Chapter 378: Li Yan and Old Master Duanmu’s Game
Li Yan didn’t show any regret over Old Master Duanmu eating his chariot. He continued to play chess with Old Master Duanmu with his cold expression.
After a while, Old Master Duanmu suddenly asked, “You’re so vicious. Something must have happened these past two days?”
Li Yan looked down at the chessboard and told him about his visit to the temple last night in a cold tone.
When Old Master Duanmu heard this, his expression didn’t change at all. After making a move, he said, “Looks like the rumors are true. So many people went to the northwest this time. It’s normal for someone to want you to also go there.
“You have money and Blazing Glory’s businesses are very broad. If you go there, you will definitely prepare a lot of resources that are out of their reach. This will enhance the chances of them coming out.”
Hearing Old Master’s analysis, Li Yan didn’t look up. He continued to lower his eyes as if he was thinking about his next move.
After taking a step, he said, “Many people went over there last night.”
“Oh, who are they?”
“The Qin family, the Lu family… and the Duanmu family.”
After Li Yan finished speaking, he finally looked up at Old Master Duanmu.
Old Master Duanmu looked back at him with his wise eyes that were filled with the vicissitudes of life. After putting down the chess piece in his hand, he said to the guard standing at the side, “Little Huang, go and call my eldest son over.”
“Yes.”
The two of them continued playing chess.
Ten minutes later, Eldest Master Duanmu followed the guard in.
“Father, why are you looking for me?”
“I heard that our Duanmu family went to Fangqing Temple outside the city last night?”
When he heard this, Eldest Master Duanmu was first stunned before asking in confusion, “There was a temple fair at Fangqing Temple yesterday. The women did go over there to burn incense, but they returned at three in the afternoon. I wonder why Father is asking this?”
After asking this, he looked at Li Yan and asked concernedly, “Did CEO Li also go to Fangqing Temple yesterday? What else happened?”
“No,” Li Yan replied and ate another chess piece from Old Master.
Old Master Duanmu looked at the chess piece that had been eaten and thought about how to make his next move. At the same time, he asked Eldest Master Duanmu, “Young Li said that many people are going to the ancient tomb in the northwest whose location has been confirmed recently.”
“Yes, Father.” Eldest Master Duanmu glanced at Li Yan again, as if considering whether to say this in front of Li Yan.
Old Master Duanmu glanced at him.
Only then did Eldest Master Duanmu say in a vexed tone, “Previously, the archeology team planned to go over there. I didn’t expect this news to have been spread by someone. Many people in society already know.”
Old Master Duanmu’s expression turned stern. “That tomb is a national ruin. Why didn’t you issue a restraining order?”
“I was negligent. I should have issued this order at the earliest. Later on, the archeological team said that they weren’t sure if it was the legendary ancient tomb.”
“In that case, send more people over to stop them. If the structure of the national ruins is destroyed by those people, it will be a huge loss to our empire’s ancient archaeological research.”
“Okay, Father. I’ll send more people to stop those people.”
After saying that, Eldest Master Duanmu left.
Only then did Old Master Duanmu smile and say to Li Yan, “Luckily, you came to remind me, Young Li. That ancient tomb is very valuable for studying ancient culture. If it’s destroyed by those tomb raiders, it will be a huge loss to our empire.”
Li Yan nodded and continued playing chess. After the next move, he said, “The Qin family went too.”
The chess piece that Old Master Duanmu was about to place stopped halfway. He frowned and a trace of anger finally flashed across his face.
After a while, he said, “Looks like we were too kind to the Qin family.”
The game went on for nearly an hour. In the end, Li Yan won.
Old Master Duanmu scolded jokingly, “Kid, you’ve never liked to talk during chess. I was wondering why you kept talking to me today. So you wanted to divert my attention and make me lose.”
“No.” Li Yan looked at Old Master and said, “Talking to you doesn’t affect me much.”
When Old Master Duanmu heard this, he laughed out loud.
“You brat, even if you marry a wife, you still don’t have much compassion.”
Li Yan didn’t answer.
However, Old Master Duanmu changed the topic and asked casually, “Young Li, if one day, I ask you to help me do something that you’re not willing to do, will you agree to help me do it?”
Li Yan stared at him coldly and said, “No.”
When Old Master Duanmu heard this, he laughed instead of being angry. “Indeed, you’re still you… I remember when I saved you back then, you said that as long as you survived, you should return a life to me. You’ve done it. If not for the prescription you gave me, I would have already been buried.”
