Yet now, the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles were right before his very eyes, being performed by someone else.
Song Ciming was as thrilled as a longtime sasaeng fan who suddenly got to watch her favorite celebrity use the restroom in person.
As time passed, amidst the collective holding of breath and tense anticipation of everyone present, the old man whom Ye Chen had essentially sentenced to death—ready for his family to make funeral arrangements and feast at his wake—slowly began to regain his color. Then, his cloudy eyes opened slightly, and upon seeing Tang Xueyan, he rasped, "Xiaoxue, you're back!"
Tang Xueyan reacted instantly, shock reaching the absolute limit. Just a few simple needles, and my grandfather came back to life?
"Grandpa, I'm back!" Tang Xueyan gripped Tang Shengshi's hand tightly, her eye sockets burning red as tears streamed down her face.
Upon seeing this, the three Tang brothers embraced each other emotionally, weeping in a huddle.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen stood dumbfounded. He took a few steps backward to make sure Tang Shengshi hadn't turned into a corpse coming back from the dead, before his mouth fell open and his eyes bulged wide. "How is this possible? Absolutely impossible! I don't believe it!"
Before performing surgery on Tang Shengshi, Ye Chen had conducted a comprehensive examination of him. He could be said to know Tang Shengshi's condition like the back of his hand, and every single piece of data on the report was abysmal to the extreme.
Yet a person like this—someone he had already pronounced dead—had simply come back to life after receiving a few rudimentary acupuncture needles. Ye Chen's first reaction was simply that it was impossible.
"Dad, you really woke up!"
"Dad, you're awake!"
"Dad..."
Seeing Tang Shengshi "rise from the dead," the three brothers Tang Long, Tang Hu, and Tang Wei rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Exchanging glances, the three of them stepped forward, tightly grasping Tang Shengshi's hands as they sobbed uncontrollably.
"Enough, enough! Your old man is just sick, not dead. What the hell are you crying for, acting like a bunch of sissies? Get the hell out of the way! I'm getting out of bed to move around. I've been lying here so long I'm starting to sprout hair!"
Just as Lin Hao withdrew the silver needles from Tang Shengshi, the old man cursed and shoved the three Tang brothers' hands away.
He slowly stretched his limbs first, and after confirming that nothing was wrong, he rolled right out of bed. Walking slowly at first, his pace steadily grew faster and faster as time went on, soon returning to a normal stride.
The Tang family servants and bodyguards standing guard outside heard the commotion and came over to take a look.
When they saw Elder Tang walking back and forth on the floor and occasionally doing a little hop, every single one of them dropped their jaws.
Earlier, when Tang Shengshi was vomiting blood incessantly and pronounced dead, they had all prepared themselves to handle his funeral arrangements.
Yet how much time had passed, and Elder Tang was now bouncing around in front of them full of life, looking even more spirited than they were?
This massive contrast left them completely unable to process what was happening for a moment.
"Brother Song, you've saved my life yet again. The luckiest thing I, old Tang, ever did in this lifetime was to acknowledge a brother like you. Say no more—from now on, you are my older brother!"
Upon seeing Song Ciming nearby, Tang Shengshi stepped forward with eyes full of warm tears and pulled him into a bear hug, refusing to let go for a long time.
"Tang Ergou, you bastard, let go of me right this instant! You're hurting me!" Suffocating in the embrace, Song Ciming angrily lashed out with a "black tiger steals heart" strike straight at Tang Shengshi's lower body.
Seeing Tang Shengshi grimace in pain as he let go, Song Ciming gave him an irritated look and said, "The one who saved you this time wasn't me. You, Tang Ergou, struck gold. If it weren't for young Brother Lin stepping in, you'd probably already be feasting at your own memorial banquet!"
With that, Song Ciming introduced Lin Hao, the savior who had pulled him back from the brink.
Tang Shengshi looked over at Lin Hao in astonishment. Earlier, seeing this young man remove the silver needles from his body, he had assumed Lin Hao was Song Ciming's newly taken apprentice.
Learning now that Lin Hao was actually his savior, Tang Shengshi immediately said with deep gratitude, "I never expected Brother Lin to be so young, yet his medical skills surpass even this old coot Song Erwa. Truly a youth to be admired! Not only did you save this old life of mine, but you also saved the Tang Family. Say no more—from now on, your affairs are the Tang Family's affairs. Here in Jiangbei, as long as Brother Lin gives the word, the Tang Family will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Tang Shengshi was well aware of the Tang Family's situation. Although they appeared incomparably glorious on the surface, countless blades and rivers of blood were hidden beneath the shadows.
His illness had struck so suddenly that the Tang Family had been entirely unprepared; had he kicked the bucket, this hard-earned Tang Family empire might truly have fallen into decline.
Having miraculously snatched his life back from the jaws of death, Tang Shengshi's gratitude toward Lin Hao was beyond comparison.
