The man with the handlebar mustache sneered.
“Master Fang, you really don’t get out enough.”
“It’s easy to find a ‘cure’ for your illness if you just look hard enough.”
Their words made Fang Guosheng slightly more wary.
But he still shook his head and said, “You’re exaggerating.
Zheng Yan is not only a superb physician, but his Martial Dao strength is also formidable.”
“Even my apprentice is no match for him.”
“Your apprentice, Lu Yan?
Hasn’t she already reached the Innate Realm?
You mean she’s still no match for this young man?”
Fang Guosheng nodded.
“Indeed.
If I’m not mistaken, Zheng Yan has already reached the Bone Refining stage.”
Zheng Yan smiled but said nothing.
His current Cultivation Realm was the Body Refining Realm, which was indeed quite similar to the Martial Dao’s Bone Refining stage.
But there was a fundamental difference: Zheng Yan could use True Qi.
The Martial Dao, on the other hand, relied entirely on one’s own physical body.
Hearing Fang Guosheng say that Zheng Yan had reached the Bone Refining stage, everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Everyone present was a friend of Fang Guosheng’s, and they were all masters from various martial arts schools and sects.
Most of them had only reached the Bone Refining stage at their age, yet someone as young as Zheng Yan was already as powerful as them.
How could they not be astonished?
The man with the handlebar mustache twitched his whiskers and asked, “Master Fang, you can’t be serious.
How could someone so young possibly have reached the Bone Refining stage?”
Another man in a hat looked at Zheng Yan and asked, “May I ask, young man, which sect or school do you belong to?”
“I belong to no sect or school.”
“Hmph.
Reaching the Bone Refining level without a sect or school?
I don’t believe it.”
Everyone just assumed Zheng Yan was boasting.
‘Reaching Bone Refining without a sect?
What a pipe dream.’
Zheng Yan said nothing.
After all, he was here to treat Fang Guosheng.
Fang Guosheng felt a bit awkward.
He turned to Zheng Yan and began the introductions.
“These are all good friends of mine.”
Introducing the man with the handlebar mustache, he said, “This is the Sect Leader of the Four Symbols Fist, Master Qian.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Master Qian just snorted coldly and said nothing.
Fang Guosheng then introduced the others to Zheng Yan one by one.
But most of them couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge Zheng Yan.
Martial Artists all had their pride.
‘Some snot-nosed kid wants to be on equal footing with us?
In his dreams.’
After the introductions were finished, Lu Yan walked in through the door.
She looked at Fang Guosheng and said, “Master, the herbal medicine has been brewed.
It’s ready for the bath now.”
“Since the medicinal herbs are ready, let’s begin,” Zheng Yan said.
“The herbs will lose their potency if we wait too long.”
Hearing Zheng Yan’s reminder, Fang Guosheng nodded.
“Alright, then.
I’ll be troubling you, Divine Doctor Zheng.”
The others exchanged a look and followed behind.
They had tried to persuade him with good intentions, but Fang Guosheng wouldn’t listen.
There was nothing they could do.
They could only follow along to watch.
If something went wrong, they could intervene quickly.
Everyone arrived at the bathroom.
Following Zheng Yan’s instructions, Fang Guosheng removed his shirt, revealing his powerful muscles.
Although Fang Guosheng was no longer young, his body was still quite robust thanks to years of martial arts training.
However, there was a dark, bruise-like mark over the area of his right lung.
This mark had been with Fang Guosheng for decades.
Zheng Yan took out a silver needle and inserted it into the mark on Fang Guosheng’s chest.
The others looked at each other, bewildered.
‘There’s nothing wrong with his technique, but will this actually work?’
‘Can he be cured with just a few pricks of a needle?’
They shook their heads secretly.
‘Master Fang has really been taken for a ride this time.’
An ordinary silver needle would naturally have no effect.
But what Zheng Yan was performing was called the Compassion Nine Needles.
