Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 367 - 370: Kneeling Down

Chapter 367: Chapter 370: Kneeling Down

(Hope everyone is having a delightful weekend. Could use a few recommendation tickets!)

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Furthermore, who knows if among those national masters, there are hidden experts. It’s known that although those famous masters might not be the strongest, there are many other masters who remain unknown but could possibly possess superb medical skills. This is a peculiar situation within the country. Often, those who become famous and profitable are not necessarily the most capable; capability isn’t the only path to those outcomes.

To shift the topic, Xiao Yi’s gaze moved to the brothers Qian Fuchen and Qian Fuyu beside him, eventually resting on Qian Fuchen with a slight smile on his face, "Mr. Ma, if I’m not mistaken, this must be the relative you spoke of, right?"

Earlier, when Xiao Yi entered the room, his eyes scanned the living room, and he had almost certainly identified that Mr. Ma’s relative was Qian Fuchen. At this moment, it was merely a confirmation.

"Yes, Doctor Xiao, this gentleman is the offspring of a former comrade-in-arms of mine, whose health is in a very poor state. I hope Doctor Xiao can lend a hand and take a look at his condition," replied Elder Mr. Ma before Mr. Ma could even answer, looking at Xiao Yi with a sincere gaze.

Hearing Elder Mr. Ma and seeing the earnest pleading in his eyes, a look of gratitude appeared in Qian Fuchen’s eyes. That morning, he had seemingly provoked the elder to the point of anger, and he had thought the elder held him in low regard. However, to his surprise, at this moment, the elder spoke on his behalf with such consideration for past affection, stirring a sense of emotion within him.

"Elder Mr. Ma, ordinarily, since you have asked, I would surely do my utmost," said Xiao Yi respectfully nodding to Elder Mr. Ma, then turning his gaze to Qian Fuchen with a look of difficulty on his face, "But Elder Mr. Ma should also know, treating a patient isn’t a task only for the doctor; it also involves the patient. The patient’s cooperation and trust are very important. Mr. Qian... to be frank with the elder, I have met him before. Another highly respected senior asked me to see him, but Mr. Qian seemed not to trust that I am a doctor, and even thought that I am a charlatan, so..."

What came after ’so’, Xiao Yi did not say. However, the uneasy expression on his face and his helplessly spread hands conveyed his meaning very clearly.

Generally speaking, Xiao Yi is quite approachable, not someone with a narrow mind. This is very clear to everyone who has interacted with him, to all his friends—they almost always try to fulfill whatever they ask, no matter how difficult the task may be.

Being easy-going does not mean he is a weak-willed simpleton who can be called and directed at will.

Initially, when he agreed to Divine Doctor An Jinhua’s request and came to treat Mr. Qian, he was unexpectedly labeled a charlatan. It was impossible for him not to be upset at all.

Now, with just a word, they wished for him to treat him again? If he agreed so easily, it would make him seem too worthless, and his medical expertise too cheap!

Even if he could be worthless, his medical expertise cannot!

That was a conviction Xiao Yi silently held in his heart but had never expressed.

The moment Xiao Yi’s words were out, everyone’s expression changed, fully aware that this was Xiao Yi’s indirect refusal. Mr. Ma wasn’t fully aware of the previous situation between Mr. Qian and Xiao Yi, but from Mr. Qian’s earlier commentary, he had a rough understanding. Hearing Xiao Yi’s refusal, he just felt slightly startled before letting out a long sigh, glancing at Qian Fuchen, and then fell silent.

Elder Mr. Ma too was stunned. Being sharp from his old age, he was well aware of the past grievances between Qian Fuchen and Xiao Yi, which is why he took the initiative to speak earlier. However, he hadn’t anticipated that even with his direct appeal, Xiao Yi would still reject the request so straightforwardly, without any pretense of false acceptance or claiming it was hopeless.

After a brief moment of surprise, he also could only sigh helplessly, lower his head, and remain silent, not holding any blame towards Xiao Yi.

He had no reason to blame Xiao Yi, knowing that he had sufficient reason to refuse. A young man in his twenties already in possession of extraordinary medical skills must have a very proud heart. And through the two meetings, Elder Mr. Ma who had lived for nearly a century and had experienced the tumultuous times of the past decades, could truly sense the young man’s polite and humble speech and appearance echoing that pride.

How great must the frustration be for such a proud individual, who genuinely wanted to help someone, to be rejected by that patient and then labeled as a charlatan?

