Chapter 496 — Blades Drawn and Bows Bent
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Everyone in the great families and the wealthy merchant houses knew Guan Xuewen's temper: he would treat the sick, and he never haggled over his fee, but he would not go out on house calls, ever. If you were ill, you came to Songshan City. Otherwise, no one could move him.
Part of the reason was that Guan Xuewen still taught courses at the Medical and Pharmaceutical University. In his own eyes he was a professor first — teaching and shaping young people was his true calling — and so nothing, absolutely nothing, could be allowed to interfere with his lectures.
"Very well, then. One of these days I shall be sure to come and impose on you," Wu Gonggao said with a smile and a nod.
"Grandfather! It's him — the very man I told you about! Not only did he go sniffing around Sun Jingyan, he's also posing as some kind of miraculous doctor — the man's an obvious fraud! And because of him I got slapped by Auntie!" Wu Chengtian had suddenly caught sight of Wei Zhao standing beside Guan Xuewen, and a wave of unbearable humiliation came surging up into his skull. In an instant he lost every shred of reason, and jabbing a finger at Wei Zhao, he began to shout and curse.
Lately the Wu family had lifted Wu Chengtian very high indeed, grooming him as the hope of the third generation. And no wonder — a youth barely past twenty who had already reached the early Yellow Rank; what an achievement was that? There might not be another such in the whole world! That, at least, was what the Wu family believed.
And so every advantage and every glory the Wu family possessed had been heaped upon Wu Chengtian's head, which in turn had bred in him a domineering, overbearing temperament — one that could not tolerate the slightest loss and repaid any offense without fail. Seeing Wei Zhao now, he did not think at all; the insults simply came bursting out of his mouth.
Guan Xuewen's face darkened at once. In his eyes Wei Zhao was both teacher and friend — at the very least, a senior fellow disciple. So when someone spoke of Wei Zhao like that, he was naturally displeased. He glanced at Wu Gonggao and said coolly, "Elder Wu, if there is nothing else, we shall be going."
Wu Gonggao's expression too went stiff for a moment. He had not expected Guan Xuewen to stand up for Wei Zhao, and for a moment he was rather at a loss. Wu Gonggao was famously protective of his own, and this grandson of his was extraordinarily gifted — a treasure doted on daily, given whatever he asked for, a boy no one dared criticize or lay a finger on. When the grandson got into trouble, the grandfather would naturally step forward for him, no matter whose fault it was or who the other party might be.
But now, of all people, Guan Xuewen was one of the very few men he dared not offend. With Guan Xuewen present, it would hardly do to go making trouble for Wei Zhao. He cast Wei Zhao a cool glance, fixed his face in his memory, and resolved to find an opportunity to deal with him later.
Yet though Wu Gonggao said nothing, there were others who would not let it lie — and the whole temple fair promptly blew up.
"Who did you call a fraud? You're the fraud — look at you! You're worse than dog shit!" Feng Xiaoxiao would not stand for it the moment she heard this stranger insult Wei Zhao for no reason at all. Who did he think she was? In her current role she was Wei Zhao's pursuer — and if this man insulted Wei Zhao, was he not equally saying that she, Feng Xiaoxiao, had no eye at all, and had fallen for a fraud?
So of course Feng Xiaoxiao would not let it pass. She glared at Wu Chengtian, and had there not been so many people about, she would have kicked him outright. What sort of girl was Feng Xiaoxiao, after all? Dealing out blows was as ordinary to her as eating and drinking.