Chapter 10: Smash the Signboard

"You first, or me?" Seeing Carlos Yale agree, Wilson Zimmerman asked. "You go first." If he went first and cured Aziel Warth's impotence on the spot, Wilson wouldn't have a chance to show off. "Fine, I'll go first. I'm the Jenden Top Doctor, after all." With the lazy disdain of a man who didn't bother arguing with trash, Wilson waddled over, grabbed Aziel's wrist, and took his pulse. "Shameless," Carlos muttered. "If you don't like it, beat me," Wilson preened. He had barely checked for ten seconds when his brows pinched. His face darkened, sank, and finally turned desperate. "What's wrong, Doctor Zimmerman?" Aziel asked. "Oh, nothing." Wilson forced a smile, withdrew his hand, and said, "Judging from your pulse, your Yang is nearly undetectable while your Yin is strong. That means you have Feminine Energy Surplus-various deficiencies-which is why you can't get it up." "This is tough to treat, but not impossible. We need herbs to regulate your body and balance Yin and Yang. It'll be a long process-at least half a year, maybe two or three years before you see results." Aziel's face collapsed. Damn it. Was he going to stay limp? "So you can't get him hard in the short term? If I can, you lose," Carlos said. "Who… who says I can't?" Wilson actually had no confidence, but if Carlos really got him up, he'd lose. He decided to try. Of course, Arya Zimmerman had to handle the job. If Wilson did it himself, the odds would be even worse-maybe zero. Under the pretext of decocting medicine, he called Arya into the pharmacy. Half an hour later, father and daughter came out carrying silver needles and a bowl of herbal decoction. "Drink the medicine," Arya said. "Okay." Aziel drank it and lay back on a recliner. Fifteen minutes later. "I'm going to start needling." Arya bent down reluctantly. She only did this to secure Treasure Hall's win; otherwise she'd never accept her dad's shameless demand. If the guy were handsome, maybe. But Aziel looked painfully ugly. As she leaned forward, Aziel's line of sight took a direct hit. He got excited at once. Then she drove in needle after needle. Aziel didn't feel pain-he felt good. He looked downright blissed out. No one knew how long had passed before Aziel suddenly shouted, "It's up! Finally up! Haha!" Phew! Arya exhaled hard, shot Wilson a glare, tossed him the silver needles, and gave him a look full of grievance. The crowd buzzed, praising Arya's technique. But Aziel quickly sighed. "Ugh, not even a minute and it went down." Wilson smiled and soothed him. "It's okay. There's hope, right?" "Right, right." Aziel nodded, grinning. "Impressive! The Zimmerman family's medical skills really are something!" The chorus of praise made Wilson grin like a chrysanthemum. He looked at Carlos, smug. "See? You want to smash my sign? If you've got the guts, make him hard again." "All I'll say is Arya's cleavage and her 'technique' did the heavy lifting. It had little to do with you." Carlos casually pulled a roll of silver needles from his pocket. "Too bad you don't have it in you. I'd love to see how you get him up." Wilson wasn't angry. He was certain Carlos couldn't do it. For a contest, he'd made his daughter do that; if it were a tie, Treasure Hall would lose face. "I don't need cleavage, and I don't need tricks. One silver needle is enough." With a swift motion, Carlos drove a twenty-centimeter silver needle into the crown of Aziel's head, sinking more than ten centimeters, straight toward the brain. Wilson's pupils shrank. "That's not treatment-that's murder!" Even the onlookers felt their scalps prickle. A needle that long, stabbing into someone's head-brutal. Aziel's next words stunned everyone. "It doesn't hurt at all." What? Not even a bit? A needle that deep, and no pain? "You sure it doesn't hurt?" Wilson challenged. "Really doesn't." Aziel shook his head, then looked at Carlos. "Why don't I feel any pain?" "Because the root of your problem was in your brain, not the so-called Feminine Energy Surplus. In fact, your Yin and Yang were balanced." "BS! You didn't even take his pulse. How dare you deny my diagnosis?" Wilson protested. Carlos sneered. "And you call yourself a TCM doctor? Ever heard of observing, listening-smelling, asking, and palpating? Observation comes first, palpation last. You can often