Chapter 59: The Origin Was Not Shallow

  "Wait for me, I'll go with you." Zhao Yuqin pulled Zhou Hao back as he was about to head outside and snapped her fingers to summon the waiter to come over and settle the bill.

  Zhou Hao was getting anxious, worried that Xiao Jiming would encounter danger. Although they had never met before, Zhou Hao felt that he and Xiao Jiming somehow shared a similar fate, as if he saw in him the self of his past life who was betrayed by Zeng Ying and killed by Huang Wankuo.

  As the two left "Karl's" Western restaurant, Xiao Jiming and the woman as well as the pot-bellied man had all vanished. Zhao Yuqin was just about to get in the car with Zhou Hao to search for them when Zhou Hao heard a faint cry for help coming from far off to their left.

  "Sister, over there," Zhou Hao said as he sprinted towards the distant alley to the left, with Zhao Yuqin driving her car to follow closely behind.

  Originally, Zhou Hao thought it was Xiao Jiming who was beaten by the general's henchmen, but when he arrived, he saw a different scene. He only saw that the three strong men under the general's belly were all lying on the ground, while Xiao Jiming, who was slightly thinner, was fighting with the last strong man. The strong man's movements were very good, and he was extremely skilled in close combat, his punches and kicks were also fierce, but Xiao Jiming handled him with ease.

  Xiao Jiming raised his right arm, and with a single move, he parried the strong man's attack. Then, taking advantage of the opening, his left hand swiftly counterattacked, and his four fingers fiercely poked the strong man's neck, sending him tumbling to the ground immediately.

  Zhou Hao's eyes widened because Xiao Jiming's move was clearly the "Crane Calls Out to the Soul" from the "Five Animals Play". This wasn't the incomplete version of the "Five Animals Play" that circulated among the people, but rather the authentic "Five Animals Play" recorded in the "Qing Nang Jing" that Zhou Hao had obtained from Grandmaster Gong Sun.

  However, Zhou Hao also saw that the "Five Animal Play" used by Xiao Jiming was only a move, and did not have the true qi of "Nourishing Qi Record" as its foundation. And even so, it would be difficult for ordinary people to get close to Xiao Jiming's body.

  His subordinates were knocked down one by one by Xiao Jiming, and that general-bellied man was frightened. Facing Xiao Jiming's furious face, he stammered: "You, what do you want to do? Don't hurt me, I'm the younger brother-in-law of Director Zhang of the Health Bureau."

  That woman named Cui Hong also trembled with fear as she looked at Xiao Jiming, "Jiming, don't be impulsive, killing... killing someone will get you shot."

  Xiao Jiming looked deeply at Cui Hong, his breathing was very heavy. "Cui Hong, I have treated you well, whatever you want, I will try my best to satisfy you, but why do you still want to be like this? Our family's pharmacy, if managed properly, is enough for us to live a good life. Why do you still want to be like this? Is it just about money that you can spend your whole life with such a man?" He pointed at the pot-bellied man. Indeed, Xiao Jiming was young and strong, and looked much better than the over-40 pot-bellied man.

  "What she wants is not a simple life, but a life where she can splurge and enjoy herself to the fullest." Zhou Hao's voice came from behind, Xiao Jiming turned his head to look back, and saw Zhou Hao walking over. "A woman like her, why do you have to be heartbroken for her? She giving up on you is her loss, besides, a woman who dislikes poverty and loves wealth is not worth having."

  "Who are you?" Xiao Jiming looked at Zhou Hao in confusion.

  Zhou Hao smiled and said, "I saw you in the restaurant just now, I was afraid that someone would bully you so I followed you out to take a look, but unexpectedly you handled everything by yourself."

  Xiao Jiming was deeply moved when he heard that Zhou Hao had come out to help him, and Zhou Hao, who had never been in a relationship with anyone before, could be so righteous and helpful. On the other hand, Cui Hong, who had turned against him, also made Xiao Jiming sigh, "Forget it, forget it, this gentleman is right, women who despise poverty and love wealth are not worth having, why should I be so persistent?" He often sighed and walked out of the alley.

  Looking at Xiao Jiming's back, Cuihong's eyes were somewhat complicated, as if she had some regrets. Zhou Hao glanced at her and coldly snorted: "Just wait and see, one day you will regret the decision you made today!" After that, he also followed Xiao Jiming and left.

  As he walked out of the alley, Xiao Jiming let out a loud shout into the night sky, releasing his pent-up emotions. Zhou Hao came up from behind and patted him on the shoulder, "Let's go have a drink."

  Xiao Jiming looked at Zhou Hao, then nodded heavily. Zhao Yuqin happened to drive over at this time, and Zhou Hao got into the car with Xiao Jiming. Zhao Yuqin saw Xiao Jiming's melancholy expression in the rearview mirror and said without waiting for Zhou Hao to speak: "Let's go to Donggan City, the wine there is more authentic."

  Then the three of them arrived at Dynamic City, where the doorman was one of Wen Xiangdong's subordinates. Recognizing Zhou Hao, he immediately greeted him respectfully. After Zhou Hao explained his intentions, they promptly arranged a KTV room for him.

  Xiao Jiming had never been here before, and due to his depressed mood, he didn't have the heart to pay attention to the lively surroundings.

