chapter 7 The master is short-sighted

The people inside the pharmacy couldn't believe their ears and wondered if they were hearing things. Although they didn't understand why the old man was acting this way, they quickly nodded in gratitude, and one of them reached into their bag and handed the prescription to the old man.
"Sir, I just wanted to ask if all the medicines listed here are available?" William Lin inquired.
After receiving the prescription, Austin Zhang carefully examined it. He studied the prescription closely several times but couldn't find anything unusual about the listed herbs. They were all common medicinal ingredients. Had he made a mistake?
After neatly folding the prescription, Austin Zhang spoke, "Young man, I have all these medicinal herbs here. There's just one thing that puzzles me. I hope you can clarify it."
"What's the matter, sir? Please feel free to ask," William Lin responded.
"May I be so bold as to ask if you treated a young boy with brain cancer at the affiliated hospital yesterday?" Austin Zhang inquired.
William Lin was a bit puzzled by the question. Had he been there yesterday? Why didn't he have any recollection?
He nodded and replied, "Yes, I did treat a young boy at the affiliated hospital yesterday."
Upon hearing William Lin's answer, the old man seemed relieved, and a smile that he couldn't hide appeared on his face. He immediately handed the prescription to a nearby Coral and instructed her, "Coral, you've done well today. The position of manager is currently vacant, so you can take it! Now, go and help this young man gather the herbs."
Coral stood there in shock, unable to react for a moment. She had just been promoted to manager, and it seemed that the saying was true: "Do good deeds and don't ask about your future."
After snapping out of her daze, Coral quickly nodded to the old man and, at the same time, cast a thankful glance at William Lin.
The other employees around them looked at Coral's promotion with envy. They were also curious about this young man's identity. If they had known earlier, they would have spoken up to support him.
With everything settled, the old man looked at William Lin and said, "It will take some time to gather the herbs. Would you like to have a cup of tea with me in the backyard? I also have a few questions about medical techniques that I'd like to discuss with you."
William Lin considered it for a moment and decided that he wanted to understand what the old man had in mind. He followed the old man to the backyard.
Upon entering the backyard, William Lin felt like he had stepped into a medicinal garden. It was densely packed with various medicinal herbs. It was evident that the old man had extensive knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine.
Once inside the room, the old man poured a cup of tea for William Lin and didn't beat around the bush. He asked directly, "Young man, did you use the Nine Recover Needle Technique to treat the patient yesterday?"
"You know about it too?" William Lin was surprised by the mention of the technique. In the inherited memories, the technique was indeed called the Nine Recover Needle Technique.
...
Austin Zhang was momentarily speechless. It was the Nine Recover Needle Technique, after all. How could he possibly know it too?
Years ago, Austin Zhang had come across the Nine Recover Needle Technique in an ancient medical manuscript. It detailed the precise acupoints and techniques—three needles for curing illnesses, six needles for saving lives, and nine needles for reincarnation. According to the text, even if you were facing the King of Hell, this technique could help bring a person back to life.
At the time, this discovery had caused a sensation in the Chinese medical community. A group of old scholars and experts had dedicated themselves to researching it for an entire month, only to conclude that it was a forgery. It had been quite embarrassing for Austin Zhang, but he had always believed that it was genuine. However, he had no way to prove it.
It wasn't until last night, when Austin Zhang had reviewed the hospital surveillance footage repeatedly, that he had confirmed it was indeed the Nine Recover Needle Technique. Only such a divine technique could have cured brain cancer with just a few needles.
Once he regained his composure, Austin Zhang took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to William Lin, saying, "Young man, can I have your contact information? I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I'd like to exchange knowledge about medical techniques with you. As a token of my appreciation, if you purchase herbs at this store with this card, it will be free of charge. Would that be acceptable?"
After thinking it over, William Lin gave Austin Zhang a series of numbers. Now that he had the inheritance, he would likely need to buy herbs in the future, so having a contact was convenient enough.
After giving his contact information, William Lin heard Coral's voice from outside and went out to get the herbs.
After receiving the herbs, William Lin left the Hall King of Medicine. Austin Zhang watched William Lin's departing figure and muttered to himself, "I finally have a candidate. Those old guys are going to be busy now! Let's see if they'll show their faces this time."
Just as William Lin stepped out of the Hall King of Medicine, a group of thugs wearing peculiar outfits blocked his path. Among them, the obese man whom William Lin had confronted earlier slowly approached him and taunted, "Kid, you've kept me waiting. I thought you didn't have the guts to come out!"
"Just a while ago, you had that old guy protecting you inside. Now that he's not here, let's see what tricks you've got. Even if Jesus himself comes, he won't be able to save you today!" the obese man sneered.
"You better kneel down and kowtow to me now. Maybe I'll spare your miserable life," he added, spitting forcefully on the ground.
Listening to the obese man's words, William Lin just smiled faintly and replied, "Didn't I say earlier that asking me to kneel might come at a high cost?"
Seeing William Lin's demeanor, the middle-aged man exploded in anger. He was about to speak when suddenly, he felt his legs go numb and lost all sensation, causing him to fall to the ground.
The thugs who had come with the obese man rushed over to check on him. The obese man writhed in pain, pounding his legs with his hands, but he still couldn't feel anything. Then, he suddenly remembered the words William Lin had emphasized twice earlier.
"Is it you? What have you done to me?" the obese man howled in agony.
William Lin looked at the man with a poker face and said, "I already told you, it's not my doing. It's just that you've done so many bad things that even the heavens can't stand it, so they decided to punish you."
"No, it can't be! You must have done something to me. Please, I beg you, restore my legs. I'll do anything!" the obese man pleaded desperately, unable to kowtow because of his paralyzed legs.
"I do have a method, but I wonder if you're willing to do it," William Lin said with a hint of amusement.
Hearing that there might be a solution, the obese man eagerly nodded and said, "Master, as long as you can heal my legs, I'm willing to do anything!"
"Well, you see, it's because you've accumulated a lot of negative energy due to your wrongdoings. To counteract it, you need the most pure yang energy, and that's the urine of a child. Do you understand what I mean?" William Lin said with a smirk, struggling to hold back his laughter.
Upon hearing William Lin's suggestion, everyone present was stunned into silence. After three seconds, one of the thugs finally spoke up, saying, "Boss, this kid is trying to make you drink child's urine. I think he's messing with you. Should we teach him a lesson? Maybe we should go find Master Zhang later."
The obese man, unable to reach the speaker due to his paralyzed legs, cursed, "You idiot! I told you, Zhang Lao put me on his blacklist!"
The thug who had spoken earlier could only smile awkwardly and fell silent.
"Master, I really made a mistake. Please spare me. I won't dare to offend you again. It was my ignorance that angered you. Please give me another chance," the obese man pleaded once more.
Seeing the man's condition, William Lin didn't want to waste any more time. He used his spiritual energy to retract the Spirit Gathering Needle from the man's knee. Then he said, "I'll spare you this time. You can stand up now. But remember, when you go back, you still need to drink children's urine, or the problem may recur."
Upon hearing William Lin's words, the obese man cautiously tried to control his legs and, indeed, managed to stand up.
"Am I allowed to go now?" the obese man asked.
Pushing aside the thugs who had gathered around, he added, "Master, please go ahead."
With that, William Lin walked through the crowd and headed home.
As he watched William Lin's retreating figure, the obese man suddenly remembered something and hurriedly shouted, "Master, how long do I have to drink the child's urine for?"
..