He was the doctor who had previously been in charge of treating Elder Tang.
Wearing a white lab coat, he walked in through the door and pointed angrily at Lin Chuan, berating him: "Where on earth did this fraud come from, spouting such nonsense here! Mr. Tang, you must not believe a word this person says. In my view, he harbors malicious intentions!"
Tang Ruhai immediately frowned. "What does Director Xiao mean by this?"
The doctor surnamed Xiao cast a disdainful glance at the calm-looking Lin Chuan and said, "First of all, this talk of putting a gu curse is utter nonsense. How can one easily believe such old wives' tales?"
"I have examined Elder Tang so many times. If there were really gu worms inside his body as you claim, they would have been detected by X-rays long ago. Elder Tang is clearly suffering from a strange disease similar to ALS!"
Everyone present exchanged glances. Those who had just doubted Lin Chuan began nodding in agreement, realizing they had almost been fooled by this kid.
Tang Ruhai still frowned. "But the young master here was able to instantly diagnose my father's attack symptoms, and everything he said was spot on!"
Hearing this, the doctor surnamed Xiao pushed up his glasses, his expression growing even more disdainful.
"This sort of thing is easily found out by simply bribing the servants who look after Elder Tang on a daily basis—for instance, Mother Zhang!"
Director Xiao pointed straight at Mother Zhang and sneered, "Of all the people in this room, you take care of Elder Tang the most on a daily basis. You are the most likely person to have leaked the information!"
Mother Zhang instantly panicked, waving her hands repeatedly. "I didn't... I didn't."
"Stop playing dumb. This kid must be in cahoots with you, trying to swindle money out of the Tang family!" Director Xiao said with absolute certainty.
At these words, Mother Zhang's eyes immediately welled up with tears. But as an honest woman from the countryside, she had no idea how to argue her case and could only drop to her knees in a state of utter helplessness.
Lin Chuan glanced indifferently at Director Xiao, taking in every shred of expression in the man's eyes, though he said nothing.
Instead, looking at Tang Ruhai and Elder Tang, he said, "If you trust me, fetch me a box of pure gold acupuncture needles. I can prove what I said in no time."
Tang Ruhai took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright! I'll have someone prepare them right away."
Hearing this, Director Xiao grew anxious. "Mr. Tang! How can you entrust your father's life to a swindler?"
"Director Xiao, we have to try, no matter what." Tang Ruhai waved a hand.
Uncle Liu understood immediately and went off to fetch the gold needles.
Before long, the gold needles Lin Chuan requested were delivered to his hands. He took them, examined them closely to make sure they were crafted from pure gold, and then proceeded to untie Elder Tang's clothes—even stripping off his underwear. Some of the women present turned away and spat under their breaths.
Director Xiao watched Lin Chuan with a sneer, hands tucked into the pockets of his white lab coat, waiting to see Lin Chuan make a fool of himself.
The others also frowned. Even if acupuncture was required, was there any need to strip off all his clothes?
Once everything was ready, Lin Chuan said, "Old sir, it might hurt a bit in a moment. You'll have to endure it."
"No problem at all. My old bones have been tortured for this long; one more time won't hurt!"
Lin Chuan nodded, pressed his index and middle fingers together like a sword, and instantly tapped the Baihui acupoint on Elder Tang's head. True qi surged from his fingers into Elder Tang's body.
With his other hand, he picked up a gold needle and began piercing Elder Tang's chest and the acupoints on his limbs. His movements were extremely fast, executed with remarkable proficiency even with his left hand.
When he reached the ninth needle, Elder Tang's expression suddenly turned painful, and his entire body began to spasm as if enduring excruciating agony.
At that moment, a hot-tempered young man stepped forward, grabbed Lin Chuan by the collar, and cursed furiously, "Can you fucking cure anyone or not? If anything happens to my dad, I swear..."
Before he could finish, Lin Chuan halted his movements. True qi surged through his body, and an invisible shockwave instantly erupted from him as the center.
