In the Mercedes-Benz van.
Nie Xueliang said, “Li Zhengxi is, after all, the Great Han Medical Sage. Was it a bit excessive that we ignored him?”
“Excessive? Hardly,” Zhang Jiuling raised an eyebrow. “That father and son duo constantly call Chinese medicine rubbish. If they weren’t from Great Han, I’d have slapped them long ago.”
Ye Qiu chimed in, “Li Zhengxi’s challenge to Chinese medicine this time is clearly aimed at crushing us. Old Zhang did the right thing—there’s no need to show respect to an enemy.”
Li Chunfeng laughed, “Ye Qiu, you didn’t see it, but Li Zhengxi thought we were there to greet him. He was about to shake hands with Old Zhang, only for Old Zhang to walk right past him. Li Zhengxi’s face turned green!”
“As the Great Han Medical Sage, he’s probably never been treated like that back in Great Han.”
“He must hate us to death.”
Nie Xueliang said with concern, “Having humiliated Li Zhengxi like that, he’ll surely do everything in his power to defeat Chinese medicine.”
“Little Ye, the pressure on you for this battle is immense!”
At that moment, the gazes of the three Chinese Medical Sages all fell on Ye Qiu’s face.
Ye Qiu smiled and said, “Seniors, there’s no need to worry.”
“I’ve made thorough preparations for this battle.”
“I’ll show Li Zhengxi with my actions that Chinese medicine is not to be insulted, and anyone who disrespects it will face dire consequences!”
Seeing his confidence, the three Chinese Medical Sages breathed a sigh of relief.
The four chatted idly for a while.
Then, Ye Qiu asked, “Seniors, how is this competition arranged?”
Zhang Jiuling replied, “The competition starts the morning after tomorrow at the Jiangnan Examination Hall in the Confucius Temple.”
“Many Chinese medicine colleagues wanted to watch in person, but due to venue constraints, I only invited a hundred peers.”
“I also invited ten media outlets, with twenty journalists.”
“As for the format, based on the Great Han side’s proposal, it’s a best-of-three match, which we agreed to.”
“That’s about it.”
Ye Qiu frowned upon hearing this.
Noticing his expression, Zhang Jiuling asked, “Little Ye, do you see anything amiss?”
“Old Zhang, let me ask—will there be major media covering the event live, like CCTV?”
Zhang Jiuling gave a wry smile. “CCTV? I couldn’t get them to come!”
“And will any high-ranking officials attend?” Ye Qiu asked.
Zhang Jiuling said, “A few vice-presidents from the Chinese Medicine Association will be there, and the deputy mayor of Jinling City will also attend to give a speech.”
Ye Qiu’s frown deepened.
Zhang Jiuling said, “Little Ye, if you have any suggestions, feel free to share them.”
Ye Qiu replied, “I think the scale is too small.”
Too small?
This was an unofficial medical competition, and securing the attendance of Jinling City’s deputy mayor and so many media outlets was already no small feat.
The three Chinese Medical Sages exchanged glances, and then Zhang Jiuling asked, “Little Ye, what kind of scale do you think is appropriate?”
Ye Qiu said, “The grander, the better.”
“This competition is a golden opportunity to promote Chinese medicine.”
“In recent years, Western medicine has dominated while Chinese medicine has declined. On top of that, some fraudsters have used Chinese medicine as a pretext to scam people, causing growing distrust in it.”
“There are even many who don’t understand Chinese medicine slandering it online without basis, making its situation very precarious.”
“If we seize this opportunity to vigorously promote Chinese medicine, showing everyone that it can not only heal and save lives but is also superior to Great Han traditional medicine, I believe it will have a positive impact on revitalising Chinese medicine.”
“So, I think the current arrangements need some adjustments.”
Zhang Jiuling and the others shared Ye Qiu’s sentiments—they, too, wanted to use this opportunity to promote Chinese medicine positively. However, their concerns had held them back from going all out.
“Little Ye, how would you adjust it?” Zhang Jiuling asked.
Ye Qiu said, “Amplify the competition’s impact.”
“First, invite more media and journalists. We must get CCTV involved, ideally for a live broadcast.”
“Second, invite more guests to watch in person—not just peers. In fact, non-peers might have an even greater impact.”
“Only when those unfamiliar with Chinese medicine witness it firsthand will the results be more striking.”
“As for numbers, I think around a thousand people would be ideal.”
“And the officials invited are too low-ranking.”
“This competition is a showdown between the top doctors of China and Great Han. We need national-level leaders present, ideally the head of the Ministry of Health.”
“Seniors, what do you think?”
Li Chunfeng gave a wry smile. “Little Ye, you’re saying we should make it as grand as possible. Initially, Old Zhang and I had the same attitude, but Old Nie held us back with his concerns.”
Ye Qiu looked at Nie Xueliang curiously. “What concerns does Senior Nie have?”
Nie Xueliang said gravely, “Ye Qiu, have you considered that hyping up this competition is a double-edged sword?”
“If we win, it will undoubtedly benefit Chinese medicine greatly.”
“But if we lose, it will be a devastating blow to Chinese medicine—especially for you personally. You’ll have no way out.”
“Though this is a medical contest, it’s also a life-or-death battle.”
Ye Qiu understood. Nie Xueliang was worried about him losing.
If they amplified the event’s impact and Ye Qiu lost, not only would the effort to promote Chinese medicine backfire, but Ye Qiu would be left with no path forward—only death.
Ye Qiu said, “Senior Nie, I understand your concerns, but for us, this battle is do or die.”
“Since it’s a fight with our backs to the wall, why not amplify the impact?”
“Let more people witness this competition. Even if we lose, as long as it awakens the public’s love for Chinese medicine, I believe it’s a death worth dying.”
“Besides, I’m confident in this battle.”
Nie Xueliang was still hesitant.
“Old Nie, stop hesitating. I support Ye Qiu,” Zhang Jiuling said.
Li Chunfeng added, “If Little Ye has such boldness, what are we still worrying about?”
After a moment, Nie Xueliang seemed to come around. “Alright, let’s do it as Ye Qiu says.”
“There are still a few issues to resolve,” Zhang Jiuling said. “The Jiangnan Examination Hall can’t accommodate so many spectators, and inviting CCTV and the head of the Ministry of Health won’t be easy.”
Ye Qiu immediately said, “Old Zhang, don’t worry about inviting people. I’ll handle it.”
“As for the venue not holding enough people, we’ll change it. I think Jinling University would be perfect.”
“We can hold the competition on the athletics field, and we can even have Jinling University students watch in person.”
Li Chunfeng said, “If we change the venue at the last minute, will Li Zhengxi agree?”
Ye Qiu smiled. “Don’t worry, he’ll definitely agree!”
