PCJ – Chapter 479 Test

“Do you really want to learn from me?” Zhang Jiaohua suddenly asked, looking at Wu Yuan, who seemed a bit reserved.

Wu Yuan quickly nodded. “Of course, I want to learn.”

“Don’t get too happy just yet. You need to pass my test first,” Zhang Jiaohua said, seeing that Wu Yuan had good intentions. He decided to teach Wu Yuan something, but he couldn’t teach him the Meishan techniques right away. It takes time to test a person’s character, and Zhang Jiaohua needed to see if Wu Yuan could endure the test.

Wu Yuan’s face lit up with excitement. “Don’t look at me like I’m fat; I’m sure I can pass the test.”

“I’m not testing your ability to talk,” Zhang Jiaohua said. “Whether you pass or not, I trust only my eyes. Go buy some tree stumps and bring them back.”

Wu Yuan took Zhang Jiaohua’s money and went to the market to buy some wood. Zhang Jiaohua used the wood to create a Meihua formation (Plum Blossom formation) in Wu Yuan’s yard. This would be a test using the Meishan stance.

Zhang Jiaohua jumped onto a stump, adopting a standard Meishan stance. “Stand like this for half an hour every day,” he said.

“How long must I stand to pass the test?” Wu Yuan asked as he stood on the stump. It didn’t seem too hard at first.

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “If you think it’s that easy, you are completely wrong.”

What seemed easy became difficult. After just a few minutes, Wu Yuan’s legs began to shake, and his body started swaying.

“Don’t move! And this is just a few minutes?” Zhang Jiaohua struck Wu Yuan’s butt with a stick.

Wu Yuan, with a pained expression, said, “I don’t usually exercise, how about we take it slow?”

“It’s up to you. If you step down, it means you’ve given up. I’ve taught many people, but you’re the worst,” Zhang Jiaohua said, clearly disappointed.

Wu Yuan didn’t want to give up, so he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Meanwhile, Zeng Lei was driving a tricycle, carrying an elderly man in his sixties, toward Wu Yuan’s house.

“Fatty, come help!” Zeng Lei shouted at the door.

Wu Yuan, pleasantly surprised, was about to take the opportunity to stop the stance, but just as he was about to move, Zhang Jiaohua spoke again. “The time’s not up. If you step down, it means you choose to give up.”

Wu Yuan looked dejected. “Brother Zeng called me, there’s something I need to attend to.”

“I’ll go check. Don’t think I won’t notice if you try to slack off. Every move you make is under my watch,” Zhang Jiaohua warned as he walked toward the door.

Wu Yuan gritted his teeth, saying, “Don’t worry, I can hold on.”

When Zhang Jiaohua reached the door, Zeng Lei was about to peek inside.

“Dr. Zhang, where’s the fatty?” Zeng Lei asked, speaking casually.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t have any negative impression of Zeng Lei and responded smoothly, “He’s busy, can’t come out.” He then looked at the elderly man in the tricycle and asked, “Is this the rheumatism patient you mentioned?”

“Yes, that’s him,” Zeng Lei replied, relieved to see that Zhang Jiaohua’s tone was calm.

“Alright, come on in,” Zhang Jiaohua said, opening the gate fully.

“Okay,” Zeng Lei said. Seeing that the fatty couldn’t come out, he decided to help the elderly man on his own.

“I’ll lend a hand,” Zhang Jiaohua offered, not directed at Zeng Lei, but at the elderly man. Despite his age and white hair, the elderly man sat up straight in the tricycle with a determined expression. Zhang Jiaohua could sense that he was not an ordinary person.

Zeng Lei was surprised, as he hadn’t expected Zhang Jiaohua to offer help. It was a stark contrast to the cold demeanor he had shown him earlier.

The elderly man sat in a wheelchair, and together they lifted him down gently.

“Huh? You’ve got some strength, young man!” the elderly man suddenly spoke.

“You can talk? I thought you were mute!” Zhang Jiaohua chuckled, surprised that the elderly man was speaking after sitting silently in the wheelchair for so long.

“You’re a good guy. How many years have you been an apprentice?” the elderly man asked.

“Apprentice?” Zhang Jiaohua was puzzled.

“Old man, you’ve got it wrong this time. He’s not an apprentice. He’s the doctor I told you about, the one who healed my dislocated arm on the same day. This is Dr. Zhang,” Zeng Lei said.

The elderly man looked Zhang Jiaohua up and down seriously and then smiled, “I see, one cannot judge a book by its cover. Dr. Zhang, I apologize, I made a mistake.”

“Old man, is your leg just suffering from rheumatism, or did you get injured before?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Zeng Lei quickly interjected, “It’s not just an injury. He was wounded on the battlefield and still has shrapnel in his leg. Plus, during an ambush, he had to endure the cold for over ten hours in the snow.”

“This injury is nothing. Compared to my brothers who never made it back from the battlefield, I’m lucky,” the elderly man said, patting his leg.

“Dr. Zhang, do you think his leg can be treated?” Zeng Lei asked.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head, “It’s severe, completely healing it is almost impossible.”

“Sigh,” Zeng Lei sighed.

But the elderly man smiled. “Xiao Zeng, don’t be like that. The fact that I’m still alive is already enough. It’s just that there are many things I can no longer do myself.”

“I didn’t say it can’t be treated, I said it can’t be completely cured. Although it can’t be completely healed, I think I can help the old man regain the ability to walk,” Zhang Jiaohua said, scratching his head, interrupted before he could finish his explanation.

“Can it be treated?” both the elderly man and Zeng Lei asked in unison.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded.

“Ah, you scared me there!” Zeng Lei exclaimed, slapping Zhang Jiaohua on the shoulder like an old friend. Realizing his mistake, he quickly let go, embarrassed, worried that Zhang Jiaohua might react badly.

“Let’s go inside. I’ll get some medicine,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Inside, Zhang Jiaohua mixed a bowl of water, chanting incantations: “On the phoenix tree, insert the golden knife; on the phoenix tree, insert the silver knife; left knife, left pass, right knife, right pass, up knife, up pass, down knife, down pass, the ancestor’s pass, the master’s pass, no blood flows, no evil occurs, disciple comes here, pain and swelling disappear, cool down, I obey the Supreme Lord’s command, urgently as the law dictates, decree!”

After a while, Zhang Jiaohua came out holding the bowl of water, sprinkling some of it on the elderly man’s legs and then handing the rest to him, “Drink this.”

The elderly man looked at the water, puzzled. It looked like plain water, not medicine, and had no smell.

Nevertheless, he drank it down, and immediately felt a strange warmth flowing through his body, heading towards his legs.

“Huh? It feels a bit itchy!” the elderly man exclaimed.

Normally, his legs hurt slightly, and even a little pressure would cause severe pain. But after drinking the water, a warm flow entered his legs, and he now felt a tingling sensation.

Zeng Lei eagerly asked, “Old man, how do your legs feel now?”

“There’s no way it’s that fast,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled. This was just a preliminary treatment to relieve the pain and swelling from his legs.