Chapter 56

However, it was fortunate that it was a case of demonic energy entering the body—Xu Yan only knew how to treat this illness. If it had been any other disease, this "truly capable Master Xu" wouldn't have known how to save face.

Xu Yan looked at the monitoring equipment by the patient's bedside; the heartbeat displayed was already very weak, clearly indicating that the patient was in the final stages.

While Xu Yan was observing Grandpa Wen, someone was also observing him. The life and safety of Grandpa Wen were a matter of concern for countless people, including Li Zhuo.

As the eldest son of Secretary Li, Li Zhuo was not one of those young men who only knew how to eat, drink, and play. As an outstanding member of the younger generation of the Li family, his life had already been planned, destined to pursue a political career.

Li Zhuo was very clear that the trajectory of his political career depended on the height his father could reach. The height his father could achieve would determine the upper limit of his own future development; and the height his father could reach would depend on the support his grandfather, Grandpa Wen, could provide.

Grandpa Wen was an old revolutionary who had started working before the founding of the country. He had stood firm for many years, a rare evergreen tree in the Chinese political arena. Now, although he had retired due to his age, his disciples and former subordinates were still widespread, and Grandpa Wen, with his high moral standing, still had significant influence in Chinese politics. Every Spring Festival and Chongyang Festival, the former and current highest leaders of the country would personally visit him to pay their respects.

The Wen and Li families were very clear that this nearly ninety-year-old grandfather was the true core and invaluable treasure of the Wen and Li families. As long as the grandfather was alive, his vast influence could protect the Wen and Li families, making political rivals dare not covet, and helping the young members of the two families develop rapidly in their political careers.

However, no one had expected that Grandpa Wen, who had left the capital to relax in Jincheng, would fall ill there and not recover. This incident was a heavy blow to both the Wen and Li families, especially to the Li family—everyone knew that in three months, the provincial capital Shudu would hold a leadership transition conference, and the current Secretary Lu of Jincheng was about to leave office. At this time, as the third-ranking figure in Jincheng, his father had a good chance of taking over as Secretary or Mayor.

But now, with Grandpa Wen's illness, everything became uncertain. His father's political career and his own future prospects became unpredictable.

Li Zhuo had originally scoffed at the Master Xu brought by his cousin—girls see little of the world, and she was probably fooled without even knowing it. He had seen plenty of those charlatans who pretended to be gods and ghosts. This young kid, who hadn't even grown up, wanted to deceive him? He needed to practice for a few more years!

Li Zhuo had actually wanted to send this Master Wang away long ago, but he couldn't bear to offend his cousin. Besides, he knew that things had already reached this point, and they couldn't get any worse. So he held his temper and tolerated the master. But after entering the ward, he noticed that when checking his grandfather's condition, Xu Yan clearly showed a confident expression. Li Zhuo couldn't help but think: From the look on Master Xu's face, maybe he really has some skills?

Li Zhuo stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Master Xu, what do you need to start the treatment? We'll prepare it for you right away."

Xu Yan thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Bring me a cup of clean water."

Li Zhuo repeated, "A cup of clean water? Is that all? Do you need anything else?"

Xu Yan shook his head, and Li Zhuo immediately said, "Alright, Master Xu, please wait a moment. I'll get the water right away—do you have any special requirements for the container?"

"Nothing special, just a clean cup that can hold water."

"Alright, Master Xu, please wait a moment."

Li Zhuo left to get the clean water, and Xu Yan and Chen Yaoyu waited on the spot. Unexpectedly, just as Li Zhuo left, someone else came in, a rather unconventional young man walking in from the door.

Seeing the newcomer, Chen Yaoyu nodded slightly and greeted him, "Second Cousin—Master Xu, this is my second cousin, Li Yuan."

Li Yuan had thick, black eyebrows. Though young, he had a short beard on his chin, giving him a rather unconventional appearance. Actually, his features weren't bad; he had regular features and fair skin, but his eyelids were somewhat swollen, a clear sign of excessive indulgence in alcohol and women.

