What if a patient didn't believe them? No problem—the hospital had a trial dose. The doctor injected the patient with a vial of medicine, and some symptoms immediately eased.
The shot was free, too. It was pure charity. The only catch was that the patient had to keep getting injections for several months. They weren't expensive, just a hundred yuan each, and after one final operation, the patient would make a full recovery.
You thought it sounded too fake? If you didn't believe it, you didn't have to come. The hospital was never short of patients.
When the authorities came to inspect the hospital and declared the medicine fake, the patients who had been cured would stand up for it. Their paperwork was all in order, so what was the problem? There was no problem! Just because their treatment was cheaper than elsewhere, the authorities wanted to shut them down? The authorities were the ones in the wrong!
As a result, the authorities couldn't easily take action either. They needed sufficient evidence before they could shut the hospital down.
At last, it was Fan Daoyi's turn to see the doctor.
He had just sat down when the doctor told him with a grave expression, "Your illness won't be easy to treat."
A hint of concern showed in the doctor's eyes, and his brows furrowed slightly. He seemed to be considering how to phrase his words as he waited for Fan Daoyi to respond.
"Am I beyond saving?"
Fan Daoyi didn't play by the usual rules. With one sentence, he left the doctor speechless.
"No, I said it won't be easy to treat." The corner of the doctor's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"So I am beyond saving."
The doctor tightened his grip on his pen. His smile didn't reach his eyes as he struggled to maintain a professional attitude. "I mean, it can be treated, but it won't be easy."
"Mm." Fan Daoyi nodded slightly. "I understand. I don't have any money."
Damn it! In his mind, the doctor flung his pen aside, planted one foot on the desk, and pointed at Fan Daoyi's nose as he cursed him out.
But he only vented in his head. Outwardly, he still had to remain calm. He took a deep breath and silently recited the Mind-Calming Formula over and over, telling himself to stay calm and not let the patient's emotions affect him.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Fan Daoyi continued, "The doctors at the other hospitals said the same thing, but I poured in huge sums of money and saw no results at all. In the end, I was given a critical illness notice.
"I really had nowhere else to turn. I came here to try my luck after hearing about it from another patient, but hearing those familiar words has made me a little doubtful again. If I've offended you, I apologize."
His voice trembled slightly, and his eyes revealed a deep deathly weariness.
The doctor was momentarily dazed. Faced with Fan Daoyi's pale, earnest expression, he inexplicably felt a pang of conscience.
Still, he had to keep up the deception.
He put on a friendly smile and exchanged a few words with Fan Daoyi, reassuring him with language that sounded professional but was vague.
As Fan Daoyi listened, hope for life kindled in his hollow eyes. His eyes widened slightly. "Can I really still be saved?"
"Of course. Ask the patients around here—this is what they think of our hospital." The doctor raised his thumb, his face filled with indescribable pride.
Fan Daoyi rubbed his fingers together awkwardly and lowered his head slightly, looking insecure and uneasy. "I don't have much money. I can't afford prolonged treatment."
"It's all right." The doctor reached out and patted Fan Daoyi on the shoulder. "The first shot is a free trial. After that, it's one shot a week, a hundred yuan per shot. The treatment takes two months, so it'll be less than a thousand yuan."
Fan Daoyi's pupils widened, disbelief filling his eyes. "It's that cheap? Don't I need surgery?"
"There's a minor operation, but that's free." The doctor answered without hesitation, wearing a seemingly sincere smile.
"Well..." Fan Daoyi looked hesitant.
The doctor struck while the iron was hot, speaking passionately. "I know the price is so low that you can hardly believe it. But with medical costs reaching astronomical heights, someone has to break this monopoly.
"Our director has never sought money. His hope is for everyone to be healthy, no matter what stratum of society they come from."
"This really is like a charity." Fan Daoyi was moved by his enthusiasm. "As a dying man at the end of his rope, this is my last chance. I'm willing to trust you."
With that, Fan Daoyi picked up his bamboo cane and followed the nurse to a ward.
The door opened gently, revealing a simple, clean interior. It was another private room. A pot of flowers stood by the bed, its blossoms giving off a faint, delicate fragrance.
"What are these flowers?" They weren't a common variety, and Fan Daoyi knew nothing about them, so he asked curiously.
The nurse smiled and answered patiently, "It's an introduced variety. It calms the mind and helps with sleep. Every ward has one."
After speaking, the nurse turned to prepare Fan Daoyi's injection. As she skillfully handled the syringe, she gave him instructions.
"I'll inject the medicine now. If you feel any discomfort, you can press the bedside call button. After twenty-four hours, once we've confirmed you haven't had an allergic reaction, you can go home and rest. Come back for another injection in a week."
"All right," Fan Daoyi replied politely.
He watched the nurse slowly inject the medicine into his arm, feeling a cool sensation spread through his body. When she was finished, the nurse put away her equipment, left the ward, and gently closed the door behind her.
During this time, Fan Daoyi could enjoy any leisure activities he wanted, but he couldn't leave the ward.
He leafed through the books by the bed. Perhaps it was the medicine, or perhaps it was the quiet atmosphere of the ward and the fragrance of the calming flowers, but before long, sleepiness swept over him.
He never forced himself. As someone who was thoroughly committed to letting things rot, he had always lived by the principle of letting nature take its course. Naturally, when he was tired, he slept.
He put down the book, turned onto his side, found a comfortable position, and closed his eyes in deep sleep.
Meanwhile, the members of [Eight Trigrams] had gathered together, watching the motionless dot on the screen.
"You don't think Tai Chi would obediently let them inject him, do you...?" Qian Heaven asked, resting his chin on his interlaced hands, his brows slightly furrowed.
Kun Earth folded her arms and sank into deep thought. After a moment, she said, "Probably not. Perhaps he has a way to avoid it."
Zhen Thunder nodded in agreement. "Tai Chi's different from He Piaojian. He's attentive to details, so he'd probably be cautious."
"Huh? Me again?" He Piaojian pointed at himself in surprise. "So I've become your unit of balance now?"
Gen Mountain leaned against the wall and chuckled. "You know, on that last mission, weren't you completely carefree and unsuspecting? You didn't even think about the consequences. And those bugs—were those bugs something you could eat? Eating them landed you at the police station."
"No, eating the bugs' mother really was Fan Daoyi's idea," He Piaojian protested.
But the looks everyone gave him made it clear they didn't believe him. They thought to themselves that Dao Yi was such a normal kid; his thought process would have to be as screwed up as He Piaojian's for him to suggest eating the bugs' mother.
"Boss, the location signal's gone!" Xun Wind abruptly opened his eyes and shouted.
They all looked at Xun Wind and the screen. The tracking dot on the screen was still blinking steadily, showing that everything was normal, yet Xun Wind had said the exact opposite.
"Was it Intuition?" Li Fire asked slowly.
Xun Wind nodded, and everyone's expression instantly turned grave.
Kan Water broke the silence. "Can't Tai Chi use Teleportation?"
Qian Heaven said heavily, "What if he's entered Guixu?"
Kun Earth braced herself on the table and stood up. "I'll go get him out of the hospital."
At the hospital, Fan Daoyi was still sleeping quietly, completely unaware of what was happening outside.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked around, a puzzled expression on his face. "Huh? I'm home?"