Chapter 73: The Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate
Xue Haisu looked at Lu Zhanyuan with disdain. “From your words, are you suggesting your medical skills have surpassed mine?”
Lu Zhanyuan chuckled smugly. “Whether I am superior or not, you’ll soon see for yourself.”
“You arrived before me, yet failed to seize the opportunity. Unable to cure Old Master Shen—such incompetence!”
“Since you are incapable, I must employ all I’ve learned and turn the tide myself!”
The more he spoke, the more triumphant he became, his weathered face glowing as if he had already cured Shen Cangyun.
Ye Tianci spoke calmly. “If you can cure Old Master Shen, I’ll speak for Xue Haisu—he’ll forever relinquish the title of Divine Physician and never practice medicine again.”
Xue Haisu was taken aback, then quickly echoed, “Indeed. I stand by Mr. Ye. His promise is my promise!”
Lu Zhanyuan turned to Ye Tianci, noting his youth, and sneered, “Who are you?”
“Divine Physician Lu, his name is Ye Tianci. Yesterday, he claimed my grandfather was in mortal danger, and his words made my grandfather ill,” Shen Ying said, her tone chilly. “I don’t know what connection Xue Haisu has with him, but apparently only he can save my grandfather.”
“Divine Physician Lu, please, use your miraculous skills and save my grandfather,” Shen Ying pleaded.
Lu Zhanyuan arched his brow, his expression even more disdainful. “Only he can save Old Master Shen? Such arrogance!”
Ye Tianci’s lips curled in a faint smile. “Divine Physician Xue is not wrong—only I can save him.”
Lu Zhanyuan erupted in rage. “You impudent brat, spewing nonsense! You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Not only was he angered, but Qi Xian, the genius of the Qi family, also scowled, his voice cold. “Where did this madman come from, daring to act so wildly?”
“In all of Shu City, no one’s medical skills surpass Divine Physician Lu!”
He admonished Ye Tianci while flattering Lu Zhanyuan.
Lu Zhanyuan was pleased, stroking his beard with a satisfied smile, embodying the image of a peerless physician. “Young Master Qi, you flatter me.”
Qi Xian nodded to him, then smiled at Shen Ying. “Yingying, don’t worry. Your grandfather will be fine.”
“Thank you for bringing Divine Physician Lu,” Shen Ying said gratefully.
Qi Xian smiled softly. “I am your boyfriend—your grandfather is my grandfather. We are family now; no need for such formalities.”
Shen Ying blushed, smiling enchantingly.
“Yingying, once Divine Physician Lu cures your grandfather, let’s choose a good day for our engagement,” Qi Xian said hopefully.
Shen Ying nodded, casting a hopeful glance at Lu Zhanyuan. “Divine Physician Lu, you must cure my grandfather!”
Qi Xian quickly added, “Divine Physician Lu, do not disappoint me. You must cure Old Master Shen.”
Lu Zhanyuan replied confidently, “Rest assured.”
---
He approached Shen Cangyun’s bedside, examined him thoroughly, and, like Xue Haisu, furrowed his brow.
But Lu Zhanyuan said nothing. He pried open Shen Cangyun’s jaws and forced a pill into his mouth.
Next, he drew thirteen silver needles from his case—six short, seven long.
“Xue Haisu, perhaps you don’t know—I secretly apprenticed under a master, learning the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles, and have devoted myself to their study these past few years.”
“The Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles! Turning back from the path to the netherworld!”
“Today, I’ll use this technique to pull Old Master Shen back from the brink!”
With silver needles in hand, he stood proudly.
A breeze drifted through the room, rustling his beard and robe; he looked like a living immortal.
Xue Haisu was stunned, unable to resist exclaiming, “I didn’t expect you had mastered the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles!”
Lu Zhanyuan smirked, “Now you’re shocked? Too late!”
With those words, he swiftly inserted the needles, his movements quick and steady, each needle finding its place in Shen Cangyun’s body.