Li Yuan ignored Chen Yaoyu's greeting and rudely sized up Xu Yan, a mocking smile on his lips. "Ha, so this is the master you specially invited? I don't see anything special about this master! Brother, where are you from? I've never seen your kind in Jincheng."

Xu Yan looked at him indifferently and remained silent—he didn't know how to deal with such a spoiled young man. He glanced at Chen Yaoyu, indicating that she should handle it.

Seeing this second-generation rich kid, Chen Yaoyu felt quite a headache. She knew Li Yuan; he wasn't a bad person, but he was cynical and often offended people with his words. He only feared his father a little; he didn't take anyone else in the family seriously, a fearless and unruly second-generation rich kid. Chen Yaoyu hadn't expected that, after thinking the hardest part would be dealing with her uncle, there would be such a troublemaker.

"Second Cousin Li Yuan, don't cause trouble. This is the master I worked hard to invite to save Grandpa!"

Li Yuan yawned. "Ha~ Master? If a kid like you can be a master, then I must be a god! I've met several famous masters in Hong Kong, like Master Lu Feng and Master Cao Shuanghe, who are old friends of mine.

I've also met several masters who are good friends in Jincheng, and none of them are like you.

Hey, kid, where are you from? Are you Buddhist or Taoist? Are you from the Zhengyi Sect, the Maoshan Sect, the Celestial Master Sect, or the Quanzhen Sect? Who is your master? Tell me your name and sect, and I'll see if I've heard of you!"

At this moment, Li Zhuo was hurrying back with a cup of water. Hearing his brother's rudeness to the master, he had wanted to stop him, but when he heard Li Yuan probing the master, he couldn't help but think: Although my brother is usually not serious and often hangs out with those third-rate people, he seems to know a lot about these things! For safety, let him check the master's background?

He stopped and stood by the door, silent, wanting to hear how this mysterious master would respond.

Xu Yan glanced at everyone and saw that Chen Yaoyu looked worried, while Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo looked at him with doubt, their eyes subtly revealing suspicion.

Under the gaze of so many doubters, Xu Yan suddenly felt very tired—hadn't he already done enough for Chen Yaoyu?

He said indifferently, "I don't understand what Master Li is talking about, like the Zhengyi Sect, Maoshan Sect, Celestial Master Sect, and so on. My master's surname is Zhu, and he's not a famous master. I doubt Master Li would have heard of him—what do you think we should do, Master Li?"

Li Yuan was taken aback and laughed. "Master Xu is quite honest. Alright, Master, show us a trick. Let's see if you're a donkey or a horse. Let us ordinary people see your magical abilities—how about that?"

Li Zhuo hesitated and said, "Brother, don't cause trouble and delay Master Xu's treatment of Grandpa."

Li Yuan laughed. "Brother, how is this causing trouble? Your cousin brought some random person, and you're willing to use our grandfather as a guinea pig? I haven't even said you're causing trouble!

Brother, if you really want to invite a master to exorcise evil, you should have asked me! I know many extraordinary people, all of whom have real skills and are famous masters, like Master Lu from Hong Kong, Master Cao from the Yin-Yang Sect, and Master Wu from the Quanzhen Sect in Shanghai. Which one isn't better than this kid? If he had real skills, why haven't I heard of him?

This is a matter of life and death for our grandfather. Asking him to show his skills isn't too much, is it?"

"This..." Li Zhuo and Aunt Wen exchanged glances. In their hearts, they actually agreed with Li Yuan. After all, the safety of the grandfather was crucial. If they could confirm that this unknown Master Xu had real skills, they would feel more at ease.

Li Zhuo hesitated and said to Xu Yan, "Master Xu, my brother is spoiled and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it personally. I think you should show us a trick to convince my brother. What do you think?"

Aunt Wen nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master Xu, show us a trick. It will make us feel more at ease."

