Chapter 71: Saving a Person

Amanda Vance froze at the question, her mind momentarily blank. She didn’t notice the anxiety in Felix Ford’s eyes.

After a moment, she slowly shook her head and murmured, "It wouldn’t."

Felix Ford’s heart sank. His small face paled, and he clenched his hands together. ’Just as I thought.’

’If Mom finds out, she won’t want me anymore.’

Amanda Vance stared into the distance, her eyes unfocused. "If your little brother were still here, Mommy would be so happy. It’s just..."

She lowered her gaze, hiding the pain in her eyes. "But in this world, there’s no use in thinking ’what if’."

’How she wished that child were still alive.’

"Huh?" Felix Ford stared at her, momentarily confused. ’Does *he* have a little brother?’

’No, that’s not right. Does *Jean Vance* have a little brother?’

’Is... is he that person?’

’Then why does Mom look so sad?’

He couldn’t figure it out, but he didn’t dare to ask. The anxiety was killing him, and he desperately wanted to just blurt out the question.

"Mom, I..."

Before he could finish, a sudden commotion erupted nearby. A nurse burst out of a room, shouting, "Doctor!"

Amanda Vance frowned and quickly got to her feet. "Jean," she instructed, "sit here and don’t run off. Wait for Mom to come back."

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Felix Ford nodded quickly.

With that, Amanda Vance ran toward the room where the commotion was coming from.

On the bed lay an elderly man, his body convulsing. The corner of his mouth was drooping, and he was vomiting.

Amanda Vance strode to the bedside. With one hand, she took his pulse; with the other, she lifted his eyelid. ’An acute stroke.’

She made an instant decision. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on a set of silver needles. She snatched them up and immediately began inserting them into several of his acupoints.

In the blink of an eye, she had inserted over a dozen needles.

"What are you doing!" the nurse finally reacted, shouting in terror.

’Has she lost her mind? That’s Mr. Ford!’

’If something goes wrong...’

The nurse didn’t dare imagine the consequences. She moved to pull Amanda away, but as if she had eyes in the back of her head, Amanda easily dodged her. "Get back," she said in a low, firm voice. "If you stop me, he’ll die."

Her gaze was calm but intimidating, and it froze the nurse in her tracks. Taking advantage of the hesitation, Amanda inserted several more needles.

The nurse’s legs went weak as she stared at the needles covering Mr. Ford. Her scalp tingled with fear. ’Where in the world did this lunatic come from?!’

’It’s over. We’re all going down with her.’

The nurse’s face was ashen. She could already picture the grim fate that awaited her.

Amanda Vance, oblivious to the nurse’s inner turmoil, focused on twirling the silver needles. This was the scene that greeted Mr. Lynch when he arrived.

He frowned and hurried forward. When he looked down and saw the needles in Mr. Ford, his eyes widened. "This... This is..."

Several other doctors followed him. Seeing an unfamiliar woman sticking needles into the patient, one of them frowned and snapped, "Who are you? What do you think you’re doing? Security, get her out of here immediately!"

But as he spoke, he saw Mr. Lynch raise a hand to stop him.

The doctor didn’t understand why, but given Mr. Lynch’s status, he dared not question the decision. He couldn’t help but give them a strange look, however.

’Mr. Lynch isn’t stopping her?’

Not only did he not stop her, but what happened next left them utterly stunned.

They watched as Mr. Lynch stepped forward and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

His tone was incredibly kind and approachable, a complete departure from his usual arrogant self.

"Prepare the medicine." Amanda Vance didn’t even spare him a glance as she rapidly rattled off a long list of herbs and their required dosages. "...Once it’s decocted, have him drink it."

She spoke with such speed and urgency, but fortunately, Mr. Lynch had earned his reputation for a reason. He understood her instructions immediately and went to prepare the decoction with his own hands, not trusting anyone else with the task.

This left the onlookers even more flabbergasted.

’Does this mean he approves of her methods?’

One of the doctors, still worried, hurried after him. "Mr. Lynch," he asked hesitantly, "is she really going to be able to do this?"

’This is Mr. Ford we’re talking about! If anything goes wrong, the Ford Family could tear this hospital to the ground.’

Mr. Lynch said nothing, merely replying, "Go and see for yourself whether it’s working or not."

The doctor actually went back to check. After a moment, he shot a look of pure astonishment at Amanda Vance. Seeing she was still busy, he didn’t dare disturb her and hurried after Mr. Lynch again. "It’s a miracle! Mr. Ford’s color is already much better."

"His breathing is much steadier, and he has some color back in his cheeks. I was scared to death a minute ago; I really thought he wasn’t going to make it through the day. After all, a stroke can be fatal in minutes. A delay of even a single minute can make resuscitation impossible. It’s a true race against time."

Mr. Lynch had been thinking the exact same thing. He had been Mr. Ford’s primary physician for years, always on guard against another attack, knowing the consequences would be dire.

He had been terrified when he first heard the news, certain his old friend wouldn’t make it through the day. But then, against all odds, he’d found Amanda Vance.

’The Nine Revolutions Needle. It’s actually the legendary Nine Revolutions Needle.’

’It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the Life-saving Needle. It can pull a person back from the brink of death, even if they only have a single breath left. It’s truly a technique for snatching a soul back from the King of Hell. To think he’d get to witness it in his lifetime—and wielded by a woman so young, no less.’

’This time, he had truly misjudged her.’

Though a thousand thoughts churned in his mind, Mr. Lynch didn’t slow his pace for a second. He moved quickly, retrieving the herbs and starting the decoction.

Outside, Felix Ford watched everything with curiosity. After a moment, he slid off the chair, dusted himself off, and headed for the room.

Being so small, no one in the bustling corridor noticed him. He peeked around the doorway and saw Amanda Vance treating a patient. The serious expressions on everyone’s faces made him stand on his tiptoes to get a better look at the person in the bed. He gasped. ’Grandpa?’

He trotted closer but stopped about three feet from the bed. The sight of the needles covering the man’s body frightened him, and he didn’t dare get any nearer. He glanced at the patient, then looked to Amanda Vance. "Mom, is... is this old grandpa going to be okay?"

"He’s fine. We saved him." Amanda Vance said as she removed the needles. Seeing his pale face, she added, "Why don’t you go wait for me outside?"

’A child his age might be frightened by a scene like this.’

The nurse who had tried to stop Amanda recalled Mr. Lynch’s reaction and then looked at Mr. Ford’s improved condition. Realizing her mistake, she scratched her head in embarrassment. Frustrated that she couldn’t be of more help, her eyes landed on Felix Ford. She quickly spoke up, "Um, Ms...."

"Vance. My last name is Vance."

"Oh, right, Dr. Vance. Let me take your son for you."

Since she was a nurse at the hospital, Amanda felt comfortable entrusting him to her. She glanced at the nurse’s name tag, memorized the name, and nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"It’s no problem at all, you’re too kind," the nurse replied. She was still wondering about it. ’When did our hospital hire such a brilliant TCM practitioner? She seems even more skilled than Mr. Lynch. The last time Mr. Ford had an episode, Mr. Lynch had to use Western medicine as a supplement to speed up the treatment. But she managed it today with just a few needles.’

’That’s just unbelievable.’

Felix Ford gave Mr. Ford one last look before leaving reluctantly.

’I can’t help right now anyway. It’s better not to get in the way.’

"Dad!" Having received a call from the hospital, Shawn Ford had rushed over. He ran into the ward, all sense of decorum forgotten.

Samuel Ford, looking equally tense, was right behind him. But just as he was about to enter the room, he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes fixed on a small child a short distance away.

’Colt?’