Chu Mingyu, grateful to Li Se for his treatment, gifted him twenty million yuan as a consultation fee.
Li Se was now a millionaire and remained unfazed by tens of millions. He had even used the Imperial Green jade pendant without a second thought, a piece that alone was worth at least a million.
After leaving the Chu residence, Jiang Ranran kept looking at Li Se with a peculiar gaze.
Li Se felt a bit self-conscious under her stare and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"The way you treated him just now… it looked like a charlatan. What kind of healing method is that?" Jiang Ranran voiced her curiosity.
"It's Zhuyou techniques," Li Se replied truthfully. "From a modern perspective, incantations and talismans might seem like superstitious Taoist arts. But in traditional Chinese medicine, it's a long-standing method of healing. Zhuyou techniques share roots with shamanism, primarily used to treat difficult and complex ailments."
"But it really does look like a charlatan," Jiang Ranran chuckled.
"That's why people think it's superstitious," Li Se said, unbothered.
"Speaking of which, you're still a virgin?" Jiang Ranran asked with a sly smile.
Li Se shrugged. "Aren't you a virgin too? We're in the same boat."
"I've never had a boyfriend before, so it's not strange that my first time is still yet to come. But before you were with me, you were about to get married and still a virgin? You've really had a rough time," Jiang Ranran patted Li Se's shoulder with a look of sympathy.
"How about we… break that?" Li Se, of course, wouldn't miss an opportunity to tease Jiang Ranran.
Jiang Ranran glanced around, blushing. "Are you suggesting… an outdoor rendezvous?"
"It's not impossible," Li Se said excitedly.
"No way! I have to go to work!" Jiang Ranran quickly fled.
Li Se felt a touch of helplessness. He was just teasing the girl; why was she so shy? He remembered that not long ago, she had teased him quite a bit.
In the following days, Li Se spent his time meditating in medicinal baths and occasionally teasing Huang Shanshan. Life was incredibly comfortable, though sometimes he felt a pang of guilt remembering the numerous romantic debts he owed.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Medicine Association had officially begun to operate smoothly. His reputation as President Li was now resounding throughout the TCM community. Many veteran TCM practitioners had learned that the president of the Qingyun City Chinese Medicine Association was remarkably young. Li Se was hailed as the future hope of traditional Chinese medicine.
As for those who knew Li Se was an Imperial Physician, their numbers remained limited.
One day, a meeting was held at the Chinese Medicine Hall. Elder Huang was the first to propose opening a TCM clinic.
Although there were many TCM clinics in China, most were operated by self-taught practitioners. These clinics typically only treated minor ailments; serious illnesses still required visits to major hospitals. However, these hospitals primarily focused on Western medicine. Even with TCM departments in some major hospitals, and renowned physicians like Elder Huang on staff, the number of patients seeking TCM treatment was still low.
Therefore, the Chinese Medicine Association decided to establish its own TCM clinic.
"Elder Hua and I will be on consultation, and the lead physician will naturally be the President," Elder Huang said with a smile, looking at Li Se seated in the presidential chair.
"Alright, Elder Huang, you make the arrangements." Li Se had considered opening a clinic before but hadn't acted on it. The Chinese Medicine Association's proposal to open one was quite opportune.
This decision was quickly passed, with all TCM practitioners expressing their agreement. They would also take turns consulting at the clinic, though the primary consultations would be by Li Se, Elder Huang, and Elder Hua.
After the meeting, Li Se encountered Yan Qizhi.
Yan Qizhi possessed considerable medical skill, even impressive, but according to Elder Huang, he was a person seeking fame and reputation.
Yan Qizhi also noticed Li Se looking at him and lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze. The public humiliation he had faced recently was still fresh in his memory, and it had significantly impacted his reputation. The entire TCM community knew that Yan Qizhi had been publicly rebuked by the president of the Chinese Medicine Association.
Furthermore, the fact that Li Se was an Imperial Physician at such a young age was something Yan Qizhi feared he could never achieve in his lifetime.
"Pres… President Li," Yan Qizhi greeted him awkwardly.
"Is something the matter?" Li Se asked, looking at him. He certainly held no fondness for Yan Qizhi.
"I was wrong last time, and thank you for saving me…" Yan Qizhi stammered, faltering as he spoke.
"If you have something to say, please be direct," Li Se said, frowning.
Yan Qizhi looked embarrassed. "You saved me last time, does that mean you can cure my heart condition?"
Most heart conditions are incurable; they are chronic illnesses requiring long-term treatment, and most can only be managed.
If a heart attack occurred and one didn't have medication, it often meant certain death. Yet, Li Se had pulled him back from the brink of death last time.
Therefore, Yan Qizhi believed Li Se might be able to cure him.
"Of course," Li Se replied casually, as if a heart condition was a minor ailment in his eyes.
"Then can you…" Yan Qizhi began to ask.
"I can help treat you, but there's a condition," Li Se said, knowing exactly what Yan Qizhi was thinking.
"What condition?"
Li Se smiled slightly. "It's very simple. Once the clinic opens, you must consult there long-term, and without any consultation fees!"
Yan Qizhi agreed without hesitation. "No problem!"
Long-term consultation was not an issue; as long as his health could be restored, anything was negotiable.
"Good. When the clinic opens, I will treat you then," Li Se said, dropping the statement before turning and leaving.
Yan Qizhi didn't press further. He knew Li Se didn't fully trust him and feared he might leave after being cured. However, since a cure was possible, there was no need to rush. He wouldn't die anytime soon anyway.
As soon as he left the Chinese Medicine Hall, Li Se received a call from Qiao Weiwei.
"Where are you? I need to see you!" Qiao Weiwei was always direct and to the point, immediately asking for his location.
Li Se replied with his current location, feeling a bit helpless.
Less than half an hour later, Qiao Weiwei appeared. She was as beautiful as ever, dressed casually today, but it couldn't conceal her curvaceous figure.
"Are you the president of the Chinese Medicine Association now?" Qiao Weiwei asked.
"You already know, so why ask?" Li Se shrugged.
Qiao Weiwei smiled playfully. "Let's go!"
"Go where?"
"My grandfather wants to see you. Today, there's a Feng Shui exchange meeting, attended by all the great Feng Shui masters. You know my grandfather's passion for Feng Shui, so he wouldn't miss such an event. And since you have considerable skill in this area, I have to bring you along."