"It's fine. I'm exhausted anyway and really want to hear a story to relax," Ye Huohuo chuckled, plopping down onto a patch of grass nearby. She forgot about her injury, wincing in pain and not daring to move for a long time.
Finally, she shuffled and crawled to find a position that wouldn't touch her wound, settling herself semi-reclined next to Cai Bei.
"Yes, tell us. There are no outsiders here. I'm also quite curious why your sister suddenly stopped practicing medicine? I haven't heard of any medical malpractice," Liu Keqiang said, after arranging for people to search for evidence around the area. He also sat down beside Cai Bei, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and settled in, ready to listen to the story.
Seeing himself cornered from both sides, Cai Bei had no way to escape. With a wry smile, he nodded, "Alright, I've never seen you two so gossipy. But you absolutely must not tell Xiao Xi that I told you. It's not just her, it's also a painful secret for our Cai family."
It turned out that Cai Bei and Cai Xiaoxi's family were traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, tracing back for several generations. Two to three hundred years ago, they had served as imperial physicians in the palace. Their medical skills were unquestionable, but what made the Cai family's reputation supreme throughout the land was their Thirteen Needles of Life-Chasing.
It was said that as long as a person had a breath left, no matter how severe their illness, they could be kept alive for another twelve hours.
Perhaps to make it easier to treat the emperor's favored consorts, or perhaps for other hidden reasons, the Cai family had a unique family rule: their golden needle technique was passed down to daughters, not sons.
Later, after saving the emperor's most beloved concubine during a difficult childbirth by using a single needle to stabilize the situation, both mother and child were saved. The emperor bestowed upon them the title of "Golden Needle Family."
Their family had enjoyed generations of glory. However, about a hundred years ago, due to some unknown incident, the entire family moved out of the imperial city overnight and subsequently sealed their needles. The Thirteen Needles of Life-Chasing were then lost to the world.
What people didn't know was that the needle technique hadn't actually been lost. It was just that even if a Cai daughter learned it, she was forbidden to use it on outsiders or to practice medicine.
Cai Xiaoxi, being a girl with modern thinking, naturally didn't believe the family legends. She secretly learned the Thirteen Needles of Life-Chasing and applied for a Traditional Chinese Medicine university during her college entrance exams.
She performed exceptionally well, preparing to enter a renowned TCM hospital after graduation and bring glory to the Cai family's medical arts.
But on her first day of work at the hospital after graduation, something happened to the Cai family.
Just as she had saved someone with a golden needle, her mother was involved in a car accident and died despite all resuscitation efforts.
Her maternal grandmother had previously forbidden her from attending medical school. Later, she even threatened her own life, preventing her from becoming a doctor, claiming it would bring disaster to the entire family. But Cai Xiaoxi didn't believe it, and indeed, disaster struck.
After her mother's death, her grandmother fell gravely ill and passed away within six months. Holding Cai Xiaoxi's hand on her deathbed, she repeatedly warned her never to use the Cai family's medical skills to save anyone again, lest she bring ruin to all members of the Cai family.
Cai Xiaoxi wanted not to believe it, but the bloody reality was before her eyes, leaving her no choice. In the end, she had to abandon her lifelong dream and became an unknown junior clerk in a police station.
"So that's how it was. We were wondering why your sister, a graduate of a TCM university and formerly a doctor at one of the country's top TCM hospitals, ended up as a junior clerk in our small police station. So that's the reason," Liu Keqiang said with a hint of regret.
"That's why you became a forensic doctor. You don't treat people, but at least it's still related to medicine," Ye Huohuo said regretfully, looking at Cai Bei. "Let me do some calculations for you sometime. I've never encountered this situation before. It sounds like a curse, doesn't it? If it can be broken, your sister can be a doctor. It's most fulfilling in life to do what you love most."
Cai Bei sighed, "Who can say otherwise? Ever since she learned she couldn't be a doctor, my sister's entire personality changed. She used to be a cheerful girl who smiled a lot, but now, you rarely see a smile on her face. Moreover, she still believes her own willfulness caused her mother's death and lives in self-reproach every day.
