HBWnovel Chapter 43 Fermentation
Chapter 43 Fermentation
……
Songhai City Gymnasium.
The "National Archery Championship East China Cooperation Zone Selection Competition, Recurve Bow 70m Individual Final" is currently underway.
Zhou Kang sat in the spectator stands. He habitually turned his shoulder and was stunned for a moment before realizing that the shoulder pain that had been bothering him was completely gone.
A relaxed smile appeared on his face, and he unconsciously reached into his shirt pocket, where he found a small round box.
This is a family-inherited medicinal ointment sent by a young man named Jiang Yuan; he took it with him when he went out.
He only realized how relaxed his body felt without his old injuries after using it once last night. Perhaps he was afraid that the medicine would wear off, so he carried it with him.
"It really is a miracle drug..." Zhou Kang couldn't help but sigh as he recalled it.
He received the medicine four or five days ago and has just left it lying around.
Until yesterday, I saw the news that the Falcon Archery Club had developed a miraculous medicine that could cure even sore and old injuries.
And this medicine was endorsed by Jiang Yuan, the champion in the industry a few days ago.
The archery community is small, so news travels very quickly.
Zhou Kang stared at his phone for a few seconds, then, half-believing, half-doubting, pulled out the forgotten little round box from the drawer.
Upon opening it, I noticed something was different; it wasn't made of individual plasters.
Inside was a small pile of dark green ointment, wrapped in plastic wrap, but it smelled of some kind of herbal medicine.
He scooped out a tiny bit, still somewhat skeptical, and applied it to his left shoulder...
"Excellent! Liu Yichuan's composure and consistent performance are remarkable! If he maintains this level of play, victory in this match is practically guaranteed!"
The voice of the on-site commentator brought Zhou Kang back into the arena.
On the field, Liu Yichuan, a local athlete from Songhai, is nocking an arrow.
The 70-meter target shooting game is a best-of-seven format, and this is the final round that will determine the winner.
He was in very good form today, leading his opponent Zhao Ming 4-2 in the first three games.
If a player scores 26 points in this round, the match will end 5-3, securing the qualifying championship and a spot to represent the province in the National Championships next month.
The selection competition was open to all provinces and cities in East China, and Zhao Ming came from a neighboring province to compete for a spot.
As a member of the Songhai City Archery Association, Zhou Kang naturally wanted Liu Yichuan to win.
Liu Yichuan released the bowstring, and the arrow flew.
"Ten rings!" the commentator shouted.
Zhou Kang clapped twice, his smile widening.
There are only three qualifying spots for this year's National Championships. The first two have already been decided, and the entire team is watching the last one closely.
If Liu Yichuan succeeds, the Songhai City Archery Association will have a perfect year.
Next arrow.
Liu Yichuan nocked an arrow and raised his bow again.
An accident happened.
The bow was halfway raised when it suddenly slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a thud.
His right hand was suspended in mid-air, his fingers stiff, and his forearm trembling slightly.
Zhou Kang jumped up from his seat.
Inside the arena, Liu Yichuan had already raised his left hand, signaling a timeout.
The coach was the first to rush forward, and the team doctor jogged out of the tunnel carrying a medical kit.
What happened? A buzzing sound came from the stands as over a thousand people craned their necks in unison.
Zhou Kang strode down the steps in two quick steps, rushed to the shooting area, and grabbed the coach:
"What happened?"
A layer of sweat appeared on the coach's forehead:
"It's an old wrist injury. It suddenly snapped when I was pulling the whole thing just now, and the athlete said he couldn't put any strength into it."
The team doctor squatted down next to Liu Yichuan and gently pressed several points on his right wrist.
Liu Yichuan gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead throbbing. When the team doctor pressed on the outside of his wrist, he hissed and gasped.
"It's an acute tendon strain." The team doctor rummaged through the medical kit and pulled out ice packs and elastic bandages.
"Apply a cold compress first to immobilize it. But to be honest... it's hard to continue in this state."
The coach felt a chill run down his spine.
"I'm going to continue!" Liu Yichuan said through gritted teeth.
Zhou Kang noticed the obvious bruising on the contestant's wrist, and his expression darkened.
Although Liu Yichuan was in the lead, it was thanks to his consistent performance in the first three games.
