The Lu Family really didn't have any medical-grade alcohol. Before Mrs. Lu could even go, Lu Qing shot out of the room like a gust of wind, sprinting to the pharmacy outside their complex. She returned with several bottles of medical-grade alcohol.
Zhao Yuan had someone fetch a bowl. He poured it more than half full with the alcohol and lit it. Then, he handed the Fire Needles to Lu Qing, instructing, "Hold these needles and heat them in the fire."
"Okay." Lu Qing nodded. She took the Fire Needles and, as Zhao Yuan had instructed, carefully held them over the flames to heat.
Zhao Yuan, meanwhile, picked up the Long Needles. After sterilizing them with the alcohol, he first inserted them into the Yinlingquan and Three Yin Intersection acupoints. After a brief manipulation of the needles, he picked up the remaining Long Needles and inserted them into the specific spots he had identified where the Evil Qi was deeply embedded.
Although these locations weren't common acupoints, they were acupoints all the same. In the field of Acupuncture, they are known as Ahshi Acupoints.
Using his Qi Observation Technique, Zhao Yuan could clearly see that as the Long Needles swayed and vibrated, the stubborn Evil Qi buried deep within Father Lu's meridians and blood vessels began to loosen. A significant portion was even being channeled out through the needles, expelled from Father Lu's body!
These nimble Long Needles were like a school of majestic, miniature Flood Dragons, ferociously devouring the swirling Evil Qi.
Right now, Father Lu's face was contorted in pain.
When Zhao Yuan had warned him the treatment would be painful, he hadn't thought much of it. For one, he had a high tolerance for pain. For another, after being paralyzed for so long, the sensation in his legs and feet had faded significantly, including his sense of pain.
But now, Father Lu realized he had been gravely mistaken. When Zhao Yuan first inserted the needles into his legs, it had started as just a dull, throbbing ache. But soon, that ache intensified into excruciating pain!
Father Lu gripped the arms of his wheelchair, his teeth grinding audibly. Veins bulged on his forehead. Several times, he was on the verge of crying out in pain but forced it back down. He had just made a boast; he didn't want to lose face so quickly.
Mrs. Lu noticed his distress. Worried, she quickly asked, "Old Lu, what's wrong?"
Father Lu managed to shake his head, squeezing two words through his clenched teeth: "I'm fine."
After inserting the last Long Needle into an Ahshi Acupoint, Zhao Yuan looked up and said, "Uncle Lu, if it hurts, just yell. It'll be much more comfortable that way."
Father Lu said stubbornly, "What's a little pain like this? I can handle it just fine. No need to yell."
Hearing their exchange, Mrs. Lu understood what was happening. She glanced at her husband, whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and complained irritably, "You've spent your whole life just trying to act tough!"
"I really don't feel any pain!" Father Lu said with a grimace, sounding completely unconvincing.
Mrs. Lu was getting annoyed and couldn't be bothered to argue with him.
Zhao Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.
'They say men get more childish as they get older,' he thought. 'I never really believed it before, but seeing how Father Lu is acting now, I'm starting to think there's some truth to it.'
"Uncle Lu, it's about to get even more painful," Zhao Yuan warned. "If you can't hold it in, just let it out."
Father Lu just snorted. Without any extra words, he just said three: "Bring it on!"
Zhao Yuan nodded and turned to Lu Qing. The Fire Needles in her hands were now glowing hot from being heated in the alcohol flame. Zhao Yuan held out his hand, and Lu Qing quickly passed the scorching needles to him.
Zhao Yuan took just two and instructed, "Keep heating the rest."
Holding the scorching Fire Needles, Zhao Yuan narrowed his eyes. He took aim at the two largest areas of blood stasis in Father Lu's legs and plunged the needles in.
"AAAAHHHH—!"
In the end, Father Lu couldn't hold it in. The sensation of the Fire Needles entering his flesh was like someone had sliced his skin open with a knife and poured molten lava inside. The pain and heat were immense. Even with a pain tolerance far greater than an ordinary person's, he couldn't endure this torment. He let out a blood-curdling scream that startled everyone.
"Hmph. I thought you said you could take it? Why are you screaming now?" Mrs. Lu said, clearly still annoyed. But despite her irritation, she was extremely worried about her husband. Seeing him in so much pain, she quickly turned to Zhao Yuan. "Xiaozhao, Uncle Lu will be okay, right?"
