I finished packing all the herbal medicines into separate bags. Then, I took three cups and portioned out the Long Dan Cao and Jin Yin Hua. It was a three-day supply, one cup for each day, to be steeped all day.
I carried them out on a tray and handed them to the guard in the inner chamber.
As dusk began to fall, I bid farewell to Wu Guodong and decided to accompany the Divine Doctor to dinner first, asking him to notify me after arrangements were made for their meeting.
After the Divine Doctor and I finished dinner, the Divine Doctor suggested we take a walk on the training ground.
Putting aside the fact that this place was notorious as one of the world's largest drug production areas, from an ecological perspective, it was actually quite a decent location.
Although the latitude was relatively low, bordering the tropical region, due to the high altitude, there were no extremely high temperatures. The vegetation here was lush, rainfall was abundant, and there was a rich diversity of flora and fauna.
The scenery was beautiful and the climate pleasant, making it one of the most suitable places for human habitation and a precious, scarce tourism resource.
Unfortunately, the Lao Mian people couldn't see this. They only sought immediate gain, engaging in rampant mining and illegal logging of valuable rosewood resources, severely damaging the ecosystem.
Years of factional conflict meant that successive administrations were not focused on governing the country but were engrossed in scheming, manipulation, and power struggles.
Therefore, despite being separated by only a strip of water, they were truly two different worlds.
I recounted to the Divine Doctor what Wu Guodong had told me that afternoon and his plans.
Upon hearing this, the Divine Doctor had the same reaction as me. He looked at me in surprise and said, "Where does he stand to negotiate with the government army? Dragging a sick body, without military command, would they want a lone individual like you? Would they offer you a pension?"
I replied, "That's what I thought at first, but he revealed a secret, and I think there might be a chance of success."
The Divine Doctor: "Oh, he has a trump card?"
I said, "Yes, a bombshell that knocked me off my feet."
The Divine Doctor: "Tell me, will it blow me away too?"
I said, "It won't blow you away, but you definitely won't see it coming."
He became interested and pulled me towards the edge of the training ground, trying to distance us from the patrolling soldiers.
I said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be so curious, senior. Alright, I'll tell you. You know he has three sons, and this third one is idle, always frequenting casinos and entertainment venues, and has a very bad reputation, right?"
The Divine Doctor: "Yes, that second-generation rich kid is infamous, known by everyone."
I said, "Do you know about his history of studying in the West?"
The Divine Doctor: "I've heard about that too. He attended both middle school and university abroad."
This was exactly right. It was five or six years, precisely his schooling age. With his financial resources, material wealth, and status, it was perfectly normal for him to study abroad.
I said, "General Wu told me that he didn't actually attend ordinary schools but went to the world's most rigorous and brutal military academies."
The Divine Doctor nodded. That was quite possible. Five years could change a person drastically, to the point of complete transformation.
I said, "After returning, to conceal his identity, he frequented places of vice and dissipation, squandered money, and adopted the title of a dissolute troublemaker, successfully transforming from a military talent with exceptional skills into a despised social outcast."
The Divine Doctor: "Is the secret weapon the general mentioned referring to his son?"
I said, "Yes, he wants me to meet his son, and all subsequent actions will be decided by the two of us in consultation. He will only assist and will not interfere directly."
The Divine Doctor: "Such a big matter, it would be difficult if he didn't get involved."
I said, "That's what he said given his current health condition. If his health fully recovers in the future, he might change his mind. Let's wait until I've met the third young master. To be honest, I still can't reconcile the trained third young lady with the carefree second-generation rich kid. Therefore, I need to truly understand this third young master before making a decision. I have several questions that need to be clarified before I can decide whether to contact the Lao Mian government army through friends."
The Divine Doctor: "Tell me, those questions, let's see if we think alike."
I said, "First, even if the third young lady really attended military academies as he said. Second, how much knowledge did he acquire from his academy, and third, whether the knowledge learned was for practical combat or just theoretical. I need to confirm these before formulating a counterattack plan."
The Divine Doctor nodded. At that moment, a guard was walking towards our room. I said he might be looking for us, so let's head back.
The Divine Doctor and I walked back and saw the guard looking around anxiously.
When we reached him, I asked, "Are you looking for us?"
The guard was overjoyed to see us and quickly said, "Yes, the General asked for you."
I said, "Okay, we'll go right away."
We all went towards the villa together.
As we got closer, we noticed quite a few men in black outside the villa entrance, about a dozen of them, scattered around, vigilantly watching people coming and going.
As we approached, someone came over to question us. The guard identified us as guests of the General, and then we were allowed to pass.
The door to the inner chamber opened, and the guard invited us in.
The General was seated in a grand armchair, with a young man standing beside him. He had long, shoulder-length hair, wore a large floral plaid shirt, and jeans.
If I guessed correctly, this was Wu Laosan, the second-generation rich kid.
Seeing the two of us, the General inclined his body slightly and said, "The Divine Doctor is here, and so is little brother. This is my youngest son. He will meet the Divine Doctor and little brother."
I spent a long time conceptualizing this book. In 2010, I stayed in Tengchong for several months, and that's when I began to understand jade.
Jade is beautiful, extremely beautiful. In the lobby of the Xiangxie Hotel where we stayed, there was a carved jade piece weighing over a ton, which was truly awe-inspiring and magnificent.
The jade ornaments in the exhibition hall were even more captivating and breathtaking.
It was then that I suddenly fell in love with jade. Whenever I had free time, I would wander through the jade markets, though mostly just looking and appreciating.
Sometimes, I would buy a small item or two, just to satisfy my craving.
Jade can be addictive, especially gambling on jade stones. It's truly a gamble of poverty or wealth with a single cut, and such things happen daily in the jade gambling cities.
As written in the book, most stones don't yield great surprises. Even showing some color is considered good. People constantly seek the next opportunity, driven by dreams of striking it rich.
I've written about the experience of one person striving in this industry. I hope everyone can just read it as a story. If it can offer some enlightenment or help, I will be satisfied.
The book has now been published. I started uploading it progressively from the end of last month, meeting the requirements for publication. From now on, there will be locked chapters. If you feel this book is still worth reading, I hope you'll spend a few thousand coins to support the author. I didn't know how arduous writing a book is until I started; it requires exhausting the brain, not to mention the daily update tasks and immense pressure.
I once missed the last high-speed train of the day because I was writing the book, and had to cancel my ticket and reschedule for the next day. People criticized me for a long time, saying I had become a bookworm.
Sitting in the waiting room, I didn't hear the boarding announcement, and by the time I realized it, the train was long gone.
There are many other interesting anecdotes from the writing process that I will share gradually. In short, I hope everyone will support the author and write more reviews. Your support is my motivation to keep writing.