Chapter Thirty-Three: You Told Me to Hit

Li Qun had always imagined himself shedding his last drop of blood for his country, but he never expected that, while carrying out his mission, his leg would be struck by a bullet. The doctor’s verdict was grim: at best, he would never walk again; at worst, amputation was inevitable.

“You silly boy, do you think my military district can’t afford your rations? Take care of that wound, and when you’re healed, you’ll still be my soldier!” General Gao’s eyes grew moist as he listened to Li Qun’s words. He knew everything about Li Qun’s family.

Li Qun had a younger brother and a sister. His brother was ten, his sister fifteen. Both parents were farmers, and their household was far from affluent. For years, Li Qun’s wages had been the family’s lifeline. If he were to retire or if his injury couldn’t be cured, the family would collapse. His siblings’ schooling would become an issue, and at his age, he was still unmarried. In this society, what woman would want to marry a cripple?

Chu Feng returned to Old Chen’s hospital room, took out his silver needles, disinfected them, and packed them carefully. Then, he headed toward Li Qun’s room.

“We’re here to change the patient’s bandages,” a doctor said to the soldier standing guard at the door. He was responsible for changing Li Qun’s bandages and medication.

“Wait a moment. The commander is inside having a conversation. Come back a little later,” the soldier replied, glancing at his watch.

Chu Feng approached the doorway and saw a man in a white coat. He assumed this was Li Qun’s attending physician.

“Brother, is this doctor responsible for the patient inside?” Chu Feng asked the soldier beside him.

“Who are you? This is a hospital ward, guarded by soldiers. Who gave you permission to enter? Get lost before you waste my time!” The man at the door wasn’t actually a doctor, but the attending physician’s assistant, usually just changing dressings or administering antibiotics.

With a swift motion, Chu Feng slapped the assistant’s face. Dissatisfied, he followed with two more slaps.

“How dare you hit me! Do you have any idea who I am? Get down on your knees and apologize, or you’ll never walk out of this door!” The assistant was stunned by Chu Feng’s blows, never expecting to be struck in a hospital.

Chu Feng did not respond—his answer was another slap. Nothing irked him more than someone acting self-important here.

“If you have the guts, try hitting me again! And you two damned soldiers, just standing there and doing nothing—I’m going to report you!” The assistant, struck yet again, vented his anger at the two guards.

Chu Feng reached out and unloaded a dozen slaps on the assistant, leaving his face swollen like a pig’s head.

“I’ve lived a long time, but never met anyone with such requests—asking to be slapped. I could only oblige your wish,” Chu Feng remarked, then signaled to the two soldiers at the door. The meaning was left for them to interpret.

Chu Feng opened the ward door and went inside. The two soldiers dragged the assistant aside and stomped his face with their military boots.

“Aaah!” The assistant screamed as if being slaughtered, shocked that the soldiers would turn on him.

“Chu Feng, what’s happening outside? I thought I heard someone shouting,” General Gao asked as Chu Feng entered.

“It’s nothing, maybe someone admiring their own handsomeness out there,” Chu Feng replied lightly.

He walked straight to Li Qun’s bedside, inserted several needles into his leg, and then proceeded to massage his leg with a special technique. While General Gao wasn’t paying attention, Chu Feng placed his wristwatch on Li Qun’s waist. The dial spun furiously, completing ten revolutions before stopping. After a few minutes, Chu Feng withdrew the silver needles.

Li Qun felt his calf growing warm; for the first time since entering the hospital, he had sensation there.

“Your blood can now flow to your calf, but full recovery will take a long time, and surgery is still necessary. What I can do is ensure your leg muscles don’t necrotize,” Chu Feng explained.

Chu Feng still couldn’t heal Li Qun’s knee, but he could at least restore blood flow to the lower leg.

“Just being able to feel something is enough for me. Even if it can’t be cured, I have no complaints. Thank you—and sorry for my earlier attitude,” Li Qun said.

Li Qun had come to terms with life and death, and cared little for these things. Now that Chu Feng had restored blood flow to his calf, he wouldn’t have to face amputation.

“That’s only natural. With me being so handsome and young, it’s understandable you’d be skeptical,” Chu Feng joked, putting on airs.

Li Qun’s lips twitched at Chu Feng’s words—he hadn’t expected that a casual remark would prompt Chu Feng to make himself out to be an angel.

Outside, the two soldiers had beaten the assistant until he was groaning. Seeing he could no longer move, they returned to guard the ward. After a while, the assistant crawled up from the floor, his face bleeding profusely—certainly destined for scars, even after plastic surgery. No longer arrogant, he pushed his cart away, glancing back at the two soldiers with eyes full of resentment.

Inside, Chu Feng chatted with Li Qun and General Gao. With nothing better to do, Chu Feng found it pleasant to befriend such straightforward men.

“Chu Feng, now that you’ve joined Dragon Scale, why not join my Special Operations Team as well? I’ll speak with your unit leader about it,” General Gao proposed, impressed by Chu Feng’s character and skills, wanting him to fill Li Qun’s place.

“No thanks. I’m used to living freely. If I joined the army, I’d feel ill at ease,” Chu Feng declined without hesitation—he still needed to care for his sister.

The assistant returned to his superior and exaggerated the story, painting Chu Feng as particularly arrogant.

“Go to the clinic first. I’ll take a look at this arrogant man myself. If he dared to hit me, he must not want to keep his job,” the doctor replied.