Walden immediately nodded. "Yes, exactly. It was her."
"Claire is incredible. When Dr. Sterling Senior isn't around, she's the only one capable of taking over his workload."
The surrounding crowd was utterly astonished.
"Can she really fully replace Dr. Sterling?"
All of these VIPs had interacted with Dr. Sterling at some point.
In their eyes, his medical skills were absolutely unparalleled.
Whenever someone's old injuries flared up and they needed pain relief, they called Dr. Sterling.
Even when their daughters-in-law or granddaughters-in-law struggled with fertility, they sought out the old doctor's expertise.
But he was only one man, and none of his students had managed to master his breathtaking signature technique: Sterling's Thirteen Needles.
With Dr. Sterling working completely alone, supply simply couldn't meet demand. This realization made everyone stare at Claire as if she were a priceless treasure. If she truly possessed that level of skill, they could just go to her in the future. Having an extra top-tier doctor meant an extra layer of security for these powerful figures. Who didn't want to live to be a hundred?
And even if they couldn't live forever, alleviating their chronic pain would be a massive blessing.
"That's impossible," Claire interjected immediately, not waiting for Walden to answer.
She knew if she didn't shut this down now, their imaginations would run wild. "Please forgive me, gentlemen, but I am nowhere near as skilled as Dr. Sterling." "Claire is just being modest. Even if she can't match him right now, she definitely won't fall short in the future!"
In Walden's eyes, Claire's abilities were already neck-and-neck with Dr. Sterling's. However, he also knew that saying so outright might bring her unwanted trouble. He was well aware of the politics involved.
"The younger generation truly is surpassing the old," one VIP sighed in admiration. Another prominent figure rubbed his lower back.
"I can't even sit for more than a few minutes nowadays."
"If I sit too long, the pain in my back is unbearable."
Walden looked at Claire. "Claire, would your pain-relief acupuncture work for severe back pain?"
"General Lowell suffered a massive spinal injury years ago, and the lingering effects are brutal."
Back in that era of scarce medical supplies, simply avoiding paralysis was a sheer miracle.
Many of his comrades in arms had lost arms or legs, so compared to them, General Lowell was actually considered lucky.
But his twilight years were filled with relentless agony.
Lucius had retired much earlier than his peers and spent most of his time
recuperating at a coastal sanitarium.
He had only made the trip back today for the Hawk family's wedding; otherwise, nothing could have dragged him out.
Claire didn't hesitate. She invited Lucius into a quiet side room to examine his back.
It was an old penetrating trauma.
and a plece
"I was trying to save someone during a bombing. The roof collapsed, a structural beam crushed my lower back, and of shattered bamboo impaled me right through the spine."
It was a nightmare Lucius still refused to dwell on.
When he first regained consciousness, his immediate thought was that he was going to be paralyzed or amputated.
Tandy had been his lead surgeon and miraculously managed to save his spine.
But military field medicine was rough and focused entirely on saving as many lives as possible, as fast as possible.
He couldn't blame Tandy; the man had no other choice.
Tandy had been performing countless surgeries a day back then and was stretched far past his limits.
Lucius let out a heavy sigh. "Honestly, sometimes I think I'd be better off checking out permanently, like Harrison."
"If I ever reach that point, I definitely don't want my family dragging me to
life to artificially exten 1?e
life content
After all, every single day he remained alive was absolute torture.
Claire completely understood the old general's despair.
"Let me take a look. If I can alleviate even a fraction of your pain, then we'll give it a
try."
Claire's tone was incredibly sincere.
Lucius agreed without hesitation. "Alright!"
Claire pressed down on a few pressure points along his spine, instantly bringing him
a wave of relief.
"Massage alone won't be enough.
Your lower back suffered
catastrophic trauma. Your meridians
are severely blocked, and your blood flow is stagnant. I need to use acupuncture to clear the pathways."