"Child, my child..." A choked sob escaped the mother's lips, "Oh God, what do we do, what do we do, what do we do..."

The child's mother collapsed onto the floor, utterly stunned, muttering incessantly, her hands and feet trembling so violently she didn't seem to know where to put them.

"Hubby, is there no hope for this child? He looks so pitiful..." Michelle looked at the child's ashen face, her expression filled with pity, and quickly asked.

This child was merely a blossom yet to fully open, so young, yet enduring such misfortune. Even though this wasn't Michelle's own child, she felt sharp, stabbing pangs of heartache.

"Doctor, please save my child! What should I do? Doctor, please save my child..."

The child's mother looked at Zhang Yang as if he were her last lifeline, tears streaming down her face. With a thud, she dropped to her knees, pressing her hands together in desperate supplication.

Among the onlookers, the first doctor, frowning deeply, let out a cold snort. Having initially seen Zhang Yang proceed directly to surgery and actually clear the blockage in the child's airway, saving the child's life, he felt a distinct sense of being overshadowed. Now, seeing Zhang Yang in this situation, he immediately sneered: "Hmph. Whatever your reasons, as a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), performing intubation surgery with a scalpel without a medical license is a violation of the law, and you will face criminal charges. If this child ends up in a persistent vegetative state, it will entirely be your fault!"

This doctor had no idea who Zhang Yang truly was. Merely judging by the silver needles Zhang Yang carried, he presumed him to be nothing more than a TCM doctor, and under national medical law, doctors with only TCM qualifications were forbidden from performing invasive surgery.

Hearing the doctor's words, Wei Lehu, who had been anxiously watching from the back of the crowd, suddenly felt a spark of light—this doctor's words had given him a fresh surge of hope!

He promptly kicked Wei Bo's shin and lowered his voice, "Hurry up and contact the police outside! Tell them to come in and make the arrest. Forget those street thugs for now; we have a much better justification to deal with these arrogant outsiders!"

Wei Lehu clearly intended to leverage this situation to cause trouble for Zhang Yang!

The rest of the crowd, however, remained fixed on Zhang Yang, waiting to see precisely how he intended to treat the child.

Zhang Yang completely ignored the garrulous doctor. First, he shot a reassuring glance toward Michelle, then retrieved his silver needles. He looked at the child, extended one hand beneath the child's neck, tilting the head back slightly.

"The only way now is to use the Nine Needles of Yang Return to stimulate the Baihui point on the crown of the child's head. Only then is there a sliver of hope!"

Zhang Yang selected a longer silver needle, speaking softly, then parted the child's hair to locate the Baihui acupoint.

The child was in a state of coma due to tracheal obstruction caused by a blockage of cotton fluff. The sole method to revive consciousness and restore awareness was to use the Yang-strengthening technique of the Nine Needles of Yang Return to stimulate the acupoints.

"Nine Needles of Yang Return?"

The doctor who had mocked Zhang Yang earlier, though not a TCM practitioner, was aware that in TCM, the nine principal points used to treat extreme collapse of Yang Qi were collectively known as the Nine Needles of Yang Return: Yamen, Laogong, Sanyinjiao, Yongquan, Taixi, Zhongwan, Huantiao, Zusanli, and Hegu. The text Zhenjiu Juying records these nine points as frequently effective for clinical emergency resuscitation, used when treating syncope, cold limbs, and faint pulse, capable of restoring Yang and reversing collapse to save a life.

Zhang Yang centered his spirit, holding the tail of the needle, augmenting the action with Neijin (internal force), and slowly inserted it, simultaneously twisting the needle's tail. The entire needle sank almost completely into the crown of the child's head.

The Baihui point, in TCM theory, is the meeting place of the Three Yangs and Five Confluences. Although a long needle was being used for intense stimulation, for a young child whose Tianmen (Fontanelle) was not yet closed, this carried significant danger. If Zhang Yang had not supplemented the insertion with internal force, this single action would not achieve the optimal effect. Whether this could wake the child depended entirely on the child's own fate; if this failed, there would be no other recourse.

The long needle buried in the child's scalp, Zhang Yang did not release his hold. He stared intently at the child. Now, if even the slightest movement occurred in the child's lips or fingers, it would confirm that the child had regained a flicker of consciousness, thus eliminating the possibility of becoming a vegetable.

"Do you think he can actually cure this child?"

"I don't know, but he certainly seems like a very skilled doctor!"

The restaurant staff gathered outside, watching Zhang Yang perform the acupuncture, murmuring quietly among themselves.

"Is what he's doing actually having an effect, Doctor Lu?"

"These Nine Needles of Yang Return... perhaps they might work. By the way, isn't Mr. Ge also a TCM doctor? Do you think he can wake this child?"

The person who had been dining with the first doctor quietly asked him. However, Doctor Lu was uncertain if Zhang Yang's method would succeed and turned to another male colleague accompanying him.

