Though Ling Feng was stunned for a short while, he immediately recovered as a smile appeared on his face. ‘It seems this old guy is very understanding of others,’ he thought, ‘he knows what to do and when to do it! A smart man, indeed.’
The only thing Ling Feng wasn’t sure about was what this old guy wanted in return. He didn’t believe there was any free lunch in the world; everything had a price. So, he couldn’t help but ask, “Doctor Xu, I wonder what you want in return?” As Ling Feng said this, his eyes focused on Xu Dingfeng’s face, waiting to see his expression.
But contrary to Ling Feng expectation, instead of having an expression of having achieved his goal, it was now the old guy’s turn to be stunned. What did he want? What could he ask for from a great person? He decided to help Ling Feng keep the secret out of impulse, respect, and fear. There was no other intention involved. He wasn’t tired of living; he still had his grandchildren to look after.
“Respected Sir, this old Xu has no such intention,” Xu Dingfeng was horrified as he tried to explain himself, “Sir, there’s nothing I want in return. You can rest assured that I know what should and shouldn’t be said.”
As for why Xu Dingfeng was so respectful, it was all because of his experience and encounter when he was younger and had just graduated from medical college.
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Xu Dingfeng remembered that time from 30 years ago. It all seemed to be something that happened yesterday. All those years ago, he had gone back to his family village to pay respect to his ancestors. It was a custom that once a descendant achieved success in something, he/she would return to the family village to pay respect to their ancestors. When he was done honoring the ancestors, he went out to roam around.
Author’s Note: He was visiting the graves of his grandparents and his other family members who had passed away.
While roaming around aimlessly, he ended up on a desolate hill near the village. The sky had already turned dark by now. As he walked around, a vomit inducing smell assaulted his nostrils. Wrinkling his nose, he decided to leave the place. He had assumed that there was some dead animal ahead since he could smell blood. He turned around and was about to walk away when suddenly, a thud sounded behind him.
Xu Dingfeng jumped ahead with a fright. Getting in a fighting stance, he looked behind him. There, the scene he saw stunned him. In front of him lay a man, bruised, cut and bloodied. A tight black outfit covered his body. Blood smeared his face and clothing. Everywhere on his body were deep cuts, while some of his hair was burnt or cut. He looked pitiful and on the verge of death.
Looking at the injured man, Xu Dingfeng could tell that the smell of blood originated from him. Xu Dingfeng felt conflicted in his heart on what to do with the man. Albeit barely, he knew the man was alive; his fingers and face twitched now and then.
‘Save him,’ A voice sounded in his heart.
‘Ignore him,’ Another voice sounded, ‘Certainly, he’s not a good person.’
‘Good or not, what does that have to do with you?’ The first voice sounded again, ‘Save him, for that’s the job of a doctor!’
‘Before a doctor, you are a person,’ The second voice sounded, ‘With his appearance, he must have murdered quite a few people! What if he murdered you as well? What will your family do?’
‘Save him!’ The first voice roared.
‘Leave! He has nothing to do with you!’ The second voice roared louder.
While Xu Dingfeng was struggling inside, a hoarse and emotionless voice sounded, “Leave!” The voice immediately brought Xu Dingfeng out of his stupor, also letting him make a decision, “Screw it, I can’t let him die here!” Having decided on what to do, Xu Dingfeng went forward and picked up the man with his trembling hands. Even though the smell of blood was unbearable for a young man like him, he clenched his teeth and did his best not to vomit.
“Leave! Don’t get involved…” The man’s hoarse voice sounded again, but before he could finish his words, he started to cough fiercely. “Cough! Cough! Cough!"
“Sir, you shouldn’t speak. I am a doctor; I know what I am doing!” Xu Dingfeng replied to the man resolutely. “We will arrive at my home soon! Once there, I will tend to your injuries.”
