"Master, if there's a medical incident, who takes responsibility?" Sun Zhonghai's student demanded.
Even though Sun Zhonghai was shocked Kayson had correctly diagnosed his hidden condition, he still didn't dare let Kayson treat the young leader.
He hadn't actually seen Kayson cure anyone. Just because he could name symptoms didn't mean he could heal.
Zhu shook Sun Zhonghai urgently. "Can she be saved?"
"I've done everything I can," Sun Zhonghai said.
"This case is extremely strange.
She shows no physical symptoms, yet won't wake up. It's the oddest thing I've ever seen."
"I can't cure her, but I can contact Master Wei from the Imperial Capital."
"So you can't help her?" Zhu said, disappointed.
"I can't."
With Zhou Min away, Zhu was panicking.
She was only eighteen — she'd never faced something like this.
"Take her away, then," she said, dialing Zhou Min's number.
The doctors lifted Mengnan onto a stretcher, preparing to load her into the ambulance.
At that moment, someone noticed something shocking:
where Mengnan had been lying, she'd scratched words into the ground with her finger:
Let Kayson treat me. I trust him.
"It's Mengnan's writing!" Zhu cried out.
Sun Zhonghai's student immediately objected.
"Master, the patient is unconscious and delirious. Her words can't be taken seriously."
"Kayson is neither a doctor nor from a medical family. Letting him treat her is a disaster."
The crowd chimed in: "Absolutely not!"
Kayson said, "If she could write that, she was clear-minded when she did it.
This counts as her consent. I'll treat her — and I take full responsibility."
Sun Zhonghai nodded. "If the young leader personally chose you, then proceed."
Kayson quickly pulled out nine silver needles and was about to stab when Sophia rushed over.
"Kayson! Leave now, or I'm divorcing you!"
"You have no medical training, no experience — you're just hurting people!
Even Medicine King Sun can't cure her, but you think you can?
If something goes wrong, you'll go to jail, and I'll be stuck paying a huge settlement!
Have you even thought about that?!"
Kayson spoke earnestly.
"I'm not the same man I was. From today on, your husband will rise to greatness.
Sophia, I wouldn't take this on if I couldn't do it. Trust me."
"Trust you?" Sophia shook her head.
"For three years, you've done nothing but clean and cook. What have you ever accomplished?
How can I trust you?
If there's a medical disaster, who do you think will clean up your mess?
Come on, we're leaving!"
Kayson held up one finger.
"Just once. Trust me just this once."
"No! I said no! We're going home!" Sophia insisted.
"I know you're desperate to impress me, but you can't gamble with a human life!
This is serious!"
Sophia thought Kayson was acting out because she'd mentioned divorce.
"We can talk about divorce later. Just come home with me now."
Kayson glanced at Mengnan, who was on the edge of death, and gritted his teeth.
"Ten minutes. I'll create a miracle."
He swiftly held the needles and stabbed them into nine precise points on Mengnan's body:
Ghost Palace – Renzhong, slanted upward 0.3 cun
Ghost Faith – Shaoshang, straight 0.3 cun
Ghost Rampart – Yinbai, straight 0.2 cun
Ghost Heart – Daling, straight 0.5 cun
Ghost Road – Shenmai, straight 0.3 cun
Ghost Pillow – Fengfu, straight 0.2 cun
Ghost Bed – Jiache, straight 0.5 cun
Ghost Market – Chengjiang, straight 0.3 cun
Ghost Cave – Laogong, straight 0.3 cun, pricked to draw blood
Sun Zhonghai gasped in shock.
"The Nine Palaces Demon-Subduing Needle Technique!"
He'd only read about this in ancient texts.
It was said to expel evil energy from the body.
He'd always doubted it was real.
The technique had been lost for ages, like a myth.
Yet here was Kayson — a live-in son-in-law with no medical background — using it perfectly.
"Ah…" Mengnan let out a soft sound.
"Mengnan!" Zhu held her and shook her gently.
Mengnan slowly opened her eyes, bright and clear.
She saw the young man in front of her and smiled.
"Thank you, brother. What's your name?"
"Kayson." He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha!"
Mengnan jumped up from the ground and threw her arms around his neck.
"Let's be sworn brothers! I'll call you big brother!"
Kayson laughed. "Sure. I'm Kayson. I'll call you little brother."
"Just use my name," Mengnan said, bouncing around.
Little brother…
Kayson thought it sounded a bit odd,
but he didn't read too much into it.
Mengnan pulled him down to kneel on the ground.
"Kayson! Let's go home!" Sophia's voice cut through the crowd.
Kayson looked at the beggar girl beside him. "I have to go home."
"Waa… everyone looks down on me. Even you look down on me?" Mengnan sat on the ground and burst into tears.
Kayson thought of how he was always disdained by others. He couldn't bear to leave her like this.
"Fine. Let's swear brotherhood."
Mengnan clapped her hands. "Great! Hahaha!"
Kayson scratched his nose. She was like a child —
crying one second, laughing the next.
They knelt facing south and kowtowed three times.
Mengnan tugged his arm. "Big brother, kowtow three times to me too."
"Kowtow to each other?" Kayson was confused.
"It's more sincere this way," Mengnan said, pushing his head down. They bowed face-to-face three more times.
It felt strangely like a wedding ceremony,
but Kayson assumed it was just another one of her silly pranks.
"Mr. Kayson!"
Sun Zhonghai stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"I misjudged you earlier."
His student also bowed.
"Please forgive us, Mr. Kayson."
Sophia exhaled quietly, thinking: He just got lucky.
Sun Zhonghai asked, "Mr. Kayson, who is your master?"
Kayson scratched his head. "I don't have one."
"No master?"
Sun Zhonghai assumed he was being modest,
like the Monkey King hiding his own teacher.
But the Nine Palaces Demon-Subduing Needles were burned into Sun Zhonghai's mind.
He now worshipped Kayson.
I call myself the Medicine King, yet I'm not even close to him.
Kayson turned to Sophia, grinning widely.
"See, honey? Not bad, right?"
He thought that, since Sun Zhonghai respected him now,
Sophia would finally praise him.
After three years of being a loser in the Sullivan house,
he'd finally earned some respect.
Surely she'd be proud of him.
Maybe tonight, she'd even let him sleep on the bed.
"You just got lucky. A blind cat found a dead mouse," Sophia said, disappointed.
"No more treating people! Especially not with this evil energy nonsense!
Where did you even learn this? From some street fortune-teller?
You pick up all the wrong things."
Sophia had always wanted Kayson to get a decent, respectable job,
not run around causing trouble.
She especially disliked that he'd sworn brotherhood with a beggar.
Beggers were just lazy good-for-nothings.
Kayson was already pathetic enough — hanging out with one would only make him worse.
Kayson quickly put away his needles, ready to leave with Sophia.
Mengnan ran over and carefully placed a bright green jade ring on his finger.
"Big brother, my name is Zhou Mengnan.
You cured my strange illness. This is for you.
It might help if you're ever in trouble."
Kayson looked at the ring. It was modern, not an antique.
A venomous scorpion was carved on its surface.
He figured a beggar must have found it somewhere.
Still, he accepted it happily.
"Thanks, little brother."
Mengnan lifted her chin. "Big brother, I want to come to your house."