Suddenly, Ye Qiu yanked out Old General Bai’s oxygen tube!
The move stunned everyone present.
“No good—Old General Bai’s been relying on oxygen to survive. Without it, can he hold on?” Tang Fei exclaimed in alarm.
“This is too reckless!” Long Ye added, equally worried.
As a doctor, Bai Bing understood the old man’s condition better than anyone. Seeing Ye Qiu’s action, panic flashed across her face, but she didn’t dare interrupt him. She could only clutch her clothes tightly with both hands.
Old Tang couldn’t hold back any longer. “Ye Qiu, stop—” he shouted.
“Old Tang, let’s wait and see!” Zhang Jiuling cut in, his expression grave.
He, too, feared for Old General Bai’s safety, but after witnessing Ye Qiu’s array of masterful needle techniques, he felt an inexplicable trust in him.
Old Tang’s voice deepened. “We can’t keep going. If Old General Bai dies, Ye Qiu will pay with his life!”
As a founding hero and national treasure, any mistake in treating Old General Bai would bring dire consequences. If something went wrong, Ye Qiu wouldn’t just face death—everyone present would bear the fallout.
“Tang Fei, pull Ye Qiu back. We have to stop him,” Old Tang ordered.
Tang Fei hesitated. “Grandpa, Ye Qiu told us not to disturb him during the treatment.”
“This isn’t disturbing him—it’s saving him! If anything happens to Old General Bai, not even the War God could protect Ye Qiu.”
“This…”
Tang Fei froze, unsure what to do.
“Get him back now. That’s an order!” Old Tang barked, his face stern.
“Alright… fine!”
Tang Fei cast a complicated glance at Ye Qiu and took a step forward.
Then, something extraordinary happened.
The forty-nine lanterns slowly lifted off the ground, floating into the air. In an instant, they lit up.
Then, in the sky, the lanterns shifted, aligning themselves—seven per group—into the shape of the Big Dipper.
Each group occupied a distinct position.
From the ground, each set resembled the Big Dipper. Together, the seven groups formed a massive Big Dipper constellation.
Hovering thirty-three meters above the rooftop, the lanterns hung motionless, as if frozen by some spell.
It was utterly eerie.
Zhang Jiuling stared at the forty-nine lanterns, then suddenly recalled something. “This… this is the Lighting of the Heavenly Lamps!” he cried out.
“No one interrupt Ye Qiu! He’s performing the life-extension ritual!”
Tang Fei halted mid-step.
“Old Zhang, what’s the Lighting of the Heavenly Lamps?” Long Ye asked, curious.
Zhang Jiuling explained, “It’s an ancient life-extension technique, also called the Seven Star Lamps.”
“I don’t get it. Can you explain it clearer?” Long Ye pressed.
“Life-extension methods are deeply mysterious, blending medicine, Taoism, and even witchcraft. It’s hard to explain in a few words. You’ve read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, right?”
Zhang Jiuling brought up the classic out of nowhere.
“Of course,” Long Ye laughed. “Who hasn’t read the Four Great Novels?”
“Then you should know what Zhuge Wuhou did before he died.”
“He left his last words,” Long Ye replied.
Zhang Jiuling was speechless.
Old Tang chimed in, “Zhuge Wuhou was a master strategist, brilliant and calculating. Sadly, he fell ill and died at Wuzhang Plains at fifty-four.”
“It’s said he foresaw his end but refused to accept it—Shu’s great cause was unfinished. So he tried using the Seven Star Lamps to borrow life from the heavens, but he failed to defy fate.”
“Looks like Old Tang actually read *Three Kingdoms* closely,” Zhang Jiuling said. “During his fifth campaign against Wei, Zhuge Wuhou, worn out and gravely ill, knew he didn’t have long. He turned to the Seven Star Lamps to extend his life.”
“He set up seven main lamps, forty-nine smaller lamps, and one life lamp in his tent. If the main lamp stayed lit for seven days, his life would extend by twelve years.”
“As the saying goes, ‘Wealth and honor are fated; life and death are destined.’”
“Zhuge Wuhou knew astronomy and geography, could predict the future, but didn’t foresee Wei Yan barging in during the ritual, extinguishing his life lamp.”
“He spat blood on the spot, collapsed, and passed away soon after.”
Old Tang looked up at the forty-nine lanterns and suddenly realized something. “Wait—are you saying Ye Qiu’s using Zhuge Wuhou’s Seven Star Lamp method now?” he asked, shocked.
Zhang Jiuling nodded. “It looks that way.”
“But didn’t you say Zhuge Wuhou used seven main lamps, forty-nine smaller ones, and a life lamp? Why’s Ye Qiu only using forty-nine lanterns?” Old Tang questioned.
“I’m not sure about that…”
Before Zhang Jiuling could finish, Ye Qiu pulled a handful of yellow paper from his pocket and waved his right hand.
*Swish swish swish!*
Eight sheets of yellow paper floated around Old General Bai’s body.
Strangely, each sheet hovered about a foot from him, just like the lanterns—motionless, as if under a spell.
The first sheet hung above Old General Bai’s head.
The other seven spread out in different directions, but on closer inspection, they too formed a Big Dipper pattern.
Then, Ye Qiu muttered incantations, his right index and middle fingers forming a sword gesture, pointing into the air.
*Whoosh!*
The eight sheets ignited simultaneously, burning like eight lamps.
Everyone knows paper burns fast—usually turning to ash in seconds or a minute.
But these eight sheets burned slowly, like candles, flickering with faint blue flames.
Zhang Jiuling exclaimed, thrilled, “One life lamp, seven main lamps, plus the forty-nine lanterns—it all matches! Ye Qiu’s using Zhuge Wuhou’s Seven Star Lamp!”
While he was ecstatic, Old Tang’s face grew heavy.
Zhuge Wuhou hadn’t succeeded in extending his life—could Ye Qiu?
Old Tang felt uneasy.
For an ordinary person, he wouldn’t worry so much, but Old General Bai’s status was extraordinary. If Ye Qiu failed, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Yet Old Tang didn’t stop him.
At this point, halting the process was pointless. They could only wait for Ye Qiu to finish.
Time sped by.
In a flash, it was eleven fifty-nine.
Everyone noticed Ye Qiu’s face turn unprecedentedly solemn.
Thirty seconds, twenty, ten, five…
Three seconds.
Two seconds.
One second from midnight.
Ye Qiu snapped his head up, gazing at the sky.
