Liu Ergou did not immediately answer Zhang Xiuming. Instead, he lowered his head and thought for a moment before he finally responded, "Success rate, huh? To be honest, with me, the success rate is barely fifty percent."

"You have to understand, this isn't a severe illness or an accident; this is the natural decline of a lifespan," he continued. "Understand?"

A fifty percent chance of success was enough to make Zhang Xiuming hesitate. To him, that was simply too low. He felt the success rate needed to be at least eighty percent to even consider such a gamble. A fifty percent chance was too terrifying to contemplate. If it failed, his father might die on the spot.

Zhang Xiuming hesitated for a long, long time before he asked his second question. "Fifty percent isn't high, but could you tell me, young man, why you must needle the lethal acupoints? I'm not a practitioner of Chinese medicine, but I do know a bit about it."

Faced with the question, Liu Ergou explained without hesitation, "The reason for needling the lethal acupoints is quite complicated.

"Basically, it's about seeking life from the brink of death. That's the only way to have even a sliver of a chance for survival.

"Otherwise, there isn't even that slim chance."

After speaking, Liu Ergou fell silent. He simply stood there, watching Zhang Xiuming, because it was now time for the other man to make a decision, not for him to talk.

Just as Zhang Xiuming was hesitating, Zhang Man, who stood to the side, spoke up. "Dad, things are already this bad. How much worse could they possibly get?

"At worst, Grandpa will pass away on the spot. Since he's beyond saving anyway, let's just give it a try. It's a last-ditch effort, like trying to save a dead horse!"

One had to admit, Zhang Man's words were a stunning display of filial impiety, leaving her father speechless and unsure of what to say.

If there weren't so many outsiders here, he would have certainly scolded Zhang Man severely and told her to use her brain! The credibility of her suggestion was incredibly low!

But this time, Zhang Xiuming did not. He merely glowered at Zhang Man and said irritably, "Alright, Man, shut up!

"You have no say here. Go back to your room immediately!

"If you don't go, don't blame me for dealing with you later!"

Zhang Man, however, ignored him and continued, "Dad, what is there to hesitate about?

"Didn't I already say it? How much worse can things get from here?

"If Grandpa happens to pass away from this, he won't suffer much. He'll just be released from it all!"

Zhang Man's words left Liu Ergou's mouth hanging open. The same Zhang Man who had been opposing Liu Yunxi at every turn just yesterday was now suddenly on his side, speaking up for him? This was too outrageous. He found it hard to believe.

What Liu Ergou didn't know was that Zhang Man was helping him for one simple reason: he had once risked his life to save her. Considering how bad the weather and visibility were that day, even a professional swimmer would have thought twice before diving in. But Liu Ergou didn't hesitate. It was in that moment that Zhang Man had fallen for him.

Zhang Man watched her father remain silent, growing increasingly anxious. "Dad!" she called out irritably.

Even so, Zhang Xiuming did not immediately agree.

"No, I still don't think it's right!" Zhang Xiuming said earnestly. "That's my father. And even if he weren't, that's still a human life!

"I can't be so irresponsible with a life!"

Hearing Zhang Xiuming's words, Liu Ergou was suddenly overjoyed. He'd been racking his brain trying to figure out how to get out of this messy situation. Now, Zhang Xiuming himself was handing him an escape route. All he had to do was take it, and he could leave this whole muddle behind.

Having come to this conclusion, Liu Ergou spoke decisively, "Since you don't trust me, then so be it.

"It just so happens I have things to attend to back home. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."

With that, Liu Ergou turned to leave. Seeing him about to walk away, Zhang Xiuming grew anxious. He cast his other concerns aside and stepped forward to block Liu Ergou's path.

"Wait, young man, don't go just yet! Let's talk this through!"

Liu Ergou didn't even slow his steps. "You say we can talk, but there's nothing to discuss. If you don't trust me, why should I stay here?

"I'm leaving!"

Watching Liu Ergou, who showed no intention of stopping, Zhang Xiuming sighed helplessly. "Fine, fine… let it be…

"Things have already come to this; how much worse can they get?

"Young man, please treat my father. If anything goes wrong, you won't be held responsible. I'll bear the consequences myself!"

Liu Ergou was surprised by Zhang Xiuming's words. He never expected the man to say something like that. But since he'd already said it, Liu Ergou couldn't very well leave now.

So, he returned to the old man's bedside. He took out exactly thirty-six silver needles from the wooden box and promptly inserted them into the thirty-six lethal acupoints on the old man's body.

As the needles were inserted, the old man, who had been unresponsive, suddenly furrowed his brow as if in great pain.

But Liu Ergou wasn't surprised at all. This was merely the beginning.

Then, Liu Ergou's hands moved slightly, and he lightly tapped each of the thirty-six silver needles. After being tapped, the needles began to vibrate intensely, emitting waves of humming sounds. Immediately after, the energy from Liu Ergou's body surged through the needles and into the old man.

In the blink of an eye, everyone present saw the old man's complexion improve at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing this, Liu Ergou nodded in satisfaction. Yes, this is the exact effect I was looking for!

Now, all that remained was to wait patiently. After about fifteen minutes, Liu Ergou rose from his chair. With swift movements, he removed the thirty-six silver needles from the old man's body and put them back in his pocket.

Then he turned to look at Zhang Xiuming. "Mr. Zhang, I've finished treating your father. The situation looks good. His life is saved.

"Next, I'll write you two prescriptions."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.