It consisted of nine needles in total, and rumor had it that the final needle could even mend bones and regenerate flesh.
However, Zheng Yan could currently only perform up to the third needle.
And for Fang Guosheng’s ailment, three needles were more than enough.
After inserting the first needle, Zheng Yan said to Fang Guosheng, “Master Fang, try taking a breath.”
Fang Guosheng took a sharp breath, his face filled with pleasant surprise.
“My breathing…
it feels normal again!
It hasn’t felt this clear in a long, long time.”
When the others heard Fang Guosheng say this, they looked at Zheng Yan in astonishment.
‘Could this person really be a Divine Doctor?
Did he really help Fang Guosheng recover with just a single needle?’
But then, an expression of pain crossed Fang Guosheng’s face.
He coughed violently twice, then spat out a glob of black blood.
“What’s happening?
What did you do?” Master Qian and the others were shocked.
‘He’s suddenly coughing up blood!
Something’s definitely wrong!’
“Stop what you’re doing!
Now!”
Zheng Yan ignored the panicking crowd behind him and proceeded to insert the second needle.
With the second needle in place, Fang Guosheng’s coughing grew even more violent.
It was as if he were trying to cough up his own lungs.
And with each cough came more clots of black blood.
Stop it right now!” Master Qian roared.
‘If this continues, Fang Guosheng might actually die.’
At this thought, he immediately rushed forward, only to be blocked by Lu Yan.
“Uncles, Zheng Yan is still performing the acupuncture.
Please don’t go up and disturb him.”
“Acupuncture?!
A little more of this ‘acupuncture’ and your master will be dead!” Master Qian shouted furiously.
‘How is this Lu Yan as foolish as her master?
How can she still be talking about acupuncture in a situation like this?’
“Exactly!
Seize this kid immediately!
He might have been sent by Zhao Bin!”
‘Zhao Bin?’
‘Who’s that?
Well, it has nothing to do with me.’ Zheng Yan took out another silver needle, preparing to apply the third one.
Master Qian saw that Zheng Yan was actually about to insert another needle.
He roared, “Kid, I don’t care what your motives are, but you’re going to die here today!”
With that, he leaped high into the air, clearing Lu Yan completely, and thrust a palm strike toward Zheng Yan.
The palm strike carried a fierce, cutting wind.
He was confident he could finish Zheng Yan with this single blow.
Just as the third needle was inserted, Fang Guosheng’s violent coughing came to an abrupt halt.
He opened his eyes just in time to see Master Qian’s palm strike arriving and hastily raised his own palm to meet it.
THUD.
The man with the handlebar mustache was thrown back several steps, while Fang Guosheng stood his ground.
“Master Qian, what is the meaning of this?”
Master Qian steadied himself, his mouth agape in astonishment as he looked at Fang Guosheng, who seemed perfectly fine.
‘Is this the same Fang Guosheng who was coughing his lungs out just a moment ago?’
‘He actually took my palm strike head-on.’
He knew that because of Fang Guosheng’s lung condition, there was a slight gap in their strength, even though they were both at the Bone Refining stage.
But now, Fang Guosheng had actually managed to knock him back.
“How are you…
alright?
Just now, I saw you were on the verge of collapse.
I thought…”
Fang Guosheng laughed heartily.
“This is all thanks to Divine Doctor Zheng!
His three needles feel like they’ve brought my lungs back to life.
I feel so much lighter.”
“Not only that, but I feel like my strength has even increased quite a bit.”
Zheng Yan smiled and said, “Your strength had stagnated because of your ailment.
My three needles just now returned your lungs to their normal state, which is why you feel your power has grown.”
Hearing Zheng Yan’s explanation, Master Qian and the others clasped their fists in congratulation.
“Congratulations, Master Fang.”
“This is all thanks to Divine Doctor Zheng.”
After this incident, everyone was naturally filled with admiration for Zheng Yan.
They clasped their fists and said, “Divine Doctor Zheng, you are truly formidable.
We are deeply impressed.”