"Can you really treat mental disorders?"
Just as I was wondering why Mr. Li was calling me, he got straight to the point.
"My family's Four Spirits Formula is specifically for treating mental illnesses!" I replied.
There was a moment of indescribable silence on the other end of the line.
After a while, Mr. Li's voice came through, "My daughter has been having some mental issues..."
"Twelve hundred, I charge twelve hundred per visit!"
I interrupted Mr. Li.
My point was simple: twelve hundred is a fair price, not a scam.
Regardless of whether I can cure her or not, for someone as prominent as Mr. Li, twelve hundred shouldn't be an issue, right?
Mr. Li, being a man of the world, understood immediately and said, "Where's your shop? I'll send a car to pick you up!"
An hour later, inside a standalone villa in Kangcheng Garden, I frowned as I looked at the girl curled up in the corner of the room, hugging her knees like a frightened little animal, shouting for people to leave. I gently took out a palm-sized bronze plate from my cloth bag.
After placing the bronze plate on the table, I took out two small boxes containing incense powder. I scooped a spoonful of ash from one box and spread it evenly on the bronze plate, then scooped two spoonfuls of incense powder from the other box, stacking it into a tower shape, and lit it.
"This is..."
Mr. Li gave me a questioning look.
"Calming incense!" I nodded towards the girl inside and said, "In her current state, acupuncture won't work. Let's wait until she falls asleep!"
"Alright, alright!"
Mr. Li nodded quickly.
"Let's go, we can talk outside!"
After lighting the calming incense, I glanced at the girl and said.
We stepped out of the room but stayed just outside the door, not going downstairs.
"Mr. Li, how did Li Li end up like this? I need to know to apply the right treatment!"
Once outside, I asked directly.
Mr. Li was silent for a moment before saying, "Li Li was kidnapped by my competitor and tortured in a cage for half a month. She came back like this. I've consulted many doctors, but none have had a good solution!"
At this point, Mr. Li paused, looked up at me, and asked, "Mr. Feng, do you have confidence in curing Li Li?"
"Li Li's condition is due to fright and loss of spirit, with wind evil invading her body, leading to madness and withdrawal. We need to use a strong calming method and apply the Governor Vessel Thirteen Needles!"
I replied solemnly.
"Mr. Feng, please proceed with the acupuncture. As long as you can cure Li Li, I'll fully cooperate!" Mr. Li said.
"Alright!"
I nodded and said no more.
Even now, I still didn't know what Mr. Li did for a living, but since he came from He Dong and his rival used such harsh methods, it was likely related to coal.
Twenty minutes later, I gently pushed open the door. Li Li was already asleep, curled up in the corner.
Mr. Li carried her to the bed, tidied her messy hair, revealing a pale, thin face.
At this moment, she was far from the plump and prosperous look she would later have; her face was so thin it was almost unrecognizable.
I first checked Li Li's pulse, confirming my earlier judgment: it was indeed fright and loss of spirit, with wind evil invading her body.
After checking her pulse, I asked Mr. Li to turn Li Li over so she was facing away from me. Then I applied needles from Baihui, Fengfu, Dazhui, all the way down to Changqiang.
Once the needles were in place, I exhaled and said to Mr. Li, "Mr. Li, it's done. Remove the needles in half an hour!"
"Alright!"
Looking at Li Li on the bed, Mr. Li sighed, a trace of heartache flashing in his eyes.
Half an hour later, I removed the needles from Changqiang, Yaoyang, Mingmen, all the way up, finally taking out the silver needle from Baihui, thus ending the first acupuncture session.
As the last silver needle was removed, Li Li's eyelids twitched slightly.
"Li Li, Li Li!"
Seeing Li Li waking up, Mr. Li called softly.
"Mr. Li, don't call her, let her sleep," I whispered.
"Okay!"
Mr. Li nodded and sat down to the side.
Twenty minutes later, Li Li opened her eyes. Seeing me, there was still panic in her eyes, but it was much better compared to when I first arrived and she was screaming.
Seeing this, Mr. Li said to me excitedly, "Mr. Feng, it's working, the acupuncture is working!"
Ten minutes later, after calming Li Li down, Mr. Li saw me off.
Before getting into the car, Mr. Li handed me a large red envelope.
When I got home, I opened it to find ten thousand yuan inside.
I thought for a moment and called Da Cheng.
"Da Cheng, what's the story with this Mr. Li?"
Once connected, I asked directly.
Da Cheng chuckled and said, "Brother Feng, you might not know him, but you definitely know his nephew!"
"Who's his nephew?" I asked.
"Li Bao, the one who took over the family business at twenty-three, made the Forbes list last year, and was named the richest man in He Dong!" Da Cheng said with a hint of envy.
"The one whose father was shot?" I said.
Compared to taking over the family business in his twenties, his father's murder was a sensational event, covered by all major media.
"Yes, that's the one!"
Da Cheng replied.
"Brother Feng, when I was serving Mr. Yang and Mr. Li yesterday, I heard some news: Mr. Li doesn't get along well with his nephew!"
As he spoke, Da Cheng's voice suddenly lowered.
"Not well? How so?" I asked, intrigued.
"They're at the point where they wish they could kill each other!" Da Cheng said.
"Really?"
Li Li's terrified face inexplicably flashed in my mind.
"Really, why would I lie to you? Mr. Li came to Beijing this time to find connections to deal with his nephew. It's a family feud, Brother Feng!"
Da Cheng's voice lowered even more, but the excitement was evident to anyone.
"Alright, Brother Feng, I won't keep you. I've got some work to do!"
With that, Da Cheng hung up.
I frowned, staring at my phone for a long time, recalling the complex emotions in Mr. Li's eyes when he mentioned Li Li's kidnapping.
Could Li Li have been kidnapped by someone her brother hired?
If that's the case, what kind of hatred would drive Li Bao to such extremes against his cousin?
Over the next week, I gave Li Li acupuncture twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
Li Li's condition improved with each session, and she no longer showed the initial fear when she saw me.
The only downside was that she still wouldn't speak, remaining in a semi-withdrawn state.
That afternoon, just after Mr. Li had dropped me off, Mr. Yang called.
"Brother Feng, we didn't get to chat much the other night. I promised to treat you to a meal, but I've been busy these past few days. I have some free time today, care to join me?"
Once connected, Mr. Yang got straight to the point.
"Sure!"
I pondered for a moment, realizing this was a rare opportunity, and agreed immediately.
"By the way, Mr. Shi from Kongmei Network will be there too. He wants to thank you in person and offer you a membership to their site!"
At this point, Mr. Yang paused, using a tone all men understood, "The same level as mine, not only can you view photos, but also videos!"
"Alright, I'll send Xiao Cheng to pick you up in a bit!"
After a few more words, Mr. Yang hung up.