Chapter 21

Xia Yunjie mentioned that Feng Gaofeng was the father of Professor Feng and also one of Wu Ze's disciples. Wu Ze had taken in five disciples during his lifetime, among whom Xia Yunjie was the most talented and his last disciple, inheriting all of Wu Ze's true teachings. The other four disciples were taught according to their individual aptitudes. Feng Gaofeng was Wu Ze's third disciple, mainly learning the medical arts of the Wu School, though he also had some knowledge of other Wu School spells, he was not proficient in them.

However, Feng Gaofeng had long died during the war years. At that time, he was just a wandering doctor. His death left deep sorrow in the hearts of the Feng family and the young Professor Feng, but in that era, it left no trace. By now, several decades have passed, and the only ones who truly remember his name are a few close relatives like Professor Feng.

Professor Feng never expected that after so many years, this name, deeply buried in his memory, would suddenly be mentioned by a young man he didn't know. He couldn't help but tremble all over and blurt out, "That's my father. How do you know his name?"

Seeing that Professor Feng was indeed Feng Gaofeng's son, Xia Yunjie couldn't help but feel a bit excited and asked a different question, "Where is Brother Feng now?"

"Brother Feng?" Professor Feng was taken aback. His father had been dead for nearly sixty years. How could a disciple who was at most twenty years old suddenly appear? Could it be that the Feng Gaofeng he was talking about was just a namesake?

Xia Yunjie actually knew that if Brother Feng Gaofeng were still alive, he would be ninety-six years old. Even if he mainly practiced the medical arts of the Wu School, his cultivation wouldn't be too bad. Why would he need to stick an old talisman on the door beam to protect the house? He must have been dead for many years, and he probably didn't even have time to pass on his skills to Professor Feng. But he still harbored a glimmer of hope, which is why he asked. Seeing the situation, he couldn't help but sigh, "If I remember correctly, Brother Feng should be ninety-six years old this year if he were still alive."

Professor Feng usually didn't bother to calculate how old his deceased father would be. Hearing Xia Yunjie's words, he calculated in his heart and indeed, it was ninety-six years old. He couldn't help but stare at Xia Yunjie as if he were a monster. Now he was certain that the Brother Feng Xia Yunjie was talking about was his father, but how could a father who had been dead for nearly sixty years have such a young disciple?

"Did Brother Feng ever mention someone to you? His surname is Wu, and his given name is Ze." Seeing Professor Feng staring at him blankly, Xia Yunjie knew he was confused and asked.

"Grandmaster?" Professor Feng couldn't help but tremble all over and blurt out.

When he was young, Professor Feng had met Wu Ze once. Wu Ze had patted his head and told his father that he was a good seed. From that day on, Professor Feng paid homage to the image of the Wu School's ancestor, Wu Xian, and then to Wu Ze. Feng Gaofeng began to teach him the medical arts of the Wu School and a bit of basic breathing and health-preserving techniques, thus he entered the Wu Xian School.

However, it was a time of war and unrest, and they had no fixed abode. A few days after meeting Wu Ze, the village they were in was raided by the Japanese. Feng Gaofeng used his Wu School magic to kill some of the Japanese and led his family and some villagers to escape from their ancestral village, beginning a life of wandering. Fortunately, Feng Gaofeng had learned the medical arts of the Wu School, and he could make a living as a wandering doctor, occasionally helping people who were possessed, and earning money to support his family. Professor Feng mostly learned his medical skills during this time, but he lost contact with Wu Ze. A year later, Feng Gaofeng encountered the Japanese again. Although the Wu School magic was mysterious, Feng Gaofeng's abilities at that time were no match for bullets, and he was unfortunately shot and killed. After that, Professor Feng and his mother lived together, completely losing contact with Wu Ze, and the Wu School magic of the Feng family was lost.

