Chapter Thirty-Eight: Reconnecting Sinews, Mending Bones, Restoring Vitality

The group opened the door and entered, only to find Li Hongguang already sitting up, having removed his oxygen mask. A touch of color had returned to his face.

“Father!”

Li Shengyao strode forward. “Why are you up? Lie down at once. We’re taking you to the hospital right now.”

Li Hongguang waved his hand and spoke slowly, “There’s no need. I know my own body. Going would only waste the nation’s medical resources.”

“General Li, you can’t say that. You’re a hero of the country. The resources spent to save you are well within our nation’s means.”

The speaker was Hua Quanzhong, the veteran expert from the Capital Hospital.

At that moment, Li Shengyao quietly pulled Chen Gang aside.

“Professor Chen, tell me honestly, with the treatment you mentioned, what are my father’s chances of making it through?”

Chen Gang was silent for a moment before answering, “Ten percent.”

“If it succeeds, will he be completely cured?”

This time, Chen Gang did not reply.

Li Shengyao looked up at the ceiling. Of course—if it could be cured, why wait until now? If there were no risks, why delay? They only dared to try now because there was no other choice.

“What are you mumbling about? Still trying to hide things from me? Do you really take me for a senile old man?”

Li Hongguang’s voice cut through Li Shengyao’s thoughts.

“Father, I won’t hide it from you. There’s still hope for your illness. The new medicine will be here soon. Let’s go to the hospital.”

A smile appeared on the old man’s face. “Shengyao, do you remember what I told you when you enlisted at eighteen?”

Seeing Li Shengyao remain silent, Li Hongguang continued.

“Let me remind you: I, Li, have spent my life at war. I can only die standing in uniform, not waste away bedridden. Any son of the Li family who serves in the military must hold to this creed!”

“I want to visit the Martyrs’ Cemetery and see my comrades.”

“Father, if we delay any longer, it’ll be too late. Please, just this once, listen to your son!”

Tears welled in Li Shengyao’s eyes as he dropped to his knees by the bed.

“Get up. What use is all this crying? If you must kneel, wait until I’m dead.” Li Hongguang, growing agitated, began to gasp for breath.

“I won’t go to the hospital. Bring my wheelchair and fetch my uniform.”

“Father, forgive my unfilial conduct.” Li Shengyao turned to the young medical staff. “Quick, get my father onto the ambulance.”

They immediately rushed to the bed, ready to move him.

But Li Hongguang suddenly sat up straight.

“Don’t you dare!”

“Lu Hanlin, go get my uniform. That’s an order!”

In that instant, it was as if the old General Li, who had commanded battlefields across China and inspired awe the world over, had returned.

Tears shimmered in the many wrinkles at the corners of Lu Hanlin’s eyes. He snapped to attention, saluted sharply, and thundered, “Yes, sir!”

Everyone, even the medical specialists, were awed by Li Hongguang’s presence.

But one person slammed his phone to the ground. It was Hou Li, who had been anxious and uneasy since entering the room. All eyes, including the old general’s, turned to him.

“General Li, there is another way.”

Hou Li snatched the jade bottle from the stunned Lu Zhiyou’s hands and shouted to the assembled group.

“If General Li is so determined to die, why not at least try the Revitalizing Balm?”

Seeing who it was, Li Youbo grabbed Hou Li by the collar, his fist raised in fury.

“Stop,” Li Hongguang’s calm voice halted his grandson.

Hou Li, as if he hadn’t even noticed Li Youbo, straightened his back and said, word by word:

“I, Hou Li, may be a petty man, unworthy in the eyes of the Li family, but even the lowly have their own code of conduct. I respect the old general. Since he’s so intent on dying, what harm is there in trying this? It takes less than two minutes to apply the balm—it won’t delay your reunion with your comrades.”

He shoved Li Youbo aside. “If it doesn’t work, General Li can have me shot. Frankly, there’s nothing worse that can happen to me now.”

To gamble was to seize a sliver of hope; not to gamble meant the entire Hou family would collapse. Hou Li had staked everything.

Li Shengyao regarded Hou Li seriously. After a few seconds, Hou Li looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

“Father, I won’t stop you today. All I ask is that you try the balm that Zhiyou brought back. If it doesn’t work, I’ll personally take you to the cemetery.”

Li Hongguang looked at his son, then at Hou Li, who had shrunk from a desperate man back to a timid commoner. He slowly nodded.

“Very well.”

…

In the end, it was Chen Gang who was chosen to apply the balm. He took the jade bottle, carefully removed the cork.

A faint and peculiar medicinal fragrance drifted from the bottle, filling the room in moments, dispelling the heaviness in everyone’s hearts with each breath.

Chen Gang’s eyes lit up. He poured a little of the balm onto his hand.

The inky-black Revitalizing Balm was translucent and thick, yet did not cling to the bottle’s walls. As he poured it, the fragrance in the room grew several times richer.

Any skepticism Chen Gang had evaporated. He quickly massaged the balm evenly onto Li Hongguang’s legs.

A little at a time, until the bottle was empty—not a drop remained—by then, most of Li Hongguang’s body was coated in a glossy black sheen.

The little jade bottle was as clean as if rinsed with water, without a trace of residue.

Ever since falling ill, Li Hongguang had only felt cold. Now, he felt cool and comfortable all over.

…

Seconds later, starting from his legs, the balm began to seep into his flesh at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving the skin smooth and clean.

Within a minute, not a trace of the balm remained on Li Hongguang’s body.

“How do you feel, General Li?” Chen Gang asked expectantly.

“I feel warm all over, my joints don’t ache, and I’m very comfortable.” Li Hongguang, after a moment, tried to move his legs—and they actually responded.

“I want to sleep for a while.”

Li Shengyao looked at his father in delight.

Ever since his condition had worsened, Li Hongguang had barely slept, managing only a shallow nap at midday.

“Rest, General Li,” said Chen Gang.

But before he finished, Li Hongguang was already lying peacefully on the bed, breathing evenly.

Chen Gang quietly signaled the young medical staff to bring over the X-ray and wavelength analysis machines.

The equipment in the Li family’s residence was on par with that of a small hospital.

…

Half an hour later, the results from various scans and analyses were in.

The elderly experts, even Lu Zhiyou among them, were all astonished by what they saw.

“Incredible, absolutely incredible!” Chen Gang repeated, more shaken than Lu Zhiyou had been before.

“The bone cancer cells are being suppressed. Some of the bone fractures are even disappearing.”

A specialist from Shanghai pointed to a chart. “Look here—the fascia’s sheen is nothing like it should be in General Li’s condition. This torn tendon is reweaving like silk. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What does that mean?” Li Shengyao asked urgently.

The specialist smiled. “As I said, I’ve never seen this before, but I can infer that before long, this tendon will be restored.”

Chen Gang turned first to the Li family. “Congratulations, General Li. The crisis has passed. If this continues, he may fully recover.”

He then faced Lu Zhiyou, bowing his head in shame. “I owe you an apology. As a physician of many years, I should not have been so blindly confident in my limited experience.”

“And you, Mr. Hou—if it weren’t for you, we would have made a terrible mistake.”

Hou Li was at a loss as everyone turned to look at him.

Li Shengyao looked at Hou Li and nodded solemnly, prompting Hou Li to pump his fist in silent triumph.

At last, his gamble had paid off!