Chapter 21: The Thirteen Ghost Needles

“Huh, what’s Xiao Zhuang doing?”

Suddenly, standing in the observation room outside the operating theater, the elder Yan let out a startled cry, his face filled with incredulity. “No wonder, no wonder—this young man hides his talents well. Who knows how many astonishing medical skills he possesses?”

“Elder Yan, your outbursts might affect Zhuang Zhou,” Wu Dongjie kindly reminded him.

But Yan shook his head, his face showing a hint of satisfaction. “Don’t worry. No matter how noisy it gets out here, Xiao Zhuang won’t lose focus. He’s entered the state.”

“The state?” Wu Dongjie was equally puzzled.

Yan nodded emphatically, his gaze admiring. “Yes, the state. It’s much like the meditative trance spoken of in Buddhism. Once in the state, the only thing in his eyes is the patient. Xiao Zhuang is doing splendidly; I, Yan Buyu, haven’t misjudged him. Traditional medicine has found its heir!”

A few seconds later, Yan couldn’t help but praise again, “The technique of divided mind—indeed, it’s the technique of divided mind!”

“Elder Yan, what is the technique of divided mind?” Wu Dongjie, still unwilling to give up, hoped Yan would explain.

Yan’s steady tone now carried a trace of delight. “What Xiao Zhuang has displayed is the lost medical art known as the technique of divided mind, said to have been created by the legendary healer Bian Que. It’s one of Bian Que’s divine abilities. I wonder where Xiao Zhuang learned it—I’m truly curious about his lineage now.”

Not only Yan Buyu, but ev