Chapter 98: The First Needle Treatment
Chapter 98: The First Needle Treatment
“You really are despicable! After what you did to Liancheng back then, you still have the nerve to come here!”
“If I wasn’t using so much Zhenqi to control my husband’s injuries, would you dare to show up here? I spit on you!”
Xu You wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and glared hatefully at the two middle-aged men.
“Hahaha, Xu You, I admit your Kung Fu is better than mine. But sometimes, winning isn’t just about who has better martial arts. You need to use your brain more.”
The middle-aged man on the left looked up and laughed loudly.
Just as Xu You was about to speak, Ye Zixi and Lin Mu ran into the tea garden. Her face changed and she urgently shouted at them, “Get away from here! Don’t come closer!”
“Hehe, now that you’re here, don’t think about leaving. Stay together!”
The middle-aged man on the right turned to look and gave an evil smile. His feet moved quickly as he rushed toward the two.
Just as Ye Zixi was about to act, Lin Mu from behind her had already leaped forward. He threw a simple, straightforward palm strike at the middle-aged man. Seeing this, the man laughed loudly and extended his own palm to meet Lin Mu’s.
The moment their palms met, the middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of blood. His body was thrown back several feet, crushing a large patch of tea bushes.
The sudden change stunned everyone present. No one expected Lin Mu to be such an Expert hidden in plain sight, taking down one of their opponents in a single move.
“You brat, you’re looking for death!”
The other middle-aged man’s facial muscles twitched. As he charged at Lin Mu, he raised both hands and dozens of tiny Silver Needles shot out.
Facing the incoming Hidden Weapons, Lin Mu calmly brought his hands together. Zhenqi burst forth, forming a large ball of energy in front of him. All the incoming Silver Needles were trapped within the Zhenqi sphere.
Glancing at the stunned middle-aged man, Lin Mu smiled slightly. With a thought, he sharply pushed his Zhenqi forward. The dozens of Silver Needles shot out at twice their original speed.
The middle-aged man was briefly stunned, not expecting Lin Mu to pull such a move. In that moment of hesitation, the Silver Needles pierced his upper body. A painful cry escaped his lips, and his face immediately turned blue-purple.
Seeing that Lin Mu had dealt with both middle-aged men, Ye Zixi didn’t bother asking how he had suddenly become so powerful. She hurried over to help Xu You up.
“Sister You, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My organs were just shaken up a bit. I’ll recover after a few days of rest.”
Xu You forced a faint smile and patted Ye Zixi’s hand.
“Thankfully, Lin Mu helped us this time. I never expected your boyfriend to be such a hidden Expert. Really, keeping it from your Sister You, you naughty girl.”
“That’s not true! Sister You, I didn’t know A-Mu was this powerful either. It seems he’s been hiding many things from me. I’ll have to question him properly when we get back!”
Ye Zixi shot a glance at Lin Mu and said angrily.
“Sister You, you’re Zixi’s friend, so you’re my friend too. No need to be so polite with me; just call me A-Mu.”
Lin Mu smiled slightly and shrugged.
“A-Mu, thank you so much this time. If you hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have been able to escape today.”
Xu You sighed and glanced at the two unconscious middle-aged men, a flash of hatred in her eyes.
“By the way, Sister You, who are these two? Why did they suddenly come here to attack you?”
Ye Zixi also looked at the two men and asked curiously.
“They were Liancheng’s former martial brothers. Because Liancheng had high Cultivation and received their master’s true teachings, they grew jealous. They ambushed him during his Cultivation, causing his Zhenqi to go haywire and his Meridians to reverse. Almost all his Cultivation Power was lost.”
Recalling the past, Xu You gritted her teeth, wishing she could cut these two into pieces to vent her hatred.
“But Liancheng was kind-hearted and didn’t want to have pointless fights with them. Later, he left alone. I never thought after all these years, they’d still have the nerve to show up here!”
“But so many years have passed. Why are they looking for you now?”
Ye Zixi asked, puzzled.
“What else could it be? They’re after the sect’s ultimate Martial Arts. Because Liancheng received his master’s true teachings back then, these two must be here to get that Martial Arts.”
Xu You sighed helplessly.
“With these two good-for-nothings, the ultimate arts would be truly wasted in their hands. No wonder Brother-in-law’s master didn’t pass the Martial Arts to them. He must have seen through them long ago.”
Ye Zixi gave the two a disdainful look and said scornfully.
“Sister You, your husband’s Zhenqi went haywire and his Meridians reversed because something went wrong in his Cultivation?”
Lin Mu, who had been carefully examining the two middle-aged men, overheard their conversation and stood up to ask.
“Yes. Now his Zhenqi is getting more and more out of control. I’m gradually losing my ability to suppress it. Otherwise, with my Cultivation Power, how would these two dare to come here? They must have calculated that my power was greatly reduced before they dared to show up.”
