Chapter 8: Revealing Medical Mastery, the Deaf Matriarch Forced to Yield

The news that Yan Bugui was made to sweep the floor by Chen Mo spread through the entire courtyard like wildfire.

The way everyone looked at Chen Mo had evolved—from initial sympathy, to surprise, and now to genuine awe.

This kid’s methods were uncanny. Without a single blow or harsh word, he managed to bring people into line. That was far more effective than throwing punches.

Especially the several overseers of the courtyard, who felt a complex mix of emotions.

First Elder Yi Zhonghai hid inside his room all day, feeling his authority crumble bit by bit under Chen Mo’s influence.

Second Elder Liu Haizhong, on the other hand, relished their discomfort. Since he didn’t get along with either Yi Zhonghai or Yan Bugui, seeing them humbled by Chen Mo gave him a strange satisfaction.

At the same time, Liu Haizhong watched closely, trying to discern Chen Mo’s true nature.

As for Chen Mo, he remained completely indifferent.

This was exactly the effect he wanted—to establish his dominance thoroughly so everyone would know that Chen Mo was not someone to mess with.

In the following days, the courtyard was unusually quiet.

Over at the Jia family, the “strange illness” affecting Banggeng had lessened in intensity; he no longer dared to run amok.

Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu also kept to themselves, avoiding Chen Mo.

Xu Damao wandered around in a daze all day. Several times, Lou Xiao’e caught him squatting outside Chen Mo’s door in the middle of the night, hesitating to knock but afraid to do so. His conflicted expression looked like that of a lost soul.

Meanwhile, Third Elder Yan Bugui remained steadfast, appearing twice a day at Chen Mo’s doorstep, broom in hand, solemnly fulfilling his “treatment” duties.

Chen Mo’s life was quite comfortable.

He drank nourishing chicken soup every day, ate steamed buns and meat, and his health improved steadily. The sickly appearance he once had was completely gone, replaced by a healthy, rosy complexion.

He wasn’t idle either. Besides eating and sleeping, he spent his days studying the medical knowledge within the system.

Out of his 50 punishment points, he spent 30 to redeem a book titled *Detailed Explanation of Human Meridians and Acupoints (Divine Level)*.

This book directly implanted all the knowledge about human acupoints—their functions, locations, needle depths, contraindications—straight into his mind.

Now, his skill in acupuncture rivaled that of veteran national masters who had practiced for decades.

That afternoon, as Chen Mo was reading indoors, a sudden commotion and shouts erupted in the courtyard.

“Something’s wrong! The deaf old lady has fallen!”

“Someone, hurry! The old lady seems to be gasping for air!”

“Quick! Call for help! Take her to the hospital!”

Chen Mo frowned and put down his book.

The deaf old lady?

In the original story, this old lady was the “stabilizing force” of the courtyard—the greatest support for Yi Zhonghai and Shazhu.

Though she usually pretended to be deaf and mute, she saw everything clearly and always sided with Shazhu and his group at critical moments.

Chen Mo had no fondness for her.

But when lives were at stake, he pushed open the door and stepped outside.

A large crowd had gathered in the backyard open space.

The deaf old lady lay on the ground, her face purple, lips dark blue, chest heaving violently.

She made “ho ho” sounds from her throat, as if something was blocking her airway; she was close to death.

First Elder Yi Zhonghai and Shazhu were nearby, sweating profusely but helpless.

“Quick! Zhuzi, you’re strong, carry the old lady! We have to get her to the hospital!” Yi Zhonghai ordered frantically.

“No, First Elder!” Shazhu cried out. “In her condition, if we move her, I’m afraid she won’t be able to breathe again!”

“What then? Just watch her die?”

Voices in the courtyard rose in confusion—some urged rushing her to the hospital, others suggested pressing the philtrum or patting her back—everyone was in chaos.

At that moment, Chen Mo parted the crowd and stepped forward.

“Everyone, make way!”

His voice was low but carried an unmistakable calm authority.

The crowd instinctively cleared a path.

Yi Zhonghai frowned upon seeing Chen Mo. “Chen Mo, what are you doing here? This doesn’t concern you. Don’t cause trouble!”

In his eyes, Chen Mo’s methods were shady tricks, good for harassing others but useless for saving lives.

“Trouble?” Chen Mo sneered. “First Elder, is your idea of ‘not causing trouble’ just standing by and watching the old lady suffocate?”

He crouched and quickly assessed the deaf old lady’s condition.

His pupils dilated; breathing was faint—a classic case of acute asphyxia with the airway blocked by a foreign object.

In this situation, sending her to the hospital was pointless; any further delay of even two minutes could be fatal.