Shen Ying clapped excitedly. “Divine Physician Lu knows the legendary Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles? Amazing! Grandfather will be saved!”
Shen Wanshan nodded with a smile. “Ying’er, fortunately we listened to you. Your grandfather should recover.”
Lu Zhanyuan had been invited by Qi Xian; Shen Wanshan felt a surge of pride. “Yingying, wasn’t I right? I brought Divine Physician Lu, and your grandfather is safe now.”
“Mm!”
Shen Ying nodded happily. “Qi Xian, you haven’t disappointed me. In all of Shu City, there is no man more outstanding than you!”
Looking at Qi Xian, Shen Wanshan was deeply gratified. “Qi Xian, once the old man recovers, I’ll choose a good day for you and Ying’er to get engaged.”
“Thank you, Uncle Shen!”
Qi Xian was overjoyed.
Shen Wanshan’s wealth, the richest in southern Shu City, had always been the Qi family’s target!
If he could marry Shen Ying, he would not only wed an extraordinary beauty, but the Qi family would gain Shen Wanshan’s fortune—a perfect union of wealth and beauty!
As Qi Xian indulged in visions of future bliss, Ye Tianci’s voice sounded calmly. “The Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles—opening the ghost gate, reversing the path to the underworld—is indeed a mysterious technique. Pity, Lu Zhanyuan, you haven't mastered it.”
His words struck like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, sending waves crashing.
Everyone turned to him.
“Ye Tianci, what nonsense are you spouting? You're just jealous of Divine Physician Lu!” Shen Ying was first to speak, her face full of contempt for Ye Tianci.
“You little brat, who do you think you are? You’re not even fit to carry Divine Physician Lu’s shoes!” Qi Xian folded his arms, mocking coldly.
Shen Wanshan’s face darkened, though he remained silent.
---
Lu Zhanyuan’s beard bristled as he snorted disdainfully. “You dare say I haven’t mastered it?”
“A mere youngster mocking me? Ha! What a joke!”
Ye Tianci stepped forward, pointing at the silver needles in Shen Cangyun’s body. “Lu Zhanyuan, every needle in the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles must be flawless, yet you’ve erred with two.”
“The first needle, I suspect, was your first attempt—too shallow by three millimeters.”
“The last, you were overexcited, thinking success was assured. Heavy-handed, you inserted it two millimeters too deep and half an inch off!”
“These two—the first and last—are most crucial. Your mistakes will not save the old man, but hasten his demise!”
At these words, Lu Zhanyuan’s face changed dramatically!
He knew in his heart Ye Tianci was right—his first and last needles had indeed missed the mark.
But Lu Zhanyuan felt it was of little consequence, and quickly regained composure, snorting arrogantly. “I made no mistakes! Stop talking nonsense! Mr. Shen, are you going to let this young man be so insolent?”
He pressed Shen Wanshan.
Shen Wanshan’s face was stern. “Mr. Ye, please do not doubt Divine Physician Lu.”
Ye Tianci met Shen Wanshan’s gaze, speaking quietly. “If I am not mistaken, your father suffered a disaster a year ago—a stroke, foaming at the mouth, his face contorted. Someone operated on him.”
“How do you know?” Shen Wanshan was stunned.
That incident a year ago was known only to the Shen family—no outsiders could possibly know!
How had Ye Tianci discerned it? Was he some kind of oracle?
Ye Tianci did not answer, continuing, “Since then, your father has eaten no vegetables, favoring rich meats, especially fatty cuts. Previously, he was vegetarian.”
“How do you know that?” Shen Wanshan gasped, his face changing completely.
“After the surgery, your father developed a chill that appears only at night, not during the day. So regardless of the season, he sleeps under a quilt every night.”
“Shen Wanshan, am I right?”
Ye Tianci’s gaze was calm.
Shen Wanshan’s mouth hung open, eyes wide in shock, staring at Ye Tianci as if he had seen a ghost.