Chapter 61

To understand this, Li Yuan felt a cold sweat break out on his back, soaking his clothes. He hurriedly apologized to Xu Yan again, knowing that it concerned his life, this time his apology was much more sincere than before, and his attitude was very humble.

Those children from official families usually appear arrogant and domineering, but it's not that they have low emotional intelligence; they just look down on others. When it comes to matters of life and death, they can also put aside their pride and dignity, and might even be more shameless than ordinary people. In an instant, Li Yuan immediately knelt before Xu Yan, sobbing and slapping his own face until both cheeks were red.

Seeing this, Secretary Li did not stop him but instead came over and kicked his son hard, even handing a wooden stick to Xu Yan and shouting righteously, "Master Xu, this ungrateful scoundrel, you just beat him! Beat him hard, even if you beat him to death, it's fine. I, Li Shangyuan, will consider him as if I never had this beast!"

The father and son of the Li family played their roles, but it made Xu Yan feel awkward. He put his hands behind his back and did not take the stick from Secretary Li: "Secretary Li and Young Master Li, there's no need for this. It's just a misunderstanding; we can talk it out. After all, we are not strangers—Young Master Li, please get up, there's nothing to worry about."

Seeing that Xu Yan did not seem to hold a grudge, the Li family felt slightly relieved. Li Shangyuan came up angrily and hit his son's buttocks twice with the wooden stick before stopping, panting: "Humph, you little beast, if it weren't for Master Xu's magnanimity, I would never let you off! You disgraceful thing, get up, or do you want me to invite you?"

Turning to Xu Yan, Li Shangyuan put on a kind smile, praising Xu Yan's magnanimity and expressing admiration for his breadth of mind and tolerance, saying seriously, "Master Xu, at such a young age, you have such a broad mind and spirit, truly admirable! No wonder your cultivation is so high!"

He naturally changed the topic: "So, Master Xu, what should we do next about the old man's condition? Is there anything else we need to do?"

Xu Yan shook his head: "There's no need to do anything else. The evil qi has been expelled, and the patient's righteous qi has been restored. The rest is just waiting for the patient's body to recover on its own."

"Then, can the doctors outside come in now?"

After giving the elixir, Xu Yan was now at a loss for what to do next. He didn't really know what would happen, but to maintain his image as a great master, he had to pretend to be confident: "The doctors can come in."

With Xu Yan's consent, Secretary Li quickly had his wife open the door to let the doctors in—although he had seen Master Xu's miraculous abilities and the old man's condition had indeed improved significantly, he still needed professional doctors to confirm it.

When the medical team of experts came in, they all looked very angry. As soon as they entered, they saw that all the needles and probes on the patient had been removed, and they immediately shouted, "What, what, is going on here?"

The team leader, Mr. Zhong, found Li Shangyuan angrily and said sternly, "Secretary Li, as family members, we understand your concern for Mr. Wen's health and your anxiety about his condition, but you can't act recklessly! You invited these random people from society, and even conducted superstitious activities in the patient's room, and worse, you drove us, the doctors responsible for Mr. Wen's health, out, seriously disrupting the treatment process and worsening Mr. Wen's condition. This is entirely your responsibility! We will report this to the General Office and the Health Bureau!"

Hearing the doctor's words, even with Li Shangyuan's good temper, he couldn't help but curse in his heart.

These people in white coats are too shameless!

Just half an hour ago, this very person had pitifully told him that they had done their best, but Mr. Wen's condition was beyond saving, and the family should prepare mentally. They had also expressed sympathy. Now, as soon as they found an excuse, they immediately turned around, saying that the family's "serious disruption of the treatment process" had worsened Mr. Wen's condition, clearly trying to shift the blame onto the family.

Secretary Li didn't care about Mr. Zhong's threat to report to the General Office and the Health Bureau. If Mr. Zhong went back and exaggerated the story, and Mr. Wen's children weren't there, they might really think that Mr. Wen had been killed by the family. If it weren't for Master Xu's immediate rescue, the family would have been ruined by these people!

Having been in politics for many years, Secretary Li had developed a great deal of composure and patience. Despite his anger, he showed no sign of it on the surface, saying calmly, "Director Zhong, what you told me just now was not like this! You told me that Mr. Wen had no hope left and that we should prepare mentally and accept the situation. These were your exact words, right? It was because of your words that we had to try other methods."

Being called out by Secretary Li, even with his thick skin, Director Zhong's face turned slightly red, but he still tried to argue, "Secretary Li, I was just preparing you for the worst possible outcome... Sometimes, as doctors, we have to think of the worst-case scenario and make the worst preparations. In fact, Mr. Wen still had a glimmer of hope... But your interference definitely had a negative impact on the patient. This is a factual statement..."

"Bullshit! What nonsense!" The one cursing was not Secretary Li, but his youngest son, Li Yuan. He glared at Dr. Zhong and said, "What kind of experts are you? You can't cure the disease, but you're good at shifting the blame..."

"Xiao Yuan, what are you saying! You must not be impolite to Dr. Zhong!" Secretary Li sternly scolded Li Yuan, then he solemnly said to Dr. Zhong, "Dr. Zhong, we did interfere with the treatment, but whether it was beneficial or harmful to Mr. Wen, we need you to check first, right? Making conclusions without checking is not a scientific or factual approach, is it?"

Dr. Zhong rolled his eyes. Secretary Li's words were reasonable, and he couldn't refute them, so he could only say sullenly, "Fine, since Secretary Li requests it, we will conduct a comprehensive examination for the patient again—although Mr. Wen is in such a state, whether we check or not doesn't really matter..."

"Dr. Zhong... Look!" The one speaking was another expert from the medical team, Professor Huang from Peking Union Medical College, who exclaimed with surprise, "The patient... seems to be waking up!"

