Chapter 143

Wan Boping hastily invited Hu Xiaotian to sit down; Hu Xiaotian found this old thing also quite displeasing to the eye, actually pulling out such a cold‑faced figure to disgust himself, and even saying something like "the number one divine doctor of the Xichuan network", damn it! Anyone who dares to call themselves number one is mostly a fame‑seeking charlatan. After taking the tea Wan Changchun handed over and sipping it, he said: "I've been out in the rain all day, my mood is foul, Wan Yuanwai, please don't take offense." Feeling resentful, he didn't even call Wan Dage anymore. Damn it, yesterday I gave you face, I lowered myself to become sworn brothers with you, and yet you threw my face away, refusing me outright—from now on, even if you call me grandfather, I won't become sworn brothers with you.

Wan Boping laughed and cried, saying: "Sir Hu, this Mr. Zhou is an old friend of many years." Actually, his relationship with Zhou Wenju isn't that deep. Zhou Wenju has the reputation of being the number one holy hand of Xichuan; he usually thinks highly of himself, is aloof and proud. If it weren't for the face of Governor Yang Daoquan of Xiezhou, he wouldn't have come here, dust‑covered and weary, crossing mountains and rivers to treat the son of a local tycoon. Because his medical skill is superb and he once saved Governor Yang Daoquan's life, the governor regards him as an honored guest. Zhou Wenju certainly wouldn't look upon a petty local ninth‑rank official. Naturally, his prejudice against Sir Hu stems from Hu's medical methods, not from Hu's status.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Oh, it's Mr. Zhou? My apologies, my apologies. He just said I'm treating lives like grass—does Wan Yuanwai also think that?"

Wan Boping hastily shook his head and said: "Sir Hu, don't misunderstand, I don't mean that, Mr. Zhou doesn't mean that either." Hu Xiaotian saving his second son's life is an indisputable fact.

Zhou Wenju, after adjusting a bit, seemed to regain his strength; he slammed the table and rose angrily, saying: "Quack doctors harm people—Young Master Wan's perfectly fine skull you knocked a piece out of, such a smart and capable young man you've hardened into a dazed fool, and you still have the gall to extort and blackmail; people like you are utterly a disgrace to physicians." Not only did he stand up, but he also pointed directly at Hu Xiaotian.

Wan Boping looked embarrassed; he was merely relating what had happened to Zhou Wenju, but he never expected Zhou Wenju's temper to be so vengeful. Upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, he exploded.

Hu Xiaotian snorted coldly, looking at Wan Boping with a cold smile; the reason is simple: if Wan Boping hadn't said he wanted his money, how would Zhou Wenju know? Saying I'm extorting and blackmailing—Wan Boping, oh Wan Boping, you old turtle, if I'd known you were this sort, I should have sold those nine incense burners even more ruthlessly.

Wan Boping tried to calm him from the side, saying: "Mr. Zhou, calm down, calm down, Sir Hu isn't that kind of person." This guy is actually quite hypocritical; ever since Zhou Wenju arrived and laid out his views, he began to doubt Hu Xiaotian's previous actions, and upon seeing Zhou Wenju publicly blame Hu Xiaotian, he secretly gloated.

Zhou Wenju, now energized, stepped forward and said: "You needn't hold back—what's an official? Officials heal the state, physicians heal the people; every medical practitioner should have a compassionate heart. Since you lack certainty in curing the patient, why risk the patient's life?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said: "Listening to Mr. Zhou's words, you're quite impressive—what's your high opinion on Young Master Wan's condition?"

Zhou Wenju said: "Naturally, one uses medicine to dissolve the blood clot inside the skull."

"What kind of medicine is used to dissolve the blood clot?"

"Gold‑thread grass, clear jade dew, plus my secret formula Blood‑Dissolving Powder—it should work."

Hu Xiaotian curled his lip and said: "That's said lightly—it's nothing but armchair generalship after the fact. Back then, Wan Ting Sheng's condition was critical; even if your medicine worked, it probably wouldn't take effect in the short term, and besides, you're in Xiezhou. By the time you bring the medicine here, Wan Ting Sheng would likely already be dead—what's the point of saying this now?"

"Uh… you…" Zhou Wenju, being a refined person, was left speechless by this foul‑mouthed brat.

Hu Xiaotian said: "People like you just talk big without feeling the pain. I've laid it out plainly: back then, if I hadn't cracked open his skull and removed the clot, Young Master Wan wouldn't be alive today."

Zhou Wenju argued vehemently: "Alive to this day? A person who doesn't even know who he is, who doesn't recognize his parents or siblings—what difference is there between being alive and being dead?"

Hu Xiaotian looked at Zhou Wenju and said, "You should ask Wan Yuanwai about that!"

Wan Boping finally said a fair word: "Under those circumstances, if it weren't for Sir Hu's intervention, my son would have already died."

Zhou Wenju said, "If saying you opened the skull to take blood still has some basis, what evidence is there for your soul-summoning talk? As a doctor, you should know there are no ghosts in this world, yet you use this to extort money—do you have even a shred of conscience?"

