After consultation, the experts recommended surgery for General Zhou. While medical care is vastly improved compared to 30 years ago, surgery still carries significant risks. After several days of intense discussion, the experts concluded that even with the expert surgeon Xu Yidao performing the surgery, General Zhou would still carry a 60% risk of death.
A 60% risk of death? General Zhou shook his head, refusing surgery. He didn't mind. He'd lived for over sixty years, and that was enough. But he still had a wish unfulfilled; he didn't want to die on the operating table.
The experts urged General Zhou that if he didn't undergo surgery, the shrapnel would reach his heart, which would be his last. After reviewing the medical reports for over a year, the experts unanimously concluded that at the current rate of shrapnel movement, it would take no more than three to five years for the fragment to reach his heart.
In recent years, although General Zhou still holds the title of Grand Marshal, he has rarely been involved in specific matters. If the Chairman hadn't insisted that General Zhou not step down, he would have wanted to hand over the title years ago. He has been a soldier all his life, and now that he's old, he wants to take it easy.
In the dead of night, General Zhou once sighed to himself. For so many years, there had been no news of his grandson, Zhou Xinyu, and he probably was no longer alive. Could it be that Zhou Jinyu, as the fortune teller had said, was destined to be a lonely star and suffer a lifetime of misery?
Zhou Xi could guess at the reason General Zhou was delaying the surgery. Zhou Xinyu had been missing for years, but General Zhou hadn't given up, constantly awaiting his return. With only this one direct descendant, General Zhou feared he wouldn't be able to get off the operating table. Therefore, General Zhou preferred to wait another three to five years, despite his broken body.
In three to five years, maybe there will be news about the child?
Zhou Xi pushed the wheelchair with heavy steps, looking at the gray-haired General Zhou sitting in front of him, his heart ached. Before his injury, General Zhou was in good health, rarely sick year-round. Ever since he was shot, General Zhou's health has gradually deteriorated. The shrapnel remained in General Zhou's body, gradually eroding his health. Over the years, whenever Zhou Xi heard of valuable medicinal herbs like century-old ginseng, he would find a way to obtain them to nourish General Zhou. Despite this, General Zhou's health slowly deteriorated.
Zhou Xi entered the Zhou family as a child and has been with General Zhou ever since. In Zhou Xi's heart, General Zhou is even more important than himself. If someone offered to trade their lives for Zhou Xi's, he would probably agree without even a second thought.
For years, Zhou Xi had been seeking information about the Taoist Baopu. He hoped that his magical powers could save General Zhou's life. Now, General Zhou was not just Zhou Xi's general, but the pillar of support for all of China. With General Zhou around, even the more ambitious individuals around China dared not show their hand.
Zhou Xi didn't know much about Taoist Baopu. He only knew that he was very powerful, not only in terms of his profound Taoist skills. Zhou Xi guessed that he might even have the ability to bring the dead back to life.
When Zhou Xi was eight years old, he happened to save the life of Taoist Master Baopu. Seeing Zhou Xi's talent for Daoism, Master Baopu suggested that he return to the mountains with him to cultivate. The Yushan Sect was quite strict in selecting successors, and this was the first time Master Baopu had encountered a child with Zhou Xi's talent.
Zhou Xi was General Zhou's study companion. He had sold himself to the Zhou family when he was young. General Zhou had always been kind to him. In Zhou Xi's heart, General Zhou was both his master and his brother. When Zhou Xi asked Taoist Baopu if he could take General Zhou with him, Taoist Baopu shook his head and refused.
The young General Zhou has no talent for learning Taoism, and the Yushan Sect will not accept such a person.
The Yushan sect uses talismans to initiate into Taoism. Zhou Xi saw that Taoist Baopu was unwilling to accept him as a disciple, and he refused to leave the Zhou household. With no other options, Taoist Baopu stayed at the Zhou household for three days, teaching Zhou Xi the introductory techniques of talisman techniques to settle their karmic bond. Taoists value the principle of not owing anything to Zhou Xi. Zhou Xi saved Taoist Baopu's life, and he felt obligated to repay his debt by doing something in return.
Zhou Xi's aptitude was quite good, and within three days, he had learned some real skills from Taoist Baopu. After three days, Taoist Baopu disappeared, only telling Zhou Xi that their sect was called Yushan Sect, and his Taoist name was Baopu.
Zhou Xi felt that conventional treatments couldn't relieve the general's pain, and perhaps Taoist Baopu could use his "immortal" skills to help the general? During those three days, Taoist Baopu was still trying to get Zhou Xi to change his mind and return to the sect with him, and he had once demonstrated to Zhou Xi skills such as "telekinesis" and "spiritual energy to promote flowering."
Unfortunately, the young Zhou Xi was stubborn. Taoist Baopu was unwilling to take General Zhou with him, but Zhou Xi refused to leave. Taoist Baopu saw that Zhou Xi was determined to do so, so he had to return with regret.
Zhou Xi had searched for information about Baopu Taoist over the years, but it was a pity that what happened back then seemed like a dream. If Zhou Xi hadn't truly mastered some of the Daoist techniques, he would have doubted that Baopu Taoist even existed. Zhou Xi thought that perhaps this Taoist was the hermit mentioned in ancient books. Meeting him and receiving his guidance for three days was a great opportunity.
Seeing that General Zhou's health was getting worse day by day, and the general was unwilling to cooperate with the doctor's treatment, Zhou Xi planned to find an opportunity to tell General Zhou about Zhou Zhixin's situation. After Zhou Zhixin returned to his ancestral home, perhaps General Zhou would be happy and agree to the surgery?
Zhou Xi has confirmed that Zhou Zhixin is the missing young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Xinyu. Back then, Lao Ke escaped an assassination attempt by enemy agents with the newly born Zhou Xinyu, but General Zhou's son and daughter-in-law perished in the sudden incident. For Zhou Xinyu's safety, Lao Ke entrusted the child to Zhou Chunping, agreeing to pick him up from Zhou Chunping's home a week later. Then, Lao Ke distracted the enemy agents who had been pursuing them.
Three days later, all the enemy spies were wiped out. Lao Ke, not caring about his wounds, went to Zhou Chunping to ask for Zhou Xinyu back. Unexpectedly, after Zhou Chunping brought Zhou Xinyu home, he was frightened by Wu Jinfeng's alarmist words and moved away overnight with the child and the money left by Lao Ke.
Three days later, Lao Ke arrived at the agreed location and waited all day, but he didn't see Zhou Chunping. He rushed to the address Zhou Chunping had given him, but the place was empty. He vomited blood in frustration. A few years later, Lao Ke died of depression. The task of finding the young master fell to Zhou Xi.
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