」 Chu He asked.
The bodyguard nodded, assuming Chu He was a newcomer who didn't know the situation, and simply explained it to him.
It turned out that Zhong Ling'er had fallen into a mysterious coma half a month ago, and the Zhong family had consulted famous doctors everywhere to no avail. Fortunately, the Zhong family had extensive connections and had invited an elderly professor from the Capital to treat Zhong Ling'er.
Soon, the bodyguard led Chu He to Zhong Ling'er's room.
A large bed stood in the room, and a woman lay on the pristine white sheets. Sitting by the bedside was a white-haired elderly man who was performing acupuncture on the patient, while a middle-aged man and woman stood at the foot of the bed with deeply anxious expressions.
Seeing Chu He and the bodyguard, the middle-aged man merely glanced at them before immediately returning his gaze to the patient.
Chu He leaned against the doorframe, watching the old man's acupuncture with keen interest.
"Old Zhou, will my daughter be able to wake up?"
Seeing no response from the patient, the middle-aged woman asked anxiously.
"Rest assured!"
Zhou Renxin nodded, took a long, thin silver needle from the wooden box beside him, and said, "Once this final needle is placed, Miss Zhong will wake up!"
With that, Zhou Renxin held the silver needle and aimed it at Zhong Ling'er's Baihui acupoint.
"Stop!"
Everyone was startled and looked back to find it was Chu He.
"Who are you, and who authorized you to call a halt?" Zhong Mingfeng demanded, glaring fiercely at Chu He after recovering his wits.
"If I hadn't stopped him, this single needle would leave the patient either dead or crippled!" Chu He walked up to the man and said sternly.
"Director Zhong, is this young friend also a doctor you invited?" Zhou Renxin frowned slightly, clearly displeased by Chu He's words.
As a renowned physician from the Capital, many high-ranking officials treated him with the utmost respect. When he was treating a patient, who would dare to shout at him?
"Not at all!"
Zhong Mingfeng turned to look at his wife and asked, "Honey, did you invite him?"
"No, I thought he was Professor Zhou's assistant!" Ou Hui shook her head vigorously.
"Outrageous! Young man, just who on earth are you?" Zhong Mingfeng asked, flying into a rage.
"You'd better save the patient first, or Zhong Ling'er is done for!" Chu He shrugged and said.
"Young friend, are you a doctor?" Zhou Renxin frowned.
"The acupuncture technique you just used originates from the *Hua Tuo Golden Needle Manual*, am I right?" Chu He didn't answer directly, instead asking with an air of nonchalance.
"You—you actually know the *Hua Tuo Golden Needle Manual*?"
Zhou Renxin was utterly shocked. The fact that this young man could casually name a long-lost acupuncture technique forced him to look at him in a new light.
"The Golden Needle Manual determines life and death with seven needles!"
"It's a pity you pretend to understand when you don't. The final needle should never be placed on the Baihui acupoint. Forcing it in will leave the patient paralyzed at best, and dead at worst!" Chu He's voice grew increasingly cold.
Hearing this, Zhong Mingfeng was terribly frightened and asked hastily, "Professor Zhou, i-is this kid talking nonsense?"
"Sigh... What he said is correct."
Zhou Renxin's old face flushed red. He immediately cupped his fists, bowed deeply to Chu He, and said respectfully, "So Your Excellency is a master of traditional medicine. Please forgive this old man for failing to recognize a titan—my offense just now was entirely inexcusable!"
"Also, I humbly ask the master for enlightenment: how should I handle this seventh needle?"
"..."
Upon seeing this, Zhong Mingfeng and his wife were dumbfounded. A dignified, hall-of-fame veteran traditional Chinese doctor from the Capital was actually bowing to a young man and admitting his own ignorance?
"It's the Qihai acupoint!" Chu He said indifferently.
"Qihai..."
Seeing that the old man didn't quite understand, Chu He proceeded to explain the theory behind the needle application.
