Luckily, there was a Chinese clinic in Jacksonville, allowing Chen Yu to successfully purchase the items he needed.
Carrying his purchase, he hurried back to the Mayo Clinic.
Everyone was there.
Hill was on the phone, probably with his wife, telling her to take care of their daughter and not to rush over.
Chen Yu put his things down and asked a nurse for a sterilization tray.
When he returned, Billings was secretly prying open the bag to see what he had bought. The moment she saw him, she snatched her hand back as if struck by lightning. Mortified, she put on a stern expression and sullenly returned to her spot.
Chen Yu couldn't be bothered with her. Seeing that Hill had finished his call, he gestured for him to sit properly and present his left foot.
Chen Yu first tore off the outer pressure bandage.
The swelling was still quite obvious, and there was clear fluid buildup when he pressed on it.
Chen Yu took out an acupuncture case from the bag and opened it, revealing a set of silver needles.
These things weren't easy to come by.
Chen Yu had to find a traditional Chinese medicine clinic and haggle for a long time before he could buy a spare set of needles from them at a high price.
Seeing the large number of silver needles, Gabriel was startled. "Chen, what are you going to do?"
Billings's expression also changed slightly as she watched Chen Yu warily.
'This guy… He wouldn't actually stick me with those needles, would he?'
Even Hill wore a fearful expression, full of suspicion and uncertainty.
Just then, Dr. Wash pushed the door open and came in. She had heard Chen Yu was back and had come specifically to check on things.
Seeing the silver needles in front of Chen Yu, Dr. Wash paused for a moment, then said in surprise, "Chen, are you planning to perform Acupuncture on Mr. Hill?"
"You know about Acupuncture?"
Chen Yu was surprised.
This was a traditional Chinese medical therapy. Chen Yu, who was born in the United States, had only been exposed to these therapies after getting his system.
But Dr. Wash, a proper Western-trained doctor, actually knew about Acupuncture and had even used a relatively rare professional term. It was clear her knowledge wasn't just based on hearsay.
Dr. Wash nodded and stepped forward with some excitement. "Of course I do. My mentor at Harvard Medical School went to China for medical exchanges many times. He told us about the diagnostic and treatment methods of Chinese medicine, including Acupuncture. He described it as a truly miraculous treatment method. It works by stimulating special reaction points inside the body—trigger points, that is—to stimulate the nerves and produce a therapeutic effect."
Chen Yu was surprised again and took another look at Dr. Wash.
'Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic… you've really stacked your stats. No wonder you know about Acupuncture and even mentioned trigger points.'
But were acupoints really just trigger points?
Chen Yu didn't have an answer to that question himself.
After obtaining the Eye of All-Seeing, Chen Yu had carefully observed Lexi, trying to find the meridians and acupoints described in Chinese medicine on her body.
But he had found nothing.
Yet, Chinese medicine had existed for thousands of years, and treatment methods like Acupuncture were undeniably effective.
So in the end, Chen Yu could only attribute it to the human body perhaps possessing mysteries that science couldn't explain.
Just like his own system, which was also beyond scientific explanation.
"That's right. Acupuncture."
Chen Yu picked up a silver needle and began sterilizing all of them with alcohol.
Dr. Wash's eyes lit up as she excitedly moved closer. "I can't believe you also know acupuncture therapy! This is the first time I've ever seen someone use it in person."
Nearby, Gabriel's eyebrows furrowed deeply. He leaned in and asked tentatively, "Dr. Wash, this… Acupuncture you mentioned."
He could barely pronounce the long, technical word.
"Does it use these needles… to stick them into a person's body?"
Dr. Wash nodded excitedly and explained, "Yes, exactly! I heard my mentor say they can be inserted five to six centimeters deep."
She demonstrated the length with her fingers.
Gabriel's eyes instantly went wide.
'Five to six centimeters deep?'
'Stick that in someone, wouldn't it kill them?'
Standing behind him and listening with pricked ears, Billings silently mimicked the depth on her own body and shivered violently.
Hill's expression also stiffened. He watched as Chen Yu continued to sterilize needle after needle—there were already seven or eight of them, and he showed no sign of stopping. Hill's gaze began to tremble.
'Don't tell me one needle isn't enough?'
"Chen, are you sure this thing will work for me?" Hill was even starting to have regrets. 'No one said anything about getting stuck with needles beforehand.'
Chen Yu nodded and pointed to several acupoints on Hill's leg. "By applying acupuncture to specific points, we can promote blood circulation in your injured ankle and speed up your recovery."
As he spoke, Chen Yu suddenly turned his head to look at Dr. Wash.
"Dr. Wash, do you have acute cervical myofascitis?"
Dr. Wash was taken aback. "How did you know?" she asked, surprised.
She subconsciously touched her neck.
"I noticed when I first saw you," Chen Yu said with a smile.
Acute cervical myofascitis, or acute periarthritis of the cervical joints, is what's commonly known as a stiff neck.
The first time he met Dr. Wash, Chen Yu had noticed that her neck was a bit stiff; she had to turn her whole body when she wanted to look to the side.
She had most likely slept on it wrong.
For doctors with irregular work hours who often collapse into bed exhausted, this was practically an occupational hazard.
Chen Yu said, "Would you like to try Acupuncture? It can quickly relieve your pain."
"Oh, may I?"
Dr. Wash looked thrilled and nodded eagerly.
Even if she didn't have a stiff neck, she would have willingly been Chen Yu's guinea pig to experience the effects of Acupuncture firsthand.
Chen Yu picked up a filiform needle and asked Dr. Wash to make a fist.
Then, he located the end of the transverse crease formed by the fist, near the metacarpophalangeal joint, and inserted the needle with lightning speed.
This was the Houxi acupoint.
"The *Lingshu*'s chapter on Miscellaneous Diseases states: 'For neck pain that prevents one from looking back, needle the Hand Taiyang.' The Houxi point is the Shu-stream point of the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian."
After insertion, he gently twirled and plucked the needle to stimulate the point.
"Try to move your neck, like this."
Chen Yu rotated his neck.
Dr. Wash stared in disbelief at the silver needle inserted in her hand.
'It didn't even bleed!'
She immediately followed Chen Yu's instructions, slowly rotating her neck.
One circle, then two.
At first, it was still awkward, and she didn't dare make any large movements.
But soon, after about a minute, Dr. Wash found that her pain was diminishing and her range of motion was increasing.
And after two or three minutes, the pain in her neck had mostly disappeared, and her movement was no longer restricted.
"My god, this is incredible! Chen, how did you do that?"
Dr. Wash's eyes were wide.
If she were to treat a stiff neck, she would just prescribe some painkillers and tell the patient to tough it out. It wasn't a major problem, after all, and would heal on its own in a few days.
But a method like Chen Yu's, which greatly relieved the pain in just a few minutes, was something she had never even heard of.
Gabriel and Hill were also stunned.
All it took was one needle to fix her neck pain?
And what they couldn't understand was, why needle the hand for neck pain?
Billings was dumbfounded.
To her, this treatment method was practically a Magic show.
She even suspected that Chen Yu and Dr. Wash were in cahoots. Otherwise, how could it be so miraculous?
Acute cervical myofascitis—of course she knew about it. It was common, and she'd even had it herself. But the standard treatment was just painkillers while waiting for it to heal on its own.
She never knew there was a method that could treat it so quickly.
Billings looked at Chen Yu, her brow furrowing into a deep frown.
'This rookie… he's actually got some tricks up his sleeve!'