Xu You shook her head and sighed.
“I’ve been trying every way to find the Divine Physician. But who knew the Divine Physician would disappear all these years without any trace? If this continues, I’m afraid I won’t last much longer.”
“You don’t need to look for the Divine Physician. He passed away five years ago.”
Lin Mu shook his head.
Hearing this news, the light in Xu You’s bright eyes dimmed. Although she had guessed this outcome—why else would no one know the whereabouts of a perfectly fine person?—facing the reality was still hard to accept. The Divine Physician’s death meant almost no one could cure her husband’s illness. The consequences were obvious.
“A-Mu, how did you know the Divine Physician passed away?”
Ye Zixi looked at Lin Mu strangely.
“Sister You, although the Divine Physician has passed away, that doesn’t mean your husband can’t be saved.”
Instead of answering Ye Zixi’s question, Lin Mu smiled and looked at the downcast Xu You.
“What? You know someone who can save Liancheng?”
Xu You looked up, overjoyed, and stared at Lin Mu with hope.
“Yes, I do know someone who can save your husband. But I can’t guarantee success.”
Lin Mu smiled slightly.
“Then tell us quickly! Silly A-Mu! Can’t you see how anxious Sister You is?”
Ye Zixi stamped her foot and gave Lin Mu a reproachful look.
“Haha, that person is far away in the horizon, yet right in front of your eyes.”
Lin Mu spread his hands and looked at the two with a grin.
“A-Mu, you?”
“Since when do you know medicine?”
Ye Zixi and Xu You exchanged puzzled looks and turned to Lin Mu.
“Don’t ask me so much. There are some things I can’t say yet. But I really do know medicine. I just can’t guarantee if I can cure Sister You’s husband.”
“Never mind all that. Whether you can cure him or not, you have to try first!”
Ye Zixi was even more anxious than Xu You, urging Lin Mu repeatedly.
Xu You called a few people to clean up the tea garden, then took Lin Mu to a wooden cabin not far from the tea house. This was where she lived, usually alone, and no one knew what she did there.
Inside the cabin, Xu You pressed a button by the bed. Several floorboards in the center of the cabin moved aside, revealing dark stone steps leading underground.
Following the steps down to the basement, inside a stone room, Lin Mu saw Qi Liancheng.
Qi Liancheng looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, appearing quite serene and refined. His face was exceptionally tidy, showing that Sister You had put great effort into caring for him.
Sitting by the bed, Lin Mu placed his hand on Qi Liancheng’s wrist, sending Zhenqi into his body. After a careful examination, Lin Mu withdrew his hand and sighed deeply.
“How is it, A-Mu?”
Seeing Lin Mu’s expression, Ye Zixi quickly asked.
“Not good. Much worse than I imagined. Whether he can be cured or not, we can only give it a try.”
Lin Mu shook his head and looked at Xu You.
“Sister You, I need a set of Silver Needles.”
“Okay. I’ll have someone bring a set right away.”
Xu You gave a loving glance at the unconscious Qi Liancheng, then turned and left up the stone steps.
“A-Mu, will this set do?”
She returned alone shortly, holding a cloth bundle.
Lin Mu took the bundle, unfolded it, and carefully inspected the contents. He then nodded and said, “Yes. Please step aside. No matter what happens, don’t come near me.”
“Oh, and Zixi, you go upstairs first. Sister You can stay.”
“Why? I want to stay too.”
Ye Zixi pouted and looked at Lin Mu unhappily.
“I need to use the Silver Needles. I have to remove all of the patient’s clothes. How else can I accurately find the acupuncture points through clothing?”
Lin Mu explained helplessly.
“Alright then. I’ll go upstairs first. You must cure Brother-in-law!”
Ye Zixi’s face flushed red. After urging him, she turned and left the stone room.
“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best.”
Lin Mu carefully rolled up his sleeves, then removed Qi Liancheng’s clothes one by one until he lay completely naked on the bed.
After silently circulating his energy for several cycles, Lin Mu adjusted to his peak condition. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as both his hands swept over the unfolded cloth bundle. The Silver Needles inserted in the bundle floated up one by one.
With the help of Zhenqi, Lin Mu’s use of the Silver Needles was much more convenient than Zhou Shiyun’s, and much easier to control.
With light flicks of his ten fingers, the Silver Needles under his hands turned into silver streaks of light. They danced dazzlingly all over Qi Liancheng’s body, moving so fast that Xu You beside them couldn’t follow the movements.
Even Xu You, who was an Expert herself, could barely make out the traces of the needles’ paths. If an ordinary person were watching, they would see Qi Liancheng seemingly enveloped in a silver mist.
This showed just how incredibly fast Lin Mu’s needle technique was!