Chapter 251 227: Seven-Star Plum Blossom Needle

A fine needle accurately pierced the body of the spider; it was Xu Chunliang who acted just in time, using the needle to stab through the spider.Considering the crowd around him, and not wanting to attract too much attention, he didn't choose to use a flying needle to kill it but instead bent down, holding the needle to poke directly. Even so, the precision was astounding, piercing the spider in one go. The spider was dead but stiff, its eight legs still struggling desperately.

This spider's body was about one centimeter long, with a leg span of about four centimeters. Its abdomen was jet black and had a red hourglass-shaped marking.

This was a Latrodectus hesperus, with highly toxic venom, known as one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Because the female of this species kills its mate immediately after mating, it is commonly referred to as the Black Widow.

Xu Chunliang found three wounds on the victim's shoulder and back, with red marks and surrounded by a ring of hives.

Xu Chunliang took out a Detoxification Pill and put it in the victim's mouth. Although the Detoxification Pill is not a specific antidote for Black Widow venom, it can slow down the development of the toxicity, preventing the early onset of venom attacking the heart. According to the current naming standards for antibiotics, it could be referred to as a broad-spectrum anti-venom medication. He had come prepared today, considering everything thoroughly.

Xu Chunliang lowered his head to observe the victim's condition; she was breathing rapidly, her consciousness fuzzy.

Reaching out to feel her pulse, he found that her pulse pattern was disorderly, alternating between rapid and slow. After every four to seven beats, there would be a temporary pause, and this would repeat, known in traditional Chinese medicine as "pecking pulse," a typical symptom of poisoning.

Within a short time, the victim's pulse pattern changed again, with increasingly long intervals between the beats, dropping to about thirty beats a minute, akin to a leaky house. This type of pulse is known as "leaky house pulse."

Xu Chunliang frowned slightly; this Black Widow's venom is indeed very potent. If allowed to spread unchecked in the victim's body, she might not hold on until the rescue team arrives.

He asked Zhu Yue to bring strong liquor and a scent cup. Meanwhile, he took out his portable needle case and pulled out a Plum Blossom Needle. The Plum Blossom Needle belongs to a type of skin needle with seven small needles attached to one end of its handle.

The earliest Plum Blossom Needles were bundles of seven embroidery needles tied together, fixed to the top of a bamboo chopstick, used to tap the skin. The needle impressions were in groups of seven holes, resembling the constellation the Seven Stars or a plum blossom, hence the name also known as the Seven-Star Plum Blossom Needle.

Plum Blossom Needle uses a multi-needle shallow puncture method, gathering multiple short needles to shallowly prick a particular body part and specific acupoints.

The Plum Blossom Needle Xu Chunliang uses now is a specially shaped modern craft version, differing in shape yet similar in function to the past versions.

Xu Chunliang tapped the affected area with the Plum Blossom Needle, striving for each needle insertion to draw blood. After bleeding from the affected area, he rapidly heated the inside of a scent cup with high-proof liquor using a flash fire method, using the scent cup as a replacement for traditional cupping to secure the wound.

Cupping has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, still widely known today. It is a technique using cups to create negative pressure on the skin through fire or suction, causing localized bruising to promote circulation, ease blood flow, reduce swelling, relieve pain, and dispel wind and cold.

Xu Chunliang used cupping on the victim to utilize the negative pressure created by the cup to extract poisoned blood, trying to clear out as much venom as possible, minimizing its entry into the victim's system, thus easing her symptoms and buying time for the upcoming rescue.

The surrounding crowd finally realized the true purpose of Xu Chunliang's request for the scent cup. They couldn't help but admire his ingenious idea of using a liquor glass as a cupping tool, something previously unheard of, let alone seen.

In the eyes of a true master, any tool can be conveniently used as a medical instrument. In this aspect, traditional Chinese medicine is more adaptable than Western medicine.

The strong negative pressure from the scent cup pulled out a significant amount of poisoned blood from the wound, simultaneously halting the further spread of the toxin.

The victim's tremors had stopped, her breathing began to even out, and her heart rate started to climb, indicating the revival of cardiac function.

By the time the rescue personnel arrived, the victim's condition was increasingly stable.

Assisting the rescue team in lifting the victim onto a stretcher, Xu Chunliang briefly explained the situation. In truth, after administering the Detoxification Pill, the victim's life was likely no longer at risk, and there was no need for him to interfere further in the ongoing rescue. Overstepping could actually provoke more suspicion.

Lu Qi carefully placed the dead Black Widow spider into an evidence bag, and the needle Xu Chunliang used to kill the Black Widow also needed to be retained as evidence, which he explained specifically to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang understood this and handed over the Plum Blossom Needle used to draw blood from the victim. The reason he came today was to prove his innocence; cooperating with the police investigation is every citizen's obligation.

The police conducted a site inspection. Considering the strong venom of the Black Widow and its rare occurrence outside of artificial control, it's highly probable the spider was released intentionally.

