C3 Thirteen Ghost Needles

The Xu family's search for help had stirred quite a commotion in River City. The usually quiet midnight highways were now bustling with traffic as a result of the Xu family's predicament. Expensive luxury cars raced through the city streets.

At that moment, Lin Luo, who had been asleep at home, suddenly awoke. "Has he arrived?" he wondered. Lin Luo donned his coat and headed to the front door.

Outside, Xu Muqing pointed to the dilapidated bungalow before them and asked, "Brother Dong, is this it?"

"Yes," the man confirmed with a nod.

Xu Muqing inhaled deeply, ready to knock, but the door swung open unexpectedly. There stood Lin Luo, the disheveled man they had encountered earlier at the Antique Market.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're here about the old man, aren't you? He must be critically ill by now," Lin Luo surmised.

Realizing Lin Luo was aware of their situation, Xu Muqing desperately clutched Lin Luo's arm, pleading, "Godly doctor! I implore you to save my grandfather. The doctors say he has less than an hour left. Please, save him!"

"Weren't you the one who called me a fraud? And now you're referring to me as a godly doctor?" Lin Luo retorted with a mocking smile. "I can help you, but you'll need to pay my consultation fee."

"Whatever it costs! If you can save my grandfather, I'll pay any amount," Xu Muqing promised without hesitation.

"Alright, let's go." Touched by Xu Muqing's earnestness, Lin Luo nodded and accompanied him to the Xu family home.

When the Xu family learned that Xu Muqing had found the reputed godly doctor, they quickly made their way back home. However, their expressions turned to shock when they saw the person Xu Muqing had brought with him—a man in tattered clothes with hair as unkempt as a bird's nest.

Xu Muqing's brother, Xu Liancheng, pointed at Lin Luo, who looked more like a beggar than a doctor, and said with anger and scorn, "Xu Muqing, are you joking with us? This is the godly doctor you spoke of?"

The rest of the Xu family remained silent, but their skepticism was evident. They found it hard to believe that Lin Luo could be the miraculous healer Xu Muqing had claimed.

Their view of Lin Luo mirrored Xu Muqing's initial impression upon meeting him—they considered Lin Luo to be a charlatan masquerading as a miracle healer, out to deceive and swindle.

"Kid, do you even know what ails Elder Xu?" asked an elderly doctor in a white coat, nearing his sixties.

"Cold Poison, a disease deemed incurable by modern medicine," Lin Luo responded calmly.

"Knowing it's incurable, how can you brazenly claim that you can heal Elder Xu's condition?"

"To you, Cold Poison may be a death sentence with no cure, but for me, it's merely a virus I can crush effortlessly," Lin Luo retorted.

"How utterly ridiculous," the old doctor scoffed. "Even Cai Xiangsong, the top healer at Spring Returning Hall, couldn't heal Elder Xu. What makes you think you can?"

Lin Luo, growing impatient, glanced at the clock on the wall and remarked, "This old man's time is running out. Are you sure you want to keep wasting mine?"

"You're in denial until you see the coffin, aren't you?" Cai Xiangsong sneered, shaking his head. "I'm curious to see just how skilled you are, claiming you can cure Elder Xu's illness."

Ignoring the taunts, Lin Luo reached for thirteen silver needles. After channeling a strand of Genuine Qi into the needles, he swiftly located the acupoints and inserted them with blinding speed, leaving onlookers dazzled.

The Xu family members, witnessing Lin Luo's seemingly haphazard needling, were instantly furious.

"Who administers needles like that? He's clearly just poking around!"

"This man is a true Divine Fraud! He's here to scam our Xu family out of our money!"

"Damn it! To think he'd dare to con the Xu family. We need to show him just how powerful we are!"

The Xu family was convinced that Lin Luo was nothing more than a swindler after their money. Xu Mingwei, strong and muscular, was ready to roll up his sleeves and give Lin Luo a piece of his mind.

But just as Lin Luo placed the final silver needle, the deeply comatose Old Master Xu suddenly awoke and vomited a large mouthful of clotted blood. After expelling the blood, Old Master Xu once again slipped into a deep slumber.

The medical instruments indicated that his body had fully recovered to its original state. The entire Xu family was dumbfounded as they gazed at the green lines on the monitor.

"Damn! Did he really cure the old master's illness?!"

"With just thirteen silver needles, he healed the virus that's been tormenting the old master for over a decade?"

"Unbelievable! The guy's a miracle worker!"

The Xu family was in utter disbelief. How could this disheveled man, who looked like a beggar, actually cure Old Master Xu's illness? It was beyond comprehension!

Cai Xiangsong, revered as the top medical expert in River City, was utterly astounded by Lin Luo's technique.

"Is this the Thirteen Ghostly Needles?!"

His body shook with excitement, and he regarded Lin Luo with the utmost respect.

"I once believed that this technique, capable of snatching people from death's grip, was merely a myth. Yet here I am, witnessing its revival after centuries, performed by a young man!"

Overwhelmed, the preeminent healer of River City suddenly knelt before Lin Luo.

"Divine healer! I beg you to take me as your disciple!"

His head bowed so low, his nose was nearly scraping the ground.

Lin Luo, however, gave him a cold look and uttered three disdainful words:

"Do you qualify?"

Cai Xiangsong shuddered as if struck by lightning, his face contorting with a bitter realization.

"I was blind to your talent, ignorant of your superior skills. I brought this upon myself..."

Regret consumed Cai Xiangsong. If only he could have allied himself with Lin Luo, this extraordinary healer, and mastered the ancient medical techniques, he would have been celebrated throughout Spring Returning Hall and all of Jiangling Province. But he had squandered a once-in-a-lifetime chance...

Meanwhile, Xu Wenqian observed Lin Luo, whose expression remained detached, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"The silver needles can be removed in three hours," Lin Luo stated indifferently. "I've treated the old man's illness. Now it's time for you to settle the consultation fee."

Xu Wenqian had his daughter, Xu Muqing, fetch a safe brimming with cash and expressed his gratitude to Lin Luo:

"There's a million yuan in this safe. Please accept it as the consultation fee from the Xu family for your help today, my friend. I can't thank you enough for stepping in to save me."

"It's no trouble at all, just lending a hand," Lin Luo replied casually.

He took a brief look at the safe, overflowing with banknotes, and extracted only ten thousand yuan.

"I'm only taking what I've earned. Please keep the rest," he said.

Xu Wenqian's expression froze in surprise. He hadn't expected this young man to possess not only exceptional medical skills but also such commendable integrity!

With newfound respect, Xu Wenqian's gaze upon Lin Luo was filled with admiration.

On the way home in Xu Muqing's car, Lin Luo was concerned that the noise might disturb his wife and daughter, so he chose to get out at the intersection.

But as he approached his front door, he was shocked to find it wide open, with an unfamiliar white van parked outside.

"This can't be good!"

Lin Luo's heart sank, and he rushed into the room where his wife and daughter were.

Upon entering, he found them huddled in terror in a corner, surrounded by several burly men.

A man in a floral shirt stood behind the thugs, smirking at Lin Luo as he approached and said with ill intent,

"Lin Luo, remember the two hundred thousand you borrowed from me?"

"With principal and interest, you now owe me a total of three hundred thousand yuan."

"If you can't pay me back with money, then your wife and daughter can settle the debt."