Kirin was the most normal-looking of the three, appearing unaffected on the surface, yet he was in the most mortal danger!
"You have a lot of shrapnel in your body, some of it even lodged in your vital organs. You must have had X-rays taken at a hospital, but they dared not operate on you. Any slight misstep could be life-threatening. For such an operation, even with the entire American Medical Association present, the success rate would be less than ten percent!" Li Se said with a grave expression.
Upon hearing this, many people were startled. If Li Se said so, it was enough to illustrate how serious Kirin's condition was.
"Alas, I know. I could be in mortal danger at any moment," Kirin sighed softly, for he understood his own body better than anyone.
"Boss, what's your success rate for treatment?" Xu Qiang asked nervously again.
If Western medicine had less than a ten percent success rate, what about traditional Chinese medicine?
The several old Chinese medicine practitioners did not doubt Li Se's words. They all gazed intently at Li Se, eager to know what the success rate would be if Chinese medicine treated him, or rather, if Li Se himself treated him.
Li Se hesitated for a moment before saying, "Seventy percent!"
This was his conservative estimate. In reality, it could be higher, but it would never reach a hundred percent. With any illness involving the heart, no one could guarantee a ten-tenths success rate, as the slightest mistake could be fatal!
Therefore, Kirin had not undergone surgery yet, because no doctor dared to perform it, nor did any doctor have a success rate exceeding ten percent.
"Seventy percent is already very high," Kirin grinned. "Shall we begin now?"
"Good!" Li Se nodded. "Take off your clothes and lie down!"
Kirin removed his jacket, revealing a body covered in scars, from both knife and gun wounds. It wasn't just him; Xu Qiang and the others bore similar marks.
This time, Li Se did not use the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles. Instead, he used ordinary large silver needles, each as long as a palm. After sterilizing them with his qi, he inserted one into Kirin's heart area, submerging it halfway in.
Whenever treating the heart, doctors would proceed with extreme caution, fearing the slightest error. Yet, Li Se was quick, accurate, and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
"Needling the heart area with such precision is truly astonishing!" Old Huang exclaimed in admiration once more.
Following this, Li Se inserted the second, then the third… each silver needle submerged halfway into the body, a sight that was both terrifying and spine-chilling.
"Next, I will remove the shrapnel. You need to be mentally prepared!" Li Se said.
Kirin was somewhat puzzled. How would he remove it in this situation? Western medicine would undoubtedly involve surgery, but this was his first time encountering Chinese medicine removing shrapnel. He had his doubts but nodded nonetheless, placing his complete trust in Li Se.
The moment he nodded, Li Se’s fingers moved like the wind. With two fingers gripping one of the silver needles, he placed his other palm on the opposite side of the heart area. A faint *crack* sound was heard – the sound of bone shifting.
"Ah…" Even Kirin couldn't help but cry out in pain. Veins bulged on his face. However, it was only a single cry, mainly because he hadn't anticipated such intense pain. He immediately gritted his teeth, enduring the agony.
Li Se withdrew the first silver needle, and attached to it was a piece of shrapnel.
"My heavens!" many of the old Chinese medicine practitioners exclaimed in shock.
If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed what they were seeing – such medical skill!
Earlier, they had been curious about how Li Se would remove shrapnel using Chinese medicine. With their current knowledge, they truly didn't know of any method to extract shrapnel other than surgery, which would have to be handled by Western medicine. Therefore, it was almost impossible for Chinese medicine to treat such cases.
But they never expected Li Se to extract shrapnel using silver needles!
"Removing shrapnel with silver needles – isn't this an impossible medical feat? Even with a hundred years, I couldn't learn this!"
"This not only involves a deep foundation in qigong but also the ability to accurately pinpoint the location of shrapnel without the aid of Western medical instruments. It's incredibly difficult for Chinese medicine."
"Truly worthy of being called Divine Doctor Li, the youngest Imperial Physician in history!"
"..."
At this moment, all the old practitioners at the Jisheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic felt a further elevation of their respect for Li Se's medical skills. Their admiration now reached into the very marrow of their bones.
Li Se's expression remained solemn as he continued to use the same technique to remove shrapnel. As one piece after another was extracted, he reached the final one, which was lodged directly in the heart.
Li Se looked at Kirin and said, "The seventy percent success rate I mentioned was for this very piece of shrapnel. Even I cannot guarantee a hundred percent success. With the slightest deviation, your life would be forfeit!"
"I believe in you!" Kirin stated firmly.
Li Se wasted no further time. He withdrew the silver needle that had been inserted into the heart area. The primary purpose of this needle was to confirm the shrapnel's location. To remove the needle from the heart, the previous method wouldn't work; that kind of forceful tapping could easily damage the heart.
"Sit up!" Li Se commanded.
Kirin sat up. Due to the shrapnel extraction, a considerable amount of blood had seeped through his clothes.
Li Se held a silver needle between his fingers and placed his palm over Kirin's heart, using his qi to precisely sense the shrapnel's position. The next second, the needle was flicked out by him, piercing directly into the heart area. This time, it went in two-thirds of the way. In less than a second, he pulled the needle back out, and it was indeed carrying a piece of shrapnel!
"Success?" Kirin hadn't even felt anything, and it was already over.
"Yes!" Li Se exhaled, smiling. "I've removed all the shrapnel from your body. I'll write a prescription for you, and you'll need to recuperate slowly."
*Thump!*
Kirin immediately knelt on the ground. "From now on, you are our boss!"
"Get up quickly!" Li Se immediately helped him up. "I saved your life, not to have you fight for me. Because you were a soldier, you deserve my respect!"
"Boss, we'll follow you from now on," Xu Qiang grinned.
Now that Kirin's and Bullet's problems were resolved, only Lightning remained. He was still gritting his teeth in the steaming wooden tub, his entire body flushed red. Since the fire was still burning underneath, the water remained boiling, a level of discomfort that few could endure. And from when Li Se began treating Kirin to the end, twenty minutes had already passed.
"Lightning, can you still endure?" Li Se asked.
"I can still manage…" Lightning gritted his teeth, but his tone was filled with pain, indicating he had reached his limit.
"Boss, isn't it done yet?" Xu Qiang asked with concern.
Li Se shook his head. "It still needs a little more time. Lightning, you must hold on!"
Lightning gritted his teeth. "Okay!"
However, his breathing had become very weak, as if he might collapse at any moment…