Chapter 160
"What?"
Everyone turned to look. They found Sheila, as Lily had said. Her condition, which had seemed to improve earlier, had worsened. She looked much paler, and more frost had formed on her brows and hair.
"Dr. Shane, what's going on?" Caden's brows furrowed, his expression stern.
"This is most peculiar. Technically, she should be fine after the coldness has been expelled," Malcolm said, finding Sheila's condition baffling. She had been fine moments ago; how had her condition deteriorated so rapidly?
"What do we do now, Dr. Shane?" Caden asked anxiously.
"Don't worry. Let me try again." Malcolm didn't give up. He used the same technique to rid Sheila of the internal coldness.
But the results were the same. In under three minutes, Sheila's condition reverted. The coldness within her seemed endless—truly bizarre.
"What's going on?" Malcolm was baffled, finally realizing the severity of the situation.
"Dr. Shane, your needling skills are amazing at removing the cold, but it's only a temporary solution. It won't eradicate the root cause," Dustin interjected.
This elicited dissatisfaction from the onlookers.
"That's nonsense! Who are you to doubt Dr. Shane's skills?" Xavier glared at him.
"Exactly! You're a wet-behind-the-ears rascal! How dare you speak out of turn?" The crowd was outraged. Dr. Shane was a legendary figure; they wouldn't tolerate criticism from a young man.
"If you don't trust me, try as many times as you wish." Dustin remained silent.
"Oh no! Sheila's pulse has disappeared!" Lily cried.
The crowd saw she was in critical condition.
"Dr. Shane! Quickly! Save my daughter!" Caden urged Dr. Shane.
Malcolm immediately applied more needles to Sheila's pressure points, but the results were unsatisfactory.
The Polarfrost seemed to return regardless of his efforts, rendering Dr. Shane helpless. In all his years of practice, he'd never seen such a condition.
"I'm truly sorry, but I'm afraid I can't help." After attempting to save Sheila, Malcolm shook his head in resignation.
"What? You can't help?" Everyone was bewildered. Nobody expected this. If the legendary Dr. Shane couldn't help, who could?
"Please, Dr. Shane, think of something! You must save my daughter! I have a Gozoraberry! Will that help?" Caden panicked.
"Gozoraberry?" Malcolm's eyes lit up, then dimmed. "It's a precious herb to expel cold and improve circulation, but it won't help now."
The coldness seemed unending; simply expelling it wasn't enough.
"Then what should we do? Is there no hope?" Lily was near tears. If Dr. Shane couldn't help, who could? Suddenly, she saw Dustin and felt a glimmer of hope. "Buddy! Didn't you say you could cure Sheila? Please, save my daughter!"
"Mrs. Murray, it's not that I don't want to; it's that some of you don't want me to help!" Dustin said helplessly.
"Young man, I apologize. If you can save my daughter, the Murray household will be eternally grateful!" Caden's expression showed a mixture of emotions. He wasn't one to easily yield, but for his daughter, he had no choice. His final hope lay with Dustin.
"Uncle Caden! You don't believe this rascal, do you? Even Dr. Shane can't cure her, how can this scoundrel? Don't be fooled!" Xavier protested.
"Well, if I can't cure her, do you think you can?" Dustin challenged Xavier.
Xavier was speechless. He was adept at fighting, but knew nothing about healing.
"Buddy, please try your best. No matter the outcome, we can face it!" Lily looked at him resolutely.
"I can help her, but when I'm done, I expect Mr. Murray to keep his promise." Dustin approached the unconscious Sheila and helped her sit up. With one hand, he applied needles to thirteen pressure points. His technique was extraordinary. As the needles rotated, he gave Sheila a strong smack on the back. She jerked upright and spat several white crystals onto the ground. They were a murky white and emitted a bone-chilling mist.
"The coldness has crystallized?" Malcolm was disbelieving. No wonder his acupuncture was useless. The coldness Sheila had absorbed over the years had crystallized! These crystals were a source of endless cold, explaining why he couldn't remove the source of her condition.
As the crowd watched with uncertainty, Dustin produced a bamboo cylinder and poured out a small, red beetle.
"Hey! What's that?" Lily was shocked and stopped him.
"This is a fiery beetle. A venomous insect that feeds on cold and produces warmth. Once in Sheila's body, it can regulate her energy," Dustin explained.
"A venomous insect?" Everyone's expression changed. Venomous insects were considered evil and dangerous.
"You—you're going to put this insect in Sheila's body?" Lily's skin crawled.
"Don't be alarmed. The mystic arts can heal. This is a perfect example." Dustin put the beetle into Sheila's mouth.
Everyone was at a loss for a moment. Malcolm, however, looked thoughtful. He'd heard of using mystic arts to heal, but never seen it performed. Could this rascal actually work miracles?