Chapter 3

Lu Qi drew out his police baton, and Li Zhong looked around, then grabbed a mop from the side. "An inch longer, an inch stronger," he thought, feeling that dealing with the giant snake would be more reliable with this tool.

The manager of the business hall, Yu Li, lay stiffly behind the counter, already frightened into unconsciousness. There was no sign of the giant snake that the staff had mentioned. Lu Qi gave Li Zhong a nod; regardless of whether there was a snake or not, they needed to move the person to safety first.

The two slowly approached, observing their surroundings as they walked. When they were about two meters away from Yu Li, they smelled an incredibly foul odor. Lu Qi stopped in his tracks. He saw the large black and yellow striped snake lying next to Yu Li.

The female staff member had not been exaggerating. From its appearance, it was a Chinese water snake, estimated to be over two meters long.

The snake also sensed their approach and raised its head in alert.

Li Zhong's hand holding the mop trembled slightly as he whispered, "This is too big. We should call 119."

Lu Qi glanced at Li Zhong. It was indeed large, but as a police officer, asking the fire department for help to deal with a Chinese water snake would be a laughingstock. Moreover, the snake was very close to Yu Li and could attack her at any moment.

"We don't have time. We need to save her first. You distract it, and I'll save her."

"Me?" Li Zhong clearly had doubts about his rescue plan. Distracting it meant being bait. Why should it be him?

Lu Qi said, "Then let's switch. Give me the mop."

Li Zhong swallowed hard and reluctantly handed over the mop.

Lu Qi took the mop and continued to approach, waving it at the Chinese water snake. The snake remained still. According to his knowledge, the Chinese water snake, also known as the king rat snake, has no venomous fangs or venom. Its main attack methods are biting and constricting. A king rat snake of this size has strong offensive capabilities.

It is known as the king of snakes, with the saying, "If there is a Chinese water snake within a mile, there will be no venomous snakes within ten miles."

Lu Qi gathered his courage and swung the mop at the snake's head. This time, he successfully provoked it, and the king rat snake began to move towards him, gradually moving away from Yu Li.

Seeing the opportunity, Li Zhong immediately rushed forward, picked up Yu Li, and quickly moved her to a safe area.

However, the king rat snake, using a feint, suddenly lunged back, abandoning Lu Qi and wrapping its bowl-thick body around Li Zhong's ankle.

Seeing the situation worsen, Lu Qi hastily dropped the mop and lunged forward, grabbing the snake's neck just before it could bite Li Zhong.

A powerful force pulled Li Zhong down, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground with Yu Li. Yu Li, who had just regained consciousness, screamed in terror and fainted again.

Lu Qi used all his strength to hold onto the king rat snake, not daring to let go. Any slack would allow the snake's fangs to pierce their skin, leaving deep wounds. Even without venom, the risk of bacterial infection was high.

Li Zhong had to let go of Yu Li and grab the snake's tail, trying to free himself from the snake's constriction. Only those in the situation could understand the immense strength of the snake, which far exceeded that of an adult.

Together, they gradually managed to pull the king rat snake away. At that moment, a loud noise came from the ceiling, and a black mass fell from the dropped ceiling.

Another king rat snake, slightly smaller but still formidable, landed on Lu Qi's shoulder, its wrist-thick body tightly coiling around his neck.

The sudden constriction caused severe asphyxiation. Lu Qi's face turned red from the rapid blood flow, and he was filled with regret. This kind of specialized task should be left to professionals. Their eagerness to save someone had led them to underestimate the difficulties, and now they were in deep trouble.

The crowd outside, though numerous, dared not enter easily. Due to the distance and the power outage in the business hall, no one knew the exact situation inside.

Lu Qi even thought of death. The king rat snake's body tightened, and he could no longer breathe. His vision blurred, and his strength rapidly diminished.

The onlookers, unaware of the danger, were mostly busy filming with their phones. The distance and poor lighting made it impossible to capture any details.

At this critical moment, Xu Chunliang pushed through the crowd and approached the scene. He raised his right hand, and his fingers rhythmically opened and closed.

The king rat snake coiling around Lu Qi's neck was distracted by his gesture and relaxed its body, moving away from Lu Qi.

The other snake constricting Li Zhong also did the same. The two king rat snakes clearly feared Xu Chunliang, abandoning their attacks but not moving far away.

As Xu Chunliang approached, the two snakes became increasingly alert. The male king rat snake raised its head, a sign of an impending attack.

Xu Chunliang sighed inwardly. Not only had he lost his internal strength, but his ability to control snakes and insects had also diminished. In the past, these creatures would always submit and keep their distance, but now they dared to challenge him.

Seeing the king rat snake's red tongue, Xu Chunliang became angry and raised his right palm, striking the snake's head.

The king rat snake was stunned by the blow and didn't have time to react before Xu Chunliang struck again. The two large snakes were completely intimidated by his presence and hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Lu Qi, now free, could finally breathe deeply. His neck bore a frightening blood mark, and he gasped for air, gradually recovering from the lack of oxygen.

Li Zhong got up from the ground, picked up Yu Li, and helped her leave the area.

Lu Qi saw Xu Chunliang facing off against the two large snakes, less than half a meter away, and warned him, "Xu Cong, it's dangerous. Stay away from them..." His voice was hoarse.

Xu Chunliang smiled calmly and said, "I have a family-secret snake-catching technique. Don't worry, they won't hurt me. Go find two large burlap bags and take them away."

