Left for Dead Came Back for Everything novel Chapter 165

The acupuncture hurt far worse than she had anticipated.

The second the old master drove the silver needle into the pressure point on the outside of her knee, Eliza's entire body snapped taut like a bowstring.

A deep, agonizing soreness drilled straight out of her bones, crawling all the way up her fascia into her thigh. It felt like someone was scraping her bones with a dull blade.

But she didn't make a single sound.

She bit down hard on the inside of her lower lip, her fingers gripping the edge of the bamboo mat so tightly her knuckles turned stark white.

Vivian stood nearby, arms crossed over her chest. After watching her for two seconds, she suddenly reached over and pried Eliza's white-knuckled fingers off the mat.

"Don't bite your lip. If it hurts, let it out. Holding it in does your body no favors. Tensing up will just block your circulation and ruin the effects of the treatment."

Eliza relaxed her jaw and took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm fine... it just aches."

"It's supposed to ache," Vivian said steadily. "The master's technique targets the deep fascial layers. You completely deadened your pain receptors with those cortisone shots, so right now, he's basically forcing those pathways back open. The first three sessions are going to be agonizing, but it'll get better after that."

The old master stood by with his eyes closed, his fingers resting on the final silver needle, slowly twisting it three times.

Eliza's brow twitched violently, but she clamped her back teeth together and refused to make a sound.

Twenty minutes later, all the needles were removed.

Vivian handed her a cup of warm herbal tea. Eliza took a sip; it was incredibly bitter, but once it went down, a comforting warmth spread through her stomach.

"Stand up and try walking a few steps."

Eliza set the cup down, using the back of the chair to slowly pull herself up.

The moment her left foot touched the ground—

She froze.

It didn't hurt.

It wasn't the deadened, numb sensation that followed a cortisone shot. It was a genuine, weightless feeling. It felt like the tightly coiled spring inside her knee—one that had been wound up for three years—had suddenly been released.

She tentatively bent her knee, then straightened it.

It felt sore, but there was no pain.

"This is..."

Vivian's lips curved into a slight smile. "The master's acupuncture combined with the external poultice always shows the most dramatic results after the first session. But don't celebrate just yet. You still have a long road ahead. No strenuous exercise for the next two days, and change the patch every twenty-four hours. I've packed fourteen for you. Julian will give them to you."

Eliza bowed deeply, thanking the old master profusely.

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