Hu Xiaotian realized he had met a thoroughgoing materialist today; the other's arrival seemed meant to expose him, and from Wan Boping's wavering expression he could already see that the old fellow was beginning to waver because of Zhou Wenju's words. Hu Xiaotian himself of course understood that soul-summoning and feng shui talk had no basis; originally he had come up with many excuses, but the bottom line was two: one, to heavily extort Wan Boping; two, to help the poor young widow Le Yao. Who would have thought that halfway a Cheng Yaojin would appear—a divine doctor of Xichuan, Zhou Wenju, arriving from Xiezhou—whose coming seemed specifically to expose him.

Hu Xiaotian remained unfazed, sighed, and said, "Wan Yuanwai, do you believe him or me?"

Wan Boping was certainly no fool; even when Hu Xiaotian first mentioned soul-summoning, he had been half‑believing, half‑doubting, but because he loved his son dearly he painfully forked out so much gold. Later Hu Xiaotian brought up feng shui, producing nine broken incense burners and swindling him out of three hundred gold. Wan Boping was never a generous man; before, when his son's life hung by a thread, he spent money without even having time to feel the pain. Now his son's condition gradually stabilized, and thinking back on the six hundred gold he had given Hu Xiaotian, he couldn't help feeling a pang in his heart. Moreover, Hu Xiaotian had recently come up with another idea for a charitable benefit sale, making him furious, so Wan Boping naturally suspected Hu Xiaotian's motives, even suspecting that this brat was trying again to swindle him in some way. Wan Boping said, "Both of you are my friends, and you both came to help Mr. Wan; please don't let differing views damage harmony." He did not directly answer Hu Xiaotian's question, but instead hedged.

Hu Xiaotian saw that Wan Boping had begun to doubt him, snorted coldly, and said, "If that's the case, there's no point in my staying here; farewell!"

Wan Boping was about to retain him, but heard Zhou Wenju press step by step: "I have some study of medicine, divination, and astrology, and I know a little about feng shui, but I don't know what flaw you claim exists in the Wan family's feng shui."

Hu Xiaotian slowly turned around, his clear eyes quietly gazing at Zhou Wenju; it seemed he had met his match today. Earlier he only knew Zhou Wenju was a competent doctor, but he hadn't expected him to also understand feng shui. The real trouble is that this fellow, as soon as he arrived, openly opposed him and refused to let up.

Zhou Wenju said, "I observe that the Wan mansion has yin at its back and yang in front, faces the mountains and the water—it is an excellent feng shui spot. Only after asking Wan Yuanwai did I learn that the Wan mansion's feng shui was examined by Master Zhu Qiyong, who fixed the site before building the residence here. Master Zhu knows the changes of wind and clouds above and the geography of mountains and rivers below; he is the top oddity of Xichuan. Do you think your feng shui skills surpass his?" His words conveyed considerable respect for Master Zhu.

Hu Xiaotian had never heard of any pig master or cow master, he sneered: "No matter who, however renowned, their knowledge is ultimately limited; what I see, they may not be able to see."

Zhou Wenju saw Hu Xiaotian's arrogance, his anger growing, and he shouted, "If you understand feng shui, do you know what dragon, sand, cavity, water, and orientation mean?" The five characters he mentioned are precisely the five elements of feng shui: dragon means relying on a continuous range of mountains behind; sand means being surrounded by numerous low hills; cavity is the place where feng shui energy gathers; water means a flow of water in front of the gate; orientation means the direction the building faces. Specifically, good residential feng shui requires a continuous range of mountains at the back as solid support, numerous low hills and ridges to the south, small hills protecting the left and right sides, an open and spacious middle, and a river flowing in front of the house, encircling it. An ideal residence with mountains at the back can resist the cold north winds of winter, with water in front can accept the cool breezes of summer, making domestic water extremely convenient; with small hills guarding the left and right, it forms a relatively enclosed space, creating a favorable microclimate for the layout.

Hu Xiaotian's knowledge of feng shui could be described as utterly ignorant; he simply doesn't understand any of this. Only when he needs to use it does he regret his lack of study. If he had known he would face this situation today, he should have skimmed a few feng shui books earlier, so he could have something to say to cope with this sudden situation. But Hu Xiaotian is quick-witted and sharp-tongued; even though he was at a disadvantage, he still quickly launched a counterattack. He laughed loudly, using his laughter to interrupt Zhou Wenju's series of questions, in order to regain the initiative in speech and draw the advantage of their heated debate to himself.

Zhou Wenju was indeed interrupted by Hu Xiaotian's strange laughter; Hu Xiaotian simply stayed put, took a step toward Zhou Wenju, and said, "Mr. Zhou, you seem to have read quite a few books."

Zhou Wenju said, "Although not many, I have already read over ten thousand volumes!" He glanced askance at Hu Xiaotian, thinking, "You're just a young whippersnapper; I've read more books than you've ever seen."

Hu Xiaotian said, "As an official, I have always respected scholars, yet the ones I despise most are also scholars! It's about quality, not quantity, in reading. A truly intelligent reader, upon reading a book, can grasp its spirit and understand its reasoning—that is truly reading. Only such a person can put learning into practice. But most readers treat memorizing texts as their duty; having read tens of thousands of volumes, they remember nothing but titles and words, while the substance remains a blank. Such readers are mere bookworms who have read dead books; even if they have read millions of volumes, it's utterly useless."

Zhou Wenju angrily retorted, "That's still better than some people who pretend to understand without actually knowing!"

Third Update sent up, the double release has just passed; I guess the landlord's household also has no surplus grain, so please subscribe and vote for recommendation.