Divine Level Witch Doctor

Kobayashi Haruo was stunned for a moment, then his heart swelled with ecstasy. All his tension, worry, anxiety, and fear vanished without a trace.

’This kid actually wants me to perform the acupuncture technique again? Hahaha, is he an idiot? Is he?!’

’My greatest talent is my ability to learn quickly. If that kid had merely pointed out the differences between the Little Nine Probing Needle Method and the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique without explaining the secrets of the latter, I would’ve been exposed. But he’s a complete fool! To show off, he actually laid out all the secret techniques of the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique. Heh heh, now that I have this, you think I can’t perform the real thing? Kid, today I’m going to teach you a lesson. I’ll show you what it means to suffer a double loss!’

Kobayashi Haruo didn’t doubt the authenticity of Zhao Yuan’s words for a second. Hadn’t he seen He Chengwei’s expression change drastically several times? ’He’s clearly furious that Zhao Yuan revealed the secrets of the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique!’

”You want me to perform the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique again? No problem! I’ll do it one more time so everyone can see whether I’m using the true Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique! We’ll also see just who is trying to weasel their way out of this!”

Full of confidence, Kobayashi Haruo sneered and took a Golden Needle from its case. With a forceful grip, he began twisting, turning, lifting, and thrusting, and the Golden Needle danced in mid-air.

Everyone’s eyes were wide, fixed on the Golden Needle in Kobayashi Haruo’s hand and his every movement.

”Wait, that’s not right. The Acupuncture Technique this Japanese man is using is identical to the techniques for the true Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique that the kid described. I don’t see any moves from the Little Nine Probing Needle Method at all.”

”Look! During the lift-and-thrust of Spiritual Snake Probing the Moon, he’s twisting and rotating it!”

”Weren’t we told that when Kobayashi Haruo performs Spiritual Snake Sea Exploration, he’d flick and scrape the tail of the needle with his finger? He’s not doing that at all! He’s doing exactly what that kid described—what only the true Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique has—using the pad of his finger to generate force and vibrate the needle’s shaft!”

Everyone, both in the live audience and watching the livestream online, was stunned to discover that the techniques Kobayashi Haruo was demonstrating were completely identical to the ones Zhao Yuan had just described as exclusive to the true Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique!

The atmosphere in China’s livestream chat became oppressive. The bullet comments were almost all cursing Zhao Yuan.

”This is what they call trying to act cool and ending up looking like a complete idiot!”

”Fuck, I almost believed that kid. But now, looking at it, the Japanese guy is performing the exact techniques he said only the true Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique has! That kid was definitely just framing him!”

”He lost the competition and our dignity! He’s completely shamed all of us Chinese people! Someone dox this kid’s identity and address! I want to go beat his ass!”

”I’m with you! Let’s go beat his ass!”

”Beat his ass +1!”

Meanwhile, the livestream chat in East Japan was full of arrogance. Everyone was cheering and shouting in triumph.

”Mr. Kobayashi, you didn’t let us down!”

”Glory to Great East Japan!”

”Charge! Crush these despicable Chinese who dared to slander you!”

A few minutes later, Kobayashi Haruo completed the Acupuncture Technique. A smug, cold smile played on his lips as he turned to Zhao Yuan. ”Well? Is my Acupuncture Technique the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique or the Little Nine Probing Needle Method?”

He had expected Zhao Yuan to be either scared witless or utterly shocked, but he saw neither emotion on the young man’s face. Instead, there was a smile—a smile dripping with mockery.

’Why is he making that face?’ Kobayashi Haruo was startled as a powerful sense of unease washed over him.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Zhao Yuan clapped as he spoke. ”Mr. Kobayashi, I have to say, you’re quite impressive. Your ability to learn is just as good, if not better, than Saito Tatsunori’s, who hid his name and snuck into the He Family to steal the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique all those years ago! In just a few minutes, you managed to make adjustments based on everything I said, without a single mistake!”

”Hmph.” Kobayashi Haruo’s expression was grim. The more strangely Zhao Yuan acted, the stronger his sense of unease became.

He had good reason to be worried.

Then, Zhao Yuan’s tone shifted. ”It’s a pity, Mr. Kobayashi, but you’ve gotten one thing wrong. Those ’secret techniques’ I mentioned earlier? They weren’t real. I just made them up on the spot to trick you. Oh, I do apologize for the deception. But then again, Mr. Kobayashi, you’re an older man. How can you be so naive? Do you just believe everything people tell you? By the way, don’t you Japanese always pride yourselves on inheriting China’s legacy? Have you never heard the saying ’all’s fair in war’? How about this, I’ll wise you up. Go home, buy a copy of *Han Feizi*, and give it a good read. That saying comes from that very book.”

”Baka!” Kobayashi Haruo flew into a rage, so furious he forgot to speak Chinese and roared out a Japanese curse.

Only then did he realize he had been tricked. Zhao Yuan had been setting a trap for him from the very beginning. How laughable! He, who had always prided himself on his intelligence, hadn’t noticed a thing. He’d actually thought the kid had blundered, not only saving him from a crisis but also handing him an advantage…

’Looking back now,’ he thought, ’the real idiot was me!’

”What’s the matter? Angry now that you’ve been embarrassed?”

Zhao Yuan paid Kobayashi Haruo’s anger no mind. He’d even taken on armed drug dealers before; why would he be afraid of this Japanese devil?

He couldn’t even be bothered to spare Kobayashi Haruo another glance. He turned to He Chengwei and said, ”Dr. He, if you would be so kind, please perform your Four Probing Needle Technique once more. Let Mr. Kobayashi have a good, long look at what the *real* Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique is!”

”Of course!” He Chengwei nodded, picked up a Golden Needle, and once again performed the Four Probing Needle Technique he had mastered. He deliberately slowed his movements so everyone could see them more clearly.

He Chengwei wasn’t the least bit worried that someone would steal his Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique by watching. People could only see the form. Without understanding the force-generation techniques and their subtleties, it was impossible to learn the method. At best, they would end up with a clumsy imitation, just like Saito Tatsunori had all those years ago, managing to learn only the most superficial elements.

Soon, the Four Probing Needle Technique was complete.

This time, everyone—both in the live audience and in the online livestreams—saw it with perfect clarity.

The Acupuncture Technique Kobayashi Haruo had just performed was different in many details from He Chengwei’s Four Probing Needle Technique! Considering the sequence of events, coupled with Kobayashi Haruo’s enraged and humiliated reaction, everyone immediately came to a conclusion: it was just as Zhao Yuan had said. The technique Kobayashi Haruo used wasn’t the true Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique, but a counterfeit version that merely looked similar, used to deceive them all!