When the forestry bureau personnel arrived with professional snake-catching tools, the crisis had already been resolved. The two king rat snakes were placed in burlap bags, with the larger one weighing over 40 pounds.

The professionals were amazed. They couldn't believe how capable the police officers were. "Catching turtles in the ocean and capturing the moon in the sky, what can't they do?"

At the request of the journalists, the two police officers took a photo with their "trophy" and received applause as heroes.

Before the support personnel arrived, Xu Chunliang had already left. He specifically told Lu Qi not to mention what had happened and not to mention his name.

"Fame is dangerous, and exposure is never good. If it weren't for the danger, I wouldn't have acted. Lu Qi is a good person, so consider this a favor."

Xu Changshan was already preparing for the relocation. Gao Xinhu had come again that morning to discuss the specific demolition contract. The second phase of the project was imminent, and the hospital couldn't wait any longer.

To resolve Xu Chunliang's employment issue, Director Gu had specifically consulted the leaders of the Health Bureau, going through a lot of trouble to get it done.

As for the other conditions, they had been planned very carefully and discussed numerous times, with a well-matured plan.

Regarding the establishment of an expert clinic by the old man and personally mentoring his grandson, Gao Xinhu believed it was unnecessary to rush. The hospital had already broken the rules by hiring Xu Chunliang and giving him a formal position, and many eyes were watching. There would be many who would talk, and even if the old man wanted to do it, he should wait until the dust settled.

Gao Xinhu had his reasons and said sincerely, "Uncle Xu, I know you're worried about Xu Cong, but you have to let go eventually. I'm a father too. When my daughter went to college, I was very worried. We had taken care of everything for her from a young age, and now she had to face everything on her own in the capital. I was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it, but it turned out she not only handled it but did so with ease."

Xu Changshan had been reflecting on this for the past two days. Much of his grandson's current state was due to his own indulgence. Because his parents were not around, he always wanted to give him more love, but it turned out that some missing love could not be replaced.

"Are you going back on your word about the conditions you agreed to?"

Gao Xinhu laughed, "Uncle, how could a large hospital like Changxing go back on its word?" He lowered his voice, "I'm also considering your best interests. If you cooperate with the hospital to open a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, the reputation of your Huichun Hall might not be as bright."

"You mean you're suggesting I accept the second option, find a new location, and reopen Huichun Hall."

Gao Xinhu said, "I didn't say anything."

Xu Changshan had already considered this. Although Huichun Hall was small, he had full control. If he chose to cooperate with Changxing Hospital to open a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, the influence and patient base would increase, but he would inevitably be constrained by the hospital. The old man had been free all his life and didn't want to be bound by rules in his old age.

Everything was for his grandson. He needed to see him grow up in person to feel at ease.

Gao Xinhu suggested, "Why don't you ask the child what he thinks?"

At that moment, Xu Chunliang came in and greeted Gao Xinhu as "Uncle Gao."

Gao Xinhu had visited frequently over the past six months and had seen Xu Chunliang many times. Xu Chunliang was a classmate of his daughter, and while his daughter was about to start her senior year, this boy was still retaking exams and failing. In Gao Xinhu's impression, Xu Chunliang was a quiet and withdrawn person who never greeted anyone, always avoiding eye contact. It was surprising to see him greet someone this time, probably because he knew about the job.

Xu Chunliang was considerate, first refilling their tea and then saying he would go upstairs to pack, letting them continue their conversation.

Xu Changshan said, "Chunliang, don't go yet. I need to discuss something with you."

Xu Chunliang stopped and stood respectfully beside his grandfather.

Xu Changshan asked him to sit down, feeling proud that his grandson was finally showing maturity. He briefly explained the hospital's options and let his grandson choose, as he was old enough to make his own decisions.

Xu Chunliang understood his grandfather's intentions and smiled, "Since Grandfather wants me to speak, I'll take the liberty to say a few words. Please don't laugh at my shortcomings."

Gao Xinhu thought, "He is from a traditional Chinese medicine family. Even though he's a poor student, he is still well-mannered and speaks with a cultured tone."

"Huichun Hall is Grandfather's life's work and our family's legacy. Of course, it should be preserved. Grandfather, don't worry about my job. Uncle Gao will take care of me, right?"

Gao Xinhu nodded with a smile, but felt something was off. He had always thought of Xu Chunliang as a quiet and withdrawn person, but his current behavior was different from his past impression.

Xu Chunliang said, "I won't interrupt your discussion. Grandfather, I just went to the police station to change my name."

"What?"

This time, it was the old man's turn to be surprised.

"Changed to Xu Chunliang. A new name, a new life."

Hearing this, Xu Changshan felt relieved. "Xu Cong" was a name given by his father, while "Chunliang" was a name he had chosen. The reason for giving his grandson this name was that he felt the previous name did not fit. His grandson was not stupid, but he was not particularly smart. Since he lacked talent, he could only hope for a good character.

"Good, very good!" Xu Changshan praised, feeling that the name affirmed his taste.

With his grandson's attitude clear, Xu Changshan decided to choose the second option, finding a new location to reopen Huichun Hall. He also had an additional condition: once his grandson obtained a physician's license, Changxing Hospital must arrange for him to work in the traditional Chinese medicine department.

Gao Xinhu felt relieved. It was easy to invite the old man to the hospital, but it would be difficult to deal with the consequences. Although they had sacrificed a position, they had solved the problem of Huichun Hall's relocation.