"Grandfather, we've only just returned, and many things here are still unclear. Please don't be too impatient."
Seeing his grandfather Sima Boyong's annoyed expression, Sima Xuanyu tried to placate him. "Don't worry, I've always been in charge of the assassin group. I've also developed a group of trusted confidantes who will help us when necessary!"
Hearing this, Sima Boyong's stern face softened slightly. He patted Sima Xuanyu's shoulder with his old hand and said with relief, "Xuanyu, it's fortunate that you've been working here and controlling the assassin group all these years. Otherwise, we truly wouldn't have been able to contend with Che Taimin. Alas, what truly angers me is the situation back home."
As he spoke, Sima Boyong sighed. "The domestic situation is no longer suitable for developing the church's mission. If it weren't for this, my lack of progress over the past few decades would have been noticed by the Supreme Deity!"
"However, what the Supreme Deity desires is the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate!"
Sima Xuanyu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Grandfather, what exactly is so special about the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate that you must obtain it for the Supreme Deity?"
It turned out that Sima Boyong's constant targeting of his senior brother Gongsun Xiuliang in the past was all to acquire the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate!
Sima Boyong narrowed his small eyes and said, "The Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate can open the Heavenly Eye!"
As soon as he said this, Sima Xuanyu, Zhu Yangyu, and Wei Ping's expressions were astonished, revealing looks of disbelief.
This was because they had always believed that the ability to open the Heavenly Eye, which the Heavenly Eye Supreme Deity Cult claimed could rival divine beings, was merely a fabricated lie to deceive their followers.
"Well, reckoning it up, the Supreme Deity should be one hundred and fifty years old this year!" Sima Boyong counted on his fingers and said.
"One hundred and fifty years old, older than Old Master Ghost...!"
When Wei Ping heard that the Supreme Deity of the Heavenly Eye Supreme Deity Cult had lived to be one hundred and fifty years old, he wondered if he was even human.
Sima Xuanyu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why has the Supreme Deity been in seclusion and not appeared in public?"
Sima Boyong stood up and walked outside, taking a breath of fresh air. "At the Supreme Deity's level, he is no longer human!"
"He has been in seclusion for twenty years now, rarely appearing before the public. Perhaps he no longer cares about so-called worldly power!"
Sima Xuanyu nodded and said, "No wonder Che Taimin is so arrogant. Does he intend to become the Supreme Deity?"
This statement made Sima Boyong turn and glance at his grandson, then he chuckled and shook his head. "Xuanyu, you have no idea what kind of existence the Supreme Deity is. For Che Taimin to even think of rebelling, wanting to become the Supreme Deity of our Heavenly Eye Supreme Deity Cult, he wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing!"
These words left Sima Xuanyu, Zhu Yangyu, and Wei Ping astonished.
A look of awe appeared in Sima Boyong's eyes. "The Supreme Deity's power is beyond your imagination. Although Che Taimin and I don't get along, he also knows what kind of existence the Supreme Deity is. Therefore, no one can shake the Supreme Deity's position in the Heavenly Eye Supreme Deity Cult!"
Seeing his grandfather's reverence for the Supreme Deity, although Sima Xuanyu and Zhu Yangyu had never met the Supreme Deity, they understood that anyone who could live to be over a hundred and thirty years old must be a monstrously old being.
"Is there any news of Chen Qiuyun?"
Immediately after, Sima Boyong turned and asked Zhu Yangyu.
Just as Zhu Yangyu was about to speak, his mobile phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Chen Qiuyun. He said to Sima Boyong, "Master, it's her call."
"Answer it."
Sima Boyong said. Zhu Yangyu answered the call and asked, "How is it?"
"The acupuncture point diagram for the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate has been sent to your WeChat. Take a look yourself."
At this moment, Chen Qiuyun had just walked out of the Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Association's office building and was heading back to her apartment.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yangyu quickly hung up the phone and opened his WeChat. Sure enough, he received an image sent by Chen Qiuyun, which was the acupuncture point diagram that Wan Yunting had given her!
This made Zhu Yangyu exclaim excitedly, "Master, it's the acupuncture point diagram and incantations for the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate..."
"Quickly, give it to me..."
Sima Boyong's small eyes widened, and he became excited. He quickly stepped forward to snatch Zhu Yangyu's phone and looked at the image sent by Chen Qiuyun, zooming in on the distribution of the thirteen needles of the Ghost Gate on the human body, marked with red dots. Each needle was also labeled with its corresponding incantation...
"First needle, Guigong, located at Renzhong, inserted three fen. Second needle, Guixin, located at Shaoshang, inserted three fen. Third needle, Guilei, located at Yinbai, inserted two fen. Fourth needle, Guixin, located at Daling, inserted five fen..."
Reading the incantations for each needle on the acupuncture point diagram, Sima Boyong's eyes widened, and he excitedly recited, "Thirteenth needle, Guifeng, inserted four fen into the heart...!"
Sima Xuanyu also leaned in and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Grandfather, is this really the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate?"
"Yes, it's genuine!"
