The fact that the broth was seasoned with poppy husks was not what shocked Zhang Yang the most; what stunned him further was how the owner of this restaurant had managed to acquire those poppy husks in the first place. This restaurant had been operating near Jinghe Hospital for quite some time now.

Without a source for the poppy husks, even operating on a daily basis—making one pot of broth and selling it all off—would require a significant quantity of them for seasoning. Since China concluded the foreign invasions, the most stringently controlled substance has been opium and narcotics.

After all, opium was the iron hammer that once cracked open the gates of our China during the era of foreign aggression. Any Chinese person familiar with the nation's history harbors deep loathing for such an evil substance as opium!

This was a major reason why Zhang Yang’s face was cold and stern: where on earth had this restaurant owner obtained something like poppy husks? As a hospital nurse, Xiao Xiao was certainly not unfamiliar with poppy husks.

Upon hearing Zhang Yang state that they were an ingredient in the soup, she instantly understood the murky nature of the situation. Mi Xue instinctively tightened her grip on Zhang Yang’s arm, looking at the soup on the table with a feeling of nausea.

She was counting her blessings now that she hadn't taken a sip. Su Zhantao, Li Ya, and Hu Tao were all stunned into silence after hearing Zhang Yang's words.

Even if they didn't know the effects of poppy husks, the word "poppy" was perfectly clear to them. Hu Tao, who was relatively the most sober, shivered, and a good portion of his drunkenness evaporated instantly.

Wang Chen, the only one who had downed a large bowl, was still woozy and didn't grasp what Zhang Yang was saying. When Zhang Yang stopped him from pouring more soup, he grumbled dissatisfiedly and tried to snatch the entire pot away.

However, having drunk so much earlier, the moment he stood up, the room seemed to spin wildly. His vision darkened, his legs went weak, and he crashed directly onto the floor, falling into a deep sleep with loud snores!

Hu Tao almost stood up to stop Wang Chen, but upon seeing him sprawled out and snoring, he let out a laugh and settled back into his chair. Su Zhantao and Li Ya had also consumed a fair amount, and while their minds were slightly clearer now, their limbs felt utterly useless.

At that moment, the restaurant owner finally pushed open the door to the private room, entering with the young waiter in tow. It was a fellow with a coarse, brutish face, probably around thirty, but that bulk looked like it weighed at least two hundred catties.

At five-foot-nine, he presented a truly menacing figure; out on the street, he could certainly intimidate quite a few people. “My esteemed guests, are you dissatisfied with any of our restaurant’s dishes?

It’s alright, just say so. If your complaint is reasonable, I, the proprietor, will waive the cost of this entire meal—consider it my treat, and let's become friends!” The restaurant owner delivered his words smoothly.

With any other issue, those few sentences might have been enough to smooth things over. But before Zhang Yang and the others could speak, the young waiter became the first to show his displeasure.

He was genuinely annoyed by the attitude of Zhang Yang’s group. This young waiter had treated Zhang Yang and his companions like VIPs, even personally bringing the soup up to the second floor for them.

Even if he hadn't received a tip, a couple of compliments would have pleased him immensely. Yet, Zhang Yang remained cold-faced, claimed the soup was problematic, and demanded the owner come up.

Naturally, the waiter was deeply unsatisfied. “Boss, they are insisting there’s something wrong with our restaurant’s most famous Xuanwu Soup!” The young waiter, as if finding backup, quickly complained to his owner.

“Shut up! Is it your turn to speak?!” The owner’s face suddenly darkened.

He showed no courtesy to his waiter, harshly silencing the young man with a sharp reprimand and immediately shoving him out of the private room. Snap!

Immediately after, the owner slammed the door of the private room shut. Yet, only the action of closing the door was rough; once closed, he turned to face Zhang Yang and the others, instantly plastering a smile on his face, bowing low with a cheerful, respectful tone: “My apologies to the guests for the scene.

Our service staff lacks refinement; please be lenient with him.” Zhang Yang smirked, offering no reply, but his gaze was fixed on the private room door behind the owner. The owner’s subtle movements did not escape Zhang Yang.

While it seemed the owner merely pushed the ill-mannered waiter out and casually closed the door, he had clearly locked it. If nothing untoward happened next, fine.

But should trouble arise, he could effectively trap everyone inside the room, preventing outsiders from entering or realizing something was amiss for a considerable time. At this point, besides the two women and Zhang Yang, everyone else was either passed out on the floor or slumped over a chair.

The owner was confident he could handle the situation with the people present. Zhang Yang understood this small action was proof that the owner had a guilty conscience upon hearing their complaints about the soup.

