A moment of silence fell upon them, as if they could offer no help, only watch with anxious eyes as Liu Furong began to insert her needles.
"Miss, to unblock his qi and thus alter this pulse, is it not like the ancient sorcerers, reversing the celestial paths and defying fate?"
Shi Jingtian had already learned that the woman before him was the famed Divine Physician Sha. He had always imagined that beneath the mask of this eccentric "divine physician" hid a man with an extremely ugly face, perhaps disfigured by burns. He never expected such a young and beautiful girl, whose medical skills surpassed his own.
As a physician himself, he understood the immense talent, experience, and cultivation required for someone her age to possess such knowledge and insight. Though they had never crossed paths before, Shi Jingtian would soon be utterly convinced by her words in the short time that followed.
"The notion of changing fate is too profound to fathom, but altering the pulse to guide internal energy is far simpler, though it carries immense risk."
Ye Lan spoke softly, "What risk? What do you need us to do?"
"The risk is that I must insert thirty-six silver needles into his thirty-six vital pressure points."
While others might not grasp the gravity and danger of Liu Furong's words, Shi Jingtian, as a doctor, understood perfectly. For an ordinary person, even three needles inserted into a vital point would likely result in death or a vegetative state. Thirty-six needles sounded like a deliberate act of murder.
"Miss, vital points are not to be trifled with. This is somewhat..."
"Yes, it's like trying to revive a dead horse as if it were alive."
Liu Furong's statement caused an uproar among the crowd.
"How can you be so cruel, woman? Our benefactor saved you, and instead of repaying his kindness, you intend to pierce his vital points! What do you mean by treating a dead horse as if it were alive? I say you are a quack!"
"Exactly! If our benefactor dies because of you, I swear I will accompany him in death!"
Liu Furong suddenly smiled a smile both poignant and resolute, "I had already planned to accompany him in death, at least so he wouldn't be so lonely on his journey."
As she spoke, she appeared extraordinarily calm, as if this decision were the most natural thing in the world, even an inevitability.
"Is it because of that saying, 'There are no untreatable patients for me, only patients who do not wish to live. If one day my patient dies under my care, I will follow in their footsteps'?"
Shi Kexin suddenly recalled the aphorisms of the Divine Physician Sha and murmured.
Liu Furong shook her head, her eyes shimmering with the chilling, desolate brilliance of icy mountain peaks, "This man is dying because he saved me. If that is the case, and I cannot save him, I will not let him feel even a shred of loneliness on the road to the Yellow Springs."
"Miss, could you perhaps explain to this humble one why you must insert needles into his vital points? What is the basis for such an action?"
Shi Jingtian, from a professional standpoint, posed the most critical question.
"As you yourself felt, his pulse is chaotic, his internal energy like a complex, tangled waterway. To save him, we must use external force to help him expel all his 'qi.' So, consider this: if you want to guide a vast and convoluted water system into a single place, what is the best method?"
"Water should be guided, not blocked!" A flicker of excitement suddenly flashed in Shi Jingtian's eyes. "That's it! The thirty-six vital points of the human body are like immense conduits. Once these are opened, his body's qi will naturally find outlets to be expelled!"
"Precisely. As for other acupoints, they are merely a desperate measure, like drinking poison to quench thirst. Only the thirty-six vital points can allow him to expel the critically life-threatening qi in the shortest possible time. At that point, these sword wounds will be nothing to worry about."
"Indeed, this brother's body has actually accumulated many injuries over time. If this treatment can allow him to be reborn, it would be an unexpected joy."
Before Shi Jingtian could finish speaking, Liu Furong immediately poured cold water on his optimism.
"This is simple in theory, but extraordinarily difficult in practice. It is possible that during the process, as his vital points are opened wide, he will endure thirty-six instances of real pain, each potentially fatal. Whether he can withstand it is uncertain."
Liu Furong glanced at the three women, their brows furrowed and eyes tearful, seemingly seeking their final decision.
"My full needle insertion will take at least five minutes. We have already wasted five minutes. That means if you cannot make a decision within the next minute, then he will have only one path: death."
Liu Furong's voice was as cold as ice, as if she were using this method to alleviate her own pressure and remain composed.
The three women fell silent for two seconds. As their eyes met, they furrowed their brows and nodded at Liu Furong.
"Very well, everyone, let us pray."
Row upon row of silver needles shimmered with a golden radiance under the flickering lamplight. Liu Furong steadied herself, her hands clasped together as if carved from stone. Murmuring something inaudible, her hands moved like shadows, scattering needles like a celestial maiden, first inserting one into Ren Yuanhao's Baihui acupoint atop his head!
Ren Yuanhao's body gave a sudden tremor, and a stream of dark blood slowly trickled from the corner of his eye. Liu Furong gently pushed his eyelid aside, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines, gasping in unison!
His pupils seemed like flowing lava, the crisscrossing blood vessels like a slow current. As the dark blood mingled, it was like a drop of ink seeping into a pool of blood, gradually spreading and thickening, becoming as solid as a living creature!
"Blood is like the engine oil of a car. If a car's engine oil turns black, it indicates significant wear. Humans are the same. What has this brother experienced for his internal body to be so congested with black blood? It's truly a wonder how he managed to reach this point."
Shi Jingtian's brows were deeply furrowed. He found it difficult to imagine how, in his weakened state, he could have rescued his daughter from the悍匪 (fierce bandits).
At this moment, Qi Da Xian finally recounted, in its entirety, how Ren Yuanhao had desperately saved them from Lionheart Tower, omitting details about the superpowered individuals and Lionheart Tower itself, to Shi Jingtian.
"That is how it happened. If it weren't for saving us, our benefactor would not have sustained such severe injuries."
Qi Da Xian and the others lowered their heads. Yu Nü, Shui Jing Nü, and the others clasped their hands together, seemingly engaged in a silent prayer.
"So that's how his old ailments accumulated. To still possess such chivalry in this corrupt world, men like him are rare."
Shi Jingtian looked at his daughter, who was nervously clenching the hem of her clothes, and couldn't help but sigh. Meanwhile, Liu Furong had already inserted seven or eight needles. Ren Yuanhao's skin had begun to turn reddish, and his muscles were tensing up!
"Not good, this is blood stasis! We need to find a way to relax him!"