It only took two or three seconds!
Two menacing thugs were on the ground, one groaning and the other curled up in a corner, unable to move.
Xu Kuo stood there calmly, his clothes perfectly intact.
His clean and efficient skills completely stunned the scene!
Everyone gasped, and their gazes toward Xu Kuo changed from initial disdain to fear!
This guy is no country bumpkin; he's got a tough nut to crack!
The man with the buzz cut, lying on the ground, covered his face. He was terrified when he saw his two henchmen being dealt with in an instant.
He struggled to his feet, pointed at Xu Kuo, and roared, his voice trembling with fear, "You...you just wait! Don't you dare run away! I'm telling you, you're dead, I won't let you get away with this!"
After saying that, he didn't even bother to help his companion, and scrambled out of the restaurant, looking extremely disheveled.
The other two, who were still able to move, helped each other and fled in a panic.
Watching the group disappear through the door, Xu Kuo withdrew his gaze, as if nothing had happened, and sat back down, picking up his teacup and gently blowing on the steam.
Zhang Zhihe then came to his senses, his face filled with gratitude and worry. He quickly walked over, his voice trembling, "Comrade Xu Kuo...you...you...oh dear! How could you do this! This is a huge problem!"
"Trouble?" Xu Kuo looked up at him. "Who are they?"
Zhang Zhihe's face showed bitterness and helplessness: "The leader you just beat up is called Wang Chengxiang. He's the son of Wang Ming, the secretary of the Hongqi Town Committee! This kid is used to running rampant in the town because of his father's power. He's a real devil!"
He sighed and continued, "Before... before, the town had a celebration and invited me to perform. Wang Chengxiang and his friends were incredibly curious about my magic tricks and kept pestering me to tell them the secrets. But... but those are my livelihood, how could I just tell others? So I refused. As a result, they held a grudge against me and would come to pick a fight with me every now and then, either making sarcastic remarks or doing something like today... sigh!"
Xu Kuo raised an eyebrow; so this was the root of the problem.
He thought to himself that this was a good opportunity to sound them out: "Brother Zhang, don't you have a good relationship with Captain Sheng from the county? With that connection, the son of a town secretary shouldn't dare to do anything to you, right? Why don't you ask Captain Sheng for a favor and give them a little warning?"
Hearing this, Zhang Zhihe's bitterness deepened. He waved his hand, looking helpless, and said, "Comrade Xu Kuo, you've misunderstood. Captain Sheng and I... are actually not familiar at all."
"Not familiar with him?" Now it was Xu Kuo's turn to be surprised.
“Yes,” Zhang Zhihe explained, “Before your village’s gala last time, Captain Sheng came to me, mainly because he doubted whether your magic trick was real and wanted me, as someone who ‘knows the stuff,’ to help him take a look and verify it. Before that, I had barely spoken a few words to Captain Sheng. It was only after that that we got to know each other.”
I see!
Xu Kuo understood that it was no use trying to find out Sheng Xu's true attitude towards him from Zhang Zhihe.
Sheng Xu sought out Zhang Zhihe purely to "expose the fraud," not out of trust.
However, Xu Kuo became curious about another matter: "Brother Zhang, speaking of which, how did you come up with the idea of learning magic? These days, it's not common to see people learning this, and your technique looks quite skillful."
When magic was mentioned, Zhang Zhihe's eyes dimmed and a worried look appeared on his face.
He sighed heavily, his voice low: "There's nothing I can do, Comrade Xu Kuo. Although this magic trick seems unorthodox, it's rare, and by performing it in villages and towns, we can at least earn a living."
He paused, his voice lower, filled with barely concealed bitterness: "My...my wife has been seriously ill, bedridden for years. We've consulted countless doctors and given her countless medications, but nothing has helped. We've almost emptied our savings. These past few years, all we've relied on is this little trick I use, performing for people everywhere, to earn a little money to buy her medicine and keep her alive..."
Looking at Zhang Zhihe's sorrowful face and listening to his heavy words, Xu Kuo couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Thinking back, although I had helped him out of a predicament, I had actually caused him even bigger trouble—offending the secretary's son.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhang Zhihe: "Brother Zhang, to be honest, I know a little about medicine. Although I wouldn't dare say I can cure all diseases, I might be able to help. If you don't mind, after we finish eating, I'd like to go home with you to check on your wife's condition?"
Zhang Zhihe suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his heart, but it quickly faded away.
He knew that Xu Kuo had indeed shown some skill in applying medicine to Jiang Xiuying last time, but his wife's illness...
"Oh, Comrade Xu Kuo, I'm very grateful for your concern." Zhang Zhihe shook his head with a wry smile. "My wife's illness... it's very strange. We've consulted doctors all over the county and city, and they all say there's no cure. We can only let it drag on... I'm afraid..."
He knew Xu Kuo meant well and was indeed quite capable.
But his wife's illness... sigh! Even so many experienced doctors in the county and city were helpless. In the end, they were only kept alive by the old Chinese medicine doctor Yang in the town with herbal decoctions. So what if this young man has some extraordinary encounters?
“Comrade Xu Kuo, I appreciate your kindness, thank you so much…” Zhang Zhihe’s voice was hoarse, filled with exhaustion, “But… this is probably not a minor ailment…”
Xu Kuo's gaze, however, remained unusually firm, without the slightest wavering.
He could sense the resistance in Zhang Zhihe's words, as well as the despair in Zhang Zhihe's heart.
This, on the contrary, strengthened his resolve.
He took a step forward, his expression resolute: "Brother Zhang, trust me this once. Let me see, it can't hurt. Even if... even if it really doesn't work, at least we'll have tried our best, right?"
His eyes were so powerful, as if they could pierce through the fog of people's hearts.
Years of seeking medical treatment and repeated disappointments had worn down his edges, leaving him only numbness.
However, Xu Kuo's unyielding attitude gave Zhang Zhihe hope.
That's enough, that's enough! Just as Xu Kuo said, could things get any worse?
Zhang Zhihe sighed heavily, looking exhausted, as he considered Xu Kuo's suggestion.
After a moment, he finally made up his mind and looked at Xu Kuo.
"...Alright, Comrade Xu Kuo, then...I'll leave it to you."
Afterwards, Zhang Zhihe led Xu Kuo back to his doorstep.
The two walked one after the other to the door of the room. Before Zhang Zhihe could even push the door open, it creaked open from the inside.
An elderly man with gray hair, a thin face, and an old medicine box on his back came out. He was Yang Zijie, the old Chinese medicine doctor that Zhang Zhihe had mentioned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