The police suggested a thorough investigation and temporary closure of the bar. It's hard to ensure there are no other venomous insects inside the bar; continuing operation in the current situation is irresponsible to the public.

The bar management accepted the suggestion and decided to remain closed. They only had one request: for the police to keep the matter confidential and not disclose that the Black Widow had bitten an employee. If the issue were to be leaked, it could only mean closure for SEVEN STAR.

After the night's operation ended, the hospital also reported that the bitten DJ had woken up and was in good condition, seemingly having passed the critical period of danger.

Hua Zhuyue breathed a sigh of relief. Although an accident ultimately happened, fortunately, the outcome wasn't too bad.

The police withdrew, and Hua Zhuyue personally escorted the officers to their cars. She glanced at Xu Chunliang, and Xu Chunliang happened to look at her too. Hua Zhuyue smiled slightly, understanding in her heart that Xu Chunliang's timely intervention had defused the bar's crisis.

Watching the police vehicles leave, Xie Chunlei came to Hua Zhuyue's side, worriedly saying, "Sister Hua, if this keeps up, our business will be completely ruined."

Hua Zhuyue replied, "Things cannot be rushed. If that DJ had died tonight, that's when our business would really be ruined."

Xie Chunlei said, "I suspect this matter has something to do with that guy."

Hua Zhuyue frowned, "If it weren't for his intervention just now, the DJ might not have been saved." No one would do such a thankless job; Hua Zhuyue had witnessed Xu Chunliang's entire rescue process with her own eyes and no longer doubted him.

"He must realize the police suspect him, so he deliberately staged this thief crying 'stop thief' act to clear his name. The more he does this, the more suspicious it is."

Hua Zhuyue glanced at him with hidden sarcasm, "I never noticed you were so smart before."

Xie Chunlei didn't catch the sarcasm in her words and flatteringly said, "I've learned a lot from being around Sister Hua for so long."

Hua Zhuyue thought for a moment and said, "Investigate the bars that have recently opened in Dongzhou and those about to open, especially those similar in scale to ours as a focus. Prepare a list for me."

Xie Chunlei nodded, pondering in his heart whether Hua Zhuyue suspected that this affair was a competitor's doing. He didn't agree with this and stuck to his own view.

After Lu Qi sent Xu Chunliang home, he returned to the police station for a meeting, where Captain Lin was leading the task force members to review the case.

On the whiteboard beside them, Xu Chunliang's name was written, with several lines drawing connections to various incidents, the most recent being the president of Enheng Pharmaceutical reporting that Xu Chunliang had inserted a centipede into his body, but he had already withdrawn the case.

Captain Lin asked Lu Qi to share his views on Xu Chunliang since they were good friends.

Lu Qi walked to the front of the whiteboard and first circled the Cyan Dragon Mountain case involving the use of a king cobra to lure Fan Yajun: "This case is one where I proactively sought Xu Chunliang's help. He assisted the police in solving the case, so I don't think it's appropriate to list it as part of our reasoning evidence."

Captain Lin nodded, and Lu Qi removed the magnet to eliminate the event, then pointed to the second case involving the Da Hu Recycling Company on Weishan Island: "Based on two suspects' confessions, this case has no direct connection to Xu Chunliang. They don't know Xu Chunliang; they merely intersected with him in time and space. Linking the two is very far-fetched."

He removed this incident too, and now half of the criminal incidents involving Xu Chunliang were eliminated.

Captain Lin said, "Sheng Chaohui reported that Xu Chunliang inserted three centipedes into his ears and nose."

Lu Qi considered this even more absurd. They had already investigated Sheng Chaohui's medical history, and experts from the Medical University Affiliated Hospital hadn't found related evidence. Moreover, Sheng Chaohui withdrew his lawsuit soon after, with a high likelihood that Sheng Chaohui lied, possibly a hallucination caused by his fright.

Captain Lin said, "According to you, this case has nothing to do with Xu Chunliang. There is indeed no supportive evidence, but how can it be such a coincidence that he's present almost every time?"

Lu Qi replied, "I'm present almost every time too, so does that mean I'm also a suspect?"

Captain Lin laughed, "You two really are friends, huh."

Lu Qi said, "Tonight, we focused on Xu Chunliang, and facts proved that the Seven-Star threat letter incident had nothing to do with him. Not only that, he even saved that DJ."

A member of the task force said, "We can't rule out the possibility that he's using this incident to cover up his tracks."

Lu Qi said, "You'd better first understand the meaning of 'covering up tracks' before you say that. Captain Lin, I think our investigative direction is wrong. The clues provided by Xie Chunlei are too tainted by personal bias. Bias, combined with more random events, cannot form scientific evidence."

Captain Lin seemed thoughtful. After considering for a while, he said, "Lu Qi, Li Zhong."

"Present!"

"You two investigate the bars and nightclubs that have recently opened in Dongzhou, and thoroughly check Xie Chunlei's recent business status."

Please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets! Please vote for recommendation tickets!