"What... What is this fragrance?"

Wilson was stunned. He had never smelled anything like it. "This is like a scent from the Garden of God itself."

Li Xu didn’t explain much. He put away the porcelain vial and said, "This is medicine. Life-saving medicine."

"I’m going to begin the treatment now. I must ask all of you to wait outside."

"Sisi, you’ll stay and be my assistant."

Although Professor Yamada, Wilson, and the others were extremely reluctant—dying to stick to Li Xu’s side and watch every detail—they had no choice.

Bound by the rules, they had to retreat to the observation window outside the ward.

Through the thick glass, they could still clearly see everything inside the ward.

Li Xu walked to the bedside, his movements methodical and orderly.

He divided the 100 grams of Ten Thousand Year Agarwood powder into two equal 50-gram portions.

One portion, he placed into the Purple Copper Incense Burner.

With a soft click of a lighter, the small pinch of purplish-black powder didn’t immediately burst into an open flame. Instead, it rapidly turned red, and a wisp of extremely pure, green-tinged smoke rose from it.

The smoke didn’t disperse. It was as if it had a life of its own, remaining coalesced as it rose straight up.

Finally, it slowly spread out across the ceiling of the ward, forming a thin canopy of smoky clouds.

This is known as the "Fragrant Cloud Covering the Head."

Outside the ward, Yamada gaped in astonishment. "Why isn’t the smoke scattering? And... look at the patient’s face!"

Everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to Zhao Qingya on the hospital bed.

The young woman’s life had been sustained by the Golden Needles, but her complexion had remained ashen. Now, after inhaling the smoke, a strange luster appeared on her face.

It wasn’t the color of blood, but rather... the color of jade.

It was as if her life force, previously locked away, was now stirring under the nourishment of this fragrance, like a deeply buried seed hearing the call of spring thunder.

Meanwhile, Li Xu had Song Sisi prepare a glass of warm water.

He poured the other 50-gram portion of Ten Thousand Year Agarwood powder into the water.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

The powder didn’t float on the surface like ordinary Agarwood powder, nor did it sink to the bottom. Instead, it instantly dissolved!

That’s right, it dissolved.

The resin content of the Ten Thousand Year Agarwood was extremely high, and it was a unique type of soft resin that was water-soluble. It melted into a translucent, pale purple liquid that shimmered with an enchanting glow.

Li Xu didn’t add any other medicinal ingredients.

Because in this world, no other medicine was worthy of being paired with this Ten Thousand Year Agarwood, and no other medicine could contain its potency.

Gilding the lily would be pointless; it was better to return to its purest form.

He would use this purest essence of heaven and earth to wash away the decay in the body on the bed.

...

「Outside the ward.」

Yamada and Wilson discussed in low voices.

"This incense is no simple matter..."

Yamada, after all, knew his stuff.

He stared at the incense burner, his eyes feverish. "This is definitely Agarwood, and... it’s a legendary grade of Agarwood. No wonder he mentioned millions. This stuff... I’m afraid money can’t even buy it."

Wilson, however, shook his head, maintaining his rational skepticism. "The fragrance is indeed special, and I’ll admit it might have some sedative or soothing effects. But Professor Yamada, do you really believe a few grams of incense powder can cure a patient with cardiac tamponade and tumor compression? That’s not scientific."

"Modern medicine tells us that tumors are mutations at the cellular level and cardiac deformities are structural defects. These can’t possibly be solved by just ’smelling incense’."

Yamada fell silent.

His rational mind told him Wilson was right.

But his intuition told him that Li Xu might just prove him wrong again.

Just then, inside the ward, Song Sisi carefully fed the purple medicinal liquid into Zhao Qingya’s mouth.

The liquid went down her throat.

Li Xu glanced at the monitor and took out the steel needles from his acupuncture kit.

The final showdown had begun.

Previously, he had used the Sealing Technique, like a great dam, to forcibly hold back the flood of Zhao Qingya’s life force as it drained away.

Now, with the Ten Thousand Year Agarwood as his "Noah’s Ark"...

What he had to do was blow up the dam, let the floodwaters rage, and then forge new life from within the deluge.

"Removing the needles!"

Li Xu’s hands moved like lightning.

First needle, Renzhong! Out!

Second needle, Shao Shang! Out!

...

As the steel needles were removed one by one, the forcibly suppressed condition instantly rebounded with a vengeance.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!"

The monitor suddenly blared with a piercing alarm!

The previously stable heart rate curve shot up like a roller coaster!

140... 160... 180!

Her blood pressure plummeted like a diver!

60/40... 50/30...

Her blood oxygen saturation dropped directly below 70%.

The scene was like a calm lake suddenly hit by a force 12 typhoon, with monstrous waves threatening to capsize everything at any moment.

Outside the ward, the patient’s parents stared at the screen full of red alarms, scared out of their wits. Their hearts were about to leap out of their throats.

"What’s happening? Why is she suddenly crashing?"

The patient’s mother screamed.

Wilson shook his head repeatedly and sighed. "I knew it. This is a classic total collapse following a final burst of energy. The balance was broken, her bodily functions have completely failed. She’s beyond saving."

Yamada frowned but said nothing.

He was waiting for a miracle.

...

「Inside the ward.」

But Li Xu wasn’t flustered in the slightest.

After pulling out the last needle, he tossed it aside and took out another, longer Golden Needle.

This was not a steel needle like before, but a true Golden Needle.

"Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles—Breaking Demon!"

Li Xu’s hand was like a flash of lightning. The Golden Needle transformed into a streak of golden light and plunged directly into the center of Zhao Qingya’s chest—the Shanzhong acupoint!

Immediately after, he inserted several more needles into the Baihui, Yongquan, and Shenque acupoints!

These needles didn’t immediately halt the wild data on the monitor. On the contrary, it was like adding fuel to the fire, causing Zhao Qingya’s body to begin trembling violently.

But this trembling wasn’t a convulsion; it was a high-frequency resonance.

The next second, a miracle occurred.

The Ten Thousand Year Agarwood solution the patient had just drunk seemed to be completely activated by these needles.

A visible purple vapor began to emanate from beneath Zhao Qingya’s skin.

The purple vapor flowed like lively dragons, coursing rapidly along her meridians. Everywhere it passed, her once-wan skin instantly became translucent and radiant.

Even more astonishing was the fragrance.

The aroma that had merely been pervading the air was now gushing out from every pore on Zhao Qingya’s body.

It was an overwhelmingly potent life force.

Washed over by this life force, the data on the monitor came to a bizarre, screeching halt.

Her heart rate instantly dropped from 180 to 100.

Her blood pressure instantly rebounded from 50/30 to 90/60.

Her blood oxygen saturation, defying all reason, shot straight up to 99%.

It was like a race car about to plunge off a cliff suddenly sprouting wings in mid-air and forcefully taking flight.

"This... This is impossible!"

Wilson’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "This violates all common sense in physiology! How could her vital signs reverse so suddenly without any cardiotonics or vasopressors?"