Zhou Renxin thought for a moment, slapped his forehead, and exclaimed, "That's right! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you for your guidance, Master. Truly, hearing you speak for a moment is better than reading books for ten years!"
"Don't thank me just yet!"
With a solemn expression, Chu He stated bluntly, "The seventh needle is the life-and-death needle. If you cannot guide the needles with qi and use true qi to stimulate the acupoint, you still won't be able to save the patient!"
"This..."
Zhou Renxin was dumbfounded. He had only acquired an incomplete fragment of the *Hua Tuo Golden Needle Manual* by sheer coincidence, and there was no mention of the seventh needle in it at all. He never expected that it required guiding needles with qi!
"Professor Zhou, is guiding needles with qi really as mystical as all that?" Zhong Mingfeng asked suspiciously.
"Director Zhong, guiding needles with qi is the most profound acupuncture technique in traditional Chinese medicine, but unfortunately, it has long been lost!" Zhou Renxin heaved a deep sigh.
"Does that mean my daughter won't wake up?"
Zhong Mingfeng panicked at this, and hurriedly said, "Professor Zhou, please think of something! I only have this one daughter!"
"I'm sorry, there is nothing this old man can do either!"
"Old Zhou, didn't your assistant go to get a millennium ginseng? Can't even something that good wake my daughter up?" Ou Hui was frantic with worry.
"Ginseng can only keep a single breath in Miss Zhong's body. If you want her to wake up, you must complete all seven needles!"
"Then hurry up and needle her!"
"..."
Zhou Renxin's old face flushed red. He thought to himself, *Are you deliberately trying to make a fool of me? I already said I don't know how to guide needles with qi, yet you still want me to do it?*
"Cough, cough, I'd better do it myself. Consider it compensation for annulling my engagement to Zhong Ling'er!" Chu He coughed and said.
"What?"
Zhong Mingfeng thought he had misheard, but Zhou Renxin beside him snapped out of it as if waking from a dream and excitedly said, "That's right! Since the master can recognize the *Hua Tuo Golden Needle Manual*, he must certainly know this set of techniques and be able to guide needles with qi as well!"
"Young man, can you really... guide needles with qi?" Ou Hui looked at Chu He with eyes full of anticipation.
"Young man, if you can save my daughter, I'll give you a ten-million-yuan reward!" Zhong Mingfeng immediately offered a lavish medical fee of ten million.
"Forget it, I'm not interested in money!" Chu He shrugged.
The corners of Zhong Mingfeng's mouth twitched. That phrase sounded awfully familiar...
"Let me examine her again!"
Disregarding Zhong Mingfeng's astonished expression, Chu He walked over to the bed and glanced at the unconscious Zhong Ling'er.
At that moment, Zhong Ling'er's eyes were tightly shut, but her features were exquisite, her skin fair, and a cascade of pitch-black hair draped over the pristine white pillow. She looked just like Lin Daiyu from *Dream of the Red Chamber*—despite her sickly complexion, she was still a beauty.
There was no time to admire Zhong Ling'er's beauty. Chu He first checked her pulse; it was fine at first, but soon his brows furrowed tightly.
"Strip off all the patient's clothes!"
The next second, Chu He made a shocking statement.
"What?"
Hearing this, Zhong Mingfeng instantly became displeased. Frowning, he said, "Young man, you're merely treating my daughter. Why must you take off her clothes?"
"Her condition is somewhat peculiar. To cure her completely, you must do as I say!" Chu He stated frankly.
"That's not right! You clearly said she just needed one more needle!"
Ou Hui also objected. After all, a young woman's purity was more important than anything else. If her clothes were removed, wouldn't she be seen all over by Chu He?
"The *Hua Tuo Golden Needle Manual* can indeed wake Zhong Ling'er up, but she will suffer a relapse shortly after because this is an issue with her constitution!"
"Let me ask you, has she been terrified of the cold since childhood, to the point where she dares not even use air conditioning in the summer?" Chu He asked.
"Yes!"
Hearing Chu He say this, Zhong Mingfeng and his wife were dumbstruck. Ou Hui hurriedly asked:
"Y-how did you know?"