The young man clutching his collar was instantly struck by an astonishing wave of pressure emanating from Lin Chuan, and he went flying backward.
Fortunately, Lin Chuan used a gentle force, so the young man was not injured, though he landed in a daze, seeing stars.
"I don't like people grabbing my clothes. Don't do that again."
Lin Chuan turned his head and looked at the young man who had just attacked him with an utterly harmless expression.
The young man's face flushed crimson. He scrambled to his feet, ready to hurl curses, but was rebuked angrily by Tang Ruhai: "Insolent! The young master is trying to save Father. What on earth are you trying to do, Tang Rushan?"
Seeing that Tang Ruhai was genuinely furious, Tang Rushan shrank his neck, let out a cold snort, and said nothing more.
Lin Chuan's move had been executed very subtly; everyone present assumed Lin Chuan had simply given Tang Rushan a push with his hand.
Only Tang Ruhai and Elder Tang, who were closest, knew that Lin Chuan hadn't even moved his body, yet Tang Rushan had been sent flying.
Now that was the method of a true expert!
Ignoring the reactions of the crowd, Lin Chuan slowly moved his sword-fingers upward until they reached the center of Elder Tang's brow, then pressed down fiercely.
Immediately, Elder Tang's stomach rippled, and he opened his mouth, spitting out a clump of black blood with a loud retch.
Amidst the blood clot, a bizarre little bug roughly the thickness of an infant's thumb was writhing incessantly, looking exceptionally repulsive.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone, and Director Xiao's face drained of color.
The moment the blood clot was expelled, a breath escaped Elder Tang's throat, and his complexion visibly regained some rosiness.
His furrowed brow finally relaxed—a sign that the excruciating pain which had tormented him for over half a year had at last left his body.
"Dad!"
Tang Ruhai and the others were moved to the verge of tears.
Elder Tang, however, closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep the moment he expelled the blood clot. It had been a very, very long time since he had slept a peaceful night.
The sudden relief throughout his body and the relaxation of his tense nerves plunged him into a state halfway between a stupor and deep slumber.
Lin Chuan glanced at the blood clot on the floor, then cast a casual, trace-free glance toward Director Xiao at the back of the crowd. Withdrawing his fingers, he retrieved the gold needles from Elder Tang's body one by one.
By this time, everyone present, with the sole exception of Director Xiao, cast looks of deep reverence toward Lin Chuan.
Tang Rushan trembled all over, hurriedly apologizing to Lin Chuan: "I'm sorry, young master. I was too impulsive just now. Please forgive me!"
Lin Chuan waved a hand. "It's fine. Just don't grab my clothes anymore. I hate it when people grab my clothes."
He had only brought one set of clothes down the mountain; what would he do if they got torn?
Tang Rushan offered an awkward, sheepish smile, his face extremely red.
"So it was this damn bug that tortured Father for so long!"
Consumed by rage, Tang Ruhai stepped forward, intent on stomping the writhing bug in the blood clot into a pulp.
Lin Chuan stopped him. "This gu is known as a mother-child gu. This is the child gu. We still need it to find the mother gu."
"The gu worm in the old sir's body was planted artificially, and the person who planted it should be right in this room."
At these words, everyone present froze, but quickly snapped back to their senses, instinctively on the verge of shouting denials.
Everyone here was a member of the Tang family; how could anyone possibly want to harm Elder Tang?
Yet, remembering Lin Chuan's formidable abilities, no one dared to make a sound.
Hearing this, Tang Ruhai's expression likewise shifted. He swept his gaze fiercely across everyone present and declared, "All of you will stay here for the day. There are plenty of rooms anyway."
Hearing this, the richly dressed matron from earlier immediately complained with dissatisfaction, "Eldest brother, what do you mean by this? Are you suspecting one of us wants to harm Dad?"
Director Xiao's face turned grim, his hands clenched tightly inside the pockets of his white lab coat. But the dark expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and he chuckled, saying, "I never imagined there was someone with such remarkable skills in this world. My eyes were just clumsy; I hope the young master will not take offense."
