Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 209 The Fool (Transition)
After reciting the contents of the ancestral texts on the "Ghost Needle," Master Bi then addressed Ma Xianhong, whose expression had visibly changed:

"Master, I examined your pulse and heart condition twice, and they are exactly the same as those of the madmen from the Gao family of Northern Qi recorded by the patriarchs..."

"You might say... your symptoms are different from theirs. However, if we categorize your condition as a result of supernatural methods, then without knowing its effects..."

"Assuming it can modify other people's mental state, I think that's quite reasonable."

Upon hearing what Master Bi said, Ma Xianhong felt his blood surge uncontrollably again, his emotions swirling and churning as if to drag him into an endless abyss. For a moment, even his eyes lost their light—his strange 'illness' had probably flared up again.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone in the room when he fell ill; coincidentally, there was also a doctor there.

As a barefoot doctor who had been practicing medicine for many years, Bi Yuan's medical expertise, while not as profound as that of the renowned physician Wang Zizhong, was far superior in breadth. He was particularly adept at handling various difficult and complicated diseases, especially those he had "seen" in the medical records of the "Ghost Needle" lineage.

Therefore, when he saw that Ma Xianhong's heart and head qi suddenly went awry, Master Bi Yuan first showed an expression of "I knew it," and then calmly extended a finger to press several key acupoints around Ma Xianhong's heart. He then took out his needles and cloth and used them to pierce Ma Xianhong's shoulder and neck.

After a few needles, Ma Xianhong's gradually 'sinking' expression abruptly stopped, and the muscles in his entire face began to twitch. Seeing that the method he had found in ancient books had worked, Bi Yuan couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

This smile caused Master Bi's reading glasses to slide down to the tip of his nose, but... it didn't stop him from treating people.

After waiting a few breaths, Master Bi frowned and took out six more gold needles from the needle cloth. He held them firmly with his fingertips and then inserted them into Ma Xianhong's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head and the Tanzhong acupoint on his chest. All the needle manipulation and Qi application were precise.

After the needle was inserted into the acupoint, Ma Xianhong suddenly became energetic, and the light and brilliance in his eyes returned, as if he was about to regain consciousness.

When Village Chief Ma finally came to his senses, he felt a cool, quiet sensation in his acupoints, and the feeling of his meridians clashing was gone. After a while, a warm feeling spread throughout his body along his meridians, and the slight blockage in his body energy at his head and neck melted away like snow meeting the spring sun.

Three breaths later, Ma Xianhong suddenly felt an unbearable itch in his lungs, coughed up phlegm from his throat, and even his complexion became rosy, and his unfocused eyes became clear.

After feeling a bit better, he sat up, propping himself up on the edge of the couch, and stared intently at Master Bi, who had already removed all the gold needles.

Although Bi Yuan often jokingly called himself a barefoot doctor, he had been treating patients for many years, so he naturally knew what Village Chief Ma wanted to ask in this manner.

So, after raising his eyebrows slightly, he pointed directly at the phlegm that Ma Xianhong had just spat out and said, "What you spat out is indeed filth in your lungs, but it doesn't address the root cause and won't cure the disease. Because this phlegm has nothing to do with your brain, and in fact... it shouldn't have anything to do with it."

At this point, Bi Yuan carefully smoothed his long beard with his hand, then thought for a moment before saying, "The meridians I needled earlier were mostly aimed at regulating the flow of qi and blood in the head and neck and stimulating the spirit. Only the last two needles... were aimed at your [Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian]."

"The thick phlegm you coughed up was from your lung meridian being stimulated by the acupuncture needles, causing it to clear your lungs on its own. But... thinking about it carefully, it should be the bloody sores you got from fighting those 'all-knowing' guys yesterday, and it doesn't have much to do with your illness."

After hearing this, Ma Xianhong first nodded, then frowned and pointed to the spit-out substance, his expression full of doubt, and said, "Master Bi, since... it has nothing to do with my illness, why do I feel so clear-headed after spitting out this phlegm?"

"Not only that, I even feel that my blood circulation and qi flow are smoother."

Hearing that his countermeasures had worked well, Bi Yuan couldn't help but show his pride. He stroked his beard again and said with a smile, "Haha, even I, the old man, didn't know."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xianhong frowned. He knew that Master Bi had no reason to lie, so he asked directly, "You don't know either? But this method did work?"

Bi Yuan first hummed in agreement, then explained, "What I said is true, I really didn't know. Like... as I just said, I needled three vital points on the back of your head, the top of your head, and your neck. This is a standard acupuncture method for dealing with attacks on the soul."

"But the two needles inserted into the lung meridian afterward were a method obtained from the 'Ghost Gate Needle'... the ancestor who treated the Northern Qi royal family."

"But unfortunately, even that patriarch only knew that acupuncture was effective in that place through repeated attempts, but he did not know why it was effective."

"So... how could I possibly know the principle? I'm just seeing this kind of 'symptom' for the first time."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xianhong frowned and said, "Your ancestor... there's more to the story..."

Master Bi knew what Ma Xianhong wanted to ask, so he simply waved his hand and said, "As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. My ancestor left behind a lot of knowledge, but... if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet."

"When Gao Wei succeeded to the throne of Northern Qi, he died and was ordered to be cut into pieces."

After saying this, Ma Xianhong showed an extremely shocked expression, but Bi Yuan was not surprised at all. He then said, "What's there to be shocked about? No matter how much you cultivate, you're just a more powerful superhuman."

"Even the most destitute emperor has a gang of thugs around him. If he wants to kill you, no matter how reasonable it is, you will die. This saying is still relevant today."

Then he smiled and continued, "Master, the reason I am interested in your illness is also because I want to complete the records for that patriarch and fulfill his last wish."

