"Shit! The doctors' been trying to rescue Third Elder many times. It seems that Third Elder might not make it through the night!"
"There are not many who live after being sent to the ICU! We should prepare for the worst! Let's send Third Elder off on the path to heaven with all the glory he deserves!"
"Third Elder's condition has never been stable! His sickness has dragged on for over three years! I don't think any human can cure him anymore… I hope he can ascend in peace…"
"Sigh… Master Tian left us… And now Third Elder is going to leave us too… It appears that our faction is fated for ruin…"
...…
Every elite member was very upset; Third Elder was the man they respected the most in their lives. After Murong Tian left, Third Elder was the reason they stayed loyal to their faction.
Things would definitely be starkly different when every elite member went their separate ways after Third Elder passed away.
...
Inside the ICU room.
Several doctors left the room after they did their best to save Third Elder. Only the leading doctor remained in the room.
"Doctor Wong! How is Third Elder?" Gu Caozhuo promptly asked. On the surface, the man was pretending to care about Third Elder – but the truth was far from it.
He was actually looking forward to the death of Third Elder. With him gone, he could now officially assume leadership over the brotherhood.
"We have tried our best to save him… According to the data from our equipment, he can live for another three hours, at best…" Doctor Wong said as he took off his mask and shook his head.
"How could this be?! How…" Despite his tone of disappointment, Gu Caozhuo was rejoicing.
"Third Elder…"
*Sob*
*Sob*
Murong Xiaoyao's eyes were teary. She ran beside Third Elder's bed, held on to Third Elder's arm and started to cry.
"My girl, don't cry… It's okay… Life, death and sickness are all part of our lives…" Third Elder was in complete serenity; he was even trying to console Murong Xiaoyao.
"Third Elder's state of mind is really admirable… Unfortunately, his sickness is so bad that he's beyond salvation. Not even the gods can save him right now…" Doctor Wong sighed heavily.
"F*ck you!" Chen Xiaobei yelled. He had not say a word throughout the whole rescue; only now did he suddenly shouted angrily. "Wong Shihao! You crook! Stop bull-shitting through your teeth! You're not far from committing murder due to inaction!"
"How… How come you're here?" Wong Shihao had been too busy to notice, but his rage brimmed the moment he saw Chen Xiaobei. He could still remember the recent slapping incident – his fury against Chen was genuine.
"Do you have any evidence that I'm a crook? You have no right to accuse me of murder! Apologize to me right now or I'll bring this to court!" the doctor yelled angrily.
"Chen Xiaobei! You are the one who is bull-shitting around here!" Gu Caozhuo joined in too, siding with the doctor. "Doctor Wong is the most famous and most respected doctor in Green Vine City! There are no good doctors in Green Vine City if he's a crook! You'd better apologize right now! I'm more than willing to testify for Doctor Wong to sue you!"
"Both of you! Shut up right now!"
Murong Xiaoyao had stood; tear marks were on her face. She glared at Gu Caozhuo and Wong Shihao furiously.
Though she had the appearance of a sweet girl, her wrath was not something to be messed around with. Gu Caozhuo had quickly closed his mouth albeit making a frown. Doctor Wong on the other hand was so terrified that he almost fell to the floor.
"Chen Xiaobei! Do you have any solid evidence to accuse Doctor Wong of being a crook?" Murong Xiaoyao asked seriously.
"That idiot say that Third Elder could only live for another three hours at best, but I say Third Elder can live for another three to five years at least! Is this evidence good enough?" Chen Xiaobei asked.
"What?! How is that even possible?"
Everyone was shocked by his words. There is such a tremendous difference between three hours and three years! Still, every person in the room had a hard time believing in Chen Xiaobei. Even Murong Xiaoyao could not say a thing.
The Third Elder shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Xiaobei… You don't have to console me anymore… I know better than anyone about the condition of my body… Cough…"
"Okay… I won't say more. But I promise that you can check out of this hospital today if you'd believe in me! If you can't, you could just forget everything that I've said." Chen Xiaobei said with calm, confidence and charisma.
"You bastard! Go somewhere else to pull your tricks!" Having recovered, Wong Shihao started yelling angrily again. "You're just lucky to heal Boss Wu last time! This time, things are not the same! Third Elder's sickness is not something ordinary that can be easily cured! Lightning might strike you if you continue to bull-shit here!"
Gu Caozhuo joined forced with the doctor once more. "Doctor Wong is an expert in this region! His medical thesis was published and praised in the country! Even Green Vine Hospital always invites him over to give lectures! How dare you lie that Third Elder can check out from this hospital today when Doctor Wong says that Third Elder's sickness is beyond saving! Do you really think you can just say anything around here?!"
Doctor Wong was getting more and more proud after hearing Gu Caozhuo's compliment. He now looked forward to Chen Xiaobei's reply.
"Expert? I think he's an expert at killing people!" Chen Xiaobei's eyebrows squeezed together as he pointed at the doctor. "The reason Doctor Wong can't do anything about Third Elder's sickness is because he's utterly useless! Gu Caozhuo is saying that I'm lying because he's a fool! You two jokers can stop showing off in my face!"
"You…"
The pair's faces turned red immediately, with Doctor Wong being positively apoplectic. "How dare you say that I'm useless? Tell me, how are you going to treat him?"
"I'll use acupuncture – the mainstay of traditional medicine. I'm confident that Third Elder can leave this bed after I treat him! After that, I'll also give him some herbal medicine to stave off his sickness for three to five years!" Chen Xiaobei said self-assuredly.
"This is absurd! Do you really think your traditional methods can cure Third Elder? There had been a lot of recent mistakes made by doctors like you! Healers who apply traditional approaches couldn't even touch the feet of doctors with advanced western medical technology! Also, those herbs are utterly useless compared to newly developed medicine! You are going to kill Third Elder if you insist on curing him with your useless methods!" Wong Shihao shot back.
"He is absolutely right!" Gu Caozhuo followed up. "Traditional medicine is bound to cost someone's life sooner or later! It should be banned in this country too! I studied overseas for five years, and all doctors in western countries consider Chinese traditional medicine an equivalent to witchcraft! Our government should abandon it too! The modern way of healing others is through real science!"
"What the hell did you just say? I would have slapped you both for idolizing western culture if Third Elder isn't here!" Chen Xiaobei scolded them in return. "Chinese traditional medicine has a history that span thousands of years! It's our national treasure! Do you know why it's falling apart? It's because of people like you! There's a saying; a spineless man is no different from a traitor! Both of you are exactly that: spineless men! The two of you have spent too much time with western bullshit!"