Yet Lin Hao didn't take Tang Shengshi's words to heart, simply saying indifferently, "Elder is being too polite. Your illness was nothing much to me—just a flick of the wrist. If you want to thank someone, thank Elder Song. He poured his heart and soul into treating your condition!"
With that, he turned his head to look at Ye Chen. "Expert Ye, are we practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine still passable?"
Hearing Lin Hao say this, everyone's gaze instantly focused on Ye Chen.
Seeing the crowd's reaction, Tang Shengshi looked somewhat puzzled. Once Tang Wei recounted the sequence of events to him, the look Tang Shengshi cast at Ye Chen turned instantly icy.
Under everyone's scrutiny, Ye Chen finally snapped back to his senses, but he still cried out stubbornly, "Impossible! This must be a flash in the pan before death! Elder, I must perform a thorough examination of your body!"
Tang Shengshi immediately flew into a rage. "Are you out of your damn mind, or will you only be satisfied when I'm dead? Examination my ass! I know my own body—I'll still be kicking long after you're dead, you jerk!"
Startled by Tang Shengshi's fierce glare, Ye Chen quickly backpedaled. "Elder Tang, that's not what I meant. I just meant that examining you would give everyone peace of mind, wouldn't it?"
Seeing that Tang Shengshi refused to be examined, Tang Xueyan stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, you should just let him check. That way, certain people who only know how to run their mouths will be forced to admit defeat!"
Lin Hao had first disciplined her, then instantly diagnosed her condition, and finally miraculously cured her grandfather.
Tang Xueyan felt absolute submission toward Lin Hao; the look she gave him now was filled with both awe and flattery.
At Tang Xueyan's words, everyone present except Tang Shengshi looked at her in confusion, but the next second, understanding dawned on them.
A divine doctor who could bring the dead back to life—no matter how arrogant Miss Tang might be, wouldn't she have to lower her head and try to ingratiate herself?
"Fine, I'll listen to my good granddaughter and get checked." Elder Tang glanced at Tang Xueyan and chuckled.
Tang Shengshi's smile was full of hidden meaning, and a flush of red immediately bloomed across Tang Xueyan's pale face.
She hastily looked over toward Lin Hao, but Lin Hao only let out a dismissive, mocking laugh.
Seeing Lin Hao's attitude, Tang Xueyan's heart skipped a beat, and her complexion turned deathly pale once more. She couldn't possibly misunderstand what Lin Hao meant; getting him to treat her illness was likely out of the question now.
At that moment, darkness suddenly fell before Tang Xueyan's eyes. She stumbled backward a few steps and sat down on a stool behind her.
Believing she was simply clearing space for Tang Shengshi's examination, no one paid attention to the change in her expression.
Soon, Tang Shengshi lay back down on the hospital bed.
Ye Chen immediately directed his assistants and nurses to bring out the instruments and subject Tang Shengshi to a battery of tests.
When all the test reports were handed over to Ye Chen, he stared at the results on the pages, his mouth hanging open and refusing to close for a long time, his eyeballs practically popping out of their sockets.
He had handled this examination of Tang Shengshi personally, so the data naturally couldn't be false. Every single test report indicated that Tang Shengshi's body was in tip-top shape.
Even the old injuries Tang Shengshi had sustained back when he blocked a bullet for the leader had vanished completely.
Looking at the reports in his hands, Ye Chen felt that his intelligence was no longer sufficient.
Everything happening here had completely subverted his medical concepts and his worldview!
It was even more unbelievable than seeing a mouse give birth to twin kittens!
Seeing Ye Chen in this state, Lin Hao said in a booming voice, "Expert Ye, this is no time to play dumb. Within three days, I expect to see you hold a press conference at the Capital Hospital to apologize to all of Huaxia's Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners. If you fail to do so, you've already witnessed what I'm capable of—you know what I mean!"
"Ah... this..."
Ye Chen cried out in a daze, his face instantly turning beet red. He never imagined he would actually lose.
At that moment, Tang Wei said with a sinister edge, "Surname Ye, don't tell me you're planning to renege on a bet witnessed and guaranteed by the Tang Family?"
Hearing Tang Wei speak, the rest of the Tang family members glared at him with righteous indignation, startling Ye Chen so badly he shuddered.
Only then did it fully register with him just how powerful the Tang Family was in Jiangbei City. If he enraged them, his entire life would be finished.
Losing his life was one thing, but if his career was destroyed, it would be worse than death.
With this thought, Ye Chen hurriedly said, "How could that be? My word is my bond, and I, Ye Chen, always follow through on what I say..."
After making his guarantees, and seeing that no one was stopping him, Ye Chen didn't even wait for his assistant before scurrying away from the Tang residence in sheer disgrace.
