Chapter 3

Faye's doubts in Benedict's skill were absolved, and her attitude took a 180-degree change.

She said respectfully, "Dr. Drake, please forgive me for my insolence. Please take a look at my husband!"

Benedict nodded. He pulled out a red sandalwood case from his bag, which he opened to reveal rows upon rows of needles of different sizes.

He walked toward the bedside and unbuttoned Derrick's shirt, then swiftly inserted many needles across Derrick's body.

As he did so, he explained to Faye and Victoria, "Every living human has a soul. Once that soul is lost, one will lose consciousness. According to mainstream medicine, Derrick is categorized as being brain dead, but his condition is in fact due to his soul being lost.

"Based on what I can tell, he was probably frightened by something two days ago. His soul is weak and vulnerable and may dissipate if away from the physical body for too long. I'm trying to call his soul back to his body through needle therapy…"

In the blink of an eye, Benedict inserted 36 needles in Derrick's body. He moved swiftly and accurately, telling of his mastery and skill in this.

Any expert in needle therapy would be flabbergasted by his skill and technique, which would not be possible without years, even decades, of training and cultivation.

Most importantly, those who could recognize Benedict's technique would certainly see their jaws drop. It was a long-lost technique known as the 36 Needles of Light and Darkness, known to be able to bring the dead back to life!

Although Faye and Victoria knew nothing about needle therapy, they could tell how skillful he was from his movements. They became increasingly confident in him.

Administering the 36 Needles of Light and Darkness was no easy feat. After Benedict was done, his forehead was covered with sweat, and he looked clearly exhausted.

"Alright. Give it ten minutes. His soul will return to his body, and he'll regain consciousness. Do not touch the needles before I return."

Benedict turned to Victoria. "Please lead me to the washroom."

Victoria hurriedly led Benedict out of the bedroom and to the washroom to freshen up.

The moment Benedict left, James brought his medical team back from the study where they had been having a discussion.

"Mrs. Marshall, we have laid out a treatment plan which we will immediately administer…"

Before he was done speaking, he saw all the needles sticking out of Derrick's body. The look on his face changed as he strode toward the bed.

"What's all this?"

Faye explained, "Dr. Drake administered needle therapy on Derrick. He claimed that Derrick is unconscious because his soul left his body. The treatment would be able to call his soul back…"

"Who? Mrs. Marshall, how could you believe the words of a quack? The soul leaving the body? Are you sure you believe in such bull?" James went on. "If needle therapy could cure Mr. Marshall, would there be a need for experts like us?"

"But that legendary doctor was very skilled. I think he knows what he's doing," Faye said with furrowed brows.

"Mrs. Marshall, you've been fooled! These quacks are the best at playing such tricks and gaining the trust of patients' family members. They excel in making up stories and encouraging superstitious thinking. I'm afraid these needles won't be able to treat Mr. Marshall's condition. For all you know, they might even worsen it!"

James' words frightened Faye. "What should we…?"

"I'll remove them right away!"

With that, James started removing the needles.

The moment he removed one needle, the initially unconscious and unmoving Derrick started shaking violently and began foaming at the mouth.

His reaction was completely unexpected.

James, not to mention Faye, was shocked.

Faye hurriedly pressed Derrick down and asked James, "What's going on?!"

"Well… I don't know. Hang on, I'm sure the needles the quack administered must have aggravated Mr. Marshall's condition!"

The moment the words left James' mouth, Derrick suddenly stopped moving, and the heart rate monitor by his side started beeping.

Derrick's heart suddenly stopped.

"Oh no, Mr. Marshall's heart stopped beating!"

"Mr. Marshall's dead!" one of the doctors started shrieking.

James started to panic and yelled, "It's that quack! He caused Mr. Marshall's death!"

"He was clearly doing well just now until you removed that needle! That's why his life is in danger! Dr. Drake reminded me just now not to touch the needles before his return!" Faye snarled.

Faye glared at James, fear and sorrow gripping her heart. Furious, she slapped James hard. She could clearly tell that James was trying to push the blame away!

James held his cheek in shock and anger, but he didn't dare to say a word. The Marshalls were wealthy and powerful, and he couldn't afford to offend them.

Meanwhile, Benedict was alerted to the commotion in the room. He and Victoria rushed back from the washroom.

When he realized what was going on, he yelled, "Who removed the needle?!"

