Chapter Four: Certain Death

Yan Yuanqing received a slap, his cheek burning with pain, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Though there was a trace of pity in Shi Yurou’s eyes, her face betrayed more disappointment and frustration than anything else.

Shi Wenle sneered as well, “Serves you right, trying to show off! If you’d only kept your mouth shut earlier, would Aunt Ji have slapped you? Brought this humiliation on yourself!”

The guests, too, all felt Yan Yuanqing had been terribly disrespectful.

Shi Tianhe let out a cold snort.

“I, Shi Tianhe, have seen more baffling cases in my life than you’ve eaten grains of rice. Could I possibly make a mistake?”

With that, he took the silver needles handed to him by his attendant.

He opened the pouch.

A flash of silver—

The guests gasped in astonishment, clicking their tongues in wonder.

Shi Tianhe picked up a three-inch silver needle in his right hand, while the thumb and forefinger of his left hand shifted with practiced precision, seeking the exact spot of the meridian point. In one fluid motion, he inserted the needle—each movement smooth and continuous, as natural as flowing water.

The guests exclaimed in admiration. From the skill and speed of his needling alone, one could see the depth of Shi Tianhe’s expertise; his reputation as the head of a distinguished family of traditional medicine was well deserved.

Yan Yuanqing, face still flushed from the slap, stood off to one side, his expression still clouded with worry, even more so than before.

With each needle Shi Tianhe inserted, the gloom on Yan Yuanqing’s face grew heavier.

“At this rate, even the family head’s life will be lost!” Yan Yuanqing wrestled with himself, and just as Shi Tianhe was about to insert the final needle, he suddenly cried out.

“Stop!”

The people in the hall turned to look at him. Yan Yuanqing’s face showed some embarrassment, but he spoke out directly.

“Grandfather, if you insist on this last needle, the family head truly won’t live past today!”

At once, the guests in the hall erupted in anger.

“You insolent brat, Old Master Shi is calmly administering the treatment, and here you are, repeatedly interfering! What are your intentions?”

“Exactly! Are you hoping the family head dies, is that why you’re deliberately stalling?”

Shi Tianhe, too, was thoroughly enraged by Yan Yuanqing’s words. He shot Yan Yuanqing a fierce glare, his lips twitching as if about to burst into a rage like a wild beast.

When the guests had finished venting their anger, Yan Yuanqing was still trying to explain himself.

Shi Tianhe bellowed,

“Impudence! Since when does an outsider like you have the right to meddle in the Shi family’s affairs? Are you saying my medical skills are inferior to yours?”

“I have practiced medicine for decades, and never once have I misdiagnosed a patient!”

With only the final needle remaining in Lian Yixian’s body to complete the treatment, Shi Tianhe did not hesitate and decisively pressed ahead.

With his index and middle fingers gripping the silver needle, his aged eyes narrowed, judging the location of the last pulse.

The needle gleamed in the air, shining brilliantly, before his hand descended.

When the needle penetrated about an inch, Lian Yixian’s body suddenly convulsed.

Then, before everyone’s eyes, the pallor on Lian Yixian’s face began to fade, color returning in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, Lian Yixian’s eyes snapped open!

In that instant, the guests around were startled.

But then, relief swept through the hall, followed by endless praise.

“The family head has awakened! He’s awake!”

“Amazing, truly amazing!”

“Old Master Shi is indeed the reincarnation of the Divine Healer Hua Tuo, a miracle worker! He truly lives up to his title as Cangzhou’s foremost physician!”

“Old Master Shi’s medical virtue and skill put us all to shame!”

Flattery and adulation filled the air, and Shi Tianhe basked in it, as if bathed in spring sunlight.

After regaining consciousness and learning that it was Shi Tianhe who had saved him when his chronic illness flared up, Lian Yixian repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you, Old Master Shi, for saving my life!”

Shi Wenle, seeing this, sneered inwardly. How could he let such a golden opportunity slip by? He had to seize the moment to thoroughly humiliate Yan Yuanqing.

Raising his voice, he called out, “Well now, who was that wild bumpkin just now who claimed that if Grandpa Shi inserted the last needle, the family head would surely die?”