Overnight, time quickly passed, but for Yi Xiaofei, it also marked the end of his part-time job.
The next day, at noon, inside Fate Restaurant, Yi Xiaofei took a few takeout orders, mounted his electric scooter, and headed towards a residential community.
For Yi Xiaofei, such a life was still okay, at least there was money to be earned. Money is a good thing, allowing him to eat and dress well, especially considering that living costs in the city were truly immense.
Riding along, after about ten minutes or so, he encountered a crowd on the sidewalk, chatting noisily and variously.
"Old man! Why must you do this? You look half dead already; don't cause any trouble!"
"That's right! Grandpa, it's better to wait for the ambulance!"
"I think people like him might as well be dead. In Zhonghai City, he's definitely impacting the cityscape!"
...
There was both warmth and coldness, and the focus of everyone's attention was on a beggar lying on the ground, dressed in tattered rags, just enough to cover the main parts of his body, filthy all over, and most importantly, emanating a foul stench. At that moment, white foam spilled from his mouth, and his body twitched occasionally.
Next to the beggar, there was an old man with white hair squatting, holding a Silver Needle in his hand, constantly administering acupuncture to the beggar. However, there was a look of urgency in his eyes. A young man next to him, upon hearing some unpleasant comments from the crowd, became a bit angry, "Aren't beggars human, too? Where is the respect for human dignity? Saving people is what's most important!"
"Grandpa Liang! I've already called, but according to the distance, the ambulance will take about fifteen minutes to arrive, and that's if the roads are clear! Can he... can he hold on?"
The young man looked at the beggar's pallid face, by then he had a guess in his heart, especially since the beggar had started rolling his eyes back.
"I can't suppress it any longer! His pulse is getting weaker, and the rhythm of his heartbeat is off!"
The old man gritted his teeth, the beggar had a serious heart problem, and if they had medical equipment and were in a hospital at that moment, they at least could save his life. But under the current unstable conditions, he was helpless. Right now, time was of the essence, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
"What should we do then? Even you, Grandpa Liang, are at a loss!"
After all, it was a living human life, and no matter what the person's identity, as a medical practitioner, one should save the dying and heal the injured.
At that moment, on the ground, the beggar's brief convulsions had gradually eased, and the old man holding the beggar's hand could hardly feel his pulse anymore.
"Old man, let me give it a try?"
In the surrounding crowd, a voice suddenly rang out. Before the old man could react, the figure belonging to Yi Xiaofei had already squatted down, next to him.
Reaching towards his waist, with one pull, he took several Silver Needles from the black cloth bag at his waist, and plunged them into the beggar.
His movements were skilled, and the old man watching him narrowed his eyes. Yi Xiaofei paid no mind to this; after all, to him, this situation was simple. Not saving someone in need didn't suit Yi Xiaofei's nature. Seeing that, as a doctor, he felt a responsibility.
This series of thrusts, in particular, involved nine Silver Needles, which he directly inserted into the area around the beggar's heart.
"This is..."
Nine Lives Netherworld! The Netherworld Acupuncture Technique!
The old man's heart trembled, Netherworld Acupuncture Technique! He had actually witnessed the Netherworld Acupuncture Technique, wasn't this technique lost? Among traditional Chinese medicine, it was one of the most mysterious techniques.
After Yi Xiaofei had inserted all the Silver Needles, he nearly rested for ten minutes, a period during which nobody disturbed him. Then, he gently twisted the tail of one of the nine Silver Needles targeting the heart area, and with a flick, those nine Silver Needles vibrated oddly, quite a peculiar sight.
Reaching towards the beggar's wrist, Yi Xiaofei cracked a slight smile, and then started to remove the Silver Needles one by one.
To those unversed in the art, the scene appeared somewhat baffling, yet they could still see that the beggar, whose eyes had been rolling back, was no longer doing so.
"Damn it! I'm going to be late!"
At that moment, Yi Xiaofei took out his cell phone to check the time, as there were time limits for food delivery and if he was late, he would get an earful.
"Young man! You…"
The old man wanted to ask Yi Xiaofei something, but Yi Xiaofei had already dashed out of the crowd.
"Grandpa Liang! Who is he? How is this even possible!!!"
The young man crouched down to check on the beggar's condition and then turned to the old man with a face full of shock.
"An interesting young fella! Too bad we didn't ask for his name?"
He sighed, and at that moment, the sound of an ambulance could be heard in the distance. Soon, doctors and nurses alighted, pushing a stretcher towards them.
"Director Liang, what are you doing here?"
A few doctors looked at the old man with curiosity, their tone laden with thick respect. Liang Yichen, the former director of Zhonghai City First People's Hospital, still commanded respect there despite his retirement. Moreover, the current director was Liang Yichen's son.
"Just passing by! Hurry and save the person, that's what's important! I'll have someone take care of the medical fees!"
Liang Yichen said with a kind smile, and at that moment, the surrounding passersby realized the old man held such a significant status.
"Director Liang! What are you talking about?"
The doctors beamed with smiles, then quickly went to work, lifting the patient onto the stretcher and into the ambulance, which soon departed.
Liang Yichen and the young man did not board the ambulance but instead walked towards a car parked by the side of the road.
"Grandpa Liang! Who was that guy? How could he suppress the other person's heart issue with just Silver Needles… it's inconceivable!"
"Zhi Min! There are many types of acupuncture in Hua Xia, each with its own school. There is still much you don't know. If I'm not mistaken, that young fellow used an extremely rare and even supposedly extinct acupuncture technique! Nine Lives Netherworld, the Netherworld Acupuncture Technique! Even if you're halfway on the Path to the Netherworld, this technique can pull you back!"
Liang Yichen explained, and although it sounded exaggerated, that was how the Netherworld Acupuncture Technique was described.
"Nine Lives Netherworld! Netherworld Acupuncture Technique!"
The young man named Zhi Min muttered to himself. He was a disciple of Grandpa Liang and still had much to learn. At the very least, he remembered the saying, "There's always someone better," vividly. The person who had intervened earlier was about his age, and Lin Zhimin felt he might even be younger.