Zhang Wo sighed in relief when he saw Lin Rong and the others leave, touched his cheek, and said indistinctly, "Mmm, luckily Brother Chen arrived in time today, otherwise I don't want to imagine the consequences."
"If it had been a few moments later, my face, mmm, might not have remained intact," Zhang Wo said with lingering fear.
"It's nothing, it's nothing," Chen Yuan said with a smile, declining the credit.
"I heard them address Brother Chen as the Jade-faced Flying Dragon? Could it be that Brother previously also..." Zhang Wo asked, slightly puzzled.
Chen Yuan stood up, hands clasped behind his back, looking up to the stars at a forty-five-degree angle, the sunlight shining on him couldn't hide the sense of vicissitude radiating from him, "That's all youth gone by."
Zhang Wo: "..."
You're only eighteen or nineteen, what youth has passed?
"Brother Chen, thank you for today. I, Zhang Wo, am not the ungrateful type. If there's anything you need help with in the future, just say the word," Zhang Wo struggled to his feet and, imitating Lin Rong's earlier gesture, clasped his fists. He hadn't expected Chen Yuan to be so young and yet to have made such a significant name for himself outside.
He thought to himself that he must establish a good relationship with Chen Yuan; one never knows when an incident might occur and Chen Yuan's help could be needed.
As for Lin Bailin, now he wouldn't dare to mess with her, not even if he had a hundred times the courage.
"Well said, well said," Chen Yuan said with a light smile.
He had originally intended to teach Zhang Wo a lesson himself, but he was afraid Zhang Wo would do something to the little nurse, which is why he let Lin Rong and others come.
Besides, Zhang Wo was part of the hospital's purchasing department; all herbs first passed through their hands, including any say in what could be bought.
Chen Yuan thought it would be a good idea to tell Zhang Wo what herbs he needed and let him help find them.
That's why he finally intervened and "rescued" him.
When Zhang Wo was sent to the hospital for treatment, he happened upon Lin Bailin, and Zhang Wo quickly stepped forward to apologize, repeatedly addressing her as Sister Lin, leaving the surrounding doctors all astounded.
Aside from the dean and those board members, Zhang Wo had never been so polite to anyone, and his prying into Lin Bailin's affairs had not been just for a day or two.
This sudden change made everyone speculate.
Could it be Lin Bailin had some sort of background?
No, it seems I will have to treat her better from now on.
Since even Zhang Wo has bowed his head, it looks like the head nurse position should go to her in a few months.
At this moment, Lin Bailin was also baffled, looking at Chen Yuan's retreating figure and the pig-headed Zhang Wo, she thought this must have something to do with Chen Yuan.
Before she could ask for details, the two had already walked away, leaving her standing there, puzzled.
.........
In the afternoon, the pharmacy had a brief moment of respite, and the old men started playing chess.
Just as Chen Yuan was feeling utterly bored, a middle-aged man came to the door.
"Doctor Chen, Dean Fu wants you to visit his office," he said.
Chen Yuan nodded; had this old man finally shown up? After being recruited to the hospital, he had been absent, and Chen Yuan was thinking about leaving.
He had agreed to come to Jishi Hall for the medicinal herbs needed for cultivation, but after a few days, he had found nothing. He was actually thinking about having a talk with this old man, but the old man had been out of sight. This time, he would have a good talk, otherwise, it would be a waste of his own life!
The old man's office was on the top floor of the hospital, usually very quiet with few people around.
As Chen Yuan arrived at the door, before he could knock, he heard a commotion between a young girl and an old man inside.
"Grandfather, didn't you say before that you would take Han Xiao to the conference with us? Why all of a sudden has it changed to someone else?" The girl's voice seemed a bit indignant.
"Xiaoqing, Grandfather only said we would consider it. Now that we have found better talent, we cannot take Han Xiao with us, especially since there are only two spots," Old Man Fu's voice came through faintly.
"Grandfather, what are you joking about? Is there someone more outstanding than Han Xiao? Han Xiao is only twenty-seven this year and has already joined the Chinese Medicine Association and even got nominated for a top national medical award. How could there be someone more outstanding than him?" The girl evidently didn't believe it.
"There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. Han Xiao is indeed excellent, but there's always someone more outstanding..."
"Old Man Fu, I'm coming in." Chen Yuan shouted from outside the door before pushing it open, having no interest in listening to the two people bickering outside.
"Hehe, my dear nephew, you're here." Fu Qin greeted with a warm smile, "I've been busy these past few days. I wanted to talk to you today because, in a few days, we'll be attending a medical summit..."
Before Fu Qin could finish, Fu Xiaoqing recognized the young man who had just entered and suddenly cried out, "It's you!! What are you doing here!"
