On the ground, the young man in a shirt writhed in agonizing pain. Veins bulged on his forehead as he screamed hysterically.
The middle-aged woman retreated at the sight of the previously fine young man now rolling on the ground with pitiful cries. Her face turned pale with fear.
Zhu Wen remained still, now calm. However, his gaze on Zhang Xian held unspoken emotions.
He noticed that Zhang Xian has acupuncture skills, and they seemed not bad at all.
In an age dominated by western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine gradually declined and those who knew acupuncture became extremely rare, let alone someone in their early twenties possessing such swift techniques.
Not that traditional Chinese medicine was incapable. On the contrary, in many ways, it proved more effective than western medicine. It could not only cure diseases but also regulate the body, optimizing the results.
However, Chinese medicine was inconvenient compared to western medicine, which was a primary reason for its decline.
"Damn it, what did you do to my brother?" The youth in red came to his senses and angrily grabbed Zhang Xian's clothes. "Speak up, why is he like this?"
"Don't worry, I am treating him," Zhang Xian replied with a smile.
"Bastard, did I ask you to treat him? Who do you think you are?" the red-clad youth shouted.
Bemused, Zhang Xian said, "Well, that's strange. Your friend is sick, isn't he supposed to be treated? Or are you saying, he's not sick at all?"
"Wha...What nonsense are you talking about?" A flash of panic crossed the red-clad youth's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "I don't trust you. Pay us and let my brother go to the hospital."
"I don't have money. Do you want my life instead?" Zhang Xian asked.
"Um..." The red-clad youth was startled by Zhang Xian's response. After a pause, he scoffed, "What? Are you seeking some kind of punishment?"
"Oh no, not at all. I mean," Zhang Xian shook his head and smiled, "I think you should let me check your brother right now. I'm afraid he might not last much longer."
The red-clad youth looked down at his brother who was breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain and rolling endlessly on the ground. He grew worried. A scheme was one thing, but causing a death was no joke.
Almost instinctively, he let go of Zhang Xian, crouched down and asked, "Bro, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?"
"My...my stomach hurts, damn it, it's killing me... tell that bastard to come over, damn..." the youth writhed on the ground as if throwing a tantrum.
"Does it still hurt?" Zhang Xian crouched down and asked.
"Damn it, what did you do to me? Do I look like I'm not in pain?" the youth in the shirt snapped.
"Still hurting?" Zhang Xian laughed and said, "So it means I wasn't harsh enough. I should keep going."
"What..." The youth in the shirt glared, his expression vicious.
He didn't know what they had done to him, but the pain was unbearable. It felt as though millions of ants were gnawing away inside his stomach, causing him to shiver with pain.
"When the pain subsides and you feel there is nothing wrong with your body, let me know." Zhang Xian got up and sat down on a chair.
"Damn it, I'm not in pain, absolutely no pain!" the youth in the shirt quickly protested.
The middle-aged woman was annoyed. How could he claim he wasn't in pain while wriggling around like that? If you can, why don't you stop rolling and get up?
Seeing this, Zhu Wen broke into laughter, intrigued. A disciple of Master Gui truly was something else, not an average person could compare.
"No pain? Any discomfort elsewhere? Don't bear it." Zhang Xian had no intention of getting up.
"No...no... I'm quite healthy," the youth in the shirt replied.
"Good, that means the problem has been perfectly resolved." Zhang Xian got up, walked over to the youth, and swiftly pulled out the golden needles from his back.
As soon as the needles were removed, the excruciating pain ebbed away like tidal water. The youth in the shirt lay on the ground, his face one of complete relief. Damn, it felt so good, even better than a massage.
"Now that you're fine, get the hell out of here." Zhang Xian discreetly stored the golden needles in his storage ring and coldly said, "I was merciful just now, don't force me."
"Damn..." The red-clad youth was no fool; he had figured out what was going on. He grabbed a nearby stool and smashed it toward Zhang Xian's head.
Zhang Xian caught the incoming stool with one hand and with a swift kick, sent the red-clad youth flying a good distance away.
With a loud 'thud', the red-clad youth lobbed several meters away, arching his body like a shrimp on the ground. Waves of sharp pain radiated from his abdomen, "Damn, he hits really hard."
"Damn it, how dare you hit my brother?" The youth in white finally reacted and rushed out.
Undoubtedly, the youth in the shirt hated Zhang Xian the most and would not be left behind. He jumped up from the ground, snatched a stool, and furiously smashed it down at Zhang Xian.
The middle-aged woman and Zhu Wen seeing all this, repeatedly retreated and hid behind a table, watching nervously. They decided it was better for elderly and women not to get involved in fights, especially if they couldn't win.
"Smack... smack..." The sound of slapping echoed.
Zhang Xian was swift with two quick slaps, immediately sending both youths to the ground.
"Impressive, this guy is really something!" Zhu Wen exclaimed.
The middle-aged woman was also a bit surprised. Zhang Xian's slaps were rather cool. "Doctor Zhu, your disciple is simply superb! When did you take him under your wing? How did I never know about this?"
Zhu Wen shook his head with a bitter smile, "Oh, he is not my disciple. Apart from Master Gui, not many could have trained a disciple like this."
The middle-aged woman gave Zhu Wen a nod. Zhu Wen, no matter how you looked at him, looked like a gentle scholar. How could he have such a powerful disciple?
Zhu Wen found the middle-aged woman's gaze a bit unsettling, not saying much. He was just an ordinary old man, not good at fighting, and certainly not as cool and impressive as Master Gui.
"Are you guys done yet?" Zhang Xian stood in front of the two youths and asked with a smile.
The youth in the white shirt and the one in regular clothes both shivered and instinctively retreated. They had been frightened by the earlier slapping. That slap had almost taken half of their lives.
Now, their mouths were swollen like sausages and a few teeth had been knocked out, creating a whistling sound when they breathed.
"I don't care what issues you have with Mr. Zhu, but you better make sure I don't see you messing around again. Otherwise, you'll have to pay." Zhang Xian told the youth in a shirt.
"Little Thief, don't get too cocky, this isn't over." The youth in the shirt jumped up, his face livid with rage.
"Dare to threaten me?" Zhang Xian quickly stepped forward and slapped the other side of the youth in the shirt's face, causing it to swell high. Now, his face looked much more balanced than before.