Chapter 319 — A Hidden Master

In truth, even as Guan Xuemin and Liu Tianyi stared in shock, Wei Zhao was shocked himself. He had never imagined that channeling the energy of the Xuanyuan Dragon Art into the silver needles could produce such a wondrous change.

"Old Jiao, what is going on here?" Wei Zhao asked inwardly.

"A normal phenomenon." Old Jiao's voice remained calm and unhurried. "With your present strength at only the first layer, the energy produced by the Xuanyuan Dragon Art cannot yet heal the patient outright, but as last time, it is enough to sustain him. Continue exactly as I tell you, and ten years should be no problem."

"What? That alone will do it?" Wei Zhao was both startled and delighted. In his original plan, he had meant to combine acupuncture with medicine, relying on uninterrupted doses after the needling to keep the angina under control, only it would require fresh acupuncture every single year!

Of course, he had already prepared his excuse: a checkup once a year. The Liu family would surely be glad to bring Liu Zhenhu back for another treatment, and that would not break his promise made for the money. He had promised a cure good for ten years, not a cure completed in a single session.

But now, that worry seemed to have vanished, for Old Jiao's voice sounded again. "Nonsense! The pure energy within your body is more than enough to sustain a patient's bodily functions. 'That alone will do it' -- is that so strange?"

"A little strange. Does that mean other Huang-level masters could do the same?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Have I not told you before? Only the energy inside your body is pure energy. What they cultivate through their arts produces what is called true qi, and the true qi of each school is different, so it works only upon members of their own sect. Used on anyone else, it is either useless or counterproductive..." Old Jiao spoke in a tone of exasperation at his slow pupil.

"Hehe... I see..." Wei Zhao gave two embarrassed dry laughs. Before others he could hold his head high and call them idiots, but before Old Jiao all he could do was laugh dryly.

"Enough. It is time to withdraw the needles. Next, in the order I give you, insert the silver needles in turn into Jueyinshu..." Old Jiao named several more acupoints, then said, "Channel the energy in!"

Wei Zhao did as told, and the silver needles began to dance once more. Guan Xuemin clicked his tongue in wonder, while Liu Tianyi all but worshipped Wei Zhao as a god descended to earth. That hundred million had been well spent!

If he had quarreled with Wei Zhao over that hundred million, he would not only have missed witnessing such a miraculous cure, but would have caused the Liu family to miss meeting a divine doctor!

"Hoo--" Wei Zhao let out a long breath. Though the energy within him was abundant, sending it out for so long had still left him sweating. After repeating the process three times, he withdrew the silver needles, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "Done!"

"Done?" It was not that Liu Tianyi distrusted Wei Zhao, but barely an hour had passed. His father's heart ailment, untreated after years of seeking countless famed doctors for his angina, could truly be cured in just over an hour?

Though he had witnessed the marvel of Wei Zhao's acupuncture, that his father's illness could be healed in so short a time still left Liu Tianyi hardly daring to believe it. Yet he dared not ask aloud for fear of displeasing Wei Zhao, and could only swallow his doubts as he looked toward his father...

"Dad, how do you feel?" Liu Tianyi could only ask after his father's sensations.

"Much better, so comfortable! But my body feels sticky and awful. I need a bath!" Liu Zhenhu felt clear-headed and refreshed throughout his body, except for a clammy stickiness on his skin that was most unpleasant.

"Eh?" Liu Tianyi hurried over to help his father up, only to see a layer of dark yellow, greasy grime coating his father's skin. He jumped in fright. "Th-this... what is this stuff?"

Alerted by Liu Tianyi's cry, Guan Xuemin walked over as well. While Wei Zhao had been needling, the two men had stood far behind for fear of disturbing him. Now, drawing close for a look, Guan Xuemin was so shaken his hands began to tremble.

"Marrow cleansing and bone purging?" Guan Xuemin naturally knew the ancient medical texts spoke of marrow cleansing and bone purging, though the art had been lost for many years! The so-called marrow cleansing and bone purging used acupuncture or herbs to expel toxins from the body, achieving an effect akin to rebirth!

Men live on grain, and toxins inevitably gather in the body. Though metabolism can expel a part of them, another part is absorbed, and as days and years pass, such poisons accumulate more and more.

What Guan Xuemin had never imagined was that Wei Zhao's acupuncture possessed such power, not only curing illness but also driving out toxins.

Hearing Guan Xuemin's exclamation, Wei Zhao started slightly, but then Old Jiao's voice sounded in his ear. "Wei Zhao, your pure energy has in part the effect of expelling poison, so even without intending it you will bring about this result. However, at this rate that lad Liu Zhenhu will likely live several years longer, and after ten years you will have to needle him again..."

That lad Liu Zhenhu? Wei Zhao was left speechless, though coming from Old Jiao's mouth it did not sound so strange. What manner of being this old monster Old Jiao was, Wei Zhao had often wished to ask, but Old Jiao always said his strength was still too weak and he need not know too much, so Wei Zhao could do nothing about it!

One thing was certain, however: Old Jiao's age must be far greater than Liu Zhenhu's, to call him 'lad'!

"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled at Guan Xuemin without explaining. It seemed Liu Zhenhu's hundred million had not been spent in vain. Not only had his illness been cured, his life had been prolonged! Such fortune could not be bought with money. Still, since Liu Zhenhu would live several years more, Wei Zhao had to prepare them in advance, and so he said with unfathomable calm, "Old Master Liu was in poor health, so I took care of it along the way. But first I must tell Mr. Liu some bad news."

"Oh? What news? Please speak, Divine Doctor Wei..." Liu Tianyi started. He had thought marrow cleansing and bone purging a fine thing, and seeing Guan Xuemin so excited had assumed his father had gained a great boon, but now hearing Wei Zhao speak of bad news...

Even Liu Zhenhu, calm until now, could not help but look up. Had Wei Zhao not said he was already cured? How could there still be bad news? Could this marrow cleansing and bone purging harm the body? Yet he felt wonderfully at ease.

Even Guan Xuemin stopped examining the oily grime on Liu Zhenhu's body, raised his head, and looked toward Wei Zhao...

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