Chapter Twenty-Six: Who Says Traditional Chinese Medicine Can't Treat Facial Disfigurement?

Professor Chen clearly knew something about traditional Chinese medicine. Hearing Lin Chen’s answer, he became even more disdainful, convinced that Lin Chen was nothing more than a swindler out to cheat someone of their money.

Hong Jie, who had originally held some hope for Lin Chen, also grew cold toward him after hearing Professor Chen’s words.

Lin Chen merely said, “Who says traditional Chinese medicine can’t treat a disfigured face? If you think it can’t, that only proves your ignorance.”

Professor Chen flew into a rage. “Arrogant and ignorant brat! You claim you can cure her, do you? Then tell us exactly how!”

Without even thinking, Lin Chen replied, “The tissue on her face has suffered severe damage, so ordinary methods won’t be able to restore it. However, human cells possess a memory function. As long as we stimulate the cells in her face and accelerate their metabolism, we can temporarily control some of them and make them proliferate wildly, much like cancer cells. That will allow the muscles and skin to regenerate.”

Professor Chen sneered as though he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. “Absurd! You make it sound so easy. In my opinion, you don’t even understand basic medical knowledge! How could the memory function of human cells be activated so easily? And to accelerate the metabolism, make facial cells grow wildly like cancer cells, and still control them—that’s nothing but a fairy tale!

“Someone, get this man out of here at once. He’s only causing trouble. And call the police while you’re at it—hand him over to them. He thinks he can swindle a million with nothing but nonsense? He must be insane!”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone nearby prepared to call the police.

“Hong Jie, I want to let him try. I believe him.” An Xueyao suddenly spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it was filled with determination.

For some reason, An Xueyao felt that the man before her, who seemed even younger than she was, possessed a special air that made her want to trust him.

He had spoken to her so gently just now, and that gentleness made her unwilling to believe that he was a fraud.

“This…”

Hong Jie was somewhat troubled. Even she, who knew nothing about medicine, could tell that what this man was saying sounded like complete nonsense. Moreover, insisting that he treat An Xueyao would undoubtedly humiliate Professor Chen.

However, after barely giving it any thought, she said, “All right. Let him try.”

As for whether Professor Chen would be embarrassed, she could not be bothered to care. She was not afraid of offending him. The most important thing was that An Xueyao could be cured.

“You people… Fine. I’ll stand here and see how he intends to treat her!” Professor Chen said, his face livid.

Lin Chen said nothing more. He simply took out a small ceramic bottle and removed a pill.

“Swallow this pill,” he told An Xueyao.

The pill was pitch-black and looked like a ball of mud, giving off a crude and cheap appearance.

“What is that? Has it passed any safety certification?” Hong Jie asked with a frown.

“No. If you trust me, swallow it. If you don’t, I’ll leave right now.” Having been questioned repeatedly, Lin Chen was growing irritated, and a trace of impatience entered his voice.

An Xueyao did not hesitate. She placed the pill in her mouth, took a sip of water, and swallowed it.

Seeing this, Professor Chen sneered even more. What was this supposed to be—a miraculous elixir? It looked like nothing more than a deceitful quack’s trick.

After having An Xueyao lie down on the bed, Lin Chen asked, “How does your face feel now?”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she answered, “Hot. My face feels very hot, and it’s incredibly itchy.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand and was about to scratch her face.

Lin Chen caught her hand. “If you want your appearance restored, don’t scratch it. Bear with it for a little while. It’ll be over soon.”

His words carried a powerful authority. An Xueyao immediately stopped herself from scratching. Although the sensation was unbearable, compared with having her beauty restored, it was nothing.

Professor Chen watched from the side, still unconvinced. Surely this little mud pellet could not be some sort of divine elixir. It was obviously just a scam.

After making An Xueyao lie down, Lin Chen asked, “How does your face feel now?”

An Xueyao’s cheeks were slightly flushed. “It’s hot. My face feels hot and extremely itchy.”

