Chapter 15: Blood Serpent Eyes

Zhuang Zhou had no idea that his apprentice status had already been reserved by Elder Yan. Suddenly, his previously shut eyes snapped open as he took a deep breath, silver needles in hand. The very first needle he struck landed squarely on the old man’s Qihai acupoint.

Those observing the operation from outside all gasped in unison! The Qihai—one of the deadly points! To begin with a needle there was nothing short of astonishing.

“This technique—?” Director Wu exclaimed.

Elder Yan shot Director Wu a look of displeasure. “Stop making such a fuss, what kind of behavior is this?”

The Qihai, destroyer of blood and qi—death! With just this first needle, Zhuang Zhou had stunned everyone present. Moreover, it was well known in acupuncture circles that “the first needle is weak, the last is strong.” To begin at the Qihai meant that what followed would surely be even more shocking.

Zhuang Zhou himself saw nothing amiss in his actions, nor did he care for others’ opinions. The Ghost Nine Needles were not something common mortals could comprehend. His hands never faltered. To break the Qihai, lying between arteries, veins, and vital organs, was almost certain death for any ordinary man.

And sure enough, at the moment the Ghost Nine Needles pierced Elder Ye’s Qihai, the point was instantly activated. Very soon, a spurt of black blood shot out, forming a dark, narrow column. Once again, everyone sucked in a breath. Zhuang Zhou, however, showed not the slightest panic, as if he had fully anticipated this outcome.

The Qihai is broken; the hour has come.

At that moment, Zhuang Zhou snapped his fingers, and a Seven-Star Lantern placed beside him suddenly flared to life. Its wick flickered shakily, threatening to go out at any moment.

“What is with all these theatrics? He’s not some shaman, what tricks is he playing?” Liu Genghong grumbled discontentedly.

Jiang Ping’an, on the other hand, was secretly delighted. As long as Zhuang Zhou failed to save Elder Ye, he wouldn’t even have to act—Ye Song, that female officer, would see to it that Zhuang Zhou met with a miserable end. Killing with a borrowed knife was always the most convenient. If, by chance, Zhuang Zhou did succeed, Jiang Ping’an wouldn't mind stepping in himself to finish the job. If the borrowed knife failed, one had to act personally!

Zhuang Zhou’s actions, as seen by Ye Song, only fueled her anger and urgency toward this so-called charlatan. What on earth was he doing? How was this any different from a séance? The man was all show and no substance. She could never believe such antics could save her grandfather. This had gone far enough!

“Enough!” Ye Song said coldly. She had to put a stop to this farce; the man was nothing but a fraud.

“Officer Ye, don’t be hasty—let’s watch a bit longer,” Elder Yan interjected to stop her.

“Elder Yan, what exactly is he doing?” Even Director Wu was puzzled by Zhuang Zhou’s strange actions.

Elder Yan’s eyes lit up, his reaction utterly different from the others. He seemed to have a flash of insight. “Ah, so that’s it! The Seven-Star Lantern is for measuring breath. During treatment, the length and steadiness of one’s breath directly affect the flame. If the breath is long and steady, the flame stands tall and bright; if it’s short and rapid, the flame wavers and dims. Isn’t this what the ancients meant by ‘when a person dies, the lamp is extinguished’?”

“Look, Zhuang Zhou’s about to insert the second needle!” someone cried from the crowd.

All eyes snapped back to the operating room. Zhuang Zhou, ignoring the gushing black blood, began targeting Elder Ye’s Juque acupoint.

Damn!

Another deadly point!

Everyone involuntarily sucked in a breath again. Was he trying to save a life—or hasten death?

Two of the thirty-six deadly points, and already he had broken the Qihai and severed the flow of blood and qi. What exactly was Zhuang Zhou attempting?

Both Elder Yan and Director Wu wore expressions of shock. The Juque acupoint, where the damp heat of the chest and abdomen accumulates, has the function of storing heart meridian qi and blood. Once broken, the flow of energy is severed. Without qi and blood, a person is beyond saving—even a deity could not intervene.

“How long do you all intend to cooperate in this bastard’s performance?” Ye Song was now poised to rush into the operating room, practically burning with the urge to storm in and put a bullet through the man’s head.

Qihai and Juque—she had learned about these points long ago in special forces combat classes. Once struck, there was only one outcome: death!

If you dare let my grandfather die, I’ll make you wish for death! I’ll demand your entire family’s lives to pay for his! Ye Song’s fists clenched tightly as her fierce, cold gaze locked onto Zhuang Zhou inside the operating room.

The doctors, including Elder Yan, were all dumbfounded by Zhuang Zhou’s unconventional approach. This was not treatment—it was execution. Yet Zhuang Zhou’s calm expression persuaded them to keep watching.

