Silver Needle Meridian Seal, Medical Skill Entry Level!

The bamboo door opened, and Su Mu stepped into the Cloud Crane Medical Hall for the first time.

A path paved with pebbles was flanked by bamboo groves. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, creating a soft swishing sound. Su Mu followed the young physician through the bamboo forest to a cluster of rooms.

At this point, the fresh scent of bamboo leaves was mingled with the fragrant aroma of medicinal herbs. Both sides and the backyard of the rooms were cultivated with medicinal fields.

The young physician led Su Mu into the main hall of a room. The interior was antique and elegant, with a tea-making stove in the center. Bookshelves lined both sides, filled with numerous books. Besides that, there was only a desk and a few rush mats.

Su Mu was somewhat surprised by the books on the shelves, but his heart stirred slightly. He had considered learning medicine before, thinking that having more skills never hurt.

However, after being uniformly rejected by various pharmacies when he inquired about prescriptions, Su Mu had temporarily set aside that idea.

A single prescription was guarded jealously, let alone the far more precious art of medicine.

Su Mu had also noticed in the town's pharmacies that the old physicians would retreat to an inner chamber when treating patients, never allowing apprentices to observe. Their attitude was obvious, so Su Mu didn't intend to embarrass himself by seeking them out.

After entering the room, the young physician gestured for Su Mu to come to the desk.

"Young man, let me take your pulse first."

The young physician's tone was slightly nervous, yet also held a hint of anticipation.

Su Mu complied and extended his hand, understanding this was part of the examination process and one he was quite familiar with.

Soon, two soft, tender fingers rested on Su Mu's wrist. After taking his pulse for a while, the young physician's brows furrowed slightly, a look of confusion on his face.

"Young man... your breath is long, your pulse steady and strong, and your blood is abundant, far exceeding that of an ordinary person. Your pulse shows no abnormalities."

Hearing this, Su Mu sighed inwardly. Without much hope, he spoke, "To be honest, young physician, I suffer from unbearable itching whenever it's rainy. It feels like insects are crawling inside me. I've been to other medical halls in the city. An old physician treated me with silver needles and said there was a fierce Gu poison lurking in my heart."

"He then directed me to find Pharmacist Lin."

Su Mu revealed the Gu poison directly for his own reasons. He wanted the young physician in front of him to back down, believing there was no need to waste time here. It would be better to chat a bit and build some rapport.

However, upon hearing the words "Gu poison," the young physician did not seem frightened. Instead, a glimmer of surprise flashed in his watery eyes.

"My master taught me some medical techniques related to Gu poison, and I'm also somewhat skilled with silver needles. May I examine you, young man?"

Su Mu caught that flicker of surprise and his heart leaped with joy.

From his words, he keenly grasped a piece of information: Pharmacist Lin truly understood Gu poison, making the prospect of detoxification much more hopeful.

At that moment, Su Mu gritted his teeth. He decided to let this young physician practice on him today.

"The old physician said the Gu poison in me is fierce, so you need to be careful, young physician."

"Follow me."

Whether the young physician heard the warning or not, he excitedly beckoned Su Mu to a side room next to the main hall. The side room was used for examinations.

"Please lie down, young man."

The young physician pointed to the bamboo bed behind the curtain. Su Mu complied and then unbuttoned his upper garments. The young physician was sterilizing silver needles with a flame. Glancing over at Su Mu, his cheeks instantly flushed red.

He swallowed hard.

Through the bamboo curtain, Su Mu looked even more alluring. After nearly two years of martial arts training, coupled with eating heartily and constantly drinking Body Strengthening Soup for the past six months, his physique was not immediately apparent. But as Su Mu removed his clothes, the muscular lines hidden beneath his garments were revealed, sharp and chiseled, exuding a powerful presence.

Soon, the young physician lifted the curtain and walked over, holding a silver needle. The moment his fingertips touched Su Mu's chest, a tingling sensation spread through him. The young physician's face grew even redder and felt somewhat hot.

But he quickly focused, inserting the silver needles one by one.

After a while, the young physician began to remove the needles, one after another. When a needle was removed from his chest, its tip was completely black and emitted a foul, fishy odor.

Then, a horrifying scene unfolded again. The silver needle was visibly corroded before their eyes.

Seeing this, the young physician seemed startled and stood frozen. Su Mu, witnessing this, inwardly sighed again. He immediately reached out, snatched the silver needle, and threw it to the ground.

"This young physician really can't be relied upon," Su Mu muttered, sitting up and starting to dress, a desire to leave forming in his mind.

But after a moment, the young physician snapped back to reality, placing a hand on Su Mu's chest. "Lie down quickly."

"The Zhongwan acupoint on the Ren meridian, the poison can corrode silver needles..."

"Young man, you are deeply poisoned. My master once said there are three ways to treat Gu poison in this world. The first is mutual generation and restraint; most Gu poison antidotes in the world work this way."

"The second is to use poison to attack poison, but we don't know what kind of Gu poison you have, and this method is also very dangerous."

"The last method, which is actually a way to alleviate the symptoms rather than cure it, is to use external force to expel the Gu poison from the body. I can try this third method for you."

Su Mu's eyes lit up at his words. He could also see the young physician's hesitation, but now that he saw hope, Su Mu was determined to try.

"Then I'll trouble you, young physician."

"Alright. The toxicity of your Gu poison is potent, so ordinary bloodletting methods will likely be ineffective. I will now seal the acupoints and meridians around your heart with silver needles and then force the poison out."

Sealing the meridians with silver needles to expel the poisoned blood?

