Chapter 14 Do Not Remove the Needles

• "Phew!"
• After completing the ninth needle, Eric stood up and looked calmly at Alice. He said, "Ms. Hilton, your grandfather is out of danger. I'll prepare a prescription for him. Brew it over low heat, twice a day for three sessions, and he'll recover."
• "What? That's it? How long did this take, barely ten minutes in total?"
• Before Alice could respond, Lara stepped forward and stared suspiciously at Eric.
• "The human body is like a massive furnace, and that's why we must protect our life force every day.
• "But your grandfather has been through countless battles in the Northern Realm, with over a dozen bullet and blade wounds all over his body!
• "When a person is young, they might not notice the depletion of their life force. As they age and their energy weakens, the effects become much more pronounced.
• "We need to do something about it and must first replenish the life force your grandfather lacks.
• "At this point, not even modern medicine can help. Even if a god were here, they wouldn't be able to save him!
• "Therefore, I've used these silver needles to anchor the last bit of life force within him and prevent it from dissapating.
• "Now, I'll go prepare the medicine to restore his life force.
• "Whatever you do, don't remove the needles before I return, or you'll have to bear the consequences!"
• Eric's expression turned serious as he emphasized his warning.
• "Hmph! Life force? A furnace? What nonsense is this? I've never heard of such things in modern medicine!"
• Lara wrinkled her nose, clearly unimpressed.
• "Lara!"
• Alice glared at her sister, signaling her to stop talking.
• "Alright, I'm going to fetch the herbs. Keep a close watch on him!"
• Eric had no interest in arguing with the skeptical Lara. He left the hospital ward after issuing a brief instruction.
• As Eric left, the rest of the family who waited outside the hospital ward eagerly rushed into the room.
• Russ was leading the way. He angrily pointed at Alice and scolded, "Alice, you brought this man to treat your grandfather? Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous!"
• Since Silas fell ill, the Hiltons had sought the best doctors from all over Skaonia to treat him.
• Despite the efforts of all the renowned doctors and specialists, no matter how much time and energy they spent, the conclusion was always the same as Jerry's.
• Silas's illness was incurable.
• He couldn't be saved.
• The family should prepare for the worst.
• Eric claimed to have solved this incurable condition, which had stumped every other doctor in less than ten minutes.
• Such a miraculous occurrence would be challenging for anyone to believe.
• "Mr. Russ, please calm down. Let me take a look."
• Jerry agreed. He assumed an authoritative demeanor and casually glanced at Silas. His brows furrowed tightly, and he said gravely, "No wonder holistic medicine receives lots of negative comments nowadays!
• "Now I see it's all just tricks and deception, the work of charlatans and fraudsters.
• "That young man only poked a couple of needles, yet he claimed to have cured Mr. Silas?
• "In all my years, I've never encountered someone so shameless!"
• Fraud!
• He must be a fraud!
• The rest of the Hiltons, who had just rushed into the room, immediately assumed Eric was a con artist upon hearing Jerry's words. They loudly voiced their agreement and begged Jerry to step in.
• Feigning reluctance, Jerry finally moved to remove the needles.
• "Wait!"
• Alice's heart raced, and she quickly called out to stop him.
• Jerry asked, "What are you trying to do, Ms. Hilton?"
• Clearly, he was growing impatient with being interrupted.
• "Dr. Bowen, I don't believe Mr. Goodwell is a fraud. Before we arrived, I personally saw him use needle therapy to heal a man with severe dust lung disease. Besides, he's out getting medicine for Grandpa now. Even if you insist on removing the needles, can't we at least wait until he returns?"
• Alice hurriedly explained.
• "What did you say?" That young man supposedly cured lung disease with needle therapy? Hahaha!"
• Jerry's eyebrows shot up, and then he burst into laughter, as if hearing the world's biggest joke. He explained, "Dust lung disease results in irreversible fibrosis of the lungs!
• "And the fibrosis caused by dust lung disease is irreversible, unless the patient receives a lung transplant! Modern medicine classifies lung disease as incurable. Yet you're telling me that a young man, not even thirty years old, used a single silver needle to cure a condition that modern medicine can't treat? If that were true, he would have already won a Nobel Prize, becoming a towering figure in medical history and praised by millions. Instead, he's reduced to running scams? Give me a break!"
• "You're right, Dr. Bowen!" Lara chimed in.
• "Alice, Dad, and I watched the entire process that guy perform the treatment, and we didn't see anything special," Lara intervened. "Honestly, he was just pretending, randomly poking here and there without any real skill! In addition, that guy appears to be in his twenties. Someone his age wouldn't even have graduated from medical school yet. You can't seriously believe him, can you?"
• "Randomly poking, huh? You make it sound easy! Here, let me give you the needles. You try and repeat Mr. Goodwell's entire treatment process!"
• Alice was never one to indulge her sister. She retaliated Lara in front of everyone.
• "Oh, come on! All that fancy needlework? I couldn't replicate that. Even if he tried again, I doubt he could pull it off."
• Lara shot back, refusing to back down.
• "Ms. Hilton," Jerry interrupted, his voice stern. "As a leading expert in cardiology, my team comprises the finest heart doctors in Ciderbrook. If you don't trust me, you won't find a better option in the Veginia Province! Plus, your uncles have made their opinions clear. They don't believe in this man. Are you really willing to go against medical advice and family wishes? Your grandfather only has a few days left. Do you want to waste time and give him no chance to leave his will?"
• Jerry's remark had pushed Alice straight into the eye of the storm.
• At that moment, every member of the Hiltons turned their gaze towards Alice. Their eyes grew cold and hostile.
• According to the current will, Alice stood to inherit eighty percent of Hilton Group's assets, making her the biggest beneficiary of the ongoing inheritance battle.
• Now, with Alice adamantly refusing to let Jerry treat Silas, it was only natural that the family would start questioning her true intentions.
• Feeling the weight of their eyes upon her, Alice wavered for a moment. Yet she remained firm as she recalled Silas's last wishes and what she had witnessed with her own eyes. Alice stated, "Dr. Bowen, let's wait until Mr. Goodwell returns before making any decision."
• "Alice! What are we waiting for? That guy said he was getting medicine, but he's probably run off by now!"
• Lara cried out, stamping her foot in frustration.
• "Alice Hilton! What are you up to? Are you trying to keep the inheritance for yourself? I won't allow it! Dr. Bowen, do whatever you need to do. If anything happens to my father, I'll take full responsibility." Russ declared.
• "That's right! Dr. Bowen, go ahead. If anything happens, we will accept it!"
• With the family's unanimous support, Jerry didn't hesitate. He shoved Alice aside and yanked out all nine needles.
• As soon as the last needle left Silas's body …
• "Beep, beep, beep."
• Silas's life monitor suddenly emitted a piercing alarm.
• The alarm echoed throughout the room like the tolling bell of death, reverberating endlessly.
• Silas's body began to convulse uncontrollably. His face contorted in pain as his breathing became labored. The color drained from his face in an instant, leaving him as pale as a sheet of paper.