Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 540 A Family of Doctors
Ji Province, Cangcheng, Ji'an Hall.

After seeing off the last patient of the morning, Zhang Chengguang saw his grandson Zhang Mingcheng running in from next door with a big smile. "Grandpa, shall we go eat donkey meat sandwiches together for lunch?"

Seeing his grandson's sunny and cheerful smile, Zhang Chengguang couldn't help but smile as well, "Great!"

An old man and a young man walked out of Ji'an Hall, next to a donkey meat sandwich shop.

"Dr. Zhang! Young Dr. Zhang!" the boss greeted him familiarly.

"The same as always!" Zhang Mingcheng greeted him and then led his grandfather to sit down.

Two bowls of donkey offal soup, four donkey meat sandwiches, and a plate of vegetarian cold dishes.

Zhang Mingcheng took a big bite of the baked bun, then picked up the soup and slurped it down, not caring about the heat. "So comforting! Even though Yandu is big, it doesn't have a baked bun like this."

Upon hearing this, the boss beamed with pride and joy, "Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground, but this is genuine Bohai donkey meat, freshly braised in soy sauce. You really can't find this in Yandu!"

Zhang Mingcheng nodded repeatedly, "That's right!"

Zhang Chengguang chuckled and shook his head. His grandson was a graduate of Yandu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine who gave up postgraduate studies and returned to his hometown.

This incident led to the first conflict between the son and grandson.

Zhang Chengguang's son, Zhang Zhixue, did not inherit his father's ambitions and studies. He had no interest in medicine at all, but instead had a talent for business. With the help of his father's connections, he made a name for himself in Cangcheng.

However, Zhang Zhixue was very happy when Zhang Mingcheng demonstrated his medical talent. He hoped that Zhang Mingcheng could stay in Yandu after completing his studies. He even bought a house in Yandu when Zhang Mingcheng was admitted to Yandu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Unexpectedly, despite his excellent grades, Zhang Mingcheng gave up his postgraduate and even direct doctoral opportunities and returned to his hometown of Ji'antang after graduating with his bachelor's degree.

"What's so great about Cangcheng? The interpersonal relationships there are too complicated. It's not suitable for you!"

No one knows a son better than his father, and Zhang Zhixue certainly knew what kind of personality his son had. "After you graduate with your doctorate in Yandu and get a job at the Sanmei Hospital, Dad will buy you a few houses in Yandu and you can settle down here directly, wouldn't that be great!"

Unfortunately, Zhang Mingcheng's ambitions lie elsewhere. "Let alone a master's degree, I've already learned everything that a doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine would require. I don't need those so-called masters to endorse me."

Yandu is too busy, and the relationships within the hospital are complicated. I still prefer Cangcheng, where I can have my own time while treating and saving lives. The most important thing is for oneself to be comfortable, not for others to envy.

In this argument, Grandpa Zhang Chengguang completely sided with his grandson, suppressing Zhang Zhixue's arrogance.

However, he still said a few good words for Zhang Zhixue, "Your father is doing this for your own good. He hopes you will have a better life in the future. After all, the conditions in Yandu are much better than in Cangcheng, so you can find a wife with good conditions."

Zhang Mingcheng took another big bite of the baked bun. "I know and understand him, but he doesn't understand us. He doesn't know that I have also cultivated internal energy. These are not what I'm pursuing."

Zhang Chengguang nodded, his eyes filled with satisfaction as he looked at Zhang Mingcheng, "The Zhang family has a worthy successor!"

Zhang Mingcheng said with a grin, "Why don't you say that the Way of Peace has successors?"

Zhang Chengguang chuckled and said, "The Way of Peace has been passed down for two thousand years. Our family is just one branch of it. How can we make such a boast?"

Zhang Mingcheng remained noncommittal, but somewhat curious, "I wonder if any of those extraordinary Taoist priests are successors of the Way of Peace? Do you think if we go to them, we could try to build a connection and perhaps even go to a blessed land to cultivate?"

Although Zhang Chengguang and Zhang Mingcheng were not Taoists and had no connection within the Taoist community, as people who had cultivated internal energy, one could still guess their general situation from their appearance.

Given the lack of signs of a global spiritual revival, the closest guess is that it's a blessed land or grotto-heaven.

Zhang Chengguang laughed and said, "Our main profession is medicine, not Taoism. They may not save as many people as we do." "That's true." Zhang Mingcheng nodded, then added, "But if we could also cultivate to that level, we could save even more people."

Zhang Chengguang, "..."

“It’s a pity we’re not Taoists,” Zhang Chengguang said after thinking for a moment. “Brother Faben has also cultivated internal energy, but he doesn’t know those people either.”

Zhang Mingcheng looked at Zhang Chengguang strangely, "How did you know?"

Zhang Chengguang clicked his tongue. "I called and asked."

The old man and the young man smiled at each other, and then each took a bite of their baked buns.

"If we can't get in touch, we can't get in touch. Everyone has their own destiny," Zhang Mingcheng said with a smile.

Zhang Chengguang nodded in satisfaction, then added, "Brother Faben promised me that if he is guided by those Taoist priests, he will introduce us. Moreover, when the system was compiling statistics on the true Taoists in the country, Faben also mentioned our matter."

Zhang Mingcheng's eyes lit up, and he gave his grandfather a thumbs up. "So, we're on the backup list?"

"Don't get your hopes up too high," Zhang Chengguang said, pouring cold water on his grandson's enthusiasm. "After all, we're not Taoists, and the Way of Great Peace isn't the mainstream of Taoism these days."

In other words, it has a relatively low priority.

However, Zhang Mingcheng didn't mind and continued to eat the baked bun with a smile.

Just then, three more people walked into the shop. Zhang Mingcheng looked up and his heart skipped a beat.

A young man and two old Taoist priests!
Just as the Taoist priests arrived, two old Taoist priests appeared, dressed in simple blue robes. Both had gray hair, and although their faces showed signs of hardship, their complexions were still very good, ruddy, and full of energy.

The young man next to them looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, sunny and handsome. Zhang Mingcheng felt that the other man was even a little bit more handsome than himself.

Of course, being handsome is secondary; the main thing is having a good temperament. Zhang Mingcheng felt that the other person's temperament was similar to his own, carefree and natural.

This made Zhang Mingcheng immediately develop a good impression of the other party.

"Boss, three bowls of donkey offal soup and three baked buns," the young man said to the owner. "I heard your donkey meat buns are quite authentic?"

The owner patted his chest and guaranteed, "Authentic Bohai donkey meat, freshly braised. My grandfather's generation has been making baked buns. There aren't many places in the whole Cangcheng that are more authentic than mine!"

"That's good. It's a rare opportunity to come to Cangcheng, so we should eat the authentic Huoshao (a type of baked flatbread)." The young man replied, and then led the two old Taoists to sit next to Zhang Chengguang and his grandson.

"Hello." Gu Zhao nodded to Zhang Mingcheng.

"Hello," Zhang Mingcheng replied.

"What's fun to do in Cangcheng?" Gu Zhao asked. "This is our first time here."

“There’s really nothing fun to do in Cangcheng,” Zhang Mingcheng said honestly. “However, the Grand Canal passes through Cangcheng, so you can visit the museum and the Hundred Lions Garden, take a boat ride, and there are some Ming and Qing dynasty architectural complexes to explore.”

"Why did you come to Cangzhou for fun?" Zhang Mingcheng couldn't help but ask.

Gu Zhao smiled slightly, "I came to find you!"

(End of this chapter)