Chapter Forty-Three: The Cursed Blood Blossom and the Eight Gates of Gold

"If the information is correct, then I have certainly invited the right man. In fact, this Doctor Jiang may prove of great use," Colonel Luo replied to the stunningly beautiful woman's doubts, brimming with confidence.

The others, hearing this, appeared somewhat skeptical—could this Doctor Jiang truly possess some unique skill? What astonished them even more was that Commander Li actually picked up the thread: "Oh? So this Doctor Jiang is the one you mentioned, the great talent who has mastered the legendary 'Golden Needles Crossing Tribulation'? Remarkably accomplished at such a young age! Wan'er, aren't you going to apologize at once to Doctor Jiang and Colonel Luo?"

Golden Needles Crossing Tribulation!

The meaning of these four words might be lost on outsiders, but the other eight veteran physicians in the room understood all too well. If any one of them had mastered this art, they could have dominated the entire medical field, regardless of their other deficiencies. For this skill alone could snatch the dying back from the brink of death—such a person, whose hands could save lives at any moment, who would dare offend them lightly?

Jiang An shot Colonel Luo a deep, meaningful glance. He thought to himself that Colonel Luo's invitation was certainly not due to a last-minute recommendation from Director Yang or Elder Lu, as they had claimed. No wonder Colonel Luo had agreed so readily at that time, which was completely contrary to the military's usual cautious style. Now it seemed Director Yang had long since reported his credentials, and that whole recommendation scene was mere theater.

The beautiful woman called Wan'er also betrayed a shift in her gaze. She did not know what kind of skill Golden Needles Crossing Tribulation was, but from the Commander's words and the expressions of these esteemed national physicians, the matter was plain enough. Though she still harbored some doubts about the young man, she nevertheless opened her mouth to apologize, albeit with a trace of stiffness in her tone: "I was too rash. Colonel Luo, Doctor Jiang, please forgive me."

"It's nothing," Colonel Luo replied with a gentle smile, brushing aside the matter, while Jiang An merely nodded slightly in response.

Hmph, he's probably a fraud. When he's exposed, don't blame me for being blunt! Wan'er's heart burned with anger at Jiang An's cold indifference, and she made a silent vow.

"Now that we're all acquainted, let me address my personal matter," the Commander began. "As you can see, though I am a general, I spend several days each month confined to a sickbed. For a soldier, this is nothing short of disgraceful. I won't hide it from you: I have three pieces of shrapnel lodged in my brain." Commander Li pointed gravely at his head. "I got them fighting the Southern Viet monkeys years ago. Medical resources at the time couldn't remove them, and now it may be too late. Doctors say that if I don't get them out soon, I'll be paralyzed. You may wonder why you're here—why a team of Chinese medicine experts, rather than Western surgeons, is assembled for a cranial operation. I'll let Elder Qian from the military district explain."

Elder Qian, one of the military's three top physicians, cleared his throat. His face was grave as he swept his gaze around the room. "Have any of you heard of the 'Blood Blossom Evil Curse'?" he asked.

At these words, the room was thrown into commotion.

"What? The Blood Blossom Evil Curse!!"

"Could it be the same one from back then…?"

"How could this thing appear again? I thought it was only legend!"

"Does this mean the Commander is…?"

Faces paled, and several blurted out in shock. Elder Qian let out a soft sigh, gesturing for silence, then continued, "Yes, that's exactly what it is. Commander, if you would show them?"

Commander Li obediently unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a strange, lurid blood-red flower upon his chest, about the size of a fist. It exuded an aura of evil, chilling to behold.

"Some of you may not know the story from those years. Let me explain," Elder Qian said. "In the days when the First Leader was still in hiding, a master from the southern cults infiltrated the base and ambushed him, inflicting this most venomous Blood Blossom Evil Curse. Even though a grandmaster channeled internal energy to sustain his life, the situation was dire. Within a day, the organization tracked down China's number-one physician, the Elder of Three Joys. This worthy was no empty name—facing the curse, which dispersed blood and grew stronger in adversity, he created a new remedy. He distilled eight rare healing herbs into the 'Eight Gates Gold' elixir, eradicating the curse from the Leader's body in one stroke! Since then, the Eight Gates Gold has been renowned as a life-saving miracle medicine.

