I was pulled up by two other people and pushed out the door.
They shoved me onto the open ground in front of the door, and I stared blankly at them, seemingly not understanding what they intended to do.
At that moment, the two who had pushed me stepped away. Wang Dong retreated a few paces, adopting a stance and challenging me. I continued to look at him blankly, unsure of what he was doing.
He suddenly exerted himself, leaping into the air and bringing his hands down towards me. Two palms struck my shoulders in succession. I couldn't dodge and was knocked back several steps.
I quickly covered my head, fearing he would attack me again.
As expected, he retreated again. This time, he didn't use his palms but a flying kick, charging towards my chest!
I couldn't dodge and fell onto the ground, tilting my head back.
My mouth tasted salty, and a mouthful of fresh blood surged up, flowing from the corner of my mouth onto the ground.
Wang Dong assumed his stance again. This time, he jumped directly into the air, presumably intending to stomp on my stomach with both feet.
With that kick, my intestines would likely be crushed.
The officer shouted, "Alright, that's enough. If you keep fighting, someone will die!"
At least this officer didn't think I knew martial arts, and that I wasn't the same person as Li Hua, who had subdued their top experts.
Crumpling after a light blow, this appearance bore no comparison to Li Hua.
Therefore, the officer quickly intervened to stop the fight. I was, after all, someone the divine doctor cared for. If I were to be beaten to death here, at least I wouldn't be able to account for it to the general.
I struggled to get up, looking defiantly at Wang Dong, as if asking him why he hit me.
The officer quickly came over and brushed the dirt off me, saying, "Hurry inside, don't keep the general waiting."
I took difficult steps, following the officer inside.
The officer walked ahead and pressed a few numbers on a keypad, resembling a mobile phone, at the entrance to the inner room. The door opened, and the officer motioned for me to enter.
We entered a very small room, somewhat like a changing room. We stood inside for a moment, then heard a voice from within say, "You may enter."
At that moment, another door opened, and we entered a large room.
I saw a huge bed in the center of the room. On the bed lay a thin, dark old man with a ashen face, gray hair, and a persistent cough. This sick old man was presumably the renowned Wu Guodong.
This completely overturned my perception. As a general who commanded great influence, he should have had a majestic presence. In any case, he didn't look like this, lying on the bed.
The divine doctor sat close to the bed, taking Wu Guodong's pulse.
I walked over and stood beside the divine doctor.
When the divine doctor saw me enter, he said, "You, take notes."
I looked at the officer, who quickly sent a guard to get them.
The guard brought me paper and a pen. I said I was ready, and the divine doctor began to speak: "Three qian of Prince Ginseng, 1.5 qian of Atractylodes macrocephala, five qian of Chinese Yam, three qian of Poria cocos, two qian of Astragalus, three qian of Ziheche, one qian of Angelica sinensis, one qian of Deer Antler Glue, two qian of Turtle Shell, one qian of White Peony. Take this prescription and go prepare the medicine."
Wu Guodong: "Wait a moment. This young man looks unfamiliar. Is he the apprentice you mentioned?"
Divine Doctor: "Replying to the General, yes, he is my young apprentice."
Wu Guodong: "A well-behaved child. Study hard, and catch up to your master. Our medicine will have successors."
Strangely, he said "our medicine" and not "your medicine."
After all, we were not in the same country. Although only tens or hundreds of kilometers apart, it felt like two different worlds.
Yet, he said "we."
Perhaps, deep down, he was still one of us, possessing a common mother.
I had researched Wu Guodong's history. He was originally from the mainland. Due to the war, he was stranded here while resisting the Japanese pirates. He was initially a patriotic youth filled with passion, but later, with no hope of returning home, he gradually descended into the abyss.
If I could sway him, starting with the sentiment of home and country, perhaps I could awaken a shred of his conscience.
I bowed to Wu Guodong, clasping my hands together in greeting.
Wu Guodong weakly waved his hand at me and said weakly, "Doctor Liu is a person with great compassion. You must learn his virtues and spread love to those in need. Such people will be blessed by heaven. Unlike me, alas, let's not speak of it."
I said, "You are a hero in our hearts. You made immense sacrifices for our nation, and people will always remember you."
Wu Guodong: "Is that so? Someone still remembers me? How old are you, child? You even know me?"
I said, "Of course, I know. That war, you traveled to a foreign land, shedding blood and sacrificing yourselves, fighting for justice, fighting for the nation. People will always remember!"
Wu Guodong was moved to tears by my words, unable to speak choked with emotion.
The divine doctor gave me a meaningful look, and I understood his signal. He was telling me to stop while I was ahead.
I quickly got tissues from the bedside for him. He wiped his tears with trembling hands, convulsing continuously. Clearly, he had not yet emerged from those times.
I went out to the living room to prepare the herbs. The master's prescription was for three days. After taking these three days, and then another three days, we could leave.
This meant I had three more days to interact with Wu Guodong, provided, of course, that Wang Dong didn't cause trouble. Otherwise, all plans would be disrupted.
Wang Dong and several others were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Seeing me come out, they looked at me vigilantly. Wang Dong stood up, glaring at me.
I ignored him and walked straight to the medicine bags, taking the scale to weigh the herbs.
In fact, I didn't need to do the calculation myself; the divine doctor had already written the names on the medicine packets. I just needed to open the packet and weigh them directly.
Fortunately, I knew how to use this type of scale. In a short while, everything was prepared.
I returned to the room and asked where the clay pot for decocting the medicine was. One of them reluctantly stood up and helped me find a clay pot in the cabinet.
He brought me a large pot. I arranged the divine doctor's medicine packet by packet on the counter and began to weigh the ingredients according to the prescription, placing them into the clay pot.
I had helped my mother decoct medicine before, so I was familiar with these tasks.
Two plainclothes men came to watch me. I ignored them and focused on my work.
Wang Dong still wore a look of disbelief. He was convinced his eyes hadn't deceived him, but he had no way to prove it. Angrily, he half-reclined on the sofa, glaring and puffing out his chest.
Honestly, if I were in his place, I wouldn't believe it either. Two people had come over three days, with so many similarities. No matter how you looked at it, they were two different people, and I wouldn't believe otherwise, even if beaten to death.
The most direct way would be to test martial arts. The officer had unexpectedly tested me when we first entered. Wang Dong was even more aggressive, nearly beating me to death. Yet, I didn't retaliate. No matter how much he disbelieved, he couldn't do anything to me; he could only glare.
I continued to act as the divine doctor's assistant, calm and composed, neither servile nor overbearing. Even if I were Li Hua, I would be a harmless Li Hua, posing no threat to the general. My goal was revenge, after all. I made no move to suggest any malicious intentions. What could they do to me?