Chapter 140: Slander

For thousands of years, Chinese culture has emphasized the principle of showing courtesy before resorting to force, and maintaining humility before asserting one's strength.

Given Elder Lyu's age and credentials, it was entirely appropriate for Hong Chen to address him as a junior and offer some flowery praise to show respect. While such words were largely performative, no one found them objectionable; after all, today’s challenge was about comparing medical expertise, not a life-or-death struggle.

The problem, however, was that once the formalities were over, it was time to draw the sword—to humbly accept the challenge and "offer guidance." Instead, Hong Chen pointed toward the entrance and said, "Elder Lyu, please." Did this not signify a refusal of the challenge, an act of cowardice?

It was as if two armies had lined up, swords drawn, awaiting only the commander’s order to engage, only for one side’s commander to suddenly wave a white flag and surrender.

This was no longer a joke!

Not only were the staff of Baojian Hall stunned, but the people on Elder Lyu’s side were also bewildered. In the massive shop, dozens of people fell into a deathly silence, save for the restless, dark mass of onlookers kept outside by four security guards, whose chaotic murmurs drifted into the hall.

"Zhang Qiang, Zhao Xin, Wang Rui, Ma Lan, why are you just standing there? Did you not hear me? Quickly move the consultation desk to the entrance for Elder Lyu," Qi Gang ordered again, his expression growing even more stern.

The four exchanged glances, wanting to speak but holding back, eventually shaking their heads in silence and moving with obvious reluctance.

"Doctor Hong, I have come in good faith to seek your medical counsel. Since you refuse, could it be that you look down upon me?" Elder Lyu’s thick eyebrows furrowed, his expression turning displeased.

Hong Chen smiled. "Elder Lyu, you are a senior. Must you insist on using your junior as a stepping stone?"

Elder Lyu was rendered speechless. One of his middle-aged female disciples scoffed with disdain, "Using you as a stepping stone? My teacher is doing you a favor. Otherwise, a twenty-something brat like you isn't even qualified to be the base stone for my teacher."

Another middle-aged male doctor mocked, "When my teacher became famous, you weren't even born yet. To call yourself a stepping stone for my teacher is far too arrogant."

The disciples and grand-disciples chimed in, filling the air with cold sarcasm and ridicule.

The staff at Baojian Hall wore miserable expressions. They looked at Hong Chen with a mix of urgency, frustration, and pleading; two female medical students even had reddened eyes.

Yet, Hong Chen seemed oblivious. He stood there calmly, his composure, which should have been seen as poise, appeared to everyone present as the height of spinelessness.

"Enough, all of you, be silent. Since Doctor Hong wishes to witness my medical skills, I shall grant his wish." Elder Lyu scanned his students and grand-students, speaking coolly. With that, he rose and walked toward the entrance.

His followers quickly followed, crowding around him as the mocking continued.

"Don't just stand there, everyone go out to observe and learn. Help maintain order, pass things to Elder Lyu's team, pour water, and so on," Qi Gang commanded again. The staff of Baojian Hall, suppressing a bellyful of negative emotions, began their collective relocation.

Outside the shop was a large open space, nearly twice the size of the interior. Once Qi Gang’s usual desk was moved out, Elder Lyu’s group set up several tables and chairs in a row. Elder Lyu sat in the middle, his back facing the sign of Baojian Hall, while his disciples and grand-disciples stood or sat around him.

Qi Gang personally stepped forward to introduce Elder Lyu and his team to the dozens of patients who had been waiting, announcing three different tiers of consultation fees.

Two thousand for a grand-disciple, ten thousand for a disciple, and one hundred thousand for Elder Lyu. The prices were steep, but with the promise of "pay only if cured," the patients were willing to try.

Soon, under Qi Gang’s direction and the guidance of the Baojian Hall staff, six patients were seated and treated by five of Elder Lyu’s grand-disciples and one disciple.

Within ten minutes, all six were diagnosed and treated on the spot. Four showed clear improvement and paid in full, while the other two, whose conditions had also eased, paid half.

It had to be said that these disciples of Elder Lyu possessed genuine skill, which led one to conclude that Elder Lyu’s own medical abilities must have reached a profound level.

With these six as proof, the patients’ mindset quickly shifted from curiosity to desperate hope. They began to scramble, spontaneously forming six long lines.

