Chapter 23: A Thousand Needles of the Heavenly Demon!

"Xiao Wang, Xiao Xu, you two go out and make preparations," Director Su instructed in a low voice. "If Wuyou doesn't make it, we must quickly arrange her final affairs." The two staff members hurried away.

Watching Ye Wushang as he carefully pondered how to treat his sister, Director Su sighed inwardly. It was clear this was impossible, yet he was simply too stubborn to give up.

She walked over to Elder Tang and quietly asked, "Elder Tang, when do you think Wuyou...?"

"Shh," Elder Tang gestured for silence, his expression a mix of surprise and doubt as he observed Ye Wushang's delicate technique.

At first, he had thought this young man simply couldn't face reality and only wanted to fulfill a last wish. But now, it seemed he possessed some true medical skill—especially with these needles; there was real technique here.

He signaled Director Su not to speak and slowly stepped forward, softly asking, "Young man, is there anything I can help you with?"

Ye Wushang glanced at him, nodded, and said, "Elder Tang, could you please help me stabilize these two main needles?"

Two needles were inserted to anchor the heart meridian. As long as the heart meridian remained steady and began to revive, all the other meridians and acupoints would gradually open.

Normally, acupuncture required methodical progression, step by step. But Ye Wushang moved in reverse, inserting needles from the soles of the feet and advancing toward the head. The two main needles weren't even placed in traditional acupoints, but rather near the meridians.

Was he truly skilled in acupuncture, or was he simply improvising?

Elder Tang couldn't be sure, but he complied anyway. After all, the patient was already at death's door; things couldn't get any worse.

With this in mind, he pressed both silver needles with his hands. To his amazement, he felt an inexplicable force tugging at him, unsettling and unfamiliar.

Just then, Ye Wushang abruptly changed his technique. The two needles became a flurry of many needles, which he gripped in a bundle and swiftly inserted into the waist, abdomen, and both legs.

Fast, precise, ruthless!

In a dazzling display, each needle landed perfectly in its intended acupoint.

"This—" Elder Tang nearly cried out in shock.

Such an uncanny technique of identifying acupoints and inserting needles was unheard of. Even the top masters of acupuncture could never place dozens of needles into the correct points in a single breath.

Could this young man truly possess such medical skill?

It looked impressive, but with the patient so gravely ill, saving her life seemed almost impossible.

As Elder Tang pondered, Ye Wushang's hands moved even faster, needles flashing and shifting like illusions. Each time he pierced, he withdrew the needles just as swiftly, repeating the process over ten times.

What had appeared a chaotic arrangement of silver needles now formed the character for "ghost" in acupuncture form—densely packed like electrodes on a therapeutic device, perfectly aligned and orderly.

"Mmm!" The previously unconscious, seemingly lifeless Ye Wuyou suddenly let out a faint whimper.

Though not yet fully awake, her fingers twitched, and her body stirred.

"Wuyou?" Director Su's eyes widened.

The other doctors in white coats, including the young man who had previously spoken rudely to Ye Wushang, all held their breath in astonishment.

"Young man!" Elder Tang's heart pounded wildly, his voice trembling. "Your needling technique is truly rare in this world. May I ask, what is this method called, and where does it originate?"

In truth, he already had a guess, but he dared not say it aloud, nor even believe it. He had only seen fragmentary textual records, never anyone performing it; it was more legend than fact.

But today...

"Heavenly Ghost's Thousand Needles," Ye Wushang replied calmly, twisting each silver needle one by one.

Each twist infused a subtle flow of energy, which gradually permeated into the acupoints.

"My heavens!" Elder Tang, receiving confirmation, breathed rapidly, nearly unable to stand from excitement. Tears sprang to his eyes as he gazed upward and called out, "Master, did you see this? The legendary technique you spoke of—the awe-inspiring Heavenly Ghost's Thousand Needles—has finally appeared! You said it was lost to history, scarcely recorded even in text, and I never thought I'd witness it in my lifetime. Yet here it is, revived by a youth with such mastery! Thank you, Master, it must be your spirit watching over us!"

