Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

"If the needle technique is incorrect, the consequences are easily foreseeable."

Having seen the true Seven-Star Exquisite Needle technique, Xu Ke knew these symptoms perfectly well. Yang Shoukang's expression flickered, his face pale one moment and green the next. He was clearly spiraling into an existential crisis because of Xu Ke's words.

Seeing Yang Shoukang's silence, the assembled nurses and assistants dared not speak. They weren't idiots; they could tell that Xu Ke's words had struck a nerve. But this revelation was causing their own faith to collapse. How could the Grandmaster of The Medical Path they revered be so thoroughly shaken by just a few sentences? Could the legendary needle technique really be a sham?!

Xu Ke, oblivious to the fact that he'd not only sent Yang Shoukang into an existential crisis but had also shattered his staff's faith, continued, "Beyond these side effects, the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle is an art of the Martial Path. The stronger the practitioner, the greater the healing effect on the patient. But because your version is incomplete, the opposite is true—the stronger your True Qi, the *weaker* the healing effect. Therefore, you are forced to suppress your own cultivation, which only ties your hands further."

This final statement was the straw that broke the camel's back. Yang Shoukang seemed to age a dozen years in an instant. "Does this mean my life's pride has been a mistake?!" he cried, his voice trembling.

"I thought the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle was a legacy passed down to me from the ancient masters. Have I been using a flawed tradition all this time?!

"Practicing medicine with false techniques... How could I possibly deserve the title of Grandmaster of The Medical Path?

"I'm a quack! I'm a charlatan!"

Overcome with grief and rage, Yang Shoukang beat his chest and stamped his feet. The female nurses who idolized him were utterly crushed. So Elder Yang is a fraud! If Mister Xu hadn't appeared, we might have spent our entire lives following a quack...

Outside the door, Wang Wu was dumbfounded. How could a distinguished Grandmaster of The Medical Path crumble so completely after just a few words?

Xu Ke hadn't expected this reaction. His original plan was simply to use the truth to pressure Yang Shoukang into stepping aside so he could treat the patient. He never imagined he would completely shatter the man's psychological defenses. That wasn't his intention at all.

"Elder Yang, you're overthinking this!" he said quickly. "If you're a quack, then there are no true doctors left in this world."

Everyone stared, stunned, turning their gazes to Xu Ke. But Yang Shoukang remained in the depths of despair, looking as if he wanted to smash his head against a wall and end it all. Xu Ke gritted his teeth. Damn it all. I came here to save Wang Yu, and now I have to play psychologist for Yang Shoukang?

But he had to press on. If Yang Shoukang's conviction in his medical path truly collapsed, where would the Wang Family find another Grandmaster? He continued, "In the hands of an ordinary physician, a flawed needle technique wouldn't just fail to heal—it would become a murder weapon. Yet you, Elder Yang, managed to take this 'murder weapon' and use it to heal the sick and save the dying. Doesn't that prove the profoundness of your medical skill? Furthermore, you willingly endured the technique's side effects daily, even suppressing your own True Qi cultivation, all for the sake of your patients. Is that not the ultimate proof of a healer's compassionate heart? You are more than worthy of the title Grandmaster of The Medical Path."

At his words, a spark of understanding lit up the eyes of the disheartened staff. He's right! After hearing Mister Xu put it that way, they finally understood how truly great Elder Yang was!

Yang Shoukang finally looked up. "But even if my skills are superb, I still failed to see the flaws in the Seven-Star Exquisite Needle," he lamented. "The Seven Stars are flawed, and I was blind to it!"

Xu Ke shook his head. "The flaw of the incomplete Seven-Star Exquisite Needle harms the user, not the patient. What the complete version can cure, the incomplete one can as well. You never saw the defect, Elder Yang, because your heart was with your patients. Since every patient was saved, why would you ever doubt the technique? You paid no mind to your own suffering, and so you never discovered the flaw in the Seven Stars! That isn't being a quack. That's self-sacrifice."

Yang Shoukang stared at Xu Ke in disbelief. "So I'm not... a quack?"

"Of course not," Xu Ke said with a smile.

As Yang Shoukang finally seemed to pull back from the brink, Xu Ke let out a quiet sigh of relief. Seeing Xu Ke's smile and hearing his affirmation, Yang Shoukang felt a warmth spread through his chest that brought tears to his eyes. Moreover, there was a strange sense of familiarity in Xu Ke's validation. It felt just like the unforgettable excitement he'd experienced long ago when a revered senior had praised him.

Meanwhile, Wang Wu, the only outsider in the room, was thinking to himself. This Mister Xu... his tongue is sharp as a razor when he's criticizing, but his skill at praising someone is just as profound! He then cast a sympathetic glance toward the unconscious Wang Yu. If the Young Miss were the one on that bed, Mister Xu wouldn't be wasting a second on pleasantries with Yang Shoukang. He'd probably kill anyone who stood in his way. It's only because it's Wang Yu that he can afford to be so calm, even taking the time to counsel the old man...

Just then—

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...

The sudden alarm from the monitor jolted everyone out of their distraction.

"Quick!"

"Get the oxygen supply back up!"

Wang Yu was flatlining!

Xu Ke instantly moved forward. This time, no one dared to block his path; in fact, they scrambled to make way. If this young man could verbally dismantle a Grandmaster of The Medical Path, who among them would dare to challenge him?

Xu Ke produced a silver needle, imbued it with his True Qi, and with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying toward the vital points over Wang Yu's heart. He was sealing Wang Yu's lifeline.

Yang Shoukang watched, dumbfounded and trembling with excitement. "Is that... could that be the Tenro Thirteen Needles?!" He had assumed Xu Ke, having seen the true Seven-Star Exquisite Needle, might use that. He never expected Xu Ke would also know the Tenro Thirteen Needles, a legendary technique said to be known only by the Medical Saint! Could Xu Ke be... A sudden possibility struck Yang Shoukang, and his body trembled as he stared, transfixed, at Xu Ke's back. Now he understood. He finally understood why Xu Ke's validation had felt so uncannily familiar!

...

Unaware of Yang Shoukang's epiphany, Xu Ke took out a second silver needle. He calmed his mind, focused his spirit, and struck again. This time, the needle flared with an astonishing golden light before plunging into Wang Yu's torso. It sank in completely, disappearing beneath the skin. He was going to use his qi to guide the needle remotely, pulling at the last embers of Wang Yu's life force from within!

The technique was incredibly difficult, similar to Vitality Essence Release but demanding far greater control. One misstep would completely extinguish the patient's life force. It was also prone to failure if the practitioner's own True Qi reserves were insufficient. Since Wong Qifu had forbidden him from using the Immobilizing Needle, he was forced to take this gamble. If Xu Ke hadn't already reached the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm and had extensive experience with Vitality Essence Release, he never would have dared to attempt it.

Everyone watched, their eyes wide with shock. A few crept cautiously to Yang Shoukang's side. "Elder Yang," one whispered, "is... is this safe?" They had never witnessed anything like it.

But Yang Shoukang paid them no mind, sweat beading on his brow as he muttered to himself, "Controlling the needle with qi... controlling the needle with qi... It's real! It's actually real!" He looked at Xu Ke again, his expression no longer one of mere shock. It was pure reverence. With his Tenro Thirteen Needles, Xu Ke had completely conquered him.

Seeing Yang Shoukang's fanatical expression, Wang Wu felt a sudden sense of deja vu. Wasn't Zhang Qiming just like this at first, too?