1. Northern China, Mopan Gou Village.
It was the height of summer, and the midday sun was particularly fierce.
By the village entrance stood a large willow tree, beneath which a simple-minded young man was playing with a small black leopard.
"Qingfeng, come quickly, it's time for your medicine!"
About twenty meters away from the willow tree was a two-story duplex building. This was the village's only clinic, and the sole inheritance Li Qingfeng had received from his grandfather.
At the entrance to the clinic's first floor, a plainly dressed woman was calling out to Li Qingfeng.
A beauty in the north, peerless and solitary!
The woman possessed a devilishly alluring figure, her jet-black hair shone with a dazzling radiance, and her long, slender legs were clad in a pair of faded jeans, accentuating her flawless physique.
The woman's name was Pan Xiaolian. She was the village widow and, after the passing of Elder Li, the village's barefoot doctor.
"Coming, Aunt Pan!"
Li Qingfeng stood up from beneath the willow tree, his face alight with an innocent, simple smile. He hopped and skipped his way towards the clinic.
"Come in quickly, drink this medicine first, and then take off your clothes!"
Pan Xiaolian grabbed Li Qingfeng's right hand and pulled him closer to the clinic, then latched the door from the inside.
After securing the door, Pan Xiaolian retrieved a bowl of pale yellow herbal soup from a nearby table.
As the bowl was moved, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted through the clinic. Pan Xiaolian carefully blew on it with her mouth and then fed Li Qingfeng the soup, sip by sip.
"Aunt Pan, hehe, it's sweet!"
Qingfeng grinned foolishly at Aunt Pan. He drank as she fed him, and soon the bowl of medicine was empty.
Pan Xiaolian put down the medicine bowl, walked into the inner room, and took out a small jar.
As soon as the jar was opened, a foul odor emanated, making Li Qingfeng's eyes roll back.
"Woo woo, Aunt Pan, it stinks!"
Hearing Li Qingfeng's slightly tearful tone, Aunt Pan's eyes held a trace of helplessness.
But then Pan Xiaolian removed Li Qingfeng's shirt, revealing his slender body underneath.
She sighed continuously, her eyes showing a flicker of hope as she looked at the small jar.
" this medicine was specially left to me by your grandfather three years ago, on his deathbed. He said it could cure your illness. If it doesn't work, then I truly have no other options."
At one point, Li Qingfeng was the golden phoenix of the town, even the entire city. He had gotten into Huaqing University with the highest score in the entire county.
For a time, the Li family clinic was bustling with visitors, a lively scene.
But good times did not last. In just half a year, he was expelled by Huaqing University and sent back.
Suddenly, Li Qingfeng became a dropout from Huaqing University, the laughingstock of the entire town.
The school's explanation was that Li Qingfeng had engaged in fights and brawls at school and had been beaten into a fool by a crowd.
The pride of the town had become the village's notorious fool, bullied by everyone he met.
"Alas, what a bitter fate for this child!"
Pan Xiaolian sighed again. Li Qingfeng's grandfather had shown her great kindness. Before he died, he had asked her to work at the clinic and look after Li Qingfeng.
After agreeing, she had tried every possible method to cure Li Qingfeng's foolishness, but after three years, there had been no success.
She had tried both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, but not only had there been no effect, but it had backfired, making Qingfeng even more foolish. She was at her wit's end, having to attend to a grown man like a child.
She smeared the medicine onto Li Qingfeng's body. The pungent, fishy smell made Li Qingfeng squirm restlessly.
"Ah, Aunt Pan, no…"
Pan Xiaolian quickly patted his head and whispered, "Don't fidget, be good. I'll let you eat meat later!"
"Meat, hehe, meat is delicious. Qingfeng loves meat the most!"
Hearing Pan Xiaolian's words, Li Qingfeng immediately stopped fidgeting, but his brow remained furrowed. The medicinal smell was simply too pungent, and as a child at heart, he couldn't bear it.
At that moment, there was a knocking sound at the clinic's tightly shut door.
"Bang, bang, bang…"
Immediately after, with a loud bang, the clinic door was forcibly kicked open.
A young man with a sharp mouth and monkey-like face walked in. Pan Xiaolian recognized him; this person was none other than Wang Xiaohu, a local ruffian.
Seeing him enter, Pan Xiaolian's face instantly darkened.
However, in the next second, she forced a smile and said, "Oh, isn't this Brother Dahu! What breeze brings you here?"
