"Brother He, let's just go for now, so we don't upset Uncle any further." Zhou Chen, standing nearby, felt rather awkward but also thought Lin Yu had brought this on himself by showing off.
Shen Yuxuan, also present, looked embarrassed. Seeing his father truly angry, he stammered without daring to speak up. In their household, his father held absolute authority; neither he nor his mother ever dared to contradict him.
"Xiao Chen, I'm not referring to you. Please stay for lunch," Shen Hanshan said, his tone softening as he addressed Zhou Chen.
"No need, Uncle. I have matters to attend to this afternoon," Zhou Chen declined with a smile.
Shortly after, the three of them left the Shen residence.
"Jiarong, I'm sorry. I had no idea my father would be home today, otherwise I wouldn't have invited you over," Shen Yuxuan apologized, full of remorse.
"It's alright," Lin Yu shook his head, his gaze suddenly drawn to a corner of the wall southwest of the Shen family's courtyard.
"Brother He, let's head back then. I'll drive you," Zhou Chen said urgently, his mind still fixated on the Ming Dynasty calligraphy piece he was eager to see.
"I can't leave. Uncle's back pain has been severe lately, and he's facing a major crisis. If we don't address it quickly, his life could be in danger."
As he spoke, Lin Yu kept his eyes fixed on the southwestern corner of the wall, his brow furrowed.
"Jiarong, you have to find a way to save my dad!" Shen Yuxuan panicked. His father was the pillar of their family; if anything happened to him, the entire Shen household would collapse.
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated? It's just back pain. I get it too from sitting too long," Zhou Chen said helplessly. He wondered if He Jiarong was addicted to putting on an act. Even Yuxuan kept encouraging him. If Zhou Chen didn't need his help, he would have left long ago.
"Yuxuan, has this corner of your courtyard wall been repaired before?"
Lin Yu walked over to the corner for a closer look. The paint on that section appeared slightly fresher than the surrounding areas.
"Yes, about three months ago. A neighbor was renovating their garage, and the truck driver backing up wasn't paying attention—he crashed into our wall and collapsed this corner. We had it repaired later," Shen Yuxuan explained quickly. "Why? Is there a problem with this corner? Did the repair disrupt the feng shui?"
Lin Yu shook his head. The issue wasn't the repair itself; he could see dark energy emanating from within the wall. "Something might have been placed inside this wall," he said.
Earlier, when he entered, he hadn't noticed it because the dark energy had been blocked by the auspicious aura from the plum tree in the courtyard.
As they spoke, the acupuncturist Shen Hanshan had scheduled arrived—a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair. He greeted Shen Yuxuan and hurried inside.
Shen Yuxuan, without bothering with pleasantries, immediately asked Lin Yu, "Something inside the wall? Should I call someone to break it open right now?" He already had his phone out.
Lin Yu nodded. Glancing at the acupuncturist's retreating figure, he knew the treatment would be futile. To truly resolve Shen Hanshan's back pain, they had to start with this corner.
"Yuxuan, going to such extremes—breaking walls and all—will upset your father, won't it?" Zhou Chen frowned. "I think we should wait. The acupuncturist who just went in—I know him. He's the chief physician at Mingxin Hall, very skilled. He cured my father's back pain last time."
"Zhou Chen has a point. We can wait a bit," Lin Yu agreed, knowing Zhou Chen still didn't trust him.
"Then I'll call someone over first." Shen Yuxuan dialed a renovation company.
"Make sure not to call the same people who repaired the wall last time," Lin Yu reminded him quickly.
"Understood." Shen Yuxuan nodded.
In less than an hour, two workers from the renovation company arrived. Their small truck was fully equipped with electric hammers, impact drills, and everything needed.
"Why are you still here!" Shen Hanshan emerged after his acupuncture session, escorting the physician out. Seeing Lin Yu still there, he was visibly annoyed.
"Dad, inside the wall—"
"Uncle, if I'm not mistaken, after the acupuncture, your back pain hasn't eased but has worsened, hasn't it?" Lin Yu cut off Shen Yuxuan. He knew someone like Shen Hanshan wouldn't listen to vague explanations; he only dealt in facts.