"He's fine," Zhao Yuan said without looking up. "Feeling the pain is a good sign."
Mrs. Lu finally let out a sigh of relief.
This time, Zhao Yuan didn't let the needles move on their own. Instead, he executed the Spiritual Snake Acupoint Exploration, a technique from the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique!
The searing Fire Needle moved like a python burrowing after prey, dancing nimbly within Father Lu's meridians and blood vessels.
About ten seconds later, the needle's temperature dropped back to normal, and Zhao Yuan immediately withdrew it. A stream of dark crimson fluid shot out along with it, dripping onto the floor. This was the stagnant blood that had pooled in his meridians and vessels for years!
Zhao Yuan handed the cooled Fire Needle to Lu Qing and ordered, "Keep heating this one."
At the same time, he took two newly heated, scorching Fire Needles from her and continued to pierce the areas of stasis to release the stagnant blood.
Time flew by.
More than forty minutes later, Zhao Yuan, drenched in sweat and exhausted, finally stopped.
With his Qi Observation Technique, he could clearly see that the Long Needles had broken up and expelled the Evil Qi hidden deep in Father Lu's legs. The Fire Needles, in turn, had dissolved and removed most of the stagnant blood that had been blocking his meridians. Although some traces of Evil Qi and stagnant blood remained, they were no longer enough to cause any significant problems. With subsequent treatment and exercise, they would soon be eliminated completely.
After removing all the Long Needles and Fire Needles, Zhao Yuan asked with a broad smile, "Uncle Lu, how do you feel?"
"Pain!"
Father Lu wasn't trying to act tough anymore. Zhao Yuan had treated him for over forty minutes, and he had spent at least twenty of those minutes howling. For the last few minutes, it wasn't that he didn't want to scream; he simply didn't have the strength.
Zhao Yuan smiled. "This treatment is definitely painful, but it was worth it. Uncle Lu, come on. Try to stand up."
"Stand up?" A flicker of excitement and astonishment crossed Father Lu's face. "I can stand up now?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Zhao Yuan nodded, giving him a firm confirmation while offering constant encouragement. "Go on, Uncle Lu! Push with your legs and stand up! You can do it, I know you can!"
Father Lu took a deep breath.
He felt a whirlwind of anxiety. He was desperate to believe he could truly stand, yet terrified that it would all be for nothing.
It wasn't just him. Mrs. Lu, Lu Qing, and even Xian Hong were all on edge. They watched Father Lu intently, their hands unconsciously clasped together as they prayed silently.
Gritting his teeth, Father Lu gripped the arms of his wheelchair and tried to put weight on his feet.
In all his years of paralysis, he'd never been able to put any force into his legs. But now, to his astonishment, he felt a long-lost strength returning to them.
He was overcome with excitement, and his confidence surged!
After a few tries, under the excited, joyful gazes of everyone present, Father Lu pushed himself up from his wheelchair and stood.
He had to support himself with his hands on the wheelchair, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't hold the position for long, but Father Lu cried out with the unadulterated joy of a child.
Mrs. Lu stood to the side, hot tears streaming down her face. Lu Qing gently patted her mother's back, murmuring words of comfort, though her own eyes glistened with tears of joy.
It was only a small step, but for the Lu Family, it was a beacon of hope!
For a patient, there is no greater joy than the sight of hope.
Watching the members of the Lu Family embrace, crying and laughing all at once, a gentle smile graced Zhao Yuan's lips.
For a doctor, there is no greater source of pride than seeing a patient's joyful smile and tears of happiness.
「Meanwhile, in another part of Rongcheng City」
A smile also appeared on Zhao Dezhu's face.
But this smile was as sinister as they come.
Zhao Dezhu held up a file and waved it. "Is the information you dug up in this file accurate?"
"It is!" two men from the Jinling Zhao Family replied in unison.
Zhao Dezhu sneered. "A poor kid from some backwater village actually dares to oppose our Jinling Zhao Family? He really has a death wish. A student at West Hua Medical University, is he? Good. First, I'll let him have a taste of being expelled! We'll see how this social-climbing 'phoenix' feels when he's turned into a common pheasant! A plucked one, at that!"