As Lin Feng listened to Lai Peng's account, a sudden idea struck him. 'Attacks, shrinking of the body, veins twisting like tangled roots...'
He remembered encountering similar symptoms in the Thousand Green Pill Heart Records. Surprisingly, these symptoms weren't even a sign of Qi Deviation.
Observing Lin Feng's deep in thought, Lai Peng asked, "What's wrong? Do you think you can really heal the president?"
Lin Feng answered cautiously, "I need to examine him more closely to be sure. Could you take me to meet the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce?"
Lai Peng responded with a hesitant smile, "I'm not sure President Du Bailei would agree to see you. My position in the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce isn't high enough to easily arrange a meeting with him."
"Why don't we focus on evaluating these items first?" Lin Feng suggested, steering the conversation towards a more practical matter.
"Alright," Lin Feng agreed. He shared his insights with Lai Peng, "Out of these five items, I've identified three. They are the Easy Spirit Pinecone, the Three-Leafed Yin Soul Grass, and the Aconite Snake Pattern Flower."
"However, I must admit I'm unable to identify the pill furnace and the bottle," he added, maintaining a tone of professional honesty.
"What! You actually identified them! And three, no less! Are you really sure you're not just making this up?" Lai Peng looked at Lin Feng with wide-eyed amazement. His initial expectation was for Lin Feng to merely try, prepared to accept failure.
Much to his astonishment, Lin Feng had successfully identified three of the items.
"These are the characteristics of the three spiritual plants. You can have a skilled alchemist verify my findings." Lin Feng confidently wrote down the properties of the three spiritual plants on the paper with his assessment results.
"Wow!" Lai Peng couldn't contain his admiration. "It seems you've really identified these three treasures!"
Although Lin Feng had impressively proven his skill, his accomplishments were greatly diminished due to Jiang Chen's meddling, resulting in him receiving only minimal rewards.
"By the way," Lin Feng asked, nodding thoughtfully, "When can you arrange for me to meet the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce?"
"I'll check on that. Given that you've identified these three treasures which have puzzled the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce for years, it's very likely that you'll get a meeting with President Du Bailei." Lai Peng replied with a renewed sense of optimism. He immediately began reaching out to his contacts to arrange a meeting with the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce.
...
Meanwhile, at the temporary base of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, just outside the three-story white building, Jiang Chen, Ning Xian, and Qiu Liaoxi strolled casually.
Jiang Chen's wandering, however, wasn't without purpose. Learning that President Du Bailei of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce was unwell, and possibly the patient Lin Feng was set to treat, he was busy concocting schemes to disrupt Lin Feng's plans.
While mulling over his options during their walk, he formulated a plan to persuade Qiu Liaoxi to try treating President Du Bailei. This move, he hoped, would undermine Lin Feng by using his own allies against him.
While it seemed that Lin Feng was the only one capable of curing President Du Bailei's illness, Jiang Chen held onto a different plan. He believed that if Qiu Liaoxi could accurately diagnose the president's condition, he could then use the System Mall to acquire the necessary items for treatment.
Furthermore, Lin Feng first needed to secure a meeting with President Du Bailei of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce before he even had a chance to offer treatment.
Originally, Lin Feng should have had easy access to President Du Bailei, owing to his impressive performance in the appraisal competition. Such a performance would typically have caught the eye of many senior members of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, paving the way for him to meet the president.
But now, due to Jiang Chen's subtle manipulations, he was forced to rely on Lai Peng, a relatively junior member of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, to arrange a meeting with President Du Bailei.
As they embarked on this task, they were likely to encounter some of the higher-ranking members of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce. Anticipating this, Jiang Chen sent a message to his uncle, Jiang Xingtai, instructing him to keep a close watch on these senior members. Jiang Chen's goal was to ensure that if anyone tried to set up a meeting with the president for medical purposes through these influential figures, there would be obstacles to block their efforts.
...
At that moment, Ning Xian looked uncertainly at the bustling small building and hesitated, "Is this the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce's encampment? Do we really need to meet their president?"
"Yes," Jiang Chen replied with a sly smile, clearly plotting something. "I've heard their president is ill, and considering Master Qiu's exceptional medical skills, I thought it might be worth suggesting she take a look."
"If Master Qiu could cure him, it would be beneficial for both her and me!" he added, revealing his ulterior motives.
"Mhm," Qiu Liaoxi nodded, her tone practical and focused, as she explained to Ning Xian, "Besides, Lin Feng needs a lot of spiritual plants. If we succeed in treating the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, we could buy more spiritual plants at better prices."
She then turned to Jiang Chen with a respectful gesture, her voice tinged with gratitude, "In that case, we must rely on Young Master Jiang's assistance."
Without Jiang Chen's involvement, it would indeed be a formidable challenge for them to secure a meeting with the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce.
"Then let's go!" Jiang Chen said with a light chuckle, signaling Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi to follow him.
"Young Master Jiang Chen!" The female attendant, who had met Jiang Chen before, hurried over to greet him.
"Haha," Jiang Chen responded, performing a fist and palm salute before addressing the female attendant. "I've heard that President Du Bailei isn't feeling well, so I've brought two alchemy experts to help. I have no doubt they will bring him back to full health!"
"I see, I'll go inform the higher-ups right away!" The female attendant's expression brightened with understanding, and she quickly excused herself to pass on the message to her superiors.
In fact, the illness of the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce was common knowledge, attracting many who wished to treat him. Each arrival was marked with confidence and bold promises, but ultimately, they all failed to help and departed without success.
Consequently, most attempts to treat President Du Bailei were met with skepticism and often rejection. However, Jiang Chen's notable status made a difference. Therefore, the female attendant conveyed the news to the higher-ups with a sense of urgency and great respect.
Not long after, the female attendant returned, her face bright with a smile. "The President's condition has improved slightly," she announced. "Upon hearing that Young Master Jiang Chen has come back with skilled alchemists, he was very pleased and has requested that Young Master Jiang Chen come to see him immediately."
The truth was, Du Bailei was skeptical that the people Jiang Chen brought could actually cure him. Yet, due to the recent strengthening of ties between many senior members of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce and the Jiang Clan, he was inclined to give them an audience.
Moreover, this was Jiang Chen's second visit, and bringing alchemists with him showed his concern. Even if they couldn't cure his ailment, the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce appreciated Jiang Chen's efforts. Therefore, President Du Bailei readily agreed to meet with Jiang Chen.
"Excellent, please lead the way!" Jiang Chen said eagerly, his smile reflecting his satisfaction.
Soon, guided by the female attendant, Jiang Chen, Ning Xian, and Qiu Liaoxi reached a tranquil room on the third floor. There, they saw a man cloaked in a black robe, his stature tall and lean.
This man was Du Bailei, the president of the White Mountain Chamber of Commerce.
With just a thought, Jiang Chen activated his special ability, Villain Eye, and the character panel of the other individual appeared before him.
[Name: Du Bailei
Realm: Early-stage Mysterious Platform
Status: Supporting character
Fate Value: 682]
'Sure enough, he is a supporting character, but I didn't expect him to be at the Mysterious Platform realm,' Jiang Chen thought with a hint of surprise as he scrutinized Du Bailei's information panel.
'The most formidable figure in Autumn Glory City is only at the Mysterious Platform realm. This means Du Bailei must be Lin Feng's most powerful ally in this 'novice village',' he mused internally, analyzing the situation.