Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 773 - 770 Not Joking with You

Chapter 773: Chapter 770 Not Joking with You

"Mr. Sima, I’m afraid your condition doesn’t look optimistic."

An Jinhua didn’t notice the abnormal expression on the old man’s face. He had asked for the name simply for the sake of proper address, and after receiving the old man’s reply, he nodded solemnly.

"Divine Doctor An, how is my father’s condition? Please, you must cure my father. As long as my father’s illness is cured, I am willing to pay any amount."

The middle-aged man’s demeanor became tense upon hearing An Jinhua’s words, and he spoke anxiously.

"Old Mr. An, I have some understanding of my condition. Please speak frankly, and as for the treatment, just proceed with it. I am prepared for everything,"

the old man said, glancing at his son with a hint of reproach before turning to An Jinhua, a calm and resigned expression on his face.

"Mr. Sima, your open-mindedness is truly admirable."

An Jinhua looked at the old man with slight surprise, then nodded in agreement and began to explain the diagnosis slowly, "Your illness is very strange. According to your pulse, your heart, lungs, spleen, and kidneys, all show signs of failure. Normally, it is common for these internal organs to age and deteriorate in the elderly, but the rate of your failure is not that of a normal decline..."

"Divine Doctor An, yes, Doctor Wang said the same thing. Do you have any methods?"

Listening to An Jinhua’s explanation, the man’s face showed a sudden joy.

His confidence in An Jinhua surged, and any slight doubts he had upon entering the room had completely disappeared.

It seemed that Elder Wang’s recommendation was reasonable. This Divine Doctor An lived up to his reputation; just by taking the pulse, he had arrived at a direct diagnosis. Perhaps there was a chance he had a solution.

These thoughts secretly crossed his mind, and his eyes filled with an even stronger sense of hope.

The old man’s face also showed a hint of hope, and even the middle-aged woman, who had previously been proud and disdainful, couldn’t help but reveal a look of surprise, her eyes on Old An shifting, as she thought to herself that maybe this wretched old fellow indeed had some skills.

"No, to be honest, I have never seen symptoms like these, and I have no confidence in addressing them. All I can do is make an effort,"

An Jinhua said with a shake of his head and an apologetic look on his face.

While such honesty could cause the patient distress and sorrow, he didn’t want to offer false comfort or deceit. He really had no solution for this condition. After pondering for a long time, he could only think of prescribing a few formulas to protect the heart and lungs, hoping they would have some effect.

"Ah?"

Hearing An Jinhua’s words, all three faces immediately showed disappointment. With a sigh, their beacon of hope was swiftly extinguished.

"Mr. Sima, my abilities are limited, and I am deeply sorry,"

An Jinhua said, looking at the three disappointed faces, his own expression of regret deepening. As a physician unable to help a patient and instead watching them continue to suffer, he felt some shame and guilt.

"Old Mr. An, there’s no need for such sentiment. Life and death are predestined, and wealth is in Heaven’s hands. Some things are ultimately meant to be; it’s a rule that no one can escape. It’s nothing to fuss about,"

the old man said, coming back to his senses. He reassured An Jinhua with a faint smile, although in his eyes, a touch of sorrow remained.

Life is precious to everyone, and one only gets it once. When one learns their life is counting down, no one can truly stay detached.

"Mr. Sima’s openness is indeed something I, An, deeply admire."

An Jinhua’s face showed genuine admiration. He truly wished he could help the old man, whose dignity he had respected and appreciated since his arrival. But there was no way; his medical skills were indeed limited.

When Heaven wants someone dead, no healer can save them!

It’s not the healer’s lack of compassion; it’s the unchangeable law of life and death!

"You’ve troubled yourself enough, Old Mr. An. I won’t impose any further today,"

the old man said, smiling at the kindness emanating from An Jinhua’s face, then stood up to take his leave.

His son, showing a face of disappointment and unwillingness, stood up as well and silently headed to the door.

"Wait a moment."

Watching the two men stand up to leave, An Jinhua also stood, ready to send them off and perform his social duty, but just as he rose, he suddenly remembered something. His expression changed, and he called out to stop them.

"What’s wrong? Does Old Mr. An have any other instructions?"

