Chapter 1 The Competition for Second Place
With the first place decided, the competition for second place was about to begin. Ming Tianya stood up and announced loudly, "The second place is Mei Xiaotian, let's directly select the third place."
No one objected to Ming Tianya's words. Indeed, apart from the anomaly that was Long Xiao, no one else was Mei Xiaotian's match.
The third place was a burly man named Lei Zhen, who was tall and strong, and his voice boomed like thunder.
The fourth place was a beauty, dressed in ethnic minority clothing, with a sweet and pure appearance, and her words were somewhat incomprehensible to Long Xiao.
Chen Meijia, after a great effort, narrowly secured fifth place, but she was overjoyed.
Although she was a rising star among the younger generation of the East Sea, this was her first time making it into the top five in the preliminary rounds.
Zheng Dongyang was more excited than anyone; it was a day for the East Sea Martial Alliance to hold its head high.
In recent years, the East Sea Martial Alliance had been in decline. Among the older generation, he and his best disciple were confined to wheelchairs, and the others were not up to par.
Although Chen Meijia was outstanding among the younger generation, several prodigies had emerged from other provinces, and she had always been suppressed, unable to shine.
As the competition ended, the participants from various provinces gradually left the manor. Zheng Dongyang, along with Long Xiao and Chen Meijia, went to meet Ming Tianya.
In a large living room in the manor, Ming Tianya and several chairmen had already arrived and were seated on the sofa.
Seeing the three of them enter, Ming Tianya smiled and said, "Dongyang, come and sit here."
Zheng Dongyang was taken aback; he hadn't expected Ming Tianya to be so polite to him.
Zheng Dongyang sat next to Ming Tianya, who smiled and said, "Not bad, Dongyang, you have two in the top five."
After exchanging pleasantries with Ming Tianya, Ming Tianya asked, "Dongyang, I remember you were ill and in a wheelchair a few years ago, are you better now?"
Zheng Dongyang nodded and said, "Yes, I'm better, and my cultivation has recovered. It's all thanks to Long Xiao, otherwise, Chen Xuan and I would never have been able to leave our wheelchairs."
Speaking of Long Xiao, Zheng Dongyang's face was full of gratitude. Ming Tianya was somewhat puzzled and asked about Long Xiao's situation.
Zheng Dongyang praised Long Xiao as an omnipotent medical immortal. Ming Tianya asked in surprise, "Is Long Xiao's medical skill even more powerful than the three great divine physicians of the East Sea?"
Zheng Dongyang nodded and said, "Naturally."
"Are you bragging?" Zhang Moshen, the chairman of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Martial Alliance, said indignantly, "The three great divine physicians of the East Sea are among the best in China, how could he surpass them?"
Long Xiao had defeated Mei Xiaotian, and Zhang Moshen was very displeased with Zheng Dongyang. In previous years, without Long Xiao, there was no one among the younger generation of the southeastern region who could match Mei Xiaotian.
"I'm not bragging. Long Xiao's medical skill can be said to be the number one in China. It is rumored that his master is the Heavenly Physician Long Xiaotian. What are the three great divine physicians of the East Sea? Even Li Yizhen has become Long Xiao's disciple."
"You're saying Divine Physician Li became Long Xiao's apprentice? That's impossible." Ming Tianya also found it hard to believe.
"Chairman Ming, Meijia helps out at Xinglin Grass Hall every day, and Li Yizhen is at Xinglin Grass Hall."
Ming Tianya looked at Chen Meijia, who nodded and said, "That's right. If you don't believe us, you can go to Xinglin Grass Hall to verify it anytime."
Seeing that both of them spoke with such certainty, everyone present believed them.
Ming Tianya's face lit up with joy. "When I came to the East Sea this time, I went to Divine Physician Li's clinic. I found his clinic closed, and I thought he had gone out of town. I didn't expect him to be at Xinglin Grass Hall."
"Chairman Ming, did you look for Divine Physician Li for treatment, or for something else?" Zheng Dongyang asked.
