Chapter 266: A Falling Out

Li Wanjin glanced at his furious colleagues and made a solemn announcement.

"On behalf of the Wulin City Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, I declare that Chen Qingdi is permanently barred from joining our association. He is also forbidden from using the association’s name to swindle the public. From this day forward, all his actions are his own and have nothing to do with our Traditional Chinese Medicine Association. Should he break any laws, he will have to bear the consequences himself!"

Hearing this, Chen Qingdi shook his head.

"Grand Chairman Li, are you done talking?"

Chairman Li had been speaking with such fervor for a while, but he noticed Chen Qingdi was completely unmoved. He shot him a suspicious look.

"Kid, who in the world is backing you?"

Chen Qingdi sneered. "Me? I’m just one person. If one of me falls, another will rise. It makes no difference. I cannot condone the actions of your esteemed association, and I would be ashamed to be associated with you. Since we walk different paths, we can’t work together. Farewell!"

After speaking, he paid no more mind to what they were planning and turned to leave the hotel.

Boss Jia, standing nearby, was furious. "Chairman, it looks like this kid plans to fight us to the bitter end! It’s time we found someone to teach him a lesson!"

The shopkeeper from Guihai Pharmacy next to him chimed in, "Exactly! If this kid keeps this up, we’ll all be left with nothing to eat."

"I, Hu Tongmai, owner of Nantong Pharmacy, solemnly declare that I will never work with Chen Qingdi!"

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus—to exclude Chen Qingdi from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association—Chairman Li was very pleased.

"My dear colleagues, the cake is only so big. If an outsider comes and takes a piece, we’ll all be forced to close up shop! Therefore, I’ve made a decision: Huipu Clinic has nothing to do with traditional Chinese medicine. It is a fraudulent organization that everyone must resolutely boycott!"

Right after the meeting concluded, Chairman Li personally penned a statement.

"Chen Qing, the resident physician at Huipu Clinic, has absolutely no foundation in traditional Chinese medicine. The remedies he sells are nothing but harmless fake medicines. In response to his infringing behavior, and in the spirit of separating the wheat from the chaff, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association will resolutely boycott and report him. We absolutely cannot allow any charlatan to infiltrate the ranks of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners!"

After the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association’s notice was posted, Chen Qingdi found that fewer and fewer people were coming to his clinic.

Most people were now choosing clinics affiliated with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association.

But he wasn’t worried. He didn’t publicly respond to their accusations, instead focusing on studying his medical texts and continuing to improve his clinic.

Then one day, an old woman suddenly came to Chen Qingdi’s clinic.

"Mr. Chen, we’ve been taking medicine from one of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association’s clinics for over ten days and spent several thousand yuan, but the illness is only getting worse! Please, you have to save us!"

Chen Qingdi looked at them. "You know the rules in the medical world. You should let the doctor who started your treatment see it through to the end. Otherwise, if a medical dispute arises, it’s impossible to determine who’s responsible."

The old woman knelt before Chen Qingdi, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

"But Doctor Jia from Ten Thousand Herbs Hall accused us of tarnishing the hall’s reputation! He had us beaten and thrown out! Please, Divine Physician, save us!"

At that moment, some neighbors from the area stepped up to vouch for the old woman. She was just an ordinary resident of Wulin City who used to get by with odd jobs. After falling ill, she lost her job and was now struggling to survive.

Chen Qingdi’s heart was moved with compassion. He asked to see the prescription they had been given. He saw that the prescription itself was correct; he would have prescribed the same thing himself.

So he said to the old woman, "How about this, bring me the dregs from the medicine you’ve been brewing."

When the dregs were brought to him, Chen Qingdi finally discovered the problem. Although the prescription was correct, the herbs they had been sold were fake.

He then said to the old woman, "The medicine you bought was fake. But don’t you worry. I’ll write you a new prescription. If you buy the medicine from me, I guarantee you’ll be cured after one course of treatment!"

Chen Qingdi was as good as his word. He wrote a new prescription and prepared the medicine for the old woman.

The old woman had just stepped out of the clinic when a few shady-looking young men approached. One of them shoved her to the ground, sending the traditional medicine scattering everywhere.

"Are you deaf, old bat?! Our boss already said that anyone who dares come to Huipu Clinic for treatment is making an enemy of him! If we don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll never learn who you’re messing with!"

He ordered his lackeys to beat her viciously.

After taking a few kicks from the men, the old woman couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed to the ground, whimpering in pain.

Chen Qingdi couldn’t bear to watch any longer and rushed out of his clinic.

"What do you think you’re doing? In broad daylight, acting so outrageously toward an elderly woman! You have some nerve!"

The shady-looking leader glanced at Chen Qingdi out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. Who the hell do you think you are, kid? Sticking your nose in Master Gou’s business?"

Just then, a few of Chen Qingdi’s former patients quietly tried to warn him.

"Sir, you shouldn’t mess with these guys. They’re notorious local thugs. Their leader, Gou, is also known as Black Dog. He makes a living collecting protection money. If you get on his bad side, your clinic will be in for a world of trouble!"

But Chen Qingdi had no intention of indulging Black Dog. He stepped in front of the old woman, shielding her.

"I don’t give a damn if you’re a black dog or a white dog! You dare to bark in front of my clinic, and I’ll skin you alive and eat you for dinner!"

Black Dog gave an order to his men.

"Just leave him breathing."

His lackeys charged viciously at Chen Qingdi. But without moving his body or swaying his shoulders, Chen Qingdi simply flicked his fingers at them.

A glimmer of light shot out, and a needle embedded itself in each of the men. They cried out in pain and then froze on the spot, as if hit by an Immobilization Technique.

Black Dog grabbed an iron pipe and swung it down at Chen Qingdi’s head.

"You little bastard! How dare you get in the way of Master Gou’s business! Take this!"

Chen Qingdi had no interest in tangling with him. He threw a punch from a distance, not even using his full strength.

Before Black Dog could even get close, he was struck by the force of the punch and sent flying backward, landing flat on his back. The iron pipe flew from his grasp.

Chen Qingdi walked up to Black Dog. "Leaving scum like you in this world is a menace to society. Today, I’m going to do the public a favor and take out the trash!"

Terrified, Black Dog scrambled to his feet, took several steps back, and then charged forward recklessly.

But again, before he could reach Chen Qingdi, he was struck by another long-range punch. This one hit the base of his thigh, and he lost control, dropping to one knee.

"What kind of Demon Technique are you using, kid?"

Chen Qingdi had no interest in wasting words with him. He threw another punch. The man’s other leg gave out, and with a THUD, he fell to both knees before Chen Qingdi.

"You..."

Chen Qingdi said coldly, "If you dare spew any more shit from that mouth of yours, I’ll smash your damn head in!"