The Holy See had no choice but to temporarily agree to Lion King and Jiang Fei’s terms. Even though they knew full well this was nothing short of blatant coercion, they were powerless to do anything about it.
In the past, the Holy See had wielded absolute authority in the West—whatever they said went, and no one dared to object. Their prestige was untouchable.
Whether it was government officials from various countries, supernatural powerhouses, or figures from the underworld, no one would dare refuse to show the Holy See at least some respect. Even Augustus, the “Demon” assassin slain by Jiang Fei, appeared to have gotten away with defying the Holy See purely on the strength of his formidable power. But in truth, the main reason was that Augustus’s offenses against the Holy See hadn’t been severe enough to constitute an irreconcilable blood feud.
If Augustus had truly pushed the Holy See too far, he wouldn’t have enjoyed such freedom.
When the Holy See was genuinely enraged, killing a Dan Jin-level expert wasn’t impossible.
It just came down to whether the cost of eliminating such a powerhouse was worth it.
And now, Jiang Fei and Lion King had completely shattered that unspoken rule. They had killed a critically important Ascetic of the Holy See and then come back to threaten them—this wasn’t something that could simply be described as enmity; this was a mortal grudge!
Going by the Holy See’s usual domineering style, anyone who did this absolutely had to be killed. No matter the cost, it had to be done to preserve their dignity.
Unfortunately, this time, they truly couldn’t pull it off.
Because even if they were willing to pay any price to kill Jiang Fei and Lion King, they just couldn’t—it was beyond their capabilities!
First of all, both Jiang Fei and Lion King came from the mysterious East—China, a place they were most reluctant to provoke. That land was a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, home to countless immeasurable true masters. For them, Dan Jin level wasn’t even the pinnacle—some had truly broken past Dan Jin, and even the Holy See would have to keep their distance.
And then there was the strength Jiang Fei and Lion King had already displayed—one could kill one of India’s three great gods, and the other could easily crush the combined forces of their Ascetic and Augustus.
Against such an overwhelmingly powerful duo, how could there possibly be a way to kill them?
Some people—you just can’t kill them, no matter how much you want to!
Watching Jiang Fei and Lion King stride out of St. Giles’ Church with effortless grace, the “Black Widow” Christina and Ascetic Ovelia could only stare with wide eyes, murderous intent surging in their gazes—but they couldn’t turn that intent into reality.
Ovelia took a deep breath before instructing a Round Table Knight behind him: “Use every means available to dig up all the files on Ascetic Michael’s life. Look into any unusual events he encountered during his training and his time walking among the world, any dangers he faced, and any experts he befriended! All of these people are suspects—compile a full list, then investigate each one individually!”
The Round Table Knight felt a pang of resentment. Since when did the Holy See distrust its own Ascetics to the point of investigating their life histories?
And Ovelia himself was an Ascetic!
But no matter how bitter he felt inside, he kept it to himself and could only nod in acknowledgment.
Ovelia himself wasn’t feeling too great either. He knew this task wouldn’t be easy.
As a high-ranking member of the Holy See and one of its most mysterious Ascetics, Michael naturally had many secrets. Though the Holy See required files on everyone, recording all significant events and encounters, those with the ability to become Ascetics always harbored plenty of hidden matters. Simply reviewing files would never reveal the full picture.
But now, with every lead on the Skynet organization having gone cold, if they wanted to uncover who might still be behind it, this was the only path forward—treating a dead horse like it was still alive.
After accompanying Lion King to the Holy See, Jiang Fei didn’t have to worry about much afterward. With Lion King around, most matters didn’t require his help.
What kept him busy now was the arrival in London of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association delegation, along with Lin Moli’s leadership team from Jiang’s Medical Clinic.
Charles, the First-in-Line Crown Prince of the British Empire, was willing to accept and promote Traditional Chinese Medicine, planting a foothold in Europe and opening a breakthrough. This was a golden opportunity for TCM and for Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company.
So, the very next day after receiving Jiang Fei’s call, Cui Xiuping led a seven-person team to arrive in London first.
Including Cui Xiuping, that made eight, and with Jiang Fei, nine.
The team was primarily composed of outstanding medical practitioners from the three major millennium-old schools and TCM family lineages, mostly younger members. However, there were also two highly respected veteran TCM doctors, one of whom—a physician from the Fire-God School—was a grandmotherly figure well past the age of sixty!
This elderly lady was affectionately called Granny Sun by her peers in the medical community, and she was the most skilled practitioner of the Fire-God School. Even the current school leader, the enchantingly alluring Yu Ruzhi, had learned much of her craft from Granny Sun, so naturally she was no match for her mentor.
Thus, the TCM delegation led by Cui Xiuping truly represented the absolute pinnacle of contemporary TCM. Even if there were still a few within the TCM Association who might surpass these representatives, the gap wouldn’t be significant.
As for why they brought two elderly members—that was Cui Xiuping’s way of showcasing the wonders of TCM to foreign friends. He wanted them to see just how valuable TCM was, and that even in old age, its practitioners remained remarkably skilled.
Jiang Fei personally received Cui Xiuping and his group, taking his “subordinates” to their booked hotel. This time, Crown Prince Charles didn’t show up in person to welcome them.
After all, His Highness was a man of great status, not a bellboy. In his place, the welcoming party consisted of Dr. Clayderman, Dean of the Royal College of Medicine, and Dr. Capone, Dean of the Royal Hospital.
The Royal Hospital and the Royal College of Medicine were, of course, two separate institutions.
The Royal Hospital was the finest hospital in the British Empire—essentially the best, no “one of” needed. If graded on the same scale as China’s top-tier hospitals, it would roughly qualify as “Four-A” level.
The Royal College of Medicine, on the other hand, was a branch of the Royal College, which was itself a division of a university.
