After exchanging phone numbers with He Chengwei and Cheng Yunlong, Zhao Yuan and Yu Ke left with the White Cat.
On the drive back to Rongcheng City, Yu Ke couldn't help but ask, "Zhao Yuan, where on earth did you learn that Talisman Drawing technique?"
"Didn't I tell you? The temple priest at the Earth God Temple in my little mountain village," Zhao Yuan replied.
Yu Ke rolled her eyes, not believing a word he said. "Go on, keep making things up! You have the nerve to use a trope that's been done to death in novels? Do you really think I'm an idiot? Fine, let's say you learned your Talisman Drawing technique from the temple priest. Then where did you learn to see through Feng Shui Evil Qi, diagnose my Corpse Heart Syndrome, and come up with that novel punctuation and interpretation for *Treasure of Life and Form Theory*? You couldn't have possibly learned all of that from the temple priest, could you?"
"As expected of Teacher Yu, you guessed it right away." Zhao Yuan gave her a thumbs-up.
"My ass!" Dark lines seemed to form on Yu Ke's forehead. 'This guy has absolutely no shame!' But she didn't press him. "If you don't want to say, then don't. Everyone has their secrets, after all."
"But I told you, the temple priest at the Earth God Temple taught me." Whether others believed him or not, Zhao Yuan was sticking to this story.
After a cold snort, Yu Ke fell silent. She was afraid that if the topic continued, Zhao Yuan would infuriate her to death.
After returning to West Hua Medical University, the two went their separate ways, one heading straight for the anatomy building and the other back to the dorms. As for the White Cat, the moment the car door opened, it darted off and vanished without a trace.
「Three days passed.」
That day at noon, while eating lunch, Zhao Yuan received a call from He Chengwei.
After three days of recuperating with medicine and Acupuncture, He Chengwei's body had recovered significantly. Although he wasn't in peak condition, he was well enough to perform the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique to treat Yu Ke's Corpse Heart Syndrome.
After wolfing down the rest of the rice in his bowl in a few bites, Zhao Yuan called Yu Ke to tell her the news.
"Okay, I got it. I happen to have no classes this afternoon, so I'll head over to find Dr. He later," Yu Ke said.
"Teacher Yu, when you go, remember to take me with you," Zhao Yuan requested.
Yu Ke was taken aback. "You don't need to go, do you? Don't you have a class this afternoon?"
"I'll ask for leave. If that doesn't work, I'll just skip class," Zhao Yuan said without hesitation.
'He Chengwei's Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique appeared in *Wu Peng's Medical Cases*. It must be an incredibly exquisite Acupuncture Technique!'
'Based on what I know about the Witch Doctor inheritance, for theoretical books, I just need to know the title or a line or two of its content, and the entire book will appear in the Information Leaf. So, for a refined Acupuncture technique like the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing, if I watch one or two of the moves, will the complete set also appear on the Information Leaf?'
It was precisely because of this speculation that Zhao Yuan didn't want to miss this opportunity to observe the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique.
Of course, Yu Ke couldn't have known Zhao Yuan's true thoughts. She subconsciously assumed that Zhao Yuan was worried about her going alone. In an instant, her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions. There was the sweetness of being cared for, an unprecedented nervousness, and even a tiny, thrilling hint of something forbidden...
"You..." Yu Ke had wanted to tell him he shouldn't go, but the words on the tip of her tongue changed to, "What class do you have this afternoon? I'll ask for a leave of absence for you."
"Really? That's great! My afternoon class is the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine." Zhao Yuan was overjoyed. 'If I ask for leave myself, as a student, it might not get approved. But it's a different story with Yu Ke. If she's the one asking, the teacher for the Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine will definitely do her the favor and approve my absence.'
"Wait for my call." With those words, Yu Ke hung up the phone.
Zhao Yuan put away his phone, took his empty bowl, and went to get another full serving of rice, then continued eating. Meanwhile, after ending the call, Yu Ke was stunned for a good while. Finally, she slapped her burning hot, crimson cheeks and muttered to herself, "Yu Ke, oh Yu Ke, you can't have these thoughts, and you certainly can't act on them. That person is your student..."
A little after one in the afternoon, Zhao Yuan received a call from Yu Ke, and they headed to Jing City together.
This time, they didn't go to He Chengwei's house, because after recovering, He Chengwei had returned to seeing patients at his own clinic.
When Zhao Yuan and Yu Ke arrived at the clinic, He Chengwei had just finished writing a prescription for a patient. Inside the clinic, several other patients were lined up, waiting for their turn.
"Zhao, Teacher Yu, you're here." Seeing the two of them, He Chengwei quickly stood up to greet them and was about to lead them into the Acupuncture treatment room.
Yu Ke waved her hand, refusing to cut in line, and said, "Dr. He, we'll just wait in line. Please see the other patients first. We're not in a hurry."
Seeing that Yu Ke was serious, He Chengwei didn't insist further. He nodded and said, "Alright then, I'll see them first."
A little over half an hour later, He Chengwei finished with the patients ahead of them and led Yu Ke into the Acupuncture treatment room. Zhao Yuan followed them in and didn't forget to ask, "Dr. He, do you mind if I observe?"
"I don't mind," He Chengwei said, then cracked a joke. "If Zhao can learn the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique just by observing, that would be a testament to your own skill and destiny."
'Even though I said that,' He Chengwei thought, 'I don't really believe Zhao can learn the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique just by watching. Observation only reveals the form. The internal Technique for applying force, the methods for twisting and rotating, the power behind the lifts and thrusts, and the skill of seeking out Qi—none of these can be understood with just a glance or two. Without a teacher, even the most gifted individual could watch for eight or ten years and never fully grasp it!'
Zhao Yuan just smiled and said nothing, and he certainly didn't tell He Chengwei that he was different from ordinary people...
He Chengwei took out his Golden Needle. With a burst of Finger Power, the slender, bent Golden Needle immediately sprang open, becoming perfectly straight. But he didn't rush to insert the needle. Instead, he frowned and asked, "Zhao, I know the two probes, Spiritual Snake Sea Exploration and Spiritual Snake Probing the Moon, but as for which specific acupoints to use, I'm not certain. Do you know?"
"I do." Zhao Yuan nodded and pointed out, one by one, the acupoints recorded in *Wu Peng's Medical Cases* for treating Corpse Heart Syndrome.
With every acupoint Zhao Yuan named, the Golden Needle in He Chengwei's hand would transform into a streak of golden light and pierce into the acupoint.
As Spiritual Snake Sea Exploration and Spiritual Snake Probing the Moon were performed, the Golden Needles twisted and moved within the acupoints, like living little snakes, so agile that it left onlookers speechless with wonder.
At this moment, Zhao Yuan summoned the Information Leaf. Under the Medical Skill branch in the Medicine section, he saw a new addition—Acupuncture Technique: Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique!
'It's really here! I was right!' Zhao Yuan was ecstatic. 'The Witch Doctor inheritance is just as I predicted. It only unlocks content that I'm currently able to learn. But for "advanced" knowledge, like *Wushan Medical Tales* before and the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique now, I have to hear or see it first before it appears in the inheritance.'
After calling out all the acupoints, there was nothing else Zhao Yuan could do to help, so he simply turned his attention to the Information Leaf and began to study the detailed contents of the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique.
One look, however, gave him a huge shock!