the Ling Family Clinic?”

Zhang Baotang’s face twitched, but he did not answer.

Ling Xiao snorted softly.
“So it was you. In that case, have you any last words?”

The old man’s face contorted, but he forced a mocking laugh.

“What arrogance! You must be Dr. Ling, then? Yes, I paid people to ruin your name. If you’d just swallowed your pride and left quietly, perhaps nothing more would have happened. But no, you had to come here and cause trouble! Ha… You really ought to ask around about the name Zhang Baotang! You’re courting death.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

As Ling Xiao finished, Ming Cheng stepped forward and slapped Zhang Baotang to the ground.

“You—you dare hit me?”

Ming Cheng spat on his face.
“My young master doesn’t just dare hit you—he dares kill you, too!”

Zhang Baotang clutched his face in disbelief.

“Do you have any idea how many powerful people I’ve cured in Jiangzhou? One phone call from me and you’ll never get back on your feet!”

Ming Cheng snorted with laughter.

“Master, did you hear that? The old dog can really bark!”

With that, he slapped the other side of Zhang Baotang’s face, swelling it up just like the first.

Zhang Baotang spat out two bloody teeth, glaring at Ling Xiao and Ming Cheng with venom.

“Fine! You have guts! Once I make some calls, I’d like to see how you survive!”

He whipped out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hello? Brother Du? This is Zhang Baotang. I’ve been attacked—some guy brought his thug and is wrecking my store. Please, come quickly and help me get revenge!”

A light chuckle sounded from the other end.

“No problem, Dr. Zhang. I’ll head over at once. By the way, what’s the name of the troublemaker? If he’s one of my men, I’ll have him kneel and apologize to you right now.”

Zhang Baotang glanced at Ling Xiao with pride.

“His name is Ling Xiao!”

“What? What did you say his name was?”

“Ling Xiao.”

Zhang Baotang repeated, a little confused, when the other end erupted in rage.

“Damn you, Zhang Baotang! Are you senile? You pick fights with anyone you see—you want to die, fine, but don’t drag me down with you!”

With that, the call was abruptly cut off.

Zhang Baotang froze, then gritted his teeth.

“So, you know Mr. Du. Don’t get too cocky—I have other connections!”

He dialed again, but as soon as anyone heard the name “Ling Xiao,” the call was hastily terminated, with curses to boot.