Just as everyone burst into hearty laughter watching Ye Chen's wretched exit, Tang Xueyan could no longer hold on, collapsing to the floor with a heavy thud.
The sudden noise startled everyone thoroughly.
Turning around, they saw Tang Xueyan lying unconscious on the floor, curled up into a tight ball.
"Xiaoxue!"
Tang Long was the first to snap out of his shock. Shoving aside the stunned Tang Wei, he lunged to Tang Xueyan's side and frantically scooped her up onto the hospital bed.
At that moment, a thin layer of frost had already formed on Tang Xueyan's face, and her lips had turned a purplish-blue from the cold, making her look as though she had just been pulled straight out of a freezer.
"Xiaoxue, what's wrong? Xiaoxue..."
Touching Tang Xueyan's forehead, which felt as cold as ice, Tang Long instantly panicked, calling out her name over and over again in desperation.
Tang Xueyan remained unresponsive despite Tang Long calling her name repeatedly, prompting Song Ciming to quickly step forward to check.
Although Tang Xueyan had previously disregarded his dignity by belittling Traditional Chinese Medicine in every possible way, deeply wounding the heart of Jiangbei's medical saint, she was still someone he had watched grow up. Combined with the deep bond of brotherhood between him and Tang Shengshi, calling Tang Xueyan his own granddaughter was no exaggeration.
Now that she had suddenly collapsed like this, Song Ciming naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Yet the moment he saw Tang Xueyan's frost-bitten complexion, he was startled as well.
Traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis relies on four methods: looking, listening, asking, and feeling the pulse.
Inspection, being the very first step in Chinese medical examinations, holds a high status in diagnosis.
Whether observing a patient's physique and facial complexion or examining their tongue coating and body, all of these fall under the umbrella of inspection.
"Old Song, what's wrong with Xiaoxue?"
Seeing Song Ciming's expression change drastically after merely a glance at Tang Xueyan, Tang Shengshi panicked as well.
Without answering, Song Ciming reached out to take Tang Xueyan's pulse.
A moment later, Song Ciming's brow furrowed into a deep crease. Sighing, he looked toward Tang Shengshi and the others and said, "The cold poison has penetrated her body too deeply; there is nothing I can do."
"How can this be? Wasn't Xiaoxue completely fine just a moment ago?"
Song Ciming's words struck Tang Long's ears like a thunderbolt. Losing all strength in his legs, he collapsed limply into a nearby chair, crying out in despair.
Tang Shengshi asked anxiously, "Old Song, is there truly no other way?"
Song Ciming shook his head and walked toward Lin Hao. "Young Friend Lin, Xiaoxue's condition..."
Lin Hao understood Song Ciming's intent immediately and stated flatly, "Cureable."
Before Lin Hao's words had even faded, Tang Long sprang up as if injected with adrenaline. He lunged directly toward Lin Hao and dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. "I beg the Divine Doctor Lin to save my daughter's life!"
By this point, Tang Long had already learned all about how Lin Hao had been invited by Song Ciming to treat Tang Shengshi earlier.
He knew very well that his precious daughter had severely offended this living miracle worker.
For Lin Hao to save his father's life was already a matter of giving face to Song Ciming.
To ask Lin Hao to turn around and save his daughter as well was undoubtedly asking for too much, but Tang Long could no longer afford to care about such pride.
Because of a mistake he had made in his youth—one that any man might make—Tang Xueyan had lost her mother at a tender age.
From that time onward, the bond between father and daughter had shattered completely.
Over the years, Tang Long had made countless efforts at mending the rift, and gradually, Tang Xueyan had stopped looking at him as if he were an enemy.
Their relationship had been slowly improving, yet he never expected that Tang Xueyan would suddenly fall into this state.
Right now, as long as Tang Xueyan could survive, Tang Long would gladly trade his own life.
Watching this scene, Tang Shengshi felt a sharp ache in his nose. Was this really his usually proud-to-a-fault eldest son?
He had just learned from Tang Wei about Tang Xueyan's earlier rudeness toward Lin Hao.
Stepping forward, Tang Shengshi bowed slightly to Lin Hao and said, "Brother Lin, my old man's granddaughter lacked discipline; it's all my fault for spoiling her rotten. This old man apologizes to you on her behalf, and I hope Brother Lin won't take it to heart."
With that, Tang Shengshi bowed deeply to Lin Hao once more. "I also hope Brother Lin can find it in his heart, for the sake of myself and Old Song, to save her just this once. This old man is willing to kneel to you as well."
Taken aback, Lin Hao couldn't possibly let Tang Shengshi kneel to him and hurried forward to steady him.
"Elder, you're going to shorten this junior's lifespan. I'll cure her, alright?"
One had to remember that Tang Shengshi was a man who had nearly given his life for the leader back in the day. It was precisely because of people like him that the prosperous era of today existed.
