Chapter 5

Raymond had already made all the necessary arrangements in advance inside Glority's lounge. Castiel would treat him there, and a small group had gathered to observe.

The room was divided into two sections—an inner chamber and an outer one.

Inside, Raymond sat cross-legged on the bed, as Castiel had instructed. He had removed his shirt and pants, leaving only a pair of shorts.

Outside, Simon, Lucy, and Kirk stood behind a transparent glass panel, watching closely.

Lucy clasped her hands tightly, her nervousness evident.

Castiel reached into his pocket and retrieved a small cloth pouch. He opened it to reveal a row of gleaming golden needles. These were no ordinary acupuncture needles. Forged from meteorite iron and refined steel, they were truly one of a kind.

Raymond had prepared various medical tools in advance, including traditional silver acupuncture needles, but Castiel ignored them. Evidently, they didn't meet his standards.

"Close your eyes and focus your mind," Castiel instructed after disinfecting the golden needles.

Raymond nodded.

"Repeat after me, in your mind," Castiel added, then began reciting a meditation chant.

Raymond recognized the chant. As someone in his position, he often faced immense stress, and practices like meditation and chant recitation were common tools for calming the mind.

Yet, despite his familiarity with chants, he had always struggled to achieve a meditative state quickly.

This time, however, was different.

Castiel's voice had a hypnotic quality, like a divine melody resonating deep within Raymond's consciousness. It drew him into meditation faster than he had ever achieved on his own.

The moment Raymond slipped into this tranquil state, Castiel dipped his fingers into alcohol, passed them briefly over a flame, and ignited them.

Without hesitation, he pressed his burning fingertips to several acupuncture points on Raymond's body.

The flames didn't harm Raymond at all. As soon as Castiel withdrew his hands, the fire on his fingers extinguished as if by command.

Raymond felt a surge of warmth flood his body, coursing through his veins.

The three outside observers were stunned.

"What… is he doing?"

Kirk furrowed his brow as he had never seen this kind of treatment before.

He then scoffed. "Hmph! Nothing but parlor tricks."

Suddenly, the three froze, their eyes widening. Thin, wispy tendrils of black smoke began to rise from Raymond's body as his skin deepened to a dark red.

Castiel remained calm, though a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes at the sight of the smoke. Without hesitation, he checked Raymond's pulse, confirming his suspicion: poison.

The toxin was slow-acting, not immediately lethal, but devastating for someone in Raymond's weakened state. Left untreated, it would gradually worsen, eventually becoming incurable.

Without a word, Castiel picked up the golden needles and set to work. His hands moved with precision, inserting the needles into key acupuncture points in a seamless rhythm—lifting, flicking, tapping, inserting, and twisting with practiced ease.

As each needle found its mark, the black smoke thickened, swirling into ghostly tendrils before Castiel dispersed it with a casual wave.

Black liquid began to ooze from Raymond's pores, trickling down his skin.

As the toxins left his body, the sickly pallor of his face faded, replaced by a healthy glow.

The transformation unfolded in real time—his complexion grew rosier, his posture steadier, and his entire demeanor radiated renewed energy.

Raymond's expression softened into one of profound relief, bordering on comfort.

"What…" Simon gasped, his voice barely a whisper.

Lucy, her tension finally unraveling, released a long, shuddering sigh of relief.

"I understand now!" Kirk muttered, his voice tinged with awe as if realization struck him. "That black smoke and liquid are the toxins buried deep within Mr. Milne's organs.

"They've been the source of his agony all along. I can't believe that this young man actually managed to extract them…"

As a practitioner of traditional medicine, Kirk grasped its significance better than anyone.

His expression darkened. This was dire news for him. If Castiel had truly cured Raymond, what would become of his own role? Would Raymond still need his services?

The answer was already clear. Kirk was on the verge of losing one of his most significant clients.

'Damn it!' he cursed inwardly.

Losing Raymond meant losing a substantial portion of his income. He couldn't let that happen.

Just then, Simon turned to him, concern etched on his face. "Dr. Pergusson, are you all right? You look unwell."

Kirk snapped out of his brooding, quickly plastering on a smile. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Hogan. I'm fine. I was simply engrossed in the procedure. I must admit, this young man, Castiel, does possess remarkable skill."

"Oh? So you're saying Raymond's illness is finally cured?" Simon asked, surprised.

Kirk hesitated before nodding. "It seems so."

Simon burst into laughter, relieved. "Haha! That's wonderful news! Raymond has suffered for far too long. Now he's finally free of this torment."

Lucy, still visibly tense, also let out a sigh of relief.

Kirk clenched his fists. He couldn't let things end like this. If he gave up now, he'd lose everything.

Suddenly, inspiration struck, and a sly glint flashed in his eyes.

…

An hour later, the treatment concluded without further incident.

Castiel and Raymond emerged from the inner room.

Raymond looked like a new man. His face glowed with vitality, his posture was strong, and his entire presence radiated energy as though he had been reborn.

"Thank you, Mr. Ignis. Without you, I don't know how much longer I would have endured this suffering," he said with genuine gratitude.

Castiel responded with a calm nod, as though it were nothing extraordinary.

At that moment, Kirk stepped forward, his face alight with excitement. "Congratulations, Mr. Milne! Thanks to my treatment, you're finally cured!" he declared loudly.

Silence filled the room. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Your treatment?" someone echoed incredulously.

It was clear to all that Castiel had been the one to treat Raymond. What did Kirk have to do with it?

Kirk smiled with unwavering confidence. "That's right! Over the past several weeks, I've been treating Mr. Milne consistently, eliminating about 80% of the toxins from his body.

"All that remained was a small amount of residual poison, which only needed a final acupuncture session to be fully expelled.

"I came here today intending to complete that treatment. But since Mr. Ignis was present, I generously allowed him to take a shot at it.

"To my surprise, he did have some skill and managed to expel the remaining 20% of the toxins."

Everyone was even more stunned.

Raymond's brow furrowed. "So you're saying you deserve 80% of the credit, and Mr. Ignis only contributed 20%? That he merely got lucky?"

Kirk nodded proudly. "Exactly."

"Bullshit!" Raymond's roar reverberated through the room.