Volume 1, Chapter 44: Today is the auspicious day for Lin Xiaoxu to exact vengeance for the grievances of the past!

"I saw my parents' bodies in the morgue, and I cried my heart out, wishing I were dead from the sheer agony. Yet you, Li Donghai, this creature who popped out of nowhere, took advantage of the moment Uncle Lin stepped away to sweet-talk and bewitch me!

You told me you had two top-grade wild ginseng slices, and that if we just let the deceased hold them in their mouths, it could gather their lingering life force, allowing them to see their loved ones one last time and leave this world without a single shred of regret.

In my panic and utter despair, I believed you, you greedy, heartless quack! I took all the cash from my parents' wallets and the gold necklace my mother wore around her neck, handed them all over to you in exchange for those so-called wild ginseng slices!"

When Lin Xiaoxu reached this point, Li Donghai's face drained of color. He shrank his neck, swallowed hard, and didn't dare let out a single breath. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his eyes, wide as eggs, were filled with stark terror.

In the year he retired, he had indeed done such a thing.

What kind of cursed day was today? To actually run into Lin Xiaoxu, that former junior high school student, right here inside Jishi Hall!

Back then, he was already at that age and yet still assigned to be the on-duty emergency doctor, working himself to the bone—was it really such an outrageous crime to pocket a little money on the side?

Besides, Lin Xiaoxu's parents had been run over and killed by some wealthy second-generation heir. Logically speaking, if that rich brat wanted to stay out of prison, he would surely have paid out a settlement of one or two million.

Wasn't this Lin Xiaoxu a bit too petty? Seven years later, armed with the massive compensation from that rich kid, he was still holding onto a grudge, refusing to let go of a few thousand yuan in cash and a tiny gold necklace he had taken back then?

Hmph! With a mindset like that, what great things could he ever accomplish? No wonder he was still nothing more than a country bumpkin!

Lin Xiaoxu never expected that he had merely followed Lin Manru into Jishi Hall to buy herbs for her safety, only to run into Li Donghai by a twist of fate—this vile, greedy quack who even profited off the dead!

Until the day he died, Lin Xiaoxu would never forget the desperate situation he faced when he reported Li Donghai's actions to the police back then. When the officers asked him for human witnesses and physical evidence, he had suffered like someone eating coptis—unable to voice his bitter grievances—while watching the flash of smug, sinister triumph on Li Donghai's face.

Good! Wonderful! Today was the perfect day for Lin Xiaoxu to exact his revenge for the past!

Standing nearby, Qi Xiangfu wore an expression of utter disbelief. He was a seasoned veteran in the world, yet this was the first time he had ever heard of such a despicable deed!

No one dared to speak inside Jishi Hall; everyone held their breath in absolute silence.

Ask yourself: who would ever use the reputation of their own parents, who died tragic and untimely deaths years ago, just to frame a pharmacy owner?

Coupled with Li Donghai's bizarre reaction, didn't it all serve to indirectly verify the absolute truth of the matter?

"What you gave me were merely two ordinary American ginseng slices. Pitifully, after stuffing those slices into my parents' mouths, I stood there full of hopeful anticipation, waiting for the miracle of them opening their eyes to see me one last time."

The aftermath of the incident was that Li Donghai used his influence within the hospital to suppress the matter.

As for the doctors and nurses, caught between Li Donghai, a veteran physician who had deeply entrenched himself in the county hospital for decades, and Lin Xiaoxu, a powerless, penniless rural junior high schooler, they could only remain silent even though they knew Li Donghai's true character.

Moreover, lacking surveillance footage or solid testimony from a third party, the police could only express their helplessness and even went so far as to suspect that Lin Xiaoxu had suffered a temporary mental breakdown due to the tragic death of his parents.

Eventually, the matter was left unsettled and brushed aside.

"You're lying! I did no such thing!"

Though Li Donghai was putting up a facade of calmness, he couldn't hide the cracking tremble in his voice, his ashen complexion, and all those other subtle giveaways.

Back then, the incident had neither surveillance nor eyewitnesses, making it impossible to file a case. Now, seven years later, it was like a stone sinking into the sea—leaving no trace whatsoever!

What was there to be afraid of a puny Lin Xiaoxu?

With this thought, Li Donghai regained his footing and puffed out his chest. The panic vanished from his eyes, instantly replaced by arrogance and audacity.

"Talk is cheap! As a retired doctor, I demand that you produce evidence!" Li Donghai's tone was full of bravado, and he looked entirely like a fiercely belligerent fighting cock that believed victory was already in its grasp!

Lin Xiaoxu gently shook his head, a helpless, bitter smile playing on his lips.

"I couldn't produce evidence back then, and now that seven years have passed, how could I possibly produce evidence to accuse you?"

Seeing Lin Xiaoxu's gloomy expression, Li Donghai instantly radiated an overbearing, haughty aura. He pointed a finger straight at Lin Xiaoxu's nose and roared:

"Then you are simply slandering me! I have every right to call the police and have you locked up in prison!"

"There's no need to trouble yourself with calling the police." The bitter smile vanished from Lin Xiaoxu's face in an instant. A playful curve formed at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Li Donghai with amused mockery.

"That's because I already called the police a while ago! Judging by the time, they should be arriving any minute now.

I couldn't bring you down for what happened back then, but those who commit too many injustices will eventually ruin themselves. I am using this very case to prosecute you now!

Since it's prison either way, there's not much difference."

In fact, before Lin Xiaoxu even approached Li Donghai, he had quietly whispered two words to Lin Manru standing behind him: Call the police!

Lin Xiaoxu suddenly snatched the ginseng and placed it directly into Qi Xiangfu's hands.

"Please temporarily safeguard this Panax ginseng disguised as thirty-year-old wild ginseng, sir. When the police arrive, this will be the most conclusive piece of evidence to send Li Donghai to prison."

Qi Xiangfu reflexively caught it in his arms.

"You... you... I..." Li Donghai's face suddenly turned deathly pale. In the span of a single second, the fiercely belligerent fighting cock transformed into a thoroughly defeated, drenched rooster.

Flustered and panicked, Li Donghai completely lost his bearings, having no idea how to handle the situation. Just at that moment, several police officers in uniform walked through the front doors of the pharmacy.

Leading them was a young, short-haired female officer. Visually estimated to be over one meter seventy-five in height, she possessed an exceptionally tall figure, an ice-cold demeanor, and striking, heroic facial features. Though her skin was smooth, it had a slightly sun-kissed tan, and her eyes radiated the razor-sharp intensity of a wild leopard, intentionally or unintentionally. She narrowed her dark eyes and swept her gaze across the people inside Jishi Hall.

The moment their eyes met the female officer's gaze, many felt as though they had been locked onto by a man-eating wild leopard, involuntarily lowering their heads.

Especially Li Donghai—his eyeballs almost popped out of his skull in sheer terror!

The female officer strode forward, passing by Lin Manru with an air of heroic poise, making Lin Manru, who stood just a bit over one meter sixty, look like a tiny dwarf by comparison, as she walked straight up to the counter.