Chapter Twenty-Five: Online Abuse

For a time, the sales at the Chunshan Hall soared. In the evening, after closing up, Zhou Jinfan laid out the day’s earnings on the table, his face aglow as he said, “If things keep going like this, we’ll make quite a bit just from selling sachets each month.”

“I’m a practitioner of traditional medicine. My calling is to heal, not just to sell sachets,” Xie Qingtang replied, her tone tinged with disapproval. She was genuinely bothered by the constant crowds, feeling as though she were being gawked at like a monkey on display.

Zhou Jinfan chuckled warmly. “Boss, you need to adapt to the times. As long as there’s money to be made, that’s all that matters. By the way, we’re nearly out of sachets today—could you prepare a few more?”

“Have you been reading the medical texts I gave you?” Xie Qingtang asked, not looking up as she busied herself with the sachets.

Zhou Jinfan scratched his head, suddenly sheepish. He’d spent all his time lately promoting Xie Qingtang online and managing the sachet sales, completely neglecting his studies. Under her scrutiny, he found himself at a loss for words.

Seeing his evasive expression, Xie Qingtang understood at once. Without warning, she produced a ruler from somewhere, her eyes glinting coldly as she looked at him.

“There’s no need to go that far! I promise, once things quiet down, I’ll dedicate myself to studying the texts,” Zhou Jinfan raised his hands in surrender, already thinking of escape.

But Xie Qingtang’s fingers flicked, sending a silver needle flying like lightning. It struck the “Tianma” point on his body, and he collapsed to the floor, sprawled out like a toad.

“This is your punishment,” Xie Qingtang said coolly, setting the ruler aside. She took out another medical text, opened it in front of the prone Zhou Jinfan, and left without another word.

Though his body was numb, Zhou Jinfan remained conscious. His eyes darted about, but he had no choice but to resign himself to reading the text while lying on the floor.

Early the next morning, Zhou Jinfan staggered to open the doors of Chunshan Hall. Only heaven knew how long he’d been forced to study the night before. It wasn’t until Xie Qingtang finally removed the needle that he regained his senses.

After opening the door, he turned to head back inside, but his steps faltered. Glancing in confusion at the empty entrance, he muttered, “Strange. Usually, as soon as I open the door, people pour in. Why isn’t anyone here today?”

Puzzled, he went back to the doorway and looked around. Not a single person was in sight; even the usual queue had vanished. Alarmed by this oddity, he hurried to the rear courtyard to report to Xie Qingtang.

“Didn’t you say that internet trends fade eventually? Maybe the attention has just died down,” Xie Qingtang replied, unfazed as she tended the herbal medicine for her grandfather.

Zhou Jinfan shook his head anxiously. “That’s impossible. Interest wanes gradually, but it never disappears overnight. Something must have happened. I need to check online.”

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his phone and began scrolling through comments. One look was all it took to make his heart pound in shock.

“Boss, people online are saying our sachets are a scam—that they’re expensive but useless. Even the sachet you gave that possessed patient, they’re calling that a fraud too. Do these people even think before they speak, or do they just blurt out whatever comes to mind?” Zhou Jinfan was fuming as he read, finally understanding why not a single customer had appeared that morning.

Even after hearing all this, Xie Qingtang’s expression remained unchanged. Calmly, she poured the finished medicine into a bowl and handed it to Zhao Xianglan. “Aunt Lan, give this to Grandpa in half an hour. Remember, not a minute sooner.”

“Yes, young lady, I understand.” After observing for some time, Zhao Xianglan was well aware that the once timid girl had grown into a poised and skillful healer.

Xie Qingtang shot Zhou Jinfan a glance and strode toward the main hall. Zhou Jinfan put his phone away sheepishly and followed her.

“Now, tell me, what exactly happened?” Xie Qingtang’s expression grew stern.

Zhou Jinfan immediately began to explain, “I just checked. Last night around eight, hundreds of people suddenly started posting that our sachets are a scam, that acupuncture is also a sham, and that the so-called possessed patient was nothing but an actor we hired.”

“They’re accusing us of staging the whole thing to get famous and sell sachets for profit. Clearly, someone’s out to smear us online.”

It turned out that the previous night, a flood of malicious comments appeared, all slandering Xie Qingtang with every insult imaginable. Those who’d previously bought sachets from Chunshan Hall began to suspect they’d been duped and joined in the online attacks, sending the hall’s reputation plummeting overnight.

That explained why, come morning, not a single person showed up—not even the once-skeptical local residents who’d started to view Chunshan Hall more favorably.

Now, they all believed the Hall had gone from selling fake medicine to selling fake sachets, a shameless repeat of old tricks that left everyone seething.

“If one has a clear conscience, there’s no need to fear baseless accusations. I haven’t done anything wrong, so these online attacks don’t concern me,” Xie Qingtang responded nonchalantly, unfazed by the storm of negative comments.

Zhou Jinfan sighed heavily. “Boss, being smeared and slandered online is a serious matter. It could ruin Chunshan Hall’s future. The empty lines today are proof enough.”

At his words, Xie Qingtang grew more alert. After all, she depended on Chunshan Hall for her livelihood. With new resolve, she said, “What should we do? Should we clear things up online? There’s no reason to fear accusations when we’re innocent.”

“Rumors repeated often enough become reality, Boss. Even if we haven’t done these things, the more people say them, the more others believe them. The only way to fight back is with irrefutable facts,” Zhou Jinfan said, gritting his teeth.