Moreover, Xiao Yi didn’t resort to the smoothest, most worldly-wise method to refuse but instead directly expressed his refusal. This in itself showed what kind of person he was; to have spoken so tactfully was already giving a significant amount of face.

It was only after a while that Elder Mr. Ma looked up again, let out a deep sigh, and turned his gaze to the brothers Qian Fuchen and Qian Fuyu, with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. What a blind mistake it had been for the latter to call Xiao Yi a charlatan.

Upon hearing Xiao Yi’s words, Qian Fuchen’s face involuntarily stiffened.

He had originally thought that, out of respect for Elder Mr. Ma, Xiao Yi would definitely agree to treat him. He had never expected Xiao Yi to refuse so directly.

It took him a while to lift his head and look at Xiao Yi, who stood there with a troubled expression and outstretched hands. His face went through an extremely awkward transformation.

"Doctor Xiao, I know my third brother misunderstood you last time and offended you greatly. However, it was truly a misunderstanding. My third brother now realizes his mistake and hopes you can be magnanimous and forgive us this once. Give us a chance to save my third brother," he said.

Upon hearing Xiao Yi’s words, Qian Fuyu’s face suddenly changed drastically, and he froze in place until Elder Mr. Ma’s gaze turned to him. Then, he rushed over as if struck by lightning or awakened from a dream, looking earnestly at Xiao Yi and said,

"Divine Doctor Xiao, I am truly sorry for the incident last time. I was too impulsive and misunderstood you. I hope you can be generous and, considering Elder An’s face, forgive me this once and give me another chance."

After hearing his brother’s words, Qian Fuchen’s eyes struggled with intense conflict. The desire for life eventually overcame all reason and the so-called pride ingrained in his mind. He tightly pursed his lips, lifted his head, and with an extremely difficult expression, looked at Xiao Yi.

"Mr. Qian, I am not worthy of the title ’Divine Doctor.’ I’m just a Jianghu charlatan," he replied.

Xiao Yi looked indifferently at Qian Fuyu and Qian Fuchen, speaking in a detached tone. After finishing, he turned his head away and said directly, "Mr. Ma, Elder Mr. Ma, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now."

Although Qian Fuchen had already apologized, and his facial expression indicated his willingness to humble himself, Xiao Yi still had no intention of treating him.

He did not have a good impression of Qian Fuchen. Previously, he had encountered him collapsing on the roadside and had gone out of his way to save him, only to be almost framed for worsening his illness. Fortunately, his pulse diagnosis had proven his innocence. Then, listening only to his son’s side of the story, Qian Fuchen had left in front of Elder An, calling him a charlatan.

And now he had the gall to mention consideration for Elder An’s face? Had he thought about Elder An’s face back then?

This repeated insult to his medical skills... If Xiao Yi forgave him with just an apology, wouldn’t that make his medical skills seem all too cheap?

Unfortunately, Xiao Yi had always felt that his medical skills were not cheap but, in fact, very precious!

Another thing that left a bad impression on him about Qian Fuchen was that he was Qian Xiaojie’s father and Qian Xiaofeng’s uncle. Someone who raised such children, in Xiao Yi’s view, was not worthy of his respect.

"This..."

Everyone was shocked to hear that Xiao Yi was still refusing the Qian brothers’ apology and their request for medical treatment and was about to leave.

Both Elder Mr. Ma and Mr. Ma exchanged glances, their faces showing hesitation. They looked at the Qian brothers and then at Xiao Yi, somewhat wanting to stop him but unable to speak, standing there awkwardly.

"Divine Doctor Xiao, I beg you, give us a chance. Save my third brother. Whatever the cost, I promise it," pleaded Qian Fuyu.

Qian Fuyu’s face turned pale with shock when he saw Xiao Yi was truly about to leave. He hurriedly walked in front of Xiao Yi, knelt down, and clung tightly to Xiao Yi’s feet.

"This...!"

The color drained from everyone’s faces at Qian Fuyu’s actions.

The faces of Elder Mr. Ma and Mr. Ma showed a hint of shock. It’s said that a man’s knees are as precious as gold, only bowing to heaven, earth, and his parents. They felt nothing when he knelt before Elder Mr. Ma. Elder Mr. Ma’s age and status were apparent, and frankly, he was a lifelong friend of Qian Fuyu’s father. In their father’s absence, Elder Mr. Ma was akin to a second father.

But now, he was kneeling before Xiao Yi, a young man in his twenties!

This shock was inevitable for them! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and support it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)