Chapter 617 Entering the Finals
"See anything?" Elder Zhang asked coldly.
Old Master Huang's expression was dejected, full of unwillingness.
He had thought this medical conference would be his time to shine, but he hadn't even made it to the finals, having been eliminated by Chen Xuan. However, no matter how unwilling he was, it was useless.
At this moment, he harbored immense resentment towards Chen Xuan.
The surrounding audience also understood that Old Master Huang had indeed lost, and they were stunned.
The top seed, Old Master Huang, had lost to a young man. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, finding it impossible to believe the outcome.
Elder Zhang looked at Chen Xuan and said with admiration, "To possess such acupuncture techniques at such a young age, young man, your foundation is very solid."
Chen Xuan smiled, "Thank you for your praise, Elder Zhang."
"This is my business card, it has my phone number. We can chat about medicine another day," Elder Zhang took out a business card and handed it to Chen Xuan.
Nowadays, traditional Chinese medicine was in decline. Many young people preferred to learn Western medicine, which was easier to master. It was rare to find such a young and capable person as Chen Xuan, so Elder Zhang naturally wanted to support him.
Seeing this, those around were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Although Elder Zhang no longer practiced medicine, his status was undeniable. With Elder Zhang's support, this young man's future in the Jiangnan Province medical community would be limitless.
Chen Xuan understood Elder Zhang's intentions and was touched. He smiled, nodded, and accepted the business card, saying, "Thank you, Elder Zhang."
Elder Zhang nodded, then returned to his seat with the judges.
A staff member announced, "Next, Granny Yao and Chen Xuan will compete for the last spot in the finals!"
At this moment, the old woman excitedly strode over.
She looked at Chen Xuan, was momentarily stunned, and then her eyes filled with smiles. Grinning broadly, she said, "Young man, I didn't expect you to be my opponent. That's wonderful!"
Originally, Granny Yao had considered Old Master Huang her biggest competitor, but she never expected him to be unexpectedly defeated by Chen Xuan.
Although Chen Xuan had defeated Old Master Huang, in her eyes, Chen Xuan was merely better in foundation, perhaps just stronger.
"Looking at you, you think you'll definitely win?"
Chen Xuan sized up Granny Yao, whose mouth was almost splitting with a smile. He frowned.
Granny Yao said proudly, "I've eaten more rice than you've eaten salt, and I've crossed more bridges than you've walked roads. If I don't win, I'll find a piece of tofu and kill myself!"
Chen Xuan spoke again, "My luck is very good, you'd better not be careless."
Granny Yao's expression tightened for a moment, then she dismissively said, "Do you still think you can draw the basic acupuncture technique again? If you can draw the basic acupuncture technique, I'll concede right now!"
Truth be told, Granny Yao couldn't perform acupuncture on a toothpick. She was naturally wary of Chen Xuan in this regard, but she didn't believe Chen Xuan's luck could be that good.
"Mr. Chen, please draw the lot!"
As Granny Yao spoke, a staff member placed the lot-drawing bamboo tube in front of Chen Xuan.
The female staff member had a fawning smile on her face and deliberately lowered the collar of her OL uniform, revealing a seductive cleavage.
In the staff member's eyes, regardless of whether Chen Xuan could enter the finals today, he had already gained Elder Zhang's favor and had a promising future. It would be wonderful if Chen Xuan became her boyfriend.
Chen Xuan looked at the bamboo tube and revealed a playful smile.
There were over twenty bamboo slips in the tube, but with Chen Xuan's spiritual sense, he could see the competition content of each slip clearly. He casually drew one, having actually selected the slip he wanted.
The female staff member took the slip from Chen Xuan and looked at it, her expression becoming extremely excited.
"What's the competition?"
Granny Yao urged impatiently.
She couldn't wait to enter the finals. Once in the finals, she would be in the spotlight, and her status in the Jiangnan Province medical community would soar.
However, the content of the draw shattered Granny Yao's fantasy.
"Basic Acupuncture!"
The female staff member announced loudly, her clear voice echoing.
"What? Basic Acupuncture again?"
Everyone was stunned, their expressions extremely strange.
"How is that possible? How is that possible? How is that possible?"
Granny Yao asked "how is that possible" three times, showing how shocked she was.
She couldn't believe that she had coincidentally drawn the basic acupuncture slip again, especially since it had already been drawn once. She snatched the slip, but the content was indeed basic acupuncture.
Many audience members looked at Granny Yao with pity. This old woman was too tragic, to be matched against Chen Xuan's most skilled technique, basic acupuncture.
Of course, many others marveled at Chen Xuan's incredible luck. Especially Old Master Huang, who was waiting to see Chen Xuan eliminated, almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Granny Yao, it seems my luck is still very good."
Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes and stared at Granny Yao with a half-smile.
Granny Yao's face turned extremely ugly. Her joy of smoothly entering the finals vanished instantly, and her heart turned as cold as ice.
However, seeing Chen Xuan's expression, she had a thought and loudly declared, "It must be cheating! It must be cheating!"
Chen Xuan had drawn the technique he was most skilled at twice in a row. How could it be just good luck?
In Granny Yao's opinion, Chen Xuan must have cheated; otherwise, there was no explanation for this situation.
"Could it be that some influential figure wants to build this kid up?"
"Yes, how can it be such a coincidence?"
The surrounding audience also whispered, finding the matter somewhat suspicious.
Hearing the surrounding voices, Granny Yao's lips curled, and she confidently declared, "I want to draw again!"
But at that moment, Elder Zhang suddenly stood up and said coldly, "Xiao Qian, the lot was drawn in full view of everyone, and you claim it's cheating. Do you think we are all blind?"
In the eyes of others, this old woman was Granny Yao, but in Elder Zhang's eyes, she was merely a junior and not on the same level at all.
"I didn't mean that, I didn't mean that..."
Although Granny Yao was also elderly and held a certain status in the medical community, she was nothing in front of Elder Zhang. Since Elder Zhang had spoken, she was terrified.
The other judges naturally saw that Elder Zhang seemed to be protecting Chen Xuan, but since Chen Xuan hadn't cheated, and they had seen everything clearly, they didn't say anything.
"Since you didn't mean that, then continue the competition!"
Elder Zhang said coldly, rejecting Granny Yao's unreasonable demand.
Upon hearing this, Granny Yao let her arms drop and said with a dejected expression, "I concede..."
Thus, Chen Xuan entered the finals without any surprise.
Everyone was shocked. Most people marveled at Chen Xuan's good fortune.
Of course, some were not foolish. Some believed Chen Xuan was playing the humble role to defeat a stronger opponent, as Chen Xuan's perfect demonstration of inserting needles into a toothpick was something beyond ordinary people.
Afterwards, Chen Xuan was led to a private lounge by a staff member. As Chen Xuan was drinking water, Elder Zhang walked in and had a brief chat with Chen Xuan, advising him to rest well and prepare for the upcoming competition.
Chen Xuan looked at Elder Zhang and frowned.
Elder Zhang was not very old, only sixty-five. Although he had reached retirement age, at this age, he was fully capable of continuing to treat patients. Yet, Elder Zhang had stopped practicing medicine, which surprised Chen Xuan.
His spiritual sense extended out, and Chen Xuan soon discovered something unusual about Elder Zhang.
He said, "Elder Zhang, do you have some hidden ailment?"
Elder Zhang was astonished upon hearing this and said, "Chen Xuan, how did you know?"
Chen Xuan had not taken his pulse, nor had he examined him, nor did he know him. How did he know he had a hidden ailment?