It was also from then on that she became extremely fixated on rules and regulations. Everything had to be done according to procedures. If something didn't comply with the rules, she wouldn't even give the chief any face."
Ye Huohuo nodded, feeling a pang of emotion. It seemed that every peculiar personality had a story behind it. No wonder Cai Xiaoxi was so rigid, and sometimes even seemed unapproachable, utterly inflexible in her actions. It turned out she carried such a heavy burden in her heart.
She secretly made a decision. If she had the chance, she would help these siblings figure out what had affected the Cai family for generations. She raised her hand and patted Cai Bei's shoulder, "It's okay, I'm here for you!" her eyes filled with warmth and sincerity.
"Are those things just going to be left there, waiting to bite two more people before they're dealt with?"
At that moment, a cold voice echoed from above them.
The three of them looked up in unison, seeing Li Mohan staring down at them with a gloomy expression.
When Ye Huohuo saw his proud, cold eyes, her heart stirred. This was the real Li Mohan. He was awake, he was back. She actually had something she wanted to ask him: when and how had he been possessed.
But considering the current situation, with two police officers sitting nearby, it wasn't appropriate to ask now. She suppressed the words that had reached her lips and replaced them with a casual, "You're awake!"
Li Mohan frowned upon hearing this. He had just woken up and was thinking of finding Ye Huohuo. In his last conscious moments, Ye Huohuo was about to use her own essence blood to control some "Gui Xu Grand Array." Though he didn't understand formations, he knew that her doing so in her state at the time would be extremely harmful to her body. He wondered how he could help her.
But after thinking about it, he didn't know anything else. The next moment he awoke was just now, in his own SUV, with A Cheng guarding him closely.
However, Ye Huohuo was not there.
He looked around, searching outside the car with his eyes for a long time, but he couldn't find the little girl. The thought that A Cheng knew to guard him when he fainted, but that girl had run off without a trace, made him extremely uncomfortable.
Shaking off A Cheng's hand that was holding him, he got out of the car and searched for her everywhere. He soon saw Ye Huohuo sitting semi-reclined on the ground, in what seemed to be a very alluring posture between two men.
He pursed his lips and strode behind the three of them. He hadn't heard what they were discussing, but he saw Ye Huohuo familiarly patting one of the men on the shoulder, her attitude very friendly.
Li Mohan pursed his lips, a wave of anger surging in his eyes. Just as he was about to lash out, he looked up and saw the more than a dozen severed heads scattered on the ground. Coincidentally, he noticed the hair on top of several of the heads wriggling.
His eyesight was excellent. With just one glance, he recognized the black-haired snakes that had bitten him before, which was why he called out to remind them. His voice, however, carried a chilling edge.
"President Li, you're awake!" Captain Liu quickly stood up and greeted Li Mohan. He also introduced Cai Bei. Liu Keqiang had seen Li Mohan before because of Li Mochen, but Cai Bei hadn't. This was considered a favor done.
After all, knowing the head of the Li family in Haicheng was considered an honor.
Cai Bei smiled and extended his hand to shake Li Mohan's. Li Mohan, however, looked down at his hand, then looked him up and down, "Forensic doctor?"
As a forensic doctor, Cai Bei had seen much of the world's ups and downs. Many people were superstitious about the work of forensic doctors, believing they dealt with the dead and that shaking hands with them would bring bad luck.
Seeing Li Mohan's indifferent expression and no intention of shaking hands, Cai Bei assumed Li Mohan, like ordinary people, was superstitious about his profession. Cai Bei was not one to bow to others; he had his own pride. He sneered and was about to withdraw his hand, "President Li is a person of great wealth and status. He's afraid of contacting people like us and bringing misfortune!"
But to his surprise, in the next second, Li Mohan unexpectedly took his hand. However, his grip was very strong, as if they were enemies. He shook it forcefully, making Cai Bei's knuckles crack, "I'm not superstitious. If I were afraid of bad luck, why would I marry her!"
"???" Ye Huohuo, lying there, felt inexplicably hit. What did she have to do with this? Besides, wasn't their marriage supposed to be kept secret? Why was he telling everyone?