The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul

After visiting each of his old friends one by one, he was supposed to head home. But after "accidentally" seeing a highly advanced laboratory, he insisted on staying.

"You're still young. You can't manage these things yet. Let me take over!"

These were Father Tang's exact words. It sounded bold, but honestly, it also sounded a bit unreasonable.

Tang Shu snorted softly. Who was it that said I've grown up and should be independent by now, and shouldn't always rely on family? Didn't someone once say I should prepare medicine on my own?

Seems like you have two faces, huh?

Of course, she didn't dare say that out loud. After all, most of the rare herbs still depended on her father's exceptional cultivation skills.

"Dad, you used to be a military doctor back in the team. Could you beat Uncle Jing and the others in a fight?"

This had been something Tang Shu was curious about for a long time. Ever since she'd learned from Wen Nuan that each member of the squad had their own specialty, this question kept lingering, especially after she saw with her own eyes how her dad had tied with Jing Yu.

Tang Shu felt like she'd uncovered some remarkable secret. If he couldn't beat the youngest ones, it was unlikely he could handle the older ones either.

"Ha! How could they possibly be a match for me?"

Father Tang scoffed while brewing Chinese medicine, clearly disdainful. "A bunch of privileged kids, each looking like soft, white chicken thighs. Back in the day, watching them spar was like watching the chickens in our yard peck at each other."

"You seem to have a privileged background too, though?"

"Tang Village is nothing like the capital! When I was young, I went hunting in the mountains with your grandma every three days. Once, we even managed to take down a blind bear together."

That's... quite convincing.

"So... who do you think is stronger, Uncle Jing or Jing Yu?"

Busy as he was, Father Tang raised his head and looked at his daughter with a meaningful gaze.

"I went easy on him that day."

"Oh."

Tang Shu replied flatly.

Father Tang nearly slammed the boiling medicine pot out of frustration.

***

With Father Tang joining in with familial fervor, the herbs in the lab started depleting at an astonishing speed.

Quick-witted Mr. Jing played perfectly to his wealthy strengths, promptly transferring several rare herbs from Cloudscape Pharma next door, finally earning a smile from Father Tang.

"This kid's not completely useless after all."

"..."

Honestly, even if your bias leans as far as the Pacific Ocean, you shouldn't use the term "completely useless."

Tang Shu rolled her eyes internally in exasperation. "Add five grams of Snow Soul Grass and observe the color change."

Father Tang meticulously weighed five grams of Snow Soul Grass and gradually added it to the bubbling ceramic pot. Two hours later, he produced a wine-red pill.

He then fixed his eyes on an unimpressive little plant sitting in a cool corner. "Is this what you call sharp grass?"

"That's it. It can both produce and neutralize miasma. Its leaves and roots have entirely opposite effects."

Sharp grass was discovered near Xiangnan's Collar Village. It looked hardly different from weeds, and the unique features of its leaves were difficult to notice without close examination.

The only reason the lab had sharp grass was because Wen Nuan had specially delivered it a few days ago, along with some good news.

Collar Village had returned to its usual state, and their team had discovered a few more miasma-prone areas nearby. Sharp grass was a thank-you gift.

Ever since Father Tang learned of its existence, he'd been pining to take it back to Tang Village and hide it. If he planted a circle of this around the area, what tourists would dare show up?

"I've been to plenty of places back in my day. Seen miasma a few times too. But the things that caused it always varied, and this plant is a first for me."

"Maybe each region's unique geography and climate give rise to different species. I've never seen anything like it before either."

"Before? What other places have you been to?"

"Uh... not many. Last year I visited Yun Province."

Oh no, almost spilled the beans!

"Dad, let's not talk about this. How about I process sharp grass during tonight's livestream? I've already figured out its growth habits and detoxification properties."

"Sure, I'll be your assistant."

"..." Fine, as long as you're happy.

Tang Shu didn't dare refuse, nor did she have any excuse to.

At eight o'clock that evening, Tang Shu prepared all the necessary tools and logged into the "She & Yu" account, then opened the livestream room.

Perhaps the previous showcase of five precious herbs had been too captivating, nearly crashing the platform on the final day. The buzz on Weibo attracted even more viewers, and the number of people entering the livestream grew dramatically.

"Eight million viewers online? Why so many?"

Father Tang, despite his lack of livestream experience, quickly noticed the unusually high viewer count thanks to his sharp observation. His steady voice transmitted through the microphone to the audience, prompting a wave of "???" in the comments section.

Tang Shu, out of habit, turned on the voice modulator but still answered her dad's question.

"Maybe because I'm pretty awesome?"

"Speak properly. Don't be cheeky."

"Fine, it's because I'm too awesome."

"..."

Father Tang shot her a couple of cold "dad stares," while Tang Shu shrugged in response, indicating she wasn't lying.

The online viewers couldn't hold back anymore. The scrolling comments surged upward, with nearly everyone asking something along the lines of "Who's the person next to Uncle She?" or "Did Uncle She change boyfriends?"

Tang Shu's lips twitched. These netizens truly imagined her as a fickle heartbreaker.

Y'all sure have vivid imaginations, huh? I haven't said anything, and you've already spun up a soap opera-level romance drama. Why not just write your own story while you're at it?

"Uncle, what kind of nickname is that? Also, aside from Little Yu, have you dated others before?"

"Dad—"

Good grief! You're practically a professional at sabotaging me, aren't you? Truly!

"Your daughter here is quite devoted."

"Hmph, would be better if you weren't."

"..." She had no comeback for that one.

As she saw the topic veering into increasingly bizarre territory, Tang Shu hurried to yank it back to normalcy with all her might.

"The livestream is starting now. Let me introduce my assistant for today, Your Lordship Father—no, no, I'm his assistant. I'll be explaining while he demonstrates, and we'll be showcasing a rare herb found deep in the mountains."

Tang Shu reached out to adjust the camera towards the sharp grass, while Father Tang's hands simultaneously appeared in the frame. He had already started skillfully handling the commonly used processing tools.

"This herb primarily grows in the deep forests of Xiangnan. It's called sharp grass. When the temperature drops below 10 degrees, its leaves emit a white miasma. If inhaled, the body accumulates certain toxins..."

The familiar voice of the streamer narrated smoothly, but only a small fraction of the audience—those in the medical field—focused on the sharp grass itself. The rest were completely captivated by the pair of large hands.

[Wow~~ Uncle She really did bring in reinforcements this time, huh?]

[What reinforcements? Uncle already said this is Your Lordship Father—the main player!]