Ye Qiu took out his phone and saw the caller ID displaying two words, Military God!
He was somewhat puzzled.
Why was the Military God calling so late?
“Boss, I’ll step out first. Call me if you need anything,” Han Long said tactfully, immediately leaving the room.
Ye Qiu pressed the answer key and asked, “Chief, you’re looking for me?”
“Ye Qiu, I’m not disturbing your rest, am I?” the Military God asked kindly.
“I haven’t gone to bed yet. Chief, is there something you need?”
“What, I can’t call you unless there’s a reason?”
Ye Qiu smiled, “From what I know of you, Chief, you usually call me when there’s something important.”
The Military God laughed, “You’re right, I do have something to discuss.”
“I’ve been following this China-Korea medical competition closely. You’ve done an excellent job, not only bringing honour to Chinese medicine but also making me proud. I want to commend you.”
“However, Li Zhengxi cannot die in China.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Chief, did Li Zhengxi plead with you?”
The Military God replied, “I’m friends with Xu Yuan正, the chairman of Korea’s Tianxing Group. Li Zhengxi approached Xu Yuan正, who then contacted me.”
“Li Minghan saved Xu Yuan正’s life last year, so Xu Yuan正 is doing this to repay that debt.”
“Xu Yuan正 has promised that if we spare Li Zhengxi’s life, he’s willing to invest ten billion in China, and he’ll follow through this year.”
Ye Qiu was somewhat surprised.
Xu Yuan正 was Xu Changjin’s grandfather. To save Li Zhengxi’s life, Xu Yuan正 not only gave him the Tiansheng Bronze Man but also promised the Military God a ten-billion investment in China. It was an extraordinary move.
What was Xu Yuan正’s real motive?
Was it truly to repay a debt?
Or did he have another agenda?
The Military God said, “I’ve reported this matter to Elder Tang, and his opinion is that we shouldn’t let Li Zhengxi die.”
“After all, Li Zhengxi is Korea’s Medical Saint and has some influence there. If he were to publicly take his own life in our country, it would inevitably provoke anger among the Korean public.”
“A few years ago, our relations with Korea were strained due to their deployment of a missile system along the border.”
“In recent years, Korea has been trying to mend ties with us, and bilateral relations are moving toward normalisation. If one Li Zhengxi were to disrupt this, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
“Ye Qiu, do you understand my meaning?”
Ye Qiu replied, “I understand. It’s just about sparing Li Zhengxi’s life, right? No problem.”
The Military God laughed heartily, “I knew you’d prioritise the bigger picture.”
Ye Qiu added, “Chief, while I agree to spare Li Zhengxi’s life, he must publicly admit defeat and apologise to Chinese medicine.”
“Otherwise, I’ll see this medical contest through to the end.”
The Military God said, “As long as Li Zhengxi doesn’t die, you can handle the rest as you see fit.”
Ye Qiu breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Chief, how’s your health?”
“Doing great, eating well, sleeping soundly,” the Military God replied, then asked, “Ye Qiu, is it convenient to talk where you are?”
Ye Qiu: “It’s fine.”
The Military God then said, “I heard from Wudi that Longmei made a divination, saying Xiao Jiu’s days are numbered. Is that true?”
Ye Qiu said, “That’s what Longmei said, but whether it’s true or not, I don’t know. You know that old guy isn’t very reliable, ”
“No!” Before Ye Qiu could finish, the Military God said gravely, “Longmei may be unreliable at times, but he wouldn’t joke about something like this.”
“If he really said Xiao Jiu is about to die, then Xiao Jiu probably doesn’t have much time left.”
“For years, the Northern Border has been stable thanks to Xiao Jiu’s presence. He’s a natural-born commander.”
“If he dies, the Northern Border will surely descend into chaos.”
Ye Qiu said, “That’s why we need to plan ahead and prepare for the worst. If something happens to Xiao Jiu, Third Uncle would be the best candidate to hold the Northern Border.”
The Military God said with concern, “Wudi is indeed excellent, but he’s not from the military and has no battle achievements. I’m afraid he won’t be able to control the generals in the Northern Border.”
Ye Qiu smiled, “That’s easy to fix. Just let Third Uncle win a battle.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
Then the Military God’s voice came through, “That’s a good idea. I’ll discuss it with Elder Tang and Elder Ye later.”
“This matter needs to be arranged early, just in case.”
“Alright, Ye Qiu, you should rest now!”
Ye Qiu quickly said, “Chief, take care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’m doing fine,” the Military God said before hanging up.
…
After resting for the night.
The next day.
At nine in the morning, the competition continued.
The athletics field was, as expected, packed with people.
On the stage.
Ye Qiu said to Li Zhengxi, “I don’t think there’s any need to continue the competition.”
“Just admit defeat and publicly apologise to Chinese medicine.”
“That’ll bring this contest to an end.”
Li Zhengxi smirked smugly, “Kid, you must have received a call from your country’s higher-ups, right?”
“You don’t dare let me die in China.”
“I won’t admit defeat either.”
“As for an apology, that’s just your wishful thinking. I’m Korea’s Medical Saint, why would I apologise to Chinese medicine?”
At this moment, Li Zhengxi was completely fearless, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
Ye Qiu seemed to have anticipated this reaction and didn’t get angry. Smiling, he said, “I hope you can stay this stubborn later.”
“The competition continues.”
With that, the two began their contest.
It was still a competition to treat patients.
As soon as the contest started, Li Zhengxi noticed something was off.
Today, Ye Qiu was like he’d taken a performance-enhancing drug, treating patients at an astonishing speed. In front of so many spectators, Li Zhengxi didn’t want to lose too badly, so he had to speed up his treatments as well.
In less than an hour, they completed ten rounds, finishing each in about five minutes.
Soon, Li Zhengxi was sweating profusely from exhaustion.
Ye Qiu didn’t give Li Zhengxi any chance to rest and continued the competition.
Two hours later.
Li Zhengxi’s clothes were completely soaked with sweat, his legs trembling, barely able to stand.
Ye Qiu smiled and said, “Mr. Li, no need to push yourself so hard. Why don’t you rest for a bit? After all, you’re not young anymore.”
Li Zhengxi hated being called old and snapped, “No need to rest, let’s continue.”
Three hours later.
Li Zhengxi couldn’t hold on any longer. His hands, holding the acupuncture needles, were trembling.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Li, you’re truly Korea’s Medical Saint. Even when you can’t hold the needle steady, you still insist on treating patients. Your dedication to saving lives is truly admirable.”
“But, Mr. Li, can you still locate the acupuncture points accurately?”
“Aren’t you afraid of harming the patients?”
“You’re getting on in years, why fight to the bitter end?”
“As long as you admit defeat and apologise to Chinese medicine, I’ll stop the competition,” Ye Qiu said with a cheerful smile.
“Hmph, an apology is out of the question. I can still hold on…”
Before Li Zhengxi could finish, his vision went black, and with a “thud,” he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
