Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 777 - 774: The Significance of Rules

Chapter 777: Chapter 774: The Significance of Rules

Chapter 774: The Meaning of Rules

"Don’t mention it, I took your money, heh heh."

Xiao Yi smiled briefly before emphasizing, "What I did just now was only to temporarily suppress your condition; it’s not cured yet. When you go home tonight, try to eat lightly and get some rest early. Come back tomorrow, and I’ll completely clear it up for you."

"Alright, alright, I’ll definitely follow your instructions."

If Elder Mr. Sima had harbored any doubts about Xiao Yi before, the needle he had administered moments ago had completely dispelled them. He was now convinced that this young man was indeed an extraordinary doctor. Remembering their earlier encounter downstairs, he regretted not recognizing Mount Tai, even mistaking the doctor for a swindler. Regret turned his guts green.

After nodding in agreement repeatedly, the old man immediately turned his head and glared at his son, who was still frozen in place, seemingly baffled by the situation. He chided him sternly, "Aren’t you going to pay Doctor Xiao the consultation fee right now? What are you waiting for? Do you really want to see your old man die?"

"Ah, I’ll do it right now!"

Upon hearing his father’s angry shout and sensing the discontent in his words, the middle-aged man’s face showed a touch of embarrassment, and he hurriedly began fumbling for his purse.

"Elder Mr. Sima, there’s no hurry. You can pay tomorrow if you wish."

Xiao Yi, seeing the anxious look on Elder Mr. Sima’s face, quickly spoke up to reassure him.

"No need, paying now is fine, Doctor Xiao. Rest assured, as long as I have breath in me, these ingrates won’t get to call the shots in the Sima family. We can afford several million," said Elder Mr. Sima sternly while glaring at his son, who was taking out money. Although he knew the foolish words spoken earlier were from that brainless woman and couldn’t blame his son, he could hardly contain his anger. Since he couldn’t berate the woman directly, he vented his frustration on his son.

Seeing Elder Mr. Sima’s insistence, Xiao Yi decided not to say any more. Besides, it wasn’t just about paying the consultation fee; the old man’s words also touched on family matters, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for Xiao Yi to interject.

"Doctor Xiao, here is fifty million. Please accept it. You can cash it at any Xuanwu Country bank at any time," said the middle-aged man.

He wrote a check with an awkward expression after picking up on the resentment in his father’s voice and handed it to Xiao Yi with respectful care.

"Thank you."

Xiao Yi, not one to stand on ceremony, took the check without even glancing at it and placed it directly into his coat pocket. Although he felt entirely justified in accepting the check—for fifty million, he was saving a life, which meant the other party was still coming out ahead—he still nodded politely and expressed his thanks.

"Doctor Xiao, no need for courtesy. If anyone should be grateful, it’s me who should thank you. Fifty million for a life, and it’s this old man who’s come out ahead. Besides, I brought this on myself. You’d already given us a chance before. Enough said. We won’t bother any further with superfluous words. So, Doctor Xiao, Doctor An, we won’t disturb you any longer," said Elder Mr. Sima with a dismissive wave and a slight smile.

After finishing, he didn’t linger and promptly said his goodbyes.

"Alright, just find me at Grandpa An’s clinic tomorrow," Xiao Yi replied with a nod, not making any effort to detain them further.

This was An Jinhua’s home, and he was just a guest here himself. Not only was it inconvenient for him to treat their illness here, but it was also inappropriate for him to invite them to stay for a meal.

An Jinhua also refrained from keeping them any longer. They had come as friends referred by a friend; he had never met them before and was unfamiliar with them, not to mention unaware of their background. Now that he had agreed to see them tomorrow, the matter seemed resolved.

Still, he escorted them to the door warmly before returning.

In the kitchen, listening as the noise at the door gradually faded away, An Lili’s face relaxed with a long sigh of relief. She had been nearly frantic when those few people came in, worried that the good atmosphere of the day would be spoiled.

Especially when she heard Grandpa actually agree to treat them, she almost wanted to run out and stop him. It took a lot for her to restrain herself, hoping only that Grandpa could cure them quickly.

But the delay was substantial. She was about to call Grandpa when she heard him ask Xiao Yi to take action, and she put her cellphone down again.

She had thought Xiao Yi would heal the man quickly, but to her surprise, he didn’t treat them at all, instead telling them to come back the next day.

This was exactly to her liking, her hand clutching the shovel couldn’t help but wave it in the air. However, listening to them beg Xiao Yi for treatment, her heart tightened involuntarily, silently cursing these people for their lack of tact. They had agreed to the treatment tomorrow, yet they still dawdled.

