Volume 1, Chapter 67: Elder Long's Gratitude

"Haha, isn't this just a charlatan's cheap trick, purely meant to fool people?"

"Mr. Dongfang, where on earth did you find this scam artist? This is getting way too ridiculous!"

"Chicken blood mixed with cinnabar to cure illnesses? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. Absolutely hilarious!"

The young man scoffed mockingly as he watched Su Ming's actions. Even Qi Baimei was momentarily stunned by what Su Ming was doing. Initially, Su Ming's acupuncture technique and movements had stirred ripples of doubt in his mind, making him wonder if he had misjudged the situation and if this kid actually had some genuine skill. But at this very moment, Su Ming's absurd behavior instantly shattered any shred of appreciation he had just begun to form.

"Pretentious and playing the god-botherer!" Qi Baimei said with a cold snort. "It looks like those needles you planted won't amount to anything useful after all!"

Ignoring them entirely, Su Ming walked over to Elder Long. His eyes swept across the old man, and he noticed a faint, dark aura radiating from the patient's body. Though invisible to the naked eye, it was clearly visible to someone who practiced the Xuanlong Art.

This was a baleful black qi—a deeply malevolent energy.

Su Ming reached out and pressed down on several points across Elder Long's body. Instantly, the dark aura dissipated significantly. He then pulled out the silver needles; the tips had turned completely black. Dipping the needles back into the cinnabar and chicken blood mixture, he began to massage Elder Long.

With a swift flick of his hands, Elder Long's body seemed to lose all its weight, lifted effortlessly by Su Ming's palms. He hoisted the old man mid-air, spun him three times, and caught him smoothly as they descended. Pressing both hands firmly against the patient's abdomen, he applied pressure with his thumbs.

Suddenly, the motionless Elder Long let out a muffled groan, and a mouthful of dark, stagnant blood spewed from his mouth.

Young Master Long tried to rush forward to stop him, but Dongfang Shaobai held him back.

"Kid, are you putting on a circus act?"

"How dare you bring such low-class parlor tricks out to show off?"

"Are you trying to get Elder Long killed by refusing to stop?" the young man continued with his sarcastic jibes.

"Tianlei, stop talking nonsense! Just watch from the side!" Qi Baimei suddenly snapped, rebuking him.

Chen Tianlei froze, looking at his teacher in absolute disbelief. The teacher was actually helping that kid speak up?!

"Mr. Dongfang, Elder Qi, can he actually pull this off or not? Give me a straight answer!" Worried sick after being held back, Young Master Long feared that his father's fragile body wouldn't be able to endure any more reckless tossing around.

"Young Master Long, there's no need to worry. Elder Long is in no danger!" Qi Baimei said suddenly, his face calm, though a tempest raged within his heart.

At first, he too had thought Su Ming was just a petty quack who had somehow pulled the wool over Old Dongfang's eyes. But observing Su Ming's massage techniques, he had been utterly shaken. Flat-pushing, palm-pushing, swaying, squeezing, vibrating, tapping, and joint-extension—various intermediate techniques were displayed to absolute perfection in his hands. It was nothing short of miraculous, smooth and flowing like drifting clouds and running water.

And when it escalated into the Greater Massage Art—kneading bones, breaching acupoints, dotting meridians, and guiding channels—it completely conquered Qi Baimei. These techniques could not be performed simply by understanding theory; they required supreme talent! Especially the Greater Massage Art, a luxury once reserved exclusively for emperors to enjoy on a regular basis!

Combined with the Thirty-Two Acupoint-Unblocking Method, this cascade of astonishing shocks had driven Qi Baimei to personally vouch for Su Ming. If this couldn't save Elder Long, then probably no heavenly deity descending to earth could help him either!

At this point, even Young Master Long was dumbfounded. He never expected that Elder Qi, who had been vehemently trying to stop Su Ming just moments ago, would now vouch for him. Finally, a wave of relief washed over him.

As for Dongfang Shaobai, he smiled leisurely. He had anticipated this all along. Once Qi Baimei understood Su Ming's true medical prowess, he would inevitably be convinced of his inferiority, because Qi Baimei had stagnated at the intermediate massage level for all these years without making any progress. Otherwise, the position of Vice President would have fallen to him long ago.

Meanwhile, Su Ming reinserted the freshly soaked silver needles back into Elder Long's acupoints.

Immediately, a violent reaction occurred. Wisps of smoke began to rise from the silver needles, accompanied by a foul, sour stench.

In less than three minutes, Su Ming drove every single silver needle into place.

"Blech!"

Elder Long, previously trapped in a deep coma, abruptly sat straight up, coughing out a gush of blood.

This time, however, the blood he expelled was bright red! Furthermore, Elder Long had opened his eyes, and a healthy flush had returned to his previously pale face. His breathing had also grown steady and even.

Just waking up, his gaze was still somewhat hazy, and his physical weakness made it difficult for him to speak above a whisper.

"Father, you're finally awake! How do you feel? Can your body handle it?" Seeing his father regain consciousness, Young Master Long was overcome with joyful surprise. He hurriedly sat on the edge of the bed, grasping Elder Long's hand and asking with deep concern.

"Much better... Just now, it felt as if I had taken a stroll through the gates of hell."

"For the longest time, I felt like a massive boulder was crushing my chest... I thought I was falling apart. But now, I feel so comfortable, just a bit weak all over..."

All the painful contortions had vanished from Elder Long's face, and his brow was completely relaxed. The mere fact that he could wake up proved he had crossed the threshold of danger.

"Father, as long as you're alright! You scared me half to death just now!"

"We owe it all... all to this divine doctor here, who stepped in and pulled you through the danger zone."

Young Master Long had originally intended to credit Dongfang Shaobai and Qi Baimei, but he caught himself just in time. The only one who had actually treated and saved his father was Su Ming—the young man everyone had dismissed as a charlatan! He was simply god-like. Even two authoritative master physicians had been completely at a loss, yet in Su Ming's hands, the problem was solved effortlessly in a few swift moves!

"Huh? Wasn't it Mr. Dongfang and Elder Qi who saved me?"

"Up until now, it's always been those two?!" Elder Long, now fully cognizant, was equally stunned. Staring at Su Ming before him, he found it hard to believe. The young man was simply too young!

"Elder Long, it was indeed this divine doctor Su who saved you today!" Qi Baimei stepped forward first, offering Su Ming a friendly, respectful nod accompanied by a faint smile tinged with self-reproach. Admitting that someone else was vastly superior was not difficult for Qi Baimei, especially since Su Ming's medical skills were far beyond mere "superiority"—he was a true, undisputed master of healing.

"Ah, for Divine Doctor Su to possess such profound medical attainments at such a young age..."

"Please, receive this bow from me, Divine Doctor Su. Thank you for saving my life!"

Elder Long struggled to sit up to pay his respects.