"As for Commander Li, he was ambushed by someone who also knew this curse during the war with Southern Viet. The attacker was far less skilled, and failed to complete the ritual, so the curse did not erupt immediately, but lay dormant. As the Commander aged and his vitality waned, the curse finally broke out ten years ago, tormenting him ever since." Elder Qian's concise account gave everyone a preliminary understanding.

"Indeed," Commander Li continued, his voice full of feeling, "because this curse is an incomplete version, it lacks the black-red hue of the original, and does not flare up every hour. But even so, every month when it attacks, my blood boils as if molten steel runs through my veins, my whole body consumed as if by fire—pain beyond description. Compared to that, the shrapnel in my brain is almost a trivial concern; over the years, it's caused only occasional headaches, never affecting my work. I've endured this agony for so long, and at last, my hope for deliverance rests with you all." His expression grew earnest, his words heartfelt.

The assembled physicians exchanged glances as Elder Qian continued, "A cranial operation is no great challenge for modern medicine. The key problem is, if we attempt surgery, the curse will instantly rebound, and once it erupts, not even the gods could save him. So, dispelling the Blood Blossom Evil Curse is the most crucial step, and the reason you have all been summoned."

Just as Elder Qian finished, the goateed old man who had introduced himself as Wang Bixuan suddenly spoke up: "I see now—my family's ancestral 'Life-Giving Powder' must be one of the eight herbs required for the Eight Gates Gold!"

The others started, as if struck by a realization. Elder Qian nodded in admiration. "Brother Wang, you're absolutely right! The Eight Gates Gold was originally refined from rare healing herbs. Back then, the Elder of Three Joys was learned beyond compare, possessing the formulas for all the great medicines, and thus created this elixir. But out of professional ethics, he never revealed the recipe or method of preparation. So, the world knows only that Eight Gates Gold is made from eight herbs, but not which ones. Later, the Elder vanished, and the recipe was lost. But after ten years of research, we have now identified the eight herbs needed for Eight Gates Gold—they are all the ancestral secrets of those present!"

Among the nine grandmasters of Chinese medicine in the room, excluding Jiang An, there were exactly eight. Three were from the military, their faces tinged with excitement, while the other five looked both delighted and hesitant—pleased that their family's legendary secrets might bring Eight Gates Gold back to the world, but also unwilling to part with their ancestral recipes.

Seeing their hesitation, Colonel Luo interjected, "Actually, the top-secret mission concerns the Eight Gates Gold. Our proposal is this: you need not reveal your formulas just yet. Instead, each prepare your remedy here, and the military will combine them. If the Eight Gates Gold is successfully made, we can discuss the next steps. The state will fairly compensate you for your secret recipes. If we fail, there is no need to proceed, but the military will not forget your efforts."

Everyone nodded, agreeing this was a fair solution. At that moment, a sharp-eyed old man called out, "Colonel Luo, you say the Eight Gates Gold is tied to a top-secret mission. Could you clarify the connection? After all, this concerns family secrets passed down through generations."

Seeing the others swayed by this argument, Colonel Luo looked to the Commander. "Sir?"

"No need to hold back. We're in too deep already—just say it," Commander Li responded forthrightly.

"We have come into possession of a set of ancient body-forging techniques. Our research confirms their authenticity—they can triple a soldier's physical prowess!" Colonel Luo's eyes shone with a feverish light. "But there are two obstacles. First, the practitioner must already have twice the constitution of an ordinary man—that's not a problem; our top special forces meet the requirement. The real challenge is the second: the practitioner must soak in a medicinal bath to strengthen the body and replenish energy consumed during training. Without it, the practitioner will quickly burn out and die from exhaustion! After years of calculations and experiments, we're seventy to eighty percent certain that the Eight Gates Gold is the formula needed to match these techniques!"

Jiang An realized then that the purpose of gathering so many masters was twofold: not only to cure the General's curse, but also to acquire the complete body-forging technique. According to Colonel Luo, if a top special forces soldier succeeded in cultivating, his physique would be six times that of an ordinary person! What did that mean? It was akin to creating supermen—an unimaginable prize for the military.