Wang Xiaohu slammed his palm on the table and shouted angrily, "I say, Pan Xiaolian, when are you going to repay the interest that the Li family owes me?"
As he spoke, he pointed at Li Qingfeng, who was grinning foolishly, and questioned Pan Xiaolian.
Pan Xiaolian plastered a fawning smile on her face and said, "Brother Hu, Brother Dahu, look, business in our clinic hasn't been good this month. Please be patient for a little longer, just one more month."
Wang Xiaohu angrily grabbed Li Qingfeng and said to her, word by word, "Pan Xiaolian, listen to me carefully. In these ten miles and eight villages, no one dares to disregard Brother Hu's name. Debts must be repaid; it's only natural! Pay up quickly, or I'll chop off this brat today!"
"You..."
Pan Xiaolian's face turned ashen with anger, but with Li Qingfeng in his hands, she could only go along with Wang Xiaohu.
"Uh, Brother Hu, Brother Dahu, please let him go first. He's just a child, don't take it personally. We can discuss this."
"Let go of him. If you don't pay today, I will…"
"I will…"
Mid-sentence, Dahu suddenly didn't know what else they had left to pawn.
"Hehehe!"
Wang Xiaohu suddenly released Li Qingfeng and stared intently at Pan Xiaolian.
It had to be said, although Pan Xiaolian was no longer young.
Pan Xiaolian was twenty-five or twenty-six, but with her graceful posture and slender build, she was a stunning beauty, like a flower just beginning to bloom.
Wang Xiaohu had gone out with some ruffians from the neighboring village earlier to boast about his great deeds and had drunk a lot of wine.
The effects of the alcohol were kicking in now. Looking at Pan Xiaolian, he said, "How about this? It must be difficult for you to take care of this fool all by yourself. Why don't you help Brother Dahu out, and I'll forget the interest."
Wang Xiaohu excitedly thumped his chest, which made a resounding noise. His eyes were fixed on Pan Xiaolian.
"Xiaolian! Brother Dahu speaks. You can rest assured, just cooperate with Brother Dahu once!"
"Just once is enough!"
Saying this, he lunged towards Pan Xiaolian.
"No!"
Pan Xiaolian would never agree.
"You beast, get away from me, let go…"
Pan Xiaolian struggled desperately, but there was a significant difference in strength between men and women, let alone a weak woman like herself. How could she possibly contend with an adult male like Wang Xiaohu?
In a short while, Wang Xiaohu had cornered Pan Xiaolian.
Wang Xiaohu picked up Pan Xiaolian and placed her on the bed.
Just as he was about to pounce, his head was suddenly struck by a medicine bowl.
"Damn it, you little brat, you dare hit me!"
He turned around and saw that it was Li Qingfeng, that big fool.
"Bullying Aunt Pan, you big bad guy, big bad guy, I'll beat you to death!"
"Beat the bad guy, hehe!"
Li Qingfeng grinned foolishly.
Wang Xiaohu was furious. He couldn't believe that this fool dared to provoke him.
"Get out!"
Wang Xiaohu grabbed Li Qingfeng and threw him violently. The direction he was thrown in happened to be towards the clinic's square table.
"Ouch! It hurts!"
Li Qingfeng screamed in pain. His head hit the clinic's table heavily, and blood poured out. His eyes went black, and he fainted.
"Oh no, someone's dead!"
"Qingfeng!"
At this moment, Pan Xiaolian's anxiety and Wang Xiaohu's panic were starkly contrasted.
"Slap!"
Pan Xiaolian shouted, but Wang Xiaohu slapped her fiercely across the face, drawing blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Shut up, you little widow, behave yourself!"
There was a jade pendant on Li Qingfeng's neck. Upon contact with the blood, it emitted an unusual glow, and a massive amount of information flooded his mind.
He seemed to have fallen into a dream. In the dream, an old man taught him all sorts of medical skills, saying that he was the legendary Divine Physician, and hoped that he would carry on the art of medicine…
"I will pass on the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica to you, enabling you to cultivate spiritual objects of heaven and earth; I will give you a body that is immune to all poisons and possesses immense strength."
"To be a doctor is not only to step into the hall of science but also into the hall of society. Discern the false from the true, possess conviction, and you will be a hero!"
"As a physician, saving lives and healing the wounded is your sacred duty; remember this!"
The Divine Physician's impassioned words ended here, but they instilled in Li Qingfeng an unparalleled sense of strength and conviction.