Chapter 319 — A Master Who Keeps His Talents Hidden
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
In truth, even as Guan Xuewen and Liu Tianyi stood stunned, Wei Zhao was no less astonished. He had never imagined that infusing the silver needles with the energy of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art could produce such a transformation.
"Elder Jiao, what is the meaning of this?" Wei Zhao asked in his mind.
"A normal phenomenon," Elder Jiao said, his voice as unhurried as ever. "Although your present first-layer cultivation is not yet enough to use the energy of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art to heal a patient, you can do what you did last time — sustain it. Keep doing as I tell you, and ten years should hold out just fine!"
"What? That is all it takes?" Wei Zhao was both startled and delighted. In his original plan, he had intended to combine acupuncture with medicinal remedies: after the needling, so long as the patient took his medicine without interruption, the angina could be held in check — except that the acupuncture would have to be repeated once every year.
Of course, Wei Zhao had already prepared his explanation: an annual follow-up examination. The Liu family would, he reckoned, be only too glad to bring Liu Zhenhu back for another round of needling, and that way he would not be breaking the promise he had made when he took the money — he had said he would cure the man for ten years, not that he would cure him once and for all.
But now, it seemed, that worry was gone, for Elder Jiao's voice sounded at once: "Fool! The pure essence within your body is more than enough to sustain a patient's physical functions — and you find it strange that this is all it takes?"
"A little strange, yes. Does that mean other Yellow-Rank masters could do the same?" Wei Zhao asked.
"Did I not tell you already? Only the energy in your body is pure essence. What they cultivate is called true qi, and the true qi of each school is different. The true qi each of them generates works only on members of their own sect; on anyone else, it either has no effect at all or does harm..." Elder Jiao's tone was that of a man despairing of a hopeless pupil.
"Heh heh... is that so..." Wei Zhao gave a couple of embarrassed dry laughs. Before others, he could hold his head high and call them brain-dead; but before Elder Jiao, all he could do was laugh dryly.
"Enough. Time to withdraw the needles. Now, in the order I tell you, insert the silver needles one by one into the Jueyin Shu point..." Elder Jiao named several more acupoints, then said: "Channel the energy in!"
Wei Zhao did as instructed. Once more the silver needles began to dance, and Guan Xuewen clicked his tongue in wonder, while Liu Tianyi looked upon Wei Zhao as a man descended from heaven — a hundred million yuan, well spent!
Had he fallen out with Wei Zhao over that hundred million, not only would he never have witnessed such a wondrous method of healing, but the Liu family would have let a divine physician slip through their fingers!
"Whoosh—" Wei Zhao let out a long breath. Though the energy within him was abundant, channeling it out over such a long stretch had still left him drenched in sweat. After three such rounds, he withdrew the silver needles, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said: "Done!"
"Done?" Not that Liu Tianyi doubted Wei Zhao, but barely an hour had passed — could the angina that had plagued his father for years, the ailment that countless renowned physicians had failed to cure, truly be gone in little more than an hour?
Having witnessed the marvel of Wei Zhao's acupuncture, Liu Tianyi still found it hard to believe that his father's illness could be cured so swiftly. Yet he dared not voice his doubt, for fear of displeasing Wei Zhao; he could only swallow his questions and look at his father...
"Dad, how do you feel?" Liu Tianyi could only ask after his father's own sensations.