Brian Zane smiled leisurely and said, “If he can truly make further progress in the future, enter officialdom, and smooth out some of his rough edges, he won’t be so arrogant anymore. Old Mr. White, make some preparations for me…”

Old Mr. White asked, “Young master, do you want to write a letter to inform Mr. Thompson?”

Brian Zane shook his head and said, “No need. If I write a letter, Mr. Thompson will not only let go of his prejudices, but will also look after that boy a bit, paving the way for him. Logically speaking, this ancient book is indeed very precious, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to write a letter. But I really don’t like that boy, so I don’t want to pave the way for him.”

As he spoke, Brian Zane continued, “I heard that Mr. Thompson’s father-in-law, that is, Mrs. Thompson’s father, has been suffering from an illness for over a year now, and is currently missing a key medicinal ingredient. Coincidentally, among the three rare herbs sent by Mr. Turner Sr., one seems to have similar properties and should be able to substitute for the main medicine. When the time comes, have the steward deliver it to Mr. Thompson’s residence and state the reason plainly.”

Old Mr. White nodded and said, “This old servant understands.”

Brian Zane said, “Three days from now, take a jade hairpin from the treasury and privately send it to Mrs. Thompson. Mention this matter, and that will be the end of it.”

Ethan Frost asked in surprise, “Why three days later?”

Old Mr. White chuckled and looked at Brian Zane.

Brian Zane replied with a smile, “First, we use a rare herb. Mr. Thompson will appreciate my favor, and Mrs. Thompson will also feel grateful. Our relationship with the Li family will become even closer. But it’s not appropriate to make a request right away, lest we seem too mercenary. After waiting three to five days, we’ll privately send a jade hairpin to Mrs. Thompson, and the matter we bring up will be a small one, so it won’t cause any resentment.”

Upon hearing this, Ethan Frost suddenly understood.

…

Night fell.

Brian Zane looked at the medical book, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

On page thirty-two, there was a record of a rare flower called the Jade Spirit Flower.

Eight hundred years ago, there was a legend on Yunling Mountain: a woodcutter fell in the mountains, breaking an arm and a leg, but encountered a goddess who bestowed upon him a white flower. He ground it into a paste and applied it to his wounds, and both his arm and leg healed.

The divine physician Helen Thompson, when he was young, climbed the mountain. Though he did not believe in the goddess, he did pick a white flower, which proved to have miraculous effects.

This flower grows alone and is extremely rare.

Later, Helen Thompson verified ancient records and found seven stories of people obtaining the Jade Spirit Flower.

Most of these were folk legends, but in official history, there was one account: the founding emperor of an ancient dynasty, whose left arm’s meridians were damaged from childhood, causing his bones to grow improperly and leaving the arm weak and useless. Later, he obtained this flower, which cured his disability. In middle age, he raised an army, fought on horseback, and conquered the land.

“Jade Spirit Flower…”

Brian Zane held a brush in his right hand and wrote these three characters, the strokes gentle and calm.

Then he switched to his left hand and wrote the same three characters, this time with bold, powerful strokes.

He placed the ancient medical text on the table.

The handwriting written with his left hand was exactly the same as that in the medical book!

He chuckled softly and stroked the young dragon in his sleeve, as sinuous as a cloud serpent.

“Terry Song, in the end, you still returned this book.”

Chapter 008: Far-Reaching Strategy

Xuancheng.

The Song Family.

“Terry, do you really intend to fight him to the end?”

The old patriarch of the The Song Family sighed and said, “Although he suppressed the The Song Family back then and forcibly expanded his business in Xuancheng, in fact, over the past two or three years, our cooperation with him has only increased our profits. This time, the The Song Family has already regained sovereignty over Xuancheng, and the resentment from back then has been resolved…”

Terry Song smoothed his sideburns and said softly, “Grandfather, you really have grown old.”

Back then, the man who built the The Song Family from nothing, what strength and dominance he had, how lofty his ambitions were—yet now, he has become so gentle and yielding, willing to be second to others.

“Perhaps I have grown old,”

The old patriarch of the The Song Family did not deny it, nor was he angry. He only said, “Back then, I started from scratch with nothing, so I could risk everything. Now, the The Song Family is large and prosperous—why fight to the point of mutual destruction? I once had the heart to expand, but now that the family business is established, I only wish to preserve it…”

Terry Song said, “Back then, you only attacked and never defended, your spirit was unmatched. Now you only defend and never attack, your ambition is too weak. That’s why you lost two years ago. But I am different. Since returning from overseas, I have been making preparations. Everything in the capital was just groundwork. More than a year of accumulation has been for this moment. I will make sure Brian Zane is utterly ruined! From now on, the The Song Family will take his place, and all the business in the sixteen prefectures of Huai’an will be mine. The The Song Family will reach unprecedented glory, surpassing even your achievements!”

The old patriarch of the The Song Family hesitated and asked, “Have you considered the consequences of failure?”

Terry Song replied calmly, “I will not fail.”

Just then, a servant hurried in and handed over a piece of paper.

Terry Song took the paper, smiled, waved the servant away, and then handed the paper over.

The old patriarch took the paper, his gaze sharpening.

“Is it true?”

“Of course it’s true.”