"Xiaoqing, what are you doing! This is the new medicine adjuster at the hospital and he's going to attend the medical summit with you, Chen Yuan," Fu Qin said with a hint of authority in his voice.
Chen Yuan looked at the stunning young girl in front of him and laughed, "It's you, huh? What, got your glasses on today? Hope you're not planning on 'helping' me out again later."
"Grandpa, look at him, he's just a ruffian. How could he possibly know how to compound medicines!" Fu Xiaoqing's cheeks flushed red as she glared angrily at Chen Yuan.
"Xiaoqing, stop making a fuss! You're becoming more and more unruly!" Fu Qin raised his voice.
Fu Xiaoqing looked wronged but didn't dare to speak up. How could she tell her grandfather that she had been seen by him that day?
"Grandpa, how could this person be a medical genius? Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? He looks like he's hardly eighteen or nineteen years old; how could he have any achievement in medicine? How can he compare to Brother Han Xiao!" Fu Xiaoqing complained discontentedly.
"Don't judge a book by its cover. Can a person's abilities be seen at a glance? Moreover, in any industry, the capable should come first. You should address my dear nephew as Doctor," Fu Qin spoke calmly.
"Hmph! Expecting me to call him a doctor? No way! Grandpa, you must have taken some benefit from him to bring a scoundrel like him to the summit," said Fu Xiaoqing, her phoenix eyes wide with anger as she huffed and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"You… dear nephew, I hope you won't take offense. Xiaoqing has been spoiled and is ignorant," Fu Qin said somewhat embarrassedly. He found it strange that his granddaughter kept calling Chen Yuan a ruffian, but since he didn't think it was anything serious, he didn't ask further.
"Listen, Old Man Fu, what exactly does your hospital have, huh? Are you deceiving me into some tough labor here? If so, then I'm not interested in being your medicine adjuster. It's just a waste of time," Chen Yuan said languidly.
Fu Qin's face flushed red. Jishi Hall was among the top in Lingnan Province, and now someone was saying they didn't have any medicinal ingredients and was calling him a deceiver, which made him feel awkward.
"My dear nephew, the ingredients you require appear to be rare and not easily found on the market, so we will have to wait for them. They are not something we can have on hand at any time," Fu Qin said with a mix of laughter and helplessness.
"I've called you here this time because I want you to attend a medical summit for learning. All the top medical experts in the country will be there..."
"I won't go," Chen Yuan interrupted.
What a joke, what top experts? That's all deception. As the Heavenly Venerate, do I need to learn the art of medicine from mere mortals?
I'd be better off spending that time cultivating a bit more.
"What do you think you are, refusing an invitation like that? You know how precious this opportunity is?" Fu Xiaoqing, seeing Chen Yuan actually refused her grandfather's invitation, felt somewhat angry. She knew how difficult it was to get such an opportunity, but then she thought, if he doesn't go, wouldn't that mean Brother Han Xiao could go?
"Hmph, seems you're aware of your limits; such places aren't suited for a good-for-nothing like you," she snorted.
"Huh? This summit is the country's most prestigious medical conference. All medical talents hope to attend it, you would learn a lot, and it would be greatly beneficial to you," Fu Qin said, somewhat taken aback. He had not expected Chen Yuan to refuse.
Getting two spots for the summit was not easy, and many in the medical community longed to go but lacked the opportunity.
Chen Yuan paid no heed to Old Man Fu and was about to leave, but then he heard Fu continue,
"This summit also involves a competition, and winning might give access to some hundred-year-old medicinal ingredients, including an unknown ingredient as a reward..."
"Hmm? Hundred-year efficacy? An unknown ingredient?" Chen Yuan stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at the photo in Fu Qin's hand.
The medicinal ingredients sold on the market, though they claim to have a hundred-year efficacy, were mostly deceptive, and even at Jishi Hall, he had not found any with a hundred-year efficacy.
But the moment he heard about the hundred-year efficacy, he became interested. If there were a few hundred-year-old ingredients, he could start trying to concoct the Yuanji Pill, an elixir with significant effects during the Foundation Establishment Stage.
And when he saw the image on the invitation Fu Qin held, a smile appeared on his face, "I'll go to this summit."
Fu Qin observed Chen Yuan's smile with some confusion. Nonetheless, seeing him agree, he didn't mind, assuming it was the hundred-year-old medicinal ingredients that attracted him.
"For the competition, you need to bring some of your own concoctions. Do you think you could..." Fu Qin asked carefully.
While the conference indeed required this, Fu Qin still had Chen Yuan's medicinal liquid, and aside from not wanting to hand it over, he was also curious to see if Chen Yuan was truly the creator of the concoction.
"No problem," Chen Yuan spoke lightly, his gaze fixed on the image on the invitation as his face could not hide a smile.