"Reverse needle technique!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise.
"What? Reverse needle technique?" Luo Feiying was also surprised.
"Where did the patient come from?" Song Hao asked.
"I just came from a neighboring county," Tang Yu said.
"Li He has arrived in the neighboring county!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise.
"Senior Brother Li He has arrived here!" Luo Feiying was also taken aback.
The thing that Song Hao was worried about still happened: the deadly needle that slowly takes lives has reappeared in the martial arts world.
"Song Hao, don't worry. If it really was Senior Brother Li He who cast the fatal needle, you can naturally remove it within three days with your needle skills. Even if it's just delaying, there's a precedent of successfully treating He Chengzhong, so there's nothing to worry about," Luo Feiying said, concealing her shock and comforting Song Hao.
“If it’s just one or two cases, that’s fine. But I’m worried that more people who have been given the fatal needle by Li He will come to Tianyi Hall for treatment. That would be troublesome,” Song Hao said worriedly.
"You mean Senior Brother Li He might abuse the Deadly Needle? That's a possibility. After all, he's mentally unstable now and can't control himself," Luo Feiying said in surprise.
Tianyitang.
In a consultation room, a patient was lying on a hospital bed being examined by Song Hao. The patient reported that since the previous night, he had been feeling unwell all over, with alternating chills and fever, which he couldn't describe. Song Hao felt his pulse; it was deep, rapid, wiry, and tense, as if some strange force was moving erratically within his meridians. His symptoms were similar to those of several patients Song Hao had previously seen who had undergone reverse acupuncture.
"He said that he had acupuncture done by a traveling doctor yesterday morning because of back pain, and this morning he developed these various ailments," Tang Yu said from the side.
"What did the person who gave you the acupuncture look like?" Luo Feiying asked.
"He was a young man with big eyes and a very serious look. He cured my back pain with acupuncture and left without charging me," the patient replied.
“It’s him!” Luo Feiying whispered to Song Hao.
"Dr. Song, those senior doctors who examined me just now left without explaining anything to me. Do I have a very serious illness?" the patient asked.
Song Hao said, "Your illness is somewhat unusual, but you came just in time, so there's nothing to worry about. You'll be cured after three days of continuous treatment."
"That puts my mind at ease, thank you!" the patient said gratefully.
Song Hao then used acupuncture to regulate the patient's meridians. Having experience treating patients with reverse needling techniques, he was quite adept at inserting the needles. However, he knew in his heart that this patient was fortunate to have arrived in time; if it had been delayed for more than ten days, the treatment would have been much more difficult.
Back in his office, Song Hao said to Tang Yu and Luo Feiying, who had followed him, "Li He is nearby. We must find him, or he will use the fatal needle again to harm people. Currently, the only people who recognize him are Yingying, Kong Fei, and Fu Zhongqi. They are both busy and cannot get away, so Yingying will have to take the squad leader to the neighboring county to look for him. After finding him, bring him back to Tianyi Hall, and I will find a way to treat him. In any case, he is now a patient, and a particularly dangerous one at that."
"Hmm!" Luo Feiying responded helplessly. Li He's appearance made her feel worried and somewhat guilty, after all, Li He was a member of the Demon Needle Sect.
Just as Luo Feiying left, Kong Fei knocked on the door and came in.
"President Song, the acupuncture department just received two strange patients. Fu Zhongqi and I examined them and suspect that these two patients have been subjected to the reverse needle technique of Luo's Magic Needle. The situation is special, so I came to report to you."
"What? Two more have arrived!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise.
Tang Yu said in surprise, "We just treated one too."
"How come there are so many people who have been infected with the reverse needle?" Kong Fei asked in surprise.
“It’s Li He who has arrived here, and the acupuncture technique he’s using is a far more deadly one than reverse acupuncture,” Song Hao said.
"So it was done by that traitor from the Golden Needle Sect! I'm going to find him," Kong Fei said angrily.
"I've already sent people to look for them," Song Hao stopped Kong Fei and said, "The most important thing right now is to treat those two patients."
