Chapter 8 A Bet

• You know it all?! You just said it yourself that the art of healing is a pool of knowledge with no boundaries and depth, yet you’re now claiming that you know everything. You’re quite the bragger! Victor and Charles exchanged gazes and laughed in amusement. After all, they knew the medical knowledge that they learned was only the tip of the iceberg even though they had been in the field for more than a decade. Thus, they found it hilarious when Harvey told them he knew everything as they ridiculed his self-proclaimed expertise. Even the big shot in the medical field wouldn’t say something like that so boldly, but this phony…
• “You’re seriously making a fool out of yourself! If your words get out, you’re going to get attacked by every single citizen out there in this country.”
• “Young man, I know you might be seeking attention, but you’re seriously crossing the line! Anyway, since you want to embarrass yourself so badly, I suppose I mustn’t let you down, then.”
• Soon, Charles grunted and turned his attention to Josh. “Hey, Josh, get to our hospital right away and gather these few ingredients. Then, drink it in front of him; I’d like to see how his prescription is going to do wonders!”
• Josh hesitated for a short while and headed to Vanstead Health Center not far away as told. Meanwhile, Victor fixed his gaze on Harvey menacingly and challenged him. “Since you’re so sure that your cure is going to work, how about a bet?”
• “Oh?” Harvey doubtfully grunted, thinking his challengers were unwilling to leave him alone. “What’s the stake?”
• “It’s easy! If your prescription fails, you will strip yourself naked and wear a sign that reads ‘I am a liar!’ around your neck while you run around the park.”
• Harvey nodded without hesitation and asked, “What if you lose the bet?”
• “If I lose?!” Victor, who never thought that he would lose, laughed in amusement and disbelief. Harvey is nothing but a liar! Even if his prescription really works, it’ll take days for the effect to kick in anyway! So, there is no way I will lose the bet! Despite his confidence, Victor still went ahead and gave Harvey his word as reassurance. “If I lose, I will apologize to you in front of everyone. Alright?”
• While the doctor reckoned an apology was the biggest compromise he would make, Harvey didn’t seem to be satisfied about that. Thus, he laughed it off and said, “How much do you think your apology is worth? I’m not going to force you to apologize to me if you lose. Instead, I want you to resign and never call yourself a doctor again. After all, an arrogant brat like you who only knows a thing or two about the art of healing doesn’t deserve to be a doctor.”
• At that moment, two men were about to enter a bet with one having his pride at stake and the other putting his career on the line. Considering the sacrifice he would have to make, Victor hesitated and gritted his teeth. “Alright! With these people as witnesses, you'd better remember what you just said!”
• “Don’t worry! I’ve never let anyone break his promise and get away with it!”
• Harvey smiled just when Josh returned with the ingredients. At the same time, he was followed by a few doctors and nurses, among which was an old man with gray hair and a long beard.
• As soon as Victor and Charles saw the old man, they immediately approached him and ingratiated themselves with him. “What brings you here, Director Bruce?”
• Dillon Bruce was the director in Vanstead Medical Center, as well as a famous figure in the medical world with a number of connections with several other big shots. At that moment, he gazed at Charles and Victor while saying in a stern voice, “I heard that someone claimed he knew everything about the art of healing, so I’m here to see who is running his mouth off!”
• In fact, Dillon was an experienced veteran who had dedicated his life to studying the art of healing. While he agreed that the sacred art showed no bounds and depths, he didn’t think anyone could ever possibly know everything about the art of healing. Therefore, he was extremely unhappy about Harvey’s bold words while he subconsciously attributed the poor culture in the modern medical world to people like Harvey. We’re in need of more new blood and young talents in the medical world, and our culture hasn’t really done a good job in promoting the art of healing to the younger generations, thanks to people like this fella.
• In the meantime, Victor and Charles were happy to hear Dillon’s words, so they went on and told the old man what happened. “Director Bruce, we couldn’t stand by and watch this guy conning his victim, which was why we decided to step in. He is an absolute disgrace to the medical world!”
• “That’s right! This guy even said he learned everything all by himself without having so much as a teacher. Don’t you think that’s purely nonsense?! Without going through a learning system and years of research, who’d dare to claim that they have completely understood the art of healing?!”
• At the same time, the rest of the doctors and nurses were incited by the two men as they were misled into thinking that their years of immersion in their studies and practice weren’t comparable to an amateur who had just read a few books.
• Soon, Dillon raised his hand as a gesture to tell everyone to keep quiet. He then shifted his gaze to Josh and said, “You’re the patient, right? Please tell us your symptoms.”
• Josh stammered in response, feeling too embarrassed to reveal his sensitive illness. Seriously?! Right now?! If it weren’t a sensitive one, I wouldn’t have believed Harvey’s words in the first place.
• A few moments later, Victor grew impatient and raised his voice. “Come on, Josh! You need to ask for help when you have to! Director Bruce is standing right here! Do you have any idea how many people want to consult him every day? This golden opportunity is right in front of you!”
• After listening to what Victor said, Josh finally made up his mind and told Dillon his symptoms before he let the old man examine his condition. “Hmm. I sense a weak pulse, which could be an indication of unhealthy kidneys. The way I see it, your illness is something accumulated from a few years of exhaustion. If you’re going to get rid of it, you’re probably going to need at least three months to recover.”
• Upon hearing those words, Victor and Charles gleefully responded by turning Dillon against Harvey. “Director Bruce, this guy said he has a prescription that could cure Josh’s illness in three days!”
• The crowd started buzzing. “Three days?! What does he think he has? A magical potion? Or an elixir?!”
• “Does he really know what he is talking about? No one can and should rush their medication at the risk of their health. It’s a long process after all. Is this all a game to him, in which he thinks he can mix and match all kinds of ingredients for fun?!”
• “So he is indeed a phony! He is going to tarnish our reputation!”
• Nevertheless, Dillon only shook his head. He had gone through Harvey’s prescription, and he generally agreed with what the ingredients could do. Hmm. The prescription may seem easy, but it kind of looks familiar to me. In fact, the actual reason that Dillon decided to come and have a look for himself was because he was unable to recall where he had seen the prescription before. Nevertheless, he was quickly turned off by Harvey when the latter mentioned that three days was all it would take for Josh to be rid of his illness. Out of disappointment, he helplessly sighed and said, “Alas! You’re getting ahead of yourself! Your bad temper and eagerness for vanity will get you nowhere in your journey of learning the art of healing.”
• The old man soon set his gaze on the crowd before his eyes finally fell upon Harvey. Noticing the calm look on Harvey’s face, Dillon only gave his word of advice begrudgingly and said, “Young man, the art of healing is not as simple as you think. Get a proper job and put a stop to your fraudulence.”
• In response, Harvey only shrugged his shoulders upon hearing the old man. Although Dillon might be a veteran with respectable seniority in the medical world, Harvey, who was over ten thousand years old, didn’t consider him a senior at all. He then took the pack of medicine that Josh was holding and headed straight into the kitchen. With absolute confidence, he was sure that he would win the bet against Victor.
• On the other hand, Victor fixed his gaze on Harvey and sneered, “Well, if you insist on humiliating yourself, have it your way!”
• Ten minutes later, Harvey showed up with a bowl of herbal soup and handed it to Josh in front of everyone while confidently assuring him that everything would be fine. “Finish it. It’ll work right away!”