"Why don't you jump? I've been watching in this heavy rain for a long time, why aren't you jumping..."
Lu Qi glared at the instigator, whose gaze was intimidated by the righteous look.
Xu Chunliang took a deep breath; he tried to circulate his internal energy just now but found his meridians empty. The once proud, profound inner strength had vanished into thin air.
Without his divine skills and having lost a following of a hundred thousand disciples, in this unfamiliar world, he had become utterly isolated. If an enemy were to attack, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Xu Cong!"
The call interrupted his thoughts. Xu Chunliang looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lu Qi, dressed in a sharp uniform, walking towards him. Although he had never met him before, when Lu Qi appeared, memories of Lu Qi naturally came to mind, his senior from the same school, especially good at basketball, with a high athletic talent.
Lu Qi smiled at Xu Chunliang, "What? Don't you recognize me? I graduated from the same high school as you; we played basketball together, remember?"
Xu Chunliang calmly looked at Lu Qi, his expression unperturbed.
Lu Qi interpreted his expression as despair at life. He stopped about three meters from Xu Chunliang, held onto the railing, and glanced below the bridge. "The current is strong; no matter how good a swimmer you are, you won't survive if you fall in."
Xu Chunliang looked at Lu Qi with interest, "You think I'm going to jump off the bridge?"
Lu Qi smiled and shook his head, "You wouldn't, you're still young, even if not for yourself, think of your elders. Isn't your grandfather seventy this year? How's his health?"
The rain gradually stopped. Lu Qi took out a pack of cigarettes and waved it in front of Xu Chunliang, "Smoke?"
Xu Chunliang blinked; he had never tried it before.
"Have one!" Lu Qi took the opportunity to approach, and when the distance closed to about a meter, Lu Qi pounced like a hungry tiger. At such a distance, he was confident he could control Xu Chunliang.
A flash of white light appeared before his eyes; Lu Qi was sure of his success but ended up grasping at air, failing even to touch the hem of his target's clothing, losing his balance and crashing heavily to the ground.
Xu Chunliang merely shifted his steps to the left. Although his inner strength had vanished, his agility remained. Using the technique of the "Eight Transformations of the Agile Snake," he easily evaded Lu Qi, fully aware that Lu Qi was trying to save him, so he didn't counterattack.
At that moment, police officers who had hurried to the scene surged in from all directions. Xu Chunliang's vigilance spiked, about to take action when a white-haired elder rushed out of a police car. So anxious, he stumbled when getting off, and a police officer beside him hurriedly steadied him.
The old man anxiously shouted, "Chunliang! Don't do anything foolish!"
Upon receiving news about the attempted suicide on Peace Bridge, Xu Changshan had rushed over immediately. The elderly man, though still robust for seventy-three, was breathless from the hurried journey.
Seeing his beloved grandson standing at the bridge's edge in nothing but shorts, Xu Changshan's heart leapt into his throat. Today was the day college entrance exam results were released, and once again, Xu Chunliang had failed. Three attempts, each result worse than the last; this time, he didn't even meet the minimum undergraduate admission score.
In Xu Changshan's view, rather than waste time at a dubious college, it would be better to study medicine with him. Now that the country's policy was encouraging traditional Chinese medicine apprenticeships, and his age required him to find a successor.
Though Western medicine dominates nowadays and traditional Chinese medicine is in decline, inheritance of his mantle, managing the family clinic, would ensure a peaceful life, albeit not wealthy.
Xu Changshan had mentioned this to his grandson more than once, but the kid had no interest in medicine. Besides, his introverted nature made him silent and withdrawn, seldom talking to others, especially since the third attempt at repeating his exams. He had spoken fewer than ten sentences all year, widening the generational gap between them.
Despite his exceptional medical skills, Xu Changshan found himself helpless with his grandson's situation. Heart ailments require heart remedies; acupuncture and herbs can only help Xu Chunliang fortify his constitution and unblock his meridians.
"Don't come closer!" Xu Chunliang shouted thunderously, like rolling thunder.
More than a dozen police officers halted abruptly. Lu Qi, who had just fallen, climbed up with a tearful face, indicating he was fine, it was his own misstep, and had nothing to do with Xu Chunliang.
Xu Changshan approached, his voice trembling, "Chunliang, if anything happens to you, I won't live either."
Heart connected to kin, especially since this precious grandson was raised by him. They had only each other since his wife passed eighteen years ago. If anything happened to his grandson, Xu Changshan would lose his will to live.
Xu Chunliang gazed at the teary-eyed Xu Changshan, and memories gradually resurfaced in his mind.
"Grandpa?"
"Yes!" Xu Changshan responded loudly.
"Chunliang, Grandpa promises not to force you to study medicine. You can do whatever you want from now on. Come home with me, okay?"
Xu Chunliang looked around; the crowd was growing, and armored vehicles with flashing red and blue lights were approaching. Better to go with the flow, leave here before the sect discovers him, and plan later. He nodded and said, "Okay!"
Huichun Hall, located on Shunti Road, is a long-established clinic in Dongzhou. According to Xu Changshan, the plaque was an imperial gift from Yong Zheng, as the Xu Family ancestors once served as Imperial Physicians.
However, Old Feng from the Lumber Factory had a different story about the plaque, claiming his father crafted it. He remembers it vividly because he learned to read from the Huichun Hall sign as a kid in split pants, having witnessed the plaque's entire creation process himself.