"From what Doctor Lu knows, Mr. Ge, who traveled here from Xizhou City, is also a very seasoned TCM master. Ha! This young man's technique is exquisite, and his proficient use of the Nine Needles of Yang Return clearly shows his skill. He is undoubtedly an outstanding young TCM doctor..."

Mr. Ge looked at Zhang Yang, his eyes full of praise. But then he sighed and added, "In our TCM practice, children cannot accept stimulation of such magnitude because their Tianmen is not yet closed. This young man has pierced the point where the Three Yangs and Five Confluences meet—the Baihui point. At this child's age, he absolutely cannot tolerate it. I fear..." He paused, shaking his head regretfully. "This person is simply too young..."

Mr. Ge showed profound regret, sighing repeatedly before delivering the final verdict.

"This child definitely cannot wake up."

"Meaning, there's absolutely no way this child can wake up?"

The questioner sighed upon hearing Mr. Ge's pronouncement. In contrast, Doctor Lu, who had been coldly mocking Zhang Yang earlier, felt a flicker of triumph in his eyes.

Mr. Ge was a renowned elderly TCM doctor from Xizhou City; his words were surely correct. Doctor Lu watched Zhang Yang with malicious glee, thinking to himself, Let's see how you wriggle out of this one!

Wei Lehu and Wei Bo remained lurking behind the crowd. The conversation among the doctors up front had reached their ears. Wei Lehu's mouth nearly split open with delight; he even forgot the dampness in his own trousers. He immediately signaled Wei Bo.

Wei Bo nodded in understanding, pulled out his phone, and contacted the police waiting outside, instructing them to enter, arrest the charlatan doctor who was harming people with needles, and apprehend all his associates!

Pat-pat-pat...

Outside the restaurant, the sound of police boots quickly arrived. The officers, who had been positioned nearby, rushed into the dining hall and immediately dispersed the onlookers gathered around Zhang Yang, stepping forward to take him into custody.

Qiao Yihong, Yan Yifei, and Li Juan immediately blocked the path. Not a single officer would pass.

"What are you doing? Are you obstructing official duties?!"

"I'd like to ask you what you are doing! Can't you see someone is saving a life over there!"

"Saving a life? Do you have a medical license? No, you don't, yet you dare to practice medicine? And what was that? Did he even use a knife? I'll tell you, that's a crime punishable by imprisonment!"

The leading officer among the incoming police glanced at Zhang Yang, immediately tilted his head back, and pointed arrogantly at Qiao Yihong.

Qiao Yihong, Yan Yifei, and the others were furious. They couldn't be bothered to argue with these officers. They hadn't investigated anything upon arrival, immediately accusing Zhang Yang of practicing medicine—it was clear someone was behind this. Glancing at the disgusting, nauseating faces of Wei Lehu and Wei Bo's clique, even a fool could guess what was transpiring.

"He moved! The child's hand moved!"

Suddenly, a cry of shock erupted from the crowd!

It turned out that one of the fingers on the hand of the child lying on the table had twitched. Following that, the four fingers seemed to attempt to grasp something, curving slightly.

"Look, look! The child's mouth moved too, it looks like he’s trying to speak!"

Immediately, another voice exclaimed in shock. Although the child's eyes remained closed, his mouth had slightly parted, as if calling out for his mother.

Seeing this reaction, Zhang Yang broke into a smile, relief washing over him.

The child's mother also noticed the change. Knowing her son had finally passed the critical stage, she instantly turned tears of sorrow into tears of joy, desperately covering her mouth with her hand to keep from crying out!

"He woke up? Is this a miracle?"

The earlier Mr. Ge's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Zhang Yang.

"He actually saved him..." Doctor Lu, who had been anticipating Zhang Yang's downfall, shivered, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

Wei Lehu and Wei Bo were utterly astonished, while the cluster of police officers stood dumbfounded, unsure how to proceed!

Most people who had been holding their breath for the child's sake now wore genuine smiles, a sharp contrast to the stunned expressions on the faces of the police and the disbelieving grimace of Doctor Lu.

Seeing that the child had successfully navigated the crisis, Zhang Yang immediately withdrew the needles. Qu Meilan swiftly stepped forward, returning the needles to their proper place and packing up Zhang Yang's canvas bag.

After Zhang Yang stepped aside, the child's mother rushed forward, grasping her child's hand, tears of joy flowing uncontrollably, her face alight with happiness as she murmured, "Child, child..." Outside, the wail of an ambulance siren sounded, perfectly timed. The long-delayed emergency vehicle had finally arrived.

"It's done. Take your child with the ambulance to the hospital for follow-up treatment," Zhang Yang said softly to the mother before slowly turning away. To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian... to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. PS: A huge thank you to my friends for supporting Xiao Yu; please continue to support Xiao Yu. If we get ten more votes today, I'll add an extra chapter! RS