“Boy, you are still young and Cough! Cough! Cough! naive,” The man said to Xu Dingfeng, “What does a dying man like me have to do with you? Your actions are plain foolish in my eyes! Cough! Cough!Cough! When have I asked for your help? Put me down and go your own way!”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Xu Dingfeng felt angry and roared, “Put you down? So you can die on the road?” Xu Dingfeng felt that this man’s head was kicked by a mule, “Since I discovered you then if I left you by yourself and you died, won’t your death keep on eating on my conscience! I am a doctor; it is my duty to save the injured no matter what my fate!”
After listening to the young man’s roar, the black-clothed injured man could only sigh and close his mouth. With his current condition, speaking a few words was already very hard, and he had worsened some of his injuries while speaking with Xu Dingfeng. In the end, he was at the mercy of someone else. Without having the ability to move, he could do nothing but let the young man carry him.
Just like that, Xu Dingfeng brought the man back home. There, he treated the man’s injuries by borrowing medicine and stuff from the local clinic. The old doctor there was Xu Dingfeng’s neighbor and didn’t mind lending stuff to him. ‘Since the child had grown up and also become a doctor, it was okay for him to want to play around with medical stuff!’ is what the old doctor thought.
Every day, Xu Dingfeng took care of the black-clothed man he had picked up out of impulse. While he tended to the man’s injuries, Xu Dingfeng was surprised to find out that the man’s injuries healed quite fast. The injuries that would otherwise take a few months to heal disappeared in less than two weeks. It was something beyond Xu Dingfeng’s comprehension. He had never heard of such healing speed. Only then did Xu Dingfeng realize that he might have saved some special person.
The man was able to walk around after a few days, and in just two weeks, he was good as new. There wasn’t even a scar left on his body. Soon, the time for the man to take his leave arrived. Before he left, though, he told Xu Dingfeng about some matters that were otherwise not known to the people of the world. He warned Xu Dingfeng that he must never reveal anything about him, to stay away from situations and people like the one he encountered before. And that it wasn’t his duty to save the dying and heal the sick without caring for his life. There were a lot of people in the world who could kill him without leaving even a bone behind.
And he also let him know that the reason his injuries healed was that there were people in the world who had special abilities. They were a group of bloodthirsty and scary people — people he should never provoke or get involved with. If he, Xu Dingfeng, ever met someone like him, he better stay clear of their way. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how he died. Even if he didn’t care about himself, he still had to think about people related to him. If he had saved someone evil, and not him, the black-clothed man, then it was possible that that person would kill him to keep his identity a secret.
In the end, after reprimanding young Xu Dingfeng for a while, the now healed unknown man left, never to be seen again. The only thing he left behind for Xu Dingfeng was an expensive jade necklace. He hoped Xu Dingfeng would sell it and get enough money to live a carefree life. Xu Dingfeng, on the other hand, kept the necklace as a memento. It was that necklace which kept him on the right path all along, reminding him of the choice he made that day, the right choice.
Remembering the past, Xu Dingfeng couldn’t help but sigh. It had already been 30 years since then. The man must have also grown old, older than him. He sometimes wondered what became of the man. He was, after all, the first person whose life he had saved.
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Looking at Xu Dingfeng’s aged face and gentle sigh filled with melancholy, Ling Feng realized that he had misunderstood the man before him. He didn’t have any ulterior motives, after all. It was hard to find people like that. Ling Feng was sure if the person in front of him was someone else, he would have freaked out and spread the word all over the city by now. Even if he didn’t do that, he would ask for benefits to keep his mouth shut.
‘He’s a good doctor!’ Ling Feng thought to himself. “Doctor Xu, pardon me for I misunderstood you,” Ling Feng sincerely apologized to Xu Dingfeng.
Hearing Ling Feng’s sincere words, Xu Dingfeng knew that he had thought too much. The young man before him wasn’t a bad person. Instead, he might be like the man he had saved in the past, kind at heart. So he laughed and said, “Sir, then this old Xu will take his leave. You can stay here for as long as you wish.” With those words, Xu Dingfeng turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.
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