Xu Yan closed his eyes slightly and didn't feel angry at the noisy second-generation rich kid in front of him; he only found it amusing. These officials and their children hadn't realized the situation yet. Now, they were the ones begging him to save someone, not the other way around. Even as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, Li Zhuo couldn't do anything to him.

To be honest, Xu Yan was already a bit regretful. He had agreed to come entirely for Chen Yaoyu's sake. But since they were treating him this way, he felt he had done enough: after all, the medicine from Zhu Youxiang was very precious and hard to come by.

Xu Yan smiled and shook his head. "Mrs. Wen, Mr. Li, why do you insist that I show a trick?"

Aunt Wen and the two Lis were taken aback and looked embarrassed. Li Yuan answered, "Master Xu, of course, it's to confirm that you are a real master, not a fraud!"

Xu Yan smiled. "But why should I prove that?"

"If you can't prove it, Master Xu, we won't be able to trust you!"

"And what if you don't trust me?"

Li Yuan was taken aback and said, "Master Xu, you don't want to be seen as a fraud, do you?"

Xu Yan remained calm and shrugged. "Mr. Li, you might as well consider me a fraud."

Before anyone could react, Xu Yan turned to Chen Yaoyu and said, "Miss Chen, I agreed to come to help you because of your request. But as you can see, I'm not unwilling to help—I've done my best and I've done enough for you... Goodbye."

With that, Xu Yan nodded to Chen Yaoyu and turned to leave. Since Li Zhuo was blocking the door, Xu Yan politely said, "Excuse me."

Li Zhuo was taken aback and moved aside. Xu Yan pushed past him and went downstairs. At the stairs, Chen Yaoyu hurriedly chased after him, grabbed his hand, and shouted, "Xu—Master Xu, please wait!"

But Xu Yan turned and looked at her coldly. He didn't say anything, just stared at her for a while, then said softly, "Miss Chen, please let go."

Chen Yaoyu said urgently, "Xu Yan, you..."

"Miss Chen, saving lives is also a matter of fate. It seems your family and I have no such fate, so why force it?"

Xu Yan shook his head, then pulled his hand away from Chen Yaoyu. She shouted, "Master Xu, wait..."

At this moment, Li Yuan also came out of the room and stood next to Chen Yaoyu. He mocked, "Cousin, why do you care so much about a fraud? Look, he ran away after being exposed! He's smart; otherwise, I would have called the security to arrest him."

Chen Yaoyu stomped her foot in anger, forgetting her ladylike demeanor. She glared at her cousin and shouted, "Li Yuan, you know nothing! If Master Xu leaves, you'll be the one who killed Grandpa!"

By the time they had this argument, Xu Yan had already gone downstairs and was about to leave when he ran into a group of people coming in. Some were wearing white coats, and others were in casual clothes, but they all had a scholarly air, clearly doctors.

Seeing the group of doctors coming in, Xu Yan politely moved to the side. The leading doctors nodded in thanks, but one of them stopped and walked up to Xu Yan, greeting him warmly, "Young man, are you surnamed... Xu? Aren't you a relative of Gong Jianguo? Why are you here?"

Xu Yan recognized the doctor—it was Dr. Zheng, who had treated Gong Jianguo's father, Gong Xueting.

The most awkward thing in the world is to run into an acquaintance while pretending to be a fraud. Fortunately, Dr. Zheng wasn't a close acquaintance, so he avoided the embarrassment of being exposed on the spot.

Xu Yan said calmly, "Hello, Dr. Zheng! You must have something important to do. I won't keep you. We can talk later." As he spoke, he quickly walked out the door.

"Ah, Mr. Xu, I've been looking for you. Please leave me your contact information, even just a phone number," Dr. Zheng urged, but Xu Yan didn't want to stay and quickened his pace, quickly disappearing out the door.

Dr. Zheng hurried out to chase him, but Xu Yan was agile and quickly vanished. The middle-aged doctor couldn't catch up. He ran after him, shouting, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu... Please wait, please wait!" But Xu Yan was already out of sight.

...

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