Kong Fei said worriedly, "These two patients are very ill. They must have been hit by the deadly needle. And it has been more than ten days since they were hit. Even the Golden Needle Sect's needling techniques cannot undo it. Fortunately, my master once taught us an emergency method to deal with this kind of reverse needling technique, which is to bleed the twelve well points. This can temporarily slow down the attack, so that a master of needling techniques can perform a complete cure."
The twelve well points are acupoints located at the extremities of the hands and feet along the twelve meridians.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was overjoyed and said, "The Golden Needle Sect actually has such an emergency method, which can ensure that the person who has been hit by the Fatal Needle is temporarily safe. This will give me time to perform the treatment."
"What? Mr. Song can break this deadly needle?" Kong Fei asked in surprise.
Song Hao said, "We tried it once before, and it was quite successful."
Kong Fei exclaimed in surprise, "So President Song is the master of acupuncture that Master was talking about!"
"Alright, Kong Fei, you and Fu Zhongqi should first perform bloodletting on the twelve Jing-Well points of those two patients, and I will then proceed with acupuncture treatment."
Kong Fei responded and quickly turned to leave.
“Something’s not right. Three people have come to Tianyi Hall in one day who have been hit by the Death Needle. What is Li He’s intention in using acupuncture so indiscriminately?” Song Hao frowned.
"You mean, Li He's move is aimed at Tianyi Hall?" Tang Yu asked, seemingly realizing something.
"That's it!" Tang Yu suddenly realized, "That must be it. The acupuncture techniques of Tianyi Hall can now be called the best in the world. Li He is arrogant because he thinks that even Tianyi Hall cannot solve his deadly acupuncture techniques, and he wants to have a contest with Tianyi Hall in acupuncture techniques."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao exclaimed in surprise, "No way! Li He's mind is impaired; why would he seek out someone to counter his acupuncture techniques? Perhaps he happened to be passing by and, while treating someone's illness, habitually administered the fatal needles."
Tang Yu said, “Although Li He’s mind is impaired, he is still lucid, and has become even more paranoid. The kind of person who is obsessed with acupuncture, after mastering the Death Needle, has become even more arrogant. Whenever he hears of a master acupuncturist, he becomes competitive. This time, he’s using patients to test his skills against you. It’s no coincidence that Tianyi Hall has received three patients simultaneously struck by the Death Needle in one day; it’s Li He’s deliberate act. My advice is that these three patients should remain at Tianyi Hall for further treatment, and even after they are cured, they should not leave. If Li He finds out that you can break his Death Needle technique, he will use even harsher methods on others in the future, making your treatments more difficult. Finding Li He and stopping his next move is the most urgent task now.”
"If Li He really intends to do this, then we're in big trouble! We should inform Yingying; things have become serious now." Song Hao's heart sank.
"The Deadly Needle!" Song Zihe, Lin Fengyi, Wu Qiguang, and the others were all shocked after hearing Song Hao's explanation.
“Currently, this appears to be Li He's personal action, not a technical attack or contest launched by the Demon Needle Sect against the Heavenly Medicine Hall. This matter is significant, and since it has already occurred, I have no choice but to explain the reasons to you seniors. It concerns the safety of the Luo clan, so it's best not to reveal this secret for now. I have already instructed Kong Fei and Fu Zhongqi to keep this matter confidential. Finding Li He and rescuing the patients he treated are the priority now,” Song Hao said.
"The incident involving the acupuncture bronze figure was all caused by this Li He. I never expected that he would act recklessly in acupuncture techniques and use his skills to harm people," Song Zihe said with a shake of his head and a sigh.
"So, the Luo family's magic needles used to harm people and amass wealth through reverse needle techniques. Unexpectedly, Li He mastered these techniques to their extreme, creating a deadly needle that slowly takes lives. Even Luo Beiming couldn't control him. If this were exposed to the world, the Luo family would be doomed. They've made too many enemies. It's just that Yingying has been implicated," Lin Fengyi lamented.
"For Yingying's sake, let's keep this a secret for now. Luo Bei will get his comeuppance tomorrow," Song Hao said.
"Will it be dangerous for Yingying to go find Li He now?" Song Zihe asked.