Chapter 31: A new opportunity
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
“He’s… really a doctor?” someone from the band asked in a slightly doubtful and disbelieving tone.
“Could we have misunderstood him?!” Luo Xinyu was even more puzzled.
w.a.n.g Fugui thought, ‘There’s no misunderstanding at all. He only became a doctor two days ago.’
But he wasn’t going to tell them that since he wanted to entirely distance himself from the matter. “Y’all were saying that I recommended someone who was sick in the head to be your guide, but I didn’t. Just look, he really is a doctor.”
“That can’t be right. Let me try to remember.” A soldier from the private army thought for a while and said, “What did he say the last time we saw him?”
“Congratulations! Father and child are both doing fine! The baby weighs 3.24 kilograms!” someone answered.
“That’s right, who says something like ‘father and child are both doing fine!’” That soldier said angrily, “Someone like that can even become a doctor in this town?”
Seeing them recall word for word what Ren Xiaosu said, w.a.n.g Fugui explained, “Aren’t we living in conditions where medical treatment is not so good? But it’s absolutely true. He is indeed our town’s doctor. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the people around here.”
w.a.n.g Fugui then walked a few houses down. He knocked on a random door and asked, “Is Ren Xiaosu our town’s doctor?”
The person who answered the door was taken aback momentarily. “Yes, he is.”
“How are his medical skills?” w.a.n.g Fugui asked again.
That person gave him a thumbs up. “Who in town is not praising Ren Xiaosu these days!”
The band members were lost in thought again. They turned their heads back towards the clinic and saw that there was no one at the window anymore.
“You were saying that he’s the only person who can bring people through the Jing Mountains?” asked Luo Xinyu, having calmed down.
“Yes.” w.a.n.g Fugui gave it some thought and said with a smile, “Actually, I can’t guarantee that he’ll take you through. But if even he can’t do it, no one else in this town can get you there.”
“You’re almost praising him to the high heavens.” Luo Xinyu sneered, “Tell him that he has been recruited. We’ll set off again after we’ve rested and reorganized the group.”
“Don’t, there’s no use telling me about this.” w.a.n.g Fugui gave a sheepish smile and said, “If you want to recruit him, you’ll have to seek Boss Luo’s permission.”
“Boss Luo? How’s he related to Boss Luo?” Luo Xinyu was stunned.
“I don’t know the exact details, but you definitely can’t just recruit and use him as you please,” w.a.n.g Fugui stated.
Luo Xinyu snorted in disgust. At this moment, the soldiers who reported back to the stronghold returned with news that they could enter. Soldiers stationed atop the stronghold walls slowly raised the portcullis. Without another word, Luo Xinyu led her group back into the stronghold.
w.a.n.g Fugui patted his chest in relief. In fact, he had been afraid that they would try to settle the score with him. But fortunately for him, he had struck up a good relations.h.i.+p with Boss Luo because of the black medicine. If he did not throw this name out today, he would probably have gotten severely punished even if he would not have to die.
In reality, even w.a.n.g Fugui himself was unsure of how powerful Boss Luo was in the stronghold. But whenever he threw this name around, he could get a deep sense of how d.a.m.n useful it was.
w.a.n.g Fugui went to knock on the clinic’s door as he wanted to discuss the matter with Ren Xiaosu. But even after knocking for a long time, no one answered him. w.a.n.g Fugui muttered, “Could they bear a grudge against me?”
The next morning, Ren Xiaosu opened the clinic on time and got ready for business. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw w.a.n.g Fugui standing outside with a smile on his face. Ren Xiaosu snapped, “What’s the matter?”
“You see, I recommended you to them back then with good intentions.” w.a.n.g Fugui said, “It’s a chance for you get into the stronghold. Do you know how many people out here want to get into the stronghold? Everyone wants that!”
“Why don’t you seize this good opportunity for yourself?” Ren Xiaosu said unhappily, “I’ll draw a map for you to lead them there. If you manage to bring them there, you’ll gain entry to the stronghold.”
“I can’t go.” w.a.n.g Fugui flinched. “I’m not as skilled as you. Besides, what will my son do if I end up getting into the stronghold? Since I’m so old, I can find a wife out here as long as I’m willing to spend some money. But there won’t be anyone who will be interested in me if I get into the stronghold.”
Ren Xiaosu said, “You may have a son, but I also have Liuyuan and Big Sister Xiaoyu. What will happen to them if I get into the stronghold? If you recommend me to them again, I’ll make Liuyuan and Big Sister Xiaoyu go to your place and leech off of you.”
“I’m only doing this for your good!” w.a.n.g Fugui was exasperated and said, “If I were 20 years younger, I would have gone!”
“For my own good?” Ren Xiaosu sneered. “I thank your whole family!”
w.a.n.g Fugui also got angry. “I thank your eight generations of ancestors!”
“Grat.i.tude received from w.a.n.g Fugui, +1!”
Ren Xiaosu was confused. He raged at the palace in his mind, “How can this also be f.u.c.king considered as a grat.i.tude?! You’re even a.s.sessing it to be sincere? You must be f.u.c.king doing this on purpose!”
Ren Xiaosu could never have expected to gain his ninth grat.i.tude token in this fas.h.i.+on. It was too easy!
However, even though Ren Xiaosu knew that w.a.n.g Fugui was thinking of getting friendly with the celebrity from the stronghold, he had indeed recommended him to them out of good intentions.
But the problem was that Ren Xiaosu did not really wish to get into the stronghold. But if Yan Liuyuan were allowed to go in instead, he would probably have already agreed to take on the task.
Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment before saying earnestly, “Old w.a.n.g, I’m serious. I can’t abandon Liuyuan and Big Sister Xiaoyu to get into the stronghold myself. Stop suggesting that I be their guide.”
w.a.n.g Fugui was also starting to get fed up. “OK, OK, I understand. You can rest a.s.sured that as long as Boss Luo does not give his permission, they won’t be able to take you away. This journey will take over three months to complete. If you’re gone, who’s going to supply the medicine to Boss Luo, right?”
“OK, as long as you understand what I’m saying,” Ren Xiaosu said.
At this moment, a man came up to Ren Xiaosu from the road and said, “Doctor, I want a consultation.”
“Enough talking, I’ve got a patient to attend to.” Ren Xiaosu turned around and went back into the clinic.
Ren Xiaosu sat behind the table and said to the man, “Where’s your injury? Let me have a look.”
“I’m not injured; my b.a.l.l.s ache,” the man said.
After he said that, the nurse, Xiaoyu, who was standing nearby blushed in embarra.s.sment. Ren Xiaosu felt a little awkward as well, so he tried to be professional and asked, “Do you experience the pain after intercourse?”
The man was taken aback. “It hurts all the same whether I finish doing it or not!”
Ren Xiaosu was at a loss. ‘What the h.e.l.l is going on with the newest patients who come for a consultation?!’
After he advised the man and sent him away, he reaped yet another grat.i.tude token.
Alright, no matter what illnesses they might have, it was fine as long as they could earn him some grat.i.tude tokens.
Now that Ren Xiaosu had earned ten grat.i.tude tokens, it seemed like he wasn’t that far from unlocking his weapon.
One of the reasons why Ren Xiaosu did not want to be the group’s guide at this moment was that he felt that it would be more convenient to earn grat.i.tude tokens while in town. If he were to go with the band and private army, would they show their grat.i.tude for him?
For some reason, Ren Xiaosu was consistently looking forward to getting the weapon and wanted to find out just what on earth it looked like.
Since sincere grat.i.tudes were so hard to come by, the weapon would not be terrible, right?