"If you want to leave, leave the marriage contract," Liao Yuan shouted.
"Since I took it out just now and you didn't want it, you can't get it back now," Ye Bufan said.
"Then you're not leaving here today. Break his dog legs and see if he dares to be so arrogant," Liao Yuan's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
As Liao Yuan's voice fell, two burly men reached out to grab Ye Bufan. Ye Bufan struck out with a palm, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, instantly sending the two bodyguards flying. They crashed heavily onto the floor, writhing in pain.
"You... you... you..." Liao Yuan pointed at Ye Bufan, so angry he didn't know what to say.
"Ye..." Liu Ruoyan had just spoken when Ye Bufan gave her a look, and she swallowed her words.
She and Liu Ruoyan watched as Ye Bufan left the Liu family villa without looking back.
In the study on the second floor, a man watched Ye Bufan's departing figure, clenching his fists tightly.
"Ye Bufan, since you're so uncooperative, I will make you pay the price and regret coming to Jinhe."
After leaving the Liu family villa, Ye Bufan walked for five minutes before realizing he had gone in the wrong direction. He thought he was heading for the main gate, but instead, he was walking deeper into the villa area.
"Wuwuwu~"
"Wuwuwu~"
Ye Bufan turned around and heard a little girl squatting by the entrance of the villa next door, sobbing.
"Isn't this the girl from the entrance of the villa area earlier?" Ye Bufan thought.
"Hmm?" Behind Chu Mengyao's villa, Ye Bufan sensed a very faint fluctuation of true qi.
Chu Mengyao noticed someone looking at her, wiped her tears abruptly, and looked up.
Seeing Chu Mengyao's appearance, Ye Bufan couldn't help but be stunned. Her eyebrows were like crescent moons, her face was beautiful, and she possessed the gentle grace of a young lady. Her tears stirred a hint of pity in Ye Bufan's heart.
If Chu Mengyao hadn't suddenly appeared at the villa entrance earlier, Ye Bufan wouldn't have had the chance to slip into the villa and retrieve the jade pendant.
"Who are you?" Chu Mengyao looked at Ye Bufan vigilantly.
"My name is Ye Bufan," Ye Bufan said.
"Grandpa!"
"Dad!"
A sudden exclamation came from within the villa. The anxious Chu Mengyao returned to the villa.
Ye Bufan hesitated. Out of curiosity about that faint true qi fluctuation, Ye Bufan also walked into the villa.
The villa door was open. As Ye Bufan entered, he smelled a strong scent of traditional Chinese medicine.
"Elder Zhu, what happened to my grandfather? Please save my grandfather quickly."
Chu Mengyao's voice came, filled with anxiety and panic.
"Alas~ When I administered the needle earlier, I already told you that I wasn't entirely confident in this needle. If lucky, Mr. Chu will be able to overcome the crisis; if unlucky, his injuries might worsen," said an old man in a white robe by the sickbed.
"Is there no other way?" Chu Mengyao pleaded desperately. "You are the divine physician Zhu Zizhen, you must have a way."
Zhu Zizhen shook his head and said, "If the Thirteen Needles of Zhuyou were not lost, your grandfather might still be saved. But at present, I only have fragments of the first needle."
"Divine Physician Zhu, is there really no way?" A man wearing glasses asked. His brow was furrowed, and his face was filled with worry. Beside him were a middle-aged woman and a young man of Chu Mengyao's age.
"For now, we can only rely on acupuncture to keep the old man's life hanging by a thread," Zhu Zizhen sighed.
"Please, Divine Physician Zhu, administer the acupuncture!" the man with glasses said to Zhu Zizhen, cupping his hands.
Zhu Zizhen nodded, sat by the bed, and took out a few silver needles from his needle bag.
"If you administer that needle, he'll likely lose his life before he can be sustained," Ye Bufan said, unable to watch any longer.
As Ye Bufan's voice rang out, everyone present was startled.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" the man with glasses reacted most strongly.
"You...?" Chu Mengyao turned to look at Ye Bufan, a hint of displeasure on her face.
"Hmph! Do you understand traditional Chinese medicine too?" Zhu Zizhen snorted coldly, as if his authority had been challenged, showing dissatisfaction.
"I have a slight understanding," Ye Bufan replied.
"Shut up! What are you? In front of you is the renowned divine physician of our Binhai Province, Elder Zhu Zizhen. How dare you, a young pup who hasn't even grown all his hair, criticize Divine Physician Zhu?" the young man of Chu Mengyao's age angrily stepped forward and yelled.
Chu Mengyao was also angry. "We don't know each other, and I didn't invite you, yet you barged into someone's home. You truly have no manners or upbringing."
After speaking, Chu Mengyao turned to Zhu Zizhen and said, "Divine Physician Zhu, please save my grandfather. I'll have someone throw him out right now."