Fortunately, during those years, Professor Feng had followed his father around, helping people treat illnesses and injuries, and he had learned a bit of his father's medical skills. After his father's death, Professor Feng, with that foundation and the memory of his father's medical practice, as well as learning and integrating other traditional Chinese medicine schools, achieved a high level of medical skill and became a well-known old Chinese doctor.

"Could it be that Grandmaster is still alive?" After the shock, Professor Feng couldn't help but feel excited.

"Master passed away last year." Seeing Professor Feng ask about his master, Xia Yunjie's mood dropped a bit.

Although Professor Feng also thought the possibility of Grandmaster still being alive was very small, hearing that he had only passed away last year, he was still shocked and deeply saddened.

In ancient times, witchcraft and medicine were not separated. Physicians were also witches, hence the saying "medicine originates from witchcraft." Witchcraft was a method to communicate with spirits and people, capable of setting up armies, summoning wind and rain, and moving mountains and seas. It could also be used to bring good luck, ward off evil, and cure diseases. Medicine, on the other hand, was a method to treat people, focusing on the techniques of treating diseases, the study of human anatomy, pathology, and drug knowledge, and their usage. In a sense, medicine was a branch of witchcraft, as were other practices like Zhou Yi divination, Yin-Yang and Bagua, and feng shui.

However, the history of witchcraft was too long and had been in decline for a long time, gradually being ignored and not deeply studied. When people mentioned witchcraft, they often thought of rural witches and other superstitious practices, not realizing that many things in China originated from witchcraft.

But Professor Feng knew the magic of witchcraft, especially in medicine. He had only learned a fraction of his father's medical skills, yet he had achieved such success. Although his later efforts were significant, he knew that everything was built on that foundation. Sometimes, when he recalled his father's medical practices, he still found them incredibly magical and unbelievable. For example, once a patient was on the brink of death, and no medicine worked, but his father only recited a spell and stuck a talisman on his back, and the patient's illness was cured. At the time, Professor Feng didn't understand, but later he learned that this was the "Zhu You" branch of ancient medical practices.

The Zhu You branch was a medical practice that used spells and talismans to treat diseases, sometimes supplemented with Chinese herbs. Unfortunately, what is now passed down in the folk is mostly superstition and deception, and over time, the Zhu You branch has become seen as superstition and heresy. However, Professor Feng, who had witnessed it firsthand, knew that the true Zhu You branch was a magical medical practice that could bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, his father died early, and this magical Wu School medical practice, along with many other medical skills, were lost.

For this reason, every time Professor Feng thought about it, he felt deep regret. Now, hearing news of his Grandmaster, and remembering that his Grandmaster was his father's teacher and had even higher medical skills, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. He hoped that his Grandmaster was still alive, so he could learn many lost Wu School medical skills, including the magical Zhu You branch, which were treasures of traditional Chinese medicine.

Unfortunately, this last glimmer of hope was shattered. Just one year too late, he missed the opportunity to meet his Grandmaster and learn those magical Wu School medical skills, which left Professor Feng deeply saddened.

"Everyone has a life span. Master lived to be 124 years old and passed away peacefully without illness. Professor Feng, there's no need to be sad." Seeing Professor Feng, who was already old, looking so sad after hearing about Wu Ze's death, Xia Yunjie tried to comfort him.

Xia Yunjie's words made Professor Feng suddenly realize that this young Xia, though young, was his Grandmaster's last disciple and, in terms of seniority, his uncle. He was startled and hurriedly bent down to bow to Xia Yunjie.

Fortunately, Xia Yunjie was quick and strong, and he quickly supported Professor Feng, saying, "Professor Feng, you can't do that, you can't do that."

Xia Yunjie's strength was great, and Professor Feng, being supported, couldn't bend down. He helplessly smiled and said, "Uncle, please don't call me Professor Feng in the future. Call me Wenbo. When I was young, I knelt before the ancestor and swore that once I entered the Wu Xian School, I would be a member of the Wu Xian School for life. Most of my medical skills are from our school. As an elder, you shouldn't call me by such a title."