Lu Yao said thank you, watching the family of three leave, then shared the information she got with Xiao Feng and the others.

"Old village?" Xiao Feng asked, "Is there an old village on the map?"

"There's only Huangshu Village on the map, maybe it's been updated. I'll check if there's anything on previous versions." Lu Yao replied while reaching for her computer in her backpack.

"No need." Xiao Feng shook his head and said, "Let's find an older person and ask if they know Sun Shijie first."

Everyone agreed with this approach. If they couldn't find anyone, just finding the location of the old village wouldn't be useful.

The group walked a bit further into the village, and saw two elderly people sitting together on a long bench outside a pavilion, chatting and wearing thick cotton jackets.

"Old Shi, I've decided. After winter passes, I'll have my son take me back home. These days are boring as hell, seeing your old face every day makes me want to puke."

"You think I wanna look at you? But you're right, it's cozier back home, sipping small drinks and playing cards, lively enough. Now it's just the two of us staring at each other. Even when I ask you to go square dancing, you don't go, and worse, you won't let me go. Can't talk with you."

"Stopping you from going is for your own good. With your old arms and legs, one careless fall and you're gone, I'd have no one to keep me company."

"Pah! Can't you wish me well once in a while?"

Upon hearing the two old men bickering, Xiao Feng understood they both moved from the old village and approached them to ask if they knew Sun Shijie.

"Sun Shijie?"

"A doctor with great skills?"

The two of them exchanged a glance, then asked simultaneously, "You're not joking, are you?"

"Why do you say that, elders?" Zhao Guo'an took out cigarettes, distributed them to the two, and earnestly lit them.

One old man laughed, "It's obvious you're not locals. Sun Shijie died two years ago, and he's hardly a miraculous healer with his skills!"

"Is that so?" Zhao Guo'an followed up the conversation.

The other old man sneered and said, "A few years ago, there was a young guy in our village with a cold. The village doctor couldn't figure it out, said he should be taken to the hospital in town.

Back then there was no road built in the village, going to town took half a day on a donkey cart. But you can't delay when someone's sick. We got old Zhao ready with the donkey cart to take the young guy to town for a check.

Just before leaving the village, a barefoot doctor named Sun Shijie from the neighboring village came by, heard about the young guy's situation, pounded his chest, claimed he knew some folk remedy, and ended up paralyzing the boy.

Do you call this level of skills a miraculous healer? More like a quack, I'd say!"

The old man beside him sighed in sorrow, "That young guy was unfortunate, grew up on scraps after his parents died early, and ended up having his future ruined by a quack. People, sometimes you just can't say."

"Who wouldn't agree!"

Their banter made Xiao Feng and the others look increasingly grim.

Sun Shijie was dead?

And his medical skills weren't high, not only was he not a miraculous healer, but he was the kind that could paralyze someone from a cold?

If the news was true, wasn't this whole trip a waste?

"You two elders aren't from the same village as Sun Shijie?" Xiao Feng suddenly asked.

"Yes, we're from East Huangshu Village; Sun Shijie was from West Huangshu Village. We did hear a lot about Sun Shijie's reputation years ago, but looking at it now, sometimes rumors are unreliable. A young guy had his life ruined."

"What happened to the young guy later?" Su Yuzhuo asked from her wheelchair, her hand on the armrest squeezing unconsciously, clearly nervous.

Because this was her only hope of standing up again.

If Sun Shijie really paralyzed someone, maybe there's more than meets the eye, but the key issue now is that Sun Shijie died two years ago, so willing or not, this hope can only be placed on that young man.

"Here, have a smoke, have a smoke." Zhao Guo'an continued offering cigarettes to the two old men.

One old man took a cigarette and said, "Young man, not to nitpick, but your cigarette ain't quite right, could it be fake?"

Zhao Guo'an thought to himself that his cigarettes cost much more than the highest-end ones on the market, but he still hoped for the old man's word, so he put on a smile while secretly cursing the old man for not knowing the quality.

The other old man took a few puffs and said, "As mentioned, the young guy in our village grew up on scraps. After he was paralyzed, Sun Shijie took him in, heard he became his apprentice, probably not doing too well now."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Unless the young man starts practicing elsewhere, surely no one would dare seek his treatment locally.

"Could you kindly show us the way? How far is West Huangshu Village from here?" Xiao Feng asked.

The old man replied, "Not far, not far. Leave the new village, head west, walk twenty li, and you'll see a large stone monument. Let me advise you, though: some rumors can't be trusted. You seem to be here seeking treatment. It's still better to go to a big hospital."

The other old man looked at Su Yuzhuo and advised, "Such a lovely young girl, best not to waste time, get to a big hospital early. Young people should trust in science."

Just then, the phone in his pocket rang, the old man stood up and said, "No more talk, my son is calling me to go home for dinner."

...

"Let's go, head to West Huangshu Village." Xiao Feng led the group outward from the village.

Truth be told, news of Sun Shijie's death two years ago was a shock to everyone, but thinking it over, it was actually plausible.

After all, Su Yuzhuo's father had ties with Sun Shijie; if Su Yuzhuo never had the chance to reach him, could it really be expected for him to hang on waiting? That's not reasonable!

"In general, how many years does it take for a Chinese medicine practitioner to finish apprenticeship?" the young girl asked.

Knowing what the girl really wanted to ask, Zhao Guo'an replied, "It varies person to person, depends on individual aptitude. Let's hope that young man completely inherits old Mr. Sun's knowledge."

The conversation left everyone feeling heavy-hearted.

The saying goes, it's hard for a disciple to surpass the master, and few actually do.

Even if some might, it wouldn't happen over a few short years. Accumulating time and experience is needed for breakthroughs in medicine.

Thinking it over, it seemed hopes were infinitesimal.

Walking out of the village, Xiao Feng glanced back at the brightly lit New Huangshu Village, feeling like being caught in a huge vortex.

That feeling had no source, yet it strangely lingered.

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