Chapter 16: The Taiyi Needle

The group suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. Without hesitation, they stood back-to-back, clicked on their flashlights, and scanned the surroundings.

Aside from the sound of dripping water within the limestone cave, there was no other movement.

Fatty Dong frowned and asked, "Do you think... could it be that the 'Flower-Necked Immortal' snatched a cigarette case from a villager the other day and dropped it here?"

Xu Qingguo shook her head. "Unlikely. The mountain folk can't afford Hongtashan cigarettes. Besides, the cave is damp, yet the cigarette case hasn't softened at all. It was clearly discarded recently."

Fatty Dong swallowed hard. "Is there any possibility that a pesticide-spraying helicopter flew over earlier, someone tossed the case out, and the wind just happened to blow it in here?"

The group fell silent.

Fatty Dong scratched his head. "Maybe... the malevolent spirit that pushed us down the culvert is a chain-smoker?"

Seeing that this guy had entered a state of "Sherlock Holmes suffering from a mental breakdown," I quickly raised a hand to stop him and turned to Xu Qingguo. "Aside from us, did you tell anyone else you were coming here?"

Xu Qingguo shot me a glare. "We're here to grave-rob, not to do charity work. Why would I go around broadcasting it?"

The mystery of the strange hand that shoved us into the culvert remained unresolved, and now, with the appearance of the empty cigarette case, danger lurked all around us. I gave the order: "Stop dwelling on it. We're leaving immediately!"

Everyone grabbed their gear for protection and picked up the pace, marching toward the foot of the mountain. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. We successfully exited the cave and emerged from the brush of the Writing Brush Mountain.

The sky was already beginning to pale with the first light of dawn. Wu Ping pointed at the cave entrance. "Seal it?"

I replied, "Seal it."

The group replaced the large blue stone slab, covered it with bushes and weeds, and hurried away from the mountain. By the time we reached the small town at the base of Medicine King Ridge, it was already afternoon. Even though everyone was exhausted, I remained on edge. I didn't allow them to rest, and we immediately boarded a large truck to head back to Chang City.

Not until the truck had crossed the border out of Min Province did everyone’s hearts finally settle.

This trip to find the Ghost Elder’s tomb in Hu Mountain had been quite fruitful: Xu Qingguo had photographed the medical classics from the stone sarcophagus, and I had successfully completed my task as the "Chef." The only disappointed one was Fatty Dong. Before we left, Xu Qingguo had promised him that, besides his commission, all the gold and silver in the tomb would be his. However, the sarcophagus hadn't contained so much as a chicken feather. He felt rather dejected, grumbling the whole way about how there was "no damn point to it."

Xu Qingguo waved her hand magnanimously. "I’ll add one hundred thousand to your commission. It’ll be in your account when we get back."

Fatty Dong’s face lit up instantly. "Miss Xu is generous! Since I’m in such a good mood, how about I sing a little tune to lighten the mood?"

Xu Qingguo’s brows knitted slightly. "Sing one note, and I’ll deduct ten thousand."

Fatty Dong shuddered. "Well then... I think I’ll just take a nap."

The next morning, we arrived back in Chang City. After a quick meal of crockpot soup and rice noodles, Fatty Dong took his leave. Before he departed, he handed me a business card and insisted I look him up if I needed help again.

The description on the business card was bizarre: "Dong Chuan, Guardian of the Jade Capital, Master of the Meiling True Lord Temple. Specializing in corpse recovery and funeral services, exorcism and disaster relief, blessings for weddings and funerals, and horoscope readings; also provides renovation design, private investigation, debt collection, and entertainment companionship."

It seemed there was no job in the world he couldn't do.

Since I didn't have a mobile phone, I went to a nearby public phone booth after finishing my soup to give Liao Xiaoqin a call.

"Sister-in-law."
"Is it done?"
"Yes."
"Well done. When are you bringing her over?"
"Tonight at eight."

After hanging up, I told Xu Qingguo to meet me at eight that evening to treat the patient. Wu Ping, who had been drinking soup, suddenly froze. His expression turned cold as he cast a sidelong glance at Xu Qingguo, as if waiting for an order. Xu Qingguo ignored him, picked up a tissue, and wiped her mouth. "Meet me at the entrance of the Medical Center building at seven-thirty."

Per Liao Xiaoqin's instructions, I didn't head home during the day, instead wandering aimlessly around the city. I had been sensitive since childhood and constantly felt like someone was tailing me, but every time I checked, I found nothing unusual.

At seven-thirty, I arrived at the Xu Family Medical Center.

I saw Xu Qingguo waiting. She wasn't wearing a lab coat or casual clothes; instead, she was dressed in a long, red-sleeved robe. The front was embroidered with a gold-threaded Big Dipper pattern, the back featured the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, and she carried an archaic wooden medicine chest over her shoulder. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore light makeup. At first glance, one might mistake her for a beautiful lead actress on a theater stage.

