"Ten minutes? How is that possible, even my grandfather couldn't do it!"
Lin Xuanying's eyes widened in disbelief, thinking Xiao Chen was being completely unreasonable.
Xiao Chen didn't care how Lin Xuanying saw him and said indifferently, "If your grandfather can't even handle this, then I can only say that his reputation as a Divine Doctor is undeserved!"
"My grandfather is Huaxia's number one Divine Doctor, unrivaled in the medical field. How can he be undeserved?"
Lin Xuanying became angry; she could tolerate anything, but she couldn't stand anyone tarnishing her grandfather's reputation.
Xiao Chen remained calm and collected, "That will depend on how you perform now. I must remind you that a minute has already passed, and you have only nine minutes left to save him."
Lin Xuanying's expression changed as she checked Li Bin's condition again.
However, the more carefully she examined, the paler her face became.
She had dealt with many difficult diseases and poison cases with her grandfather, but the current situation left her at a loss.
Li Bin's deathlike state was only superficially similar to electrocution; the real issue was different—the toxins left in his body were the most troublesome part.
"I can't do it, I just can't!"
Lin Xuanying shook her head, then lifted it to look at Xiao Chen, pleading, "With my medical skills, I can't save him. If you have an antidote, take it out. He may have offended you with his words, but he doesn't deserve to die."
"Giving up so easily, aren't you the granddaughter of a Divine Doctor?"
"I admit I'm a fraud, okay? I don't want the prayer beads either, just get the antidote. This is a human life we're talking about!"
Although Lin Xuanying sometimes found Li Bin very annoying, the Lin Family had deep ties with the Li Family. If Li Bin died here, how would she explain it when she returned?
"There is no antidote for this poison!"
Xiao Chen gave the most despairing answer.
"What?"
Lin Xuanying almost collapsed to the ground.
Without an antidote, could Li Bin really die?
"It seems another minute has passed; he only has eight minutes left to live."
Xiao Chen was still keeping track of the time; he seemed like a bystander, indifferent to human life, coldly observing from the sidelines.
Lin Xuanying shivered involuntarily, a chill of endless coldness rising in her heart.
When she first met Xiao Chen, she thought he was just an ordinary student.
But at this moment, she realized Xiao Chen was a cold-blooded devil.
From the beginning to the end, Xiao Chen maintained the same demeanor; whether you challenged him or flattered him, in his eyes, you were just a dispensable minor role in his game, the most humble existence.
"No, no matter what, I must try!"
Lin Xuanying knew the chances were slim, but she couldn't just watch Li Bin die in front of her, so she took out a set of golden needles and another set of silver needles.
There were twenty-four silver needles, but only nine golden needles.
Xiao Chen watched Lin Xuanying with interest. "Finally willing to take things seriously?"
Lin Xuanying ignored what Xiao Chen said, focused wholeheartedly, rapidly pulled out silver needles, and inserted them into more than a dozen crucial acupoints all over Li Bin's body.
"If it's a case of poisoning, one should seal the acupuncture points, protect the organs and the heart channels, and prevent the toxins from invading vital areas temporarily, extending the poisoned person's life. This is the most basic judgment as a doctor."
Xiao Chen seemed to recognize Lin Xuanying's status as a doctor, speaking quite admiringly, but soon, his tone changed:
"Unfortunately, this type of toxin is refined by my Inner Strength; it's not like common poison—it can infect the whole body in an instant. Sealing the acupoints now is already too late."
"This..."
Lin Xuanying bit her lip.
Soon, she made up her mind, took out two golden needles, and inserted them into Li Bin's two Taiyang acupoints precisely and skillfully.
"Not bad!" Xiao Chen praised.
Lin Xuanying, as if not hearing him, continued single-mindedly, pulling out the third and fourth golden needles, inserting them into the Shaochong acupoints on both of Li Bin's hands.
This time, Xiao Chen didn't speak; instead, he frowned slightly.
Lin Xuanying continued, pulling out the fifth and sixth golden needles, and inserted them into Li Bin's left and right Yongquan acupoints.
Once more, the seventh Golden Needle.