She lifted her hand to scratch it.

Lin Chen caught her wrist. “If you want your face restored, don’t scratch it. Endure it for a moment. It’ll be fine soon.”

The force in his voice left no room for argument. An Xueyao immediately restrained herself. No matter how uncomfortable it was, it was nothing compared to regaining her appearance.

Lin Chen drew out a number of silver needles. In less than a moment, more than a dozen needles covered An Xueyao’s face.

Professor Chen’s expression finally changed. Although he did not practice acupuncture himself, he had seen master acupuncturists work before. Lin Chen’s movements were even faster and steadier than theirs, and they carried a peculiar rhythm. His motions were not hurried, yet the longer one watched, the more dazzling and bewildering they became.

Even so, he still did not believe Lin Chen could cure An Xueyao. In his view, there was no possible treatment for her face—least of all acupuncture.

But before long, his expression changed completely. He stood there dumbfounded.

Hong Jie stared at An Xueyao’s face in shock and could not help shouting, “Xueyao, your face! Your face…”

An Xueyao’s face was covered in silver needles, so she could not speak easily. She merely looked at Hong Jie, clearly asking what had happened to her face.

Hong Jie struggled to calm herself, but her breathing remained rapid. “Your face is really recovering! The flesh on your face is actually moving, and the dark-red scars are disappearing at an astonishing speed. This… this is unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! You’re a miracle doctor! A miracle doctor! What incredible medical skill… No, this is practically magic!”

She looked at Lin Chen. There was no trace of doubt left in her eyes. Instead, they were filled with shock, disbelief, and awe.

A few minutes later, Lin Chen removed the silver needles from An Xueyao’s face.

He smiled. “It’s done. Your face has basically recovered. Only a few marks remain, so faint that they are almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Just take the pills I give you, and those marks will disappear completely within a few days. Your skin will also be even better than it was before you were disfigured.”

“Really? My face is truly healed? Hong Jie, give me a mirror. I want to see for myself. Quickly, give me a mirror!”

An Xueyao’s body trembled with excitement. She took the small makeup mirror Hong Jie handed her and looked at her reflection. A look of disbelief appeared on her face before she cried out joyfully, “It’s healed! It’s really healed!”

The dark-red scars on her face had almost completely vanished, leaving behind only faint traces. From what Lin Chen had said, those traces would disappear entirely once she took the remaining pills, and her skin would become even better than before.

To her, it was as though she had been pulled straight from hell into heaven.

Professor Chen had seemed frozen in place from the moment before. Even the expression on his face had stiffened. Now his entire body began to tremble like a sieve.

“A miracle! This is truly a miracle! This is too unbelievable! Am I really not dreaming? Is this truly not an illusion?”

Professor Chen shouted like a delirious man, a hint of madness in his voice.

To Hong Jie and An Xueyao, Lin Chen’s medical skill was certainly miraculous and impressive, but that was all.

To Professor Chen, however, an authoritative expert in dermatology, this was nothing short of a miracle. Precisely because he understood human skin so thoroughly, the shock he felt was all the greater.

Lin Chen had overturned Professor Chen’s decades of medical knowledge in a matter of minutes.

So traditional Chinese medicine, medicinal pills, and acupuncture—things that many modern hospitals had abandoned—actually possessed such astonishing, almost supernatural effects!

Professor Chen took a deep breath and steadied himself. Then he walked up to Lin Chen and bowed deeply, his eyes filled with respect and even a trace of worship.

“Young man, after living for decades, I never imagined that I would fail to recognize a treasure right before my eyes. I owe you an apology. Your medical skill is simply… simply unbelievable. It is hardly any different from the legendary arts of the immortals! But… is this really traditional Chinese medicine?”

“Of course it is,” Lin Chen replied.

Lin Chen was somewhat surprised that Professor Chen had admitted his mistake so readily. Still, it was not strange that the man had doubted him at first. Anyone would find it difficult to believe that a young man barely in his twenties possessed such extraordinary medical skill.

