Chapter 96

Old Mr. Qinghong did not listen to Old Mr. Huang's advice again. Instead, he placed three "Da Qi Tong Bao" coins in his palm, with his left hand on top and his right hand below. He shook them while muttering to himself, and then threw the "Da Qi Tong Bao" coins onto the coffee table.

Old Mr. Qinghong silently looked at them, then picked up the three "Da Qi Tong Bao" coins again, placed them in his palm, and repeated the process of shaking and throwing them.

He did this six times, then put away the "Da Qi Tong Bao" coins, closed his eyes, and began to calculate by pinching his fingers, changing his hand positions continuously.

While Old Mr. Qinghong was calculating, a woman in her forties or fifties walked in. She bore a resemblance to Old Mr. Huang. She was Old Mr. Huang's youngest daughter, Huang Xiangyi, the chief physician of the cardiology department at Beijing Union Medical College Hospital and a member of the National Health Bureau. She was the only one among Old Mr. Huang's children who did not enter politics.

Because her father had been experiencing frequent angina attacks recently, and the hospital could not find any specific issues, Huang Xiangyi, the cardiology expert, decided to stay by her father's side to prevent any emergencies.

Just as Huang Xiangyi was about to speak, she saw her father wave at her and point to Old Mr. Qinghong.

Huang Xiangyi also knew Old Mr. Qinghong. She had occasionally heard her father talk about his miraculous past, including his mysterious and unpredictable dealings with spirits. However, without seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard for her to believe, especially for someone like Huang Xiangyi, who had been educated in atheism and had a high level of education. She often regarded him as a charlatan in private.

Now, seeing Old Mr. Qinghong pinching his fingers and muttering to himself, Huang Xiangyi frowned slightly but obediently closed her mouth.

As Old Mr. Qinghong continued to calculate, a look of surprise appeared on his gaunt face. He then slowly opened his eyes and stared intently at Old Mr. Huang.

"Old charlatan, have you figured anything out?" Old Mr. Huang, though his eyesight was poor, had a clear mind. Seeing Old Mr. Qinghong staring at him, his heart suddenly raced, and he asked.

How many people in this world can truly face life and death with equanimity? At least if given a choice, Old Mr. Huang still hoped to live a few more years.

"I don't understand, I don't understand. From the divination, you are clearly someone who is about to leave, but there seems to be another layer of meaning in the divination. Let me calculate again." Old Mr. Qinghong then closed his eyes and continued to calculate, and as he did, a flush of blood appeared on his gaunt face.

The flush of blood grew more intense, and suddenly, with a "pu!" sound, Old Mr. Qinghong spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Old charlatan, are you okay? I told you not to calculate, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what happened!" Seeing Old Mr. Qinghong spit out blood, Old Mr. Huang couldn't help but stand up shakily.

"What calculation? Uncle Li is spitting blood, which could indicate problems with his bronchus or lungs. We should take him to the hospital for a check-up." Huang Xiangyi, being a doctor, didn't believe that fortune-telling could make someone spit blood and quickly spoke from a medical perspective.

Old Mr. Qinghong's surname was Li.

"Xiangyi, it's fine, it's fine. Uncle Li knows his own body." Old Mr. Qinghong wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. Apart from looking a bit pale, his expression was actually somewhat joyful.

"How can it be fine? You just spat blood. No, you must go to the hospital with me for a check-up." Huang Xiangyi insisted.

"I have lost some vital energy, but it has nothing to do with illness." Old Mr. Qinghong stubbornly waved his hand.

Seeing that Old Mr. Qinghong refused to go to the hospital, Huang Xiangyi had no choice but to turn to her father and say, "Dad, you should persuade Uncle Li."

"Since Uncle Li says he doesn't need to go to the hospital, then he doesn't need to go." Old Mr. Huang said in a tone that brooked no argument, then looked at Old Mr. Qinghong with concern and said, "Old charlatan, don't calculate anymore. If you do, I'll get angry!"

"Hehe, if you want me to calculate, I don't have the energy now. But fortunately, at the last moment, I glimpsed a bit of the divine, and I found that you still have a glimmer of hope. If you can seize this glimmer of hope, you might find a way out!" Old Mr. Qinghong said with a joyful expression.

"Oh! Where is the hope?" Old Mr. Huang, who trusted Old Mr. Qinghong completely, his eyes lit up, and he asked.

"In the southeast, it should be in the Jiangnan region. My abilities are limited, so I can only calculate up to this point. The rest will depend on your luck." Old Mr. Qinghong said.

