Chapter 799: Master Is More Powerful, Right?

Chapter 799: Chapter 799: Master Is More Powerful, Right?

"It’s fine. Let’s head to the hospital first and get ready. Once Miaomiao arrives, I’ll take a look at her first." Li Xu put on his white coat and said, "If I can’t figure it out, we’ll ask the senior experts in the department for a consultation."

"Yeah." Gao Mingxuan nodded. "I trust your skills. Actually, if we could treat this illness in our town, I’d prescribe a few formulas to try, but Ruiping and his wife were worried sick and insisted on seeing an expert in the big city. I also want to see how the experts in the city go about treating this."

After parking the car, Li Xu led Gao Mingxuan through the entrance of the emergency department at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As soon as they stepped into the lobby, the noisy atmosphere seemed to quiet down for a moment.

"Good morning, Dean Li!" the young nurse at the triage desk called out in a crisp voice.

"Good morning, Dean Li." A few administrative staff members walking toward them also stopped to politely greet him.

Li Xu nodded in response to each of them, his expression calm and composed.

Trailing behind him, Gao Mingxuan was completely dumbfounded. This was the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, famous throughout the province. Why did the nurses and doctors here look at his disciple as if they had just seen their top boss?

"Dean? You’re the dean here?" Gao Mingxuan stopped in his tracks and asked in a low voice.

Li Xu touched his nose and smiled. "A vice dean, externally hired, mainly in charge of clinical operations. Don’t look at me like that, Teacher. I’m still the same Li Xu as before."

Gao Mingxuan opened his mouth, finally squeezing out a sentence, "That... that’s still amazing. It’s a vice dean position, and how old are you?"

At this moment, Chief Resident Gao Jingyun walked over from the other end of the corridor with a smile. "Dean Li, you’re here quite early today."

Li Xu stopped and introduced them. "President Gao, this is my teacher, Dr. Gao Mingxuan."

"Oh my!" Hearing that this was Li Xu’s teacher, Gao Jingyun’s face instantly filled with awe and enthusiasm. He hurriedly reached out with both hands. "Hello, Dr. Gao, hello! So it’s Dean Li’s esteemed mentor. Your presence truly brings light to our humble hospital!"

Gao Jingyun’s attitude couldn’t have been more affectionate. For Li Xu to possess such miraculous medical skills at his age, wouldn’t his teacher have to be some legendary hidden master? Although Gao Mingxuan looked entirely ordinary, Gao Jingyun was now looking at him through the filter of a grandmaster.

Gao Mingxuan was a little dazed by Gao Jingyun’s intense demeanor and subconsciously shook his hand. "You’re too polite, Dr. Gao. Just call me Old Gao."

"How could I do that?" Gao Jingyun waved his hands repeatedly. "Our Director Yunjun is in his office right now. If he knew you were here, he would definitely come out to welcome you personally. How about I take you over to have a seat and a cup of tea first?"

Just as Gao Mingxuan was about to wave his hand and decline the troublesome offer, the Emergency Department Director, Zeng Yunjun, happened to step out of the ward area after his rounds.

"Dean Li!" Zeng Yunjun called out from a distance.

"Director Yunjun," Li Xu greeted him.

Gao Jingyun hurriedly leaned in and whispered a few words into Zeng Yunjun’s ear.

Zeng Yunjun’s eyes widened. His reaction was even more exaggerated than Gao Jingyun’s. He closed the distance in two quick strides and tightly grasped Gao Mingxuan’s hands with both of his own. "Hello, Dr. Gao! Hello, Dr. Gao! Oh my, Dean Li, really now, Elder Gao came to inspect our work, and you didn’t give us a heads-up? I could have arranged a proper welcoming ceremony!"

While complaining to Li Xu, Zeng Yunjun held onto Gao Mingxuan’s hands with a death grip, refusing to let go. His fervent enthusiasm made it look as if he had just reunited with his long-lost father.

"Director Yunjun, you are entirely too polite." Gao Mingxuan was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, his face flushing red.

