“Golden needles?”
Zhao Yun was stunned.
Typically, acupuncture uses silver needles, but golden needles? Where would you even find those?
Ye Qiu explained, “The Dragon King has been afflicted by the Yin-Yang Serpent Gu. The Gu worm is currently inside his body. Golden needles represent pure yang energy, which can counteract the yin and evil nature of the Gu worm.”
Zhao Yun was troubled. “Silver needles are easy to find, but I’ve never seen golden needles. I have no idea where to get them.”
A health practitioner chimed in, “Xiao Zhao, Sun Shengshou has a set of golden needles that he always carries with him.”
“Oh?” Zhao Yun’s eyes lit up. “Sun Shengshou, could we borrow your golden needles?”
Sun Shengshou ignored Zhao Yun and instead looked at Ye Qiu. “You said the Dragon King is poisoned by a Gu?”
“Yes,” Ye Qiu nodded.
“And you plan to treat him with acupuncture?” Sun Shengshou asked again.
“Exactly,” Ye Qiu replied. “If we have golden needles, it will only take half an hour for the Dragon King to wake up.”
Sun Shengshou gave Ye Qiu a deep look, seeing the confidence on his face. Then he turned and walked out of the bedroom without a word.
“Sun Shengshou, please don’t leave!” Zhao Yun panicked and quickly followed him out.
About a minute later, Sun Shengshou and Zhao Yun returned. This time, Sun Shengshou was carrying a medicine chest.
The chest was made of rosewood, its surface dark and glossy, clearly an antique, resembling the medicine chests used by ancient Chinese doctors.
Sun Shengshou bent down and gently opened the chest, taking out a leather case. He then asked Ye Qiu, “Are you sure golden needles can cure the Dragon King?”
“Yes! Absolutely!” Ye Qiu affirmed.
Only then did Sun Shengshou hand the leather case to Ye Qiu. “Here you go.”
Ye Qiu opened the leather case.
Instantly, a dazzling golden light shone forth.
Inside the case was a row of golden needles, neatly arranged.
Ye Qiu quickly counted them. Not one more, not one less—exactly 108 needles. He also noticed that on the leftmost side of the case, two characters were embroidered with golden thread:
Imperial Gift!
Ye Qiu’s heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that Sun Shengshou’s set of golden needles was an imperial artifact from ancient times?
Sun Shengshou began to explain, “My ancestor was a wandering doctor. Empress Dowager Cixi once suffered from a persistent brain illness that left her in a daze. Eventually, she sent someone to find my ancestor, who used acupuncture to cure her. Overjoyed, Empress Dowager Cixi immediately appointed him as a sixth-rank imperial physician.”
“But my ancestor didn’t want to stay in the palace. He wished to travel the world and treat the poor, so he declined the official position.”
“Understanding his reasons, Empress Dowager Cixi gifted him this set of golden needles.”
Sun Shengshou sighed. “Since my ancestor’s passing, these golden needles have become our family heirloom, passed down to me.”
“I’ve carried these golden needles with me since I was a child, but I’ve never used them. I hope they serve as a constant reminder to uphold medical ethics and not bring shame to my ancestor.”
“Today, I’m lending them to you. I hope you can cure the Dragon King.”
“Thank you,” Ye Qiu bowed deeply to Sun Shengshou.
Though the old man was a bit long-winded, his heart was in the right place.
Moreover, lending out such a treasured family heirloom showed remarkable generosity.
“Young man, I have only one request: cure the Dragon King, or I won’t let you off,” Sun Shengshou said sternly.
“Rest assured, Sun Shengshou, I won’t disappoint you,” Ye Qiu replied. Then he turned to Zhao Yun, “Brother Zhao, please help sterilize the golden needles.”
“I’ll do it myself!” Sun Shengshou took the alcohol and meticulously sterilized the needles.
At this moment, Ye Qiu unbuttoned the Dragon King’s shirt.
He saw that half of the Dragon King’s body was red and purple, while the other half was deathly pale. When he touched the red side, it felt like burning charcoal, extremely hot. The white side, however, was as cold as ice, chilling to the bone.
The Yin-Yang Serpent Gu had already invaded the Dragon King’s heart meridian.
“Here,” Sun Shengshou handed the sterilized golden needles to Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu took the needles and swiftly inserted one into the Dragon King’s forehead, followed by a second needle into the top of his head, and then a third into his throat.
His accuracy was astonishing!
His needlework was swift and precise!
Sun Shengshou was taken aback. It was the first time he had seen such bold acupuncture.
Everyone knew that the throat was a critical area. A slight mistake could not only fail to save the patient but could also kill them. Therefore, most doctors avoided the throat when performing acupuncture.
But Ye Qiu was decisive in his needlework.
“Truly fearless like a newborn calf!” Sun Shengshou thought to himself. Even he wouldn’t dare to perform acupuncture like this.
The other three health practitioners were also wide-eyed, full of doubt.
“Such bold acupuncture!”
“I wouldn’t dare to do it this way.”
“What kind of acupuncture technique is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Sun Shengshou, do you know what acupuncture technique Dr. Ye is using?” one of the health practitioners asked.
At that moment, Ye Qiu said, “Sun Shengshou, could you please hand me the three longest golden needles?”
Sun Shengshou immediately handed over three golden needles.
Each of these needles was over seven inches long, as thin as a hair, and extremely sharp. Just looking at them was enough to make one’s heart race.
Ye Qiu pinched the three golden needles between his fingers and, with a swift motion, inserted all three into the Dragon King’s heart, leaving only two inches of the needles exposed.
Then, he flicked his fingers.
“Buzz!”
The three golden needles began to vibrate, emitting a “buzzing” sound. At the same time, a stream of energy flowed between the needles.
“Using Qi to manipulate needles! My God, you can use Qi to manipulate needles!” Sun Shengshou exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling.
“What? This is using Qi to manipulate needles?”
The other three health practitioners were also stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
They were all trained in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, so they naturally understood how difficult it was to use Qi to manipulate needles.
To use Qi to manipulate needles, one must first cultivate “Qi,” which essentially meant internal energy.
This was why many famous doctors in the past were also Taoists or practitioners of esoteric arts, because they knew internal energy.
Some doctors spent their entire lives without ever cultivating internal energy, but Ye Qiu, barely in his twenties, not only cultivated internal energy but also skillfully used it to manipulate needles. It was truly astonishing.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed it even if they were beaten to death.
“Since Dr. Ye can use Qi to manipulate needles, the Dragon King must really have a chance of being saved.”
Sun Shengshou regained his composure and stared at Ye Qiu, his eyes filled with hope.
Ye Qiu continued to insert more than a dozen golden needles into the Dragon King’s body, his expression growing serious.
Because the next step was the most critical. If successful, the Dragon King would recover immediately. If he failed, the Dragon King would surely die!
[Author’s Note]
Thanks to Miao Xiaomi for the 50 flowers and to everyone for their gold coin support. From now on, every “Great God Certification” reward will add an extra chapter. Thank you all.