Everyone rushed to the bedside in surprise. On the bed, Mr. Wen had opened his eyes. He scanned the people around the bed, paused, and then nodded slightly to his family, saying, "Xiao Wen, Shangyuan, you're all here..."

Secretary Li and Aunt Wen were moved, nodding repeatedly, "Dad, are you okay? How do you feel? How are you feeling?"

"How do I feel?" Mr. Wen grunted, his voice gradually becoming louder, "I feel great, I could kill a few more Japanese devils if I wanted to!"

Without waiting for anyone to help him, he pushed himself up with his arm and sat up on the bed. His agile movements didn't look like those of a dying patient at all. He glared at everyone, "I heard clearly just now that someone was hoping I would die! They said that since Mr. Wen is in this state, it doesn't matter whether we check or not—Shangyuan, who said that? I'm not dead yet, and he's already planning to cremate me alive, is that it?"

Hearing Mr. Wen's angry outburst, the doctors, who were still in shock, were now in a panic. Especially Director Zhong, who was trembling and pale with fear—he knew very well that Mr. Wen, a former national leader, was a heavyweight! If he filed a complaint, no matter who was right or wrong, they would definitely take action against him to appease Mr. Wen's anger, especially since he was in the wrong. No matter how the matter was handled, he was sure to suffer.

Director Zhong's face turned white, and he looked at Secretary Li pleadingly, hoping he would help him lie. But unfortunately, his hope was in vain—Secretary Li, who appeared gentle and composed, was not a kind person after years in politics. He remembered very clearly the grudge against Director Zhong for trying to shift the blame for Mr. Wen's condition onto his family. The idea of repaying evil with kindness was something that might apply to ordinary people, but never to officials.

Secretary Li nodded gently to Director Zhong and smiled kindly, "Dad, you were very sick recently, and Dr. Zhong thought that you were beyond saving. I and Tongdan thought they were wrong, but they wouldn't listen, so we had to find a skilled Chinese medicine expert to treat you. Dr. Zhong and the others blamed us for interfering and hindering them."

Hearing Secretary Li's words, Mr. Wen's face darkened, and his anger flared. Dr. Zhong stammered, trying to explain, but Mr. Wen, who had heard him with his own ears and had his daughter and son-in-law as witnesses, and with Li Yuan adding fuel to the fire, was so angry that he wouldn't listen to any explanation. He immediately slapped the bed and demanded that Director Zhong leave immediately.

Dr. Zhong had dared to argue with Secretary Li just now, but in front of Mr. Wen, he didn't dare to be disrespectful at all. As soon as Mr. Wen got angry, he quickly left in a hurry.

Mr. Wen was still angry and said furiously, "The doctors under the Health Bureau these days have little skill but plenty of crooked ideas! The spirit of the old generation of medical workers, who were wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the people and saving lives, is completely gone! All they think about is building relationships and backdoor channels to get promotions and titles, or using the Health Bureau's name to make money outside! These people have no real skills, just using the Health Bureau's name to bully others. They should have been cleaned up long ago!"

Mr. Wen's angry words not only embarrassed the doctors and nurses present but also made Secretary Li and his wife feel awkward—Secretary Li only wanted to get back at Director Zhong, not to offend all the doctors at the Health Bureau.

He coughed and said, "Dad, you just woke up, don't get too excited—actually, most of the people at the Health Bureau are still responsible. I think these doctors have been very attentive in taking care of you. Why don't you rest first and let these doctors give you a comprehensive check-up?"

The doctors also joined in, suggesting that a comprehensive check-up would be safer, but Mr. Wen was not convinced. He pursed his lips, "What's the point of a check-up? I know my own body better than anyone. Do I need someone to tell me? No need for a check-up. I know I'm in great shape. I won't meet Marx for at least twenty years! Bring me my clothes!"

Taking the clothes from the nurse, he quickly put them on, threw off the blanket, and stood up from the bed. He put on his slippers and walked a few steps in the room, stretching his body and limbs, and even jumped a few times. He said contentedly, "I feel so refreshed! It's like I've become thirty years younger. My old rheumatism is gone, and I feel full of energy."

The old man squinted and looked out the window, saying with longing, "The sun is so nice today. I want to go out for a walk and do some exercises—haven't felt this comfortable in a long time."

Hearing this, the doctors and the Li family quickly tried to dissuade him, saying that he should rest and observe for a while after his illness, and not move too much.

Secretary Li had an idea and nudged Aunt Wen, "Tongdan, look, Dad's hair... I remember, before he got sick, Dad's hair was all white, right?"

"Hey?" Aunt Wen also noticed something strange and exclaimed, "Yes—Dad, look at your hair, it's turning black again!"

This exclamation woke everyone up, and they all looked over, only to find that Mr. Wen's hair had turned half black and half white—those originally snow-white strands were now turning black from the roots. The doctors, who had been urgently called in from the Health Bureau and were not familiar with Mr. Wen's previous condition, were not too surprised. But as his daughter and son-in-law, Secretary Li and Aunt Wen were truly shocked speechless.

They realized that Mr. Wen was not only energetic and mentally sharp but in better condition than before his illness—before he was sick, Mr. Wen was already a frail old man, speaking indistinctly and dozing off during conversations. Now, seeing him so vigorous, clear-headed, and full of energy, who would believe he was an elderly man nearing ninety? Even a man in his fifties wouldn't have such good health!

Seeing Mr. Wen's hair turn from white to black, Secretary Li and Aunt Wen both thought the same thing: "Rejuvenation!"—Could it be that those legendary stories were true? Master Xu's abilities were truly profound and mysterious!

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