"This is Du Huo, and this is Qiang Huo."
"I didn't expect you two to be so cunning, choosing two herbs that look so similar to test me."
Du Fei continued to feel them. The twelfth and thirteenth herbs were called Du Huo and Qiang Huo, respectively. Their names differed by only one character, and they looked very alike.
Sometimes, even slightly less experienced apprentices couldn't tell the difference between the two.
Yet, Du Fei could distinguish them just by touch.
Du Yunyun and the other two were filled with shock.
"Let me feel them and see what the remaining two herbs are."
As Du Fei touched them, he clicked his tongue, "Alright, Miss Wang, the last two you picked are too difficult, aren't they?"
The last two herbs were oblong and slightly flattened.
Seeing that Du Fei didn't immediately name the herbs, Wang Zhongling finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she and Du Yunyun were somewhat convinced of Du Fei's ability to identify herbs by touch, she was still angry and, true to her nature, couldn't bring herself to admit defeat.
"Hmph, you can't figure it out, can you? The ones before were all the easiest ones I picked. These last two are the real test. Can you do it or not? If not, just admit defeat!"
Du Yunyun chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, Brother, if you can't figure it out, just admit defeat quickly. We've prepared afternoon tea, don't delay us!"
"Little girl, I've treated you so well, and now you're siding with outsiders. It's really... Fine, I was going to give you some face, but now don't blame me for being impolite."
"Chi Xiao Dou and Xiang Si Zi! Am I right?"
After naming the last two herbs, Du Fei removed the blindfold without waiting for Wang Zhongling and Du Yunyun to confirm.
At this moment, the three people standing opposite him, besides being utterly shocked, looked at Du Fei as if he were a monster.
It was understandable, as Du Fei's skill was too astonishing.
Out of the fifteen herbs, the first eleven were indeed relatively simple. However, they weren't common herbs. If Wang Zhongling didn't use her eyes, she could have identified at most two or three.
But the last four herbs were so similar that even with sight, one might not be able to distinguish them.
And Du Fei, blindfolded, could identify them by touch, which was naturally shocking to them.
"Alright, a bet is a bet. No afternoon tea then."
Wang Zhongling was the first to react, declaring that they wouldn't have afternoon tea.
That was one of Wang Zhongling's good points. Despite her spoiled-young-lady temper and her tendency to yell at Du Fei, she was a woman of her word.
Just like now, she immediately admitted defeat after losing.
Du Yunyun linked arms with Wang Zhongling, "Sister Zhongling, don't be too sad. My brother, he's just a monster. Let's not bother with him."
"Me? Me?"
Du Fei was about to feel pleased, but Du Yunyun's next words made him widen his eyes, almost thinking he had misheard.
What was wrong with him?
He had won the competition, so why did it feel like he had cheated?
However, one was his sister, and the other was Wang Zhongling, who worked for free out of affection. Du Fei couldn't say much, so he let them have their way.
"Wen Shan, order their usual afternoon tea later and tell me how much it costs."
Du Fei called out to Xu Wen Shan, who hadn't left yet, and whispered his instructions.
Xu Wen Shan gave a knowing smile and nodded.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
Du Fei's phone rang.
"Alright, no problem. My shop is at 28 Jianghua Street. You can come directly."
...
"Brother Huang, we've made arrangements with him. If you have nothing else, shall we go together now?"
Shao Junjie called Du Fei to confirm he was at the Chinese medicine clinic and not too busy, then turned to Huang Peter sitting beside him.
He had Du Fei's number because during the jade gambling competition, Du Fei had cut several top-grade jades, and the most expensive one, an imperial green, had been entrusted to Shao Junjie to find a skilled carver.
Huang Peter nodded, "Alright, since Ah Jie, you've always spoken so highly of this Chinese medicine doctor, I'll go with you and see if he truly deserves the title of 'miraculous hands, returning life'."
In his heart, Huang Peter didn't believe that the Chinese medicine doctor Shao Junjie introduced could cure his illness.
This was because a Chinese medicine doctor previously introduced by his friend was already very famous in China, even considered a master.
The bottle of medicine Shao Junjie had obtained for Huang Peter previously was worth tens of thousands, not including the consultation fees.
However, for Huang Peter, a wealthy fraudster, a mere hundred thousand or eighty thousand was nothing, as long as he could be cured.
In his self-deprecating words, he wondered if he had cheated so many people that heaven had afflicted him with such a rare illness.
The two arrived at the hotel entrance, where Shao Junjie's driver was already waiting.
As soon as they stepped out of the hotel, Xiao Zeng immediately opened the rear door to welcome them.
The car drove rapidly on the road. After about an hour, the car turned into a small road.
"The environment here doesn't seem very good?"
Huang Peter observed the scenery outside the window, which was clearly different from the high-rise buildings lining the roads before, and he couldn't help but speak.
Shao Junjie said, "Actually, it's my first time at his Chinese medicine clinic too. I got to know him through a friend."
As Jianghua Street wasn't very wide, and the signs on both sides of the road were a bit old, the driver Xiao Zeng had to slow down to search carefully.
"Xiao Zeng, stop, this is it."
Shao Junjie patted the front seat, signaling the assistant to stop.
Xiao Zeng immediately pulled the car over to the side and stopped.
After getting out of the car, the three of them headed straight for a Chinese medicine clinic not far from the roadside, which had a sign that read "Miraculous Hands, Returning Life."
"Heh heh, not only is your friend's choice of location for his shop unusual, but the name is also very bold. Although I don't know much about Chinese culture, anyone who dares to hang these four words must be a master with exceptional medical skills."
Seeing the audacious name of the Chinese medicine clinic, Huang Peter immediately felt a bit of regret for coming.
Having lived in China for so many years, he understood the nature of Chinese people very well.
The field of Chinese medicine encompassed thousands of years of Chinese culture and essence. Although much had been lost today, there were still true masters of Chinese medicine, but they were very few. Even they wouldn't dare to hang "Miraculous Hands, Returning Life" on their shop doors.
"Uh, my friend is indeed very special. Brother Huang, since we're already here, why don't we go in and take a look first."
Shao Junjie could also sense the meaning behind Huang Peter's words.
However, he hadn't interacted with Du Fei much, so he couldn't say much at this moment, and could only invite Huang Peter to go in.
Huang Peter nodded and followed Shao Junjie into the Chinese medicine clinic.