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...

Qiao Zhenfei's destination was not Jian Ge, but rather Jincheng, the provincial capital of Xishu Province.

The distance from Jian Ge to Jincheng was anything but short. However, Qin Fang and his party did not delay much; they set off directly from Jian Ge to a nearby military region's airport. From there, they took a military armed helicopter and easily flew hundreds of kilometers to reach their destination.

"We're here!"

Qin Fang's ears had not yet recovered from the roaring sound of the armed helicopter when he faintly heard Qiao Zhenfei say such a phrase.

"Western Shu Military Region?"

Surveying his surroundings, Qin Fang was a bit surprised to find himself in the Western Shu Military Region, one of the few major military regions in the country, ranking alongside the Ninghai Military District.

Qin Fang only knew that Qiao Zhenfei had brought him here to treat an elder's paralyzed legs. However, he did not know that the place would be within the Western Shu Military Region. It seemed that the person's identity was not simple and was very likely a high-ranking officer of the military region.

This was not surprising at all, as Qiao Zhenfei was a true descendant of the Red elites, with ancestors who stood at the nation's pinnacle and parents who also held fairly high positions, including some provincial and ministerial officials.

Therefore, this uncle whom Qiao Zhenfei held in such high regard must also be an extraordinary figure, undoubtedly a person of high status as well.

"Correct, he is a high-level officer of the military region. Despite his poor health, he has always persisted in his work. A truly admirable general!"

Qiao Zhenfei also nodded affirmatively and said, his eyes filled with admiration and respect, which was no wonder he had earnestly begged Qin Fang.

Stepping off the military helicopter, Qin Fang noticed that people had been waiting there for them for quite some time, all dressed in military uniforms, all officers from the armed forces.

"Brother Xiao Fei..."

There were about a dozen people in the group, several of them a bit older, all above the age of forty, with the lowest rank being that of Lieutenant Colonel. The only moderately young person, around twenty-five or twenty-six, immediately greeted Qiao Zhenfei as he saw him descend.

"Xiao Li!"

Qiao Zhenfei also appeared very pleased, giving the young man a warm hug, indicating that their relationship was quite good.

"Let me introduce a friend to you... Qin Fang, my good brother! This is Li Yang, a childhood friend I grew up with, and also my younger brother!"

However, Qiao Zhenfei naturally did not neglect Qin Fang. After sharing their excitement, he immediately introduced Qin Fang and Li Yang to each other, letting them get acquainted.

"Brother Li..."

Qin Fang called out politely, as he was younger than Li Yang and naturally couldn't address him as Xiao Li as Qiao Zhenfei did.

"Great, great, if you are Brother Xiao Fei's brother, then you are Li Yang's brother too. We're family, no need for such politeness!"

Perhaps it was the military background, but Li Yang was also easy to get along with. He didn't act distant from Qin Fang, giving him a warm hug and expressing considerable goodwill.

"Xiao Li, how is Uncle Li's condition?"

After the introductions, Qiao Zhenfei got down to business. It turned out the elder he mentioned was none other than Li Yang's father, a major general and chief of staff of the Western Shu Military Region, an absolute heavyweight.

Regretfully, such a revered general now found his legs paralyzed, able to get around only by wheelchair, and this condition continued to worsen, threatening to spread to his upper body, with the outright paralysis of the whole body not being beyond possibility.

"The situation is not very good; the hospital has already recommended amputation..."

Speaking of his father's condition, Li Yang's heart grew heavy. It was an exceptionally rare disease, starting with the legs and gradually leading to nerve death. Despite the paralysis, the condition did not stop progressing but became even more aggressive, spreading to the whole body.

Now his legs were essentially numb, and the condition continued to spread upwards. The only option was to amputate the legs to halt the progression of the disease, possibly giving a glimmer of hope; otherwise, all that remained was to wait for death. Should the nerve death reach the heart or brain, there would be no hope left.

"Don't worry, there must be a way!"

Qiao Zhenfei's mood was also quite somber. When he learned of the situation over the phone, he had already braced for the worst, but the reality was far more serious than he had imagined, to the point where amputation was unavoidable.

Neither Li Yang nor Qiao Zhenfei wished to see such a strong and respected general end up like this.

As a general who had experienced real war, General Li was a very pure soldier at heart, the kind who would rather die on the battlefield, his body wrapped in horsehide, without hesitation. However, now in his prime, he had unfortunately contracted such a strange disease which not only kept him away from the battlefield but also away from the military and the army barracks he had dedicated his life to.