Its equivalent status in China would be something like the Medical School of Peking University.
So, while neither dean was quite as jaw-droppingly prestigious as Crown Prince Charles, each held significant influence and status in the British medical community—and indeed, in Western medicine as a whole.
Getting both of them to receive a TCM delegation was no small feat. But it also demonstrated just how seriously Charles took TCM and how sincere he was in wanting to promote it in Britain.
Knowing who they were dealing with, Jiang Fei, Cui Xiuping, and the others treated both deans with great respect, hoping to leave a good impression. That way, the upcoming activities and events would go more smoothly.
Unfortunately, life rarely goes as planned, and many things simply don’t unfold the way you hope.
While Jiang Fei, Cui Xiuping, and the others hoped that Deans Clayderman and Capone would, like Crown Prince Charles, follow his instructions and cooperate fully with the TCM delegation’s activities—showing Westerners the wonders of TCM and proving it was a scientific medical practice that could greatly benefit humanity…
Behind their backs, the two deans were sneering coldly.
“What on earth is Prince Charles thinking? Actually wanting to help this ridiculous so-called ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine’ break into our country? This is utter nonsense! Has he informed the Queen of this decision? Has the government approved it?” Capone, Dean of the Royal College of Medicine, complained loudly in the car after leaving the hotel, clearly dissatisfied.
Clayderman, by contrast, appeared much calmer. Leaning back in the rear seat with his eyes closed as if resting, he cautioned his friend: “Old friend, some things we shouldn’t say so carelessly. It’s fine to speak freely in front of me, between good friends. But in front of others, you’d better watch your tongue.”
These two were titans in the British medical world, both deans, and had known each other for many years—they were indeed old friends.
Capone huffed indignantly. “I still think Prince Charles’s decision is utterly absurd. I really can’t endorse it.”
Clayderman’s expression didn’t change. He merely opened his eyes slightly to gaze out the window, smiling faintly with meaning. “Since you think this decision is unwise and that TCM has no place in our country, why not come up with a few ideas to make things go less smoothly?”
“You mean…?” Capone frowned, looking puzzled.
Clayderman said nothing more after that, merely giving Capone a knowing look—leaving him to figure it out. It came off as quite the power move.
Or perhaps it wasn’t showmanship at all, but simply a way to avoid leaving any verbal trail or incriminating evidence. He’d drop a hint to his old friend Capone, then clam up.
If anything went wrong later, it wouldn’t be tied back to him. He could completely distance himself and wash his hands of the matter.
Capone didn’t mind. After frowning in thought for a long moment, his eyes suddenly lit up as if an idea had struck him. “Right! Prince Charles is way too stubborn on this—no matter what we say, he’s dead set on pushing it through. We can’t change his mind, but we can do a few things to show him the true nature of TCM and whether it can really hold a candle to Western medicine. Once he sees that, he might just change his decision on his own, don’t you think?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Clayderman said with a smile. Then, turning his head slightly to look at Capone, he asked, “So what are you planning?”
Capone smiled broadly. “He’s coming to our Royal College of Medicine in two days to give a lecture and invite our top students and some prominent professors to attend, right? Heh, just wait and see—it’ll be a show!”
Since this young President of the TCM Association was so confident, and wanted those brilliant students and professors to hear him speak, let’s hope his medical knowledge wasn’t just a sham and could hold up to scientific scrutiny.
If some sharp student or professor raised questions that the young president couldn’t answer—or worse, exposed contradictions or absurdities in his theories—then who could they blame?
Clayderman smiled too, looking perfectly harmless.
But when he turned away, where Capone couldn’t see, a glint of malice flickered in his eyes.
Not long after receiving the TCM Association delegation, Jiang Fei went to pick up Lin Moli, who had just arrived in a rush.
Lin Moli had brought several assistants with her. These were people capable of holding their own in various departments of Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company, all highly competent. She’d brought them to London as the advance team to lay the foundation for the company’s expansion.
Of course, her personal secretary Xu Yue was also there by her side.
Given Xu Yue’s outstanding abilities, Lin Moli had actually planned to assign her to a branch department of Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company, giving her a chance to take charge and lead. But Xu Yue declined, saying she still wanted to stay with Lin Moli as her secretary for a while longer.
Managing a department—a substantial and important one at that—would have been a much better position than being Lin Moli’s secretary. Most people, faced with that choice, would have opted for the department head role.
But that was precisely what made Xu Yue so clever.
Being Lin Moli’s secretary, while offering less pay and authority, and maybe less hands-on management experience, meant following Lin Moli everywhere every day, gathering intelligence and organizing data for her. That kind of exposure—expanding one’s horizons and building connections—was invaluable!
The longer she stayed in that position, the higher Xu Yue’s ceiling would become, eventually making her a true senior executive at Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company.
With Xu Yue trailing behind her, Lin Moli walked out of the airport and spotted Jiang Fei right away in the waiting area.
He stood out not just in her eyes, but in everyone else’s as well, drawing considerable attention.
Because Jiang Fei was holding a massive bouquet of fiery red roses, waiting for her.
“Boss, should I take the team and go ahead?” Xu Yue, dressed in her OL business suit, black-rimmed glasses, black stockings, and heels, whispered softly behind Lin Moli, who was beaming with happiness.
Lin Moli nodded.
So Xu Yue and the others quickly picked up their pace, leaving the airport before Lin Moli threw herself into Jiang Fei’s arms.
After accepting the roses, Lin Moli breathed in their fragrance deeply, then nestled against Jiang Fei, saying dreamily, “I missed you so much…”
They hadn’t seen each other since parting ways before the New Year.
Jiang Fei wrapped his arms around the woman in his embrace and whispered back, “I missed you too!”