Su Mu was shocked. He had underestimated this young physician, and by extension, the medical skill of the Pharmacist Lin who had taught him.

Suddenly, Su Mu felt even more anticipation. A thought also occurred to him.

"Perhaps I can take this opportunity to learn from him!"

The young physician quickly changed to another set of silver needles, sterilized them with a flame, and began the acupuncture. As the first needle was inserted, Su Mu's eyes narrowed. His comprehension, rated at an impressive 14 points as "Excellent Talent, Raw Jade," proved astonishingly effective at this moment.

Watching the young physician's acupuncture movements, Su Mu memorized them. Simultaneously, corresponding acupoints quickly appeared in his mind's eye. The benefit of practicing multiple martial arts simultaneously also manifested here; Su Mu was already quite familiar with the acupoints throughout his body.

"Under the armpit, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Jiquan point, direct insertion about half an inch."

The young physician's expression was solemn as she inserted the needle meticulously, providing Su Mu with an excellent opportunity to learn by stealth.

Next, one person focused intently on applying needles, and the other focused intently on learning by stealth.

"At the medial epicondyle of the humerus, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Shaohai point, direct insertion about one inch..."

After that, Shenmen point, Tongli point, one needle after another was inserted.

Su Mu's eyes lit up. His powerful comprehension allowed him to connect the acupoints in his mind, gradually weaving together a diagram of Silver Needle Meridian Seal.

"Little brother, wait for me a moment."

Soon, the young physician returned with a stone vessel resembling a small basin. As she held a needle and gently twisted it down, Su Mu suddenly let out a muffled groan, but inwardly, he was overjoyed. At this moment, he clearly felt the insect in his heart stir.

It was a restless sensation, like the toxicity acting up on a rainy day, but now this feeling was sealed within his chest by the silver needle, not spreading throughout his body.

Had the Silver Needle Meridian Seal taken effect?

Next, the young physician's hands moved over Su Mu's sealed meridians with a peculiar technique, rapidly pressing the sealed meridians and acupoints. Then she spoke urgently.

"Little brother, sit up quickly."

Su Mu complied. As the young physician gently twisted and pulled out a silver needle, Su Mu's body convulsed.

Gurgle!

Black blood flowed like a pillar from the needle hole. Su Mu's face instantly turned pale. By the time the stone basin was half full, this session of Silver Needle Meridian Seal concluded. The original medicinal fragrance in the room was completely overwhelmed by the stench of the toxic blood.

"Little brother, lie down for a while. I'll brew you some medicinal soup to replenish your qi and blood."

Su Mu, however, waved his hand.

"No need to trouble you, little physician. I'll be fine just lying here for a bit."

The young physician hesitated before nodding and getting up to deal with the toxic blood. When Su Mu was alone in the room, he quietly circulated the force and qi and blood within his body.

A hint of color slowly reappeared on his pale face. Although his qi and blood had decreased after expelling some of the toxic blood, Su Mu felt a sense of relief.

The reason he didn't take the young physician's medicinal soup was that Su Mu didn't fully trust her yet. Medicine couldn't be taken carelessly.

"This Silver Needle Meridian Seal method might not completely eradicate the Gu Poison, but it can indeed provide relief!"

After catching his breath, Su Mu prepared to pay the consultation fee but was refused by the young physician.

"My master said I haven't graduated yet and can't treat patients alone... How about this: consider your consultation fee as practice for me. You can come back later."

Su Mu's heart stirred at her words. Although his comprehension was powerful, and he had memorized most of the Silver Needle Meridian Seal after seeing it once, "most" wasn't enough. In medical skills, a slight deviation could lead to a huge error; carelessness was unacceptable.

Furthermore, he needed to see that peculiar technique of pressing meridians and acupoints several more times.

He couldn't have asked for a better opportunity!

"Then I'll trouble you, little physician."

Leaving the medical hall, Su Mu went to the marketplace and bought writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. That night, a light rain began to fall. The rain beat against the eaves, dripping down the corners to form streaks of white, pattering incessantly.

Inside the house, Su Mu's face was pale, but his eyes shone brightly.

"It seems... not as severe as before."

The paper spread out on the desk in the room was rustled by the strong wind outside the window. It was a meridian diagram, with acupoints circled in vermilion, accompanied by detailed annotations, though it was not yet complete.

Su Mu silently applied ointment to his left arm. The bones in his left arm felt scorching hot, becoming sturdier and stronger with each passing day.

For the next several days, Su Mu went to the medical hall daily to let the young physician practice on him, and at night, he continued to perfect the unfinished meridian diagram.

Time flowed into the fifth day.

After another session of Silver Needle Meridian Seal, a line of text suddenly appeared before Su Mu's eyes.

Medical Skill (Novice 1%)

"Medical Skill has been initiated!"

Su Mu was overjoyed. After observing the Silver Needle Meridian Seal for five consecutive days, the Medical Skill proficiency appeared on his status panel, allowing him to enter the novice level.

However, after this session of Silver Needle Meridian Seal concluded, as he was leaving, the young physician suddenly called out to Su Mu.

"Little brother, you're a martial artist, aren't you?"

"Yes, I've practiced a bit. I know some martial arts." Su Mu knew his martial arts practice couldn't be hidden from the person before him; it could be seen from his pulse and qi and blood.

Now that the young physician was asking, she likely had a request for him.

"I have something to ask of you. This matter is actually related to you as well. I'd like to ask you to help me go out of the city to find my master."

Find his master?

Could it be that Pharmacist Lin had met with trouble?

Su Mu's heart leaped in alarm.