She dangled her car keys at me. "Can you drive?"
"No."
"Then sit in the passenger seat and give directions."

We climbed into a red sports car. The scent inside was light and pleasant, and a cute girl doll sat on the center console, bobbing its head as the car moved, as if constantly bowing to us.

I asked, "Why are you dressed like this?"
Xu Qingguo glanced at me, one eyebrow arched. "Is it ugly?"
"No, I just thought you were going to perform an exorcism ritual."
"Do you know what kind of acupuncture I’m performing?"
"No."
"Taiyi Acupuncture. To perform it, I must tread the Yu-step and recite the Six Jia secret incantations. Specialized attire is required, or it won't be effective."

My heart skipped a beat. When Liao Xiaoqin had taught me the "five hundred coins" acupoint-striking technique, she had emphasized that my fingertips must be as precise as suspended needles, aiming for a single, fatal strike. Whether intentional or not, she had also mentioned two legendary, lost acupuncture methods: the Taiyi Divine Needles and the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles.

The Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles were for deficiency syndromes (especially effective for mental illnesses caused by spirits). It used thirteen "ghost points" like Renzhong and Shaoshang, combined with talismans and incense rituals. If the evil spirit refused to leave after the first twelve needles, the thirteenth would strike it into ashes.

The Taiyi Divine Needles were for excess syndromes. They were never seen in reality, existing only in fragments of Daoist canons. It was said that the technique required the alignment of Heaven (the position of the Big Dipper), Earth (the layout of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams), and Man (the doctor channeling Qi through the needles). With every insertion and extraction, even terminal illnesses could be cured instantly.

Traditional lore held that the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles were harmful to one's karmic merit and risked retaliation from spirits. The Taiyi Divine Needles were even more extreme; because the practitioner borrowed the power of Heaven, it was said to shorten one's lifespan due to divine retribution. As the *Master Dou Acupuncture Classic* stated: "Only those of great virtue may wield it, and only those with deep destiny may receive it."

Seeing my stunned expression, Xu Qingguo’s lips curled up. "You’ve heard of it?"

I countered, "I heard that using the Taiyi needles shortens your life?"

Xu Qingguo nodded. "That’s right. At first, I didn't believe it either, but my father performed the procedure twice, and within just a few years, he was bedridden. I wanted to treat him, but he believed it was a vicious cycle and forbade it, insisting I never touch the Taiyi needles in my life. Later, I stumbled upon an ancient medical rubbing that mentioned a cure for the aftereffects of the Taiyi needles within the Ghost Elder’s medical canon. I followed the clues through countless hardships until I found the Ginseng Mountain at Medicine King Ridge, but I couldn't get in, so I had to hang the spirit banners to ask for help."

No wonder Wu Ping’s face had turned into a death mask the moment I asked Xu Qingguo to fulfill her promise of acupuncture. After all, there was a precedent for it shortening one's life. I suspect that if Xu Qingguo had given the word, he would have bailed on the spot.

Xu Qingguo regained her boss-like demeanor and gave my shoulder a bold pat. "Little Meng, since I’ve promised, I will give it my all! If the Ghost Elder’s counter-method works, we’ll all be happy. If not, we’ll leave it to fate. No big deal!"

Open-minded, professional, and generous. This girl was truly something.

I said sincerely, "Thank you."

Xu Qingguo’s beautiful eyes widened, and she burst into giggles, the mountains on her chest rising and falling. "Tsk, tsk, so even you know how to say thank you?"

I: "..."

The red sports car sped through the city and across the bridge. Half an hour later, we arrived at the outskirts where my sister-in-law and I rented our place. The house was empty. I told Xu Qingguo to wait a moment while I went to the neighbor's house to find the landlady.

The landlady told me that Liao Xiaoqin had just taken her wheelchair to the orange grove behind the house and specifically asked her to tell me to meet her at the guard shed with my guest.

A guard shed in the orange grove, in the middle of the night?

After I relayed the request, Xu Qingguo looked up at the sky and frowned slightly. "Your sister-in-law must understand astrology; the position of the orange grove does seem more favorable for the acupuncture."

We made our way to the orange grove. The wooden door of the guard shed was tightly shut. I knocked.

Liao Xiaoqin’s voice came from inside. "Come in."

I pushed the door open, but before I could speak, a blur of motion flashed before my eyes. Liao Xiaoqin had struck! She pointed a finger and struck Xu Qingguo right on the chest.

Xu Qingguo’s beautiful eyes widened in terror; she stood frozen, her cherry lips slightly parted, unable to utter a single sound.

The mute point!