Toward Tang Shengshi, Lin Hao naturally held the utmost respect in his heart.
Besides, if he hadn't accelerated the dispersion of the cold energy within Tang Xueyan's body via true qi earlier just to teach her a lesson, she wouldn't have collapsed like this all at once—at the very least, she would have had four or five more years to live.
Now, the cold qi had spread throughout her entire body, and she was on the verge of death.
Lin Hao was not a cold-blooded, murderous executioner; naturally, he wouldn't just stand by and watch Tang Xueyan freeze to death.
Having made up his mind to act, Lin Hao walked straight over to Tang Xueyan, gently pulled down the hem of her clothes, and exposed her lower abdomen.
Gazing at Tang Xueyan's fair, smooth lower abdomen without a single trace of fat, Lin Hao couldn't help but brighten his eyes.
Truth be told, Tang Xueyan's figure was truly exceptional. Without the invasion of the cold qi, she would undoubtedly have possessed a killer physique.
Seeing Lin Hao make this move, though the Tang family members were somewhat puzzled, they stood in utter silence, holding their breath as they watched Lin Hao work.
Noticing everyone's gazes fixed upon him, Lin Hao smiled faintly. Then, channeling his true qi into his right hand, he pressed it gently against Tang Xueyan's lower abdomen.
"Mmm!"
The moment Lin Hao's right hand—imbued with intangible true qi—touched the taut, delicate skin of Tang Xueyan's lower abdomen, her lips parted slightly as she let out a soft moan.
The split second Lin Hao's true qi entered her body, the unconscious Tang Xueyan felt as though she had plunged into an endlessly freezing hell before a beam of light suddenly shone down upon her.
The sensation was akin to returning to her mother's embrace in early childhood—so deeply warm and comforting.
It felt so good that she unconsciously let out that moan, but the sound sent a ripple straight through Lin Hao's composure.
After all, he hadn't seen his girlfriend in over half a year; a seductive sound like that was practically pure poison to a man's self-control!
As Lin Hao continuously infused true qi from the palm of his right hand into Tang Xueyan's body, two blushes slowly spread across her cheeks.
After roughly ten minutes of intense, focused guidance and harmonization of true qi by Lin Hao, the straying cold energy scattered throughout Tang Xueyan's limbs and bones was completely driven back down to her lower dantian.
The moment Lin Hao cut off the flow of true qi and prepared to withdraw his right hand, Tang Xueyan happened to wake up.
Feeling the warm palm still pressed against her lower abdomen, Tang Xueyan flushed red to the tips of her ears.
Though she had studied abroad for several years, she had never managed to acclimate to the open culture of the West.
This was the very first time her lower abdomen had been touched by a strange man in such a manner.
Gazing at the incredibly handsome man before her who had just pulled her back from the endless abyss, Tang Xueyan's gaze involuntarily softened into a daze.
As Lin Hao withdrew his right hand from her lower abdomen, everyone anxiously looked over toward Tang Xueyan.
Seeing that she had regained consciousness, Tang Long jumped up in excitement, his voice choked with emotion. "You're awake, Xiaoxue!"
Hearing Tang Long's shout, Tang Xueyan furrowed her brow slightly.
Yet this brush with death—which had nearly cost her life—had fundamentally shifted her temperament.
Looking at Tang Long's face, filled as it was with genuine concern, Tang Xueyan suddenly felt a warmth spread through her heart. Smoothing her brow, she gave a soft, "Mmm."
Though it was merely a simple murmur of assent, to Tang Long's ears, it sounded like heavenly music.
Ever since Tang Xueyan's mother had passed away, he had waited far too long for this very day.
"Good, wonderful! Xiaoxue, get some proper rest. Dad is going right off to make you some heart-nourishing soup—it's your absolute favorite from when you were little!"
At that moment, Tang Long was as excited as an elderly child. His hand trembled slightly as he held Tang Xueyan's, his eyes brimming with tears of pure happiness.
Tang Shengshi and the others looked on at the father and daughter, their own eye sockets growing damp.
Lin Hao quietly stepped back to the side. Watching the happiness of the Tang family, a complex mixture of emotions stirred within him.
An orphan by origin, he had been raised through all the hardships by his current "mother."
From the time he was old enough to understand the world, he had never even laid eyes on his biological parents.
After chatting with Tang Xueyan for a short while, Tang Long suddenly turned around and bowed deeply toward Lin Hao.
"Divine Doctor Lin's immense kindness is something I, Tang Long, can never truly repay. Please accept my bow!"
Lin Hao had not only saved his father and the Tang Family, but he had also healed the rift between father and daughter.
Tang Long's gratitude toward Lin Hao at that moment was beyond measure.
Seeing a high-ranking military official of Jiangbei like Tang Long go to such lengths for the sake of his daughter...