“She’s choking on something; we have to remove the obstruction immediately!” Chen Mo said gravely.

“Remove it? How?” Shazhu asked anxiously.

Chen Mo didn’t answer; there was no time for explanations. He quickly helped the old lady sit up, leaning against him.

Then, wrapping his arms around her upper abdomen, he clenched one fist with his thumb pressing between her chest and navel.

With the other hand gripping the fist, he delivered a series of sharp, forceful inward and upward thrusts.

“The Heimlich maneuver!” flashed through Chen Mo’s mind.

It was emergency knowledge he had seen in the system, specifically for clearing airway obstructions.

“What… what are you doing?” Yi Zhonghai and Shazhu were startled and ready to intervene, fearing Chen Mo might harm her.

“Don’t move!” Chen Mo shouted fiercely.

“If you want her to live, stand back!”

His actions continued without pause—one, two, three thrusts—

On the fifth thrust, there was a sudden “cough,” and a peanut-sized candy flew from the old lady’s mouth and dropped onto the ground.

With the obstruction cleared, fresh air rushed into her lungs.

The old lady’s complexion visibly shifted from purple to red; after several violent coughs, she finally breathed smoothly.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, still showing the terror of one who had narrowly escaped death.

The courtyard fell into stunned silence.

Everyone gaped in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

The very person on the brink of death had been revived by Chen Mo in a few simple moves?

What kind of divine skill was this?

“She’s alive! The old lady’s alive!” someone shouted, and the crowd erupted in excitement.

“Oh my God! Chen Mo really saved her!”

“Amazing! What was that technique? Faster than going to the hospital!”

“This isn’t medicine—it’s magic!”

Even Yi Zhonghai and Shazhu were dumbfounded, mouths agape, speechless for a long moment.

They could never have imagined that in their helplessness, watching her slowly die, the very person they despised most—Chen Mo—would casually pull her back from the brink of death.

This impact was a hundred times stronger than when Chen Mo had dealt with them before!

If before they had merely “feared” him, now it was genuine “respect.”

The deaf old lady caught her breath and realized Chen Mo had saved her life. Her gaze was filled with the most complex emotions.

She had always regarded Chen Mo as an unstable element in the courtyard, someone to suppress.

Yet today, the very person she sought to crush had saved her.

“Old lady, how do you feel now?” Chen Mo’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“I… I’m fine now…” her voice was hoarse. “Child, thank you… thank you for saving my life…”

This was the first time she spoke to Chen Mo in such a gentle tone.

“No need to thank me.”

Chen Mo stood and said calmly, “I told you, my medical skills can save or ruin lives. Who I save or ruin is clear in my mind.”

His words carried a clear implication.

He knew exactly who the old lady was.

He saved her partly out of the compassion of a healer who cannot stand to see death.

But also to further establish his prestige in the courtyard.

He wanted everyone to know, including this “Old Empress Dowager” of the courtyard, that Chen Mo was the true holder of the power over life and death here.

From now on, anyone who wanted to play favorites or pull tricks would have to consider whether their own life was strong enough to risk it.

Yi Zhonghai finally reacted, approaching Chen Mo with an extremely awkward expression.

He opened his mouth and managed to say, “Chen Mo… just now, thank you. On behalf of the old lady, I thank you.”

This was the first time he bowed to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo glanced at him but said nothing, tacitly acknowledging the gesture.

Shazhu scratched his head and mumbled, “Chen Mo, thanks.”

Though simple-minded, he understood gratitude. Chen Mo had saved the person he respected most; he had to recognize that.

Chen Mo nodded in response.

He then looked at the still seated deaf old lady and said, “Old lady, you’re advanced in age and your bodily functions have declined. You must be careful when eating from now on.

Also, I see your complexion is poor, and you seem to have chronic heart and lung ailments. It would be best to find a time for me to treat you with acupuncture.

Otherwise, what happened today might happen again.”

At these words, both the old lady and Yi Zhonghai’s faces changed.

Because Chen Mo had hit the mark again!

The old lady had indeed suffered a chronic illness in her youth involving her heart and lungs.

Only Yi Zhonghai and a few old neighbors knew this.

How did Chen Mo discern it?

This kid must truly possess otherworldly abilities.

The deaf old lady looked into Chen Mo’s calm eyes and felt a genuine fear for the first time.

In front of this young man, she felt transparent, as if she had no secrets.

She was silent for a long moment before slowly nodding and uttering a sentence that shocked the entire courtyard.

“All right… child, then… I’ll trouble you.”

This deaf old lady, the unquestioned “Old Empress Dowager” of the courtyard—whom even Third Elder had to show respect to—had genuinely bowed to Chen Mo.