Chapter 125: Qin Yang, You Wretch

In April, the capital was in the full bloom of spring. The temperature, hovering around twenty degrees Celsius, was incredibly comfortable. Yet, for some, this was no less grueling than the dead of winter or the height of summer. Jiang Nanyan was one such person. Standing bare-chested with five or six bundles of thorny rods strapped to his back—the kind covered in sharp, piercing spikes—he was suffering. Qin Yang was dead set on making him taste bitterness, so regardless of who came to plead on his behalf, they were met only with a cold glare or a foul-mouthed rebuke. To those thick-skinned enough to beg for mercy, Qin Yang would simply kick them aside; he didn't care if they were high-ranking executives of some department. If they pushed him too far, he would beat them regardless of who they were.

The thorns dug into his skin. Jiang Nanyan had some physical toughness, having trained in the army, but he could not endure the relentless, stabbing pain. It felt as if several needles were constantly piercing his back. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead in torrents. Qin Yang stood at the gate of the mansion, looking down from his height, and sneered, "Jiang Nanyan, how does it feel?"

"I lost. I accept the outcome of the wager," Jiang Nanyan said coldly.

"You aren't qualified to gamble with me," Qin Yang waved his hand dismissively. "The news of your broken promise has already spread through half of the capital. From today on, you will be mired in a crisis of trust."

"You?" Jiang Nanyan narrowed his eyes, but a fresh wave of pain from his back made him grit his teeth.

Qin Yang waved a hand again and glanced at Jiang Nanyan. "Do you know what one must do, besides carrying the thorns, when offering a humble apology?"

"What else do you want?" Jiang Nanyan asked through gritted teeth.

"Kneel at the gate." Qin Yang rolled his neck, placed a phone at the entrance, and activated the recording function. "This phone will record the entire process. If you dare to stand up or remove the thorny rods, I, Qin Yang, will leave immediately without another word. You can test whether I have the guts to do that. As for how long you kneel—you stay there until I come back out."

"Qin Yang, don't go too far," Jiang Nanyan barked.

"Am I going too far? Compared to you, I am being extremely merciful," Qin Yang scoffed.

Jiang Nanyan’s face flushed red with rage.

Qin Yang checked the time and said, "If you don't kneel now, I'm leaving."

Reduced to this, he had no choice but to swallow his pride. After all, he had been the one foolish enough to think he could play Qin Yang for a fool. Since he had lost so thoroughly, he deserved this punishment. Grinding his teeth, he knelt at the gate. Qin Yang checked the time, let out a few cold laughs, and walked into the mansion. As he walked, he added, "If there is the slightest movement with that phone, you’ll be kneeling all over again. You'll stay there until I am satisfied. And if anyone tries to pull any tricks, don't blame me for being even less polite to Jiang Nanyan."

Jiang Feng was waiting nearby. He did not ask how Qin Yang was dealing with Jiang Nanyan; if Jiang Nanyan couldn't even stomach this much hardship, he would never make anything of himself. He followed Qin Yang toward the inner courtyard. But Jiang Nanyan was not the only one in bad luck.

Back at the banquet in Jianghai, the three lackeys of Yan Xiaofeng, accustomed to a life of luxury, had set their sights on Qi Mengwei—who was no less beautiful than Liu Yan—never expecting to invite such disaster upon themselves. They looked to Yan Xiaofeng, who was standing in a corner of the courtyard, for intercession, but Yan Xiaofeng only offered a bitter, silent apology. If even Jiang Nanyan couldn't escape, what hope was there for them? He was just glad that his attitude during his time in the Black Prison had been decent; otherwise, he might be right there with them, kneeling on the gravel-covered ground.

Qin Yang walked down the corridor, followed by Jiang Feng and others. Seeing the three men kneeling before the inner courtyard gate, a cold sneer curled on his lips. He stepped forward, and the three wretches were so terrified they looked as if their souls had left their bodies.

"Do you know what kind of person I hate most in this life?" Qin Yang asked calmly.

The three shook their heads, trembling uncontrollably.

"Those who pull strings behind my back. Look at yourselves—do you really think you’re worth anything, daring to have designs on Qi Mengwei? Did you think that just because I was in the Black Prison, I couldn't finish you off?" Qin Yang patted the face of one of them—the same guy who had tried to fight him at the banquet, though now he had lost all his arrogance.

"Qin Yang, time is running out. You've taught them a lesson," Old Han stepped forward, not even glancing at the three men.

Qin Yang sneered and barked, "Taught them a lesson? My lesson hasn't even started yet! If I let these three off so easily, everyone in the world will think they can pull tricks behind my back. If they had some actual talent, I wouldn't be this annoyed, but look at them—not even worth a damn! Do they all think I, Qin Yang, am a pushover? Look at you losers, two-faced and pathetic. I’m embarrassed for you!"

Qin Yang kicked one of them in the face. The wretch let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his nose.

There were many people present this time, including the soldiers who had pleaded for Qin Yang in the Black Prison. They exchanged bitter smiles; Qin Yang had insulted everyone present. Several old men had been in the main hall, but hearing the shouting outside, they came out to see what was happening. In all of the capital, there was no one else but Qin Yang who would dare to stand here, in front of so many armed soldiers, and curse out loud.

"Bang!"

Another one was kicked to the ground. Qin Yang scolded loudly, "I’m a bastard, but if you dare to have designs on my woman, I’m going to let out this rage today!"