At this point, he suddenly sighed and said, “It’s a pity that my life can only last for half a year. Once people know that they don’t have much time left, they increasingly feel that there’s not enough time. I really want to live to a hundred.”
Li Yan continued to stare at him. After a while, he said, “I said that I would return a life to you. Since your wish is to live to a hundred years old, I will find a way to let you live until then.
“However, if the others from the Duanmu family want to test me or have designs on Luoluo again, don’t blame me for falling out with them.”
After saying this, he stood up and walked out of the door.
“Li Yan, how can you speak to Old Master like that!”
“It’s fine.”
Old Master Duanmu looked at Li Yan’s back and narrowed his eyes.
After they left, the guard asked in confusion, “Old Master, Li Yan is so disrespectful to you. Why are you still letting him be?”
The guard felt that with Li Yan’s attitude, he should directly capture him and throw him into jail.
Old Master Duanmu glanced at his guards and started playing chess alone again. After a few moves, he said, “Young Master Li won’t come over to say these things without evidence. Since he said that someone from our Duanmu family was involved last night, that must be true.
“Go and tell my eldest son to restrain those juniors properly. I don’t want Young Master Li to come and test me again because of these troublesome matters.”
The guard was stunned for a moment before quickly responding, “Yes.”
…
Chu Luo went over to do experiments with Professor Tang and the others early in the morning. She did it until noon.
The four of them were about to eat when they saw a car parked outside the villa. Li Yan alighted.
Chu Luo was a little surprised and immediately walked out to welcome him. “Yan, you’re back.”
Li Yan nodded at her and glanced at the three of them sitting in the living room, preparing to eat. He said to her, “Let’s go back and eat.”
Chu Luo nodded at him and turned to say to Professor Tang and the others, “Grandpa Hu, Professor Tang, Professor Cao, don’t wait for me. Yan and I will go back to our villa to eat.”
She then walked towards their villa with Li Yan.
After walking out of the villa, Chu Luo asked, “Did you discover anything when you went over?”
Li Yan didn’t answer her but said, “Old Master wants to live to a hundred years old. I’ve already found all the herbs on that list you prescribed. I’ve decided to let him live to a hundred.”
“Is this your repayment for saving his life?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll brew this medicine.”
“Mm.”
Though Li Yan was cold to people, he wasn’t really cold-blooded and heartless to the point of being inhumane. He would definitely repay Old Master Duanmu for saving his life back then.
After the two of them had eaten, they saw Qin Ming walking in with a huge wooden chest.
Li Yan walked over to take the wooden box and placed it on the table.
Chu Luo guessed what it was. “Are those herbs inside?”
“Yes.”
Chu Luo quickly opened it. When she saw the few rare herbs in a special transparent container in the wooden box, she smiled. “Over the next two days, I’ll refine those herbs into pills. You can give them to Old Master Duanmu after a period of time.”
“Okay.”
In the afternoon, Chu Luo took the herbs and went to the other herbs refining room to brew the medicine.
When Chu Luo was concocting the medicine, she only greeted Elder Hu but didn’t say anything.
When Elder Hu pushed open the door to see what medicine Chu Luo was brewing, he was shocked when he smelled the medicine.
He smelled the floating Chinese medicine smell carefully and asked, “Little Chu, where did you get this prescription from?”
At this point, he became excited. “I think I smell the Ice Fire Unicorn Grass!”
Chu Luo nodded. “Yes, there’s this herb.”
“How did you find this herb?” At this point, he immediately understood. “Looks like Li Yan got someone to find it.”
“Yes, he sent someone to look for it.”
Elder Hu smelled it again and his eyes lit up. “That’s not right. You have two special herbs inside. What are they?”
At this point, he fell into deep thought.
Chu Luo knew that these three herbs had been extinct in this world for a long time. It was already good enough that Elder Hu knew about one herb. She said, “The other two are White Withered Floss and Flaming Phoenix Grass.”
“What? This… this… you actually found these two herbs!”
Elder Hu was so excited that his face was red. “Hurry, hurry, hurry. Quickly show me those two herbs.”
Chu Luo brought him to see the two herbs.
Elder Hu sighed. “I saw these two kinds of herbs in an ancient medical book when I was very young. I always thought that they were extinct in this world. I didn’t expect Li Yan to be able to find them.”
At this point, Elder Hu realized something. “That’s not right. What illness do you want to treat by brewing these three herbs together?”