When Kayden stepped into Daphne’s father’s room, he found Eugene Whitehead already waiting. As the primary physician, Eugene was the only person qualified to care for Daphne’s father.
The moment Eugene saw Kayden enter, he hastily made a bow, greeting, “Welcome, Dr. Scott!”
This time, Eugene had a totally different attitude toward Kayden compared to their last encounter. Gone was the haughty, self-assured elder who acted as if the world revolved around him. In his place stood a humble old man with a gray beard, radiating only respect and deference.
But Kayden paid Eugene no attention. His focus was entirely on the bed at the center of the room.
Daphne’s father was lying on a meticulously carved wooden bed. Judging by its novel design, it should not be an antique one but had been custom-built recently. Instead of the usual dragon motifs, its carvings formed a pattern of eight trigrams.
The bed was highly unusual: eight legs and eight posts arranged perfectly to replicate the symbol of eight trigrams.
Such a bed is rarely seen in the world-strange and shrouded in a mysterious religious vibe.
“It’s the Eight-Trigrams Bed!” Kayden murmured, his gaze narrowing as he studied its intricate design.
Eugene straightened his posture and stroked his beard with a hint of pride. “Indeed, it’s the Eight-Trigrams Bed! I had it specially crafted to stabilize the patient’s declining health. The bed offers him a steady flow of vitality and energy! Given his frailty and faint breath, we must take some action. And I believed this bed, combined with the protective presence of the divine beasts within the estate, could offer some relief.”
Then Eugene turned to Kayden, praising him with a tone of admiration, “I must say, Dr. Scott, your insight is remarkable, far surpassing your peers! I mean, you could recognize the Eight-Trigrams Bed at a glance. That’s truly impressive!”
Kayden let out a cold chuckle, cutting straight to the point. “Sounds more like you’re patting yourself on the back.”
Eugene’s words seemed like praise for Kayden, but in reality, they meant more than that. By highlighting Kayden’s ability to identify the bed, Eugene was really emphasizing the bed’s unique qualities. After all, the bed was of his own design and could showcase his expertise.
Eugene was caught off guard by Kayden’s blunt speaking. His face turned flushed crimson with embarrassment. Awkwardly, he tried to explain, “That’s not what I meant! It’s just that, in this modern era, so few people understand these things anymore. Even most veteran doctors in their seventies or eighties wouldn’t know, let alone someone as young as you.”
Kayden cast him a fleeting glance but refrained from using bitter sarcasm further. Instead, he acknowledged with a nod, “The bed does help suppress the negative energies and provides optimal physical support for the patient. Without it, he’d likely already be dead.”
Hearing this, Memphis and his family instinctively turned grateful eyes toward Eugene. Flaws aside, Eugene’s skills were undeniable. To rank among Seclela’s top three traditional medicine practitioners was no accident.
Eugene breathed a sigh of relief hearing Kayden’s approval. At least he didn’t fuck up everything, and his work hadn’t gone unrecognized. Still, standing before this young man, he couldn’t shake a growing unease, as if every step needed to be taken with the utmost caution.
Without another word, Kayden strode toward Daphne’s father!
The man lying before them was unconscious, his eyes shut tight and his face drained of all color. He seemed entirely disconnected from the world. Kayden reached out to check his pulse. After a moment of careful examination, Kayden found the man’s pulse was faint, barely discernible!
As he had warned before, this man wouldn’t make it beyond three days. He wasn’t exaggerating. Just yesterday, the place had been steeped in a dark, foreboding energy. And where such oppressive energy lingers, death is never far behind!
“Dr. Scott, what…what’s going on with my son?” Memphis stepped forward, his voice trembling with anxiety. His every movement betrayed the overwhelming tension and love of a father.
Kayden, unhurried as ever, pulled out two slender silver needles. With an air of detachment, he responded, “It’s nothing too serious. He’s simply missing his spirits. Luckily, none of his souls are gone. If even one of his souls had been lost, nobody could save him, not even a deity.”
