Has the patient recovered? Dr. Paul Lin had already noticed the change. The patient's face, once pale and tinged with blue, now showed a hint of healthy color. The monitor beside them clearly indicated that the patient's vital signs were stabilizing.
Dr. Paul Lin suppressed the joy in his heart, maintaining a calm expression as he nodded to Joe Di. "Come with me to the office. You did well; you passed the interview."
On the surface, it looked as if everything had been orchestrated by Dr. Paul Lin, and Joe Di had merely carried out his instructions.
Joe Di followed Dr. Paul Lin into the office. As soon as Dr. Lin closed the door, he spoke first: "Joe Di, your medical foundation is impressive. Would you like to be my assistant?"
In this era, inheritance is extremely important. Aside from familial, master-disciple, and sect inheritance, there is also the tradition of mentorship. The attending physician and his assistant form such a bond. Of course, mentorship isn’t limited to medicine alone.
If an attending physician values his assistant, the formation of this relationship can even be ceremonial. Once established, if you betray your mentor, you will face moral condemnation.
Joe Di didn’t bother with small talk. He took out a slightly larger glass bottle and said, "This is a medicinal solution I previously prepared. It can save nine more people. The solution contains a rare herb, of which I only have one, so I could only make this one batch."
"What herb?" Dr. Paul Lin blurted out.
Joe Di didn’t bother answering Dr. Paul Lin. Instead, he calmly said, "Even without my Gold Needle technique, this solution can cure poisoning, though not in an hour—it would take a month. The method is to divide the solution into nine parts, add one pound of white liquor, and have the patient drink it diluted with water three times a day for a month. I’m giving you this medicine for free."
"For me?" Dr. Paul Lin, overwhelmed with excitement, reached out to grab the bottle from Joe Di.
Joe Di withdrew the glass bottle from his hand and said calmly, "Dr. Lin, free means you don't have to pay money, but it doesn't mean you don't have to give anything in return."
"What do I need to give?" Dr. Lin asked excitedly, already determined to offer anything he could.
"I need to go to the Tianhuang District, or at least a way to get there," Joe Di stated bluntly.
His original plan was to establish himself at Jinhai Hospital, then get in touch with martial artists from Tianhuang District to ask about how to enter the district or how to cultivate inner strength.
Now that such an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by. Being able to go directly to Tianhuang District was a hundred times better than waiting around at the hospital. Who knew when he would get another chance if he just stayed there?
"You don't want to stay at Jinhai Hospital, but instead want to go to Tianhuang District?" Dr. Lin asked in shock, Joe Di's words disrupting his plans.
If Joe Di left, how would he treat future poisoning patients? Treating just nine people was far from enough. In Tianhuang District, poisoning cases could number in the dozens or even hundreds.
"Of course I want to go to Tianhuang District. Otherwise, why would I come to this hospital?" Joe Di replied flatly.
Dr. Lin frowned. If Joe Di left, his plans wouldn't work. But that thought only lasted a moment before he grew even more excited.
It was good that Joe Di was leaving—keeping him around would only cause trouble. If he stayed, he’d eventually be found out. Even if Dr. Lin had already benefited by then, there wouldn’t be any more advantages. But if Joe Di left, Dr. Lin would be the only one who could treat poisoning cases. At that point, who wouldn’t come to him for help?
What did nine spots matter? Nine were enough for him. He had to use these nine spots wisely—he couldn’t afford to waste a single drop of the medicine.
With these nine spots, what wouldn’t Dr. Lin have? Status? Wealth?
After slowly calming himself, Dr. Lin tried to soften his voice. "It’s extremely difficult to go directly to Tianhuang District, because you need to pass a martial arts test. No one can cheat that system. However, I do have a way to get you there—it’ll just take a year or two longer…"
"Is it by going to the Martial Arts Academy first?" Joe Di’s eyes lit up as he asked.
"Yes, exactly—by going to the Martial Arts Academy. And you can go right now," Dr. Lin replied without hesitation. He wasn’t surprised Joe Di knew about this path; everyone did—it wasn’t a secret.
As he spoke, Dr. Lin took out his wallet. From its innermost layer, he produced a crystal-clear card. On the card was written: “Jinhai Martial Arts Academy Admission Card.”
Dr. Lin held the card and said, "This is an anonymous Admission Card for the Martial Arts Academy. It wasn’t easy for me to get this. If you want, we can exchange right now."
"Deal." Joe Di didn’t hesitate—he pushed the glass bottle forward and took the anonymous Admission Card from Dr. Lin.
He didn’t believe Dr. Lin just happened to have such an anonymous Admission Card on him.
Dr. Lin grabbed the glass bottle and said excitedly, "You can register with the Admission Card at any time within a month. It’s only valid for one month."
This admission card had indeed cost him a lot of effort and money. He originally intended to give it to the vice president. He knew he had made enemies at Jinhai Hospital and was having a hard time. This card was supposed to be his ticket to advancement. But now, with Joe Di’s large glass bottle, what need did he have for this card?
Joe Di looked down on Dr. Lin somewhat. After picking up the admission card, he grabbed his backpack and left immediately.
Dr. Lin didn’t want to have more dealings with Joe Di either. If he had the ability, he would have gotten rid of Joe Di or kidnapped him.
Right now, the most important thing for him was to make the best use of everything at hand.
Now that he had the admission card, Joe Di’s top priority was to hurry to the Martial Arts Academy. You didn’t have to wait until graduation to enter Tianhuang District. According to what he’d learned, many top students at the academy could go to Tianhuang District for training even in their first year.
His goal was to enter Tianhuang District for training in his first year if possible. Although he couldn’t recall the critical reason for this, his subconscious told him that time was precious.
"Doctor, please, save my son…" At the entrance to the hallway, a haggard-looking woman clung to a middle-aged doctor, pleading desperately.
Beside the haggard woman stood a boy no older than seven or eight, his eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
The middle-aged doctor sighed and looked down at the woman kneeling on the floor. "It’s no use begging me. Your son has a terminal illness. So far, no one in the world has been able to cure it. You should take him home and make arrangements for his final days."
"No…" the woman wailed, her voice breaking. "I’ve given everything we own to the hospital—we have no home left…"
Joe Di realized that the woman’s son had a terminal illness, but the hospital hadn’t told her at first. Only after she’d spent all their money did they reveal the truth.
The middle-aged doctor shook his head, forcibly pulled his leg free, and retreated into his office, closing the door behind him. Outside, only the desperate woman and the bewildered child remained.
Joe Di sighed, hesitated for a moment, but walked over. He was still wearing his white coat. Casually, he took a mask from his pocket and put it on. He approached the woman and said, "Take me to see your son. I’ll see if there’s any hope."