From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Chapter 649 - 620: Everyone Expresses Their Views

Qiao Rulong saw that he had matters to attend to and didn’t insist, personally driving Xu Chunliang to Linzheng Hall. Since joining Hua Tou, he had been busy with work. Moreover, Qiao Rulong was very rational in his actions and disliked meaningless socializing. Despite his wife Ye Qingya being somewhat famous in the art circle, Qiao Rulong had no interest in the cultural scene, so even though Xu Chunliang invited him, he politely declined.Xu Chunliang just got out of the car and hadn’t yet entered Linzheng Hall when Hua Zhuyue called. She had made several calls earlier today but couldn’t get through because Xu Chunliang had offended some influential figures on his last visit to the Capital City, making Hua Zhuyue somewhat worried.

Xu Chunliang told her he was fine, and when he was on the phone, he saw Xie Boxiang arriving, who was also there at the invitation of Huang Wanglin.

Xie Boxiang was accompanied by two people, one of whom was National Medical Master Zhang Boxu. Xu Chunliang had met him once when resolving an acupoint blockage for Wang Zeqiang. The other was Huang Gongxian, Huang Wanglin’s eldest son and the current shopkeeper of Huiren Hall.

Xu Chunliang cheerfully greeted, "Master Xie, Master Zhang, you’re here too."

Xie Boxiang laughed, "Xiaoxu, long time no see, you’re as charming as ever."

Zhang Boxu said, "Mr. Xu, when did you come to the Capital City?" He introduced Xu Chunliang to Huang Gongxian.

Huang Gongxian was somewhat surprised, "I have long admired Mr. Xu, and it’s a pleasure to meet you today."

Xu Chunliang humbly said, "Just call me Xiaoxu."

Pu Jian heard the commotion and came out to greet them. Whenever he’s in the Capital City, he makes time to visit Linzheng Hall to chat with Master Huang San. Pu Jian has his own intentions; he wants to apprentice under Master Huang San. With Huang Wanglin’s status in the collection world, becoming his apprentice would surely elevate one’s position.

Pu Jian led everyone to the courtyard behind Linzheng Hall. Recently completed, it was transformed from an old compound by Huang Wanglin. With his keen aesthetic sense, the slight modifications made it quite elegant.

Huang Wanglin had a kitchen specifically installed here, where he could arrange a table of food, inviting a few friends to discuss history and literature, delighting in both word and brush.

Although the renovation was completed, they hadn’t hired a chef yet. Today, Chen Qianfan volunteered to take on the chef’s role, skilled in all forms of cooking.

Xu Chunliang had known Chen Qianfan for a long time but was unaware of his culinary prowess.

Among the guests today, Xie Boxiang was a seasoned gourmet. Upon seeing the cold dishes on the table, he immediately praised, "Third Master, where did you find such a chef? Such knife skills and presentation are meticulous."

Huang Wanglin laughed, "I originally intended to take everyone out, but President Chen insisted on cooking personally."

Pu Jian said, "It would be a shame not to showcase such fine culinary skills."

Chen Qianfan happened to bring over a freshly made bowl of spicy chicken, "Pu Jian, your mouth just doesn’t stop, even when eating."

Huang Wanglin invited Chen Qianfan to sit down, but he said there were still a few dishes to prepare and would join them immediately after finishing, then returned to the kitchen.

Although Huang Gongxian was the head of Huiren Hall, he remained somewhat reserved in the presence of his father, proactively pouring wine. He noticed they were using Five-Whip Rejuvenating Wine today and thought, is this tonic wine? Why are we drinking this? It wasn’t an issue for him, but he wondered if the two elders could handle it.

The wine was provided by Chen Qianfan, who was in the business of making it. Pu Jian explained, "This wine is custom-made from Maotai Town and hasn’t been made into medicinal liquor yet."

Huang Gongxian said, "I’ve heard of Qianfan Group; their health wines are quite reputable."

Pu Jian said, "Old Chen is the president of Qianfan Group. Today, drink as much Five-Whip Rejuvenating Wine as you like."

Huang Wanglin remarked, "I feel embarrassed, President Chen cooking and providing the drinks, and we agreed I would treat."

Chen Qianfan served the last dish, spicy fish with pig intestines, and laughed, "I’m grateful to have this opportunity thanks to Master Huang San."

Huang Wanglin asked Chen Qianfan to sit beside him, but Chen Qianfan insisted he was too young and sat next to Xu Chunliang instead.

Pu Jian noticed Xu Chunliang was unusually quiet today and curiously asked, "Xu Chunliang, why aren’t you talking today?"

Xu Chunliang tasted the crispy double delights and said, "The food is so delicious I can’t find the time to talk."

Chen Qianfan replied, "You’re too kind, too kind."

Xie Boxiang said, "Not at all an overstatement. I’ve had so much Sichuan cuisine in the Capital City, but today’s meal is the most authentic, even better than Tianfu Beijing Office."

It’s common for various Beijing Offices to operate restaurants serving hometown specialties, and Tianfu Beijing Office’s Sichuan cuisine has always been the pinnacle in the Capital City. Earning such recognition made Chen Qianfan proud.

Moved by his hard work, Huang Wanglin offered Chen Qianfan a toast, to which Chen Qianfan quickly got up, "Master Huang San, that’s not appropriate. As a junior, I should be toasting you."

