Chapter 810: Heartfelt Words

Chapter 810: Chapter 810: Heartfelt Words

Ju Jiahong stood to the side. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Li Xu in the corner of the room, then looked at his grandfather.

He knew perfectly well that someone of his grandfather’s status would never have casually attended a youth-level exchange conference like this unless yesterday’s incident had caused a massive uproar.

His grandfather had come specifically for him.

After Song Luojun took his seat, Dong Yongnian struck while the iron was hot. "Elder Song, it’s rare to see you in such good spirits today. Before the clinical exchange begins, why don’t you say a few words to the young people? For this younger generation, just seeing you is normally harder than scaling the heavens. Today, they’re all eagerly awaiting your teachings."

Song Luojun chuckled and didn’t decline. He took the microphone. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was resonant and full of vitality, carrying clearly to every corner of the room.

"Then I’ll pull rank as an elder and share a few words from the bottom of my heart."

Song Luojun’s gaze was profound, and his tone was solemn. "Mr. Tan Sitong once wrote *The Young China Discourse*, stating that if the youth are strong, then China is strong. The same holds true for any profession—if our young doctors are strong, then Xinglin will be strong.

"You all are the mainstays of traditional Chinese medicine in Feng City and even the entire province. You are the future hope of our field.

"But before studying medicine, you must first ask yourselves: Why do you want to practice medicine?

"What is the purpose of living? This isn’t just a proposition for philosophers; it’s a mandatory question for us healers."

Song Luojun paused, his tone growing heavier. "When you first started studying medicine, was it just to make a living, to secure a spot for yourself in a high-rise office building? Or was it to save lives and carry on the great legacy of traditional medicine?

"Different goals yield different levels of resolve. Naturally, the heights you ultimately reach will be worlds apart.

"It’s like going to the market to buy groceries.

"If your target price is five dollars, you’ll negotiate it down to four-fifty at most, and the vendor will still think you’re easy to deal with.

"But if you’re aiming for the best quality and are willing to put in the effort of ten dollars, even if you don’t end up with the absolute top tier, what you bring home certainly won’t be rotten cabbage leaves."

Hearing this, the young doctors in the audience fell into deep thought.

Li Xu gave a slight nod. Although the old professor’s words were plain, they struck straight to the heart of the matter.

"Young people nowadays like to divide medicine into Chinese and Western.

"This isn’t wrong. Different fields have their own specializations.

"But we must understand that the essence of the medical path is to alleviate suffering.

"If, just because others are already doing well in certain areas, we take it for granted that ’there’s no need to understand, no need to learn, and no need to compete,’ then the final result will only be that we end up understanding nothing at all."

Song Luojun’s gaze lingered on Ju Jiahong for a moment. Although his eyes were kind, his words were as sharp as a blade.

"Just because others know how to do something doesn’t mean we have the right to remain ignorant.

"Just because others understand something doesn’t mean we can pretend not to.

"If you don’t even dare to step onto the battlefield, if you only think about hiding in the rear to do logistics and provide basic conditioning, then you will never become a valiant general leading the charge.

"The most terrifying thing in studying medicine is ’setting limits.’

"Once you set limits for yourself, you cap the potential of your medical path."

The moment these words were spoken, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

Many recalled Ju Jiahong’s remarks from the day before, claiming that traditional Chinese medicine had no need to compete in the field of emergency rescue.

This wasn’t an opening speech at all. It was clearly the old man publicly tearing down his own grandson’s argument—even figuratively slapping him in the face.

Ju Jiahong lowered his head, his hands hidden beneath the table clenching slightly. He was naturally gifted; how could he not hear the painstaking effort behind his grandfather’s words?

He originally thought his "support theory" was a manifestation of rationality and maturity. Yet, in the eyes of his grandfather—a national grandmaster who had experienced countless life-and-death struggles—it was actually a cowardly act of surrendering without a fight, a sheer lack of resolve.

"Since ancient times, medicine has been a path, and practicing medicine has been a form of spiritual cultivation. The ancient sages said, ’I have heard that the gateway to the path begins with intention; the urgent task of cultivation requires setting a vow first.’ With a vow established, a patient’s critical condition can be saved; with the heart awakened, a withered tree can welcome spring."

Song Luojun glanced at Li Xu in the audience and continued, "Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, and don’t be afraid of being accused of ’reckless advancement.’ If a doctor can only stand by and watch when facing a disease, then that kind of ’prudence’ is a healer’s shame. What we should pursue is standing on the shoulders of our predecessors to surpass them, not hiding in their shadows and resting on their laurels.

"I have taken many detours in my life. The reason I’m telling you this is that I hope you won’t repeat my mistakes. The so-called ’wisdom of elders’ is actually just a collection of the stumbles this old man has taken. If you can see these stumbles clearly, your medical path will be smoother and go further."

Having finished speaking, Song Luojun slowly lowered the microphone.

The venue plunged into a brief, dead silence before erupting into thunderous applause. This applause wasn’t just for Song Luojun’s status, but for his sincere and pure Ambition of a Great Physician.

Li Xu clapped, feeling deeply moved. He had originally assumed that most of these famous bigshots were rigid in their thinking. He never expected Song Luojun to be so open-minded and insightful.

This emphasis on resolve perfectly aligned with the sense of mission bestowed upon him by his system.

"Thank you, Elder Song," Dong Yongnian said, his expression solemn. "Elder Song’s words have truly awakened us from our dreams. We must not only treat illnesses but also reflect on our original intentions. Our young doctors indeed need to establish a grand aspiration."

Song Luojun smiled and waved his hand. "Alright, this old man has said enough. I’ll leave the rest of the time to you. Today, I only brought my ears to see what real clinical skills the younger generation of Feng City actually possesses."

As Song Luojun took his seat, the initially somewhat loose exchange conference instantly became tense and imposing. If yesterday’s debate was merely a war of words, then today’s clinical exchange in front of Elder Song, their "reviewer," was a true clash of drawn bayonets.

"We have patients arriving from various major hospitals for everyone to discuss and exchange ideas on," Dong Yongnian announced.

As he spoke, the first patient came in. It was a teenage boy, around fourteen or fifteen years old, accompanied by his parents. When the patient walked into the conference room, everyone looked over.

Generally speaking, a child of this age should be highly spirited, energetic, and active. Even if they were introverted, they should still give off a vibe of youthful vitality. However, this teenager looked incredibly lethargic, as if he hadn’t fully woken up.

A staff member arranged for the teenager to sit down, and the parents began to explain their child’s condition.

The teenager’s primary symptom was excessive lethargy. He wanted to sleep all day and would doze off constantly. The parents had taken him to various major Western medicine hospitals for examinations, but despite using numerous medications, nothing had been effective. Now, the boy felt the urge to sleep every five or six minutes. Once he lay his head on a desk, he would fall asleep almost instantly, easily sleeping fifteen or sixteen hours a day.

He was currently in his first year of middle school, and this condition had severely impacted his studies. His teachers had called his parents more than once. In fact, in his teachers’ eyes, the boy simply hated studying. Whenever a teacher started a lecture, he would fall asleep—the classic behavior of a slacker.