Sima Boyong looked at the incantations for the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate marked on the acupuncture point diagram. Especially for the first and second needles, he had seen Gongsun Xiuliang treat a patient before and was very familiar with the initial needle techniques and incantations of the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate.
However, for the ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth needles' acupuncture points and incantations, Sima Boyong had no prior knowledge. But looking at this acupuncture point diagram, he could confirm that the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate were correct.
"Haha, that's wonderful! It was truly worth nurturing Chen Qiuyun for over ten years."
Sima Boyong laughed heartily. He truly hadn't expected Chen Qiuyun to actually steal the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate from Wan Yunting. He chuckled, "With these Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate, let's see how Che Taimin can still suppress me!"
Sima Xuanyu asked, "Then, Grandfather, shouldn't we go see the Supreme Deity now?"
"Yes, but to be safe, we still need to test if these Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate are real. Only after confirming their authenticity can we present them to the Supreme Deity!" Sima Boyong was not completely overcome by excitement.
Sima Xuanyu and Zhu Yangyu nodded, as they also felt that Chen Qiuyun obtaining the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate was a bit too smooth.
"Then, Grandfather, what about Chen Qiuyun's Seven-Day Poison? Should we give her the antidote?" Sima Xuanyu asked.
Sima Boyong turned and gave him a sidelong glance, then sneered, "I've already given her the Seven-Day Poison, and I have no intention of keeping her alive!"
Sima Xuanyu nodded and said nothing more...
In Beijing, a super large conference room in the Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Association's office building, Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai, the chairman and vice-chairman respectively, along with Xue Dongshan, Li Tiangui, Liu Pingyi, three important members of the board, the secretary, and several professors and teachers from the Chinese Medicine Universities in the publicity department, held the first conference of the new year.
The main topics were the association's development plan for the coming year and the tasks they were currently undertaking.
Concurrently, after discussions between Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai, it was finally decided to hold a national association conference on the tenth day of the lunar month!
This involved inviting the chairmen and vice-chairmen of Chinese Medicine Associations from all over the country to Beijing for a meeting to convey the association's development direction and policies.
This internal conference lasted for over an hour. Seeing that it was nearing noon, Wan Yunting smiled and said, "Today's meeting concludes here. Everyone, please proceed to the restaurant next door for lunch together to celebrate the start of our new year."
"Alright..."
The young association members present applauded and cheered. Then, Wan Yunting had Shangguan Huier distribute New Year red envelopes to everyone. Although these were token gestures, each contained three thousand yuan...
In a small restaurant next door, six tables of food and wine were reserved. Wan Yunting, Gu Yuanbai, Xue Dongshan, Li Tiangui, Liu Pingyi, and Chen Ru sat at one table...
"Brother Yunting..."
Immediately after, Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, dressed in Hanfu dresses, arrived. Simultaneously, Gu Zichen and Gu Sinuo, siblings, along with Liu He, Li Tianyi, Xue Xialan, Li Haiwen, Sun Wenhao, and Lu Dashun also arrived. Wan Yunting stood up to greet them, smiling, "Everyone has arrived."
"Yes, Chairman Wan. We are also members of the association from now on." Li Tiangui's youngest daughter, Li Tianyi, greeted him warmly with a smile.
"Great! Everyone, please come and sit. We can squeeze in to make room..."
Wan Yunting beckoned for Liu He and Sun Wenhao to sit at this table. However, due to the large number of people, Wan Yunting and the others had to move to a larger private room to accommodate sixteen people.
Gu Yuanbai looked at this group of young people and smiled, "With you young people joining, we older folks will have it easier from now on."
"Indeed."
Liu Pingyi chimed in with a smile, his grandson Liu He sitting beside him.
"Chairman Gu, you still have two more years to go. You must guide us more," said Li Haiwen with a smile.
Gu Yuanbai waved his hand and smiled, "We are getting old. We will retire completely after this year. The future of this association will be entrusted to all of you."
"Chairman Gu, you say that, but you and Elder Xue, Elder Li, and Elder Liu are still young," chuckled Sun Wenhao.
"Haha, we're all halfway to the grave, and you call us young..." Xue Dongshan and the other elderly gentlemen laughed...
As the food and wine were served, Wan Yunting first had a drink with everyone before sitting down and turning to ask Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, who were sitting beside him, if they had been anywhere fun in the past two days.
"Oh, by the way, Xiao Wan, the Beijing Education Bureau has decided to select ten primary schools to offer Chinese medicine courses. Therefore, I've decided to have Luotang and Miaomiao stay in Beijing. I'll also call Song Sinan and Zhang Xiaoyu over, as they have experience. Their main role here will be to train the local Chinese medicine teachers." Gu Yuanbai said, turning his head.
Wan Yunting nodded and asked, "Then, in Hua Du City, will Elder Jiang and the others be in charge?"
"That's right."
Gu Yuanbai nodded. "With Elder Jiang and the others, it's more than enough. After all, our situation here is more important and requires more talented individuals to come over."
"Okay."
Wan Yunting nodded. "After the conference on the tenth, I'll return to Hua Du City for a visit. I still need to hand over matters there."
Gu Yuanbai nodded, knowing they would all have to stay in Beijing from now on. "We'll go back together then..."