  A few people came to the room, and the waiter immediately brought beer and snacks. Xiao Jiming saw the beer and grabbed it without saying a word, pouring it into his mouth, and in a short while, he had drunk three beers. Zhou Hao didn't stop him, thinking it was better for him to vent at this time.

  Finally, Xiao Jiming's face flushed red and he took a deep breath before smiling wryly at Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin: "Sorry, I've made you both see something unpleasant."

  Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin both shook their heads, Zhou Hao said: "It's just for that kind of woman, it's really not worth it."

  At the mention of heart-wrenching things, Xiao Jiming took another swig of beer. "Originally I thought she was willing to stay with me."

  "It's still the same problem, the choice between love and bread." Zhou Hao sighed and shook his head, "I don't know how many people have been worried to death about it."

  Zhao Yaqin smiled at Zhou Hao and said: "How come I've never seen you worry about this problem?"

  "I'm a bit greedy, I want both love and bread." Zhou Hao smiled shamelessly. He turned his head to Xiao Jiming, "I just heard that your family runs a pharmacy, is it traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine?"

  "Traditional Chinese medicine." Xiao Jiming said, "However, traditional Chinese medicine is becoming less and less valued now. When people get sick, they all go to see Western doctors and take Western medicine." He felt a bit nostalgic, "Moreover, the status of traditional Chinese medicine in the global medical community is also lower than that of Western medicine. Some Westerners even say that our traditional Chinese medicine is pseudoscience."

  Zhou Hao also felt a sense of righteous indignation. The development of traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years, far earlier than Western medicine. After reading "Shennong Bencao Jing" and "Qing Nang Jing", he felt that the breadth and depth of traditional Chinese medicine were far beyond what Western medicine could compare to. He asked Xiao Jiming: "Are you a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine?"

  "Hmm." Xiao Jiming nodded, "I graduated from Concord Medical University, studying Western medicine. However, the more I come into contact with Western medicine, the more I feel that Western medicine is not as good as our traditional Chinese medicine."

  Zhou Hao was somewhat surprised, because many people who study Western medicine think that traditional Chinese medicine is not as good as Western medicine, and he himself used to think so too. "In my opinion, traditional Chinese medicine focuses on the internal, with the main goal of nourishing the body, emphasizing prevention of disease, while Western medicine focuses on the external, emphasizing treatment of disease. Comparing the two, traditional Chinese medicine is like a country's internal political system, while Western medicine is like a country's military, and from this perspective, the political system is the foundation."

  After hearing Zhou Hao's words, Xiao Jiming slammed the wine bottle in his hand heavily on the tea table. "Heroes see things similarly! My family has been practicing medicine for generations, and when my father was young, he followed a medical master to study traditional Chinese medicine for over 20 years. All my knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine comes from my father's teachings."

  Zhou Hao heard this and a thought arose in his mind, "I saw you just now and it seemed like you understood martial arts, was that also taught by your father?"

  "Yes, but this martial art was not created by my father." Xiao Jiming explained: "That was also learned from that master. Hehe, do you know the name of this martial art? It's quite famous in China too, it's the 'Five Animals Play' created by Hua Tuo back then."

  "Xiao Dage, take a look." Zhou Hao suddenly stood up and performed several moves in the empty space of the room, all of which were "Tiger Play" from the "Five Animals Play".

  Xiao Jiming stared at Zhou Hao in shock, "You... how did you also learn this authentic 'Five Animals Play'?"

  Zhou Hao looked at Xiao Jiming and asked, "Wasn't your father's master named Gong Sun?"

  As soon as he spoke, Xiao Jiming was even more shocked. "Could it be, could you also be a descendant of that one?"

  To a certain extent, it can be said that way. Seeing Zhao Yuqin also showing a surprised expression, Zhou Hao explained: "The stranger I met in Autumn Ning Mountain should be Xiao Brother's father's master."

  "Are you saying that my Shifu is currently at Autumn Peace Mountain?" Xiao Jiming was now completely sober, "My father hasn't seen Shifu for over a decade and has always wanted to see him again. I didn't expect Shifu to be at Autumn Peace Mountain! No way, I have to go back and tell my father, we'll set off immediately to see Shifu."

  But Zhou Hao shook his head, "I don't think so, because Gong Sun should have passed away by now."

  Xiao Jiming was taken aback, "Why?"

  Zhou Hao told Xiao Jiming about Gong Sun's situation. When Zhou Hao left Qiu Ning Mountain, Gong Sun only had half a month of time left, and now he feared that he might have already passed away.

  "But I also want to meet your respected father." Zhou Hao said, since Xiao Jiming's father was a disciple of Gong Sun Da Fu, his medical skills must be much stronger than his own half-baked ones. In that case, he would definitely need their help in the future when establishing his TCM group.

  "Right, right! Let's go back now. Although Master is gone, I still want to tell Father."

  Then the three of them left Dynamic City and followed Xiao Jiming back to his home.

  Xiao Jiming's home is located in the old city district, right above his family's pharmacy. His family's pharmacy is called "Ji Min Medicine Hall", and from its ancient signboard and the medicine cabinets inside, it seems that this pharmacy has a history of over a hundred years.

  When they arrived at Xiao Jiming's home on the second floor, Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin saw Xiao Jiming's father, Xiao Nanyue. He was an ordinary-looking old man, but Zhou Hao noticed that he was sitting in a wheelchair, his legs having shrunk significantly due to prolonged paralysis.