"Jiangnan, it's been many years since I've been there. Whether or not I can seize this glimmer of hope, being able to visit the Jiangnan water towns in my lifetime would be a beautiful thing." Old Mr. Huang looked towards the southeast, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

"Dad, are you going to Jiangnan Province? How can that be? Your heart condition is very serious now!" Huang Xiangyi was shocked to hear that Old Mr. Huang wanted to go to Jiangnan Province and quickly tried to dissuade him, inwardly blaming Old Mr. Qinghong.

"I know my own body. Besides, even if I stay in Beijing, your doctors can't treat my condition. It might be better to listen to Uncle Li and take a trip to Jiangnan, where we might meet a great master." Old Mr. Huang said.

"Xiangyi, what your father said makes sense. Staying in Beijing won't change anything. Even if we don't meet a great master on this trip to Jiangnan, revisiting old places and getting some fresh air might actually improve his health." Old Mr. Qinghong added.

Old Mr. Qinghong's last words convinced Huang Xiangyi. Traveling and enjoying the natural scenery were indeed a good form of therapy. Moreover, Huang Xiangyi remembered that there was a renowned old Chinese medicine professor, Mr. Feng, in Jiangzhou City, Jiangnan Province, who was particularly skilled at treating difficult and complex diseases. Since modern medical equipment couldn't diagnose her father's condition, perhaps traditional Chinese medicine could, and she could ask him for help.

"Only, Father is old, and his status is special. I'm worried..." Although she was already swayed, Huang Xiangyi still had some reservations.

"You don't need to worry. Apart from the occasional angina attacks, my body is still quite healthy. Let's set off for Jiangnan Province tomorrow. You can be my accompanying doctor, and we'll also call Xiao Zhang." Huang Xiangyi was interrupted by Old Mr. Huang.

Xiao Zhang's full name was Zhang Yongjian, a colonel in the General Staff Department's Guard Bureau, responsible for Old Mr. Huang's security, and the legendary Zhongnanhai bodyguard. He had exceptional skills, and ordinary people couldn't even get close to him.

"Dad, just the two of us? How can that be!" Huang Xiangyi was shocked to hear this.

For a leader of her father's level, even after retirement, at least a dozen bodyguards would accompany him on any trip. With just the two of them, how could they handle any emergencies? Who would be responsible?

"I'm going to seek an opportunity and see if I can meet a great master, not to inspect work. If we go with a large entourage, it would be too much." Old Mr. Huang, seeing his daughter's shock, couldn't help but be displeased.

Huang Xiangyi knew her father's temper. Once he made a decision, no one could oppose him. She could only turn to Old Mr. Qinghong with a pleading look.

She knew that Old Mr. Qinghong held a special place in her father's heart, and since this matter was caused by him, he should help resolve it.

"Two people are too few." Old Mr. Qinghong, seeing Huang Xiangyi look at him, stroked his goatee.

Huang Xiangyi, seeing Old Mr. Qinghong speak up to help, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed, "Yes, Uncle Li is right. Two people are too few."

"Old charlatan, do you really think so? I'm already an old man. If we have to make such a big fuss, I might as well not go to Jiangnan at all." Old Mr. Huang, seeing Old Mr. Qinghong also speak up, couldn't help but show dissatisfaction.

"It doesn't have to be a big fuss. How about this: I'll have Qu Weiguo accompany you. That way, everything should be safe." Old Mr. Qinghong smiled.

Qu Weiguo was Old Mr. Qinghong's eldest disciple, who had inherited all of Old Mr. Qinghong's skills. He was currently the head of a special department. Although his rank was equivalent to a provincial or ministerial level, and he could even mobilize local military and police forces in special circumstances, his identity was so special that few people knew about him.

Although Huang Xiangyi came from a prestigious family, she was just a doctor and didn't know who Qu Weiguo was. Hearing this, her joy quickly turned to disappointment. Adding just one more person wouldn't make much of a difference.

However, Old Mr. Huang knew the weight of Qu Weiguo. Hearing this, his white eyebrows raised, and he showed a look of surprise and seriousness, "Having Qu Weiguo accompany me is like making a big fuss. I don't think it's necessary!"

"It is necessary, it is necessary. If you really meet such a great master, I would also want to meet him. Unfortunately, I lost some vital energy from helping you with this divination and need to rest for a few days. Otherwise, I would have gone with you myself." Old Mr. Qinghong said with a serious expression.

Old Mr. Huang then understood that Old Mr. Qinghong sending Qu Weiguo with him to Jiangnan was not only to protect him but also to meet the great master.

Of course, this was on the condition that he had the opportunity to meet the great master!