"Big sister, go find the teacher!" Shu Lanzhou gave He Sixin a push and pulled Mu Side forward through the crowd.
"Brother, we have to save him."
When it came to Elder Long's life, no one dared to be careless. But ironically, that same fear meant almost no one dared step forward to help.
Elder Long was already ninety years old. The so-called medical elites standing around were terrified of being blamed if something went wrong—they wouldn't risk making the first move.
There was plenty of noise: people calling for help, clearing a path, opening windows. Yet no one touched the old man collapsed on the floor.
"Acute stroke! He needs to lie flat. Keep him from choking on vomit—everyone, clear a path and make sure there's airflow!" Shu Lanzhou rushed forward, carefully turning Elder Long's head to the side.
She propped up his upper body as best she could. "Brother, call 120 right now!"
"How do you know it's a stroke?" Lin Muyao's voice rang out from the crowd. "You're just a young girl. Which hospital are you even from? What's your specialty?"
"This is Elder Long we're talking about! Don't you dare mess around. There are experts and medical elites here. It's not your time to show off. You'd better not harm him with your recklessness."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"She's so young—she really shouldn't be taking action. Better wait for the ambulance."
"I agree, it's a stroke. We've done the initial steps already. There's no equipment or medication on site. Let's just wait. Little girl, don't act impulsively."
"Exactly. Who does she think she is? We all know what we're doing—does she think she's the only one who knows how to save a life?"
"If anything happens to Elder Long, can she take responsibility?"
"Yeah, get away from him! If you know it's a stroke, you shouldn't be moving him. Do you even understand how dangerous it is to move his head at all?"
More and more voices piled on, blaming and criticizing.
A faint smirk flashed across Lin Muyao's face as she hid in the crowd. Then, deliberately, she murmured just loud enough to be heard:
"Isn't she Professor Mu Yanning's student? What's she doing at this conference?"
"She's a TCM student? Studying acupuncture?" someone chimed in.
"Acupuncture? She's not even trained for emergency care! Let her step back—don't blame us if something goes wrong. She won't be able to talk her way out of it."
"…"
"Enough!" Mu Side shouted, his voice cutting through the noise.
"Shouldn't saving Elder Long be the priority right now? All of you just standing here—none of you had the guts to act, and now you're criticizing the one person who stepped up? Pathetic."
"A bunch of cowards," came a cold voice. Professor Mu Yanning pushed through the crowd.
Shu Lanzhou let out a breath of relief. "Teacher, I brought my needles. I observed Elder Long—it's an acute ischemic stroke, no vomiting, no spasms, pupils normal. It's mild."
"I see. Mu Side, give me the needles." Mu Yanning rolled up her sleeves. With the needles in hand, she worked swiftly, inserting several in quick succession, drawing gasps from the onlookers.
"Professor Mu, be careful—that's Elder Long!" someone warned nervously.
Others exchanged sneers. "Elder Long's ninety—an acute stroke at his age? Even if he survives, he'll probably be paralyzed. Who wants to stick their neck out for a lost cause?"
"Exactly. If Elder Long passes, plenty of people would love to take his place. He's been clinging to that position for years. About time someone else stepped up."
"Let's watch and see—if this goes south, the Mu family's finished. Their acupuncture's already fading into obscurity; this could be the final nail in the coffin."
A few in the crowd genuinely hoped Elder Long would recover. They stepped in to help clear space and waited anxiously for the ambulance.
Mu Yanning finished the procedure quickly. "Your diagnosis was correct—it's mild. We stabilized him just in time. With these needles, he should regain consciousness soon."
Still, without medication and equipment, he had to go to the hospital.
Shu Lanzhou scanned the skeptical faces. "We'd better go with him. They'll hold me responsible if anything happens. I won't rest easy until he wakes up."
Mu Side and Mu Yanning exchanged a glance and nodded. They understood exactly why she insisted.
"We'll go too," Mu Yanning said, her gaze icy as she swept it across the crowd.
"You all heard me. I used acupuncture to stabilize Elder Long's stroke, cleared the meridians to restore blood flow, and targeted specific points to prevent brain damage."
Someone frowned. "Don't celebrate too soon, Professor Mu. We don't know if he'll recover yet. Even if he does, how can we be sure it was your needles?"
"Yeah, if your acupuncture were that miraculous, you wouldn't be struggling to recruit students every year."
"I heard the medical university's planning to cancel that department altogether. Wonder if it's true."
"A flashy gimmick like acupuncture that doesn't actually save lives? Good riddance—better to cut it before it misleads anyone else."
"…"
The voices of doubt grew louder, pushing the three of them into a corner.
Some even stepped forward, trying to shove past them.
A siren blared outside—the ambulance had arrived.
Mu Side stepped forward, blocking those who tried to push through.
"Enough with the talk! If you really care about saving him, make way! Any more delays, and it won't be acupuncture that failed—it'll be you who killed him!"
"Step aside…" a voice called from the back.
It was one of Elder Long's family members, who had rushed over. Seeing Shu Lanzhou supporting the old man, and Mu Side and Mu Yanning guarding him, his expression darkened.
"Professor Mu, please come with us to the hospital."
Elder Long was loaded into the ambulance. Shu Lanzhou and the others followed inside.
Many at the event rushed to their cars to follow, eager to witness what would happen.
At the back of the crowd stood Lin Jiayi and her daughter, alongside Han Weicheng.
"Weicheng, what do you make of this?" Lin Jiayi asked.
Han Weicheng scoffed. "What else is there to say? The Mus love showing off. Elder Long's condition? He's probably not waking up. Even if he does, he'll be disabled."
"They've provoked the Long family now—no one can save them."
Lin Muyao's face lit up. "Honestly, Shu Lanzhou's the one to blame. She rushed in without thinking, acting all righteous. Her arrogance will ruin the Mu family."
Han Weicheng shook his head. "She's reckless and conceited. Even if nothing happens today, she's a ticking time bomb for them."
"Good thing she left the team!" Lin Muyao sighed, linking arms with Lin Jiayi.
"Professor, you're a respected, distinguished figure. Even fate's on your side—without Shu Lanzhou dragging you down, your future will only get brighter."
Han Weicheng beamed at the flattery. "It's not about accolades—it's all for the advancement of medicine. Still, since this happened, we'd better head to the hospital."
"Yes, yes, we should go too," Lin Muyao agreed eagerly, climbing into the car with her mother.
After all, how could she miss such a golden opportunity to watch Shu Lanzhou's downfall?
Once Elder Long suffered a setback, Shu Lanzhou would be ruined. There was no way the Mu family could protect her after this.
And when that day came—she'd make sure Shu Lanzhou was driven out of Shen City for good.