"Qin Yang, are you still throwing a tantrum? You've already taught them enough," someone said. Seeing the old men watching from the doorway and Qin Yang’s reckless, arrogant stance, the man broke into a cold sweat. This Qin Yang was a madman. Did he not check the situation before coming here?

"Go to hell!" Qin Yang turned and cursed. "Do you think I’m a pushover? If these three bastards had designs on your wife, could you swallow that anger?"

"Qin Yang, watch your language," Old Han said, though he felt a sense of satisfaction, he didn't show it. He whispered, "It’s big enough now. Word will get out, and no one will dare to mess with you again."

"You talk too much," Qin Yang turned around, but then he caught sight of an old man in a black Zhongshan suit standing at the entrance. He felt a jolt of terror, instantly replaced by a kind, smiling face. He turned and said warmly, "Well, children need to be disciplined when they aren't behaving, so kneeling is appropriate. Now go, go home and play. If it hurts, go buy some candy. Off you go."

The three men trembled, not daring to make a sound even though their faces were in agony.

"Get lost!" Qin Yang glared when he saw them hesitating. Terrified, the men scrambled away, disappearing in an instant. Qin Yang then turned and walked forward, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, my, these bastards are truly despicable. If I had known you were here, I wouldn't have dared to spout so much nonsense. You can't give me a failing grade just because of my performance earlier. I personally believe I’m a straightforward person, and compared to those jerks, I’m quite noble."

Everyone helplessly slapped their foreheads.

Is this Qin Yang really a doctor? Is this guy even human? He dared to use foul language in front of the Prime Minister? Didn't he know the Prime Minister always maintained an elegant and refined image? And this cheapskate Qin Yang—he actually insulted them to elevate himself in front of the elder. How shameless!

"You must be Qin Yang, the one who held off hundreds of armed thugs alone, providing the golden window of time for the civilians to evacuate," the Prime Minister asked gently, not minding the earlier scene.

"That is thanks to the conditions created for me by the other members of the War God Squad," Qin Yang said with a smile. "Without them, I couldn't have done it."

"Not arrogant, not impetuous. Very good," the Prime Minister nodded with satisfaction.

Those around them widened their eyes. This is called "not arrogant or impetuous"? He was the most irritable one just a moment ago! Prime Minister, you can't just ignore the truth like that!

"Thank you for the compliment. With those words from you, the suffering I’ve endured is worth it," Qin Yang said cheekily. "Alright, I won't say any more. We are nearing the seven-day limit. Old Han, let’s go in."

Old Han, who had been waiting for this moment, hurried inside with Qin Yang.

Outside, an old general stepped forward and laughed, "That comment of yours about him being 'not arrogant or impetuous' is rather hard to swallow."

"Hard to swallow? If they could also remain calm after being lied to, thrown onto the border battlefield, and having their families harassed by petty villains, I would have nothing to say," the Prime Minister replied, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

Jiang Feng gave a bitter smile. "We will do our best to make up for the mistakes we’ve made."

"Integrity is the foundation of a person. If Old Jiang knew you had hidden such things from him, he would be more than just furious," the Prime Minister sighed.

Everyone present fell silent.

Inside the room, the two men were not idle. Qin Yang stepped forward first to examine the patient carefully, following the instructions of Yuwen Rounu.

"The Five Elements Qi in his body is depleting rapidly. Qin Yang, you need to use gold needles to seal his meridians and use medication to assist in suppressing the condition, then slowly regulate it. Fortunately, his physical injuries have healed significantly, or he would have already passed away," Yuwen Rounu said. "Don't delay. Act now, write down the prescription, and have them fetch the medicine."

Qin Yang nodded quickly.

He scribbled down the names of dozens of herbs and handed the list to Old Han. He then took out the gold needles he had prepared and pierced them into dozens of acupuncture points on the man's body.

"If you want better results, you can spend some Soul Points," the butler said quietly. "I recommend you choose this. As you extend his life by another year, the number of souls you absorb daily will likely increase significantly as well."

Qin Yang nodded silently.

Following the butler's advice, he used the Soul Points. Suddenly, a flow of powerful life force from the Hell Dimension surged into his hands. He pressed them against the man's chest, and the soul energy permeated his internal organs. Old General Jiang, whose face had been deathly pale, began to flush with color after being cleansed by the soul energy.

"One hundred Soul Points—effective indeed," Qin Yang nodded with satisfaction.

Old Han walked in with the medicine and heard a familiar cough. To his surprise and delight, General Jiang had regained consciousness.

"You must be Qin Yang?" Unexpectedly, General Jiang's first words were a question. His cloudy eyes fixed on Qin Yang, making it impossible to read his intent. Even in his weakened state, his voice carried an imposing, solemn weight. Everyone could hear the authority in his words—the weight of a promise kept.

Qin Yang shrugged. "It's me. You're the old man who sent me to the Black Prison, aren't you?"

"I am," General Jiang said in a deep voice. "I didn't think you would save me a second time."

"They gave me enough benefits," Qin Yang said with a grin.

General Jiang nodded slowly.

Old Han hurried forward and whispered, "General Jiang, please don't talk. The gold needles are still in you. Don't speak, lest you leak your vital energy."

Qin Yang finished wrapping a portion of the herbs and used acupuncture to continuously nourish the Five Elements Qi in the man's body, calming the Yin and Yang. At the same time, he kept shifting the needle formation; it was ever-changing. Old Han watched with awe; such exquisite sequencing was something he feared he could never learn in a lifetime. Where on earth did this Qin Yang learn such masterful medicine?