"I brought Qin Fang here today because I wanted him to give it a try. He possesses an acupuncture technique that has been lost for hundreds of years, so maybe there's a way..."

Qiao Zhenfei immediately pointed to Qin Fang by his side as he spoke.

"Really?"

Li Yang's face lit up with hope. Although he didn't hold much expectation that Qin Fang could cure his father's illness, at this point, they had to try anything. Who knew, a miracle might just occur.

"I do possess a secret acupuncture technique, but as to whether it can treat General Li's condition, I dare not make any guarantees without an actual attempt," Qin Fang replied, slightly nodding his head. What he said was indeed the truth. The Nine Revival Needles were certainly miraculous, but they were also limited to what humans could achieve. They were effective against many diseases, but not all ailments were curable with them.

Even at the time of its creation by Huangfu Mi, the Nine Revival Needles couldn't cure a hundred diseases with one needle. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a Fatal Needle among the Nine Revival Needles, a technique used to ease the passing of those beyond help.

"Yes, let's give it a try. Maybe it really can work... Qin Fang's acupuncture techniques could even turn a living person into a vegetative state. Perhaps there really might be a way to tackle such an illness!"

Ye Xiang had been badly affected by Qin Fang's treatment previously, lying in bed as a vegetative person for nearly a month, with all of the hospital's experts at a loss. The only person who could have solved the problem was Elder Ma, the Medical Grandmaster, but he recognized Qin Fang's acupuncture and chose not to get involved. This was why Ye Heng, the chief of the Ninghai City Bureau, had no choice but to humbly seek Qin Fang's aid for his son's sake.

Qiao Zhenfei had witnessed the beginning of that event and learned of the subsequent details, and he was truly astonished by Qin Fang's enigmatic and unpredictable Acupuncture Secret Technique.

It was precisely that which prompted him to specially invite Qin Fang to try his techniques in this situation.

...

The Military Hospital, the best hospital in the whole Jincheng area.

Whether it was the level of the doctors or the hospital's equipment, almost everything was top-notch, beyond the comparably high medical standards of city hospitals.

General Li was currently residing in the VIP ward, grappling with an unusual illness common treatments might do nothing to ameliorate. The hospital had made many efforts but still couldn't cure him or even slow the progression of the disease.

The only course of action was to amputate both legs before the dying nerves spread to the thighs, which might provide a slim chance of survival.

Qin Fang and his group arrived here escorted by Li Yang and several military officers, with soldiers standing guard outside, making entry quite difficult for the average person.

Compared to the low spirits of people like Li Yang and Qiao Zhenfei, when Qin Fang saw the general, he couldn't help but be astounded, for General Li's face showed no sign of despair or decay. Instead, he was smiling and talking with a girl who had arrived earlier than them in the hospital room, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter. He seemed to be in good spirits, which made it hard to believe that such a sanguine general was suffering from such a terminal illness.

After passing through several layers of guards at the door, Qin Fang and the other two had finally reached the hospital room, with Li Yang leading the way, followed closely by Qiao Zhenfei, and Qin Fang at the rear.

"Uncle Li..."

As soon as he entered, Qiao Zhenfei saw General Li lying in bed and his eyes immediately reddened as he spoke softly, which Qin Fang could tell was a suppressed voice, as if raising it any louder could lead to an outpour of tears.

Qiao Zhenfei really was a man of true feelings, and through their interactions, Qin Fang had come to truly understand his character—a man definitely worthy of friendship.

In comparison, Zhang Yuliang from Southern Yue was far inferior. To this day, Qin Fang didn't feel comfortable around him, but for the sake of Qiao Zhenfei, he refrained from outright confrontation.

Of course, Qin Fang had essentially cut off all contact with this man since returning from Southern Yue.

"Is that Xiao Fei... come here, let Uncle take a good look at you, it's been years since I last saw you!" General Li showed great excitement upon seeing Qiao Zhenfei, waving him over to catch up.

"Xiao Fei lived at my home for eight years, and my father treated him like his own son," Li Yang quietly explained to Qin Fang.

With that, Qin Fang understood. Qiao Zhenfei had lived at the Li Family home not for half a year, but during his childhood, and it had left a profound impression. Even after returning to the Qiao Family, he couldn't forget such deep emotions, treating General Li as a father figure. His true feelings now came to the surface. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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