"Cousin, quickly drag him away! If he doesn't leave, call security to throw him out," Chu Mengyao frowned and glared fiercely at Ye Bufan.
"No need! Since this young friend says my needle cannot sustain your grandfather's life and will instead take it, I would like to ask this young friend how my needle should be administered," Zhu Zizhen glanced at Ye Bufan, deliberately emphasizing the word "ask."
"Divine Physician Zhu, please don't bother with him." Chu Mengyao signaled her cousin, who walked up to Ye Bufan and was about to pull him away.
"Let him stay. I want to see if this young friend has a better method than I do."
Zhu Zizhen extended his left hand, making a "please" gesture to Ye Bufan. Ye Bufan walked forward calmly and stood by the sickbed.
"Kid, I'm warning you, don't mess around," Chu Mengyao's cousin stared at Ye Bufan and reprimanded him.
Ye Bufan looked at Zhu Zizhen and asked, "May I borrow your needles?"
"Please help yourself." Zhu Zizhen laid out his needle bag, inwardly despising Ye Bufan even more. A mere brat who didn't even have a needle bag dared to judge his acupuncture skills so ignorantly. What a joke.
"Kid, I'm talking to you." Chu Mengyao's cousin, seeing Ye Bufan ignore him, was enraged. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Ye Bufan's shoulder. Ye Bufan pulled out Zhu Zizhen's silver needles, flicked his fingers, and inserted them into an acupoint under Chu Mengyao's cousin's armpit.
Chu Mengyao's cousin immediately stood frozen in place. Apart from his eyes, he was like a wooden puppet.
"Cousin!"
"Yunsheng!"
Five seconds later, the Chu family members present realized something was wrong and walked forward with concern.
"Don't move!" Zhu Zizhen sharply ordered the others.
At this moment, Ye Bufan had begun his acupuncture. He inserted thirteen needles into Chu Mengyao's grandfather, each with a steady technique, and the needles trembled slightly as they detached from his hand.
Zhu Zizhen could hardly believe his eyes. At the same time, his heart was churning like a stormy sea.
When Ye Bufan inserted the first needle, Zhu Zizhen felt a sense of familiarity, then a shock. This... wasn't this the first needle of the Thirteen Needles of Zhuyou that he had just demonstrated?
"Hiss~" Each of Ye Bufan's needles was incredibly profound. Zhu Zizhen wished he had thirteen pairs of eyes.
"Grandpa is awake!" Chu Mengyao cried out excitedly.
The elder on the sickbed slowly opened his eyes, and Ye Bufan nodded with satisfaction.
"Are... are you using the Thirteen Needles of Zhuyou?" Zhu Zizhen's eyes were red with excitement, but he didn't show it in front of the Chu family.
"Indeed!" Ye Bufan admitted directly without hiding anything.
Zhu Zizhen was not only excited but also ashamed. His respectful address had changed from a dismissive "young friend" to "you." His gaze towards Ye Bufan was filled with reverence. Thinking of his internal thoughts just now, Zhu Zizhen wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"Your grandfather must have been poisoned, and then forcefully used his internal energy, causing his meridians to rupture and the toxic blood to attack his heart," Ye Bufan said.
Chu Mengyao on the side looked at Ye Bufan incredulously. After all, her grandfather's condition and injuries had always been a secret, known only to the Chu family members and Zhu Zizhen. Ye Bufan had only taken a few glances and had already diagnosed his grandfather's condition.
"I'll write a prescription now. Have the elder take the medicine on time, and he will recover in a week," Ye Bufan said.
Zhu Zizhen could hardly believe his ears. He had been treating the Chu family patriarch for so long without guaranteeing recovery within a week of taking medicine. Yet, this young man not only knew the lost Thirteen Needles of Zhuyou but could also diagnose Elder Chu's illness by observation, indicating an extraordinary background.
Ye Bufan was writing the prescription, and Zhu Zizhen watched from the side. The more he looked, the more excited Zhu Zizhen became.
"Marvelous! Truly marvelous!"
Zhu Zizhen looked at the prescription written by Ye Bufan. Different medicines, different dosages, and each medicinal ingredient was used perfectly.
"Why didn't I think of this?" Zhu Zizhen seemed to have opened a new door and fell into a state of obsession.
"I have been researching ancient Chinese medicine for over forty years and have reached a bottleneck. Your prescription today has given me a new direction. May I take this prescription back to study?" Zhu Zizhen's eyes gleamed with passion for ancient Chinese medicine.
Ye Bufan nodded. Zhu Zizhen took the prescription and bid farewell to the Chu family, preparing to leave.
"Divine Physician Zhu, are you leaving already?" the middle-aged man with glasses asked.
Zhu Zizhen smiled faintly. "Chu Qianceng, your father's illness is no longer serious. Just take the medicine on time according to this gentleman's prescription, and in a week, his illness will be completely cured."
"By the way," Zhu Zizhen turned to look at Ye Bufan. "May I know your name, sir?"