With that, Director Xiao turned to Tang Ruhai and said, "Mr. Tang, I have a patient scheduled for treatment on my side, so I will take my leave."
He made to leave, but Uncle Liu blocked his path at the door.
Tang Ruhai narrowed his eyes slightly. "Director Xiao, what I meant was that everyone stays here today. There are more than enough rooms."
Director Xiao forced a smile. "But what about my patient over there?"
"Where is this patient of yours? I'll send someone to fetch them over, so Director Xiao won't need to make a special trip." Tang Ruhai smiled faintly.
"This..."
Director Xiao glared hatefully at Lin Chuan and stepped aside.
At that moment, Tang Ruhai bowed deeply to Lin Chuan—a full ninety-degree bow. In his entire life, aside from his parents, there was no one else worthy of such a grand display of respect.
"If the young master knows who planted the gu, please help us point them out. Should you ever need anything from me in the future, just say the word, young master."
"Whatever is within my power, I will spare no effort to accomplish; whatever is beyond it, I will give twelve tenths of my effort to try."
Lin Chuan pondered for a moment. Back on Qingliang Mountain, his masters had taught him that helping others was a fine virtue. Since Tang Ruhai was asking for his help with such sincerity, it was only right that he lend a hand.
"It's very simple. The child gu will automatically track the aura of the mother gu. Just have everyone present walk close to that child gu on the floor."
As soon as he said this, Director Xiao, standing near the door, violently shoved Uncle Liu aside, wrenched the door open, and bolted for the exit.
Before he had even run halfway, however, a streak of golden light shot from Lin Chuan's fingertips, striking Director Xiao squarely in the ankle.
Director Xiao instantly felt half his body go numb and crashed stiffly to the ground. Glancing down at his foot, he saw a gold needle embedded just above his heel.
It was precisely this needle that had paralyzed him.
Before he could attempt to rise again, the crowd swarmed around him and surrounded him.
With Director Xiao giving himself away like this, even the dullest person present now realized that he was the one who had planted the gu.
"You motherfucker! Asshole!"
Tang Rushan's fiery temper flared up once more. He strode forward, planted a kick straight onto Director Xiao's face, and then pounced on him with a flurry of punches and kicks.
This time, however, Tang Ruhai made no move to stop him, merely watching with cold eyes.
A few minutes later, when Director Xiao's face was covered in blood and battered beyond recognition, Tang Ruhai called out to Tang Rushan.
"That's enough! Keep beating him and you'll kill him!"
Tang Rushan exhaled heavily, tugged at his shirt collar, and spat straight onto Director Xiao's face. "If this bastard dies, he dies. What do I have to fear?"
Tang Ruhai shook his head, then bowed respectfully to Lin Chuan. "Not only has Mr. Lin saved my father's life today, but you've also helped us unmask the mastermind. Tang has no way to adequately repay this kindness!"
"From this day forward, if Mr. Lin ever has any use for the Tang family, just say the word. Tang will not hesitate!"
With that, Tang Ruhai and everyone else present bowed to Lin Chuan. But when they raised their heads once more, they discovered that Lin Chuan, who had been right in front of them just a moment ago, had vanished.
"Where is he?"
"Did anyone see Mr. Lin?"
Everyone shook their heads in utter astonishment, and their reverence and awe for Lin Chuan deepened all the more.
Now that was a true expert!
Coming without a shadow, leaving without a trace!
Only Tang Ruhai slapped his own forehead in profound regret.
"I didn't even get the chance to give Mr. Lin his medical fee! Nor did I ask for his contact information! Tang Ruhai, oh Tang Ruhai, and to think you call yourself a seasoned businessman!"
Uncle Liu, standing right by the door, hadn't even seen how Lin Chuan left. He had simply felt a gust of wind brush past him, and when he looked up, Lin Chuan was already gone.
"Young master, didn't Mr. Lin mention earlier that he also lives at Yunjin Orient? Let's go look for him; we're bound to find him."
"Right, right! Search every single owner at Yunjin Orient if we have to—we must find Mr. Lin!"