Only then did Lao Hei properly examine Xu Xinghe.
She is indeed an extremely beautiful girl, with delicate features and a clean temperament; you can't take your eyes off her.
But he's already this old, past the age of acting recklessly, and has long since lost interest in such things.
Moreover, no matter how beautiful a woman is, it's useless if he's willing but unable to be with her.
So he started cultivating his character a few years ago, and even though he only had one daughter and no son, he stopped looking for random women.
"You silly girl, you have no manners at all." Old Hei picked up the porcelain bottle, held it up to the light, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "You come up here and offer someone something to eat right away. Do you even know what gift-giving is?"
He's been in the underworld his whole life, and he's suffered a lot of setbacks. In his early years, someone poisoned him under the guise of giving him gifts. If he hadn't been cautious, he would have died long ago.
How could he possibly touch something of dubious origin?
Xu Xinghe met his gaze without changing his expression. "Since I've come to ask for your help, I naturally have to show my utmost sincerity. I know that people from Northeast China don't like beating around the bush, so I'll be frank. I know you want money and gold, but even if you had mountains of gold and silver, you couldn't buy these things."
Whether or not she can buy the spiritual spring and medicinal herbs depends entirely on whether she sells them or not.
So it's absolutely true that it's one of a kind in the world!
After touching the porcelain vase, Lao Hei picked up a towel and repeatedly wiped his hands. "I used to think you were an interesting girl, and you seemed smart too, but now it seems you're nothing special. Can't you understand what I'm saying? What kind of gift-giving, what kind of begging attitude is this? If I handed you something right now, would you dare to eat it?"
Xu Xinghe had already guessed his concerns, but some things had to be said by him before they could continue the discussion.
"If you're scared, try it out on one of your men and you'll see."
"Scared?" Old Hei chuckled as if he'd heard a joke. "You think I'm scared? You think I'd be scared of a little girl like you?"
“Yes, I’m just a young girl, trespassing on your territory alone. If I were to poison you, would I still be able to leave alive?” Xu Xinghe said calmly. “It was a bit reckless of me to come to you, but I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t do something that would harm others without benefiting myself. I know that being a military family member is respectable in front of respectable people, but here, it’s just a pretext for enmity.”
"Alright, I like your straightforwardness, it's a bit like us Northeasterners." Old Hei slammed his hand on the table. "Since you've put it that way, if I don't let people try, it'll make me look like a coward!"
As he spoke, he called out, "Second brother, come in!"
The scarred man rushed in quickly. "Brother, what did you call me for?"
Old Hei pointed to the porcelain bottle on the table, "Miss Xu said this is a good thing, that eating it can rejuvenate you. Don't you always say you're too old to handle things? Give it a try."
The scarred man glanced at the porcelain bottle, then at Xu Xinghe, and hesitated before asking, "Really? Could it be poisoned?"
"Don't worry, it's not poisonous," Xu Xinghe said calmly. "I'm a military family member, and harming others is an even greater crime. I'm not stupid enough to send myself to prison."
These words instantly convinced the scarred man.
Without further hesitation, he picked up the porcelain bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the entire contents of the medicine.
As the medicine entered my throat, a cool sensation instantly spread from my mouth to my abdomen. There was no bitterness at all; instead, it was slightly sweet. As it slid down my throat, it felt as if most of my fatigue had been drained away, and even the back and shoulder pain from years of hard work was relieved.
"Damn, this stuff actually works!" The scarred man's eyes lit up as he held up the empty porcelain bottle in amazement. Then he frowned. "But brother, it's hard to say if the effect is temporary. What if she's just trying to fool us with something that doesn't really hurt? Just because she might not dare to harm people doesn't mean she won't lie to us!"
Old Hei ignored him, his gaze fixed on Xu Xinghe, before suddenly grinning. His previous casualness was gone, replaced by the ruthlessness befitting his status. "Miss Xu, if you really possess such a treasure, and still think you can leave peacefully, you're being far too naive."
He leaned forward, his tone threatening, "If I get my hands on all the good stuff you have, I can live a much more comfortable life even after leaving Heilongjiang Province. I might even be able to smuggle myself abroad and live a carefree life. Then, who will be able to stop me?"
Xu Xinghe was prepared, showing no fear on her face. Instead, she met his gaze and said, word by word, "You can try. I have the Lian family behind me, the founding general Lian, you should have heard of him, right? And the Zhang family, General Zhang, also a family of merit. I informed General Lian's grandson, Lian Xiao, in advance that I was coming here. If anything happens to me, even if you run to the ends of the earth, it won't help."
She paused, her tone growing colder, "Including your family, none of them will escape. As for fleeing the country? You should first think about whether you can even leave Heilongjiang Province alive! Even if they don't have a chance to lay a hand on you, Jiang Linchuan won't let you go!"
Old Hei didn't really intend to harm Xu Xinghe; he just wanted to scare her.
It's because this girl said she was scared before.
"You look so nervous, I was just teasing you." He leaned back in his rattan chair, his tone returning to its previous casualness, and pointed to the empty porcelain bottle on the table. "Leave something else behind, I need to see the effect. If it's really as miraculous as you say, I'll have someone pass a message to you."
Xu Xinghe nodded, then took out another porcelain bottle and placed it on the table. "The sooner the better, I can't wait too long. You must give me an answer by tomorrow. His body will show changes by tomorrow. If you're worried, you can find a reliable traditional Chinese medicine doctor to take his pulse. You'll know for sure if it's real or fake."
Old Hei had the same idea in mind. He happened to know a reclusive old Chinese medicine doctor, and he could find out whether he could figure out the secrets of the art with just one question.
"Okay, you can go now."
Xu Xinghe didn't move, but looked up at him and said, "Send two people to escort me out. I need your personal bodyguards. Those thugs in your front yard tried to lay a hand on me just now. I need to make sure I'm safe."
Old Hei didn't refuse this small favor; it was just a matter of delivering it from the backyard to the entrance of the bathhouse, nothing much trouble.
He called out to the inner room, and soon two tall and strong men came out. They had broad shoulders, thick backs, and sharp eyes, and were clearly not to be trifled with.
Even the scarred man standing nearby instinctively shrank back when he saw this.
The reason Lao Hei didn't let the two test the medicine was because he was afraid that if something went wrong, he would be without a capable bodyguard.
Such bodyguards are extremely rare, and losing even one would be both painful and heartbreaking for him.
Xu Xinghe, accompanied by two bodyguards, walked out of the backyard and passed through the smoky room in front of them again.
The thugs who had been staring at her immediately lowered their gazes when they saw the two menacing figures following behind her, and didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
Xu Xinghe, without glancing to the side, swaggered out of the narrow door of the bathhouse, escorted by two bodyguards.
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