Kayson rushed to his mother's hospital bed, knelt down, and placed his right hand on hers.
A translucent interface appeared in his mind:
Diagnosis:
Blocked blood vessels in the left leg caused paralysis.
Prolonged bed rest led to sudden heart attack and respiratory failure, bringing her to the brink of death.
Kayson quickly grabbed a set of silver needles from a passing nurse's tray.
He recalled the acupuncture principles in his mind:
One needle reduces swelling; two stabilize blood; three mend bones; four dissolve poison.
Five heal internal injuries; six extend life; seven revive the dying; eight fix the body; nine banish evil.
The Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces techniques were for spiritual and demonic disturbances.
"Hey, loser! What do you think you're doing touching my needles?" the nurse snapped.
"I'll pay for them. I'll settle everything when I leave," Kayson said.
The nurse rolled her eyes at him.
Kayson held the needles steady and stabbed them into six points on his mother's body: Weizhong, Fengshi, and Chengfu on her left thigh, plus Qimen, Tianshu, and Zhongwan around her chest.
This was the Six Harmonies Life-Prolonging Needle Technique.
The nurse shook her head at him.
"Loser, your mom only has thirty minutes left. Why aren't you saying your goodbyes or checking for money? Instead, you're stabbing her with needles!"
Another nurse snacked on sunflower seeds and scoffed. "He couldn't even pay for the surgery. What money would he have?"
"He's clearly lost his mind, poking her like that."
"Let's go talk some sense into him. He's out of his mind."
The two nurses walked over.
"Listen, the hospital already did everything they could. They said she's gone. Let her rest in peace. Why are you messing around?"
Kayson smiled brightly. "I can cure her. I really can."
The nurse pointed at him with her delicate fingers.
"Can you listen? I'm telling you to say what you need to say before it's too late. Why are you so stubborn?"
"I'm telling the truth. Just watch," Kayson insisted.
"Ridiculous! If you could be a doctor, I'd be a god!"
Kayson ignored her and focused on the needles.
A group of nurses gathered and whispered among themselves.
"Dr. Qin operated on your mom himself! He said she's beyond saving. You think you know better?"
"Yeah! Dr. Qin is Dean Sun's student. He's way more qualified than you!"
Kayson crouched beside the bed and watched his mother closely.
This was his first time healing someone.
After a long while, Yang Cuihua slowly opened her eyes.
"My son… where am I?"
"Mom!" Kayson hugged her, and both of them burst into tears.
Though her adoptive mother had been bedridden for a long time, and her legs were still stiff,
a green, healthy indicator appeared in Kayson's mind — she was cured.
"Wait… what's happening?"
The nurses stared at each other in shock.
"Yang Cuihua was pronounced dead! How is she waking up?!"
The commotion drew the attention of a top specialist at Aster City General Hospital:
Dean Sun Zhonghai, known as the Medicine King, or Sun the Reviver.
Aster City's medical circle had four kings:
Medicine King Sun Zhonghai, Pharmacy King Yao Wushuang, Needle King Qin Yizhen, and Poison King Ouyang Kang.
Sun Zhonghai stared at Yang Cuihua's X-rays in disbelief.
This made no sense.
He hadn't performed the surgery himself, but his student had,
and he'd reviewed all the scans. She should have been beyond saving.
"It's only a last flicker of life before death. Nothing surprising," Sun Zhonghai concluded.
Such moments could last minutes or even hours.
As a doctor, he saw no need to shatter their hope.
Sometimes, a gentle lie was part of the job.
Kayson lifted his mother onto his back and carried her out of the hospital.
He took a taxi back to her home in the run-down shantytown — the kind of area people called the city's ugly scar.
It was only a tiny room, but to Kayson, it felt like the warmest place in the world.
"Mom, drink some water."
"Have some fruit."
"I'll cook for you."
Kayson fussed around her, overcome with joy.
"Sit down. Don't run around," his mother said, patting the bed.
"I'm old. If I died, I'd have lived a full life. Why waste money on me?"
She added softly, "Any news about your father?"
Kayson shook his head.
"I'll find him, Mom. I promise."
His adoptive father, Ye Wuming, had disappeared while fishing a year ago. It haunted them both.
Yang Cuihua didn't push the subject.
She didn't want to burden her son, who already had it so hard.
They were poor, and she was sick.
And even though he'd been married for years, she had never even met her daughter-in-law.
"Son… could you bring your wife over sometime?
Or let me visit her. I want grandchildren. Any child of yours will be perfect to me."
Yang Cuihua looked at him hopefully.
Kayson lowered his head.
He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth.
He was nothing more than a luck charm for the Sullivan family, not a real husband.
He slept on the floor. How could they have children?
Meanwhile, in the Sullivan living room:
Ryan, dressed in a sharp suit, sat facing Linda.
"Auntie, I'm counting on you to help with Sophia and me. I'll offer a $20 million dowry."
"$30 million. Not a penny less. That's my final offer," Linda said, holding up three fingers firmly.
Dylan chimed in from the side.
"My daughter Sophia is stunning. If you refuse, plenty of other men want her."
"A Villa in Roma Estates costs at least that much."
Ryan gritted his teeth inwardly.
Roma Estates was the most luxurious villa community in Aster City.
Yunding Mountain was technically the prime location, but it had developed problems, making Roma the top choice now.
Even he could barely afford it. But these people were aiming high.
Still, once he married Sophia, the money would be as good as his.
"Fine. $30 million," he agreed.
Linda held out her hand.
"Pay up now. I don't do favors. Cash first, marriage later."
"Lots of men want Sophia. I'll marry her to whoever pays the most."
Ryan hesitated.
"I'll pay, but only if Sophia agrees to me personally."
Linda waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. I run this family.
If I say yes, it happens.
I'm the one who made her marry that loser Kayson in the first place.
You already know that, so I won't explain again."
Tomorrow marked the end of the three-year agreement. Linda was already rushing to marry Sophia off to someone new.
Ryan wasn't easily fooled. He refused to hand over the money until Sophia said yes herself.
Linda called Sophia and ordered:
"Bring that loser back with you."