After carefully examining the translated materials, Lin Tian had gained a clear understanding of the images on the gold foil, but his heart rose with even more questions. Zi Yan didn’t understand this set of massage techniques, so she only thought that the techniques resembled the Nine Needle Technique, but Lin Tian felt they were not just similar but very much alike.
Without a doubt, both secret techniques were created by the same person, and Lin Tian suspected that they were originally part of the same system, but for various reasons, they became separated over time.
"Lin Tian, have you discovered any issues? When I look at these images, they seem not only to represent acupuncture methods but also to resemble moves from Ancient Martial arts," Xiao Manxue said, her tone uncertain.
"Ancient Martial moves?"
"That can’t be possible, Miss."
Both of them found it hard to believe what Xiao Manxue said because it sounded too mysterious. It’s one thing for acupuncture techniques to be a mystery, but to say they resemble Ancient Martial arts moves, that’s stretching it too far!
"You two have never practiced Ancient Martial swordsmanship and do not understand," Xiao Manxue earnestly explained. "Swordsmanship is a means of harm, while acupuncture is a means of healing and saving lives. However, don’t forget that the Golden Needle, if inserted in the right places, can save lives, but if it hits a vital spot or is inserted incorrectly, it can also harm or even kill someone. The two have common ground." She spoke confidently about Ancient Martial arts.
"Manxue has a point. If you’re interested, I’ll make a copy for you to take back and study at your leisure," Zi Yan offered generously.
That treatment was enviable; Lin Tian was quite jealous. Such secret texts could easily be given away, even if they were just photocopies, they were still immensely valuable. Lin Tian estimated that her original gold foil version was worth much more than his piece of Imperial Green Jade.
Any antique from the Warring States Period, as long as it had written records, had tremendous research value, not to mention that the content recorded therein was priceless.
"Shop owner, let her talk about her research later. Let’s first clear up our own issue," Lin Tian saw the conversation drifting off-topic and quickly steered it back, continuing, "I suspect that this secret technique is divided into an upper and a lower part, where the upper part is my massage technique, which is the introductory part to the Nine Needle Technique. Mastering it is essential for understanding the subsequent needling methods."
"Your speculation matches my thoughts. How about it? Will you teach me the massage technique now?" Zi Yan smiled confidently, knowing Lin Tian’s interest was fully piqued.
"Teaching it to you isn’t out of the question, but this was passed down to me by my grandfather. If you want to learn it, you must call me master. That’s the rule, and you understand it very well," Lin Tian said earnestly, not joking.
Indeed, neither woman showed surprise or dissatisfaction, because they both knew that many of China’s secretive traditions had such rules; it wasn’t something you could just learn by buying a book on the street. You could say it is conservative and outdated, but that’s just the spirit of its legacy.
However, Zi Yan craftily smiled and said, "You’ll pass your secret technique to me, and I’ll give you the Nine Needle Technique. It’s tough to say which is more valuable, but at least they both stem from the same lineage. Why don’t we refer to each other as senior sister and junior brother?"
Damn, this woman thinks she’s at a disadvantage having to call me master just because she’s older, so she deliberately suggested the idea of senior sisters and junior brothers. Lin Tian saw right through it. He also wanted to suggest something like senior brother and sister, but he knew Zi Yan would not agree. Well then, for the sake of my country’s traditional medicine, let it be a sacrifice.
"Okay, Senior Sister Zi Yan, from now on, you must show some love and care for your junior brother here and carry on the fine traditions of our sect. Otherwise, our founding ancestors will be displeased," Lin Tian said, trapping her with his words. Since you like being a senior sister so much, I will come to you for help in the future, and let’s see how you could possibly refuse then.
"Hehe, as long as Junior Brother Lin listens to his senior sister, of course I will take good care of you," Zi Yan said to Lin Tian with a seductive smile, making him feel like she was as cunning as a fox.
"Also, I’m going to perform a needle trial with Lin Tian later, Manxue, could you please guard the door for us to prevent any disturbances from outsiders, just in case anything unexpected happens?" Zi Yan then turned to Xiao Manxue to make her request.
"No problem, I’m also very eager to see if someone can learn the Nine Needle Technique," Xiao Manxue nodded, and then walked out.
Lin Tian and Zi Yan then returned to the therapy room, where Zi Yan took out a wooden box from the cabinet. After opening it, inside were needles of various shapes and sizes.
"These are crafted according to the specifications described in the Nine Needle Technique; there are nine types of needles in total, called the Ancient Nine Needles," Zi Yan explained.
In fact, as soon as Lin Tian saw them, he understood; because everything from the Nine Needle Technique was already imprinted in his mind, crystal clear. These needles were different from modern ones, like one of the needles, shaped like a sword and having blades on both sides, no longer even resembled a needle.
"Junior Brother Lin, to quickly master the Nine Needle Technique, trying needles on a human body is the fastest way. You have the secret massage technique as a foundation and will surely learn quickly. I, as your senior sister, will act as a patient for you to practice needling on me. While you are trying the needles, I can learn your techniques," Zi Yan generously offered, and she was also bold enough to take risks to learn something new.
If only she knew that Lin Tian could see through objects, she would have no reason to worry at all. Under his penetrative gaze, no secret acupuncture points could escape Lin Tian’s eyes; his accuracy in locating acupuncture points was unmatched in this world.
When performing acupuncture, the strength of the fingers is vitally important, the power must be sufficient, and the force applied must be evenly decisive. Lin Tian believed that no one could match him, for with his heightened sensory abilities, his control over strength was even more accurate than a machine.
He picked up one of the Nine Needles, the filiform needle, pinching it with three fingers, and practiced inserting it in various directions, up and down, left and right, front and back, to familiarize himself with the speed and angle of insertion. Once he felt about ready, he sterilized the filiform needle.
"Senior Sister Zi Yan, the acupoints on the limbs are quite safe, so I’ll start with trying the needle on your Yujixue point on your hand." There are seven hundred and twenty acupoints all over the human body, and Lin Tian remembered every single one of them distinctly, including the vital points, both lethal and non-lethal, as well as the functions and effects of each acupoint; his ability to remember everything in one glance was just that powerful.
Zi Yan sat down on a chair and said, "Needling the Yujixue point can relieve limb fatigue and is very effective in treating mouse hand, a common ailment among computer users."
When it came to acupuncture, Zi Yan was also quite knowledgeable. After sitting down, she stretched out her hand for Lin Tian to perform the needling. Zi Yan’s fingers were slender, her skin pale and smooth, seemingly glowing. She definitely took very good care of her hands; the hands of a beautiful woman are often beautiful as well, and using them for massage would be no small luxury.
Lin Tian’s gaze pierced through, allowing him to see the more than twenty acupoints on Zi Yan’s hand clearly because acupoints are special areas where qi and blood enter, exit, and converge. By looking through her qi and blood movement, he could clearly see all the acupoints on her hand.
The filiform needle was accurately inserted into the Yujixue point. Lin Tian’s expression was calm, and his hand controlled the lifting and rotating of the needle according to the Nine Needle Technique. Zi Yan oddly felt a sour, numb swelling sensation at the punctured spot, and this numbing feeling surprisingly began to spread up her arm!
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