Inside the room, a young boy was kowtowing to Old Man Liu, while beside him sat a frail woman in tattered clothes.
Though not old, the woman appeared terribly weak.
Old Man Liu was leaning over, taking her pulse.
Liu Qingxuan called out, and the boy turned, revealing himself as the Hu boy who had attacked Lu Zheng in the peach grove.
“It’s you?”
Liu Qingyan called to her father, “Father.”
“Uncle Liu.”
Old Man Liu nodded, his hand still on the woman’s wrist.
The Hu boy’s face darkened.
To him, Lu Zheng and his group were enemies, yet here he was, seeking help from them…
If it were just him, he’d have stormed off, but with no money and several clinics claiming his mother was beyond saving, this was the only one willing to try…
Caught in turmoil, the boy wavered between begging for mercy or leaving with his mother in defiance.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan paid no mind to the boy’s thoughts.
Seeing her father’s frown, Liu Qingyan asked softly, “Father, what’s wrong?”
Old Man Liu’s brows furrowed, “The illness is deep, rooted in her bones for at least fourteen or fifteen years, and…”
Hearing this, the boy forgot all notions of pride, kowtowing to Old Man Liu, “My mother’s always been frail, and today she fainted. I…”
Old Man Liu waved him off, “It’s from losing vitality during childbirth, then years of toil without recovery.
When she was younger, it wasn’t as noticeable, but today her body’s reached its limit.”
“Wah!” The boy broke into sobs.
“Zhou’er, don’t cry. You’ve grown sensible lately, able to care for yourself. I’m happy and at ease,” the woman said.
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered.
Clearly, the woman had long been unwell, but poverty and the boy’s immaturity forced her to push on, draining her body’s reserves.
If the boy had remained thoughtless, her willpower might have kept her going another year or two.
But perhaps the events of the other day had awakened him, making him suddenly mature.
With her mind at ease, her body could no longer hold out.
Lu Zheng had heard of such cases in old, impoverished China, where women toiled their lives away, only to pass with a smile once their families prospered.
“Can’t it be restored?”
Seeing the boy’s tears and the woman’s smiling yet tearful face, Liu Qingyan’s heart ached, unable to bear it.
Old Man Liu shook his head, “Difficult. Her bone marrow is nearly spent, hard to nourish, and her vitality is depleted. It’s a wonder she’s lasted until today.”
Liu Qingyan asked, “What about acupuncture?”
Old Man Liu frowned, “Acupuncture requires prior medication and precise needling through the spine. Even if I manage it, her body likely can’t absorb the medicine’s strength.”
“No medicine, just replenish with vitality directly.”
Old Man Liu paused, his eyes flickering, “I haven’t that skill.”
Liu Qingyan said firmly, “I’ll do the needling.”
Old Man Liu was startled, disbelief in his eyes, “Don’t jest. Even if you needle, you lack the true qi to restore her vitality!”
“Not me,” Liu Qingyan shook her head, then looked at Lu Zheng, her voice pleading.
“Lu Lang, a life hangs in the balance. Could you lend a hand? It won’t harm your foundation, and I’ll prepare tonics to restore you in three days.”
Before Lu Zheng could reply, the boy dropped to his knees, kowtowing frantically, “Great hero! Please, save my mother! I’ll serve you like a beast of burden!”
Lu Zheng steadied the boy, lifting him up with a gesture.
“Stand up. Don’t make rash vows. You’re strong, so think carefully before acting next time.”
Lu Zheng shook his head, “I don’t need your servitude.”
Turning to Liu Qingyan, he nodded, “What should I do?”
“I’ll use silver needles to pierce her spine, opening the bone seams with vibration. You channel vitality to follow.”
As she helped the woman to a bed in the back, Liu Qingyan said to Lu Zheng, “She’s at her limit. Don’t overdo it, just add a spark of vitality, or it’ll overflow and harm her.”
“Vitality can heal?”
Liu Qingyan nodded, “Of course. Vitality is the force of life, the root of movement and strength. It can harm or heal.
It can directly restore her life force, and true qi can stimulate her innate vitality.
Lu Lang, you’re a natural healer.”
Her face lit up with excitement.
“Really? Shall I start learning medicine with you tomorrow?” Lu Zheng teased.
Liu Qingyan’s eyes curved, a flush on her cheeks, but before she could reply, Old Man Liu handed her a needle case.
“Talk of learning medicine tomorrow. Save her now!”
Blushing, Liu Qingyan took the case and turned away.
She lit an oil lamp, then used scissors to cut small openings in the woman’s clothes.
“Miss, can my illness really be cured?” the woman asked, her voice trembling as she looked at Liu Qingyan.
“Rest assured, your vitality is depleted but your organs and bones aren’t yet ruined. With needling and vitality, you can be healed.”
Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. Who wants to die if they can live?
“But… we have no money…”
“Saving a life comes first,” Liu Qingyan said gently.
“Good! Thank you, miss, thank you, doctor, thank you, young master!”
“Lu Lang, I’ll start needling. When I signal, channel vitality through the needle directly.”
“Got it!”
…
Next, Lu Zheng watched Liu Qingyan focus, inserting needles into the woman’s neck and spine, soon placing twenty or thirty.
She twisted, lifted, or vibrated them in various techniques.
“Lu Lang, this needle!”
Lu Zheng steadied the needle, channeling a trace of vitality.
He felt it disperse under the needle’s vibration, merging into the woman’s body.
“Next one!”
Lu Zheng steadied another, sending another trace.
…
The process lasted nearly an hour, and the woman’s complexion visibly improved.
After an hour, Liu Qingyan sighed in relief, signaling Lu Zheng to stop as she removed the needles.
“Is she cured?” Lu Zheng asked curiously.
“Not so fast,” Liu Qingyan shook her head, “Her life force is restored, her life saved, but her body’s too depleted. It’ll take slow care, but at least she can handle further treatment now.”
The woman wept with joy, and the boy, watching eagerly behind, dropped to his knees without a word, kowtowing.