“Did you use poppy husks as a seasoning in your soup?!” Xiao Xiao was the most naive and unable to keep things bottled up. Initially intimidated by the owner's ferocious appearance when he first arrived, she gained a little courage when Zhang Yang and the others were present and the owner adopted a humble demeanor.

Angrily, she confronted the owner. The owner’s ingratiating smile froze on his face, and the flesh around his eyes twitched involuntarily.

He narrowed his gaze, his fierce look falling directly upon Xiao Xiao. When the owner stopped smiling, his fierce aspect naturally took over.

The little courage Xiao Xiao had mustered instantly evaporated, and she quickly flinched, moving closer to Mi Xue. Mi Xue, of course, was not afraid of this owner.

Zhang Yang was right beside her, and in his presence, she felt no fear whatsoever. She was just a young girl, after all.

Saying that right at the start essentially told the owner that they knew the trick he played with the soup, thus forcing him to drop any pretense of civility. If not for herself, even if they had discovered the soup was tainted, they might not have made it out of this private room alive today.

Zhang Yang thought this over, then rose to his feet. The owner across from him had clearly lost his patience.

“Miss, you need to watch your words. What poppy husks?

I don’t understand any of that!” The owner retorted grimly, then looked at the rising Zhang Yang with a strained, forced smile. “Call them, Xiao Xiao.

Call the police; it will all be clear once they investigate.” Zhang Yang handed the phone in his hand to Xiao Xiao and said calmly. “You dare!” The owner’s face immediately twisted into a snarl upon seeing Zhang Yang offer the phone to Xiao Xiao.

He lunged, intending to rush toward her! Unfortunately, before he could take a single step, Zhang Yang casually raised his hand, and the owner immediately tumbled to the ground with a sound like a pig squealing in agony!

Ultimately, he was just an ordinary man, the gap between him and Zhang Yang too vast. When Zhang Yang acted, it was merely to avoid wasting time; otherwise, acting specifically to stop him could almost be considered an overestimation of the man’s significance.

Wu Ying and Shan Dian, the two little ones, were right beside Mi Xue and Xiao Xiao. There was no way this owner could harm anyone here; any move he made was just a futile struggle!

Beside him, Xiao Xiao had already connected with the police headquarters, informing them of the situation. But then, Xiao Xiao’s expression changed.

She looked up at Zhang Yang, anxious: “The police don’t believe a word I’m saying. They hung up!” Zhang Yang paused, clearly not expecting this outcome.

“Hahahaha! Hahahaha!” The owner, who had fallen inexplicably, immediately burst into loud laughter.

Although he didn’t know why he had suddenly fallen, he didn’t realize it was Zhang Yang’s doing. Hearing Xiao Xiao’s words, even though he was in pain and couldn't get up, he wanted to laugh triumphantly a few times.

Hearing the owner’s laughter, Zhang Yang immediately understood: the local police must have a significant connection with this owner, which is why they wouldn't even give credence to a call about his restaurant. Furthermore, Zhang Yang realized something else: the owner’s reason for kicking out the young waiter first was definitely to notify the kitchen to dispose of the evidence!

Zhang Yang sneered, took the phone back from Xiao Xiao, and said to the owner lying on the floor: “Do you think that by stalling us here long enough, even if we leave now and call the police, you will have already cleaned up all the evidence?” The owner stared fixedly at Zhang Yang, making no sound. He struggled to shift his body, his two-hundred-catty weight effectively blocking the entrance to the private room—getting out was truly not going to be easy.

However, Zhang Yang had no intention of forcing his way out. He dialed another number.

“Hello, is this Director Zheng?” Zhang Yang’s call went directly to Deputy Director Zheng Qimo. Upon hearing Zheng Qimo’s name, the face of the coarse-featured owner instantly turned terribly ugly!

“You know that bastard Zheng Qimo!” This brute immediately struggled desperately, completely losing the composure he had before. But since Zhang Yang had struck his pressure points, he couldn't stand up.

After thrashing for a few moments on the spot, he was left panting heavily. Zhang Yang explained the situation clearly and hung up.

Zheng Qimo had returned to Changjing after wrapping up matters in the northern suburbs, currently in a semi-retired state, just waiting to claim his award as the top anti-drug operative. “What did you do to me?

Let me go!” Only now did the owner become truly panicked. “You know Zheng Qimo?” Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes.

Seeing the owner lose all composure upon hearing Zheng Qimo’s name, he sharply sensed something. Poppy… hatred for Zheng Qimo.

Linking these two things, Zhang Yang arrived at only one conclusion. He then walked over, squatted down in front of the owner, and asked coldly: “Is your surname Jiang?” (To be continued)