But no matter what, despite the twists and turns, the outcome was ultimately splendid.

She had finally chased those annoying fellows away. It seemed Xiao Yi was in telepathic agreement with her, not wanting tonight’s gathering to be disturbed and the atmosphere ruined. Hehe...

A sweet smile crept involuntarily across An Lili’s face as she finally returned with peace of mind to continue her preparations. Just that, at this moment, she had forgotten that she hadn’t told Xiao Yi about tonight’s party at all. Xiao Yi didn’t even know she existed, let alone any telepathy...

"Xiao Yi..."

After sending them off and returning to the living room, An Jinhua looked at Xiao Yi, his lips moving hesitantly, about to speak yet stopping short.

"Grandpa An, you’re talking about the consultation fee, haha."

Xiao Yi looked at An Jinhua and a trace of a smile appeared on his face.

"Xiao Yi, are you short of money recently? If you’ve encountered any financial difficulties, I actually..."

An Jinhua, having his intended words read by Xiao Yi, no longer hid his thoughts. His expression slightly embarrassed, he simply nodded and then expressed concern.

"Grandpa An, you’re mistaken. I’m not short of money. This consultation fee is indeed restricted by my master’s rules," Xiao Yi said, shaking his head with sincere eyes.

"Xiao Yi, I know that the intention behind establishing this rule by your mentorship was good, to teach a lesson to those who scorn traditional Chinese medicine or distrust human kindness. But fifty million is truly..."

An Jinhua still hesitated, not entirely satisfied with Xiao Yi’s explanation. He felt that rules were made by people, and that his mentorship’s rules were not wrong, but charging fifty million was really too high and seemed like robbery, unbecoming of a doctor’s ethics.

"Grandpa An, I understand what you mean, but this fifty million is really not high. Besides, rest assured, we do not charge such a high fee to everyone. For every patient, we determine the amount based on the individual’s circumstances, ensuring it’s something they can afford, regardless of who they are."

Xiao Yi explained once more.

He greatly admired An Jinhua’s benevolent physician’s heart, but sometimes he felt An Jinhua’s views were a bit too antiquated. For some wealthy individuals, it was truly unnecessary to be so lenient. Moreover, in reality, for these wealthy people, the amount he charged was actually not high. For example, with Mr. Sima, he was certain that to them, fifty million was but a drop in the bucket, and wouldn’t cause even the slightest heartache after being spent.

"Moreover, Grandpa An, think about it, if the price isn’t high enough, how would they care? Take Mr. Sima we just met, his net worth is definitely not less than ten billion. Do you think if the charge were a thousand, or ten thousand, they’d remember or be impressed? I’m afraid even a casual red envelope they give out would exceed a thousand. Only when the amount takes up a certain portion of their total wealth will they feel reluctant, find it hard to part with, and the experience will leave a lasting impression."

"This..."

Listening to Xiao Yi’s words, An Jinhua’s expression gradually became solemn, revealing a thoughtful look.

Seeing the look on An Jinhua’s face, Xiao Yi did not continue to disturb him, allowing him to slowly ponder the details. He believed that given An Jinhua’s wisdom, he would surely come to understand the relationship.

"Xiao Yi, I’m truly sorry, I was too old-fashioned. I never thought that having practiced medicine all my life, and lived for so long, not only am I not as skilled in medicine as you, but in this respect, I haven’t thought things through as clearly as you have," An Jinhua said after a long pause, resuming his senses from deep thought and bowing sincerely in front of Xiao Yi. The impact of Xiao Yi’s words had been too profound, and recalling his earlier misunderstandings of Xiao Yi, An Jinhua could not help but flush with embarrassment.

Having lived for decades and seen so much, society had undoubtedly been developing rapidly over these years, the economy leaping violently, yet some of the world’s precious things were continuously being lost, such as kindness and trust.

Do you not see, on the streets, when asking for directions, the evasive looks of panic from the pedestrians?

The greatest value of Xiao Yi’s mentorship’s rule was not in the fees collected, but in the emotional impact it had on the people, like with Elder Mr. Sima. Xiao Yi believed that in the future, no matter what anyone said to him, he would no longer dismiss it or doubt it as before, but instead, he would adopt a different approach—trust first, then question upon spotting any doubts. The value of this to society was immense.

Of course, there is another important aspect to this rule; anyone who had spent money on Xiao Yi’s treatment would surely no longer dare to disbelieve in traditional Chinese medicine!

————————————————————————(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)