The explanation left Memphis frozen in shock. The rest of the John family exchanged confused glances, equally baffled by Kayden’s cryptic words.
According to soul dualism, a human being is composed of three souls and seven spirits. Any loss of these components disrupts the balance of the body, leaving it incomplete. For instance, in rural folklore, certain mentally retarded individuals are called “village guardians.” It’s said they committed grave sins in a previous life. Thus, in this life, they willingly surrender one soul and one spirit to atone for those wrongdoings, acting as silent protectors for their villages. Though they may appear foolish or out of place, they are thought to shield their communities from misfortune!
Similarly, those born mute, or with other inherent challenges, are often believed to have suffered a similar fate. They lost pieces of their souls or spirits before they even entered the world.
Memphis was utterly perplexed. “Then why couldn’t the sorcerers we hired before figure this out?”
“They lacked the skill,” Kayden replied, his voice brimming with confidence.
In an instant, Memphis lapsed into silence.
Eugene, on the other hand, had a far different reaction. He didn’t doubt Kayden’s words; instead, his expression shifted to one of enlightenment, as though he’d finally found the truth.
But what truly captivated him were the silver needles in Kayden’s hands. One was long, the other short. The long needle was known as the Soul-Locking Needle, while the short one bore the name Spirit-Inviting Needle.
“My goodness, are you using the Dual-Sided Mystic Needle?” Eugene asked, his gaze transfixed on the glimmering needles in Kayden’s hands.
Kayden didn’t respond with words. Instead, he allowed his actions to speak for him. With calculated precision, he began inserting the two needles into Daphne’s father.
The chosen acupoints were so esoteric that even a seasoned practitioner like Eugene had never dared attempt them!
Yet, a guess already took root within Eugene’s mind. This had to be it-the fabled Dual-Sided Mystic Needle, a technique he had only ever read about in ancient texts.
Dual-Sided Mystic Needle was long thought lost to history and confined to the pages of ancient texts. Even in those ancient texts, mentions of this technique are nothing more than scattered fragments. It was said that in the 7th century, an empress had succumbed to a baffling illness, one that stumped the most skilled imperial physicians. Thus, the court summoned healers and mystics from every corner of the land to treat her.
Many tried and failed to uncover the cause of her illness, let alone cure it. But one unassuming folk healer dared to attempt the impossible. Using the Dual-Sided Mystic Needle technique, he resorted the empress to perfect health. When the grateful empress offered him a high-ranking position, the healer refused it. He simply vanished.
But after that, the acupuncture technique also vanished from history. It became nothing more than a footnote in ancient texts, with no detailed instructions on how to apply it.
Who could have imagined that, after all these years, Eugene would witness this legendary technique-and it was performed by someone so young! Eugene’s gaze brimmed with astonishment and complexity as he stared at Kayden. Finally, as Kayden completed his procedure and withdrew his hand, Eugene couldn’t contain himself any longer. “Dr. Scott, please allow me to pay you my deepest respects!”
With that, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply, his body bending into a perfect ninety-degree arc.
Kayden barely spared Eugene a glance, his expression tinged with impatience. He had no fondness for self-important old men like Eugene-long-winded, pompous, and always acting as though they held all the answers.
Unaware of Kayden’s disdain, Eugene pressed on, “Dr. Scott, I am ashamed of the words I spoke yesterday! It was my arrogance and my ignorance that blinded me. Please forgive me!”
Kayden remained silent. He’s kind of speechless. Eugene, for all his expertise in Seclela’s traditional medical culture, was nothing more than a scholar. He studied the legacy of ancestors without the ability to truly practice it. Knowledgeable yet rigid, his understanding felt hollow!
Still, Eugene’s voice grew more passionate, and his eyes were alight with fervor. “I once believed that Seclela’s traditional medicine was doomed to be forgotten by the world one day. But after seeing you today, I see hope. You are the future of Seclela, the hope of our ancient medical heritage!”