She couldn’t stand it any longer!

Ye Song frowned, “He must be stopped! Director Wu, do you really expect me to keep watching this clown make a spectacle of himself? That’s my grandfather lying in there! Let me remind you once more: if anything happens to him, no one in this room will escape responsibility.”

“Officer Ye, I must say this method is far too bizarre and has no scientific basis! This is utterly irresponsible to the patient! Everyone here will be held accountable!” Jiang Ping’an seized the moment to add fuel to the fire.

But Jiang Ping’an had spoken without thinking. His words offended everyone present, including his own teacher, Elder Yan.

“Silence!” Elder Yan barked.

He was deeply disappointed in this so-called “prized pupil.” Jiang Ping’an’s medical skills were barely passable, but his ethics were sorely lacking. To cause such an uproar in public, to act so disloyally, was a disgrace that fell squarely on Elder Yan’s own head.

Is this the kind of student you, Yan Buyu, have taught?

Wu Dongjie glanced at Ye Song. He had no confidence in Zhuang Zhou, but still offered reassurance: “Officer Ye, please rest assured. Now that your grandfather is in our hospital, we will do our utmost to save him. Both Elder Yan and I have full faith in Zhuang Zhou. Please trust us!”

Ye Song frowned. She couldn’t understand what Zhuang Zhou had promised the director and the national physician to make them vouch for him so eagerly.

Zhuang Zhou, meanwhile, heard none of this. He was wholly absorbed in his work.

Elder Ye’s identity was far from ordinary, and if Zhuang Zhou wished to make a name for himself in this world, his skills had to be impeccable. Whether the path of the toxic physician could stand on its own would depend entirely on whether he could save this old man. He was confident, though not absolutely certain. Clinicians with a seventy percent success rate could already be called great doctors. But this was his first case in this world; everything hinged on this attempt.

The black blood continued to spurt, and from the Juque acupoint, a faint mist began to rise, like steam from a boiling kettle. The Seven-Star Lantern flickered ever dimmer, the flame struggling after each shudder.

With steady hands, Zhuang Zhou took up a seven-inch long needle and, pinching it deftly, inserted it into Elder Ye’s Yintang point. At that moment, Elder Ye’s body convulsed violently, and the Seven-Star Lantern suddenly went out.

When the lamp goes out, life ends. The man was dead!

Ye Song’s eyes blazed with fury. “Director Wu, do I need to warn you again? If my grandfather is dead, you, Yan Buyu, and that culprit Zhuang Zhou will all be held accountable! You butchers will rot in jail!”

Director Wu was about to explain when Elder Yan interjected, “What are you panicking for? This is merely the art of feigned death. The acupuncturist induces a near-death state so the body won’t unconsciously resist the treatment. Only then can further needles be applied. Don’t you know anything? Officer Ye, please remain calm. Don’t be so quick to judge. Every doctor respects each patient, whether it’s your grandfather or anyone else.”

The last words seemed directed both at Wu Dongjie and at Ye Song.

A trace of embarrassment crossed Wu Dongjie’s face. He was used to Elder Yan’s bluntness, but Ye Song blushed, feeling her earlier threats had been both ignorant and unreasonable.

Elder Yan kept his eyes fixed on Zhuang Zhou. They saw Zhuang Zhou take the venom of the Tianshan snow toad, collected earlier by Ye Song’s people, and—strangely—bring it to his lips and drink it down in one gulp!

Everyone was dumbstruck, eyes nearly popping out of their heads—even Ye Song stared in disbelief.

Outrageous!

Absolutely outrageous!

She’d gone to such lengths to obtain that venom, only for Zhuang Zhou to waste it as if it were milk. Was he not afraid to die? That was poison! Did he intend to take his own life, unable to save Elder Ye? If someone was to die, it should be after she had taken her revenge!

Would Zhuang Zhou die from drinking poison?

Not a chance. In his hands, the substance was a powerful tonic. There simply weren’t enough toxic materials in this world, and while he could have cured Elder Ye with the Ghost Nine Needles alone, that required his own power, which in this body was far too weak.

He had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Only the venom of the Tianshan snow toad and the stinger of the Lava Fire Scorpion could temporarily boost his toxic skills.

As the venom entered his system, Zhuang Zhou’s eyes once again turned into blood-red serpent pupils.

At that moment, Zhuang Zhou was stunned to find he could see everything inside Elder Ye’s body, down to the finest capillaries, even thinner than a strand of hair. Incredible! His eyes were more powerful than an X-ray machine!

The Blood Serpent Eyes, birthed from the Ghost Butterfly, still had such amazing abilities!