"Of course I know. Are you going to take them off or not? If not, I'm leaving!"
Chu He frowned slightly. As the saying goes, a doctor doesn't go knocking on doors uninvited; if it weren't for the sake of smoothly calling off the engagement, he wouldn't bother with this damn mess.
"Director Zhong, you'd better listen to this master's advice!"
Seeing this, Zhou Renxin advised from the side. Anyone who could recite the *Hua Tuo Golden Needle Manual* and understood how to guide needles with qi deserved to be called a titan of traditional Chinese medicine!
The couple looked at each other in dismay, but for the sake of their daughter waking up, they ultimately had to nod in agreement.
"Young man, I hope you aren't tricking me, or I will make sure you have no foothold in Jiangzhou whatsoever!" Zhong Mingfeng couldn't help but issue a warning to Chu He.
"All of you, get out!"
Chu He curled his lip, thinking to himself, *If I wanted to look at your daughter's body, she'd have to let me look willingly. Who made her my fiancée, anyway?*
"Honey..."
"Let's go. If this kid dares to trick me, I won't let him off!" Zhong Mingfeng gritted his teeth, and with that, he led Ou Hui out of the room.
Zhou Renxin tactfully took his leave as well, leaving only Chu He and Zhong Ling'er in the room.
Once everyone had left, Chu He stripped off Zhong Ling'er's clothes until only her undergarments remained. A flawless female body instantly appeared before his eyes.
Although Zhong Ling'er wasn't very old, the twin peaks on her chest were remarkably large—at a conservative visual estimate, at least a D cup...
However, Chu He had no time to appreciate the "scenery" before him. He pulled Zhong Ling'er's underwear down slightly, extended a single finger... and lightly flicked her Dantian region!
The next second, a bizarre scene unfolded!
A layer of white frost rapidly spread across Zhong Ling'er's body, making her look just like someone who had just been pulled out of a freezer!
"As expected of an extreme yin constitution. I didn't expect to run into one!" Chu He laughed in spite of himself. He finally understood why the old man had found Zhong Ling'er to be his fiancée.
Because he possessed an extreme yang constitution, he needed to regularly use pure yin elements to dispel the evil fire within his body...
Chu He drew a leather pouch from his bosom and pulled out a long, completely golden needle. With the speed of a whirlwind, he drove the needle down, landing it accurately and flawlessly on Zhong Ling'er's Qihai acupoint on her lower abdomen!
Hiss!
The moment the gold needle pierced the acupoint, a sound of escaping air immediately rang out, followed by a blast of chilly white vapor shooting straight out along the silver needle!
Frigid cold qi!
It was a good thing he had stepped in; otherwise, in a few more days, the cold qi would have invaded Zhong Ling'er's internal organs, and by then, not even immortals could have saved her!
When the cold qi gradually subsided, Chu He gently flicked the end of the gold needle, causing the needle body to vibrate slightly, and a surge of pure yang true qi was transmitted into Zhong Ling'er's body through the gold needle!
Time ticked away second by second. The white frost on Zhong Ling'er's body gradually faded, and seeing this, Chu He withdrew the gold needle.
"Zhong Ling'er, wake up!"
In her unconscious state, Zhong Ling'er vaguely heard a man calling her name. When she slowly opened her eyes, the first thing that came into view was Chu He's smiling face:
"Hehe, beauty, you're finally awake. If you hadn't woken up, I was about to spank you!"
"Who are you?"
Zhong Ling'er was still groggy, only to hear Chu He say with a smile, "I'm your fiancé. Do you believe me?"
"Fia... fiancé?"
Hearing these three words, Zhong Ling'er finally snapped to her senses. She forced herself to sit up from the bed and subconsciously touched her body, only to scream in alarm when she realized she wasn't wearing any clothes... No, she was only wearing her underwear!
"Stop screaming, I just saved you!"
With that, Chu He casually picked up the water cup by the bedside and took a sip. Operating true qi just now, combined with seeing Zhong Ling'er's graceful body, had indeed made him a bit thirsty.
