Medical and Martial God

Chapter 406: Alas, I only have money left because I’m poor.

Actually, after Ye Xiu and Song Yushu left, Ma Zixiong immediately got his story straight with Old Niu, Lili, the seven lounge princesses, and the ten gunners from the first squad. However, he couldn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any idiots among them.

"Here’s what happened," Lili said, bracing herself as she stole a glance at Ma Zixiong from the corner of her eye. "That guy liked me and wanted to take me for the night. I asked for 10,000, but he said I wasn’t worth that much. I muttered that he was stingy, and he got angry and slapped me. In a rage, I called Old Niu..."

Ma Zixiong breathed a sigh of relief. Lili is a smart teammate!

"Bring Little Niu in," Xu Zhiqiang ordered.

Next, Xu Zhiqiang questioned Old Niu, the seven lounge princesses, and the ten gunners from the first squad one by one. They all answered according to the script Ma Zixiong had written for them. This allowed Ma Zixiong and the others who had already been interrogated to breathe a sigh of relief. What great teammates!

In reality, Lili and the others knew perfectly well that if they told the truth, Xu Zhiqiang would likely silence them permanently to protect the laboratory’s secrets. To save their own lives, they had no choice but to cooperate with Ma Zixiong.

...

"You didn’t come to Han Jin City to find a job. You came looking for Qin Ming, didn’t you?" Song Yushu asked, finally breaking the silence after a long while.

"Actually, I came specifically to help you save the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall," Ye Xiu said offhandedly.

"Such a shameless boast!" Song Yushu rolled her eyes at him. "My grandfather, my father, and I couldn’t save the Ancient Medical Hall. What makes you think a mere driver can?"

"How much longer can the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall last?" Ye Xiu asked.

"It’s about to go out of business!" Song Yushu’s expression dimmed. "The Mingde Ancient Medical Hall is a time-honored establishment in Han Jin City, and the Song Family was built from it. But ever since the Wankang Wellness Hall opened, our business has been going downhill. It’s been half a month now since a single patient has come for treatment. I’m planning to pay the staff this month’s salary and then shut the place down."

She then added, "Don’t worry. Even if the Ancient Medical Hall closes, I’ll still work at Mingde Pharmaceuticals, and you’ll still be my driver."

This girl is pretty loyal... Ye Xiu smiled. "Since the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall is about to close anyway, why not let me try my hand for a few days? Maybe I can bring it back to life."

"That’s impossible," Song Yushu said, completely disheartened. "You have no idea how skilled the doctors at Wankang Wellness Hall are. The people of Han Jin City only trust them now. On top of that, Jiao Fuping’s tactics are about to crush most of the other hospitals in the city."

"Let me try," Ye Xiu said earnestly. "Even if I fail, it won’t be any real loss for the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall."

Song Yushu suddenly realized he wasn’t joking. "What’s your plan to save it?"

"Get a megaphone. Tomorrow morning, have someone stand at the entrance and announce that the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall is offering free treatment for three days," Ye Xiu said.

"That’s it?" Song Yushu was deeply disappointed. "I thought you had some brilliant idea. I’ve already tried that. When I first took over, that’s exactly what I did. Because the place is a well-known brand in Han Jin City, a lot of people showed up. But that bastard Jiao Fuping sabotaged me. He not only ruined my plan but also damaged the hall’s reputation even further."

"The same tactic might not work for you, but it might just work for me," Ye Xiu said with unshakable confidence. "It’s going out of business anyway, so just let me give it a shot."

Song Yushu hesitated for a moment. "Fine. You can play around for three days." I must be crazy, actually agreeing to this. Oh well, let him have his three days. It’s not like there’s anything left to lose. I can use these three days to handle the paperwork for closing the hall.

...

「The next day!」

The doorman of the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall stood at the entrance, holding a megaphone and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Great news, great news! To show our gratitude for the citizens’ years of trust and support, starting today, the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall will offer free medical treatment for three days..."

Ye Xiu and Song Yushu stood by the entrance, watching pedestrians hurry past. Not only did no one come in for treatment, but no one even stopped to ask about the offer.

"It’s nine o’clock, and still not a single patient. Now do you believe the Ancient Medical Hall is beyond saving?" Song Yushu said with a miserable look on her face.

Ye Xiu gave an awkward smile. He hadn’t expected the smear campaign from Wankang Wellness Hall to be quite this effective. He said, "Alright, let’s add another line to the advertisement: Our treatment is free. If we can’t cure you, we’ll pay you 100,000 in compensation."

"Are you insane?" Song Yushu’s pretty face changed color. "Not even the Xuanse Medicine King Ye Xiu or the Ghost Doctor would dare make an offer like that! What doctor can guarantee a cure for every single illness? If we really change the ad to that, people with incurable diseases from all over the country will flock here just to get the money."

But I dare to make such a guarantee...

Ye Xiu thought, but he said aloud, "I’ll cover the cost. You’ve already decided to close the place down, so even if we fail and ruin its reputation, it doesn’t matter."

"Do you have that much money?" Song Yushu asked.

"You might not believe this, but I’m so poor that all I have is money," Ye Xiu whispered.

Heh, you’re quite the braggart... Song Yushu thought to herself, hesitating. "This is no joke. If you can’t produce the money when the time comes, it’ll be considered fraud. That would damage the reputation of Mingde Pharmaceuticals."

"Give me your bank account number," Ye Xiu said.

"What for?"

"Just give it to me."

"Fine!"

A moment later, Song Yushu received a text notification for a bank transfer. After reading it, she sucked in a sharp breath. "You... you, you, you transferred 100,000,000 to me?"

"Hurry up and get that advertisement changed," Ye Xiu urged.

"Alright! Since you’re so determined to throw money away, I’ll just consider this me using your money to give back to society. Think of it as charity!" Song Yushu shrugged and scampered off to find the doorman to change the ad’s wording. What kind of driver did I hire? He’s richer than his own boss, she muttered to herself.

Soon, the announcement from the megaphone was updated. The effect was immediate.

Passersby began stopping to ask if the offer was real. After confirming it, they all rushed excitedly into the Ancient Medical Hall. In this day and age, almost everyone has some ailment, big or small. Given the offer of free treatment—and a 100,000 payout if it failed—plenty of opportunistic people were eager to try their luck.

"Tsk, tsk. Director Song, playing the high-roller, are we? Have you already forgotten the sorry state I beat you into last year?" Jiao Fuping mocked sarcastically, strolling toward them with a malicious smile.

Song Yushu was seething, but before she could snap back, Ye Xiu spoke in a cold voice, "Director Jiao, we meet again."

Song Yushu froze. Ye Liangchen knows Jiao Fuping?

Jiao Fuping was also taken aback. He stared at Ye Xiu for three seconds before he remembered. "You’re that fool who came to Wankang Wellness Hall looking for a job yesterday. The one I kicked out, who said I’d regret it as he was leaving."

It suddenly dawned on Song Yushu. So he really did come to Han Jin City looking for a job. Wankang Wellness Hall must have rejected him, and that’s why he ended up at the Mingde Ancient Medical Hall.