"He did!" Faye said as she pointed at James.

However, James didn't want to be blamed for causing Derrick's death.

"So what if I did?" he said as calmly as he could. "This scum is the one who caused Mr. Marshall's death. Everyone knows how excellent a doctor I am. To begin with, Mr. Marshall is my patient. This clown administered needle therapy on Mr. Marshall without my permission, and that's what caused Mr. Marshall's death. I won't take the blame for someone else's fault!"

"The patient is in critical condition, but you're busy trying to shift the blame away instead of thinking of a way to save his life. What kind of doctor are you?" Benedict retorted with a smirk.

James, furious, was quick to refute him.

"The patient's heart is no longer beating! How am I supposed to save him? He was already brain-dead to begin with, and now, he doesn't have a heartbeat anymore. What use is there in administering CPR to him? You fool, you know nothing! Quit pretending to be all that and just step aside, you incompetent quack!"

Benedict couldn't be bothered to argue with James.

He pushed James aside and approached Derrick, reinserting the needle James removed and pressing on various points on Derrick's body with two fingers.

"Come back to life!" Benedict said firmly as his fingers finally landed on Derrick's heart.

At the next moment, a shocking scene unfolded before everyone's eyes. Derrick's heart started beating once more, and he started breathing again too!

"His heartbeat is back!"

"My goodness!"

"What divine technique is that?"

Faye, Victoria, and everyone on James' medical team gushed in shock, their eyes wide open in disbelief.

"How…how could this be?" James mumbled to himself, still flabbergasted.

Benedict turned to look at James and asked coldly, "What else do you have to say?"

James forced himself to remain calm and suppress his shock. He smirked.

"So what if you could restore Mr. Marshall's heartbeat? We originally had confidence in treating Mr. Marshall despite him being brain-dead, but with all the tricks you've played, he might end up being in this coma for life. You're still guilty of bringing harm upon him!"

Benedict scoffed.

Just then, he noticed a soul floating in through the door. It was Derrick's soul, and he was the only one in the room who could see it.

Benedict gently placed a palm on Derrick's forehead and said calmly, "Return to the body."

At the next moment, Derrick's fingers started twitching and his eyes gradually opened.

"Derrick!"

"Dad!"

Faye and Victoria cried out loud, overjoyed.

The other doctors stared wide-eyed in disbelief before slowly turning to look at Benedict as though he were an immortal.

After recovering from his shock, James approached Derrick and said with a smile, "As expected, Mr. Marshall has awoken because of my treatment. What great news!"

The only thing he cared about right now was claiming credit for saving Derrick. The Marshalls had promised him eight million dollars as a reward for saving Derrick, after all!

"You shameless old fogey! Step aside!" Victoria snarled.

She had long been displeased with James. Furious to see him shamelessly trying to claim credit, she slapped him hard.

Like mother, like daughter indeed.

The doctors who came with James frowned with embarrassment and shame. They never expected the highly regarded Professor White to be so shameless.

James was furious and flustered, but he was too embarrassed to stay a second longer and left in a huff. The other doctors exchanged glances before leaving with their tails between their legs.

By then, Derrick had fully regained consciousness and was wide awake.

Benedict removed the needles in his body one by one, while Faye and Victoria hastily recounted to Derrick everything that had happened over the past two days while he was unconscious.

Derrick looked at Benedict and said gratefully, "Dr. Drake, this is all thanks to you! You're my savior. I'll definitely repay you handsomely for saving me."

Although Derrick felt grateful, his tone remained authoritative. After all, he was used to being in power. In his opinion, a generous sum of compensation was sufficient to express his gratitude.

Benedict shook his head. He continued packing his needles back into the box, then stuffed the box into his bag.

Victoria said anxiously, "Dad, Dr. Drake doesn't accept compensation for saving patients. That's something Mr. Webber specifically reminded me of."

"Well, why not?" Derrick was rather surprised to hear that.

Businessmen, especially wealthy ones like him with assets worth billions of dollars, always solved their problems with money. Any problem that could be resolved with money was no problem at all.

If Benedict refused to accept his money, Derrick would owe Benedict a favor. Such favors were hard to return.

Derrick didn't want to be in Benedict's debt.

"Dr. Drake has a rule in treating patients. Mr. Webber told me about it,"

Victoria explained.

"Tell me, what is it?" Derrick asked with a frown.