Chapter 809: Elders

Chapter 809: Chapter 809: Elders

"What news? Are we getting an extra meal tomorrow?" Liu Haodong joked.

Liu Haofei swallowed hard, keeping his voice to an excited whisper. "I heard that for tomorrow morning’s clinical exchange session... Elder Song is coming in person!"

"What? Elder Song is coming?" Liu Haixue, who had been leaning back on the sofa, suddenly sat bolt upright in disbelief. "Song Luojun, Elder Song? He hasn’t attended an event at this level in years, has he?"

Song Luojun was the Taishan and leading luminary of the traditional Chinese medicine community in Feng City, and indeed the entire country. He was a figure on the level of a National Medical Master.

Most importantly, he was Ju Jiahong’s maternal grandfather.

"Why is Elder Song suddenly coming?" Lin Guorui was starting to feel nervous as well.

Once a venerable figure of his caliber made an appearance, the entire nature of the event changed.

"I’m guessing the news of this morning reached the old man’s ears," Liu Haohui analyzed. "Ju Jiahong has always swept away his peers outside, but today he was left a bit speechless by Li Xu’s rapid-fire barrage. Elder Song is probably worried that the apple of his eye suffered a setback, so he plans to come and see for himself."

"You don’t think so, do you?" Liu Haodong frowned. "Would a top medical master like Elder Song really be so petty? It was just a couple of lost arguments in an academic debate. Would he really come in person just to be fiercely protective of his grandson?"

Everyone’s eyes turned to Liu Haodong as if they were looking at an idiot.

"What are you thinking?" Liu Haixue smacked him on the head. "Elder Song definitely isn’t coming to stand up for Ju Jiahong. On the contrary, he might have realized that Ju Jiahong finally hit a brick wall. He probably wants to see for himself who managed to force this Saint Heir—someone even his grandfather couldn’t teach—into a state of self-reflection."

Liu Haohui nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Jiahong’s journey has been too smooth so far. This kind of smooth sailing is actually a major taboo in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. If you’ve never seen the shadows, how can you understand Yang Qi? Elder Song definitely feels that the name Li Xu might be the catalyst for Ju Jiahong to break through his bottleneck."

Everyone knew that although Ju Jiahong’s medical skills were exceptional, if he couldn’t shed that arrogant academic attitude before the age of forty, his potential would hit a hard ceiling.

Liu Haixue analyzed, "This was most likely blabbed by President Dong or Secretary-General Hao. The two of them have decades of friendship with Elder Song. Li Xu’s impassioned argument this morning about how TCM practitioners cannot back down would absolutely strike a chord with a famous older generation figure like him. Elder Song’s generation truly fought their way out of piles of corpses and infectious disease wards relying on Chinese medicine. The last thing they want to see is younger TCM generations saying things like ’there’s no need to fight for it’."

Li Xu sat to the side, his expression calm.

"It’s our honor that Elder Song is coming," Li Xu said mildly. "Being able to receive face-to-face guidance from a top medical master is an opportunity many people couldn’t get even if they begged for it. As for whether he’s coming to stand up for Director Ju, we’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it tomorrow."

"You’re certainly calm," Liu Haodong sighed. "If Elder Song really asks for your insights on the Lizhong Decoction or the Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Warm Pathogenic Diseases, whatever you do, don’t mouth off to the old man like you did to Ju Jiahong. That elderly gentleman is the stabilizing anchor of Feng City."

Li Xu smiled but didn’t reply.

In truth, he didn’t feel much pressure. If Elder Song were truly the kind of person who was overly protective of his own faults and set in his ways, he wouldn’t have become a National Medical Master. On the contrary, Li Xu was actually looking forward to conversing with a top-tier veteran TCM practitioner like him, eager to see how these grandmasters viewed the current chaotic state of traditional Chinese medicine and how they would go about fixing it.

The next morning, inside the restaurant of the New World Hotel.

A faint aroma of coffee mingled with the steam of Chinese-style breakfast pastries. After washing up, Li Xu changed into a clean, crisp shirt and went down to the restaurant alone.

By now, young doctors had gathered in small groups of twos and threes. Holding their food trays, their conversations inevitably circled back to yesterday’s debate.

"Did you hear? After Director Ju went back to his room last night, his lights stayed on until the middle of the night. He was probably analyzing yesterday’s defeat."

"What defeat? That was an academic collision. But honestly, Li Xu’s sharp questions were ruthless. He directly tore off the final fig leaf of traditional Chinese medicine. Those of us here really have been playing it too safe."

Li Xu sat in a corner holding a bowl of millet porridge.

He could feel quite a few gazes sneaking glances at him—some filled with curiosity, some with awe, and some with unconcealed defiance.

Lin Guorui and Li Lin arrived shortly after, taking a seat beside him.

"Dean Li, how did you sleep last night?" Lin Guorui asked, keeping his voice low. "Today is the main event: the clinical case exchange. I heard Ju Jiahong is planning to regain his lost ground during the practical combat segment."

Li Xu took a sip of his porridge and smiled faintly. "The practical segment is for treating patients, not putting on a show. When we are truly faced with a patient, what matters is whether the prescription works, not who has the biggest ego. Eat up. We need full stomachs to have the energy to work."

At eight-thirty that morning, inside the multi-function conference room.

The initially noisy venue gradually quieted down as everyone took their seats. However, just as the meeting was about to officially begin, a subtle yet solemn stir came from the doorway.

Dong Yongnian and Hao Xiangchen, the two association leaders, were acting like junior apprentices. With slight bows and expressions of utmost reverence, they accompanied an elderly man into the room.

Ju Jiahong walked on the old man’s other side. Although he still maintained his elite demeanor, the usual arrogance between his brows had vanished completely.

The elderly man appeared to be around eighty years old. He wore a moon-white silk Tang suit with a traditional front opening. Though his hair was completely white, it was meticulously combed. His complexion was as rosy as a child’s, and his eyes were clear and bright. His footsteps carried an ethereal, sage-like lightness.

"Elder Song!"

"My God, it really is Professor Song Luojun!"

A wave of suppressed gasps echoed through the conference room.

Song Luojun was the stabilizing anchor of the Feng City traditional Chinese medicine community, an expert in the Healthcare Bureau, and a tenured professor at the Provincial University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In the eyes of these young doctors, Elder Song was a living Shennong, a legend who only existed on the title pages of textbooks and on the evening news.

Li Xu also stood up, his gaze fixed on the elderly man.

He could sense a profoundly powerful aura radiating from Song Luojun. It wasn’t the oppressive weight of authority, but a natural divine light forged from decades of daily immersion in the medical Dao and countless lives saved.

"Having heard that the young talents of Feng City had gathered here for an exchange, Elder Song specially made time to come and take a look. Let’s all welcome him," Dong Yongnian introduced with a beaming smile.

Song Luojun walked to the seat of honor but didn’t sit down immediately. Instead, he surveyed the sea of young faces below the stage. Smiling, he pressed a hand down in a placating gesture. "There’s no need to be so polite, everyone, please sit. I’m just here to audit today. Seeing so many rising young stars makes my heart feel a few years younger. I hope my arrival hasn’t disrupted your original rhythm."

"You must be joking, Elder Song. Your presence here is a blessing we couldn’t get even if we begged for it," Hao Xiangchen quickly pulled out a chair, inviting Elder Song to sit.