"How did you know?" Shen Hanshan's expression shifted slightly. Lin Yu was right—after the session, not only did the pain not lessen, it had intensified. Now even walking was difficult.
Inside, he had discussed this with the acupuncturist, who was also puzzled and suggested he visit Jishitang for further consultation.
"Uncle, as I said earlier, your condition isn't due to strain but has another cause. Even the recent accidents you've had are all connected. If you give me a little time, I can resolve your back pain immediately," Lin Yu said earnestly, looking at Shen Hanshan.
"Thank you for your concern, but it's unnecessary. Yuxuan, get the car and take me to Jishitang," Shen Hanshan said coldly.
"You—you're the young神医 (shén yī: divine doctor) who competed with Elder Song that day!" The acupuncturist suddenly recognized Lin Yu. He pulled out his phone to compare and immediately exclaimed excitedly, "It really is you, young神医! What an honor!"
The acupuncturist hurried over to shake Lin Yu's hand, bowing slightly with great respect.
A video of Lin Yu's medical competition with Song Minghui had been shared in Qinghai's traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) WeChat group, causing a huge stir. Now the entire TCM community in Qinghai knew of this young prodigy.
"You flatter me, sir." Lin Yu humbly lowered his posture.
Seeing the acupuncturist, who was over fifty, show such respect to Lin Yu, both Shen Hanshan and Zhou Chen were astonished.
Shen Yuxuan, however, felt quite proud. This He Jiarong was truly a remarkable individual!
"Mr. Shen, your condition can be treated. With Young神医 He here, you don't need to go anywhere else. Even Elder Song from Jishitang is slightly less skilled than him," the elderly acupuncturist said admiringly. With such talents in TCM, the field was sure to thrive!
"Dad, even this physician says so. Why not let Jiarong examine you? It might work," Shen Yuxuan urged.
"Fine. Since you know medicine, please take a look," Shen Hanshan said, still somewhat skeptical.
"As I said, your back pain isn't illness-related. Give me ten minutes, and I guarantee your pain and misfortune will vanish."
With that, Lin Yu signaled to Shen Yuxuan, who immediately instructed the workers to start.
With the roar of the impact drill, half the wall corner crumbled.
"What are you doing!" Shen Hanshan's face darkened. Was his rebellious son trying to demolish the house?
"Jiarong, you were right! There really is something inside!" Shen Yuxuan exclaimed in surprise and excitement.
Hearing this, Shen Hanshan also paused and curiously approached with the others. Inside the wall, a dark yellow oil-paper package had been embedded, emitting a faint, strange odor.
Lin Yu borrowed gloves from the workers, put them on, and carefully extracted the package. He opened it in front of everyone.
Everyone was shocked to see a pitch-black chopper inside the package.
Even Shen Hanshan, who didn't believe in supernatural matters, gasped, feeling a chill down his spine. Finding a chopper embedded in his courtyard wall was unsettling for anyone.
"This isn't ordinary oil-paper. It's probably soaked in corpse oil," Lin Yu said, frowning. The person who did this was truly ruthless—what deep hatred must they have harbored?
The group shuddered at the thought.
Amid the shock, Shen Hanshan suddenly realized the pain in his back had significantly lessened. He tested by moving his waist and knees—there was no pain at all. He was inwardly astonished and looked at Lin Yu with newfound respect.
Lin Yu broke off a plum branch, borrowed a lighter from the workers, and lit the branch along with the oil-paper package. Then he asked Shen Yuxuan, "Do you have any rice at home?"
"Yes, yes!" Shen Yuxuan rushed inside and brought out the entire rice container.
Lin Yu grabbed a handful of rice, secretly applied the Clear Mind Technique, and put it back. Then he inserted the chopper into the rice. The grains around the chopper suddenly turned dark.
Zhou Chen, watching nearby, was stunned. Everything he witnessed today far exceeded his understanding.
"Throw the rice in the trash. You can keep the chopper—it might be useful for pruning plum and date trees," Lin Yu said with a smile. The chopper now held no malevolent energy; it was just an ordinary tool.
Shen Yuxuan, however, didn't dare keep it. He paid each worker a thousand yuan, bundled the rice, chopper, and ashes together, and told them to discard it as far away as possible.
"Uncle, your back doesn't hurt anymore, does it?" Lin Yu turned and asked.