Although he was just a doctor from a small town, he had worked in the field his entire life. How could he not recognize the rank of these directors? Looking at Zeng Yunjun’s badge and aura, he was undeniably the big boss of the Emergency Department at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a chief physician. Normally, Gao Mingxuan would have to wait in a long line just to catch a glimpse of an expert of this caliber, let alone have them hold his hand and affectionately call him "Dr. Gao."

From the corner of his eye, Gao Mingxuan sneaked a glance at Li Xu, only to find him standing to the side with a faint smile. He suddenly understood. This overwhelming display of respect was entirely because his disciple possessed heaven-defying prestige and skill at this hospital! His disciple had not only become a dean but had also completely won over all these proud and arrogant chief physicians.

"Director Yunjun, I’m truly sorry, but I’m just here today to bring my little granddaughter to see a doctor, not for an inspection. I don’t deserve this honor, I really don’t." Gao Mingxuan finally managed to pull his hands back, repeatedly bowing with his hands folded in front of him.

"Your grandchild is sick? Is it serious?" Zeng Yunjun’s professional instincts instantly kicked in. He put away his smile. "Is she being treated in our department?"

"They’re on their way over right now, but they’re stuck in traffic," Li Xu explained. "My teacher’s son and daughter-in-law are bringing the child. They should be here soon."

"Well, you shouldn’t just wait around here!" Zeng Yunjun turned around and instructed Gao Jingyun, "Xiaogao, take two nurses and go wait at the main entrance. Once Dr. Gao’s granddaughter arrives, put her straight through the green channel. Skip the registration line and bring her directly to my expert consultation room—no, bring her straight to Dean Li’s exclusive consultation room."

After saying that, Zeng Yunjun turned back and half-forced Gao Mingxuan toward his office by the arm. "Dr. Gao, since the child isn’t here yet, let’s go inside and sit for a while. I have some top-tier Da Hong Pao tea. We absolutely must have a good exchange of Chinese medicine insights today. For you to have taught a prodigy like Dean Li, I simply have to pick your brain and draw out all that profound knowledge."

Inside the office, the fragrance of tea curled upward through the air.

Unable to decline Zeng Yunjun’s excessive enthusiasm, Gao Mingxuan was half-dragged, half-coaxed into the room. Half of Zeng Yunjun’s fervor stemmed from Li Xu’s current status and prestige, leaving him no choice but to highly value Li Xu’s esteemed mentor. The other half came from genuine, heartfelt admiration. In his view, for Li Xu to have such a monstrous level of skill in Chinese medicine, his master—even if unknown to the public—was highly likely a reclusive sage hiding in the bustling city.

"Which hospital do you currently work at, Teacher Gao?" Zeng Yunjun asked with a smile as he skillfully washed the tea leaves and brewed the tea.

"Director Yunjun, you flatter me far too much. I’ve never worked in a large hospital; I’ve spent my whole life spinning around in a rural clinic." Gao Mingxuan rubbed his hands together, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the sofa.

"For you to have taught such an outstanding disciple as Li Xu, Teacher Gao, your skill level must absolutely be this." Zeng Yunjun gave a thumbs-up. "Clinic doctors have the richest practical experience. Sometimes, the intractable diseases we rarely see in our big hospitals are just everyday occurrences for you."

Gao Mingxuan’s old face flushed slightly upon hearing this, and he waved his hand in slight embarrassment. "To be honest, I didn’t teach Xiao Xu that much. He just studied with me for a while when he was young to build a foundation. I never expected this child to reach such a high level of accomplishment." Speaking of this, a flash of pride crossed Gao Mingxuan’s eyes. "If anything, it’s this old man who took huge advantage, picking up a renowned disciple famous throughout Feng City for free."

"That also shows you have an excellent eye for talent, Teacher Gao," Zeng Yunjun sighed with emotion.

His sentiment wasn’t false. From the enlightenment of a rural doctor to the level of a top provincial expert, while the leap was a testament to Li Xu’s talent, the credit due to Gao Mingxuan as his guiding light could never be erased.