Old Sima looked at An Jinhua with surprise.

"Old Mr. Sima, I’ve just remembered something. Although I can’t cure your illness, there might be someone who could possibly cure you!"

An Jinhua said with a touch of excitement in his voice, cursing himself inwardly, wishing he could slap himself. How could he have forgotten him? He was sitting right in his own living room.

The person he was referring to was naturally Xiao Yi.

An Jinhua had great confidence in Xiao Yi’s medical skills. If Xiao Yi were willing to take on the case, he felt there was at least a fifty percent chance of curing Old Mr. Sima’s condition, and that was a conservative estimate on his part.

"Divine Doctor An, is that really true? Tell me quickly, who is it? I will go find him right now!"

Hearing An Jinhua’s words, the middle-aged man who had already fallen into despair suddenly felt as if his heart was on a roller coaster, soaring from the ground to the clouds, his eyes filling with hope.

"Oh? And who might that person be?"

The frown on Old Mr. Sima’s face twitched slightly, but unlike his son, he didn’t lose his composure and simply asked in a calm tone. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about his own life or death, but after visiting so many doctors in recent times, he had become numb to the cycle of hope and disappointment. After the life and death experiences just moments before, he had grown even more indifferent.

"No need to go looking, you’re in luck today. That person is currently a guest in my house," An Jinhua said with a laugh.

"In your house?"

Old Sima’s eyes showed a hint of astonishment as he looked around involuntarily, but in the living room, apart from the young man whom he had encountered downstairs and with whom he’d had an unpleasant encounter, there were no other guests. There seemed to be some activity in the kitchen - could the person An Jinhua was talking about be busy there? That seemed highly improbable. A guest of Old Divine Doctor An, and someone whose medical skills were possibly even better than his own, was making food in the kitchen?

Both the middle-aged man and woman wore surprised expressions and looked at An Jinhua, clearly puzzled.

Despite their confusion, the middle-aged man thought that An Jinhua wouldn’t be joking with him and that there must be some truth to his words. Plus, they could only see this living room, and there were other rooms as well. Perhaps the person An Jinhua mentioned was resting in one of those rooms. With this in mind, the middle-aged man urged An Jinhua anxiously, "Divine Doctor An, since that’s the case, please go call that Divine Doctor out to examine my father!"

"Come out?"

An Jinhua was taken aback for a moment and then chuckled, "The Divine Doctor I’m talking about is right here in the living room."

"In the living room?"

Upon hearing An Jinhua’s words, all three of them exclaimed in unison, with Old Mr. Sima nearly letting his cane fall to the ground.

After a moment, Old Mr. Sima finally regained his composure and scanned the nearby Xiao Yi, his face revealing a wry smile as he turned to An Jinhua, "Old Mr. An, please don’t joke with us anymore."

"Indeed, Divine Doctor An, we’re already in such a state... please don’t make such jokes anymore. We really can’t handle them," the middle-aged man also regained his senses, his face forced into a strained smile as he looked at An Jinhua.

In the living room, apart from that young man, there was no one else, and the room, though simply and elegantly arranged, was straightforward and seemingly impossible to hide anyone.

Was this not a joke?

If this old man hadn’t been personally recommended by Wang Xuechan, and were he just some ordinary doctor, he would have been pounding the table in anger. Jokes should be made at the right time, shouldn’t they? His father’s life was hanging by a thread, and here An Jinhua was joking. How could he not be upset?

"I’m not joking with you?"

An Jinhua looked at them in astonishment, and after a moment, he realized that they probably thought the same as others, unable to believe Xiao Yi’s youth made him capable of being a doctor. His face revealed a bitter smile as he shook his head. To judge by appearances, to assume without basis, was truly deadly. Who said a doctor had to be an old man like himself and not a young man like Xiao Yi? Didn’t they know the saying, "Age does not define the presence of ambition"?

With these thoughts, he didn’t directly correct them, but instead called out to Xiao Yi, "Xiao Yi, could you come over here for a moment?"

But after calling out to him, he found that Xiao Yi seemed to not have heard him at all, still closing his eyes and leaning on the sofa. His face showed a trace of astonishment. What was going on with Xiao Yi? This didn’t seem like his style.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)