Seeing Professor Chen’s courteous attitude, Lin Chen became more courteous as well. “Professor Chen, there’s no need for this. If I were in your position, I would probably have had the same doubts. However, as for Doctor Fan, you can let the matter go, all right?”

Doctor Fan, standing nearby, saw that Lin Chen had not forgotten him and gave him a grateful look.

Professor Chen hurriedly said, “Of course! Doctor Fan has committed no wrongdoing. In fact, he deserves credit. I’ll speak to the hospital director and ask him to make better use of Doctor Fan’s talents.”

Doctor Fan was overjoyed and immediately began thanking him.

“Thank you. I still don’t know your name.” Having recovered from the joy of regaining her appearance, An Xueyao turned to Lin Chen with gratitude.

Lin Chen smiled. “My name is Lin Chen. You don’t need to thank me. I came here for the money. Give me one million, and I’ll give you the rest of the pills.”

The pills were easy for Lin Chen to make, and the medicinal ingredients were not particularly expensive. However, only he could provide them.

An Xueyao rolled her eyes playfully and smiled sweetly. “So that’s why you treated me without asking for payment first. You were keeping something in reserve. Did you really think I was the sort of person who would turn against you after getting what I wanted?”

The despair and sorrow had vanished from An Xueyao’s face, as had the terrifying dark-red scars. She once again looked playful and charming. For a moment, Lin Chen was stunned by her excessively beautiful features.

She seemed to have stepped straight out of an ancient portrait of a beautiful woman, possessing a pure and ethereal beauty untouched by the mortal world.

Her eyes seemed to hold clear rivers rippling in the sunlight. Her features were nearly perfect, without the slightest flaw.

If every human face were carved by the hand of God, and God spent one day sculpting an ordinary face, then He had probably spent several years creating the face before him.

“Do you think I’m beautiful?” An Xueyao asked with a playful blink.

Lin Chen’s face reddened. He took out the remaining pills and said, “There are seven pills left in this bottle. Take one every night, and your face will be completely restored once you finish them.”

An Xueyao accepted the bottle with a smile. “Hong Jie, transfer the money to Lin Chen.”

Hong Jie nodded with a smile, asked Lin Chen for his bank account number, and began operating her phone. Before long, Lin Chen received a bank notification.

One million had been deposited into his account.

Once the money had arrived, Lin Chen prepared to leave.

Professor Chen hurriedly said, “Young man, would you be interested in becoming a doctor at the hospital? Or perhaps teaching at Moonsea University’s medical school? I could also tell you about the project I’m currently working on. If it interests you, you’d be welcome to join us.”

“And… could I learn traditional Chinese medicine from you?” Professor Chen asked, his face reddening.

Earlier, he had told Lin Chen that his knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine was inadequate and that he should go back and study for several more years. Now he wanted to learn from Lin Chen himself. Despite having weathered countless storms in life, he could not help feeling embarrassed.

Lin Chen was momentarily stunned, then shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, Professor Chen, but for now I have no plans to join any projects or work as a doctor or teacher. As for what you said about learning traditional Chinese medicine from me—are you asking to become my disciple?”

“Yes, yes. Young man… no, Divine Doctor Lin, if you’re willing, I would like to become your disciple.” Professor Chen spoke with determination.

Several doctors and nurses from the hospital nearby could not help drawing in sharp breaths. Professor Chen had always been arrogant and had never even shown much regard for the hospital director. Yet now he wanted to take a man barely in his twenties as his master?

Many of the younger doctors looked at Lin Chen with envy and jealousy, wishing they could take his place. With Professor Chen as his disciple, Lin Chen would soon be known throughout the medical world of Moonsea City. He would be acquainted with countless influential figures, and fame and fortune would naturally follow.

Just as everyone was envying Lin Chen’s good fortune, he shook his head once again.

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of taking disciples either.”