"Ah—"
Zacher Eugene and his wife gasped in astonishment. A faint red line extended from the center of Victor Blacke's abdomen, slowly creeping toward his chest.
How could this be possible?
Their faces shifted with a mix of disbelief and unease. Eugene Zacher's gaze toward Ethan subtly changed, recognizing that this discovery couldn't have been orchestrated by Victor. Could Ethan truly possess profound skills?
Victor Blacke had no time to dwell on Eugene's shock as he anxiously looked at Ethan.
"Brother Ethan, this red line—does it mean the blade's curse? I don't feel anything unusual. I thought it might just be a bruise."
Victor's tone revealed his growing respect for Ethan, alongside an unmistakable hint of fear. The once skeptical Blacke was now a firm believer in the mystical.
"This red line doesn't hurt yet because the curse hasn't reached its climax." Ethan's sharp eyes locked onto Victor's abdomen. "Your string of bad luck over the past two days has been tempered somewhat by the protective charm, saving half your life."
"But this red line? A charm won't suffice to hold it back. If you'd waited even one more day to find me, you'd already be a dead man."
Victor's voice trembled as he asked, "This red line... can it kill me?"
"The curse from the blade has taken form—it's a force of destruction." Ethan pointed at the red streak. "Once the line reaches your heart, it will split open like a ripened fruit."
"Ah—" Victor flinched, his hands reflexively covering his abdomen as he stared at the ominous line.
"Ridiculous! What a far-fetched story. It's not like we're in some supernatural thriller!" scoffed Mrs. Zacher, her arms crossed. "It's likely just an injury, not some curse. I've never heard of a 'red line' that moves—"
Before her sentence was finished, the faint red streak visibly shifted upward, advancing an inch closer to Victor's heart.
Everyone in the room froze in disbelief.
A chill ran down Victor's spine. Panic-stricken, he clutched Ethan's arm.
"Brother Ethan, I was wrong yesterday—I shouldn't have ignored your warnings or mishandled the protective charm. Please forgive me and help me now. I don't want to die like this!"
Victor's desperation spilled into his voice. Yesterday, he had dismissed Ethan's craft as mere superstition. Today, it felt like his last lifeline.
"Don't worry, I'm here now. That means I'll help you." Ethan spoke with calm reassurance as he motioned Victor to sit. Taking out a set of sterilized silver needles, he prepared to act.
"Silver needles? Chinese medicine?" Mrs. Zacher muttered skeptically. "Victor, I still think you should see a real doctor—or better yet, consult Dr. Sun instead of letting this fraud waste your time."
"If you don't shut up, get the hell out!" Victor snapped, his patience evaporating. Turning back to Ethan, he added with admiration, "Brother Ethan, are you about to use energy to guide the needles?"
The surrounding lackeys leaned in with excitement at the prospect.
"Energy guiding needles?" Ethan blinked. "No."
Victor looked puzzled. "But with your skills—facing five hundred opponents alone—you must be at the peak of the Huang realm. That level should be able to handle such techniques."
Ethan smirked inwardly, thinking, Sure, I managed that fight, but that was thanks to ginseng fruit. Now that it's digested, I'd struggle to take on a hundred.
Instead, he playfully smacked Victor's head. "Stop daydreaming and sit still. One wrong move and I might puncture the wrong spot."
Victor immediately sat upright, not daring to utter another word.
Ethan inhaled deeply, focused on the task at hand, and carefully inserted nine silver needles into key acupuncture points. Each movement carried precision as if following a meticulous rhythm from the Taiji Divine Needles manual.
Three minutes passed.
With the final needle placed, the ominous red line halted its advance. It then began to fade, retreating inch by inch until it disappeared entirely.
"It's gone! The red line's gone!" shouted one of Victor's lackeys, as if announcing a lottery win.
Victor looked down and confirmed the absence of the line. The sense of doom dissipated, replaced by a newfound lightness in his body.
"Brother Ethan, I can't thank you enough!" Victor's gratitude overflowed. "I feel so much better now. But I have one question—why did this happen to me and not others who keep similar items?"
Ethan explained with patience. "Others who keep replicas of Guan Gong's blade often also enshrine a statue of Guan Gong himself. The deity's presence restrains the blade's energy. Without such balance, the weapon's aura grows unchecked, eventually manifesting as a lethal curse."
Victor nodded, his understanding deepening. "So that's the missing piece..."
"Utter nonsense!" Mrs. Zacher interrupted, her skepticism burning brightly. "This is just superstition! How can you still—"
Ethan cut her off by directing his sharp gaze at Eugene Zacher. "Mr. Zacher, as a child, you suffered a back injury from a fall into the water. Am I correct?"
Eugene froze, his face betraying his shock. "You're right. But how did you—?"
Mrs. Zacher was equally stunned. "What fall? I've never heard about this..."
Ethan's tone was calm. "I could feel the residual effects during our handshake."
The room fell silent, and for the first time, Mrs. Zacher hesitated in her defiance.
"Yes," Eugene finally admitted, his voice a mix of awe and respect. "When I was twelve, I fell from a sand barge and struck my back on an anchor. I nearly drowned. It took months to recover, but I thought I fully healed."
Ethan nodded. "You recovered for the most part, but the trauma weakened certain systems in your body. It's why you've been unable to father children and why you risk paralysis in old age."
The revelation hit Eugene like a lightning bolt.
Mrs. Zacher, on the other hand, turned pale. "You're lying! How dare you—"
"Quiet!" Eugene's tone turned icy as he turned to face his wife, his eyes filled with cold suspicion.
"Darling, listen to me! Hanson is your son. I swear he is—"
Before she could finish, Eugene delivered a harsh kick, sending her sprawling out the door.
Victor Blacke chuckled darkly. "It's a moonless night... perfect for settling scores."

YOU ARE READING
A Matrilocal Husband's Counterattack
RomanceEthan, a doormat son-in-law, unintentionally inherited the Tai Chi Classic and the Life and Death Stone, thus embarking on a different life. He saved beauties with his medical skills and killed enemies with martial arts. Not only did he sweep away o...