護花近衛 - 第305章 敲竹杠 - 翰墨軒

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!