Two minutes later, Yang Ce left in a rage.
After Yang Ce left, Yu Xiao looked at Shen Lang and voiced her biggest confusion, "Brother Shen, why does Yang Ce seem so afraid of you?"
"Does he?"
Shen Lang smiled upon hearing this and said, "Yang Ce isn't afraid of me; he's only afraid of the golden needle in my hand."
"Just this tiny golden needle?"
Yu Xiao looked at the hair-thin golden needle in Shen Lang's hand, her voice filled with disbelief. "I heard Yang Ce is the infamous King of Nanling, feared by both the righteous and the wicked. Why would he be afraid of such a small golden needle?"
Shen Lang chuckled, "Because he has already witnessed the terrifying power of this golden needle, and anyone who has seen its might will be filled with bone-chilling fear of it for the rest of their lives."
The Grand Unity Divine Needle encompassed everything, possessing not only peerless medical skills like 'Immortal's Palm Needle, Raising the Dead' but also deadly assassination techniques such as 'Never Missing a Shot, Flying Needle to Take a Life.'
Shen Lang began practicing the 'Flying Needle Technique' three years ago, launching golden needles ten thousand times daily.
After tens of millions of practice sessions, this tiny golden needle had become an extension of Shen Lang's will and his arm.
Within twenty meters, Shen Lang could accurately strike even a speck of dust with the golden needle in his hand.
Moreover, after tens of millions of repetitions, Shen Lang's needle-throwing speed had reached the realm of 'no trace.' Before others could even see him move, his golden needle would have pierced their throats, making it impossible to defend against or guard against.
In the entire world, apart from the old man, potentially no one else could survive Shen Lang's golden needle, not even the Four Grandmasters who had reached the Heavenly realm in their martial arts cultivation.
Yang Ce was merely a local ruffian in Nanling, not even a martial artist. Having witnessed Shen Lang's terrifying flying needle assassination technique, it would be truly strange if he weren't afraid.
However, Yu Xiao was unaware of these details.
She only knew one thing: Shen Lang was powerful, almost omnipotent.
Yu Xiao looked at Shen Lang with anticipation in her eyes and asked, "Brother Shen, when do you plan to treat Xiao Fei?"
Yu Fei had been paralyzed since the age of five, completely unable to care for herself. Her father, Yu Lao Gou, was a gambling scumbag who never bothered with his daughter.
Initially, the villagers had helped take care of Yu Fei.
But after a year or so, as time wore on, people stopped.
After all, adults had their own hardships and difficulties; they were ordinary people and couldn't manage to help out indefinitely.
Consequently, Yu Xiao had been taking care of her sister's daily needs since she was seven.
Over the years, no one understood her sister's pain better than she did, and no one wished more than Yu Xiao for her sister to stand up again.
"I can do it anytime, but I don't know if she can endure it."
Shen Lang glanced at Yu Fei, who was leaning on the sofa, captivating and alluring. He suppressed his thoughts for a moment, but finally spoke, "Yu Fei, it's like this. Because of your spinal disease and necrotic spinal nerves, if I use golden needles to stimulate acupuncture points and cleanse the marrow, I can revitalize your spinal nerves."
"This process won't take more than ten minutes, but during these ten minutes, you will experience extreme pain, pain that will exceed your imagination."
Yu Fei's expression remained incredibly calm upon hearing this, like still water without a ripple. She asked, "How painful?"
"The pain of extreme torture."
Shen Lang elaborated, "The so-called extreme torture is the dismemberment by chariots. Ropes would be tied to a person's limbs and neck, and then five horses would pull chariots in opposite directions, tearing the person apart limb by limb. Such pain is beyond human endurance."
Yu Xiao's face turned pale upon hearing this, and she said, "Brother Shen, that sounds terrifying. Xiao Fei probably can't bear such pain. Can we use anesthesia?"
"No—"
Shen Lang shook his head and explained, "She has been paralyzed for over a decade, and seventy percent of her nerves have lost sensation. The golden needle acupuncture not only needs to cleanse her marrow and repair her necrotic spinal nerves but also awaken her other dormant nerves."
"These two tasks must be done together, in one go."
"This..."
Yu Xiao fell silent upon hearing Shen Lang's words.
She wanted her sister to stand again, but she didn't want her sister to endure such agony.
Yu Xiao was deeply conflicted.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Seeing Yu Xiao's pained and distressed expression, Yu Fei smiled and said, "Sister, don't worry about me. I can bear it."
"Living like this now is no different from being dead. As long as it allows me to stand up again, I can endure any pain."
"And even if, in the worst-case scenario, I fail and unfortunately die, I will have no regrets."
"Because I would rather die than continue living like this."
She looked at Shen Lang with a determined gaze, "Brother Shen, I am ready."
Hearing Yu Fei's words, not only Yu Xiao but even Shen Lang looked at Yu Fei in disbelief.
Yu Fei's resolute attitude far exceeded their expectations.
Shen Lang, in particular, was reminded of the scene when the old man first brought him to Prisoner Dragon Mountain.
Back then, Shen Lang studied medicine for eight hours daily, practiced martial arts for eight hours, chopped vegetables and carried water for four hours, and cooked for another two hours. He was exhausted to the point of near death.
And even during the mere two hours of sleep he got each day, the old man never let him rest comfortably.
Sometimes, Shen Lang, in his sleep, would have a basin of icy water suddenly thrown on him.
Other times, even though Shen Lang was sleeping in his bed, if he rolled over, he would find himself not on a bed but amidst a densely packed group of venomous snakes.
In just one week, Shen Lang's body and mind completely collapsed.
Yet, when the old man asked him if he wanted to give up, Shen Lang's attitude was as resolute as Yu Fei's is now.
His answer was that even if he died, he would not return to being a beggar who was bullied and trampled upon.
Here, then; now, then.
Different people, different times, but the scene unfolding before them was strikingly similar.
In Yu Fei, Shen Lang saw a reflection of his own unyielding self from the past.
Shen Lang looked at Yu Fei and said, "Yu Fei, I admire your decisiveness. I promise you, I will cure you."
"However..." Shen Lang paused, his tone suddenly changing.
"Brother Shen, are there any further difficulties?"
Yu Fei asked, looking at Shen Lang.
"Actually... compared to enduring the pain of extreme torture, what I'm about to say is minor."
Shen Lang continued, "It's like this: when I administer the needles later, you must be completely unclothed. In other words, you will be completely exposed to my sight."
"What?"
Both Yu Xiao and Yu Fei were startled by Shen Lang's words.
Especially Yu Fei, a girl who had just turned sixteen. The sudden mention of being completely exposed to a man's gaze instantly made her pretty face flush, and her head bowed so low she could barely lift it.
However, though she didn't look up, she weakly uttered three words: "I... am willing."