find the cause with your eyes-so why cling to the pulse? You're incompetent. You couldn't see it, so you covered it with buzzwords about Feminine Energy Surplus. Don't you feel ashamed?" "You-you-you…" Wilson trembled with rage. How did this loser know he'd been bluffing? Was his medical skill actually high? That made no sense. "What right do you have to call my dad incompetent?" Arya pointed at Carlos, angry. "In medical school, you even mixed up acupoints, and you never passed the medical licensing exam. I seriously suspect you're practicing recklessly and without a license. That needle could endanger the patient's life. I'm calling the police." She pulled out her phone. She was sure Carlos had no license, and she meant to throw him in jail-and leave him to die there. "No license and stabbing people like that-pull it out!" "Yeah! Pull it! What if he dies!" The crowd erupted when they heard Carlos had no license. "I do have a license. And you don't need to worry-he won't have an accident. His impotence came from an issue in his Hypothalamic Nerve. This silver needle was to stimulate that nerve. As long as he can feel pain, he can get hard like a normal man," Carlos explained. Arya jumped in as soon as he finished. "We only divorced three days ago. I can guarantee he absolutely doesn't have a medical license!" Then she urged Aziel, "Sir, have him pull the needle, fast. If bacteria infect your brain, it could be life-threatening." "Mr. Yale, do you really not have a license?" Aziel grew nervous. He didn't know whether to trust Richard Wokey's claim that Carlos was a Divine Doctor. That needle went in without any disinfection. He feared a brain infection. No one knew Carlos sterilized the needle with true energy. "I have it. It should arrive soon," Carlos said with a smile. "Ah!" Aziel suddenly clutched his head, face twisted in pain. "Look! It must be a bacterial infection causing a headache!" Wilson crowed, gloating. Before he finished, Carlos pulled the needle out. Aziel's pain vanished at once. "Now look over there," Carlos said, pointing at Arya. Aziel followed his finger. Gulp. The next second, he shouted in delight, "It's up! Haha! It's up!" Arya's eyes flicked to Aziel's lower abdomen. It was up. Had that loser Carlos really cured his impotence? Not good! Wilson's face changed. He stepped in front of Arya, blocking Aziel's view. As long as the time didn't exceed the previous try, he wouldn't lose to Carlos. "Replay the scene you just saw," Carlos reminded Aziel. "Okay, okay." Aziel nodded, closed his eyes, and started imagining. That lecher! Seeing Aziel's wicked grin, Arya felt like killing him. He was definitely fantasizing about ravaging her. About a minute later, Aziel's eyes flew open. "I can't take it! I need the bathroom!" He vanished like the wind. Arya almost coughed blood. The pervert fantasized about her, and now he needed to go do that? Carlos's next sentence made father and daughter blanch. "I already beat Wilson Zimmerman. Someone bring out the Jenden Top Doctor signboard. I'm going to smash it in front of everyone." "I'll get it!" "Me too!" A few young men rushed into Treasure Hall. They had watched the whole thing and could testify Carlos had won. "No! Don't take it down! That's how I make a living!" Wilson tried to stop them, but the crowd hemmed him in. Soon, the Jenden Top Doctor plaque was carried out and set before Carlos. "Carlos, for the sake of me once being your father-in-law, can you spare my livelihood? Don't smash it," Wilson pleaded. "You gave me sleeping pills and wanted me dead. Did you ever think of me as your son-in-law?" Carlos said coldly, and lashed out with a kick. Crack! The plaque split cleanly in two. "My signboard!" Wilson howled, voice tearing. Arya's eyes burned with venom as she glared at Carlos, shaking with rage. "You smashed my dad's sign. I'll make you pay for this. I swear it!" Carlos smiled coolly. "This is only the beginning of my payback against the Zimmerman family. The worse part is still ahead." Right then, drums and gongs thundered down the TCM street. Everyone turned toward the sound. A festive parade swept in. At the front of the procession, a plaque draped in red cloth came into view. Wilson's eyes lit up. He burst out laughing. "You smashed my sign, and someone's already bringing me a new one."