"The seventh needle..."
Lin Xuanying didn't put much thought into the first six needles, but she hesitated for a long time before administering the seventh.
"Grandfather said, the first six needles are fundamental, but the last three will determine the success or failure of the treatment, and should not be applied without utmost certainty,"
Sweat poured down her face as her heart clenched, her hand holding the needle trembled incessantly.
For she knew that if this needle went wrong, Li Bin might die instantly.
Then Li Bin would not have been killed by poison, but by her own hand.
"No matter what, I have to give it a try!"
Lin Xuanying took a deep breath, aimed precisely at Li Bin's Baihui acupoint, and was about to insert the needle.
However, just at that moment, Xiao Chen suddenly grasped her wrist, preventing her from performing the acupuncture.
"What are you doing?"
At this moment, Lin Xuanying truly detested Xiao Chen. Disturbances during acupuncture were the most taboo; this interruption had completely eroded the courage she had gathered with difficulty.
"The acupoint is correct, but didn't your grandfather tell you that the seventh needle of Xuanyang Nine Needles is for channeling 'Qi,' and it cannot be performed without reaching a certain level of Inner Strength?"
At Xiao Chen's words, Lin Xuanying immediately stared at him with shock, "You know about the Xuanyang Nine Needles?"
The Xuanyang Nine Needles were the Lin Family's closely-guarded secret; outsiders should not have been able to know them. But Xiao Chen not only knew the name Xuanyang Nine Needles, he also clearly understood that the seventh needle was for transferring 'Qi', as well as the conditions for performing the acupuncture.
Who exactly was he? Could he have some connection with the Lin Family, or could he be a disciple taken externally by her grandfather?
"Don't ask unnecessary questions. Considering you are indeed Lin Xingcheng's granddaughter, I will not make things difficult for you this time,"
As soon as he spoke, Xiao Chen's hand swooped, taking a Golden Needle and directly inserting it into Li Bin's Baihui acupoint.
The seventh needle was for channeling 'Qi,' also known as "Gold Needle Crossing Acupoint." The practitioner's Inner Strength is concentrated into the Golden Needle, slowly infused into Baihui.
Lin Xuanying anxiously looked on from the side; it was the first time she saw someone other than her grandfather perform the Xuanyang Nine Needles, and she felt that Xiao Chen's technique might be even more skilled than her grandfather's.
Xiao Chen did not pause, and he directly inserted another Golden Needle into Li Bin's Yintang, the hall of impression between his eyebrows.
The poison had been infused there, and naturally, it could also be expelled from the same point.
"The eighth needle, Divine Attraction!"
In an instant, a resonance formed between this and the previous seven needles. Guided by the previously instilled Inner Strength, the poison flowed back at a shocking pace, reaching the Yintang, until it finally sprayed out from that point.
When the poison was expelled, Xiao Chen released his own Inner Qi to cover it, turning it into a liquid that dripped to the ground, presenting a concentrated black color that showed slight corrosiveness.
Within a brief period of several seconds, the toxin was completely removed, and Li Bin's complexion returned to normal, albeit with a lingering hint of illness.
Following this, Xiao Chen quickly extracted the Golden and Silver Needles from Li Bin's body.
"Is he alright now?"
Lin Xuanying meekly posed the question to Xiao Chen.
Before Xiao Chen could respond, Li Bin, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes and struggled to his feet, looking around in bewilderment.
"What just happened to me…?"
Xiao Chen said, "I took you on a short trip to the gates of the afterlife to experience life a little. How was it? Quite the sensation, right?"
"You…"
Li Bin took a few steps back, staring at Xiao Chen with fright and sweating profusely.
Although he did not know exactly what had happened just now, he vaguely sensed that Xiao Chen wasn't lying.
He had nearly died, nearly slept forever—it was terrifying!
"Whew!"
Seeing Li Bin unharmed, Lin Xuanying's worries finally eased.
Then, she turned her gaze back to Xiao Chen, her perception of him once again changing, finding him not as objectionable as before.
If Xiao Chen really wanted to kill Li Bin, it would have been over in an instant, with no one able to stop him.