For the next half hour, Elder Lyu’s followers were busy and efficient. One patient after another was diagnosed and treated, and as their conditions improved, their faces lit up with joy.

In contrast, the staff of Baojian Hall standing on the sidelines felt as if a dark cloud hung over them; every one of them looked wretched.

Hong Chen, however, remained calm. He stood dutifully behind Elder Lyu, observing the disciples' techniques with the earnestness of a student seeking knowledge.

"Doctor Hong, I heard you only see forty patients a week, starting at twenty thousand, and you require appointments in advance. There happen to be twenty appointment slots this afternoon; why don't you let us handle them? At the very least, we can save the patients half the cost," the middle-aged female doctor said after finishing with her patient. She handed her seat to one of her apprentices, looked at Hong Chen, and laughed with a hint of mockery.

Her implication was clear: Hong Chen’s medical level was at best equal to Elder Lyu’s disciples, and perhaps not even as good as the best of his grand-disciples.

She did not lower her voice, and whether intentional or not, she spoke loud enough for the Baojian Hall staff to hear. They looked furious. Zhang Qiang shouted, "Woman, don't be so venomous! You are twice the age of Doctor Hong; if you were half his age, you wouldn't even be qualified to be his assistant!"

The female doctor’s expression hardened. Before she could retort, one of her male students snapped, "You call a coward who doesn't even have the courage to accept a challenge a 'Doctor'? Comparing him to my teacher is an insult!"

Another female apprentice sneered, "Not just an insult, it's disgusting. They say 'If you don't see Doctor Hong before you die, living to a hundred is all in vain.' I think it should be changed to: 'Seek the quack Hong for your pain, and you'll live to fifty instead of a hundred!'"

This was no longer just mockery; it was malicious slander.

Even some of the patients couldn't stand it. An elderly woman said, "Young lady, mind your tongue. Most of us came to Baojian Hall for Doctor Hong. It's just that he only has forty slots a week, and since we couldn't get an appointment and our illnesses couldn't wait, we had to settle for second best."

Many other patients chimed in.

The female apprentice turned red with shame and indignation. Unable to lash out at the patients, she hesitated for a moment before pointing at Hong Chen, gnashing her teeth. "Ma'am, you've all been cheated! His reputation is just hype created by Baojian Hall. Those forty appointment slots are fake—they're all paid actors! He is nothing but a fraud and a quack!"

The moment she said this, the scene fell abruptly silent. Dozens of gazes shifted, converging on Hong Chen. More than half of those eyes now held a measure of doubt.

"Young lady, I warn you. You may be young, but you are an adult. Some things have consequences when you say them." Even though Qi Gang knew Hong Chen’s plans, hearing such baseless slander made him snap. His face turned terrifyingly dark.

"I stand by what I said, and I will take the consequences! Unlike someone who blows his reputation out of proportion, he is just a turtle hiding in his shell. What kind of 'Divine Doctor'? He’s a fraudulent quack!" The apprentice, backed into a corner, went on the offensive, her face twisting with malice.

Just as her words faded, two vans rounded the corner and pulled into the open space. After they parked, the trunks opened, and two stretchers were pulled out, each carrying a patient. That wasn't all—two more sickly-looking patients were helped out of the vehicles by doctors in white coats.

"Make way! These are critical cases. Please, let them be seen first. I beg of you all," a doctor in a white coat shouted, sweating profusely as he cleared a path.

"Go help maintain order and get those patients seen first." This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Qi Gang’s eyes flashed; if one looked closely, they would see a burst of suppressed excitement. He quickly signaled Zhang Qiang and the others to move.

Though the patients were eager to be treated, they were not unreasonable. They parted to create a path, and in no time, the two stretchers and the two patients arrived at the consultation desk.

"Saving lives is a doctor’s duty, but I must clarify the fees first..." Elder Lyu’s grand-disciples were the first to approach, but Qi Gang waved them back and quickly explained the three pricing tiers again.

The doctor in the white coat immediately pulled out his credentials and said, "I am the Director of the General Office of Qing City Hospital. If you don't believe me, you can call and verify right now. As long as these four patients can be cured, the consultation fee of up to two hundred thousand is not an issue. I will vouch for them!"

"Very well!" Qi Gang agreed instantly, then gestured for Elder Lyu and his team to proceed.