Chapter 716 — Pleading with the Medicine King
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Eh?" The Medicine King paused, and his expression turned graver still. "Beneath the silver needles — there's a fluctuation of true qi?"
Li Dilei was only an ordinary man. He had never cultivated any internal or external art, so no true qi could exist within his body — and even if there were a trace, it would not be perceptible. Yet the Medicine King sensed a distinct fluctuation of true qi beneath the silver needles! What was the meaning of this?
"What does that mean? Medicine King, is my cousin saved?" Li Cihua started and asked at once.
Li Dilei, too, stared at the Medicine King with pleading eyes. He did not want to die.
"I can't say for certain yet, but I must study the matter first," the Medicine King said. "I will pull out one more silver needle, though it may produce the same result as this left hand — or I may work out a way to break the technique."
"Ah?" Li Dilei was dumbstruck. Pull out another one — but from where? Looking at the silver needles all over his body, he truly could not decide which one to pull.
"Think it over for yourself. This is the only way," the Medicine King said.
"Then why not just pull the silver needles from his left arm? His left hand's already ruined anyway — one more ruined left arm won't make much difference," Li Cihua said after a moment's thought.
"Fine!" Li Dilei gritted his teeth. What choice did he have? He couldn't stay awake forever — come nightfall he'd have to sleep, and if he happened to knock the needles loose in his sleep, he might as well lie down and wait to die.
The Medicine King nodded, gestured for Li Dilei to extend his left arm, then swiftly plucked the silver needles from it. The instant they were out, he struck again with the speed of lightning, clamping his hand over the spots on Li Dilei's left arm where the needles had been.
"Ah... my left arm's gone numb too!" Though Li Dilei had foreseen this outcome, he had still harbored a faint hope until now. With his left arm dead to all feeling as well, he was beyond tears.
"Medicine King, how is it?" Li Cihua asked hurriedly the moment he saw the Medicine King open his eyes.
"The left arm's ruined." The Medicine King drew a deep breath. "But I think I've roughly figured out what technique the other side used!"
"Oh? What technique?" Li Cihua asked.
"Wei Zhao attached his true qi to the tips of the silver needles and drove it into Li Dilei's body, then used the needles to seal the true qi in, so it couldn't spread." The Medicine King continued, "The moment a needle is pulled out, the true qi expands rapidly! And Li Dilei is an ordinary man — his body's tissues simply can't withstand such a powerful invasion of true qi. The vast surge of true qi instantly bursts through his meridians and muscle tissue, causing necrosis of the nerves and tissue..."
He had felt it with his own hand earlier: before the needles were removed, there had been true qi fluctuations on them, but confined to a single point. Once a needle was pulled, however, the true qi at that point spread rapidly outward in all directions.
"What?" Li Cihua and Li Dilei were struck dumb. They could follow the Medicine King's explanation well enough, but it sounded so incredible — that was even possible? What did he think this was, a wuxia novel? "So is there any way to save him?"