Chapter Eighty-Four: The Grand Final (Part Four)

“Severe sprain, but fortunately, no fracture.” The doctor who rushed over quickly delivered his diagnosis, exhaling in relief.

He immediately fetched an ice pack and pressed it to Lin Nan’s right ankle, which was visibly swollen. Then, he helped Lin Nan onto a stretcher and carried him off the court.

By this time, Lin Lang had already reached the edge of the court, with Yao Ming following close behind. The crowd erupted in excitement; no one had expected Yao Ming to appear at the scene. All the players from both teams who had been gathered around Lin Nan now turned their attention to Yao Ming, a legendary figure in Chinese basketball history, whom everyone admired deeply.

Only the players from Qingshui First High and Wang Shiying, after a brief glance, kept their eyes on Lin Nan. As for Si Dong, sitting in the stands, his gaze never once left Lin Nan. Their concern was solely for Lin Nan’s injury.

Having heard the doctor’s words—“severe sprain”—the players on the court understood the situation wasn’t dire, but it also meant Lin Nan wouldn’t be returning to this match. The players from Qingshui First High suddenly felt the championship slipping away from them. They were lost; with their core player gone, the path forward was uncertain.

Wang Shiying, meanwhile, was immediately consumed by deep guilt, as though in the struggle for ultimate victory against a strong opponent, he had, through his own actions, made the contest unfair. The taste of victory now seemed insipid, yet too precious to abandon. Even though Wang Shiying knew he hadn’t done it on purpose.

Lin Nan, seeing his father arrive in an instant, felt a wave of reassurance wash over him. His pale face made him look utterly spent, with sweat trickling down his forehead, his body heat yet to dissipate.

Choked with emotion, Lin Nan called out hoarsely, “Dad.”

For some reason, as he gazed at his father’s concerned yet calm expression, Lin Nan felt as if his father could heal his sprain. Even though any basketball player knows a severe sprain doesn’t heal quickly—like Mitsui Hisashi in Slam Dunk, who, playing before he was fully recovered, wasted years of his basketball career—Lin Nan believed in his father unconditionally. In his eyes, Lin Lang was capable of anything.

Lin Lang turned to the doctor beside him and said, “Doctor, please carry him and come with me.”

The doctors hesitated for a moment. From the situation just now, they knew this man was Lin Nan’s father. But now Lin Nan was injured—where could they be taking him, and for what purpose?

As they wavered, Yao Ming spoke up, “Do as he says—he has a way to treat this.”

The doctors immediately stopped hesitating and followed Lin Lang, carrying Lin Nan. They knew Yao Ming was the chairman of Chinese basketball and the chief organizer of the National High School Basketball League.

Still, doubts lingered in their hearts: How could this be treated? Could a severe sprain really be healed quickly?

As he was carried away, Lin Nan looked back at his teammates from the stretcher and mustered all his strength to shout, “Hang in there! I’ll be back soon!”

Yao Ming followed after them.

The players from Qingshui First High understood Lin Nan was trying to comfort and encourage them. Inside, they felt helpless and unwilling to accept the situation. The championship, once within reach, now seemed to slip further away.

With Lin Nan gone, the crowd from South China could not accept it. At first, a few people loudly accused Wang Shiying, shouting, “If you can't win, you play dirty!” More and more spectators, unaware of the full story, joined in the accusations.

The East China supporters, in turn, pushed back, and soon both sides were trading barbs. Fortunately, the fans were seated on opposite sides—otherwise, a brawl might have broken out. The atmosphere descended into chaos.

At this moment, Yang Yi at the commentary table received an official message and announced into the microphone, “Everyone, please calm down. Let’s watch the playback on the big screen.”

At his words, the arena quieted considerably.

The video replay quickly clarified that Wang Shiying’s action was not intentional. The South China fans could say no more. The referee signaled for the game to resume.

On the court, Wang Shiying was caught in an agonizing internal struggle. The crowd’s earlier accusations had nearly broken the spirit of this yet-to-be-adult youth. But his lifelong passion for basketball kept him standing, resolute and unmoving.

Now Wang Shiying wondered: Should he leave the game as well, to make the match fair? After a moment’s hesitation, he chose to stay. He yearned too much for this championship—even if now, it seemed a little unfair.

The game continued.

Without Lin Nan, Qingshui First High appeared to have lost its heart. Lin Nan had always played point guard, while Zhao Zhongshi played shooting guard or small forward—and even center in this match. Now, the role of point guard fell to Zhu Bo, and Li Qing was brought on to complete the lineup.

As soon as play resumed, Yangcheng High School focused their defense on Zhao Zhongshi, with two or three players shadowing him constantly. Several attacks later, Qingshui First High had scored nothing.

With Lin Nan gone and Zhao Zhongshi closely guarded, the remaining players simply could not shoulder the responsibility for scoring. Though they played with determination, the opposing team’s height advantage prevented them from scoring with their less-than-outstanding skills.

And so, minute by minute, the game slipped by. Yangcheng High School went from trailing the entire game, to tying the score, to taking the lead.

