Chapter 305 — A Spot of Extortion

Guan Xuewen included — he too was staring at Wei Zhao in astonishment! With proper management, Old Master Liu really could live another eight or ten years — but only if the condition was kept under control the whole time and the angina never flared up again!

For a man of Liu Zhenhu's age, another eight or ten years and the oil would be spent, the lamp burnt out. Even if Hua Tuo himself came back to life, he could not reverse heaven's decree and rewrite the old man's fate.

And how could that possibly be called "useless even if he's cured"? Birth, aging, sickness, death — these are the common lot of humanity. If the old man passed on within those eight or ten years, that too was only natural!

"Hahaha! The young man's right. Give me another eight or ten years and I'll be pushing up daisies — that's only natural. But if you can keep me from being tormented by illness these few years, I'd be more grateful than I can say!" At his age, Liu Zhenhu no longer much feared death, and Wei Zhao had spoken the truth.

The crucial thing was that Liu Zhenhu knew very well: his daughter-in-law had offended Wei Zhao from the very start, and his daughter-in-law's nephew had offended Wei Zhao as well. Would the man still be willing to treat him?

"Treat you? Out of respect for you, old sir, I suppose I'll grudgingly do it — but it comes at a price!" The one thing Wei Zhao genuinely approved of was Old Master Liu Zhenhu.

After all, the old man knew gratitude and repaid kindness — he had even invited Wei Zhao to Yanjing for a visit — so Wei Zhao's impression of him remained quite good. Still, to agree just like that left Wei Zhao a little displeased, so he came up with a middle path.

"A fee? No problem at all!" The moment Liu Tianyi heard Wei Zhao's condition, he nodded and agreed without hesitation. Paying for treatment was the most natural thing in the world, and Liu Tianyi had not the slightest objection. "May I ask, young divine physician, how much will the medical fee be?"

"Ten million a year," Wei Zhao said.

"It takes a year to cure? But ten million... fine, no problem!" Liu Tianyi hesitated a moment, then nodded. Ten million was no small sum, but weighed against his father's health, it was nothing worth mentioning.

"Is something wrong with you?" Wei Zhao frowned at Liu Tianyi's words. "I said it's ten million a year, not ten million in total!"

"Ah?" Liu Tianyi was taken aback, and anger flared in his heart. He guessed that Wei Zhao was exploiting the crisis to drive a hard bargain, yet there was nothing he could do. They had offended Wei Zhao thoroughly and completely; getting him to relent was next to impossible. And he dared not show his displeasure — if he did, the man might refuse to treat his father even for money. "Then... how much will the consultation fee be in total?"

"Didn't I just say? He can live another eight or ten years. Can't you do the arithmetic yourself?" Wei Zhao gave Liu Tianyi a look of contempt.

"Then... wouldn't that be eighty million?" Liu Tianyi was startled. That really was a huge sum.

"Eighty million?" Wei Zhao could not help but laugh. "Sure. If you want your old man to suddenly take ill after eight years, then eighty million it is. After all, if he doesn't die within the eight years, the moment it flares up he's certainly a dead man."

"This..." Liu Tianyi could only smile bitterly at Wei Zhao's words. It seemed Wei Zhao was demanding a hundred million from him! If he wanted a hundred million, why not just say so outright? Put this way, it made Liu Tianyi look as though he grudged spending money on his own father! He dared not guarantee that his father would live only eight years, and by Wei Zhao's account, eighty million would buy only eight years, after which a sudden attack would kill the old man — and then he would be branded an unfilial son!

Guan Xuewen understood it all now, and his expression turned rather odd. A moment ago he had been telling Wei Zhao that there was no startup capital — and now, here came the startup capital? Wei Zhao's extortion was indeed a resounding clang of the bamboo pole.

Though Guan Xuewen knew Wei Zhao was merely seizing on the occasion, who had told the Liu family to offend him? Guan Xuewen had kept silent all this while; under the circumstances, it was not his place to interject.

"Elder Guan, what do you think..." Liu Tianyi was somewhat helpless. Ten million he could produce at once, but a hundred million would require some arranging — was it not a bit too much? So he hoped Guan Xuewen would put in a word for him.

"Mr. Liu, you overestimate me." Guan Xuewen shook his head. "My relationship with Wei Zhao can only be called that of a teacher and a friend together. I have no way to interfere in what he does."

"A teacher and a friend? That still makes you half a teacher. If you were to speak up..." Liu Tianyi trailed off, then said with some resignation, "To be frank with you, though the Liu family is a great clan, producing a hundred million in cash is rather difficult..."

"Would you make demands of your teacher?" Guan Xuewen said with a bitter smile.

"Hm?" Liu Tianyi was startled, not catching Guan Xuewen's meaning.

"Xiao Yi here counts as half a teacher to me." Guan Xuewen felt not the slightest embarrassment. He was an upright man; he admired Wei Zhao's medical skill, so he spoke as things were and would not conceal anything for fear of losing face.

"What?!" Liu Tianyi was shocked, staring at Wei Zhao in disbelief! Guan Xuewen had actually called Wei Zhao his teacher? This... how could that be?

Yet Liu Tianyi was, after all, a man who had seen great things, and in a moment he began to understand. Of course — even Guan Xuewen had been helpless before his father's illness, so how could the man's student possibly have a remedy? The only explanation was that Wei Zhao was even more formidable than Guan Xuewen!

"That is all I have to say." Guan Xuewen waved a hand. "I have introduced Xiaoyi to you. Whether you seek treatment is for you to decide. But rest assured, even if you do not put up that one hundred million, I will do everything in my power, and if there is any chance, I will ask Xiaoyi to lend a hand..."

"One hundred million — good! No problem!" Having reasoned out the relationship between Wei Zhao and Guan Xuewen, Liu Tianyi agreed without the slightest hesitation. Though producing a hundred million in cash would be somewhat difficult for the Liu family, selling off some stocks and real estate would be enough to scrape the sum together. And the linchpin of the Liu family, his own father, could not be allowed any mishap; so long as his father lived in health, the Liu family had hope!

"Fine, then. Once you have the money ready, give me a call." Wei Zhao nodded, wasting no words. "You can find me through Grandpa Guan. I will be going now — it is getting late today."

"Very well, Divine Physician Lin, shall I see you out?" Liu Tianyi had already staked everything, and so his heart was at ease. What was a hundred million? Compared with his father's health, it truly counted for nothing. The Liu family was unlike the other newly risen houses; the reason the Liu family now flourished so splendidly was entirely owing to Liu Zhenhu's connections and standing.

Liu Tianyi wanted to see Wei Zhao off partly because he wished to learn where Wei Zhao lived. It was no longer the hundred million that pained him now; what he feared was that Wei Zhao might go back on his word.

"No need. I drove here myself." Wei Zhao waved a hand indifferently. "Grandpa Guan, I will head back for today. Tell Guan Xin for me that I will come to visit again in a couple of days."