Overwhelmed, he knelt and kowtowed three times to the sky.

Afterward, with the young man's support, he rose and bowed respectfully to Ye Wushang. "Mr. Ye, I apologize for any offense just now. Please forgive me."

"Elder Tang, are you saying there's hope for Wuyou?" Director Su asked in surprise.

Elder Tang nodded and laughed heartily. "With this acupuncture technique, it can bring the dead back to life and heal even decayed bones. No matter the illness, all can be cured. With Mr. Ye here, the child will surely recover!"

The young man frowned and muttered, "Is it really that amazing? It didn't look all that special to me. After all this time, she still isn't better..."

But before he could finish, a sudden cough sounded. Ye Wuyou abruptly opened her eyes, fully conscious!

"Wuyou!" Director Su cried out in joy, rushing over to embrace her.

The young man was struck speechless, finding it hard to believe she had truly been cured!

Everyone else stared with mouths agape, their gazes toward Ye Wushang transformed. Previously, they'd thought him merely stubborn and unwilling to let go. Now, it was clear his medical skills were not only genuine but extraordinary.

"Mr. Ye, why isn't your sister speaking or responding at all?" Director Su asked, puzzled.

Ye Wushang stepped forward, checked her briefly, and said gravely, "The acupuncture has only cleared the blockages in her meridians. But there is still congestion in her brain, which must be dissolved with medicine taken orally."

With this, he quickly took paper and pen, jotting down a prescription.

He handed it to Elder Tang respectfully. "Elder Tang, could I trouble you to get these medicines for me? I will pay you..."

He searched his pockets and found only a few small notes. After his divorce from Lan Ruoxue, he had left with nothing except the Supreme Card and the villa key that An Lan had given him.

Feeling awkward, Elder Tang took the prescription, glanced at it, and smiled. "Though these medicines are expensive and hard to find, I have my ways. Don’t worry, Mr. Ye, I’ll send someone to fetch them right away."

He handed the prescription to the young man, who, having witnessed Ye Wushang’s prowess, said nothing more and hurried out.

Ye Wushang thanked Elder Tang sincerely, saying, "Thank you. Once my sister wakes, she must take the medicine immediately to improve. What you’ve provided will be of great help to her recovery. Words cannot express my gratitude. After my sister takes the medicine, you may keep this prescription for your records. Also, you’re welcome to study the residue from my decoction once I’ve finished preparing it—I have no objection."

Everyone was stunned. Elder Tang was a renowned visiting expert at the City People's Hospital, held in almost mythical regard for his medical achievements. Yet now, he was being offered the chance to study Ye Wushang’s leftover herbs.

If anyone else had said this, it would have been dismissed as arrogant nonsense. But with Ye Wushang’s unmatched acupuncture technique, even the greatest medical authorities would have to bow their heads.

So when Elder Tang heard he could study Ye Wushang’s prescription and herbal dregs, he was moved to tears and thanked him profusely.

After a moment, something occurred to him. "Mr. Ye, once the herbs arrive, how do you plan to prepare the medicine? This orphanage’s facilities may be lacking—should I bring them back to the hospital?"

"No need," Ye Wushang replied, shaking his head. He turned to Director Su. "Director Su, please fetch a ceramic pot from the kitchen and two incense burners. I need them to refine a pill for my sister."

"Refine... a pill?" Elder Tang was astonished. "Mr. Ye, you can refine pills?"

In traditional Chinese medicine, the simplest method was decoction, a better one was preparing medicinal pellets, but the highest level was pill refinement. Unlike the mystical depictions in novels, real pill refinement required precise control of heat, compatibility of herbs, and mastery of the final product.

To achieve this, one had to be a true master. Yet this young man, so youthful, claimed such skill. Had Elder Tang not seen his needling with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.

"Truly, one searches the world in vain, only to find it without effort. It seems President Huang’s son now has hope!"