"That's my water cup, you pervert!"
Seeing Chu He drink from her cup, Zhong Ling'er was both startled and angry, glaring fiercely at him while completely forgetting that she was still naked.
Pervert?
Chu He couldn't hold it in; the water he had just drunk spurted out of his mouth in a direct spray onto Zhong Ling'er!
"Bastard, you sprayed it all over my butt!"
Zhong Ling'er instinctively twisted to dodge, resulting in Chu He's mouthful of water landing squarely on her rounded, curvaceous buttocks...
Bang!
The door was kicked open, and immediately after, Zhong Mingfeng broke into the room with a murderous expression on his face!
Hearing Zhong Ling'er scream in the hallway just a moment ago had actually made him quite happy—no matter what, his precious daughter had finally woken up.
But then he heard his daughter say something about water being sprayed on her butt, and Zhong Mingfeng instantly flew into a violent rage, kicking the door open and rushing inside!
"Kid, what did you do to my daughter?" Zhong Mingfeng glared savagely at Chu He and demanded angrily.
"My temper isn't very good, so don't bare your teeth at me!"
Chu He cast a cold glance at Zhong Mingfeng, took out the wooden box he carried with him, and said indifferently, "I'm here to call off the engagement. Take your daughter's engagement letter and we'll be even!"
"Engagement letter?"
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, and Zhong Mingfeng looked especially suspicious until Chu He handed him a slip of red paper. When he opened it, it really was an engagement letter!
"Chu He?"
Zhong Mingfeng muttered the name. It sounded so familiar.
"What! Y-you're the Chu He Grandpa mentioned?"
On the hospital bed, Zhong Ling'er widened her eyes, staring at him in shock.
Zhong Mingfeng suddenly understood. Years ago, the old master had arranged a marriage for Zhong Ling'er, claiming that this match would ensure the Zhong family's prosperity for a century. Could it be this kid right in front of him?
"Beauty, it's no use knowing my name. I won't marry you—I'm destined to be the man you can never have in this lifetime!" Chu He stated frankly.
"Bastard, who wants to marry you!"
Zhong Ling'er's pretty face flushed red as she glared angrily at Chu He and snapped, "You scumbag, get out!"
"Tsk tsk, who'd dare want such a fierce shrew!"
Chu He shook his head, picked up the wooden box, and turned to walk away.
"Please stay!"
Zhou Renxin hurriedly blocked Chu He's path and said respectfully, "Master Chu, please accept me as your disciple! I want to learn the art of traditional medicine from you!"
"Sorry, I don't take disciples!"
Chu He refused decisively. He had no desire to have a white-haired old man as a disciple—it was simply too awkward.
To everyone's surprise, upon hearing that Chu He refused to take him in, Zhou Renxin dropped to his knees with a thud and pleaded:
"Master, if you won't accept me as your disciple, I won't get up!"
"..."
The Zhong family was dumbfounded by this sight. A dignified master of traditional medicine was actually kneeling before a junior?
"Aren't you forcing a good man into prostitution... pfft, forcing me to take you in?" Chu He laughed in spite of himself. Who forced a master like this?
At that moment, a middle-aged man walked in holding a long red brocade box.
Seeing Zhou Renxin kneeling before Chu He, the man's eyes bulged in shock as he asked suspiciously, "Teacher, w-what are you doing?"
"Shut up, I'm taking an oath of discipleship!" Zhou Renxin turned his head and glared fiercely at the man.
"..."
Discipleship?
The man subconsciously looked at Chu He. Someone so young was worthy of having his teacher kneel to him? You've got to be kidding!
Yet the very next second, he saw Chu He raise a hand and say indifferently:
"What a hassle. Seeing as you're so sincere, I'll temporarily accept you on behalf of the old man!"
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Master!"
Overjoyed, Zhou Renxin stood up from the floor. *As expected, the crying child gets the milk...*
"Since you've entered my sect, I shall impart our sect's medical rules to you!" Chu He said.
