69: Chapter 69 The Gu Insects Reappear

Jiang Hanzhou stood in the mottled shadows of an old tree, his gaze sweeping calmly over the crowd in the courtyard, each wearing a different expression.

Those physicians, Martial Artists, and even eccentric individuals who were whispering and casting glances toward the closed door of the refined room mostly had faces filled with solemnity, curiosity, and a hint of imperceptible unease.

The Li Family was truly anxious this time.

Just as this slightly oppressive silence was being filled with soft murmurs, the Head of the Li Family, Li Chongshan, whose red hair burned like flames and who had been standing with his hands behind his back in front of the refined room, finally turned around slowly.

He did not speak, but with just this movement, the previously somewhat noisy courtyard was instantly silenced, as if its throat had been gripped by an invisible hand.

Everyone's gaze focused simultaneously on this top expert of Donghai Prefecture.

Li Chongshan's gaze felt substantial as it swept heavily across every face in the courtyard.

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an unquestionable majesty, as well as a hint of deeply hidden exhaustion and anxiety:

"I thank you all for coming upon invitation." He nodded slightly, acknowledging the greeting.

"My son, Li Jingming, went traveling with friends to the 'Guanchao Cliff' area in the southern suburbs half a month ago. On the night he returned, he was suddenly struck by a severe illness and has remained unconscious."

"The symptoms are strange; he is at times cold and at times hot, his Divine Sense is sometimes blurred and sometimes clear, and his whole body's Qi and blood are decaying day by day, yet no external wounds or source of the illness can be found."

"Several famous physicians in the city have tried to treat him to no avail; instead... they are at a loss."

He paused, his eyes beneath his crimson beard and hair growing more profound, yet his tone remained steady:

"I have no other choice but to widely invite talented individuals, and I ask you all to display your respective strengths to treat my son."

"Regardless of whether you achieve any results, for everyone who has stepped into this courtyard today, the Li Family will offer two hundred taels of silver as a token of gratitude and to cover the travel expenses for your hard work."

"If anyone can discover the cause of the illness or has a method of treatment, the Li Family will offer further heavy rewards and will certainly not be stingy."

Two hundred taels!

Upon hearing this, many in the courtyard felt their breathing quicken slightly.

For many traveling physicians who walk the Jianghu, and even some lesser-known resident doctors, two hundred taels was already a considerable fortune, enough to cover several years of expenses for an ordinary family.

This move by the Li Family not only displayed their immense financial resources but also highlighted their sincerity and generosity in their desperate desire to save their son.

Jiang Hanzhou also felt a trace of surprise in his heart.

As expected of a powerful clan that has been entrenched for a hundred years, their spending is truly lavish.

Without having to do anything, just going through the motions to get two hundred taels—this medical skill... is really a good way to make money.

The corners of his mouth curved imperceptibly, then quickly returned to calm.

After Li Chongshan finished speaking, he said no more, turned back around, and silently watched the door, as if he wanted to see through that thick wooden door.

In the courtyard, the atmosphere became subtle once again.

With that guaranteed two hundred taels, the pressure in many people's hearts eased slightly, but their eyes looking toward the refined room became even more eager.

If one could diagnose the issue, how generous would that "heavy reward" be?

Soon, under the arrangement of the Old Butler of the Li Residence, according to the order of previous invitations and their respective fame in the prefecture city or relevant circles, they began to enter the refined room one by one to examine the Eldest Young Master Li.

The first one to enter was an old resident physician from the "Renxin Hall" in the prefecture city, with white hair and beard; it was said he possessed ancestral pulse-reading techniques and was quite renowned in the inner city of Donghai Prefecture.

He stayed inside for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. When he came out, his originally ruddy complexion had turned somewhat pale, his hand twisting his beard trembled slightly, and he bowed to Li Chongshan and the other core members of the Li Family, shook his head, and sighed:

"This old man is shallow in learning; the Eldest Young Master's pulse is extremely strange. It seems there are several strands of foreign power colliding and entangling within his body, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, unpredictable. It is not something this old man can discern. I am ashamed, ashamed..."

After speaking, without waiting for Li Chongshan to respond, he hurriedly retreated to the side, clearly having been dealt a heavy blow.

Li Chongshan remained expressionless, though his jawline seemed to tighten a bit.

The second person was Dr. Lin, the "Ghost Hand" from a neighboring prefecture, who was said to be skilled in treating difficult and complicated diseases.

He spent a longer time inside. When he came out, his brows were tightly locked, and he was holding a silver needle used to test for poison, the tip of which actually carried a hint of eerie gray-blue.

He said to Li Chongshan with a solemn expression: "Head of the Li Family, it seems there is an extremely cold foreign substance entrenched in your son's body, but it is different from ordinary cold poison. There is a faint feeling of... of a living thing lurking. I have practiced medicine for decades and have never seen such a strange illness. I dare not make a rash judgment, and even less do I dare to prescribe medicine."

"A living thing?" A flash of sharp light appeared in Li Chongshan's eyes, and his tone suddenly deepened by three degrees.

Dr. Lin shook his head with a bitter smile: "It is just the feeling I get from the pulse and the flow of Qi and blood; it may not be accurate. Perhaps it is some kind of rare, insidious, and strange poison, who knows."

Li Chongshan waved his hand, and Dr. Lin retreated dejectedly.

The third person was a withered old man recommended by a Jianghu force that was on good terms with the Li Family, who was said to be proficient in some unorthodox medical arts and exorcism methods.

After he went in, faint sounds of low incantations and objects colliding could be heard from inside. However, after less than half a stick of incense, he staggered out with a deathly pale face, a trace of uncleaned blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, and said to Li Chongshan in a state of lingering fear:

"Head... Head of the Li Family, forgive this old man's incompetence! That sinister power within the Eldest Young Master's body is extraordinarily domineering and has the ability to backlash; it is definitely not an ordinary illness or possession by an evil spirit... My meager Dao cultivation was nearly... Sigh!"

He said no more, hurriedly bowed to take his leave, as if staying for even a moment longer would lead to misfortune.

Three "famous experts" who had been pinned with high hopes returned in defeat one after another, and each spoke more mysteriously and appeared more disheveled than the last.

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly dropped to freezing point. The slight ease brought about by the two hundred taels of tea money vanished, replaced by a heavy oppression and a faint sense of unease.

Everyone could feel that the aura emanating from the red-haired Head of the Li Family in front was becoming heavier and heavier, like leaden clouds gathering before a storm, pressing down so hard that people could hardly breathe.

Some of those with weaker courage had already begun to quietly shrink back.

Jiang Hanzhou remained standing in the shadows under the tree, as if the heavy air pressure in the courtyard had nothing to do with him.

His gaze had never left the closed door from beginning to end. As the three physicians went in and out, his brows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Just as the third withered old man retreated in a disheveled state, Li Chongshan's face was so gloomy it was about to drip water, and the courtyard was silent enough to hear a pin drop—

Jiang Hanzhou felt a faint, extremely familiar fluctuation, as if responding across the air, faintly emanating from inside the refined room, from the unconscious Li Jingming!

His pupils suddenly contracted.

This feeling... he was too familiar with it!

Although the nature was different and the intensity was far inferior, that unique "living thing" aura, that essence of parasitism, devouring, and chaos...

It is Gu!