Chapter 33 - 34: The 13 Needles of the Ghost Gates!
"Come, help me unfasten her clothes."
Lin Mu said to Sun Tianyang while checking his supplies, "Just the clothes on her chest. Remember, don’t let your hands touch her skin."
In medicine, there was no room for modesty. Although Sun Tianyang was slightly bewildered, he helped unfasten Mother Liu’s clothes, taking meticulous care not to touch her skin. This simple task made the renowned Divine Doctor break out in a cold sweat.
Lin Mu explained, "The patient has been afflicted with a Gu, and the toxins in your body are highly attractive to it. If you touch her skin, the Gu Insect could evolve and become far more difficult to handle."
Sun Tianyang’s heart jolted. His respect for Lin Mu deepened. A true senior was in a league of his own; he hadn’t even considered this aspect. No wonder he called me an incompetent doctor. He was telling the truth!
Looking at Mother Liu, Lin Mu’s heart grew heavy as a murderous intent swirled within him. He remembered his auntie’s excellent health; she used to be stronger than most men. But now, Mother Liu was not only rail-thin with her bones protruding against pale skin, but her very life force had been drained away. This indicated that the Gu poison not only survived by consuming a person’s blood essence but also completely exhausted the body’s reserves. Lin Mu estimated that in half a month at most, Mother Liu would be utterly consumed by the Gu Insect, dying in excruciating pain and torment.
"This is utterly monstrous! To be so cruel to an old woman," Sun Tianyang fumed as he stared at Mother Liu’s ghastly body, her skin covered in black spots. "If I ever find out who did this, I’ll tear them to shreds!"
"Let’s remove the Gu first," Lin Mu said, forcefully suppressing his own rage. The most critical task at hand was to save Mother Liu.
"Understood."
Immediately, Lin Mu took out a Silver Needle, closed his eyes for a moment, and then suddenly snapped into focus. The next instant, the entire room was flooded with an invisible force. This power, mysterious and immense, startled even Sun Tianyang.
The senior is indeed a Grandmaster! This aura is something even I can’t compare to.
𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
The current Lin Mu’s entire disposition had changed. He appeared ordinary, yet he exuded an otherworldly air—a powerful and imposing dignity that Sun Tianyang found deeply unsettling.
"Go!"
The next moment, something even more shocking occurred. Sun Tianyang watched as Lin Mu flicked his wrist. The flexible Silver Needle in his hand straightened in a flash, turning into a beam of spiritual light that accurately pierced the Renzhong acupoint in Mother Liu’s philtrum.
Sun Tianyang gasped. As a master of traditional medicine himself, he knew this was one of the most critical acupoints in the human body. An ordinary practitioner would never dare to needle this location first. Lin Mu’s confidence came from his absolute mastery of the Way of Medicine.
He didn’t stop there. He swiftly picked up another Silver Needle, and with Spiritual Energy wrapped around it, he inserted it directly into a point an inch away from the Danzhong Point.
This was followed by the Shaoshang point, the Yinbai point, the Daling point, the Shenmai point...
Within half an hour, Lin Mu had placed twelve needles in total. Sun Tianyang was stunned to realize that Lin Mu used a different technique for every single needle. The force varied, sometimes light, sometimes heavy. Some needles penetrated a mere inch beneath the skin, while others went as deep as three. The duration was also varied, from a few seconds to half a minute. Each needle was enveloped in a peculiar power, causing them all to gleam with a faint light.
Watching Lin Mu perform acupuncture was like watching a dance. His movements were fluid and seamless, beautiful to watch.
However, Lin Mu was not finished. He picked up a Silver Needle that was a full thirty centimeters long, and for the first time, his expression turned grave.
Sun Tianyang’s heart leaped into his throat.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen him look like this. This must be the final needle. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound, terrified of distracting Lin Mu.
Suddenly, Lin Mu exhaled a long breath. The Mana in his body surged, gathering at the tip of the needle. In Sun Tianyang’s eyes, this was no longer an ordinary Silver Needle. It was like a Divine Artifact from the legends. It could sever life and death, intersecting the very planes of Yin and Yang!
Lin Mu’s gaze was like a torch, blazing with a light so intense that Sun Tianyang couldn’t bear to look. He squeezed his eyes shut in fear.
"HUP!"
A deafening cry rang in his ears. Shaken to his core, Sun Tianyang instinctively opened his eyes and witnessed an unbelievable spectacle.
Before him, Lin Mu stood with his back to him, radiating an endless, dazzling light that was impossible to look at directly. And Mother Liu, lying on the bed, was now levitating in mid-air, every Silver Needle emitting a soft glow.
But that wasn’t what truly shocked Sun Tianyang. What truly shocked him was the sight of a faint, ethereal shadow clinging to every single silver needle. These phantoms seemed to be straining against the needles, as if trying to pull something out from within Mother Liu’s body.
"The Thirteen Ghost Points!" Sun Tianyang exclaimed, finally recognizing the technique. Lin Mu was using the legendary Thirteen Ghost Points!
The Thirteen Ghost Points consisted of the Ghost Palace, Ghost Faith, Ghost Seal, Ghost Cave, Ghost Rampart, Ghost Path, Ghost Market, Ghost Hall, Ghost Pillow, Ghost Heart, Ghost Leg, Ghost Camp, Ghost Hide, and Ghost Servant, all detailed in the *Traditional Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture Section*. From these thirteen "ghost" acupoints, a selection was made for their miraculous effects on madness, mania, and epilepsy. This technique was the culmination of generations of experience from ancient sages, supplemented over time and passed down to the present day.
According to historical records, the Thirteen Ghost Points were created by the ancient Heavenly Master Zhang to cure diseases and expel evil, promising a permanent recovery. It was considered a divine medical art. Furthermore, it was one of the most profound and mysterious techniques in all of acupuncture, a closely guarded secret of families who practiced the mystical medical arts.
There was even an acupoint verse:
> The ills of a hundred demons, the sickness of madness,
> Thirteen needles you must know to address.
> First, you must pierce the Ghost Palace grand,
> Next, Ghost Faith answers to your command.
Sun Tianyang had studied medicine since he was a boy. He had memorized texts like the *Thousand Gold Prescriptions*, *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold*, and *Supplementary Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold*, and had even studied other medical arts with the lineage of a Medicine Saint. He had some knowledge of the Thirteen Ghost Points, but the version passed down in modern medicine was primarily for treating mental illnesses like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.
Sun Tianyang knew that version of the technique, but the one Lin Mu was using was vastly different from the commonly known Thirteen Ghost Points. This technique could vanquish demons, purge a hundred poisons, and eliminate all evil!
"Bring the basin!" Lin Mu suddenly shouted, his finger lightly flicking the final Silver Needle.
SPURT!
The next moment, a stream of black blood shot out from the acupoint. And within the dark liquid, a hideously crimson insect was dragged out with it.
PLOP!
The blood-red insect fell directly into the basin that had been prepared.
"It’s done!" Lin Mu said with a slight, relieved smile.