With 1 minute and 2 seconds left, the score was 100 to 90—Qingshui First High trailing by ten points.

Coach Gorilla had just called a timeout to prepare for a foul tactic, but he knew their chances were slim. His face was full of helplessness and frustration.

Suddenly, Coach Gorilla heard exclamations from the crowd, then saw the joyous expressions on his own players’ faces, and the incredulity on the faces of Yangcheng High School’s players.

In that instant, a miraculous thought flashed through Coach Gorilla’s mind. He slowly turned around.

There stood Lin Nan, perfectly fine, at the edge of the court, smiling at him and saying, “Coach, let me play!”

“My God, what just happened?” Yang Yi at the commentary table was already at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to describe this miracle.

He had watched countless games and seen countless basketball players leave the court due to injury, but never before had he witnessed someone with a severe sprain, a huge swollen lump, return to the game as good as new after just ten minutes.

What had happened?

Everyone wondered the same thing: What happened?

Let us return to ten minutes earlier.

After the doctors followed Lin Lang and carried Lin Nan into a small room inside the gymnasium, an elderly man with white hair entered. He wore simple white clothes, his face was ruddy and full of vitality, his eyes calm and detached, as though he had seen through the world’s troubles.

Lin Lang stepped forward and greeted him respectfully, “Elder Hua, I must trouble you—my son has suffered a severe basketball sprain, and his teammates need him desperately.”

Elder Hua quickly replied, “No trouble at all, Mr. Lin. Healing injuries has always been the duty of a physician, especially considering all you have done for traditional Chinese medicine.”

As he said, over the past year, Lin Lang had gathered renowned practitioners of traditional medicine from across the country, including many reclusive, highly learned doctors, providing them with resources and a supportive environment to reinvigorate and promote Chinese medicine.

The doctors present now realized that this elderly man was a traditional physician—a fact they respected, though they still wondered. Traditional medicine was usually about strengthening the body and promoting health. Could it really treat a severe sprain so quickly?

And then, they witnessed a miracle.

Elder Hua approached Lin Nan, and with just a look into the boy’s eyes, recognized an indomitable spirit. Elder Hua marveled inwardly—worthy son of Mr. Lin!

He took Lin Nan’s pulse and immediately sensed the youth’s robust health. Elder Hua knew Lin Nan must train regularly, with a disciplined routine and diet—rare among children nowadays.

He then examined Lin Nan’s injured ankle carefully.

Next, he produced a cloth bundle, from which he took a set of silver needles, and removed the ice pack from Lin Nan’s foot.

At this point, Lin Lang, ever considerate, stepped forward, took out a lighter, and lit it.

Elder Hua sterilized the silver needles in the flame. Once Lin Nan’s ankle had returned to normal temperature, he gently inserted a needle beside the swollen area, close to the abscess, and said kindly, “Don’t move.”

Lin Nan nodded obediently. Instantly, a tingling sensation shot through his ankle, accompanied by sharp pain, but he uttered not a sound.

Before long, those present saw dark blood oozing out along the silver needle, and the swollen abscess on his ankle diminished in size.

The doctors watching were stunned. They all knew that the swelling from a sprain was due to blood and tissue fluid trapped under the skin, but they had never seen such a method to draw it out.

Typically, a sprain is treated with alternating ice and heat, followed by topical herbal oils to promote circulation, and then one’s recovery depends on individual constitution. None of them had ever seen such rapid healing before.

Elder Hua continued, inserting needles one by one around the swollen area. Soon, the swelling was completely gone; apart from some redness, the ankle looked almost normal.

Lin Nan wanted to try moving his right foot, but—remembering the old man hadn’t yet told him to—he remained still.

Elder Hua nodded in satisfaction, thinking, “Calm and patient—destined for greatness.”

He then removed the needles and took out a small bottle, the strong smell of alcohol filling the room. Lighting the bottle with Lin Lang’s lighter, he produced a red-blue flame.

Pouring a little onto his hand, the flame danced over his palm as he massaged Lin Nan’s ankle.

Lin Nan immediately felt a warm, comforting sensation.

A few minutes later, Elder Hua packed away his things and said kindly, “All done. Try walking now. With your constitution, you’ll be fully recovered in a minute or two—free to move as you wish.”

The doctors immediately turned to Elder Hua, pleading, “Please teach us, Elder Hua. We are doctors, too.”

Elder Hua could sense their sincerity, but shook his head. “Traditional medicine must be learned from childhood. Acupoints, herbs, and techniques take decades to master. You’re too old to begin now—you’re better off advancing in Western medicine.”

The doctors sighed with regret, their earlier excitement fading. They understood—such miraculous skills could not be acquired overnight.

Two minutes later, Lin Nan felt his vitality return, a happy smile spreading across his face.

He said his goodbyes quickly, “Dad, Grandpa Hua, I’m heading back—my teammates are waiting for me.” He bowed deeply to Elder Hua, then hurried away.

And so, he reappeared on the court, before the eyes of ten thousand spectators!