"But... I dare not go against the mastermind behind your tricks. I can only be a quack doctor and an observer."

After hearing this, Ma Xianhong sighed deeply, then nodded and asked, "Master Bi, I'd like to ask, how long will this condition last, or will it continue indefinitely?"

Master Bi raised an eyebrow and said, "Although I don't know exactly how the methods used on you were 'implanted,' as I said before, the effects of the spell are gradually weakening, at least weaker than last time..."

"In other words, although the effects were similar, your illness was not as severe as those of the emperors of Northern Qi, or rather... the person who used the methods did not go to extremes, but left room for maneuver."

"Judging from the current situation, if you are not 'repaired' by that evil method again, you may recover on your own in less than half a year, after all, the human soul can also repair itself."

After covering his head with his hand for a while, Ma Xianhong fell into a long silence. Only after a long time did he murmur as if waking from a dream, "...Half a year?"

Bi Yuan nodded and replied, "Yes! It will be half a year, it will only be faster, not slower. After all, it is a technique based on Qi, which consumes the remaining Qi of the caster, and will not generate and accumulate on its own."

“Based on what I felt during the acupuncture just now, the remaining amount can only last for half a year at most.” After saying that, Master Bi sat down again. He looked at Ma Xianhong calmly for a while, and seeing that the other party’s emotions had stabilized, he narrowed his eyes and said again, “Master, you probably understand what I mean.”

"It can heal itself in six months... That means that if the caster wants to ensure that the spell continues to work in your mind, then every once in a while, they need to replenish the energy of the spell on your head."

"Although I don't know... when your 'symptom' started, this point is absolutely correct."

Then, Mr. Bi lowered his head again, and due to the lighting, his large mirrored reading glasses reflected the light.

He added, "You may have inquired about me before. I have had many apprentices and have enlightened and inspired many young people over the decades."

"I am very weak in martial arts, but I have seen what powerful people are like."

"In my opinion, with the power of your many magical artifacts, ordinary people simply cannot get close to you. Even a master would need several of them to surround you in order to take you down."

"Even the most capable young man I've ever met would have to put in a lot of effort against you."

Bi Yuan adjusted his glasses again and said, "And you... according to what you yourself said, you've been in Biyou Village for almost two years."

“Not counting last night. In the past two years, apart from the time when the village was first established and there were few people, and there were some thieves who accidentally wandered in and needed your help, you have hardly ever seriously fought with anyone.”

"And the only way to mess with your mind, without a serious fight, and without the rest of the villagers finding out..."

"I reckon, only yours is like that..."

As Bi Yuan pressed on, revealing his true thoughts, Ma Xianhong felt a throbbing headache return. He had made a connection; even though he had suspected it beforehand, having it stated so bluntly still stirred his emotions.

So he simply shouted, "Enough!"

The voice was like a palette, containing three parts shrillness, three parts coldness, three parts sorrow, and a touch of the bleakness of an honest person who had been bullied.

Although Master Bi was interrupted, he did not show any anger. Instead, he once again showed an expression of "I knew it," and then sat there quietly.

After about ten breaths, Ma Xianhong's head returned to normal. He then panted and said softly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bi, it seems that... it flared up again just now. My headache is really unbearable."

Bi Yuan waved his hand and then said, "It's nothing, Master. Let me be frank with you, the reason I spoke frankly just now was to conduct an experiment."

"First, it's to deplete the 'qi' in your head. If you accidentally overstimulate it, I can use a needle to press it down for you in time."

"Secondly... I've noticed that you always react to certain things... This is quite unusual, so I wanted to test it out a bit."

"As for the purpose of the test... I have a feeling that the other party's magic was not only aimed at the soul, but also possibly at the [nervous] system."

“After all, when I used Qi acupuncture on your Taiyin Lung Meridian before, it worked inexplicably, which always made me feel… that it was your body doing something…”

At this point, Mr. Bi hesitated for a moment before answering his own question: "Uh... I think it might be that your body is preventing you from losing too much... 'cerebrospinal fluid'."

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Bi realized that the 'second reason' was a bit difficult for laymen to understand, and since there were no substantial test results, he gave up after worrying for a while and stopped mentioning it.

After that, he put the ghost needles away again and stood up.

He adjusted his reading glasses, glanced at Ma Xianhong out of the corner of his eye, and said, "Let me share some of my analysis with you one last time. The 'methods' you mentioned, whether used to change, fabricate, or destroy, are all done using Qi."

"Although I don't know if the cognition that was modified in this way by that person can be restored, humans themselves have the ability to self-repair..."

"When the restorative power and the techniques are in opposition, they wax and wane. If the techniques cannot be replenished with Qi, they will eventually cause you to lose control and repair yourself."

At this point, Bi Yuan paused, then continued, "If we put ourselves in their shoes, this approach is troublesome and unreliable for them. Completely reforming you is the easiest way."

"The reason they didn't do that, in my opinion, is mostly... because they still need your brain, not to make you a fool."

"To put it bluntly, the person who cast the spell on you needs something from you."

After saying this, Master Bi put away the gold needle cloth bag, picked up the medicine box and basket, and walked out.

"Please rest and recover. I'll prescribe a medicine for you when I get out; it should be quite effective."

Ma Xianhong leaned against the wall of the kang (a heated brick bed), took a deep breath, and then waved his hand with difficulty, saying, "Thank you very much, I've caused you a lot of trouble."

After hearing this, Bi Yuan didn't say anything more. He just waved his hand and left the room, heading straight for the pharmacy.

After Bi Yuan walked away, Village Chief Ma rummaged inside his shirt and pulled out the little trinket that Liu Ke had given him.

"You noticed it too, didn't you..."

After muttering to himself for a while, Ma Xianhong frowned, put away the [Neural Inhibitor], and took out three or four more phages.

(End of this chapter)