Xu Chunliang felt that Chen Qianfan seemed noticeably humble this time, possibly due to setbacks related to the Weishan Island Winery.

During the feast, Xie Boxiang mentioned Sun Changli, who had made sixteen million from selling dragon bones last time. Unfortunately, unexpected wealth doesn’t favor the unfortunate; within a few months, the kid had squandered all his family fortune. The house he just bought was sold before he even lived in it for a day.

Pu Jian was astonished: "Sixteen million, lost in such a short time?"

Xie Boxiang said: "In the past, he used to gamble, but it was just small-time. This time, suddenly having money made him swell with arrogance. He was instigated to gamble in Pengdu and ended up losing everything. He borrowed money in hopes of winning it back, but he got in deeper and deeper. Not only did he not recover the lost money, but he also ended up in huge debt. Those who run these casinos are not to be messed with. They let him return with the condition that he pays back the money within a deadline. This useless fellow had no choice but to sell his house."

Xie Boxiang initially helped him on behalf of Sun Lao Nian, but didn’t expect the help to become a hindrance.

Huang Wanglin said: "Now that you mention it, I remember he came by a couple of days ago with some dragon bones asking me to contact Miss Mo, but she didn’t want them."

Xu Chunliang inwardly chuckled, thinking do they really think any dragon bone can be sold for money? Mo Han was willing to pay a high price for them because of the content on them.

Xie Boxiang asked: "Xiaoxu, what’s on those dragon bones that makes them worth so much?"

Xu Chunliang replied: "I heard from Professor Bai that the content on the dragon bones seems to be related to the Inner Canon of Huangdi. As for the specifics, I am not sure, since I’m not an expert in ancient scripts."

Huang Wanglin thought Xu Chunliang was being modest; his expertise in oracle bone script far surpassed that of so-called professors.

National Medical Master Zhang Boxu said: "The Inner Canon of Huangdi isn’t considered rare."

Huang Wanglin said: "The existing Inner Canon of Huangdi has been edited many times and is no longer the original version."

Huang Gongxian said: "I once read a book that recorded the existence of both the Inner Canon of Huangdi and the Outer Canon of Huangdi. One was about internal medicine, the other about surgery. The one that is passed down is the former, while the latter has long been lost."

Chen Qianfan said: "It may not have been lost; perhaps Western surgery evolved from the Outer Canon of Huangdi."

Zhang Boxu said: "Western medicine and Eastern medicine have completely different philosophies. Even if the Outer Canon of Huangdi existed, it couldn’t possibly be the same as Western surgery."

"Why not? Our Chinese civilization has thousands of years of history compared to how long theirs has been around?"

Huang Wanglin smiled: "That’s going off-topic; how did we go from dragon bones to debating Chinese and Western medicine?"

Xu Chunliang said: "I agree with Master Zhang’s concept; Chinese medicine and Western medicine are not in the same league, they’re much superior."

Zhang Boxu thought Xu Chunliang’s statement was too absolute and smiled: "Each has its merits; that’s why people advocate for integrating Chinese and Western medicine, combining strengths and complementing weaknesses is the right path."

Pu Jian finally found an opening to join the conversation: "I may not understand medicine, but is it really necessary to merge Chinese and Western medicine? It’s like mixing Western and Chinese food at the same meal, doesn’t it seem inappropriate?"

Huang Gongxian said: "Though it’s not so absolute, I feel they can be combined for treatment, but using both simultaneously isn’t suitable as they’re two completely different systems."

Everyone expressed their opinions freely, and the discussion was quite lively.

Xu Chunliang appeared a bit lazy and talked less than usual since he had exhausted a lot of True Essence while treating Elder Ye earlier and was still in the recovery phase today.

Huang Wanglin initially wanted to inquire about Shi Taiping, but it wasn’t convenient with so many people around. It wasn’t until after the banquet ended that Huang Wanglin found a chance to talk to Xu Chunliang alone and asked him to stay back for a discussion.

Xu Chunliang recounted his visit to Taibaiwa in Jizhou to meet Shi Taiping.

Huang Wanglin asked: "Have you heard of the Taibai Ghost Market?"

Xu Chunliang was momentarily stunned but quickly realized that although Huang Wanglin, being a collector, didn’t collect dubious artifacts, it didn’t mean he was unaware of the trade. Xie Boxiang was an expert in selling counterfeits.

Xu Chunliang said: "I’ve heard a bit about it. While I was in Jizhou, a ship involved in illegal trading was seized by the police, and many people were arrested at the scene, along with a large amount of artifacts confiscated."

Huang Wanglin whispered: "Xie Boxiang suffered significant losses."

Xu Chunliang blinked. He hadn’t seen Xie Boxiang on the ship that day; currently, Xie Boxiang mostly worked behind the scenes, avoiding any risks. Huang Wanglin implied that many of Xie Boxiang’s goods were on that ship.

Huang Wanglin said: "Old Xie mentioned that someone saw Professor Bai Mushan on the ship the night the Ghost Market was raided."

Xu Chunliang said: "Yes, Professor Bai was in Jizhou. I was the one who notified him to help authenticate Shi Taiping’s dragon bones, but..."

"But what?"

Xu Chunliang sighed: "But after they met, they excluded me and decided to trade privately."

Huang Wanglin frowned: "Then this Professor Bai isn’t very loyal."

Xu Chunliang said: "Maybe he thought I had designs on the dragon bones, so he did this. I can’t be bothered with their matters now."