"I have an old friend who was seriously injured in a fight many years ago. He has been to dozens of major hospitals at home and abroad in the past few years, but he hasn't been cured."
"I'll contact Long Xiao when I have time and see if he's available. If he is, he can definitely cure him," Zheng Dongyang said with full confidence.
"Dongyang, since I'm already in the East Sea, it's better to take you to Xinglin Grass Hall this afternoon to meet him. We should show sincerity when asking for help."
Zheng Dongyang nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take you there this afternoon."
The other chairmen, hearing Zheng Dongyang praise Long Xiao like a celestial being, also wanted to meet him and expressed that they would go along this afternoon.
After confirming their visit to Xinglin Grass Hall in the afternoon, Ming Tianya looked at the five of them, encouraged them, and told them to practice diligently and prepare for the Martial Alliance competition to be held in Beijing next month.
Leaving the manor, Zheng Dongyang asked, "Xiao Ming, is Long Xiao at Xinglin Grass Hall these past few days?"
Xiao Ming shook his head and said, "I don't know about that, I haven't seen him for the past two days."
Xiao Ming and Long Xiao got into the car. Xiao Ming asked, "Brother Long, they are going to Xinglin Grass Hall this afternoon, are you going to help them?"
Long Xiao nodded and said, "The Martial Alliance has left a good impression on me. If I have time, I will help them."
After Long Xiao, with his disguise, returned to Xinglin Grass Hall, just after lunch, he received a call from Lu Ying. Lu Ying informed Long Xiao that people from the Zhao family had visited Zhao Xinyu and Zhao Xinlan at the hospital and that she had relayed Long Xiao's message to Zhao Xintian.
"Lu Ying, do you know why the Zhao family is in such a hurry to take them back?"
"I don't know. Zhao Liang must have done something shameful again. There are surveillance cameras in the ward, and I watched the footage. Zhao Liang warned the siblings not to say anything carelessly."
"There must be a hidden reason behind the dock explosion. You should avoid meeting Zhao Xinlan and the others for the time being, lest the Zhao family become suspicious."
"Brother Long, you want to investigate this matter?" Lu Ying asked.
"The Zhao family is connected to the Linchuan family from Japan. This matter is likely related to the Japanese. I must figure out what's going on, so that if the Japanese make a move against us, we won't be caught completely unaware."
After ending the call with Lu Ying, Long Xiao was about to rest for a while when Zheng Dongyang and Chen Meijia, along with Ming Tianya and several chairmen from the southeastern provinces, walked in.
Zheng Dongyang saw Long Xiao sitting on a stone stool under a tree and quickly walked over, saying, "Long Xiao, Chairman Ming of the Martial Alliance and several chairmen from the southeastern provinces have come to see you."
Long Xiao invited everyone into the reception hall. This hall had rarely been entered since its renovation.
Chen Meijia and Xiao Ming went to make tea for everyone and brought some fruit.
Chairman Ming and the other chairmen placed the gifts they had brought on the table.
Long Xiao looked at the gifts and said, "You are too kind. You are all friends of Chairman Zheng. There's no need to bring gifts when you come to my place."
Chairman Ming chuckled and said, "Doctor Long, we have come to ask for your help."
Ming Tianya, being straightforward, got straight to the point. He stated his request, and Long Xiao said, "Chairman Ming, I run a medical clinic. As long as they are Chinese, I will not turn them away when they come for treatment."
"Long Xiao, my friend is unable to move around freely. I'd like to ask if you could visit him at his home?" Ming Tianya asked.
Long Xiao nodded and said, "As long as I have time, of course I can."
Zhang Moshen was still somewhat disbelieving. "Doctor Long, I heard that the East Sea Divine Physician Li Yizhen is your disciple, is that true?"
Long Xiao nodded and said, "He is in the adjacent treatment room. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask him now."
Zhang Moshen gave a dry laugh and said, "I don't disbelieve, I'm just curious. The East Sea Divine Physician can already be considered a national medical master. You are the master of a divine physician, and you are so young, it's simply unbelievable."