“But Saint Hand Sun, even if Chen Xiao is as formidable as you say, he’s still no match for you! You are the face of the medical community in Jiangbei. If you yield to him, those who don’t know Chen Xiao will mock our Jiangbei medical community!”
Qin Shouchen, having been thwarted repeatedly, thought, “This argument should be foolproof.”
Sun Buzhou pondered for a moment and finally agreed with Qin Shouchen, “Hmm, what you say isn’t entirely unreasonable. Then let Chen Xiao start as the vice president!”
Qin Shouchen’s eyes widened, “Ah? If you make him the vice president, what about me?”
Sun Buzhou calmly replied, “You’re already so old. Wouldn’t it be better to just stay home and enjoy your retirement!”
Qin Shouchen: “……”
He was at a loss for words. This was just too much bullying!
Qin Shouchen was in a predicament, truly a case of losing the battle and the war!
At this moment, Chen Xiao smiled, “Elder Sun, please don’t joke with Elder Qin. How can I possibly be worthy of such a heavy responsibility!”
Sun Buzhou quickly said, “Divine Doctor Chen, please don’t be so self-deprecating. Your medical skills have reached a state of perfection. No one is more suitable to lead the Jiangbei medical community than you!”
Chen Xiao shrugged and revealed his true intentions with a helpless gesture, “Elder Sun, to be honest, I only learned medicine to heal the sick and help the people. I never thought of becoming the president of the council, and I have no interest in leading the Jiangbei medical community at all!”
As soon as he said this, the difference in their aspirations became clear!
What even Elder Qin desperately sought was worthless in Chen Xiao’s eyes.
Chen Xiao’s words also caused everyone present to fall into contemplation. They began to question if they had forgotten their original intentions.
Why did they start practicing medicine in the first place?
Perhaps everyone had a different answer, but undoubtedly, it was absolutely not for politicking and prioritizing profit!
Sun Buzhou could see that Chen Xiao was not being modest or polite; he genuinely had no interest in such fame.
He immediately felt inferior, as he himself only achieved such magnanimity after the age of fifty.
For Chen Xiao to understand the world and hold onto his original intentions at such a young age was truly commendable!
He felt a surge of youthful spirit, his heart filled with passion.
“Very well, since Divine Doctor Chen’s ambitions lie elsewhere, I shall not force the issue. May I ask if Mr. Chen has time to have a drink with this old man!”
Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up at this. He had long wanted to leave this hypocritical and hollow venue.
This place was less of a medical exchange conference and more of a networking event!
So, he readily agreed.
“Certainly, let’s go have a drink!”
Watching Saint Hand Sun and Chen Xiao depart with such grace, everyone else in the venue was left in a state of bewilderment.
These two were too carefree, too uninhibited, not like people living in the real world, but like supreme martial heroes roaming the jianghu!
Zhu Zihai watched their retreating figures, his eyes filled with envy.
He also wished he could follow them for a drink, but he knew his place. He was several levels below them and couldn’t possibly fit in.
After leaving the venue, Sun Buzhou indeed led Chen Xiao into a small tavern. He expertly ordered food and drinks, clearly a regular there.
It was then that Chen Xiao learned that Sun Buzhou had known he would attend the medical exchange conference all along.
Otherwise, given Sun Buzhou’s temperament, he wouldn’t bother attending such a meaningless conference!
In fact, Chen Xiao and Sun Buzhou weren’t that familiar; they had only met once before.
However, after chatting with the elder over drinks, Chen Xiao found them quite compatible, and they quickly formed a friendship despite the age difference.
Midway through their drinks, Sun Buzhou said mysteriously, “Brother Chen, I found a great treasure in the mountains a while ago!”
Chen Xiao asked curiously, “Oh, what is it?”
Then, Sun Buzhou took out a fruit from the cloth bag he carried. The fruit was about the size of a fist, round and smooth, bright red, and looked very tempting.
“This one, have a taste!”
Sun Buzhou handed the red fruit to Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao took it and was immediately startled, “Is this a Fire Essence Fruit? Elder Sun, where did you get this fruit?”
Sun Buzhou was taken aback, “Brother Chen, you actually know the name of this fruit? I thought it was just some unknown wild fruit!”
He then explained that he had found this fruit on an uninhabited island in Jiaonan.
However, there was only one tree on the entire island that bore this fruit, and it didn’t yield many fruits, only a sparse amount.
Sun Buzhou spent a considerable amount of time picking all the fruits from the tree, but upon counting, there were only about twenty in total.
This fruit was miraculous. After being removed from the tree, it did not decay rapidly but remained fresh.
Even after two to three months since it was picked, they showed no signs of spoilage.
Moreover, the fruit had miraculous effects. After eating it, one felt energetic, not tired or hungry, and could maintain this state for at least three days!
Chen Xiao smiled and said, “Naturally. Brother Sun, to be frank, it’s no exaggeration to call the Fire Essence Fruit an immortal fruit!”
It turned out that the Fire Essence Fruit was filled with fire-attribute spiritual energy.
If cultivators consumed it regularly, their cultivation would skyrocket, increasing at least three times faster than ordinary people.
Even ordinary people who consumed it would find their bodies strengthened, their minds refreshed, and without any side effects.
After hearing Chen Xiao’s explanation, Sun Buzhou’s eyes widened.
“My goodness, did I stumble into an immortal realm? Otherwise, how could I have picked an immortal fruit?”
Chen Xiao said, “It’s not quite an immortal realm, but the spiritual energy there is definitely much denser than in other places. Perhaps there are other rare treasures on the island!”
Sun Buzhou nodded in agreement, “Yes, the terrain on the island is treacherous, with cliffs and deep valleys. The further you go inside, the more thorns and miasma there are. Without thorough preparation, it’s impossible to venture in!”
Chen Xiao pondered for a moment and then suddenly said, “Brother Sun, if you were to go to this uninhabited island again, could you find its exact location?”
Sun Buzhou thought for a moment and nodded, “Yes, I should be able to. Why, Brother Chen, are you perhaps interested in exploring it?”
Chen Xiao nodded in affirmation, “That’s right. There might be other treasures on this island!”
Chen Xiao wasn’t just saying ‘might be’; he was certain there were other good things on this island.
Places that could grow a Fire Essence Fruit tree were unlikely to have only the Fire Essence Fruit as a good thing.
Chen Xiao’s cultivation had recently hit a bottleneck, progressing slowly, and he needed some opportunity to stimulate a breakthrough.
This uninhabited island was undoubtedly the best choice.
Because places where rare treasures grew were usually also filled with the unknown and danger!