For a normal person, an occasional itchy back is as common as women having their monthly periods.

"Sir, your forehead has a slight greenish tint, and your eye whites are reddish. You speak with a restless and weak tone. Coupled with the frequent itchiness on your back, I suspect you might be ill," Shen Xingkong said, barely containing his laughter. His face, however, remained serious. A greenish forehead is like a turtle, and reddish eyes like a rabbit.

"Young man, don't talk nonsense. What illness could I possibly have?" The librarian immediately glared at him in disbelief.

"Sir, this is a medical vocational school, and I'm a student here, studying traditional Chinese medicine. Do you think I'd make this up?" Shen Xingkong's expression grew more sincere.

"Uh... well..." The librarian began to waver.

"You have symptoms of a serious illness. Do you know what a serious illness is? It's a severe disease, one that could be fatal. Although I'm just a student, my professor mentioned this condition specifically. It's caused by long-term alcohol consumption, where the alcohol toxins block your meridians, leading to poor blood circulation and weakened internal organs. If I'm not mistaken, you probably have three to five months left. After that, your meridians will deteriorate, causing unbearable itching all over your body, and eventually, you'll cough up blood and die," Shen Xingkong rattled off fluently, without a pause, making it impossible to tell he was making it all up.

"What?" The librarian was so scared that his forehead actually turned green.

"Sigh, take care of yourself! Goodbye!" Having had his fun, Shen Xingkong waved dismissively and walked away.

Watching Shen Xingkong's retreating figure, the librarian's face looked worse than if he were crying. He twisted his body and immediately felt the itching on his back intensify, making it feel like he was being scratched by claws. Just then, his phone rang, reminding him of his lunch appointment with his drinking buddies.

"To hell with lunch, damn it!" The librarian cursed, smashing his phone on the ground, and hurried out of the school to catch a bus to the hospital for a check-up.

There were still two more classes in the afternoon, but Shen Xingkong wasn't in the mood to attend. He sat in the classroom, continuously fiddling with the mysterious golden needle, trying to figure out its origin.

He spent the entire afternoon examining it but couldn't determine anything about the needle's material or origin. Holding the needle by its handle, he tried to summon the mysterious heat flow within his body but ended up sweating profusely with no results.

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Chang Le, not one for studying, kept trying to chat with Shen Xingkong throughout the afternoon. But Shen Xingkong ignored him, showing no reaction to anything Chang Le did.

When the bell for the last class rang, Chang Le suddenly jumped up from behind and grabbed Shen Xingkong by the neck.

"You bastard, why are you ignoring me? What have you been doing all afternoon, acting like you're soulless?"

"Stop messing around, I have something important to do." Shen Xingkong kicked Chang Le away and quickly put away his needle pack.

"What could be so important? Hey, did you set your sights on some girl?" Chang Le's mind was always in the gutter.

"Lecher, don't talk to me. I'm a pure man." Shen Xingkong rolled his eyes, standing up to leave.

"Ha, if you're pure, then I'm a saint," Chang Le scoffed, looking at Shen Xingkong with disdain. "Go home by yourself. I'm not giving you a ride. I have plans."

"Be careful. Even if you don't die from overexertion, catching a disease isn't fun," Shen Xingkong replied, knowing exactly what Chang Le's plans involved.

"Hehe, even if I die, Confucius said it's an honor for a man to die in bed with a woman. Oh, it's time. I need to hurry to the biology lab," Chang Le said, grinning mischievously and running out of the classroom.

Shen Xingkong sighed enviously. Compared to Chang Le, who had money, a car, and a new girlfriend every week, he was still a virgin, never having been in a relationship.

Suddenly, an idea struck Shen Xingkong. The biology lab had high-powered electron microscopes used by biology and medical students to observe cells and analyze pathology slides. If he could examine the mysterious golden needle under one of those microscopes, he might uncover its secrets.

"Hey, Chang Le, wait for me!" Shen Xingkong called, running after him.

Chang Le hadn't gone far when he heard Shen Xingkong calling and stopped.

"What do you want? I'm in a hurry. If the girl gets impatient and leaves, it's your fault!"

"Chang Le, are you my good buddy?" Shen Xingkong grabbed Chang Le's hand, staring into his eyes as if daring him to say no.

"Is this a confession? Buddy, I'm not into guys. I only like women." Chang Le looked at Shen Xingkong warily, ready to run.

"Cut the crap. If you're my buddy, come with me." Shen Xingkong didn't explain, dragging Chang Le toward the biology lab.

"Where are we going? I have a girl waiting!"

"The biology lab."

"Okay, that's better..."

"You have to keep watch for me."

"You can't be serious! Oh, man..." Chang Le groaned dramatically.

Places like the biology lab weren't open to just anyone. Usually, the doors were locked unless there was a teaching or research need, given the expensive equipment inside.

Chang Le had planned to meet his girl at the lab's entrance, but to his surprise, Shen Xingkong dragged him straight inside, leaving him bewildered about what Shen Xingkong wanted to do.

The biology lab was a lonely two-story building with no one around, and the person in charge had already gone home. The door wasn't locked, but an elderly guard stopped them as they entered.

"What are you students doing here?" The old man, over sixty, was the father-in-law of one of the school's leaders, working here through connections, earning a modest income.

"Sir, Professor Guo left his experiment notes here and asked me to fetch them. Here, this is the key." Shen Xingkong flashed his house key before the guard's eyes.

Professor Guo was the head of the biology lab. Shen Xingkong didn't know him personally, only that his surname was Guo.

"Oh, alright, be quick," the guard said, not suspecting anything, and returned to his duty room to continue enjoying his favorite singer's performance.