"Please speak, Master!"
Zhou Renxin assumed the posture of a humble student eager to be taught.
"Our sect has ten types we do not treat: First, corrupt officials and tyrants who harm the country and the people are not treated!"
"Second, those who slander the Dao and traditional medicine are not treated!"
"Third, heinous bandits and those who violate criminal law are not treated!"
"Fourth, those who ignore good advice and have no intention of repenting are not treated!"
"..."
"Tenth, unfilial, unrighteous, and untrustworthy individuals are not treated!"
Chu He smacked his lips after finishing. Zhou Renxin hurriedly handed over a cup of water with a beaming smile and said, "What Master says is entirely correct. This disciple will strictly follow Master's teachings!"
"Since it's our first meeting and I didn't prepare anything, how about I give you a medical prescription as a welcoming gift?"
Chu He then handed a somewhat yellowed, thread-bound ancient book to Zhou Renxin.
Zhou Renxin carefully received the ancient book and opened it. Instantly, his jaw dropped in shock as he stammered:
"T-this... Isn't this the lost *Book of Qingnang*?"
"What?"
Hearing the words "Book of Qingnang" from behind, the man was completely stunned. Legend had it that the *Book of Qingnang* contained Hua Tuo's lifelong peerless skills. If this was real, it would be worth a city... No, it should be considered a priceless treasure!
"Seeing as you like Hua Tuo so much, I'll let you study it. Master the contents inside, and your medical skills will improve significantly, so as not to disgrace our sect!"
"By the way, you should have plenty of acquaintances in the traditional medicine circle, right? Can you do me a favor?" Chu He asked before leaving.
"Please speak, Master. This disciple will go through fire and water without hesitation!" Zhou Renxin immediately pledged his loyalty.
"It's not that serious!"
Chu He laughed in spite of himself. The old man was clearly a doctor, so why did he always talk like a martial arts wanderer?
"Just help me find some medicinal ingredients!"
"Little Song, hurry up and write down Grand Master's words!"
While turning to instruct the man, Zhou Renxin explained to Chu He, "Master, this is my student, Song Wen, the director of the Jiangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can order him around whenever you need anything in the future!"
Grand Master?
Chu He was utterly speechless. Taking on an "old disciple" had already been beyond his expectations, and now he had a hospital director for a grand-disciple...
Not daring to slack off, Song Wen hurriedly pulled out paper and pen and stood respectfully to the side to record.
"Anemarrhena, Eucommia, Panax notoginseng, ginseng... These all need to be top-grade. Finally, tiger bone, also top-grade. Any problems?" Chu He asked, looking at Zhou Renxin after finishing.
"No problem!"
Zhou Renxin patted his chest to assure him, though his gaze shifted to Song Wen: "Little Song, your hospital has these things, right?"
"We might not have millennium ginseng and top-grade tiger bone!"
Song Wen's old face flushed red as he pointed to the red brocade box on the table: "I've already brought the best century-old ginseng!"
"Master, do you specifically need millennium ginseng?"
"Mn!"
"Even if I have to search the entire country, I will help you find millennium ginseng!" Zhou Renxin patted his chest and vowed solemnly.
"Just gather the ingredients and have someone send them to South City Emerald Garden. I'm leaving!"
With that, Chu He turned around, only to find Zhong Ling'er glaring at him furiously. He offered a faint smile and said, "Beauty, don't have such a bad temper in the future. With your energy stagnation and blockages, watch out for the risk of premature menopause!"
"Go to hell!"
Hearing this, Zhong Ling'er was so enraged that she grabbed a pillow from the bed and hurled it fiercely at Chu He.
Fortunately, Chu He was agile and easily dodged it, vanishing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
"Professor Zhou, was everything Chu He just said true?"
Ou Hui looked at Zhong Ling'er with a face full of worry. Chu He's medical skills were beyond doubt, and she certainly didn't want her daughter to experience menopause before even getting married...
"Master's medical skills are transcendent. I advise you to listen to him!