With my wrist injured, I'd be lucky to even keep my hand steady, let alone draw a 70-pound bow.
Meanwhile, his opponent Zhao Ming came from a neighboring province to snatch the spot. His strength was comparable to Zhao Ming's. If Zhao Ming could seize this opportunity to turn the tide, the last qualifying spot would be taken away.
Just then, a voice came from behind.
"Secretary Zhou."
Zhou Kang turned around and looked.
A short, stout man in his forties or fifties, wearing a suit and glasses, walked over from the back row.
Those who were gathered nearby recognized him and made way for him.
The man is the chairman of the Songhai Archery Association, and his name is Wang Xueqing.
He had been running a sports equipment chain in Songhai for over a decade and had a net worth of hundreds of millions. He was Zhou Kang's direct superior.
"What happened to the athlete?" Wang Xueqing stood next to Zhou Kang, his gaze sweeping across the waiting area and landing on the athlete who was being bandaged.
"The athlete injured his wrist," Zhou Kang said.
Wang Xueqing frowned even more deeply and remained silent.
But Zhou Kang knew what he meant. If this spot were taken by someone from another province, the Songhai Archery Association would be missing its most outstanding achievement this year.
The fact that even Chairman Wang, who doesn't usually get involved in much work, came in person speaks volumes.
The team doctor had already wrapped the bandage and was packing things into the medical kit.
Liu Yichuan hung his head, his left hand gripping his right wrist, his face somber.
He knew in his heart that the game was probably over.
The pause time ticked away second by second.
Wait—I have a miracle drug! Zhou Kang's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out:
"I have the medicine! It works very well!"
Everyone immediately turned to look at him, and Liu Yichuan also raised his head.
The coach frowned, his eyes conveying a clear message: at a time like this, he was just making things worse.
But because of Zhou Kang's status, he didn't say anything.
The team doctor was quite frank:
"What medicine? You need to apply a cold compress to immobilize the wound now, and avoid further irritating it."
As a doctor, his professional judgment was clear: at this point, no amount of medication would be of any use.
But Wang Xueqing, standing to the side, thought differently and looked at Zhou Kang:
"Then hurry up and get it. Use the medicine if you have it; it's better than doing nothing."
"I brought it with me." Zhou Kang quickly took out a small round box and stepped forward.
The coach took the round box, glanced at it, and then handed it to the team doctor.
"Two idiots..." the team doctor cursed inwardly, wanting to just leave, but the other person was the leader.
He opened the box, and inside was a lump of dark green ointment roughly wrapped in plastic wrap.
A herbal aroma wafted out, spicy yet with an indescribable refreshing coolness.
His brows relaxed a little; at least it smelled like a proper herbal concoction, not some random junk.
It's probably something to relieve muscle and joint pain, and at most, long-term use might have some effect.
He reached out and scooped out most of the ointment, thickly applying the dark green paste to Liu Yichuan's right wrist, spreading it with his palm from the wrist bone all the way down to the middle of his forearm.
"Hey hey..." Zhou Kang opened his mouth, almost shouting out in his anxiety.
You're using that way way too much!
He had seen the pictures of those medicated patches; each patch, with just a thin layer, already had amazing effects.
He only dug out a tiny bit when he used it yesterday.
This huge lump is enough to make dozens of posts.
The team doctor finished wiping the area in just over ten seconds and then headed to the rest area.
Liu Yichuan sat there blankly, his expression ashen.
The air seemed to freeze, and everyone nearby was in low spirits.
The coach sighed.
Suddenly, a muffled groan was heard.
The coach who was closest heard it first. He looked over and saw Liu Yichuan suddenly shiver, his whole body stiffening as if he had been electrocuted.
"What's wrong?" The coach helped him up.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Yichuan let out a painful groan.
Those nearby heard it.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Team doctor! Where's the team doctor?"
Everyone turned to look at the team doctor.
The team doctor was gasping for breath and frantically shaking his right hand.
His fingers, where he had just applied the medicine, were bright red, as if scalded by boiling water. He shook his hands and glared at Zhou Kang.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
A commotion arose among the crowd.
Wang Xueqing turned his head, his expression also unpleasant, and his gaze fell on Zhou Kang's face:
"Secretary Zhou, give me an explanation. What kind of medicine is this? Is it compliant with regulations?"